Salvatore Ristorante Italiano — Restaurant in Seattle

I'm giving a 5 star rating on the behalf of the service someone else is likely to get here. The food is brilliant. The environment is pleasant. The waiter who served us was lovely. Up until it was time to pay the bill.

I'm giving a 1 star rating for what happened next. It was my girlfriend's birthday. We were loving the time we were having there as a group celebrating together. The waiter comes up to the table to ask if everything was alright, which is fine, and we all universally responded that it was awesome, and he followed it up with "...because you only tipped me 10%, and I did everything you asked with splitting up the bill, got the birthday girl a slice of tiramisu, so I don't understand." And then it devolved into a temporary argument about what the actual tip was. I watched it when $30 was written down on the tab. He insisted the tip was only $18.

Our bill was sitting on the table still. With a $30 tip on a $210 tab. He tried apologizing to all of us, but the damage was done. The experience had become awkward and memorable for the wrong reasons. Even if we tipped nothing at all, it's unacceptable to come to a customer's table and complain or argue about it.

To have the audacity to behave like that on what was believed to be an $18 tip on a $210 bill? To ruin our experience at this restaurant over a $12 difference?

Being upset about getting $18 for serving 5 people at one table in approximately an hour and a half is a sign that you've become spoiled in your position. I think about how many tables he was serving in that same timeframe, times it by $18, and it's not an outrageous statement to think he's making a lot more money each year than I am. The place was fairly active, even on a Thursday night.

One member of our party was frustrated enough with this event to go talk to the manager about it. The manager just made him come apologize some more, there was no actual tangible effort to try and make it right. There was no future offer to have us return to give them a second chance to make it right. Just some forced apologies and a clear frustration when none of us were very interested in hearing it out.

Apologies are hollow. He certainly didn't offer to return any of the tip he no longer deserved after such a monumental screw up. He didn't offer to make an adjustment to the bill afterwards. No action was taken that mattered. And 5 people walked out of there stunned and upset, with the same story to tell about what service was like here.

I can't help but wonder if he went over to the table that gave him $18 and gave them grief too. It's just infuriating.

So, 5 star and 1 star. We'll call it a 3 star, because it's not fair to bash the entire establishment over what is a clear overreaction and a mistake made by a single person.

That said, every time I see or think about this place, I'll think about what this guy did, not about how great the food was or how great the majority of the night was. The place really is brilliant, and I sincerely hope anyone who goes here after I have has exceptional service and nothing but wonderful things to write about the place. But those words won't ever be...

Wow! An unassuming place from the outside, but a magical food haven inside. I ate everything and did not let a single drop go to waste. We were greeted with amazing staff all around the entire evening and seated by Salvatore himself. Food started with bread that came with olive oil and parmesan; it was soft delicious bread with a crust that wasn't so hard it hurt, with authentic and outstanding olive oil, and parmesan cheese (hard to go wrong with cheese). Also a special appetizer of garlic butter mushrooms; they came warm and I put some on top of the olive oil bread for a stellar flavor outcome. Then a starter salad. I ordered the Verde, it default comes with Italian dressing. I ordered it as listed on menu, while lamenting to myself internally that it wasn't balsamic. My salad came and miraculously happened to have balsamic on it! It was literally the "mistake" I was dreaming of (hahaha) so I joked to my dining partner that even their mistakes were beyond my wildest dream of delicious. I didn't bother to say anything to the staff because it was a beyond pleasant surprise. Main course was a Chianti wine and the special of wild boar with spinach pasta. The wine was nice and medium to mid-full bodied, a good compliment for wild game like boar. The boar and spinach pasta... absolutely could not have been better. The meat was flavorful, delicious (not gamey at all), and fall-apart tender. The noodles were perfectly al dente (a minor spot was less cooked from noodles sticking together but this is not a "real" complaint because it means the pasta is fresher) and soaked in the most beautifully complex sauce that had the perfect note of rosemary. Desert was tiramisu. Not the US kind... less cream, semi-bitter chocolate sprinkled on top. Someone did their homework on this tiramisu and balanced the slightly bitter chocolate note with the coffee in the soaked sponge perfectly.

2 appetizers, one salad, two special entrees, a bottle of wine, and one tiramisu for ~$140 not including tip.

A neighborhood gem I overlooked for far too long....

I've visited this place several times and each time I've left feeling thoroughly pleased with both the service and the food. What truly impresses me is the exceptional value you get for your money—fresh Italian cuisine and attentive service that never feels overpriced. I can enjoy a full meal, including an appetizer, entree, wine, dessert, and coffee, without ever feeling like I've spent more than the experience was worth.

The service here is a standout—personalized and thoughtful. The staff take their time to walk you through the numerous specials, striking a perfect balance of attentiveness without hovering. The restaurant is nestled in a vibrant, eclectic neighborhood in Seattle, and the ambiance has that cozy, old-school Italian charm that makes you feel right at home.

I tend to gravitate toward the specials rather than the regular menu entrees, and I’ve never been disappointed. The dishes are prepared with simplicity and freshness in mind, proving that the best meals don’t need to be overly complicated. On my last visit, I had the ossobuco, which were absolutely phenomenal—though generous enough to share. Since it’s one of the specials, don’t count on it being a permanent fixture on the menu.

We usually cap off the meal with dessert, and the bread pudding paired with a glass of Moscato is a real treat, followed by a double-shot espresso that’s the perfect finish.

My advice? Go all in—get the full experience with all the courses, wine, and dessert. Dive into the specials; with so many options, you’re bound to find something that...