The pizza looked good on paper.
The pizza looked good in the box.
Unfortunately, the pizza didn't taste as good as it looked.
I had my eyes on this Italian eatery earlier this year while I was trying to decide where to have an early dinner before my flight back home. That was back in January, well before I knew I'd be up here again just a month and a half later.
Caffe D'arte is located at SeaTac Airport's North Satellite Terminal by Gate N13. They are directly across from Skillet and Bambuza Vietnam Kitchen. There is ample seating in front of the counter, and there are signs that say these seats are for customers only. The dining tables there also have outlets that you can use to charge your electronic device(s) while you are enjoying your meal there.
They have a pretty extensive menu that includes pizzas, pasta, salads, sandwiches, and even coffee! Honestly, I was walking back and forth across various eateries trying to decide which restaurant to do business with, and then deciding which menu item(s) to select. I had such a difficult time deciding, and for whatever reason, the D'arte Speciale was calling my name. After reading the description, it sounded like a supreme pizza that would contain everything but the kitchen sink. Well, maybe not everything, but it seemed the most appetizing to me.
The line to order wraps around a cart full of various snacks, and I grabbed a couple bags of chips before arriving at the order counter to tell Jackie that I also wanted a Caffe D'arte pizza. There is a $2 upcharge for a cauliflower crust, and I went with that thinking it'd be as good as the frozen cauliflower crust pizzas I've had before. The menu states that their pizzas are 10" in diameter.
I asked Jackie how long the wait would be, and she said it'd be 5 minutes before my pizza would be ready. Only 5 minutes? Not bad! I would have guessed double that because at BYO pizza places, I'd have to wait about 10 minutes, but then again, Caffe D'arte is not a BYO place, so it would be rather foolish of me to be comparing this airport pizza shop with MOD, Pieology, and Blaze.
The wait was indeed 5 minutes before my name was called out. I was sitting at a table directly in front of the order counter because there was sanitizer next to the tablets, and I wanted to squirt some on my hands before feasting on what I was hoping would be a decent pizza. Unfortunately, it was only half-decent at best, and that's me being generous.
As soon as I picked up the first slice of pizza, the slice was so flimsy that most of the cheese and toppings fell off and onto the rest of the pizza. Better than dropping on the floor at least, but that was quite the disappointment. This is one of those rare times when I'd say it could have been better to eat the pizza cold instead, but I continued to press on, hoping that maybe the remaining slices would still taste good.
With so many toppings listed on the menu, I thought the pizza would taste fabulous, but it did not. The pizza as a whole was quite bland, and none of the toppings, even the cheese, added much flavor, if at all. Maybe it would have tasted better had I not gone for the cauliflower crust upcharge, but if I were to make a return visit, I'd probably try one of their pastas or sandwiches instead.
I'm glad I tried this place, but I just don't recommend it at all whatsoever. It's one of a few eateries at the N Concourse, which you'd need the SEA Underground to get to, and that's unfortunate because the main terminal has a much wider variety of restaurants to cater to all different types of cuisines. I'd be open to trying Caffe D'arte's pastas or sandwiches if my next flight out of SeaTac is also at an N gate, but I'm definitely not setting high expectations after such a disappointing pizza! No joke, but I actually decided to go to Bambuza afterwards to try something that could make me forget about that lackluster pie.
After eating my first slice, I realized I forgot to get napkins, and I went up to Jackie to ask for some. She told me they were at the opposite end of the counter, which was quite a long walk! Seriously?! I had to leave my phone *and* my pizza unattended just so I could fetch napkins? Super lame! Even more of a reason to not get a pizza here. Why not just make napkins readily available at the counter or even at the dining tables instead of making customers walk all the way to the other side??
Overall, not a fan. I like pizza better than salad, but this pizza was worse than the salmon salad from Skillet. I really hope my next flight out of SeaTac won't be at the N Concourse; otherwise, I'm going to have to pick something up before boarding the SEA Underground. read more