Salvatore Ristorante

Very friendly and tasteful. Good is great. Has a great atmosphere. Servers are very prompt, courteous, and friendly. Highly recommend for a nice authentic dinner.

We have been a fan of Salvatore for years. We have had many birthday celebrations, romantic meals and girl’s night out there, when our wonderful food matched our service.
However, tonight was a different story, the food was WONDERFUL as usual. The waiter we had was short tempered, rude and for lack of a better word a total prick.

I came here with my boyfriend and left with every intention to avoid eating here again. Dining here was not horrendous by any means, but my rule is to spend money on quality food that I want to eat.
I wasn’t very hungry and ordered bruschetta, which did not have crispy crusts because it was drowning in a plate of oil. I would hold up each soggy piece, watch the excess oil drip, and give it a gentle shake before each bite. My boyfriend ordered Spaghetti Vongole, which was satisfactory. However, $ 19 for a satisfactory entrée is not okay to me.
Romantic? Debatable. Two diners apparently decided to dine and dash, leaving the restaurant completely empty for my boyfriend and I towards the end of our meal. While all the servers attempted to chase down the thieves, my boyfriend and I finished our meal in a near-​romantic setting at the expense of the restaurant. Hope they found the dashers, though.

Came here after having it recommended to us by a friend. The ambiance is so quaint and cozy! Loved it! The appetizers, wine, food, and dessert were all great! Perfect spot for a date night with my husband. Excellent service. They do not take reservations, which I was a little nervous about (it was raining and didn’t want to have to wait), but we got right in at 6:15 on a Saturday night! We will definitely be backed!

Went there about 3 months ago.
I had Gorgonzola gnocchi and it was possibly the best dining experience of my life. My wife got carbonara that she also really liked. Trendy little neighborhood location too.

My husband and I tried Salvatore on a recent Sunday evening. We moved to the neighborhood earlier in the year and it’s been on the list of local places to try.
We arrived around 6:30, which was at the height of the dinner rush. We were greeted and seated promptly. Water and menus arrived, wine ordered, salads and entrée’s ordered, all good so far. (No mention of any specials, though over heard a table close by being told about them later). I was seated with a view of the dining room, and noticed only 2 servers for the entire floor. No hostess, busser, bartender at all. These 2 servers were working their tails off, and coming no where near keeping up with providing adequate table service to us, and to other tables around us, it seemed. Definitely understaffed.
Bread arrived which was no where near fresh. I love bread, all bread, and I only ate half a piece. It just wasn’t worth it, quite stale/​old. Salads and entrees arrived slightly delayed (but hey, busy night, it’s to be expected). Our salad plates had not yet been cleared, nor water glasses refilled when our entrée’s arrived. We each ordered a second glass of wine to pair with our food upon receiving our entrée’s.
A server didn’t come by for approx. 20 – 25 minutes? Water glasses completely empty by now, our second glass of wine had not yet arrived, and our entrees completely finished. I grabbed a water pitcher from a counter close by to refill our water. When the server did come by, I inquired about the wine. He clearly completely forgot, as I watched him immediately pour the red from where I was sitting, go around the corner for the glass of white, and return in less than 2 minutes with wine in hand.
I ordered pizza, my husband had a seafood/​pasta dish. We both agreed that we probably ordered the wrong thing. Food was just okay.
I feel that the servers (who were friendly and apologetic throughout the evening) did the best they could. We don’t plan on returning.

I’ve been coming here since I was a little kid. They have great food, great service and an amazing chef. The food is always delicious!

First time being here. Let me start off by saying that I was really looking forward to trying their carbonara after having it in Italy. The creamy, egg covered pasta with bacon, salt and pepper… Just thinking about it again makes me drool.
A group of us came at 7pm and got seated. We were waiting for one of our friends to join us — who ended up coming at 7:15pm. We got started with the burrata as an appetizer and a bottle of wine. Let me start off by saying that I love burrata. It typically comes with tomatoes and cooked spinach but Salvatore’s version has none of the above and instead comes with prosciutto. Ok, cool, I can deal with that. More meat for vegetables, fair trade. But, after we got our appetizer, we still hadn’t gotten any bread and the table next to us had bread as soon as they sat down. We asked for bread and they said they were making some in the back and would serve us some as soon as they were able. Then they left. We were all ready to order, and they left. So we waited around until our waiter came back before we could order. More waiting, more drinking. Finally, our waiter brings out a small basket of bread (8 pieces — I counted). We scarfed this down cause the burrata was clearly not enough. I asked our waiter for some more bread and he gave us a weird/​annoyed look and left. 15 minutes later he came back with another small basket and he had the NERVE to say, «Ok, this is your LAST basket» — wow, I don’t even know what to say to that… Ok, fine, I won’t ask for any more bread you prick. Our food ended up coming out about an hour after we ordered. Our entire group was so annoyed that we complained and asked for the manager to comp some part of our meal since we waited so long. Honestly, we all had plans to go out but this dinner set everything back, we were so late to our other engagements that some of us didn’t end up going. The manager’s excuse was that it was really busy and there was only one cook in the back making food. He ended up comping 20% off our meal, which is the only thing making this review two stars instead of ONE which it RIGHTFULLY deserves.
The food was alright — pretty expensive for what you’re getting. You’re pretty much paying for the italian ambiance and crappy service.
Just to recap the timeline of the night so you get a better picture of how terrible their service is.
7:00pm — ¾ friends show up
7:15pm — everyone is there
7:30pm — everyone is ready to order but they haven’t come to take our orders
7:45pm — we order our food (finally!)
8:00pm — we get our first basket of bread
8:15pm — second basket of bread
8:30pm — food entrees arrive
9:00pm — complain/​leave the restaurant
EXPECT a 2 hour dinner AT LEAST. I would definitely say I will take my business elsewhere and you won’t find me again at this restaurant. Plenty of more carbonara places to try with people that actually treat you well.

My husband has been coming to Salvatore’s since he moved to Seattle in 1989. He brought me here on our first date in 1994 and we’ve been coming here ever since. Quite often Salvatore himself will greet you as you arrive. The décor and atmosphere is festive and romantic. The food has always been wonderful. We’ve tried many different things on the menu and they always offer a wonderful variety of specials. I can tell every meal I’ve eaten here has been prepared with care and expertise. Always delicious! Never bland or too salty.
By far my favorite italian restaurant in Seattle, so far!

I’ve been in Seattle about 3 months now, and I’ve probably come here 10+ times. We love it! We dine in and we order to-​go regularly. The service is good, the staff are super friendly, and the food is awesome. When we order to-​go, the owner now knows my boyfriend, his likes/​dislikes, etc… it’s kinda sad actually; I should cook more!
Here are some of our favorites and/​or things we’ve tried:
cuori di palma– this heart of palm salad is delicious. The dressing is awesome. It’s a small portion size, which I like, but I always order it to-​go and it holds up nicely.
insalata verde– I ordered this once, and it was inedible as there was way too much dressing on the salad for my taste. I would order it again, but I’d ask for the dressing on the side.
fettuccine della casa– this is a regular I order. The sauce is like a vodka sauce. The artichokes and mushrooms aren’t overpowering. It’s a large portion size.
fettuccine al pollo– my boyfriends’ regular. He orders it 90% of the time. Very creamy and delicious.
penne alla puttanesca– ordered this once. Very delicious sauce. Slightly spicy, but not overwhelming. Not crazy about penne pasta, but I assume I could ask for different noodles.
portobello ravioli– this is very tasty. I ordered it to-​go once. It is heavy and has a lot of EVOO, but the portion size is small. I highly recommend.
gamberi alla deliziosa– this was the only thing that I ordered that I didn’t LOVE. the prawns were delicious, but I just wasn’t a huge fan of the herbs. It was also saturated in EVOO. I would not order this again, and I don’t recommend it.
Some specials we’ve tried:
asparagus risotto– i highly recommend! It was delicious!
My boyfriend gets the steak with bleu cheese sauce sometimes, and he loves it. I’ve had a bite of the mushrooms, and they were delicious. I am not a huge bleu cheese fan, but if you are, you will love it!
Tagliatelle pasta from scratch is also very good! Can’t remember the sauce that came with it, but it was vegetarian, and I loved it.
Also, for dessert, you must order the tiramisu. It is unbelievable. It’s the best I’ve ever had. I actually wasn’t a tiramisu fan until I had theirs, and I order it every single time! It’s delicious. The mascarpone layer is so creamy. The ladyfingers are soaked perfectly. The espresso is present but not dominating.
I highly recommend this restaurant. I am not giving it 5 stars overall, as a few of the dishes weren’t perfect (like the caesar salad or prawn entrée), but the regular dishes we order deserve 5 stars!

I have been enjoying Salvatore’s for as long as I can remember, although it’s been about ten years since my last visit. It was wonderful to show back up and see the same charming spot of my childhood memories.
The marinated calamari was exactly what I remembered and delicious, just the right texture and with enough sauce left over to dip the bread in. The processco by the glass is quite good, but I’m honestly not a connoisseur. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a non-​alcoholic beverage, the Italian limonata is yummy.
The pollo gorgonzola I ordered came promptly, along with my family’s dishes, right when the appetizer was cleared. My portion size looked small compared to everyone else’s heaping bowls of pasta, but the serving was perfectly sized for the overall richness of the dish, and I even took some home. I can’t recommend this dish specifically, because everything here is wonderful.
Charming service, although some wait times are drawn out. Example, it took us 15 minutes and flagging down a hostess to get our first water service.
They do not accept American Express.

As you can no doubt see, the preponderance of reviews is favorable as it should be. No matter the place, there are going to be times when something or another just doesn’t click. My interest was piqued perhaps 10 or more years ago while driving by and curiosity getting the best of me we tried Ristorante Salvatore and were immediately big fans. We’ve been back dozens of times. The menu is terrific but the specials are the place to be to sample Salvatore’s best creations. You’ve probably read a bunch of favorable reviews of peoples’ favorites and I’d agree with their evaluations. We keep coming back because what we like is consistently presented by a great staff that is not prone to pressuring the customer, only assuring their satisfaction.
Salvatore himself, ever the character, does want to know the good or bad, so don’t hesitate to critique or compliment. He’s almost always on hand to oversee the operation and ensure that his recipes for the food and standards for service are upheld. It’s the reason we keep coming back for the dependably great meal. When you want good Italian cooking, think Salvatore!

Always great food and service. We are never disappointed. If you ask the owner for wine advice he always has the perfect one. Don’t be afraid of the wait because you get seated reasonably quick. If you liked something on the special of the night and it isn’t there next time. Ask! They have made it for me every time. I liked the fresh pasta with wild boar.
Hearts of palm are excellent.

The kind of food you dream about. No really, I have actually dreamt of Salvatore’s. We were introduced to this place after a gift card was given to us along with a recommendation of it being «the best Italian place in this city». Pretty tall order right? Salvatore’s went above and beyond what we expected and has became our go to place when we are craving Italian.
The ambiance is very cozy and intimate. Candles on the table, interestingly painted walls to bring a rustic Italian feel to the dining room abd if you look closely there are personal pictures incorporated into the wall décor. The service is excellent and authentic. The specials are detailed from the server and also listed above the window looking into the kitchen. If the Gorgonzola Filleto is available, do not pass it up! Beef medallions smothered in a creamy gorgonzola sauce that practically melt in your mouth. Served with pasta of course. The bruscetta is exquisitely flavored with a perfect grill on the bread. The Ravioli Alla Bolognese is a classic my little one enjoys, and the Gnocchi Al Gorgonzola with walnuts is delish. For dessert we go for the chocolate cake and the tiramisu.
I can not recommend this place enough!

EXQUISITE Wild Boar with freshly made spinach papparadelle pasta. It’s so phenomenally tasty I may never order anything else at this restaurant to which I will return as frequently as possible. Wonderful wines by the glass and a delicious Caesar salad. I think this is the best wild boar sauce I have ever tasted — anywhere even in Italy. The menu is wonderful and I’d like to try some of the more classic dishes, but the specials (all six of them) were mouth watering.
Yes, there was indeed a healthy wait for our entrees, but it was well worth every second. I’d wait even longer for food this well prepared. Bravo!

Good food freshly made and service with a nice attitude. Everything tasted great and we never had to wait very long for our food to come out. It was a quiet night with only two other groups in the restaurant, so I expected that we would have attentive service and indeed we did.
The atmosphere is a little strange. The interior could use an update and I would think anyone who’s not running a liquor store would have learned by now that garlands of fake grape leaves are really two decades ago. For music there was what sounded like three greek folk songs on repeat which got really annoying after a while.

I’ve come here a few times now and have always come away feeling quite satisfied with the quality of the service and food. What really stands out is the value of fresh italian food and service for the money spent. I’ve never felt being overcharged and able to get appetizer, entrée, wine, dessert and coffee without feeling I’ve overspent for the value received.
As for the service, you get personal treatment where they spend a lot of time explaining the multiple specials and just the right about of service at just the right times. The location is in an eclectic part of Seattle and it’s a very comfortable old school Italian atmosphere.
Seems I aways find some special to order and never really order an entrée from the menu. The dishes are prepared simply, fresh and I feel some of the best meals are not overly complex. The last time we where there I got the veal shanks that was just incredible and should be shared. Too bad they are one of the specials, so don’t expect it to be on the menu.
Typically, we finish with one of the desserts and the bread pudding here is really good with a glass of moscato followed up with a double shot expresso.
My recommendation is get all the courses of the meal, wine and dessert. Try to pick from the specials as they have so many you’ll definitely find something you’ll like.

My husband and I came here thinking we’d find delicious Italian, we did not. The service was terrible, we were seated in the middle of the restaurant and then promptly forgotten about. We waited at least five minutes for water and I asked twice for bread (both times I basically had to get up for the waiter to acknowledge me), we never actually got bread. We were going to order wine but never got a wine list so gave up on that. We ordered Caesar salad, bruschetta, and a pizza. We waited a VERY VERY long time and then was served everything at once, the pizza was almost cold. It was not busy.
Food:
Bruschetta– lovely, very garlicky, fresh tomatoes, good bread. Nothing amazing but definitely the best part of the meal.
Caesar salad– expensive, tiny (like, not even half a head of romaine), and the most boring dressing I have ever tasted.
Sausage pizza– in addition to not being hot, only had 4 tiny sausages and they were all on one side of the pizza. We had to pick them up and move them to each quarter of the pizza, it was weird.
We were pretty much starving and angry by the time we ate after having waited so long and being ignored. We would have forgiven them if the food was good.
We asked for the check as soon as our food came and it took three more reminders and about 30 minutes to actually get the check. If we were the type, we would have just walked out.
Would I recommend or give this place a second chance? absolutely not, a waste of money.

Salvatore’s serves up traditional italian food from the Godfather era. (Read classic, not experimental.) This hole-​in-​the-​wall seems to have a cult following. The table next to us sat down and told our waiter, «Feed us. Your choice.»
Said Italian waiter was charming and served up some fine fare. The specials were all outstanding, though menu choices like cheese ravioli and bruschetta seemed to be the most popular.
They’ve got a tremendous menu. My favorites were hte burratta with fresh tomatoes and roasted mushroom appetizer.

Oh Salvatore’s, a lovely authentic Italian restaurant where I could eat every night, if calories didn’t exist! The service was great from start to finish — our waiter was very attentive and made useful wine suggestions. He was very personable too without being overly chatty/​friendly.
The bread, oil and Parmesan cheese that comes to the table was nice, but we decided to start with bruschetta as well. Great choice — the tomatoes were fine (and come on, it is February in Seattle — we’re doomed to 11.5 months of uninspiring tomatoes), the bread was well crisped and oily delicious. It made for a very rich and decadent bruschetta; I ended up sopping up the extra oil with my plain bread. The boar with the pappardelle was superb — it is a special but one they have often, so do not be hesitant to ask about it. Pollo basilico was also excellent; nicely crisped but still tender, and wonderfully garlicky. The side of penne is red sauce was also quite good — the sauces all tasted bright and fresh.
Prices are in line with what one would expect for a higher end Italian restaurant. Wine selection was very good