Sorrentino Trattoria

06/02/2008 Posted by blorraine

This was an exceptional dining experience--not a single criticism of any aspect of the evening. I began with their homemade lemoncello martini--floating on a base of pomegranate nectar--fabulous! My standard mandarin cosmo pales in comparison. The waiter was knowledgeable and preceptive, also recommending a wonderful Orvieto white to accompany my prawns with wine sauced pasta. My husband's standard: lasagne, was the best he'd ever eaten--anywhere in the states, throughout Italy and even in MY kitchen! Our friends raved about the veal and the ravioli, and we all enjoyed the risotto enormously. Each pasta was perfectly al dente. the sauces were complex and flavorful, and the service was friendly and attentive without being intrusive. What more could we ask from a perfect evening? Like visiting Sicily--Mamma Sorrentino hovers nearby to make certain all is well, then sends us off with warmth and charm and the inspiration to get the Rosetta Stone Italian language course. We'll bring all our friends and family here, to relive our travel memories with wonderfully authentic cooking from southern Italy.

Pros: food, wine, service, friendliness

Cons: parking

05/08/2008 Posted by italianocuisine

This is a place that has had some exceptional dishes and also sub-OK dishes...I have ordered their 3-meat sauce meal at least 6 times, and 4 of those times, it was just delicious. Their service on the other hand has been good only 2 of those times. Both times, there was a younger guy with dark hair in there who was super personable. When he has not been in, and I was served by someone else (from the family, I think), I was distracted by family squabbling...sometimes spilling out into the bar area, and was left twice for much longer than I should have been, with a poorly-made martini. In any case, if their pasta dishes could only remain consistent, then they would easily be a 5-star rating in my book.

Pros: Usually it is exceptional food

Cons: They are having issues with their service.

04/18/2008 Posted by fromitalia2006

I am from Perugia and I have been living in the states for 2 years, in Seattle for 2 for school. This is not real Italy food. We do not use can sauce. It is disgustare! And the way the restaurant look is brutto (ugly) - I do not agree with everyone else. It is too cramped with fake art. I would not recommend this food to my cane.

Pros: non niente

Cons: tutto

03/13/2008 Posted by italy4me

As a resident of Naples Italy for three years while extensively traveling throughout, Sorrentino's brings together some of the best food that Italy's regions have to offer. I have had casual dinners with friends, romantic evenings with my wife and business engagements with collogues and have only great things to say about it. The service is like being in Italy, family casual though passionate that you are receiving what you want. Try parking on Boston or some of the side streets, Queen Anne parking can always be an adventure!

Pros: Great all around restaurant

Cons: Hmmm, not much but parking a few side streets away when its raining can be a pain

03/07/2008 Posted by ProPalate

Although it appears the restaurant is experiencing some growing pains, I believe the overall experience deserves a high recommendation. Beginning with a nice wine selection and a wine expert on staff, our visit got off to a delightful start. It began with an order of a wonderful Sangiovese that was appropriate for the Lasagna to follow; while my business partner enjoyed a Chianti Classico along with crab stuffed Ravioli The service was friendly and non-intrusive. The wait staff knew when to approach the table and the right time to break into the conversation. Unlike most of the restaurants on Queen Anne and Belltown you could actually hear yourself think and have a conversation that did not include shouting. However, if you are looking for a typical loud and obnoxious place to eat, you should go elsewhere!

Pros: Ambience, wine knowledge, cozy and quiet.

Cons: Parking.

03/03/2008 Posted by heydude

I made reservations for my girlfriend and I to enjoy a Valentine's dinner at this restaurant. However, despite my making the reservation a week before hand and then calling to confirm a day before-hand, we were still forced to wait 30 minutes to be seated!! Apparently someone had double-booked by accident. When we were finally seated, I hinted to the manager that some sort of compensation would be appreciated but he pretty much ignored my request and acted like he was doing us a favor by allowing us to eat in his restaurant. Then to add insult to injury, the food was mediocre and they didn't have my girlfriend's favorite brand of wine. By the end of the meal, I was furious!! I had planned to propose to my girlfriend during dinner but decided to hold off because I wanted it to be a night to remember, not a nightmare!! And just to prove how unappetizing the food was, my rottweiler Rex turned up his nose when I tried to put it in his bowl later that night and he'll eat anything! Do yourself a favor and go to Olive Garden or Maggiano's next time. Heck, even the Italian sub at Subway would have been a better option!!

Pros: Nice atmosphere

Cons: Horrible parking, bad service, mediocre food

02/27/2008 Posted by janed3

My bf and I thought this cute little restaurant would be a great place to try. Boy were we ever wrong! It took them 20 minutes to seat us and another 20 to serve us -- my bf was fuming by the time they brought us the food. The place wasn't really that busy either! The manager didn't even apologize. Oh, and the food was nothing to get excited about.

Pros: Location

Cons: Everything else...

02/27/2008 Posted by kwikndirty

Food there was Gross with a capital G! If you like eating cold, soggy and tasteless pizza, this restaurant is for you. Otherwise, stick with pizza hut. I wish this place would just keep it real and stop claiming to be an authentic Italian restaurant. Just GROSS.

Pros: Nothing.

Cons: Just plain gross.

02/19/2008 Posted by seattlenativeconcierge

I've been to Italy and tasted great Italian and Americanized Italian while there. I've also been a concierge for about a year now. Taking my job seriously, I've made a point to experience and recommend the best. My ratings are based on flavor first, service second (because if the food is outstanding, a foodie will crawl through a bad host's fire-breathing to quench the salivation/salvation of just one more bite), and atmosphere(we all want an age/family appropriate setting) third. Price is irrelevant where the other three are concerned. This restaurant's version of home sytle Italian are better described as the ending of the Sopranos: I saw good looking food (on my plate) but never had the pleasure of tasting it and the overall episode leaves me wanting more. There was even the hint of violence in the air. . . I'll get to that later. I tasted ravioli, pasta ragu, and pizza. None were finished and some never made it past bite three it was soo disgusting. BTW, don't even try to insinuate to the manager (I'll call him Mr. Ragu) that your experience is anything less than grand. If so, then Mr. Ragu will throw a fit and even get into your face. Professional to professional, get some class Mr. Ragu. The setting is delightful and cozy, but a little more light so you can see the food would be great. . . then you'd see why you should go elsewhere. The atmosphere, as I've stated previously is hostile if you have anything remotely less than an outstanding experience. Cons: food is cheap, servers disinterested, and management needs a turnover. Pros: You're on Queen Anne and you can eat elsewhere - so do it. This concierge will NOT be recommending this greasy spoon.

Pros: See review. . . pretty empty.

Cons: See review. . . empty for a reason apparently.

02/19/2008 Posted by galpal79

Caution: do NOT subject yourselves to the REPUGNANT service, food, and bathroom conditions of Sorrentino Trattoria in upper Queen Anne. Against my better judgment, I elected to dine at Sorrentino for the first time this past Saturday. I expected authentic Italian dishes in a quaint and classy environment. Instead, I got "slop and go service" and a bad aftertaste. Conveniently, the pizza oven was down for the night, which put a damper on my plans to sample their "famous" wood-fired pies and forced me to select a much pricier dish from the menu. After much reflection, I ordered the only item that looked semi-appetizing from the menu: portobello mushroom risotto. B+ for presentation, F for taste. In lieu of risotto, I got a decorative platter of minute-rice with cream of mushroom soup, the aftertaste of which I was eventually able to rid my mouth of by gargling with colas at a dive bar in the neighborhood. As if dinner wasn't bad enough, the women's restroom in Sorrentino had all the cleanliness of port-a-potty on skid row. The bathroom housed unidentifiable matter on the toilet seats, floors, and sinks. Even fungi would seek out a cleaner environment! I opted to use the facilities at the dive bar. Interestingly, the coup de grace for Sorrentino was not the purge-worthy food or the cesspool termed "women's restroom" there, but instead was the "kiss off" attitude the manager gave me when I attempted to rationally discuss my dissatisfaction with my experience at the restaurant. At least I got to spend his tip money on several colas at the dive bar! Much like the rank food at Sorrentino, I find it hard to swallow any positive reviews of the restaurant given by the public aside from those covertly written by staff or close personal friends. Needless to say, I will neither be returning to Sorrentino nor will I be sampling any of its sister restaurants.

Pros: Chic neighborhood

Cons: Food, service, restrooms, prices