Great food AND service! Order the calamari (bom af), pasta was really good too. And don't forget the chocolate cake!!!!!

' I'm a fan.................so, it was FAN-- tastic ! ! ! ' Happy Hour is just THAT.............. H A P P Y Wine is $3-5/glass. And appetizers were excellent, especially the pasta, the shrimp, the salads, and, of course, the wine. But stay away from the pizza. Service was excellent ....................... ( thanks Meredith ! ). The bartender friendly ! And the ambiance, well, it was "just right ". If you have never been ................... you must go !! ' If you have been, you know what I'm talkin' about. ' A repeater for this guy ! read more

It's been many years since I've eaten at Il Bistro and coming here for happy hour reminded me how good, no, GREAT the food still is. The service is impeccable and the restaurant is gorgeous and romantic and a lovely place to enjoy classic Italian food. read more

Very romantic setting. This place is for lovers! Dim lighting and small marble tables decorated with candles and red roses. Service is attentive. Large open bar seating. Fresh house made pasta. I had the rigatoni bolognese. Very light with tomato based sauce...so good. Will come back again!! read more

IL Bistro - Bolognese with fresh rigatoni pasta - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Okay! Okay! I have to say, being Italian, and having a father, and grandparents from Italy, and growing up in a "authentic" Italian cooking home, this is by far the closest it is going to get to the BEST! I use to cater authentic Italian cuisine food. Homemade, no can tomato sauce here, I am stating homemade sauce to everything in between. IL Bistro is by far my top favorite! My first time here was back in 2009. I had the mussels and been hooked since. The sauce is so good I still to this day save the bread they serve to dip in the sauce. Here is what I have tried, and who I dined with tried and our feedback: Appetizers: Calamari- Outstanding Cozze-Penn Cove Mussels- Beyond Outstanding Gamberoni- Prawns- Outstanding Salads, we have tried the Ceaser, Panzanella and Verde all outstanding! Pasta's we have tried the Gnocchi, Penne al Forno, and Rigatoni Bolognese (my top favorite). These are all divine! Entrees or Specials we have tried the Pollo Arrosto, which OMG is so very very good! The risotto is to die for! Also tried the Filetto di Manzo, Caretto D'Agnello which was out of this world! One day they had Scallops on special which were the size of my palm and melted in your mouth, and I who doesn't like scallops, loved these! These were all excellent choices! Now the desserts, the Torta Chocolate is so good, you have to save room to try this! It is a chocolate espresso tort with a raspberry sauce. It is so good it is the only thing we get off the desert menu! Only thing I thought was not so good was their cappuccino. The regular coffee is good. To get a good table and possible seating MAKE reservations, this place is always busy. Once entering, they offer to take and hang your coat. If you have shopping bags they offer to store them for you with your coat so you can relax, and enjoy. This is no charge! The place is lighted by purely candles, which gives it a very relaxing, old school romantic feeling! I highly recommend for a special occasion, anniversary, Valentines Day, or even to pop the question! Tell them your needs upon your reservation and they will take good care of you! They open at 5-5:30. If your in the market take the steps down from the golden pig and it is right there. You can tell that most of there pastas and fish have been purchased with in pikes market. read more

:( A disappointing 3 out of 5 rating, as I had high hopes for this place (based on the reviews). But quite honestly, the Il Bistro experience was "meh" for us. The ambiance is wonderful once you walk in, alluding to an amazing experience, adding to it the host up front was fantastic. But it came to a screeching halt there. We should have just gone to the bar. My girlfriend and I were tucked at the far back of the restaurant (not a big deal at all), but it's in an alcove where it's noisy (music speakers are aimed in our direction above, and volume was loud). Then the air vents above kept our area so chilly, she had to have her coat on the whole time. Hot tip: This place is better for parties of 4 or more, where you get seated in the nicer part of the restaurant. And we always seem to have the luck of getting awkward servers, to the point where it's an inside joke, and Il Bistro did not disappoint. Again, I guess I expected more, or at least someone more affable and socially on point. And the food? Tasty, but underwhelming, this meal could be purchased just about anywhere. In short, we will never go back. Unless it's just to grab a quick drink before a show. read more

Il Bistro is hands down one of my favorite HH places. I've never actually eaten a regular dinner there. The HH food is so good, why ruin it by trying to get fancy? The atmosphere is one of the best around. Since it's tucked away in the corner of the market, it is quiet and cozy. Very welcoming and comfortable. The ravioli with the fennel cream sauce is to die for. I'm usually with a few friends and we always get 2 orders of it. The lasagna is fantastic. Moist and creamy, mmmm it just melts away on your tastbuds. If you are in Seattle or have friends visiting, when you take the tour through the market, plan to have some outstanding food and drinks at Il Bistro. You won't regret it. If you live in Seattle and you haven't been there you are seriously missing out. read more

Valentine's Day is all business for restaurants, but I thought if any restaurant could bring the romance, it would be Il Bistro. I set up the reservation two weeks in advance, and I excitedly told my husband about the location and the stellar reviews on OpenTable. I couldn't have known how heartsick I would feel two weeks later, signing away $255 of my hard-saved dollars for a dinner that didn't feel worth $50. I actually felt ashamed for bringing my husband here. I don't like to give negative reviews. It would be easier if Il Bistro was truly terrible in every way. Then, at least I could laugh about it. But the service was prompt and efficient. Though we were seated 20 minutes after our reserved time, the hosts were very courteous. The jazz trio was wonderful, and the famed candlelit atmosphere was cozy. I wish I could eat good intentions and ambiance. It was a prix-fixe menu that sounded appetizing. I ordered a cheese plate, lobster pasta, and the beef tenderloin. My husband ordered tuna carpaccio, gnocchi, and a rack of lamb. My first inkling of disappointment came when the bread arrived. I'll sound like a prig, but it was weird to go to an Italian restaurant with no olive oil on the table. Our small plates came. My formaggi was two half-dollar morsels of cheese, a dollop of figgy jam, and a flat cracker. My husband's tuna carpaccio was tuna on a plate. We were not particularly unhappy, but there was not enough to base a judgement on. Then, our primi plates. Lumps of flavorless, spongy lobster swam in bland, creamy angel hair pasta. I was shocked how little flavor there was besides cream. My husband's gnocchi was also crude and buttery-bland. "We could have gone to Old Spaghetti Factory," he said. As I cut into my beef tenderloin I steeled myself for the reality that the evening was not going to turn around. I'd requested medium-rare, but my beef was a rich, bloody red except for a millimeter of surface. The purple potatoes were thinly sliced, laced with an overly rich, acidic glaze and charred black on the bottom. My husband's rack of lamb was straight from a pub - just lamb, cooked the way lamb is cooked, resting on a few bland root veggies. The waiter took away my beef tenderloin uneaten when I declined to have it re-cooked. "We filled up on bread!" I said ... too fricking timid to admit I wouldn't want to eat it if they'd gotten it right. We poked at our dessert - frothy custard in a martini glass and chocolate mousse in the form of a slice of cake. Two hours had passed since we walked in, and now all I wanted to do was wolf down this last portion and go home to try to make the evening special again. I put down my card and cursed myself that I didn't have the balls to ruin the waiter's evening. Maybe if we had one horrifyingly unsanitary dish, I would have argued for some compensation - but with the only problem being that every dish was totally mediocre, I couldn't find the words or the heart to complain. The whole evening, the most romantic moment was when my husband stole the waiter's pen from the bill envelope to make me feel better about spending all that money. read more

Let me start off by saying that I really wanted to love il Bistro. But the experience as a whole was very poor. First, I had made reservations for 7:30 pm. We walked in the door at 7:25 pm, and there was no host there to greet us. In fact, it took 10 minutes after we arrived for any staff member to acknowledge us. Once we were greeted, we were told that he would "be right back". 7-10 minutes later, the host asked my name again, and then informed us that there was no table available, and that we could sit in the bar to wait. I told the host again that I had made a reservation for 7:30, and I was told that they were busy that night, and that several tables "were taking a long time". So, we sat in the bar until 8:10 pm. I do have to say that the bartender was great, talkative to all the patrons and very funny. Once the host came back to seat us at our table, he asked if he could start an appetizer for us, and I hoped that the service would be better from that point onward. We ordered the calimari - it came out fairly quickly and I thought it was great. My husband prefers fried calimari, so this presentation was not his favorite. Then the service went downhill again. The waiter took quite some time to open our wine and take our order. We ordered salads, my husband ordered the halibut, and I had the house special, which was the lamb. The waiter made a VERY big deal when talking about the lamb - special recipe, has not changed in 30 years, etc, etc. He also made a special point to note that the chef recommends that the lamb be served medium rare. That is also my preference, so that is how I ordered it. Salads came out right away, but the entrees took about 35 minutes to come out after the salad plates had been cleared. When the entrees did arrive, my lamb was WELL DONE!! I informed the waiter about this, and he told me that he could bring out another rack of lamb, but the kitchen was backed up and it might take "a while". So, I ate the well done lamb because I was starving by that point. Too bad it was overcooked, because the sauce on the plate was amazing. My husband really enjoyed his halibut. It came wrapped in prosciutto, and was moist and flavorful. The lamb was obvoiusly the entree that took longer to cook, so I don't know why that was the entree that was overdone. Words of advice - don't screw up your special, and take better care of your customers. Better service would probably have led me to overlook my overcooked lamb and come back for another meal. The food other than the lamb was great. But there are so many excellent restaurants in Seattle that I am not sure that I will ever give il Bistro a second chance. read more

Restaurant week was the perfect opportunity to go and try this place. Feels awkward to be at Pike Place Market in the evening, in its downtime; but the anticipation of a good dining experience was taking over. We got to the restaurant and were immediately impressed by the interior. We had a reservation, but the host invited us to sit at the bar while our table was being set. Started with Zippa di Funghi which was a mushroon soup with truffle, it tasted really good, but the smell of truffle was a bit overpowering to me. I also tried the Fromaggi which was a mix of two types of cheese paired with some arugula and bread. As entree I ordered Slamoné and some other people in out party ordered Bistecca. The Salmone was cooked nicely with a side of pesto and veggies, it lacked perfect seasoning and was thus a little flavorless. The dessert was spectacular, I tried both the Torte and the tiramisu and they were really great. Overall, the food was three stars to me, but what a different a great service makes!!!! A big shout out to JEREMY our amazing waiter who turned this dining experience to a delight; the amazing service of this place took it to four stars for me. read more

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We made reservations for an early seating, as soon as the restaurant opened. We arrived at Pike's Place Market about 15 minutes early and noticed the restaurant was down the stairs, below street level. We were able to walk through the market as most vendors were closing up shop, and we also saw Gum Alley, right around the corner from the restaurant, which both made for some great photo opportunities. When we stepped inside the restaurant, the hustle and bustle of the market faded away. The low lighting immediately created a relaxed atmosphere. We were celebrating our daughter's 21st birthday and felt all of our meals and the drinks we ordered were very good. Two in our party had the Clam Linguini, one regular and one gluten-free. The gluten-free option did not use linguini at all but a gluten-free rigatoni instead. Even though the pasta was different, the delicious white wine butter sauce with clams got a major thumbs-up from our gluten-free family member. The pizza ordered by one in our party was fine but nothing super special. The ravioli and rigatoni bolognese were both really tasty! The server we had didn't seem especially patient with questions, but he got the job done. Overall, it was a very nice experience for us! read more

The flight from Louisiana was miserable, with crying babies and turbulence, and we walked and walked to and from the light rail, dragging our three suitcases behind. I was hungry and tired. We walked in to this restaurant out of a cold winter rain with low spirits. We were welcomed heartily by the bartender. Our server Sofia was knowledgeable and fun and explained the history of the amaro. The drinks warmed me up, and the small plates on the happy hour menu were satisfying. An unexpected, cozy welcome to Seattle. read more

Wonderfully cozy evening out. The Sopressata salad was an incredibly fresh and delicious mix of shaved fennel, apple, micro greens, and a white balsamic vinegar dressing. It came with toasted french bread topped with melted goat cheese...yum. I finished with the pear and Gorgonzola ravioli. Another hit. I didn't even want to grab a mint from the host stand on the way out. I wanted to let the flavors linger for as long as possible! I'd love to go back! (hint, hint) read more

Reasonable price for the generous serving! Get the calamari and bolognese pasta!!! Calamari (4): expected fried calamari? Well, it won't be! It's calamari soaked into tomato and basil sauce. It's not like a tomato based sauce but more of a salsa-type sauce. Either way, the calamari tasted sooo good with the tomatoes that are infused in the sauce. Must try! Bolognese Pasta (5): Great portions and I couldn't stop eating it. The pasta was cooked a bit more than al dente, but the flavors were so delicious that i couldn't stop eating at all. Pasta di mare (4): the seafood pasta was great too, although I prefer the bolognese. There were a TON of seafood and even more pasta. The flavors were there although I wish the sauce had a bit more seafood flavors. Overall, I love Il Bistro. Can't wait for more bolognese! read more

Another fun evening at what has quickly become one of my favorites in Seattle. Happy Hour Menu is delish and has lots of selections. We sampled every crostini (one for every palate), the antipasto plate (small version, but quality), prawns & bruschetta. Drinks were stiff, just how I like 'em. Definitely, one of the top happy hour menu's around! read more

The food was good, but the service was... Soooooo... Suh... Lowwww... Captains log... Star date 5-20-2016... It's day three out on patio at Il Bistro in Seattle and we still haven't seen our entrees... We're starting to lose hope having survived on side salads and bread for 72 hours now.... The food was good, but not worth the almost comical hour-plus wait for our entrees. It was brutal and totally inexcusable. read more

I was excited to try this place after seeing a 4.5 rating on Yelp -- but was incredibly disappointed with my meal and experience. I had a mushroom risotto with two kinds of mushrooms (lobster -- named for its coloring and oyster). This was the most bland preparation of any risotto I've ever had, by a long shot -- almost as though they simply boiled the rice in water alone, and threw some mushrooms on top. I ate in the bar room -- pretty much the only people there at 7pm on a Sunday were other employees who were hanging out with the bartender outside of their working hours. In addition to a the poor meal, I got to spend my time at the restaurant hearing the bartender talk shop with the off-duty employees. It's not really the type of atmosphere you want when you go out for a nice meal. I give two stars instead of one, since the décor was inviting, and the meal was well plated. I would avoid this spot on a Sunday or Monday. read more

This place is swanky! We went here after our friends got married at the court house. It was my first time there and my, did I have a lovely time!! The ambiance is fantastic and the food is devine! Simply everything about it was incredible! And I'm pretty sure I could put in some more exclamation marks!! Seriously though, it truly was lovely. I look forward to going again with just the hubby. I can imagine it's really romantic. :) read more

Great Italian restaurant! It was a little hard to find at first, but I figured it had to have been around the market itself. We were greeted at the door and immediately taken to our table. The restaurant itself is dark, and great for a nice date. The service was excellent: our waiter always checked up on us and was very knowledgeable of the best dishes on the menu. For appetizers, we ordered the carpaccio. Needless to say, it was on point! Perfectly shredded and enough for 3 people to share as an appetizer. The complimentary bread they gave us was good too. I ordered the Risotto of the Day (Pancetta & Artichoke) as my entree. The risotto was absolutely delicious: very creamy and hearty, and the pancetta & artichoke were plentiful. It also had the right amount of parmesan, which didn't overpower the risotto. At first I thought that the serving of the risotto was a little small, but I was hardly able to finish the risotto. The portions may not be huge, but you can definitely taste the quality of the ingredients used. I'd definitely recommend Il Bistro for a nice Italian dinner. read more

a new bar opens everyday, cleverly mixing classic styles with something new, modern and hip. And i love going to these places. Way to be cool, way to be in the know, but more oft that not, I (or you) don't find myself there in years to come. Il Bistrio is not this place Il Bistro shows up to work everyday and still kicks your ass in classic style. Il Bistro is exactly what you want out of a bar, downtown at 12am, round the corner a down an alley.What is that? Cheap grub, an expertly made cocktail, a scene as casual as it is sketchy with characters that a brilliant polarity could not make up and perhaps a zine about bar life that speaks truth to power. Il bistro is a the city, it is all that is right about walking into a great bar and cabbing it out. read more

If you like enjoying the atmosphere drinklessly, this is the place. We waited maybe 20 minutes last night for our drink order after getting seated, and all we wended up with was water. By the time half of our group had returned from smoking, to the utter disappointment of no drinks, we decided to forgo the dinner, drinks, and dress-up altogether. A couple of other tables around us left too, due to the poor service. How disappointing, as their cognac/menu looked so promising! read more

My wife and I were in Seattle for an anniversary trip so I chose Il Bistro for dinner. I made my reservation online and noted it was our anniversary. We arrived on time at 7:15 and were seated promptly by the maître d at a table in the middle of the restaurant between two larger parties. I was bummed because there were certainly quieter tables available. Moments later a man came to our table (not sure if he was an owner or what but he wasn't part of the normal staff) and welcomed us and mentioned our anniversary. I promptly asked him for a new table and he was quick to oblige. Our new table was much quieter. In the middle of our meal the maître d came to check on us. He apologized for the original seating arrangement and was very courteous. The food was incredible. The crab in the tortellini was perfect and the lasagna was full of flavor. For desert we went with the house specialty - chocolate torte gianduia. As an extra apology for the original table seating (which I would have totally sat at on any other night) they comped the dessert. Romantic interior, great food, attentive service and good prices. read more

I love Il Bistro. I love it on a 1st date. I love it after work. I love it late night talking w/ best friends in the bar. My favorite is to hang out in the bar, sharing an appetizer and having some wine the bartenders have suggested. They are so friendly, and will offer up some amazing cocktails to you. Even though it is tucked right below where they throw around the fish at the Market, it is definitely not a touristy-type place. Go with your friends and enjoy a little secret spot & then head out to have a cocktail at the Alibi Room. Perfect evening! read more

Pretty great place! I had a hard time finding it at first - it is located down a conspicuous set of stairs. If you don't know where you are going I'm not sure you will be able to find it! We had to ask a few people around the market place to guide us :). The bar is unfortunately closed right now, but we went for dinner anyways. We started off with some bruchetta and a caesar salad - both very yummy. For my entree I had the gnocchi. It was very good, very well cooked, but it wasn't the best of the best. Still good, but just didn't give me that WOW! I was underwhelmed by the free bread they gave at the table lol. Yes of course it is free so I should be grateful for anything, but it was just a plain french baguette with butter. It would have been really nice with olive oil, vinegar, garlic, etc, but it was just very plain, and not warm either! Anyways, my fiance had the penne with sausage baked - he loved it. Overall - really great food! Service was excellent as well - everyone was very friendly. read more

I love this little gem! Great ambiance & wine. They always have great food & service! Probably one of my favorite spots in Seattle. read more

This place is a gem if your out looking for a late night bite. 11pm happy hour Saturday night was great. If Daniel is behind the bar, the your evening gets even better. read more

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One of the best Happy Hours I have ever seen. $5 glasses of wine, and other cheap drink specials I can't quite remember. The food is definitely the draw for HH. You can get small plates of bruschetta, pizza, and even pasta! It's a great inexpensive way to try several things on their menu to decide if you want to come back for dinner... which I think you'll definitely want to! I tried the rigatoni bolognese, which was just divine. I will definitely go back for dinner next time in town! read more

A great night out! It's always exciting to find a new place in town that just does it right. Everyone at my table enjoyed their food immensely. The carbonara that I had was perfect. One of my friend's got the scallops and we all agreed that they were excellent. The dessert was also fantastic. The highlight of which was the tiramisu. Definitely something you should try when you go there. The only complaint we had was that we were seated right near the door, so the draft that crept in was cooled us down a few too many times. All in all, someplace we will definitely go back to again and hopefully soon. read more

We made a reservation for 2. We arrived exactly on time, only to be notified that we were bumped because a local band originally reserved for 20, which grew to 38. We were given the option to sit at the bar area, which has open seating first come first serve. Thankfully, before we even ordered, we were moved to the main dining area. All we got was an apology. A comped appetizer or a gift certificate for a future visit would have shown more respect. WHO DOES THIS? If we were the slightest bit late, I can see them possibly choosing this route. How about a phone call letting us know, so we could at least make alternate plans ahead of time? How about something more than an apology to make up for this error in service? Anything would have probably demotivated me from writing a Yelp review at all. Also, the person who took our drink order knew nothing about the wine selection, and didn't even offer to have someone more knowledgable help us. The food and service was otherwise decent. I would not choose to eat here again. read more

Nice ambience, though quite dark and hard to read the teeny-tiny print on the menus. Our server was a bit green but pleasant and efficient. The food was the real bummer though. We were there at 6:30 on a Monday night and they were already out of lasagna and arugula. I wasn't going to have the lasagna anyhow. The food was remarkably bland. For a moment I thought I had COVID--how could I taste nothing? But no--I could taste something--just so mildly and lightly that it was almost nonexistent. I wished they had salt shakers on table. I had Costolette di Manzo--braised beef short ribs with creamy polenta. The flavor was simply missing. My wife had Linguini alla Vongole--the pasta was overcooked and the flavor was about as basic as can be--unremarkable. The vinegar served with bread had flavor. The appetizer calamari had good flavor as well, though not particularly. The ambience was great, service was good (20% automatically added to the bill for groups of 6 ore more, plus a 4.5% surcharge kept by Il Bistro in order to "allow them to pay a living wage"), but the food, which should be the main point, was a real dud. read more

Wow... first of all I showed up in a hoodie and yoga pants because I wasn't expecting to come to IL Bistro after seeing a show at Unexpected Productions! My brother, his partner (who were both dressed better than me) and I was welcomed nonetheless, quickly seated at their last open table at that moment. My first impressions are that they are aimed to make sure their dining guests are well cared for. We were given the special of the day while we tried to decide what drink to get. I opted for the Monte Carlo, which I was surprised that it tasted more like whiskey than anything else. I perhaps should have ordered a glass of whiskey neat instead since I didn't taste the other elements of the cocktail, so that was slightly disappointing. However, my brother's drink, which I can't recall the name of was delicious! It had a lemon rind garnish and was refreshing and citrusy. For dinner, my brother ordered their pear and gorgonzola ravioli, his partner ordered the Rigatoni bolognese, I ordered the linguine di mare and for the appetizer, the pear bruschetta crostini. The linguine di mare came with mussels, clams, bits of salmon and calamari, white prawns with a white wine herb sauce. I was a bit disappointed with the amount of calamari and salmon, it seemed like there was only few speckles of them. However, the amount of the shellfish was plenty and the size of the prawns were very large! Even though I would have liked to see more calamari and salmon, the whole dish was very delicious and the sauce was even better when I soaked it up with some of the bread that was provided. My brother's pear and gorgonzola ravioli was delicious, it had the right amount of gorgonzola which didn't overpower the pears at all. The pear bruschetta crostini were delicious as well. The crostini was not overly toasted, and actually was nice and soft while the outside was crunchy, which did not get soggy with the pear and gorgonzola on top. The concierge and wait staff were very nice, very attentive and listened to our every need (which we had very little of). It was weird that I was the main focus of my party since it was just me and my brother and his partner. It was definitely ladies first here! It's nice to have a fancy establishment and yet not be so "snooty" to us "non-fancy" folk. If you are expecting large portions, this wouldn't be my first place to come to. If you come for high quality ingredients, classy ambiance and atmosphere, and looking for a good glass of wine then I would highly recommend this place. However, for me, I'm not a fancy gal so I am glad I got to experience IL Bistro, even if I was in a hoodie and yoga pants. read more

This is the best restaurant I've ever been to. It looks like the reviews are mixed because of the quality of service, but I have no complaints. Our waiter was very courteous, helpful and attentive. To start, this place has AMAZING ambiance. It's hidden away below Pike's; the low, red lights give off a romantic vibe; jazzy music is playing at a good volume; and everyone seems to enjoy themselves. Like others have said before me, I felt like I was in an underground speakeasy. The food: we had the bruschetta and insalata spinaci for appetizers, I had the lasagna and my girlfriend had the rigatoni. Everything was spectacular. I grew up eating my mom's homemade lasagna and spaghetti, but Il Bistro's lasagna is probably the best I've ever eaten. The produce was all very fresh and flavorful too. Highly recommended! read more

I love this place. Located deep in a tourist district it is a locals only spot that somehow is able to be ignored by the masses. Great Bar, wonderfully romantic and the food is superb. read more

One of the coziest restaurants in the pike place market, and bar none a great place to get out of the hub bub of the city. Spinach salad was fantastic... Perfectly dressed, and the gorg and hazelnuts with pear were a perfect accoutrement. The carpaccio was spectacular with white truffles and capers. read more

The food is alright. Nothing to write home about but the location is absolutely enchanting. It embodies the romantic atmosphere that Seattle has to offer if you look hard enough. Nestled in Pike Place Market right under the "fish-throwing" corner, an Italian restaurant exists, featured in many movies, offering ambiance and class lost in so many places these days. I recommend this as your starting point for the evening. Escort your friends to the bar and enjoy their fine selection of wines and spirits at the well positioned bar. Talk, laugh, drink, then when hunger has set, pay your bill and head elsewhere. If you've done more drinking than talking or laughing, stay and enjoy Il Bistro's array of Tuscan offerings. read more

Great happy hour: reasonably-priced and delicious. Cool European, Moulin Rougey kind of vibe. Service was excellent. Get the: -SAUSAGE CROSTINI -SEARED CALAMARI read more

IL Bistro might be a pain to find, and lack the view of the water that most PP fine dining establishments offer, but it is one hot date spot. You don't need a view of water when you have a candle-lit view of your date, right? The small, dark-ish, quiet, intimate setting is so romantic, it's sure to impress! The service was what you would expect-- quite formal but attentive. The food was not spectacular, but I would return. My mushroom ravioli ($19) lacked flavor with the stuffing, but the cream sauce was excellent. Boyfriend enjoyed his ziti al forno ($19) although he can't seem to match ziti he found in Albany, so he has high standards. In all, a great time. Highly recommended for adults, leave the kiddos with a babysitter. read more

Taking Amy V's advice (posted on her review), I went to il Bistro last night with her very hung over significant other (true story... but to be fair, my very hung over sig other was also in tow). I can pretty much say DITTO to her review (because we planned what we would say over dessert last night)- despite the boys being hungover and really unable to enjoy the food, it (thankfully) left more for us to taste and enjoy. Plus the leftovers made were delicious for tonight's dinner. My selections from last night: Course 1: Bruschetta Duo (special) with the nightly bruschetta pair with one with olive tapenade. Not sure if you all know this, but I am a huge fan of olive tapenade. HUGE FAN. This did not disappoint. Course 2: Panzanella- this bread salad is DELISH. Course 3: Orecchiette with English peas and prosciutto in white cream sauce (please don't tell my trainer I ate this... she'll make me pay for it big time tomorrow morning. BUT if you are interested in a great personal trainer, check out my review on Sound Body Consulting with Amanda Davis). This dish was fantastic but as Amy said, we are both upset that we did not order the Roasted Pork with Bing Cherry port reduction... are you kidding me, it had bing cherries and I didn't order it?? I still haven't forgiven myself. Course 4: Panna Cotta- Amy didn't care for this as much (not her fave texture) but I LOVED it... light and creamy (but I'm also a fan of flan, creme brulee, etc.). Can't wait to return when the boys are no longer hungover!! read more

So this place deserves a 4.5 so easily. My girlfriend and I went to il Bistro for a for dinner last saturday. The food was great. We had the carpaccio to start and we cleaned the plate. We ordered the veal picatta and the special of the evening which for the life of me I cant remember but it was a mediterraian white fish., and had the spinich salad while we waited. The food was great. For a night out it was perfect. The warm light and atmosphere were great and really made for a great way to enjoy the meal. The service was great. For the life of me, I can't remember our waiter's name but he was so very helpful. His recommendations and personality were excellent. We both knew halfway through our meals that we had to come back to try the happy hour too. read more

Really liked the atmosphere- quiet, but not dead; dimly lit, but not dark. Generally, a good vibe for a nice dinner. Really liked the food- enjoyed everything we ordered (salad, entree, wine, dessert, and dessert coffee). Service was solid- not over the top, but good. read more