Il Nido

"For a cabin experience that involves more wine and pasta than exposure to nature, there’s Il Nido, a fancy restaurant inside the historic Alki homestead where you can eat great handmade pasta without worrying about applying a 15th layer of bug spray. This Italian spot has an always-changing menu full of things like the tagliatelle with beef and pork ragu, and hunks of focaccia that could send memory foam pillows straight to the unemployment office. It’s a dependable option for date night, a special occasion, or when you want a touch of wilderness without driving to a desolate forest in Sequim." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley, gabe guarente

"A big draw here is the setting — Il Nido occupies the Alki Homestead, a humbly named 120-year-old mansion-esque building that exerts a psychic pull over the comparatively modest surrounding waterfront. Famed chef Mike Easton no longer owns the place, but his former employees Cameron Williams and Katie Gallego have maintained the emphasis on the fresh pasta — you’ll be glad most dishes here go light on the sauce, letting the pasta shine. There’s also an extensive wine list from both Pacific Northwest and Italian producers, and a cocktail list that is heavy on the negronis." - Harry Cheadle

"When Il Nido founder and pasta genius Mike Easton moved to astern Washington in 2022, he sold the West Seattle restaurant to executive chef Katie Gallego and manager Cameron Williams. The restaurant hasn’t missed a beat: The daily fresh pastas here are still painstakingly made textural marvels that achieve the just-right sauce-to-pasta ratio (enough to be present and flavorful without overwhelming the pasta itself). The can’t-miss menu still changes with the seasons; the summer bangers are Dungeness crab mafaldine with paprika butter and charred shishitos, corn and lobster mushroom cavatelli, and bucatini boosted with guanciale and sungold tomatoes. And can you ever go wrong with a tagliatelle in a beef and pork ragu? (You cannot.)" - Eater Staff, Mark DeJoy

"Beaches and fish and chips aren’t the only reasons to visit Alki—Il Nido should be on the list, too. With consistently tasty handmade pastas and a stellar selection of antipasti to fill the table, it’s one of those places to go out of your way for during any season. The restaurant is both fancy enough to celebrate a 15th wedding anniversary, but also informal enough that when a grown woman at the table next to you asks for an off-menu “butter pasta” the server doesn’t skip a beat. An ideal dinner order starts with prosciutto de parma, takes a detour to a pasta like their meaty tagliatelle, and ends with panna cotta. Throw in focaccia and a vegetable dish for a well-rounded, great meal." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley

"Sometimes Alki can feel like a vortex of beachy fish and chips-fueled summer fun that shuts down once the sun makes a dramatic exit, stage left. But West Seattleites know that the area is buzzing all year round, and Il Nido is one of those places worth going out of your way for. The upscale Italian spot is both fancy enough to celebrate a 15th wedding anniversary, but also informal enough that when a grown woman at the table next to you asks for an off-menu “butter pasta” the server doesn’t skip a beat. It’s the kind of atmosphere that warrants any ask and has such consistently good food that even the simplest pasta tastes great. Il Nido is situated in a historic homestead—when you walk up to the huge log cabin with a perfectly manicured front lawn, you’re in the right place. Inside, couples sip gin-spiked cocktails among antler chandeliers with a stone fireplace in the center of it all. The dining space is woodsy and welcoming, green house-style windows give almost every table a shimmer of sunlight, and the whole place just feels like someone's living room (probably because it once was one). An ideal dinner order starts with prosciutto de parma, takes a detour to pasta, and ends with panna cotta. Throw in focaccia and one of their vegetable dishes like grilled asparagus for a well-rounded, great meal. There are a couple of missteps, like a mashup of seasonal ingredients that just don’t quite work and a very heavy snowing of parmesan on essentially every dish that can make things very salty. But for the most part, it’s easy to leave here satisfied and full of pasta, even if it's just the buttered kind. Food Rundown Focaccia Sometimes, this focaccia stuffed with olives or tomatoes (depending on the day) comes to the table cold and stiff. With a very small portion for $8, you should get the bruschetta instead. Prosciutto Di Parma This plate of thinly sliced marbled prosciutto is buttery and a little salty. Nothing groundbreaking here, but it's a tasty arrangement of meat. photo credit: Nate Watters Tagliatelle A Nido This is the only pasta on the menu that never leaves or changes. And seeing as it is the best one here, we love that. It’s a nice balance of meaty pork and beef ragu, with hints of sweetness from the eggy tagliatelle, and a burst of salt from the blanket of parmigiano (even if it's a touch too much). photo credit: Nate Watters Gnocchi Primavera Aside from the fact that this gorgeous dish could be an art piece, it’s also delicious. There are zings of torn mint, and an herby essence of bright green salsa primavera coats every inch of these plump ricotta gnocchi—it’s everything we love in a summer pasta. Blistered Sugar Snap Peas These sugar snap peas lose their snap after being charred and doused in an anchovy-heavy dressing. And the dusting of sandy breadcrumbs just slides right off, ending up everywhere but your stomach." - Kayla Sager-Riley