Assaggio Ristorante

11/10/09

Great food and fun lively atmosphere

by buttahfly at Citysearch

Being from NY, we're very particular about our Italian food and often overly critical. We went here before the Ozomatli show on Saturday night and the food was tremendous! We did have to wait for about 20 minutes and the woman manning the hostess stand was less than friendly, even though we had a reservation, but ultimately it was worth it! Also it helped that the owner came around to personally apologize for the wait. We had the veal parmesan, which was so yummy and a cream pasta with Italian sausage, which I actually almost finished it was so good. We didn't make it to dessert unfortunately as we had to go, but we'll definitely be back!

• Pros: very good food
• Cons: crowded and need to hold reservations

11/06/09

Great New Happy Hour at Il Baretto!

by csmk at Citysearch

amazing new bar and delicious new happy hour at a seattle italian favorite. drinks are cheap. the bar menu is too. best yet - assaggio doesn't skimp on quality. it's all such a great price for such delicious food. sweet potato fries - yum!

• Pros: $2 Draft Beers, $6 Pizza & $6 Basket of Sweet Potato Fries

01/20/09

An act of kindness for our community...

by Monica786 at Citysearch

Assaggio Ristorante was so kind to donate to our community auction at Harborview. They donated 4 dinner certificates and 4 autographed cook books. This donation helped us raise money which will be used to help meet the personal needs of ICU family members. Thank you Assaggio Ristorante! We adore you!

09/06/08

Ok food, terrible service

by mango4444 at Citysearch

The food was alright, nothing spectacular. The restaurant is small so everyone is crammed together and servers are always bumping past your chairs with plates of food. The owner and hostess were nice, but we had a terrible server. She was very rude and snobby. It was clear to us that she felt that we did not belong there. When we asked her about items on the menu she sighed and spoke to us as if we were children who should have known what it was. We had another couple eating with us and asked to split the bill, but she said that she wasn't able to do it and told us to just pay the other couple cash. Terrible service. This restaurant is overrated.

• Pros: relatively inexpensive for downtown, good if you want somethign close to the moore theater
• Cons: terrible service, limited/expensive parking

07/10/08

Excellent Restaurant

by 4FoodCritics at Citysearch

7/3/08 had a fabulous dinner. Seated promptly, service was excellent and the food fantantastic. When traveling years ago in Seattle we ate there and it was wonderful. Glad to see they've maintained the same high quality. They even made me pasta with vodka sauce, something no longer on their menu and it was the best! I highly recommended and will definately be back next time in Seattle!

• Pros: Location, Service, Food, Wine
• Cons: none

06/08/08

Best Italian food outside of Italy

by jackies12 at Citysearch

Assaggio is an amazing restaurant. From the moment we arrived, we received excellent customer service and felt like we were eating at a friend's house. After each course was brought out, either our waiter or the owner would verify that we were satisfied with our food, which of course we were. The dishes were delicious and I'm not sure that it's possible to find better food in Seattle. Be sure to save room for dessert, they are unexpectedly flavorful and definitely underpriced. The food alone makes Assaggio worth visiting, but add in the outstanding customer service and you won't find a better Italian restaurant outside of Italy!

12/28/07

Italy in Seattle

by stevgd at Citysearch

I have never written an online review about anything but having read the reviews on this site then enjoying a wonderful meat at this restaurant I became so upset about some of the nasty things some "reviewers" had said, am compelled to add my perspective--the service was impeccable, the food delicious, and Mauro, the owner, a perfect gentleman and host. All four of us thought each of our meals was excellent including tasting each other's.

All I can say is: if you can't go to Italy, go to Assaggio.

• Pros: authenticity, personal greeting by the owner, excellent food at good price
• Cons: downtown parking

11/28/07

We almost did not go due to the reviews on this site...but GO, it is EXCELLENT. Our new Fav Italian place in Seattle!

by erincharris at Citysearch

I have now decided that the negative reviews on MANY restaurants on this site are unwarranted. My husband and I get out once a month for dinner while my parents watch our baby, so you can imagine, 'date night' is a bit precious for us. Finding the right place for that one night out is a big deal. I had been there once a few years ago, but after reading reviews on this site and thought, "Wow, it must have gone downhill."

With a 5 month old baby, I really don't have any time at all to write restaurant reviews, but after going there I felt that this place has some pretty unfavorable reviews and I should do my part to help rectify that! My husband and I were married in Italy and absolutely love Italian food. Our previous favorite had been La Spiga (which is still excellent, we just miss the old, smaller space on Broadway). Assaggio is definitely "our new favorite" place to go.

Assaggio is like walking into a restaurant in the heart of Florence (except a lot of those places play American pop music vs. charming Italian music like Assaggio). The atmosphere is romantic and warm. The owner is a very friendly and very Italian guy who certainly adds to the charm.

The food was EXCELLENT. The hardest part was trying to decide what to order as everything sounded so good. We ended up sharing a salad and a pasta (both were outstanding --- the pear and greens salad and the pancetta, pea and gorgonzola pasta). We then each had a meat dish (we splurged and it is pre-diet season!). I LOVED the chicken dish and my husband had veal (I would never eat veal so we did not share that one..!). He thought it was very good.

We finished off with coffees that were perfection and the tiramisu (sp) (not as good as we have had in Italy, but decent). We also shared a fabulous Barberesco wine which was **outstanding**. We can't wait to go back!!!

• Pros: Food, wine, atmosphere, service
• Cons: the negative reviews on this web site!

10/31/07

Great Place Great Food

by waihealani at Citysearch

My boyfriend and I came here for our 1 year anniversary and it was excellent. From the moment we walked in we were greeted and sat and the food from beginning to end was absolutely wonderful. The service was fabulous and I absolutely loved how the owner of the restaurant hangs around and greets people and talks to them. I felt very comfortable and was extremely happy. Definitely coming back to this place.

09/17/07

Not bad

by mfuntanilla at Citysearch

My husband and I got some seriously bad service at another high-profile restaurant and left the place and ended up here. On a busy Saturday night around 8:30, we thought we'd try our luck and ask if there was a table available. The nice hostess was very accommodating and broke down a table for us and we were seated immediately. The food wasn't to-die-for but it wasn't bad either. My bolognese was very flavorful but a little too salty. My husband had the ravioli with scallops and it was a decent comforting cheesy creamy dish. Our server was very nice and knowledgeable. Overall, I would recommend Assaggio if someone wanted Italian food in the downtown area. But it wasn't so special that it made me want to go back again.