Aglio e Olio

Do you want amazing Italian food? Then you need to visit Aglio Olio. My husband and I have been searching Seattle for fantastic Italian since leaving the Northeastern US. This place totally fit the bill. No bizarre ingredients or pretentiousness. Just straight up amazing Italian comfort food at its best. We have been here a few times, but the Negronis are strong and awesome. The polenta fries are a great starter. I love the gnocchi sorentina with meatballs (you will never taste softer more «pillowy» clouds of potato gnocchi in your life!) and my husband loves the carbonara (hello smokey pancetta). If you save room for dessert (and you should!) hit up the homemade tiramisu. It is life changing! I am so happy this little gem of a restaurant is within walking distance from our house. We’ve only been about three times, but I am sure there will be a million more to come!

Ordered three pizzas. They were tasty but so small for the price. The hostess was very nice but her boss or owner was not very nice to me or to her. We paid 15 dollars for a small personal pan pizza from pizza hut. They were good but not worth $ 3.50 a piece of small pizza.

Seriously delicious Italian food!
I’ve ordered take out twice and loved my meals both times.
This little Italian restaurant took over the old Pizza Hut that shut down. Obviously catered to take out, the interior is small but clean.
We ordered the spaghetti and meatballs, spaghetti carbonara, and pizza.
The spaghetti carbonara is simple and well made. The bacon is well cooked and added such great flavor to my dish. The serving size is large and I usually split it into two meals.
The spaghetti & meatball is well flavored with large meatballs. Normally meatballs that large tend to fall on the dry side, but these were perfect.
The pizza had plenty of toppings and I felt like that they used high quality ingredients.
Overall, I am so happy this little Italian restaurant took over. I now have a fantastic take out place that is close to home!

I love this place. Good homestyle Italian focused on the food and not worried about the ambiance. If you want some yuppie riff on nouveau Italian or massive quantities like maggiano’s this is not for you. If you love bengodi in pioneer sq or beacon hill or al boccolino, it’s all the same family. Everything cooked to order. We could hear them pounding the chicken for my husband’s chicken parm. I docked one star because the layout is so funky but I get over it pretty quickly because the staff is so nice and the food is awesome.

lunch
food: alfredo pasta with chicken. it’s better than what i can make. it tastes and feels homemade here. the garlic knots werent that great, but im here for the pasta and that took it home. ***4/​5
service: it feels like a small mom and pop restaurant. very cozy. somewhat small place, but it wasnt busy when we were in there. service was quick and the server was very nice. not what you expected in its location. parking isnt bad. i was able to park right in front of the restaurant. ***4/​5
value: the portions are decent. i wasnt even able to finsih my meal, but i wasnt particularly hungry that day. ***4/​5

Don’t let the humble sign and décor fool you — this place is truly a gem. We split the «Lamb Cannelloni» and «House Pizza.» The lamb and polenta crepes were rich and creamy. We literally licked the sauce clean off the plate. The pizza crust was soft and chewy with great balance of flavors. Check this place out for an affordable, delicious meal in Madison.

Wow!!! This place is all about happy surprises! From the outside — which looks like a pit in a strip mall on MLK (used to be a dominos pizza) — then you go in and think it’s empty and tiny — but no –surprise! There is another little room and it is so cute! Then the menu-​so many great options — but we decided to go with the Italian Table menu — we chose the price of $ 30 and surprise! One unique, delicious course after another coming out of the kitchen! Everything was delicious and beautifully presented. Service was friendly and attentive. Prompt. Love this place! We will be back!

Food here is delicious, fresh, and authentic! Try the grilled calamari starter, veal piccata, and cannoli. Can’t wait to get back to try more. The service is efficient and very friendly. The décor needs help but they are starting to make improvements. This is a gem in Madison Valley!

I am a vegetarian and Farra here was amazing!
My friends got an Italian table and enjoyed their meal too! It comes with a dessert !
Definitely recommend this place :)
Keep in mind it’s a small place, so when you come during rush hours it might be hard to get a table.

First of all, this place is located in a strip mall and it’s kinda small and not the classiest place. That being said don’t let that fool you into thinking the food here isn’t going to be great. I would say that the food here is pretty delicious and gave me a «homecooked» kind of feel. The waiter was very kind and on top of things.
We ordered 2 drinks (alcoholic), 2 appetizers and 2 entrees and the bill came out to 59 bucks. That’s not bad in my books for the quality of food but like I said, I don’t think it matched the atmosphere haha.
The clam pasta was really tasty, leaning more on the buttery side than the zesty lemony side. The sausage risotto was great, the rice is cooked firm and less mushy. The mushroom appetizer and garlic knots were a great addition to the meal as well.
Don’t be fooled by the sprinkles and such on the alcoholic Italian Soda. That sh#ts the bomb!

First of all, this place is located in a strip mall and it’s kinda small and not the classiest place. That being said don’t let that fool you into thinking the food here isn’t going to be great. I would say that the food here is pretty delicious and gave me a «homecooked» kind of feel. The waiter was very kind and engaging.
We ordered 2 drinks (alcoholic), 2 appetizers and 2 entrees and the bill came out to 59 bucks. That’s not bad in my books for the quality of food but like I said, I don’t think it matched the atmosphere haha.
The clam pasta was really tasty, leaning more on the buttery side than the zesty lemony side. The sausage risotto was great, the rice is cooked firm and less mushy. The mushroom appetizer and garlic knots were a great addition to the meal as well.
Don’t be fooled by the sprinkles and such on the alcoholic Italian Soda. That sh#ts the bomb!

Don’t let the location (former Pizza Hut take out) and lack of ambiance keep you from coming here, the food is that good! The food is delicious and authentic Italian. Portions are good size and the service friendly and efficient. My husband had the pasta with chicken. The sauce was so good and you could tell the dish was made fresh. The chicken had flavor and not overcooked which is easy to do with chicken breast. I had the clams which also had good flavor.
A recommendation to the owners to make this place have much more personality. Spend some money and get rid of the ceiling florescent lighting (I know you know its an issue by the flower covers inside the boxes but its not working) as soon as you can. Get rid of the fake plastic candles and buy some cheap colored glass votive candle (World Market for $ 4) and use real candles. It will be more comforting and less cheesy. With these minor fixes I would come back instead of doing take out going forward.

Yummm!
This cute little mom and pop place was a pleasant surprise in a mini strip mall area. It’s next to a dry cleaner! Not the place you’d come for food unless you know about it. It is after all surrounded by some of my favorite spots in Madison! Been meaning to try and glad I gave it a chance tonight.
Décor ~ super causal, charming in a way. We sat at the front: 3 tables total. Pretty small! But cozy.
Menu~ simple enough. Pizzas, pastas, antipasti, plates and dessert.
Wine ~ they have two. Montepulciano red from Abruzzi (Yey! My family is from there! Most are still there) And Pinot Grigio which I like but not in winter time. The only complaint I have is about wine. $ 8 a glass seems a little steep for a non fancy spot. And that too for a young wine!
Food ~
Pizza Margherita ~ smaller than I thought but it was tasty.
Daily special ~ fresh rolled fettuccine in ragu/​bolognese sauce. This was my favorite! Not because of the sauce but that pasta~ taste just like what I had at my families home in Italy! Yea! Totally enjoyed the freshness of this pasta!
Service ~ our server was friendly. But also slow. Not sure if he’s part of the mom and pop shop as owners or just work there. He yells out things to kitchen often. Hey they like the food. Hey they don’t! Kind of funny.
Overall, I love the charm of this place. Very cute, very small and very casual. They could benefit from dimmer lights since their current lights at the front are way too bright! Overall, this place is exactly what I need for lazy night meals!

Really glad to have Aglio e Olio in the neighborhood. We tried it for the first time last night with a takeout order for a House Pizza and the Lamb Cannelloni and were quite happy with the food. The pizza crust was fantastic, and the lamb was cooked very well.
The food is traditional Italian, no trendiness or pretense. A great casual addition to the neighborhood. I’m definitely going back to try other dishes. Their lunch menu looks even better than dinner!

It’s not often you find such a delicious yet casual Italian spot like this. I got (lunch menu) the pasta bowl with Alfredo and chicken, and my Bf got the pasta bowl with creamy pesto and meatballs, both come with a Caesar salad and garlic knot. Everything was so flavorful and creamy, but not too heavy. We had just finished up a 3 mile walk through the arboretum and I was able to finish my bowl. Only 4 stars because at the end, we could overhear some drama going on in the kitchen, which made for an uncomfortable few minutes. If ever in the neighborhood again, this will be at the top of our list to dine at.

Went with our friends we were first timers, visiting friends in the neighbor the outside dive look may not be stellar, but who cares clean, fresh but defiantly delicious. Food & service. We loved everything. Thanks

Man… This is some crazy, stupid good Italian food. This is our go to for carry-​out dinner. We’re in love, love, love with this place! YAY!!!

Wow what a neat find in an unexpected location. This is in a mini strip mall literally next to a teriyaki place and a laundry. It is in a former Pizza takeout place and I’m sure glad to get this upgrade. It certainly looks different The space is a little cut up with a front room and a windowless side room and then an interior room by the kitchen. The window room is nice and airy. A good choice.
Our hostess also as the chef and server. It felt like we were getting our own personal chef for lunch :-)
The cuisine is comfy Italian with mainly sandwiches for lunch but she let us order anything from the dinner menu so we got to sample quite a few things.
The porchetta was terrific. The pork was tender and really flavorful. The risotto was well done as well as was the salad. We also liked the pasta with tomato sauce.
Overall a nice addition to the neighborhood!

Don’t let looks deceive you. They are in a small strip mall. We came for Sunday Italian dinner. We got three dishes, all excellent. The house lasagna was fabulous. The side vegetables could stand alone as an outstanding entrée. You can even get cannoli for dessert, which is hard to find anymore. The prices are very reasonable. Everything is homemade and delicious.

Ordered a pizza and gnocchi for takeout. Total came out to $ 31.
— pizza was burnt, looked like Pizza Hut personal pan pizza
— waited 40 minutes (10 min longer than estimated)
— really small portions, way over priced for the amount of food
The host was very nice, but other guy that worked there wasn’t very customer oriented. Also he yelled at the host on a number of occasions.
I’ve had other good experiences with this place (meatball sandwich and Ragu pasta are good) but this one time was terrible.

5 of us were working construction nearby and we were looking for a lunch spot. Stopped in 12÷31÷15. 4 of us ordered different sandwiches and 1 ordered a pasta bowl with meatball. WOW! The service was great and the food was authentic and delicious. The plates come with a side of marinated veggies that hit the spot. Cappuccino’s are really good also!

First time here. I had the lamb and eggplant hero and it was delicious. The restaurant is cute and quaint. I had the chance to chat with the owner who is lovely. The décor and layout could use a little love. This is near where I live and a welcome addition.

We had a wonderful time at this great new restaurant. The service was on point and we found the ambiance to be cozy and charming, very understated and quaint. No frills or fancy décor. The focus was on the truly delicious food. We ordered the mushrooms appetizer, the pork belly ragu and the traditional gnocchi with added meatballs. Good sized portions and we still cleared our plates. We thought the prices were very reasonable and we will be going back soon.

This was our first visit and they had only been open 10 days, and we were lucky enough to see their tiny sign as we were driving around looking for a place to have lunch. Ok, it’s a «hole in the wall», but it’s funky and different. However, the food was second to none on our first visit and WE WILL BE BACK. And let’s be honest… the food is what matters.
The house red wine… Delicious and cheap. My wife had the House Cast Iron Pizza, which was truly awesome. Thick, fresh, and absolutely delicious. The waitress really wanted me to try the Mortadella and Egg Sandwich, so I relented. Hear my words… this sandwich is worth the drive from anywhere in Seattle! I really don’t even want to describe it, just come and order it.

This is a strange warren of rooms with simple, fresh Italian fare. A little remodeling would make the place more comfortable.
We started with the rosemary mushrooms and the apple salad. Both were well prepared and tasty. We followed those first courses with the Porky pizza and the ragú pasta. They were hearty and reflected quality ingredients. The entrees have lots of variations and can be customized to suit your mood.
This is more traditional Italian than many of the recent places. But there are times when traditional is what you crave.

So glad this new neighborhood gem opened! We have not been to any of Luigi’s other restaurants, but really enjoyed dinner at Aglio e Olio. Yes, it’s definitely an old Pizza Hut, but there’s something kind of charming about the ambiance. They had a reasonably priced selection of appetizers (we saw someone with the charcuterie that looked delicious, and only $ 10). Everything on the menu sounded delicious, but ultimately we had the carbonara, as well as chicken piccata with roasted broccolini. The pancetta in the carbonara was just slightly crispy and the sauce was delicious. The piece of chicken for the piccata was very large, and the sauce was perfectly lemony. I especially enjoyed the roasted broccolini, as the stems were tender but the tops were just slightly crispy. We had half a carafe of wine for $ 16, and the total bill was $ 45, so certainly more affordable than a lot of other Italian joints. They also have an option where you name a price between $ 20-​$ 50 per person, and they will put together a custom crafted dinner for you. Can’t wait to go back and try that! The service was fantastic, and we even had the chef check on us.

The 4 stars is for the food (2 stars for the décor)! Had the ragu with beef short ribs, and it was amazing. As was the caprese salad, their balsamic vinegar was delicious. Did takeout because I can’t get over the bad décor. Granted, this was an old takeout Pizza hut. A welcome addition to the neighborhood.

Not a bad start. They still have a few things to work out, but the food was good (albeit maybe a touch overpriced, particularly given the ambiance). They do serve beer, wine, and cocktails. Though they don’t have a detailed drink list (this would be helpful). We got the bruschetta, polenta fries, and lamb cannelloni — all of which we enjoyed. Bill in total was ~$ 50 after a few glasses of wine. Service was also nice. Ambiance was not so good, with notable holes in the drop ceiling, but not a deal breaker. I would give 3.5 stars if I could. I think I’ll be back again.