Cantinetta Bellevue — Restaurant in Bellevue

Truly one of the best Italian dining experiences in Bellevue!

Cantinetta completely exceeded my expectations. From the moment we walked in, the vibe was warm, cozy, and welcoming — elegant but not stuffy. The lighting is soft, the music is just right, and it feels like the kind of place where you can relax, enjoy great food, and actually have a conversation without shouting over noise.

The service was absolutely top-notch. Our server was friendly, knowledgeable, and clearly passionate about the menu. They took the time to walk us through the wine list and gave thoughtful recommendations that perfectly matched our dishes. The pacing of the meal was spot-on too — we never felt rushed, but also never had to wait too long between courses.

Now the food… wow. Everything we ordered was exceptional. We started with the burrata and prosciutto appetizer — creamy, fresh, and beautifully presented. The pasta is truly the star here though. You can tell it’s handmade in-house — the texture, the bite, the way the sauces cling to it — absolute perfection. I had the tagliatelle bolognese, and it might honestly be the best I’ve had outside of Italy. My partner had the squid ink pasta with seafood, and it was equally incredible — rich, briny, and balanced.

The wine list is excellent, with a great selection of Italian reds and whites. Our server suggested a Nebbiolo that paired perfectly with the meal. It’s clear they care about quality here — everything from the bread service to the plating felt intentional.

For dessert, we shared the panna cotta and the chocolate torta. Both were outstanding, but the panna cotta stole the show — silky smooth with just the right sweetness. By the end of the night, we were full but didn’t feel heavy or overwhelmed, which says a lot about how fresh and well-prepared everything is.

What I really appreciated most was the atmosphere — intimate, romantic, and genuinely comfortable. It’s the kind of restaurant that works equally well for a date night, a celebration, or just when you want to treat yourself to something special.

Yes, it’s on the pricier side, but completely worth it for the quality, service, and overall experience. You can tell there’s real care in everything they do — from the house-made pastas to the...

Disappointed very much! We went on mother’s day to the restaurant (checked reviews on google)! I’m not sure who posted those positive reviews but our whole experience was just awful from the beginning! After being seated at the table the waiter usually brings bread and vinegar/oil for dipping. Each table around us got their bread but not us. After ordering bass fish!!! We couldn’t get those treats unfortunately. Only after one of us mentioned then an other waiter brought bread and oil/vinegar. And then in less than 10 min our fish entry has arrived! We all was surprised that it took less than 10 min for them to cook fish, bass??? Come one people! Obviously the fish for both of us was reheated. Was not cooked fresh for us. Bc it’s wasn't even hot. Not hot and not delicious and way too salty and overpowered with spices in sauce that I couldn’t even eat! Very small portion for $32! Old meal and did not even looks like a bass! Fish was small and thin.. looking like white fish but not bass... but it’s just our opinion, we couldn’t proof it in plate:) But the taste was just bad, very bad. So we told to the server and he offered to us different dishes .. And those was over salted too... Others of us ate some and I couldn’t even eat at all. Was not delicious at all. Very bad taste and customer service wasn’t greatest too for us.. he was running around different tables but not us! Don’t know why thou..

They for sure need a different cook! There is not many choices of entries either..

Anyways won’t be back that is for sure. Very unfortunate experience. We should have been check reviews on yelp but we didn’t. On yelp their reviews are very low.. have no idea how they’re staying in business ... But the place is nice, small but cozy overall and looks good all around, like it! But that’s...

Lot of positives about this one! We were a group of 7 with a reservation at 7.45 pm but we finally got a table at 8 ish. They have no waiting area. So we had to cramp up near the door as it was cold and raining outside. The ambiance is amazing! Would be perfect for a nice date. Decor is antique and classy. The crowd is Bellevue crowd so expect to see everyone dressed fancy. Service was good not great. We had to ask for bread and no one asked us for fresh ground pepper on our pastas. We tried their burrata plate and arancini as appetizers. Loved the burrata plate! The cheese is creamy and is perfectly balanced by the sweet onion relish! Flavor, texture, presentation - ticks all 3. The arancini on the other hand I don't think I'll get again. Nothing great about that one. All of us got pasta. I got their rigatoni. I found it a tad too tough! I understand al dente but this was more tough than I would like. The veal ragu it came with was tasty. I got to try the other pastas as well. Really liked their gnocchi and pappardelle. For desert we got their tiramisu, lemon panacotta and zepolle which are fried donut balls with Nutella. Would highly recommend the zepolle and tiramisu. The lemon panna cotta wasn't lemony enough for me, awesome texture though! They do charge 20% gratuity for large groups. We had a really enjoyable evening with nice wine and food. Overall definitely worth...