Came here to meet up with coworkers for happy hour. Food and drinks were tasty, service was friendly, but maybe only come again for just happy hour. I ordered two drinks off the happy hour menu, Sandia Cooler and Beauty Sleep, and one off the regular drink menu. Most of the drinks we ordered were like slushies, cup full of ice, so didn't seem like we were drinking much of anything. I ordered the Pacherri Nero off the dinner menu. That was pretty good; not really a big portion, so I finished it all. I did wish it had more shrimp in it. The shrimp were cut up pieces, so even less than it looks. I tried my friend's Fried Artichoke and Fried Potatoes off the happy hour menu; those were good. I really liked the crispiness of the artichokes; I just wished they asked if we were done before they took away the plate that still had one artichoke piece on it. And reading the other reviews, I'm assuming parking isn't validated in the Union building. So, parking was $20 for the time I was there dining. read more

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Visited this restaurant for a team lunch. I ordered potato gnocchi. It was truly delicious. The gnocchi was very fresh and soft. The squash sauce went very well with the gnocchi. The service was very good as well. A colleague wanted pasta with no eggs and they were happy to switch it out with vegan pasta. Overall, it was a great experience and would highly recommend this place. read more

Cortina - Potato gnocchi with squash sugo, ricotta, and hazelnut - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I feel like this spot, and most restaurants around here cater to people going to shows on the block and they should let people know if they can't accommodate them. It's got high prices and fancy Italian food, but then a bunch of huge TVs blasting sports games. If they're gonna do that, I wish they'd just be a weird expensive grill and sell burgers or things that were faster to order up. Service was great but it seems understaffed and the decor and vibe in general is just off from what they're seemingly trying to do? I would for sure skip on all counts read more

Came here for a private function. Food and drinks were good. Service was a bit slow but I imagine handling a big group is a lot. We had the Little Gem salad, Ricotta Ravioli and gelato to finish. They had a good amount of vegetarian options and were accommodating to our vegan counterparts. I think my favourite thing was the salad honestly. It was perfectly dressed and was crisp in all the right ways. Décor was modern but inviting. read more

This is my second Ethan Stowell restaurant that I've been to and I thoroughly enjoyed my experience. I came here on a weekday night and it was fairly busy, but I was able to get seated right away. Our server was very friendly and they had many great drink options. I decided to order the pappardelle, which came with braised beef short rib, seasonings, and a dollop of creme fraiche on top. This dish was very good and had a lot of flavor to it. My boyfriend ordered the carbonara dish, which was also very good and came as a classic carbonara dish. This pasta was not as flavorful as the pappardelle, but it was still good and had a butter flavor to it. Overall, I liked Cortina and would definitely come back, maybe during happy hour next time. read more

Cortina - Left to right: Carbonara, squid ink pasta, pappardelle. - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Service was very professional. We were sat quickly but had a reservation. I had some butter noodle dish that was so good. I wish i could have eaten more. Lovely restaurant if you want upscale Italian. read more

I came in before a show and told the wire I would order anything that comes out fast since I only had 35 minutes. The salad came out quite quickly but I waited for the main pasta dish - ravioli- for the entire half hour and finally had to take it away with me. Food was overpriced ($18 for a very disappointing beet salad. It really was just beets cut up with barely any dressing on it). The ravioli was a meager amount for $28! I wound up paying over $80 for a "salad" and a cocktail with take away ravioli. Grossly overpriced and not great service (although the waiter can't be blamed if food isn't ready]. read more

Food good, very pricey, server was working large area. Appears server put our table mates drinks (beer & white claw) on our bill--our bad for not catching it sooner. read more

This is a nice Italian restaurant for a pre or post movie meal since it's near both Regal Meridian and AMC Pacific Place. I came here on a Friday night and did not need a reservation to sit at one of the tables near the bar. There weren't many people dining there, so the atmosphere was kind of quiet. I had the bucatini and enjoyed it. It came with plenty of meatballs that I thought were just a tad dry, but the pasta was delightful. I was full by the end of the meal, so the portion size was acceptable by my standards. I paid around $30 including tax and tip, which is not too bad for a plate of fresh pasta. read more

Cortina - Bucatini $23 - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Pre theater dinner at the bar Sept 26th. Convenient plugs under the counter to recharge my phone. The bartender was very welcoming, informative, funny - just superlative :) I think his name was Nifa? I generally disagree with an automatic service/gratuity charge, but in this case the hostess, server who brought the dinner, and the bartender who ordered the food were all super - so I left additional gratuity! The ESR Toscana sangiovese paired very well with spicy Strozzapreti pasta. Delicious! read more

Adding to the list of great Ethan Stowell restaurants, Cortina specializes in a variety of tasty Italian dishes, from pastas to pizzas. A group of about twelve of us went for a friend's birthday during Seattle Restaurant Week. There was a bit of a delay getting seated even with reservations as it took them a little longer to pull together tables for our larger group. But it was nice gesture when the restaurant offered a few appetizers on the house in regards to the wait. I had the opportunity to try the: - Proscuitto de Parma - I'm a wine, cheese and meat kind of girl, so I loved this appetizer. The proscuitto was nice and soft and not overly salty. - Burrata with Smoked Grapes and Olives - Woah. It's crazy how much of the smoky flavor you get in each grape. Definitely an appetizer out of the norm! - Paccheri with Prawns - The pasta was the star of the meal with its flavorful sauce. It must be the fennel sofrito, which consists of garlic, onions, peppers and tomatoes, that gave it a more unique red sauce taste? - Fudge Cake - Loved how the hard chocolate coating gave way into decadent, fudgy goodness inside. I would love to pair this sweetness with a cup of black coffee! The restaurant itself has a classy atmosphere with its brightly lit space, muted white walls and modern decor - the polar opposite from its space predecessor, Sullivan's Steakhouse. Paid parking is available in either the Union Square building or at the Ace Parking Garage, but you can also try your luck at finding street parking nearby. Although food came out a bit slowly because we had a lot of people, the overall service was great and our server made sure we were well taken care of. They even split our bill when we asked at the end! :) read more

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We sat at the bar and the food and drinks were great. Exceptional service from the bartender.

I came here with coworkers right when they first opened, so this review doesn't refer to recent service or improvement styles. I had made reservations ahead of time, so we were seated promptly when we arrived. I personally love Ethan Stowell Restaurants, and have never had a bad experience dining with them (Tavolata is my personal favorite fyi), and this was not an exception. Space was nicely decorated, with lots of modern wood-tone décor. We ordered four pastas total, and I could only remember mines, which was the tonarelli carbonara. We also ordered side salads to accompany the pastas. it didn't take too long for our food to arrive, and our server was attentive as well. I found my pasta to be a bit on the firm side, but it was still delicious nonetheless. Some of us had leftovers to wrap up to-go, so we were plenty filled from our meals. For a lunch outing, this was a pretty expensive tab, so I don't think this will be a frequent lunch option for me. read more

Cortina - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

My boyfriend and I came here for the Valentine's pre fixe menu and we both agree that we would not come back to eat here. The meal was too expensive for what it was, which was mediocre. The main course sea bass was excellent, but the grilled veggie it was served with was too strong/bitter that it was inedible. The first courses were just ok, had little to no flavor. The worst part was that I got the $50 wine pairing (also mediocre wine) and unfortunately later that night I got a mild headache and eventually everything I ate came back up (I didn't even drink all the wine, I had 1.5 servings of alcohol the whole meal). read more

The food averaged to good. Starters were terrific but entrees were just good (1 was good, one was OK and 1 was meh). My wife had the special and liked it but it was very spicy, which she was warned about but unusually spicy for any Italian we've ever had before. I had the gnocchi with braised lamb and sweet peppers but there were only 4 bites of lamb in the whole dish, the gnocchi was mushy and the lack of lamb was made up for with way too many peppers. Tasted like a bad Philly cheesesteak. For service it was mixed, started off great with a very engaged server that was all over it (ordering drinks and starters). They then had to trade with another server so they could focus on the bar area. The second server was friendly enough but never came to our table without us flagging them down (seemed to actually be avoiding eye contact). It was not a busy night so no real idea what the issue was. Took a long time to order entrees because of the lack of attention. Finally, it's a nicely appointed restaurant but it was really warm (cooler outside than in). Seemed like the AC wasn't turned on. In all, not a very satisfying dinner for $503.00 for 3 people (including $200 bottle of wine). Not happy at all about having a set 22% gratuity for that level of service (even include the wine that was just set on the table). read more

Came here for a business lunch and everything was very good, just not spectacular. I only have the linguine nero, and others had the salmon (in place of the cod) as well as the gnocchi. No one complained about their food, but no one raves about it. The linguine Nero is flavorful and has a decent kick to it. Portions were more than I expected, which was nice. It was filling on its own for lunch. read more

Cortina - Linguine Nero - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Newer Ethan Stowell restaurant that almost feels like a food hybrid of two of his other restaurants, Tavolata and How to Cook a Wolf. Not my favorite of his, but definitely recommend going and would come back. Inside feel bright and has a mid century modern feel to it. For appetizers I ordered the smoked fish bruschetta (also on Tavolata's menu). One of my favorite apps! I also got the mushroom carpaccio. Very simple and light, which I liked but way too salty for me. Ordered the treviso caesar. They use some type of purple lettuce or cabbage for the base which was a little bitter, but I enjoyed. For the mains I ordered the carbonara and bucatini. LOVED THE BUCATANI. The meatballs and sauce were super flavorful. Noodles in both dishes were cooked perfectly but would order the bucatini a million times over the carbonara. So good. read more

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I love noodles. This place had been on my bookmarks for a long time. I am not always in downtown Seattle where it would make visiting this place convenient but luckily this past week, I was. Plus my friend said it was one of the noodle places he really likes. We walked in around 7pm on a Thursday night. Most tables were full, people before us had reservations, a few people in the waiting area, but lucky us, we got a table. First things first, we ordered drinks. I ordered the Blackberry Margarita. It was refreshing and very appealing to the instagrammer eye. I wouldn't say you could easily tell there was alcohol in it but it was very tasty and easy to drink down quickly. For food, I could not decide between the Uni Butter Spaghetti or the Carbonara. I asked the waiter for his recommendation and he said definitely the Carbonara with no hesitation. That made my indecisiveness go away and easily choose the Carbonara. My friend ordered the Uni Butter Spaghetti so I still ended up getting to try that as well. Both of those pastas were super good. You may think it is crazy but we also ended up ordering an extra pasta dish to share. It was the Bucatini. Consider it normal since we did not get an appetizer. Normally I am a fan of anything Bucatini and the pasta was good but the sauce wasn't really anything special and the meatballs were try and kinda flavorless. 3/4 of the dishes being very good would still be considered a successful dinner in my opinion. I really wanted to try the Linguine Nero but the reviews made it sound like I would be disappointed so maybe another time. If you are reading for the menu on their website, know it changes. Some of the pastas stay the same but they change some in and out. 10/10 would go here again. read more

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Cortina is the latest restaurant from Ethan Stowell and I was glad to find it lived up to the standards of his other restaurants. It is a pretty large space and is nice and bright. This is an Italian restaurant with a great menu. Service was superb--our server Elmelia was terrific. I started with the Buffalo mozzarella and the Brussels sprouts. The mozzarella dish was heavenly--the cheese tasted wonderful and was complemented beautifully with some sliced ham and pistachios (along with a few pieces of bread). The Brussels sprouts were cooked perfectly. Next I had the parma pizza. The crust was a little soggy, but the toppings were excellent, particularly the prosciutto. It comes with a generous amount of arugula. The last dish was my favorite--the fontina ravioli. The fresh pasta was great, but the cheese and truffle flavor was absolutely exquisite. This is a really good dish. read more

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Great place to eat some delicious Italian food. Very nice establishment and wait staff. They worked together very well. Food was excellent. Would definitely eat here again. read more

What used to be a stuffy Sullivan's Steakhouse with dark wood and closed off rooms is now a well-lit, bright and open Ethan Stowell restaurant, serving Italian and contemporary dishes. He has made this downtown Seattle space a more vibrant and welcoming atmosphere with damn good pasta! I came here for a work lunch on a Monday and the place was packed. I highly recommend making reservations 'cause every table was filled with suits, including yours truly. Because of its prime location in the financial district of Seattle, expect business peeps...slurping pasta and taking huge gulps of a juicy burger that I was tempted to get. But because Ethan Stowell is one of the few restaurateurs who knows how to excel a pasta dish in Seattle, I was gonna have a cheat day and order dem carbs. I decided on the Linguine Nero, which comes with lobster, a spicy pork sausage, garlic, chilis, bread crumbs over a squid-ink pasta. Absolutely superb! If you like spicy food then this is a pasta to order! It had a good amount of heat from the nduja, a spicy pork sausage from Italy, the spiced up lobster and from the amount of chilis it came with. And although it's a pasta dish with some spice, the sauce was actually light and the portion was the perfect amount. I didn't feel like a whale afterwards, which pasta tends to make you feel. Just writing about it makes me want it...like, tomorrow! Cortina is a wonderful addition to the downtown Seattle area, walkable to Westlake and the Convention Center. I definitely will have to come back, especially for happy hour which screams of deals (like a burger for $12...not that I was looking or anything..). See you there soon! read more

Cortina - Linguine Nero - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Came here for a friend's birthday dinner and had a great time! The service was amazing - they noted that it was for a birthday and had a birthday card ready at the table and the waitress was really personable, friendly and patient with us. I ordered the bucatini, which is such a classic spaghetti and meatballs and was so delicious! They also have boozy Italian sodas which were such a fun add to dinner. Highly recommend trying this place for a special night out because it is a bit pricier at $25-$40 a person or coming in for happy hour, which I am definitely trying next. read more

Went at 3:30PM on Thursday after a 5th Ave Theater (2 blocks away). Reservation for 3:30PM was needed because they are not taking walk-ins. Happy Hour prices are very attractive relative to evening prices. I pointed out to our waitress that the Gnocci appeared as a happy hour item on their website but not on the menu and she comped us the Gnocci. As a result, we ordered another round of drinks. Like many restaurants, they calculate suggested tips including the state sales tax. I feel this is deceptive. The state of WA is already getting a10% tip. I also think it is somewhat gutless to charge a 4% surcharge instead of raising prices. They are not competing with McDonalds. If someone can afford to spend $125 for lunch, they can be honest about it and raise prices 4%. Now to the food. We ordered off the happy hour menu where the serving sizes are the same but the prices much lower. I normally order wine or beer but I had 2 Negroni's and they were tasty and excellent. I love the Compari notes. the baked artichoke was unique, sliced up in pieces, tasted remotely like french fries and served with a mayonaise sauce, light and delicious. The Arancini balls were good but not much different than at other upscale restaurants in Tacoma where we have had them. I was afraid that the Stozzapreti and the tonarelli would be ordinary but they were unique and excellent. The pasta appeared to be made on premises. These two dishes would have been plenty but with the excellent gnocchi our waitress provided, we were stuffed and took home a box. 2 starters, 2 pastas, 2 prosecco's and 2 negronis totaled up to $99 including the $3.80 surcharge a bargain compared to the prices after 6PM. Add tip and tax. and it come out to about $127, not cheap but good food, good service from Alyssa F and nice atmosphere. Now home for a nap. read more

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The reopening of Cortina at 2 Union has been long awaited and is most appreciated. Cortina is open 3-8 during the week for now - make sure to stop in 3-6 for happy hour! They have a decent selection of spirits, great small bites, and a selection of entrees. The bartenders are prompt for service, even when it is busy. I have only ever stopped in for the small bites and drinks in the afternoon; the sourdough is solid. If you're meeting at 1 or 2 Union for an afternoon meeting or in the area, give it a try. You won't be disappointed. read more

Went here for Seattle Restaurant Week the other weekend and didn't feel the meal was quite worth the price tag, even with the SRW deal. To be fair, we were there at 7pm on the first day of SRW. Our server was super sweet but wish we were told about sold out items when we were given menus. Both the steak and panna cotta were no longer available though there was a sub for dessert. Unfortunately, no sub for the steak. We took awhile to mull over our decisions, then gave our order, were told about sold out items, then had to take more time to think about what we wanted instead. The food we ordered was decent. The apps were probably the highlight. Prosciutto was good quality and the Treviso caesar was a unique take on ceasar salad. The smoked geoduck and uni linguine sounded tasty but didn't have much flavor, just a faint seafood after taste. My boyfriend ordered the salmon and said it was good but also a little under seasoned. Overall, I'm not eager to try their full price menu but could be down to try happy hour. If trying SRW here, I'd highly recommend coming early to make sure items aren't sold out because the steak realllly sounds good! :( read more

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One of the best steak salads I've ever had. Menu has fresh northwest options, with flavorful and unique ingredients. Great service, only downside the music was a bit loud making it challenging for business conversation. But a great spot and looking forward to coming back to enjoy other items on their menu! read more

Food was ok, seemed very salty. Pasta was ok, some was really dry. Service was ok. Ambiance was fine. Total bill for lunch for two: pasta, sandwich and a lemonade was 80 dollars with tax and tip. Will try a different place next time I'm downtown. read more

We love this restaurant and are happy the reopened. We eat there every time we go to Seattle . read more

The three of us each had an pasta entree and shared a side of asparagus. The mushroom with pistachio pesto sauce was a standout. Our server was very personable and efficient. Has a very long bar with lots of seating. Be aware a 22 percent tip is included in the bill with optional additional as appropriate. Will visit again! read more

Unfortunately, we didn't enjoy the food here. The staff were friendly although it took them a long time to bring our food. We ordered from the Seattle Restaurant Week menu. The little gem salad didn't have the ingredients listed in the menu. It was just huge gem lettuce leaves, grated cheese and some really extra salty dressing. For the main dish, after we had our salad they said they are out of halibut and if we want to replace it with salmon (they gave us a $ 5 discount) but well we chose the prefixed menu basically for the halibut. The salmon was over cooked and too oily. The chocolate cake for desert was nothing to write home about but the pistachio gelato was nice. Overall, I would not go back and will definitely not order the SRW menu. read more

This place was great. I love ESR restaurants and this place lived up to that standard. They had great service and the vibe of the restaurant it self was perfect. We started off with splitting the baguette and broccolini and they were both so amazing. I don't think you should be allowed to come here without getting the bread because it is just that good. I got the cacio e pepe and was obsessed. They have big portions but the food is genuinely so good that you wish it was even bigger. My friends got the ravioli and carbonara, while you only get a few ravioli, they are delicious and filling. I didn't try the carbonara but my friends said it was amazing. Everything here was done right, they really knew what they are doing. It is expensive, but so worth it. read more

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This was our first experience at an upscale dining establishment. The restaurant itself is very neat and clean, and we were seated promptly upon entering. Miguel, our waiter, was very nice- a small but appreciated bit was when he asked us how we were doing, and after I said I was doing well, he made sure to ask my girlfriend as well instead of taking my answer for the both of us- a small gesture that very rarely happens when we go out anywhere that made it feel like he wasn't just running through a script without regard for our responses. As for the food, we ordered a plate of Strozzapretti for 28$ and a plate of Ravioli for 26$, both of which cost more than online advertised prices from the last 4 months. A waitress that we had not been introduced to(not a problem) brought out 2 tables of food, stopped by the table next to ours and began chatting while serving plates out to them. She then continued laughing and joking with the table next to us while she sat down our food without acknowledging or looking at us, and then turned and walked away as I tried to greet her and thank her for the food. To start, the disparity between the portion sizes was striking, and I wish we had been given any sort of warning. The ravioli consisted of six raviolis that barely covered the bottom of the bowl, while the Strozzapreti was a near double portion. The flavor on both dishes was underwhelming for the price, which we could have lived with- however, both pasta dishes were undercooked and left us with tough, chewy food. We were also flat out overcharged for the ravioli, making an already steep dish unjustifiably expensive given the quality- we ended up being charged 2$ more than the menu price we were given(supposed to be 26$), which I only realized after checking my receipt for this review- which meant we ended up paying nearly 5$ each for every individual undercooked ravioli. I understand high prices in fine dining establishments, but one would expect that with a nearly 60$ price tag for 2(not counting the underwhelming 4$ espresso shot and latte) that the food would at least be thoroughly cooked. We only received our food about a half hour before closing time, so reordering wasn't going to be an option. It's unlikely that I'll ever be returning to an Ethan Stowell restaurant in the future after this experience. read more

My fiancé and I ordered the Tomahawk for 2 and for the price you really do get your moneys worth. In fact I think between the both of us, the bowl of potatoes was the best part! Everything was seasoned well, and the white asparagus was a genuine surprise for us, but we enjoyed it all. Recommend for a date night! read more

We had this on our list of places to go when we have a babysitter and finally got to go! We were pretty dressed up because it looked nice in photos. Most people there were very casual and had just got done shopping. Several families had little kids. I realize now that we could've just brought ours! Oh well! I had the modern love cocktail to start. It had a super herby and interesting taste with an orchid on top. Very pretty for photos! But let's be honest, the whole restaurant is photo worthy and I'm a huge sucker for aesthetics. For dinner I had the rigatoni and it was a very generous portion. I could've probably saved half for a second dinner! It was amazing, like all Ethan Stowell food. My husband got the hanger steak and it was a VERY small portion, about 5 bites of steak with fries. He said it was very good, but not worth the $35 price tag. Can't wait to go back! read more

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I always have crave for pasta and keep looking for new places to try . It's funny that @cortina was never in my list and I just tried it by coincidence. And I'm IN LOVE . Due' Cucina was used to be my top choice but now I must say that @cortina is the best!!! . I tried Bucatini (plenty of meatballs), Rigatoni ( my most favorite ), Linguine Nero (with Dungeness crab). All of them were super delicious! Perfectly cooked and seasoned, al dente pasta and good portion . I would loveee to come back again! . TIPS: the Linguine Nero is delicious but it tastes a little more sour compared to other pastas so you should try to eat this first before other dishes for the best taste! . P/s: their interior is beautiful and spacious as well!!! Everything is just perfect . read more

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Omg WORST FOOD EVER!!!! Pork chop cabbage and sauerkraut cost $45 but the sauerkraut and cabbage is so sour it's inedible. You couldn't pay me to eat the cabbage and sauerkraut (even though I normally enjoy both). Seriously absolutely disgusting. Like maybe I would eat the pork chops for $5, but $45 is an insaneeeee rip off. Also my friend got the pasta and it was so overpeppered it was gross. Boxed pasta from the dollar store is honestly better. The dollop of cheese on top was good and that's about it. Service was slow. Wine was good except it was spilled by the waitress on the table. Also sorry last thing -- the music doesn't really make sense for the cuisine, they're playing pop club music in a "fancy" Italian place. Very poor - mid experience read more

Happy hour's wine is $10 less than otherwise, for the selected bottles. The menu is smaller, but enough for us. We added the Salmon Collar that was removed from the happy hour menu, and they charged us the happy hour price. Nice. Fughi pizza was first rated. The pasta were on the spicy side, cooked on the al dente side a bit more. But that was just fine with us. For this Sunday afternoon, the restaurant was practically empty. I highly recommend it. I might add another star next time when I have the proper dinner experience. read more

This place has a great happy hour with long hours. Plenty of bar seating. Great place to go for convention center conferences or dinner before theater shows. My favorite tasty dishes are the strozzapreti, beets, and arancini. read more

This is one of my go to spots in Seattle when I'm on a business trip and want to grab dinner, do some work on my laptop and catch a game on one of the TVs. Tiramisu is great and my favorite entree is the rigatoni. read more

Cortina - Tiramisu is great! - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Everything overall was just on point. Good pasta, good polenta. Great service. Definitely recommend trying this place.