IL Bistro — Restaurant in Seattle

Next to the infamous Gum Wall on Pikes Place is the locally popular, incredibly busy, Il Bistro. Small and packed with people wall to wall one can tell this place was in high demand. Decor was dimmed lights, cozy seating and certainly felt upscale. Staff was friendly, though the waitress had trouble remembering ingredients in the dishes but had no issue with going to find out several times.

The two stars is for Food. Quality and value matching price.

After seeing the reviews and set menu, I knew the staff and kitchen had to perform like clockwork to keep up with it all. The set had 4 or 5 choices for each category, A starter, an entree and a dessert. I selected the seafood salad, the halibut and their eggnog variation dessert.

The seafood salad: Thoughtfully designed presentation and a subtle flavour profile, allowing for the freshness of the seafood to be showcased....and crab shell. More than 3 bites worth of crab shell. In past times A friend of mine damaged his tooth on shell, I've heard horror stories of restraunts being sued for dental bills. thats not who I am but I am concerned about how it ruined my experience and interrupted my good feelings concerning the dish and made me question the quality of practice in the kitchen. Did we dump the crab meat out of the can into the bowl of seafood? Did the new guy get the job of cleaning the crab? Either way. Appetizer ruined, it happened to 3 people at our table so I can say safely guess it's a dish premade in a big bowl and portioned out.

The halibut: Normally a flaky, beautiful, white pillow of delight. I wouldn't have gotten it at a regular place as its common to over cook it when quality is not controlled in the kitchen. What a dissapointment to compound my frustrations after the crab shell. First bite was Stringy on the outside, dry and chewy.oh its the edge of a big cut, ill suffer a dry end for a perfectly cooked thick middle. Tried the opposite end, was the same, tried the middle, still was dry! It even looked nice but when a beautiful cut is portioned out and left to die in the window by expedite or pre cut in a pan under a lamp or on warm in an oven all the edges dry. So the set menu made me wonder...is everything premade and portioned out to sit all day until ordered? Even if its not the case, what a shame that the quality leads one to think that it's lesser. It's a waste of the owners money. I get making fresh daily and being held at safe temps is needed but this is not how to do it. Sous vide, steam water baths, when first course is brought, taking time to filter the crab meat. Simple adjustments in quality.

All in all, quality lowered value and for the price made this a...

We came here on a Tuesday night and it had a line out the door. I think maybe because the hostess didn't know how to utilize other people to help her seat people. It's a nice place located on the lower lever of Pike Place Market. However, waiting outside for your table is quite interesting as the market staff or city workers (it wasn't clear which) washed down the steps and streets/flooring within the center with fire hoses to get rid of the urine. It's almost as bad at Bourbon Street in New Orleans.

They sat us and immediately took our drinks. Our group ended up drinking four bottles of wine. I had a Moscow mule and they made it exceptionally well.

We ordered a number of appetizers for the table:

Arancini - these were fabulous and large in size. Focaccia - this came with a garlic oil, but was not over the top with garlic flavor. Truthfully, they shouldn't charge you for this and just bring it to your table. Charging $4 per order is silly. Sauteed Calamari - my friends said this was pretty good, but I'm allergic, so I did not partake.

Next, we ordered our meals. It's a hard menu for those with some dietary restrictions. One member of our group needs gluten free options (there was only one pasta dis (though he could have had the gluten-free pasta with any pasta dish). He didn't want steak or chicken as you could get those anywhere.

I really like gnocchi, but it came with a heavy cream sauce. I could have asked for the bolognese, but its made with veal and lamb, neither which I'm a fan of. They had some more seafood dishes, again, I'm not a fish person (just basically eat shrimp). So I ordered the chicken parmigiana (I normally don't order a fried chicken breast that is smothered in marinara and covered in cheese and then baked, because there are generally better pasta options, but not here. It's very frou-frou.

The chicken parm was fantastic! It came with two chicken breasts and atop a heaping pile of small shell noodles covered in marinara and parmesan cheese. This is easily shared with two or three people. I would have brought it home had I lived there, but reheated in my hotel room the next day would have been gross. We were so stuffed that no one got dessert.

Don't misconstrue my 4 stars for a lacking review. The food, drinks, and service were phenomenal. However, my opinion is that the charging of bread for the table is kind of tacky and it's definitely more of a frou-frou Italian place. If you're looking for more staple Italian dinners, this is not your place. However, it is great for groups, and perfect for a nice dinner...

I'm just wowed by this restaurant. I reserved a table for my husband and I for our two year anniversary. We have had a really hard year and are just coming out of it, so I wanted to make the night special. I essentially said as much under special requests and asked for anything the restaurant might do for a special occasion. I will say this is a romantic restaurant and it says so in its website, so families disappointed by this experience did not seem to understand their intentions and I do not fault the restaurant for it!

We had a table in the bar area nestled next to the huge glass pane windows. Our table was covered in beautiful red rose petals, and multiple staff wished us a happy anniversary. They treated us to a romantic decorated tiramisu and some champagne, and the gorgeous and sweet red haired waitress gave some of the best service I've ever had in a restaurant. I wish I could remember her name but my memory for names is poor.

The special experience aside, my husband and I were amazed with the chef tonight. He ordered the gnocchi ai funghi and the earthy mushroom flavor mixed with the truffle oil cream sauce incredibly well, all while being buttery and melt in your mouth. I order the bistecca despite some hesitancy (I'm extremely particular about my steaks having grown up with a chef who specialized in them). The medium rare came out juicy, flavorful, and wonderfully textured. The gorgonzola creamed potatoes were melt in your mouth, and my partner thought they were some kind of seasoned meat at first the way they had retained the flavors of their sauce. The broccolini had a sharp vinaigrette sear and all together made for a fantastic meal worth the price ($50). We ended with tiramisu that we had high expectations for after such a good meal. Of course it didn't disappoint and was topped with a chocolate heart and rose petal. Softest, lightest, tastiest slice I've had. Last but not least our drinks were incredible. We've had issues with bartenders recently of watering down drinks, no such thing here! Our second drinks came out stronger than the last and each were a citrus lime concoction that was fantastic paired with the heavier food.

All in all please come to il bistro! I have fallen in love with this restaurant and I cannot wait to come back. I'd love to spend my anniversary here again. It is a dimly lit, sultry atmosphere that is perfect for a romantic date and night with your partner. I wish I could...