Contos Pizza & Pasta — Restaurant in Lake Stevens

Went without planning to and got right in, though it was a bit after the dinner rush. Food timing was great, which is a hat-tip to our server, as it can be hard for a new server to judge timing as the restaurant slows back down from a rush. She was definitely new, but managed well and was friendly for sure... despite not seeming to have gone through very thorough training. Drink menu knowledge was nonexistent and some of her mannerisms showed her newness, and if the restaurant wants to retain people who are naturally good in the server role for the longterm they should work on training them in a way that makes them feel fully confident in their role and a good manager understands that retention and pay go hand-in-hand with the quickest way to boost tips being to be able to suggest sell drinks with knowlege and sureness in your role. Food itself was as good as expected, I've been a couple times. It's not anything fancy, but they do a great job on the classics. The baked Spaghetti is good, and comes with a hearty amount of meat sauce and loaded with delicious mozzarella... a gut bomb to those who aren't prepared, but super good and homey. Their pizzas have thick, fluffy crust and come piled with toppings and cheese to make you also thick and fluffy. Started this time with the caprese salad, was good... tomatoes were fresh and not too fridgey tasting, basil was a bit wide-cut but fresh as well. Drinks aren't anything to write home about... they do have a couple okay wines, and they offer cocktails but nothing too crafty (a reminder, this is Lake Stevens, not Lake Oswego). Their selection of desserts already in to-go boxes is my favorite... they know you'll leave full, and they are ready to send you off with something really delicious for later... and you should...

Tucked away in the Northwest corner of the Frontier Village /Safeway shopping center you'll find Contos. An unassuming small restaurant with excellent service and food. The restaurant itself has that old-fashioned Italian vibe but rather than vines of filthy dirty fake grapes you will only find a nice clean aired environment with real live plants on tables and along the walls. A comfortable padded bench if needed allows for seating as you wait for a table or for your to-go order to be ready. Dining in is intimate and the restaurant is cozy with soft dim lighting to set the atmosphere. Natural light filters in during the day to brighten the space up just enough to keep you nice and alert, for after your lunch break. The food is well made, consistent in quality and taste, and generally travels well if you order to go. I have an almost 20-30 min drive back home and I almost always still have piping hot aluminum trays that allow me to just start eating or feeding the family without the need to try and reheat food without ruining it. They make wonderful spaghetti 🍝 and both the brown butter version and the meat sauce are excellent. Their caprice is fantastic with large medallions of mozzarella topped fresh chopped sweet basil ground/ cracked black pepper and coarse salt sprinkled atop and liberal drizzle of balsamic vinegar! Yum! Pizzas, grinders, salads, cheesecake, pie, and tiramisu dessert options. As well as specials and favorites from lasagna to linguini. Give Contos a try, dine in for a more relaxed vibe or take you food to go to your favorite picnic place or home to your hangry brood. If you like traditional American Italian, you will...

Visit date: August 12, 2023 Saturday Lunch time

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating 5 stars!

Food: ★★★★★ Service: ★★★★★ Atmosphere: ★★★★★

My husband and I are thrilled to find our new favorite restaurant!

The atmosphere is great. I love the ambiance of the restaurant. It was clean and tidy. The food was phenomenal! We both had the chicken fettuccine (oh so tasty and cheesy, BTW!) with a side salad and italian soup (which i have to try again!). It comes with bread, and everything tastes amazing!

Our daughter had the kid pizza with canadian bacon, and she loved it as well. (She's picky, but finished it all that day!)

Serving is big, we ended up needing a box for take out.

I would also like to acknowledge their kid-friendliness and were so nice to be patient with our questions regarding my daughter's allergy as she is anaphylactic with eggs. It's a big deal!

We will definitely keep coming back here. And did I mention they have a fridge for desserts to-go? The cheesecake we got was to die for!!!

Thank you for an amazing first time experience, I expect this place to be amazing on our next return!

10/10 would recommend!

Food total with drinks and dessert to-go: $56 That's for two adults...