Nonna Luisa Ristorante — Restaurant in Anacortes

Do you need reservations? Yes. Is it spendy? Yes. If you stop reading there, this place isn't for you. I have ate several places since moving to Washington many, many years ago. And this, by far, is the absolute best restaurant I have been to in the whole state, if not in my whole life. Every single morsel that came to our table was layered with fresh, complex flavors. Our party of 5 were passing forks, plates, & rave reviews of each new bite. Bruschetta? Something so simple has zero business being THAT GOOD! Nor were they greedy with the amout of toppings either. I honestly can't tell you the name of my dish. For one it was a special. For another, I honestly couldn't pronounce it. I can tell you it was $50. Again, there are cheaper options, but if this again stops you there, this place may not be for you. It was a round pasta in crab, lobster bisque with a seafood medley. Scallops were thicck (2Cs, no mistake), clams were few, good amount of seafood over all. With muscles, clams, even calamari. Do I recommend it? Have you ever had food so good, you actually have to close your eyes & hold those flavors on your tongue? No? How about flavors so good, so beautiful that your mouth waters while you are chewing it? This was that meal. This while restaurant was. Over 5 dishes came to our table. From high dollar specials (more than my plate, to the humble & grateful $8 Bruschetta.) To the free bread. It was all amazing & worth the price. My husband had a pork special that was so amazing with mushrooms that was so tender a knife never came out. It was what I could only describe as the beefiest pork I've ever had, & I don't mean bulk. You can actually pick out specific flavors. It was all just... wow! I see why they are so busy & highly recommend. At 5:30pm on a Saturday they were packed. A lovely lady played wonderful skilled music. The owner was so sweet & funny to guests. The staff down to the servers, & cleaners were amazing. Our waitress Jessica KushKush a sweetheart & awesome about answering all our questions, & we had a lot! Was funny, professional, but still remained light-hearted. The chef was super friendly & approached us a few times to talk of our meals, travels, & love of style. Not in any way that was lingering with any staff either. The whole evening was just wonderful. Would definitely recommend & be back as a treat. You can dress up or down, which was honestly a bit cool. You never felt too good or not good enough here. You just felt, welcome. And yes, no food pics. It was love at first bite & we never thought...

Irina and I celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary at Nonna Luisa Ristorante on June 7, 2024. We did not inform the staff that it was our anniversary but EVERYTHING from start to finish was perfect (with the minuscule exception that when I sat down at the table I had no antipasto plate. I confess, I did not ask for one from our wonderful young server. Instead I pilfered one in reach from the six top next to us🫣).

We ordered two KettleOne martinis, up, bone dry, two olives to start. The bartender hit the bullseye. The martinis were perfect (don’t attempt the same order in Italy) and they were legit full sized in large traditional martini glasses.

We do not generally consume as much food these days. As a result, we stuck with the great sourdough bread with oil and vinegar in lieu of antipasto.

We also generally share one order when we eat out since servings are so large. However, we could not resist ordering two items (scallops and Osso Buco) from the extensive specials menu so well presented by our server. I requested to substitute a spaghetti & tomato ragu for the risotto with my Osso Buco, since rissotto was also included with Irina’s scallops and we share everything.

While we awaited the entrees, the owner arrived with a fruit/Prosecco compote on the house. Very gracious gesture.

The Osso Buco was perfectly fall off the bone moist, tender, fatty, and tasty. It had been roasted so perfectly that the marrow was easily extracted from the bone to be enjoyed.

The scallops (5 I think) were also perfectly prepared. Moist, nearly melt in your mouth, with not one hint of sand.

Both entrees, including the rissotto, spaghetti, and the absolutely fantastic vegetables were so well prepared that there was never even a thought of adding salt, pepper or any spice.

We shared a dessert, the name of which escapes me, accompanied by a Sambuca, that was the metaphorical cherry on top of our 28th anniversary dinner celebration. It was a large sphere of chocolate gelato enveloping a creme center of some kind. Smooth and cool and refreshing, while simultaneously rich and decadent.

We have been privileged to have had excellent culinary experiences all over the country, continent and world. Our dinner on June 7, 2024 at Nonna Luisa’s was literally as great as the best of the best that we have experienced over our 28 years of marriage.

Thank you to the staff, management, and owners of Nonna Luisa’s Ristorante. We are so fortunate to have you right here in Anacortes.

Nonna is most certainly very...

Nonna Luisa is a place like no other.

I'm an Italian-American, and don't generally go to Italian restaurants because, frankly, they don't cook like my Nonna did.

The amazing staff at Nonna Luisa have outdone themselves in creating the pinnacle of Italian dining. The ambience is beautiful, romantic, and serene. The staff are delightful, personable, and attentive.

After having the specials described in vivid, mouthwatering detail by our amazing waitress and making our selection, we had the opportunity to observe the fluidity and precision with which the restaurant operates by way of its skilled staff (speaking Italian!). Watching other tables receive their plates only served to elevate our anticipation; I already knew the food would be amazing. As our meals arrived, I was reminded of the uniqueness that makes Italian cooking such a respected cuisine. I had the Osso Buco, and my fiancée had the Tagliatelle in Pesto; both meals were beautifully made and presented.

The Osso Buco was a lovely veal shank, slow cooked and falling off the bone in a sauce that accompanied, but didn't overpower the meat. Every bite was rich with the flavor of meat foremost, not of its individual spices, but of their melody together.

The tagliatelle was adorned with shrimp, scallops, and a lobster tail, all of which were in sizable portions. The noodles were made fresh that morning, and sat in a lovely light pesto sauce that was absolutely addictive. Every bite of seafood was crisp and extremely fresh. I'm extremely picky about shrimp, but ate this one with zeal.

We had the opportunity to speak briefly with Raffaele and to thank him and his staff for the tremendous experience. I explained my normal hesitation towards eating restaurant Italian, with which he sympathized, and I described how his establishment managed to live beyond our wildest expectations.

I will absolutely come back, and bring along mia famiglia next time we're in town! Thank you Raffaele and thank you to all the staff at Nonna Luisa for an incredible...