The amazing food is outshined by poor service. Been there last week and let me tell you: THE FOOD IS AMAZING. However, from the moment I walked into the restaurant the service experience was horrible. First waited inside for a while without being acknowledge by anyone. After a while waiter came and told us to wait, came back again and asked us to go outside and when "when I'm ready I'm going to call you guys" didn't ask if we had a reservation, didn't ask anything. After we got seated, long waiting time for everything, to get our orders in, to get our food... The only thing that came quick was the check after we ask for it. read more

Serious miss after having high expectations. Ordered the farsita, beet salad and burrata as appetizers. For mains got the risotto with broccoli and on primavera pasta in white wine sauce with seasonal vegetables (which wasn't on the menu). The appetizers were fresh and made in-house especially the chickpea flour bread of the farsita. My only complaint is that it was overly salted. It wasn't required. The dishes were good on its own. Coming to the mains, for the price you pay, the portion is very small. Like really small. Also the menu lacks imagination for vegetarians. There's so much that can be done but alas let down. The primavera, which was advised by the server to have seasonal vegetables just had broccoli florets. It was identical to the risotto minus the arborio rice. Risotto was meh! I've had better. Ambiance was cozy and nice. Server was very attentive and cheerful. Will I be back again - nope! Not unless they cater at least a bit more in the mains section for the vegetarians. Do note a 23% service fee is automatically added to your bill. I actually quite like appreciate it and wish more businesses would adopt it. read more

San Fermo - Risotto - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

San fermo is a small traditional Italian restaurant that seems to have a focus on pasta and using locally sourced ingredients. My friends and I came here during Seattle restaurant week and this is one of the first times I've actually been impressed with a Seattle restaurant week menu. I tried the saffron bolognese and the sweet potato kale salad and Caesar salad. I was blown away by the bolognese. The bucatini was cooked perfectly to al dente and the flavors of the veal and the mountain of sharp parm added a lot of depth. The portion seems small but it's quite filling. Id definitely come back and would recommend it as a date night spot read more

San Fermo - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Have you created or done something yourself, and you add one more feature that makes it not as good as it could've been? San Fermo is that, in restaurant form. I'd been excited to come here after all of the times walking past it on my walks in Ballard. The facade is inviting, and seems like a cozy dinner. On a rainy Friday, my wife and I snagged a walk in table, and ordered wine, appetizers, and mains. The service was excellent, but the noise was too loud for the vibe San Fermo gives off; and all of the dishes had too much salt for either of our liking. We both were chugging water after almost every bite, and for the price, there's better restaurants on the same block. Overall, great service, misleading vibe, and salty food. Sorry San Fermo, I thought I'd love you, but it's you, not me. read more

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Get the pasta! I could have eaten two of my entrees. I think everyone liked their food, haha, but I was too busy being a pig to notice! Really great birthday meal. read more

San Fermo - Girella. I ate it all. - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This place was absolutely amazing! The food/drinks were delicious. I had the braised short rib & my partner had the duck breast. Both super tasty. We shared our appetizer which was a sweet potato salad which was enough for both of us & also one of my new favorites! the service was outstanding. Our waiter was exceptional! Mack. He was very attentive & helpful with our decision making. The inside was a cute little cozy place. Ambience was set with some amazing lighting & fall decor. I highly recommend checking this place out! read more

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Boring and bland. Funny how risotto should be an appetizer or a 1/2 meal the Italian way to be paired with another meal but end up at this spot being a main dish. Music should be louder. Service needs to be more attentive . We asked for more wine twice today. The place is too small for our waiter to be distracted. read more

I had a wonderful birthday dinner at San Fermin. Everything we ate was delicious. The ambience was beautiful quiet and great music was playing. We had an awesome waiter who was super nice and helpful. There was something for all of us to eat between my egg free diet, my mom's celiac diet, and my daughter's vegetarian - pickiness. They were super nice about giving my daughter plain spaghetti with red sauce. It look delish too! This is a great special occasion place. My only feedback is that the plates are a little small for the price, but as long as you get a starter im you should be good read more

San Fermo - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I had real high hopes after hearing how many people likes this restaurant and it's recommended often, but I was left disappointed. The service was what took the hit the most. I really do appreciate it when restaurants pay their workers a fair wage. 20% gratuity is automatically included. But service was not great, our waitress was pretty cold and passive aggressive. The wait for our food was over an hour since we sat and there was no update until we asked after an hour. The food was okay. The corn risotto was mild in flavor and had too much yogurt sauce. One of the pasta dish was a bit too salty. The one in the picture was oily. Another dish had shrimp and crab, and although it wasn't pretty, the flavors were bold and good. The pasta, itself, was nicely done though and you can tell it's handmade. read more

San Fermo - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Great service, friendly and helpful! One of my favorite Italian spots in Seattle so good! Ambiance 10/10 and the food was too! read more

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If you're looking to impress a date, then this is the spot for you. Intimate restaurant with a very romantic and charming vibe. Eating here truly feels like a treat. I took some family here to celebrate a birthday and we felt so spoiled by the wonderful service and amazing food. Every pasta was rich and decadent in its own right and I'm very glad I went with a big group so we could sample more dishes. We also tried the bread pudding and tiramisu for dessert and we loved both but the tiramisu was the real winner with delightful sea salt flakes sprinkled on top to help cut the richness. Parking in this area can be a real struggle since it's primarily street parking. Your best bet is to look for a spot along Shilshole. read more

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Until somewhat recently this was one of my favorite places in Seattle to eat. Staff and ambience are superior. But sadly the recipes and food quality have plummeted. Their lamb Lasagna (more Moussaka than Lasagna) was good in flavor, but dry and not close to a texture of what anyone might likely deem as Lasagna. The block of what I think was Halloumi cheese(?) didn't help it much. Scallop dish (slightly off and undercooked) was also a bit odd being overwhelmed by the strong reduced German-style pickled red cabbage (perhaps to hide past-due scallops?) and pork belly over lentils - flavor structure that just doesn't work for me. Sadly, even their rich mushroom risotto lacked a normal vibrant mushroom flavor. Rice was slightly undercooked and a bit too creamy (e.g. concentrated mushroom stock, more garlic, Thyme and shallots and cooking mushrooms longer would've helped here). The Caesar salad was perfect, although not quite sure the reasoning in ideating a "red wine crouton" that doesn't produce a robust red wine profile. Seems an unneccesary step here. A sauteed garlic-lemon zest version would've sufficed fine. I know running a successful and profitable restaurant isn't an easy feat in the best of times. But I can't imagine what happened here. I hope they can return to the days where their dishes are truly memorable and inspiring, and not disappointing. read more

The ambiance of San Fermo was incredible! We went late at night, around 9:15 and the lighting was romantic and moody and the whole restaurant was gorgeous. The food was amazing. We got castelvetrano olives, a baguette with amazing butter, two mocktails, duck breast, and Girella, which came out to $141. I am not a fan of duck but my boyfriend said it was top five, and my Girella was so incredibly rich and delicious. Our service was fine. Most of the loud talking did come from the staff which I thought was strange, and our server didn't stand out as extra friendly, but he was nice and helpful. Overall it was an excellent experience. We went for a birthday, and they brought dessert with a lit candle and took it off our bill without us directly saying it to the server (it was on the reservation and we discussed it at the table to each other). I would definitely come again. The food was great but the ambience is what sold me. read more

San Fermo - Bakery Baguette and Castelvetrano Olives - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Food was tasteless, overpriced, wait was long, and 23% gratuity was automatically added would not recommend.

Pros: great food, intimate atmosphere, small enough menu to not be overwhelming but big enough to have options, friendly staff Cons: not much, hard to get in without a reservation? Plan ahead! read more

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This restaurant was recommended to me by two friends and a stranger I met (s/o to the Grumpy Old Man's Comics) during a long weekend trip to Seattle in August. I wasn't able to get a reservation when I looked a week before my trip, so I figured I'd try my luck. We arrived on a Friday sometime after 6:30 pm and by some miracle, they took our name down to text us, so we wandered around and popped into boutiques. When the time came (maybe 40 minutes later), we were seated at the bar, which I thought was great because it felt intimate and had its own little vibe with the fish tank and decor on the shelves. The bartender was attentive and answered all of our questions when we let her know what dishes we were contemplating. My friend was down to split as much food as two people could handle, so we had two apps and two pastas. I can't speak for the drinks because I went for a non-alcoholic spritz that night, but I can say it was reasonably priced in comparison to what Austin's charging for N/A beverages. There wasn't anything I didn't like and if I'm being honest, it was a bit of a struggle to finish off the dishes, but we did it. Definitely come hungry or don't be two petite girls in over your head. I had read a couple of reviews that mentioned the auto-gratuity, but in our experience, I felt like I didn't mind paying it at all. The bartender was nice and cool, a few others were attentive in asking how we were doing, and the ones that brought out dishes were also chill. I didn't once feel like anyone was rude or not doing their job to the fullest. read more

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My cousin was in town and initially we were planning to go to Walrus and the Carpenter, but the wait there was 45-1 hour. We were walking back to my apartment while waiting and we found San Fermo on the way, and it looked pretty good, so we decided to dine there instead of waiting (especially since I was starting to feel hangry). The price level felt tad bit lower for San Fermo than Walrus. We got the citrus salad and shared two pasta dishes (Saffron Spaghetti Bolognese and Bucatini with shrimp) and they were all great! It was just the perfect portion for the two of us and they brought out big spoons so that we can each put it on our individual dishes. The pasta tasted very fresh and I liked the al dente texture. I also appreciated beautiful plates the food was presented in. I'm not into alcohol that much but my cousin who likes to drink welcomed the variety of drinks offered here. It's still pricey for me but I'd love to come have the pasta here every once in a while. read more

San Fermo - Earl grey tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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23% service charge is hilarious. i feel like the only reason it's not just added to menu prices is because no one would walk into the restaurant to pay nearly $40 for a plate of pasta. service is non existent. for 15 minutes after we were seated, we were not greeted or given water. and they want 23% lol. ambiance was fine. would never even consider coming back. what a joke read more

We were extremely displeased with our experience here. The food was overpriced, and the service was awful. From the combination of my friend's strong recommendation and Yelp's rave reviews, we were very excited to try San Fermo. We tried to make a reservation, but all slots were full, so decided to try our luck and walked in right when the restaurant opened. The host was really nice, and we got seated within five minutes. We had two waitresses throughout our meal. Our first waitress refused to speak to us, even though she spoke to every table around us. She didn't greet us, and she didn't reply when we thanked her for pouring our water. Initially, we just thought she didn't hear us, but she ignored us again the second time we thanked her. She explained the menu to every table around us but just walked away after pouring our water for us. This left us really confused and dampened our mood for the rest of the meal. We ordered the Saffron Spaghetti Bolognese and Risotto Milanese. The Bolognese was good and flavorful. However, the risotto was too salty. The portions were really small, and our total came out to be around $70! This total included a 20% service fee that was automatically added to our bill. In my opinion, the food was not worth the price. When the second waitress asked us how we enjoyed our food when clearing our table, I told her about the risotto's saltiness, but she disregarded the comment. The outdoor patio was small so when we got up to put our jackets on to leave, we were in our first waitress' way. We apologized and stepped out of the way, but she looked right ahead and walked right past us. We are still confused about why we were ignored by our first waitress. Maybe it was because we were the only Asian people sitting in our area, or maybe it was because we weren't dressed nicely enough (we were wearing athleisure from our day at Discovery Park). read more

San Fermo - Saffron Spaghetti Bolognese and Risotto Milanese - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Reservations on weekend needed. Food was overall pretty good: chickpea flatbread was unique, grilled artichoke is rarely on menus so was good, crab filled pasta was also good (lots of morel mushrooms). The one thing we didn't like was the carbonara, which was very salty. My husband ate most of it but if it was left to me, i probably wouldn't eat it, like it was that salty that I couldn't endure through. Got 2 drinks, good as well. Total was $170, which was a bit pricier, but will say overall good food/experience still. It threw me off though that there was a 23% automatic gratuity - on the high side. read more

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I loved loved loved it here. Let's start with the ambiance. Super cute, intimate and romantic. Inside a small house, giving the spot a really unique vibe. Great service, we were welcomed and seated right away and our waitress was very attentive. Must get the signature dish, the saffron spaghetti bolognese, it is so good. The pasta is handmade in house and it is excellent. We also got the lobster risotto which wasn't our favorite. The lobster was a little tough and the risotto was milky instead of cheesy and flavorful. Only reason I knocked off a star. Other than that this place was all stars and happy dances! read more

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Big disappointment. Food was salty and forgettable, though the appetizers were good. Service was atrocious. They rushed us, demanded the table back before we were done, didn't let us order appetizers first and dinner second (which honestly would have been faster). Guy got mad at us for talking too much. They don't do tips, but they do a compulsory 23% "service charge." Save your money and go somewhere else. read more

A cute Italian spot with a rich history -- the restaurant is nestled into an old house and has a really cozy vibe to it. We sat at the outdoor patio, which was also so lovely in this weather. They do smaller portions that are easy to share, but I would recommend ordering family-style to make the most of the meal! It's definitely a bit upscale on the price-side, but it makes for a nice night out. I really enjoyed the Sea Wolf Baguette -- they're one of my favorite bakeries in Seattle, so I was so happy! We also had a delicious halibut and lobster dish, which were SO flavorful -- I love that they switch up the recipes based on the seasons. The servers are really helpful, too! read more

Make it pasta but also make it burn. This is what I imagine the head chef says to his cooks as they plate my Oriecchiette. Please understand this plate came with a disclaimer from our helpful waitress. As a lover of all things spicy and hot, I obliged. Signing my life away with a single nod. The dish itself was not spicy alone but it was deep, earthy and flavorful with the mushrooms and sausage combination. Clichè but it kept me coming back after downing it along with my cocktail, which was also on point. My wife ordered the saffron spaghetti of which I had a few bites, in part to also take away from the heat of my dish. Hers was amazing but mine, I'll cherish till I'm old and gray. read more

San Fermo - Orecchiette & Saffron Spaghetti Bolognese - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Made a reservation to catch up with a friend on a Monday night, which are highly recommended and a bit competitive. We were seated right at the time of our rest and were presented with the menus upon sitting. The rooms in the house are cozy, worn, and well appointed. (This is a great date spot!) They did not pressure us to order but did walk us through some of the standout items after we requested a bit of an overview or tour of the menu. We decided to split a lovely bottle of barbera and a bright, balanced wintery citrus salad. It was messed and seasoned delicately and expertly. They gave us time to finish the salad before brining our mains. I ordered the duck cavatelli which was sublime. The duck was tender, moist and flavorful and the pasta al dente in a thin, but fulling enrobing cream sauce. It was not a heavy, rich, stodgy cream sauce and complimented the rest of the dishes elements very well. My friend very much enjoyed her scallop dish and said they were cooked well. Overall service was professional, polite and impeccable. The meal was delicious and the ambiance set the entire experience at the next level. Overall I think our bill came out to $200 - there is a 20% service fee already included in the check, for all party sizes. Can not wait to dine here again! read more

This became my wife's go to place, and being there several times but never considered writing a review. You will not be disappointed, Food, service, ambiance, menu variety and wine selection is outstanding. My go to dish is the Branzino (whole deboned grilled fish), Risotto is great, so is the pasta, and once we ordered the tomahawk steak with fried potatoes and it was divine! As far as wine, my wife enjoys the house white ever single time. Whether you sit inside or outside, the ambiance and service will be great. A truly gem to keep in your "to go" list. read more

This place is absolutely lovely. Food flavors, presentation and overall seasonality are spot on. Epic dinner every time read more

San Fermo - Carbonara and the Halibut - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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First of all, the setting is romantic and sweet- they do rustic Italy well. There was a wait even on a Monday and we had reservations so got right in. The bread is worth every penny- their jam is savory and sweet, similar to an apple butter really. We had their house sparkling rose and I ordered the rigatoni with vodka sauce, guanciale (pork cheeks) and chives. Pasta was tender, sauce not too over the top and seasoned to perfection. Loved the portion sizes- not too big. My companion had the halibut and I don't think I've ever seen halibut cooked so perfectly- nice brownish crust and moist on the inside but not raw. The final thing that made this dinner perfection was the vanilla butter cake with kumquats and mascarpone. Not too sweet, tangy and refreshing. I'm still thinking about it! read more

San Fermo - Rigatoni and halibut - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Horrid staff. Treated people so rudely. Very high horse behavior coming from them. Food is not good enough to put up with that.

Great food, kind and friendly service. We got to sit outside and the atmosphere was very comfortable. read more

Best Italian in Ballard. Great location. Great service. Would go back many times. The bread is great and the pasta is wonderful

Great ambiance, good central Ballard location and good Italian food. One thing I will say, the entree portions are slightly smaller than what your average person would like ... a slightly larger portion will definitely make for happier customers. read more

The olives were the star of the show at last night's dinner - they were simply, divine. We started off with a dirty martini and their seasonal mocktail (an apple cider drink) and both were very tasty. For our appetizer, we order the chickpea flatbread and it fell a little flat for us (no pun intended). The flavor was bland and we felt like the bread was a little too burnt tasting. For dinner, we order the carbonara and the mushroom risotto. The carbonara was amazing! So rich and loved the crispy guanciale pieces. The risotto was good but not our favorite. We also got the hot buttered rum gelato for dessert which was... interesting. Tasty but not our favorite. Our server was very polite and attentive and the ambiance was very cute inside. It's a great little date night spot but perhaps try a few different items to get a feel for everything. I would go back and try something different off the menu! read more

San Fermo - Olives & Chickpea Flatbread - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Love San Fermo the food is delicious and the bread and butter is to die for. The ambiance is amazing and love the cozy feel. Portion sizes for the pasta is a little small so if you have a big appetite I'd get more than one entree. The service is great however sometimes the wait times can get up there. Overall great place for a date or to brings friends from out of town. read more

Came with another couple for a double date and was super excited because it's the other couple's go-to spot in Ballard for a nice date night. Was surprised by an automatic 23% gratuity on a party of 4 and the menu was already on the pricier side. After hearing our surprised remarks about the high gratuity rate, a waitress that wasn't assigned to our table tried explaining that it was to cover "Seattle being an expensive place to live and to cover their health insurance costs". I'm sorry but as a patron, I don't feel that it's my responsibility to pay for the health insurance of the staff. That's up to the establishment and management. Also, extremely unprofessional on her part to talk to patrons about that. She should bring that up to management, or just not work there in my opinion. read more

San Fermo is my family's go to place in Ballard for awesome uniquely crafted food, craft cocktail and wine. choices. Great team, wonderful atmosphere. Sweet potato salad and Farinata to start followed by a tasty bolegnese and Girella for mains with a shared delicious hot apple crisp for desert. read more

Worst food. Worst service. Worst servers. It was friends birthday and did not even care to wish or be attentive. Never cleaned the table. NEVER VISIT THIS PLACE read more

Unreal FRESH and HOMEMADE pastas! This place was amazing and I will definitely be back and recommend to friends! We had the following and they were amazing! Saffron Spaghetti Bolognese - pork, veal, rosemary, fennel, parmigiano reggiano Unreal flavor from the first bite to the last! Agnolotti del Plin - prosciutto cotto and goat cheese filling, nutmeg, culatta These flavor-packed pillows were my favorite! Amazing flavor and texture Short Ribs - saffron polenta, cinnamon, cloves, fried leeks, Demi glacé The meat fell off of the bone and the polenta was a perfect match! Bruschetta - smoked rockfish, squid ink aioli, pickled peppers, lemon oil The smoked rockfish was SO FRESH and had wonderful flavors! House Caesar - anchovy, parmigiano reggiano, red wine croutons Smothered with fresh cheese and the anchovies had a nice salty taste! read more

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This is a super cute spot in Ballard and when I went I was seated right on the porch which was an amazing spot on a gorgeous PNW day. The food is all decent and absolutely gorgeous but I wish it was a little more affordable. Still, this would be a nice date spot! read more

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This is a fantastic place that we've gone to many many times over the years since we live in the neighborhood. Last night the food was as good as ever and the server was friendly throughout. The service started off great then seemed to get a little frantic and slow. We could see our server was having to service two whole rooms so my guess is they were maybe short staffed that evening. No big deal, the service was acceptable, just not 100% and not the server's fault. Then the tab came...with an included TWENTY THREE percent gratuity. That's getting a little aggressive IMHO and I don't like that it gets put on me to have to tell the manager that that seems excessive for less than (the usually great) service. In fact - I didn't seek out a manager because my wife was really trying to get in to the holiday spirit by going to one of our favorite restaurants after picking out our Christmas Tree and I didn't want to mess up the vibe. So here I am. read more