Il Nido — Restaurant in Seattle

Been wanting to eat here for months after hearing about it through various sources and wow did it live up to the hype!

The food runner greeted us immediately, before the lovely maître d’ (or in this case maggiordomo) had us greeted and sat in minutes after setting the table.

Shorter menu which I always appreciate, both in cocktails and food. Usually a sign of a restaurant that knows what they do well and executes.

My wife had the sbagliato, which was all the rage a year ago, and enjoyed it even though it’s not her typical flavor profile.

I had “their” Negroni which included punt e mes as their twist. Wonderful to feel like I’m not just making one at home and rounds the drink off nicely for those who find it a touch intense regularly.

Food was 10/10. Stuck to Italian dishes:

Trotto di Chianti (?) was almost like a confit/rillette pork shoulder with mayocoba beans, served with bright giardiniera and toast slices.

Gnocchi with Meyer lemon butter and Parmesan. Simple and delicious with your expected chewy tenderness. (Wife’s favorite)

Charred snap peas with hazelnut, goat cheese/chili sauce. Later in the season but since spring has my favorite vegetables we had to order this and it was still as fresh as any I’ve had in April. Didn’t get much char but it was phenomenal so no worries there.

The special, creste di gallo with bread crumbs and garlic scrapes. I missed the exact description but I don’t mind because this was my favorite. Pasta cooked to perfection and the slightly more savory nature complimented our other dishes perfectly; allowing it to feel like a true entree. No idea what the “sauce” was but it was balanced and clung to well to the versatile pasta shape.

Wife had the berry and lemon forward panna cotta, a wonderful and light dessert. I had an espresso with lemon peel and one other thing which bears a story.

I saw the amoro dell’ Etna 120th anniversary riserva amaro on the digestif menu and was very interested and began to google it while conversing with my wife. One of the owners, Cameron, overheard me and brought me a snifter with a taste and the bottle. This is what separates great restaurants from good in my opinion. Little things like that make an experience and only occur when you have a full team of KNOWLEDGABLE people who care. He was also able to tell me more about the wine that I had ordered which was wonderful.

I’ve eaten at single Michelin restaurants that didn’t match Il Nidos service.

Our server was excellent and mentioned specials, was just the right amount of attentive, and spoke with Italian pronunciation I could barely comprehend in the best way.

The food runner was lively and described each dish for us, as well as crumbed the table between courses.

The maggiordomo was sweet, energetic, timely, and skilled. She made a point to remember our names, made sure I had a bag for my wine, and was in total control of the front of the restaurant.

The second I stood up a server unrelated to our section instantly recognized it and not only directed me, but walked to the restrooms to show me. this is Michelin level

And the story of Cameron which I already told, but clearly the people in charge here know what they’re doing and can deliver an elite tier service without a hint of stuffiness.

Sorry for the essay, but this is our favorite meal in Seattle so far and we can’t...

One of the best dining experiences I've had in a long time. First, special thanks to Courtney who is a treasure and phenomenal at what she does. Also, a huge kudos to the woman who greeted us upon entry. I felt like we were welcomed and wanted guests. Now to the meal. We heard of and enjoyed lunch at IL Corvo back in its day so I knew we had to treat ourselves to Il Nido. We were passing through in the area, so our family of 4 didn't have reservations. That didn't matter, as we were promptly seated in the cozy and comfortable patio.

We ordered Foccacia and the wild chicory salad to start. Such rich flavors We opted for the first three pasta dishes on our menu and could have easily ordered a second plate of each: The Testaroli al Zucca The Busiati Wild Boar Ragu 3 The Bucatini Sungold Amatriciana We washed our meals down with a glass of Barbere and Verdicchio. We also enjoyed the chocolate torte and a cappuccino and macchiato.

I'm no food critic. I don't think I can put to words what this meal and these dishes did for us. We've had the privilege of visiting Italy and LOVE Italian cuisine from various regions. So we're also unapologetically particular about where we eat Italian meals (including pizza).

Edit: we dined with 2 small children (ages 1 and 2) and from the start we were welcomed. The staff were so helpful and friendly. Courtney went above and beyond to help make sure we were taken care of, checking on us and empathizing with us and smiling at our little ones. As embarrassing as it was for the little tantrums in the middle of dinner, we were not given the stank eye. Thank you again Courtney for being so kind and phenomenal!

This place is the real deal and I'm so grateful we could break bread there. I felt like we were back in some of those small towns eating and drinking a full body of divine flavors. We will be back the next time we're in the area. Thank you Il Nido for a positive experience on so...

If someone asks me "what's your favorite restaurant in Seattle?" the answer to me is very quick and easy: Il Nido.

Simply put: this restaurant delivers. Gorgeous ambiance, fantastic food, and a front of the house that is the best in the city.

You're eating in a beautiful early 20th century building perfectly emblematic of classic Seattle architecture. You're less than a block from the beach - perfect for pre or post dinner walks. The setup for a great evening.

Food changes with the seasons. Some dishes are always/usually on the menu, most will change with the seasons and availability of ingredients. The chef is at the top of her game. Dare I say, the food here was excellent 2-3 years ago but is even better now. Many of the new specials and seasonal dishes have several layers of complexity and subtlety to unpack. It makes coming here on a regular basis a lot of fun.

Service here is just wonderful. If the front of the house at Il Nido wanted to increase their contribution to the Seattle dining scene they should probably all quit and start a school training every other restaurant in the city on providing hospitality. But, please don't do that. Not only is the service here fantastic, it's also consistently fantastic.

My biggest issue with Seattle restaurants is the lack of consistency. One meal is awesome, the next time you go the experience is average. Some seasonal dishes are a home run, the others are bunt singles. Not the case here. This has been a difficult table to secure for years since it opened. It takes skill to make one great meal. It takes greater skill to make a fantastic meal day after day. It takes even greater skill to make such fantastic food even better year after year. Well...