La Rustica

Was really excited to try this place! Although, like most Seattle waterfront/adjacent restaurants, they assume the setting will make up for the food. The Baked Oysters are impeccable. However, the pasta not so much. The linguine was flavorless and the puttanesca was overwhelmed with olives. I would suggest to grab a drink and maybe an app before walking down Beach Dr.

Very cute Italian Restaurant, make you feel you are actually dinning in Italy. The food was tasty and the wine was very tasty. We usually are not big fun of the bread, but the bread here was also chewy and tasty. We finished it before the food was served, lol They also have a very nice outdoor sitting area, the view will be generous in summer. The servers here were very friendly, he gave us great recommendations on both food and wines. Highly recommended and definitely will visit again.

Fantastic atmosphere and reasonable prices! Staff are very friendly, and restaurant is in a great location with nice decor. Food is good, although not the best we’ve had. Parking is a little difficult. Otherwise, everything else was perfect!

if i could do it, i would have cartwheeled and landed in the splits for this place. the food was incredible: we got the bruschetta with porchetta, rigatoni, spicy bolognese ANDDD the star of the show, the cannoli! service was incredible, food was amazing and fresh, atmosphere was cute. well worth the price and a perfect date night!!

Listen. I did not have a reservation. I had to wait 30 mins. Then I had to wait 30 mins more. When I tell you that this was the best dining and country Italian experience of my life regardless of that is an understatement. The extra 30 min wait was beyond anyone's control and the owner personally apologized. The waitstaff were excellent. The menu was just enough. The sunset view was superb. The food and drinks were top notch. Intimate and personalized. This solo diner is very pleased. Large and small parties accommodated. 10/10 must when in West Seattle.

We enjoyed a wonderful meal with four friends at this restaurant. The bread and oil served at the start were delightful, and the meals were excellent. Luckily, we had a reservation, as the space is small and it got quite busy. The dessert was also a highlight. My only suggestion would be to ensure the cat wandering inside is kept out during service. Other than that, it was a fantastic experience!

The best meal I've had in years, the pesto salmon filet. Manicotti was excellent. The Tiramasu was incredible.

I ordered pasta, but it was too sour, so I ordered another pasta. But the pasta was undercooked. Maybe the kitchen was busy because there were a lot of customers. The risotto was very tasty, and the staff was friendly. I want to go back and try other dishes.

My husband and I really enjoyed our first visit to La Rustica! We chose it to celebrate our wedding anniversary, and it turned out to be a wonderful experience. We had always wanted to try La Rustica, but under the previous management, it was nearly impossible to get a reservation. Now, booking a table online is super easy. While there is a $50 deposit required, it's not a big deal if you're planning ahead for a special occasion. They also accept walk-ins, which is a great last-minute option. My husband ordered the Fettuccine Bolognese (the closest thing to spaghetti and meatballs LOL). I chose the Lasagna du Matruma. It included pasta sheets layered with pork Bolognese, hard-boiled eggs, mushrooms, spinach, peas, cream, and mozzarella. I've never had lasagna with eggs and peas before, but it added an interesting twist that I really enjoyed. Our entrées came with a house salad and garlic focaccia bread. I upgraded to a Caesar salad and I enjoyed it. The garlic focaccia was soft, warm, and they gave us a generous portion. For dessert, I had the Tiramisu (espresso-soaked ladyfingers, rum-flavored cream, and chocolate) which was perfect. Our server Rodney was excellent. He was friendly, attentive, and easy to talk to. It seemed like the restaurant uses a team-based service model, since several staff members helped deliver food and clear plates. The owner also stopped by our table, and we really enjoyed chatting with her. La Rustica made our anniversary dinner feel truly special. We'll definitely be back!

Compared to other Italian restaurants of similar, or even lower, price tiers, this place is pretty underwhelming. The flavors had just one or two notes without a lot of depth, and the sauces lacked punch and acidity. The dishes were heavy on the cheese and cream, which resulted in a rich but underwhelming flavor profile. The food is not bad, but it's certainly not good enough for the price point. The menu gave me an instantly bad first impression by listing a "plate split charge" at the bottom of every section. I've never seen that at any restaurant, and it instantly made me alert to all the ways this house could be cutting corners and pinching pennies. The food did not come in large enough quantities to even suggest such an option is necessary, and competitors that do serve large plates (like Bucatini's in Edmonds) do not insult your wallet by charging more money for the same amount of food like this. It's an unnecessary negative initial impression that the rest of the dining experience was not able to overcome. At least the service was very nice.

The Italian food, is the best I have eaten in the US. The service is good. Ambiance could be better, but I think lack of space is the problem. They have cramped seating inside and outside year round. I have seen children there, but double check the website for any restrictions. Street Parking only. Pescatarian and Vegetarian options. I'm not sure about Vegan offerings. You'll have to ask.

We came to La Rustica for our wedding anniversary after driving by a bunch of times to and from Alki beach. We had high expectations, because every time we drove by we noticed it always seemed packed with people. We requested a table outside and we were seated alongside the white side fence which was pretty grimy and noticed was a tiny spider in a web right next to us. We didn't make much of a fuss though, and decided to just enjoy the view of the water and focus on our meal. We were hoping the food would be a classic, rustic, home-cooking style Italian but despite the great menu selection, all the food tasted too strongly of garlic without much flavor variation. Our pasta was under-salted and our caesar salad was grainy and bland (we paid $5 to upgrade from the house salad). Pros of eating here were proximity to the water, our very polite and attentive server, and the dessert (sour cherry crumble) where they had written "happy anniversary" on the plate for us. Overall it was not the worst restaurant experience but not exactly a standout either.

Son lives in this area and we wanted Italian for dinner on our last night here. The ambience is quaint and cozy. I loved the authentic decor. Jordan was our server and was absolutely fantastic. We ordered a nice bottle of Barbara and it was really good. Appetizer was a pork belly bruschetta. It was ok, it smelled gamey go me so I didn't eat it. Guys ate it and said it was more like a piece of pork On it. They ordered the Caesar salad with their entrée and I ordered a half salad, dressing could've been a little more, we our salads and then our wonderful dinner showed up, I ordered a fettuccine Bolognese with lamb and pork meatballs, SON ordered a pasta dish with Alfredo sauce husband ordered linguine with clams with white wine sauce. The food was nothing to write home about. I was bummed my fettuccini bolognese really had no flavor. An awesome Chef knows how to create food that tastes amazing. I barely ate mine. I was disappointed. Dessert Son had Tiramisu and I wanted Chocolate cake. Cake was a no go, so hubby ordered the special, Rhubarb Berry crisp. With homemade vanilla bean ice cream. Yummy and huge portions to share. I wasn't impressed with the food, but was impressed with the service.

Wow did I want to like this place. I'd been wanting to go for years and years and years. We went for our date-iversary which happens to fall near Valentine's Day. My husband asked for the Romantic package which included two glasses of bubbly, two chocolate covered strawberries and rose petals on the table. It was SO off putting to be presented a photocopy of a flyer spelling out the romantic package and then watching her pluck some petals off a tacky bouquet of grocery store roses and sprinkle them on the table. The temperature was chilly and the din was palpable. We couldn't hear her each other across the table. The table? It offered us a great view of metro shelving and plastic bins, from which they hadn't even bothered to take off the labels/stickers. We ordered the Caprese. The tomatoes were so UNRIPE they were CRUNCHY. Two options when you don't have ripe tomatoes: don't offer Caprese or run to Met Market and buy some ripe tomatoes. We tried to order a Caesar salad to split and were advised that entrees came with a salad and you could "upgrade" to a Caesar for $5 each. HOWEVER, per the menu, the price differential between a house salad and a Caesar was only $3. So, ya. That sucks. The Caesar was meh. My husband ordered the chicken parmigiana. If you'd bought it at a grocery store in a foil pan and were stoned you'd be happy. But this was a restaurant and it was less than Meh. The sauce was meh. It wasn't worth the calories. I ordered the linguine with clams. The clams were overcooked and stuck in my teeth. The linguine / sauce was like chewing on a lemon rind. It was bitter and wholly inedible. Thankfully they didn't charge me for the linguine. The place was loud and COLD. I saw a guest in a turtle neck sweater and a puffer coat. So bad. We have a saying in my family: "No and Never". This is a No and Never.

Wonderful! While this place is kind of small and seating not very comfortable because of the chairs and closeness of the tables, it's certainly worth it. The staff were friendly, attentive, and took great care of us. We ordered several items, most of which were fantastic and I can't wait to go back. Probably our favorite was the oyster appetizer, what an interesting and delicious dish! The value and quality are certainly worth noting, it wasn't overly priced for what we got! They do take reservations, which I would highly encourage.

What a beautiful experience. Everything was perfect from the cozy other worldly vibes to the fresh thoughtful food to the great service. Their complimentary garlic bread is everything garlic bread should be. The salmon I got was cooked to perfection and covered in a generous amount of a delicate pesto. My husband's bucatini con pollo was rich and flavorful with moist chicken. We couldn't decide who had the better dish. We will be dreaming of their pasta until our next visit. Thank you to Jordan for providing great service and also to all the support staff. We didn't get the hostess' name but she was a delight and added to our wonderful experience.

I tend to be pretty forgiving when things aren't perfect but this was overall just such a disaster that I'm giving out my first ever 1 star review. And I think 1 star is pretty generous. First, when you make a reservation you have to put a $50 deposit. Given what the food tastes like this is honestly so insane to me that they require such a high amount to hold a reservation. $20 I get but $50 is a lot. Second, when we arrived the staff was just completely lost. It was chaotic and despite there being multiple staff members walking around, nobody said anything to us for a good few minutes. One lady's back was turned to us at the host stand and like she never turned around or said anything and just walked off. When we did get seated the one redeeming factor of this place is the location and the ambiance. It's cute and the patio has a great view. It's a place you'd think you might get some good home style Italian food... We ordered some bruschetta some salads and then a carbonara and a risotto. Bruschetta was fine, salads were fine though the caesar tasted a little off. But the main courses were truly disasters. The carbonara tasted like porky egg noodles and the risotto was basically an oil soup with some soggy rice and a few tiny shrimps. It was honestly disgusting. I picked around to eat the least oily bits of the risotto and dig out the shrimps and literally shook off the oil from the shrimps -- but clearly I didn't like it and when the server came to take our plates she said nothing and put my partners mostly empty plate (idk how he ate all that) on top of the risotto plate to hide the uneaten portion. Food aside, the staff were literally yelling at each other right in earshot of customers. Things like "what are you doing, you need to put bread and water on table 49!!!!!!!!!" And not in a nice way. Suffice to say I will not be back. Idk why we did this either but we got some tiramisu to go and it was also fine but definitely not a traditional tiramisu. Don't go here!!! Also it's so expensive! What a bummer to pay $100+ for a meal I hated lol.

Came here a couple years ago and left pretty disappointed after hearing such good things. Came here again today to see if things have changed and they have not. I have no idea what everyone else is smoking but the pastas here have no flavor! My partner and I both ordered pastas and were left so disappointed. My partner tried my pasta to see if maybe they would like my dish and nope, not at all. I've had better frozen pastas than this. For a 32 dollar dish, I would expect at least some salt or something. Same thing happened with the pasta I had a couple years ago, no flavor. The pizza, house salad, and steak were good. I just would not recommend the pastas here.

I came to La Rustica after hearing a local mention it as a good spot. We showed up just after they opened, where they mentioned it was a slow day. With only one other table in the restaurant, they sat us by the front door. We ordered drinks and food, which did taste pretty good. Our server, Max W., told us about the dessert special. Max specifically mentioned that the special was a cannoli with ricotta and mini chocolate chips. We immediately ordered it. The cannolis came out and had pistachio nuts on them, (I am allergic to nuts). If Max had mentioned that they had nuts on them, I would not have ordered this dessert. I told Max to which he took the order of Cannolis's back and said it was "no big deal". Max then walked into the kitchen towards a large blonde haired elderly woman standing by the doorway. The woman then began yelling to the entire staff about my nut allergy, where she was chastising me as a customer. This went on for several long and embarrassing minutes. I, as well as the rest of the restaurant, heard her yell loudly "why would you order cannolis if you have a nut allergy?! PERIOD". Max eventually comes out, where we mention that we could hear the woman insulting me. Max quickly responded "oh she's fine" insinuating that the behavior of her openly insulting customers for a food allergy was ok. Max changed the topic to say that they could make the cannolis without pistachios. However, due to being openly insulted by the kitchen staff, I did not feel comfortable having them prepare another food item. Even after Max offered for this woman to remake the cannolis, I could still hear her chastising me from where I was seated. I do not recommend this place, and I will not be back. We ordered approximately $100 worth of food/drinks and to be treated like that was disappointing. Pics for reference

Best restaurant I've been to, the vibes are perfect and the seafood and pastas and everything was incredible

La Rustica is fantastic. Food is the best. Service is terrific. Have been there several times and try to have something different each time because everything is so great! Drinks are wonderful too!

We've been coming to this restaurant for over 10 years. We have always been happy with our service and meal. The servers were attentive and the original owner Julio always came to everyone's table to say hello and how our meal was. Since the new ownership bought this place, it has turned to mediocre to bad. Today was the last straw. We are no longer coming back here. So sad and unfortunate. Our server, Max was not attentive and dismissive when we try to get his attention. He never came to check on us, to let us know when our meal was coming. He blew me off saying don't worry it'll be out in a second. It wasn't a second. Mind you I had to ask him. If I didn't, ask, who knew how much longer we had to wait. We were just so upset with the whole experience with him that we didn't tip him. That's now bad it was. Worst server we ever had! My cannelloni was dry and the meat inside looks like cat food! Mushy! My husband had the frutti di mare and the sauce was so brothy and bland. We spoke with the new owner and gave her our feedback which I hope they will take it as constructive criticism.

This was a nice spot for a casual evening meal with friends or loved ones. While the seating was a bit cramped, we felt that the food more than made up for the small space. Portions were quite large and we both left feeling very satisfied. The service was about average overall. We were originally a little offput by the $50 reservation, but ended the night pleasantly surprised by the food from this little place. The power went out in the entire neighborhood halfway through the meal, but the staff were quick to provide candlelight and help address any needs. Certainly a unique experience!

Four of us had a 5:30pm reservation on Father's Day. We were seated at 5:45pm. Reading the menu, it stated we should take no longer than 90 minutes for our dinner. Our server took our order at 6:00pm. For the next 95 minutes, we waited for our meals. We brought a bottle of our own wine to enjoy with our meal. Unfortunately, we finished it even before our food arrived. We then had to order more wine to enjoy with our meals. The owner mentioned the kitchen was backed up. Why would they overbook reservations if they want you out in 90 minutes? There was no remuneration of any kind. Not even not charging us the $35 corkage fee, or comping our additional wine. I would NEVER recommend La Rustica to friends if they plan to go on a busy day.

Went here for our anniversary and we had a great time! The food was tasty and had large portion sizes. We had to pay a $50 reservation deposit and the restaurant was pretty small and it felt a little cramped. Service was decent, and they responded well when the neighborhood experienced a power outage. They brought in more candles for each table and it was a cool experience.

This isn't the over the top expensive and fancy Italian, this is red sauce at home with grandma Italian - and that's why it's so good. The dishes are warming and comfortable, the food is generally good, and the environment is fantastic. I love it here

Went for dinner on a Friday night, we had a reservation and were seated right at our reservation time. The service is what took this dinner over the top. Jordan was our server and his timing of everything was perfect, we were never waiting but also never rushed. We got the portchetta bruschetta, carbonara, and the lamb shank. All were delicious and would order again. The portions were generous and we left with leftovers of all 3. Overall, our experience was wonderful, we will definitely be back.

We came for dinner last week and I must say I was quite underwhelmed. We had heard such great things and it's been on our list for a while. It started off good but then I found a hair in my appetizer which kind of made me lose my appetite and our waitress, while kind, was SO energetic and loud it wasn't really the same vibe as the restaurant. It was a little too much and quite frankly annoying. And the restaurant is absolutely tiny so it was so loud by like 6pm I could barely hear myself talk. I enjoyed my pasta dish however my mom ordered the carbonara and it was not good. Definitely don't order that. I would sadly probably not return.

Food is impeccable. Their focaccia paired with the calamari sauce - epic. Service is friendly and fast. The tables can get a little crowded. The fact they they don't take reservations sometimes means a stroll along the beach until they call you. But when you get your food and gorge yourself until you need to be rolled out of there, you'll forget it all. Huge menu and I literally haven't had a thing I didn't like.

We ordered wine, pizza, and pasta! It was all delicious and they give you bread to start, the bread was very good! It had olive oil on it and it was nice and warm! DELICIOUSNESS. Once the pizza and pasta came we were already feeling a little stuffed. Lol but ate half of everything and it was good. Would definitely come back, keep in mind they do require a deposit of $50 to be made for the reservation which is fine because the place is a bit small so it probably would fill up quickly if they did have to hold tables for people that didn't show. Overall super great experience and we will be back for our next special occasion!

Great food, good service, great ambiance. It's been a go to restaurant for a great meal for almost 30 years, and I will keep goin

Yesterday was our first time back here after not visiting for almost two years. We went at about 6pm and were sat pretty quickly. We were sat in the small area in the back and directly next to another table that had two guests when there were two other tables with a little more privacy. We asked to move over and we were told that they had to ask the manager. Ultimately we were moved so we weren't sitting on top of the other guests. We were given water by the host. We didn't get seen by our server for about 15 minutes, and it wasn't particularly busy. It was a bit chilly in the restaurant and most of the servers were in sweatshirts. It looked a bit unprofessional to me, especially when you go to such a cute place that has such high pricing on their food. We also watched a waitress drop a bottle of wine and continue to bring it to the table after she dropped it. The food was mostly good. I had the medallions in the wine sauce and it was delicious. The pasta on the side was just OK. My husband got the Gorgonzola and his meat was cooked medium instead of medium rare. We had such a great dining experience the last time, but this time it was a little less than great. Pricing is not reflective of how the dishes tasted and how we were treated. We will not be coming back.

Excellent food! The wild boar osso bucco was amazing! What a great hidden gem! Highly recommend. We will return.

Found this quaint little spot while vacationing at Alki Beach. The bread they serve is like none other. So warm, soft and delicious. I ordered the special boar with risotto and the sauce was so flavorful and the meat very tender. My friend ordered the salmon with pesto. The pesto seemed to be on the salty side, but the salmon was cooked perfectly. The serving size on both was nice and large so we had leftovers for the next day. The tiramisu was delish! Our waiter was super friendly and very attentive. Great find.

My wife and I have patronized La Rustica for about 20 years. Historically the food and ambiance have been known to locals as a hidden gem in West Seattle. Ever since the change of ownership, a few years ago, we have been disappointed in the quality of service and food. We've tried La Rusitca several times since the change of ownership and have given them time to find their own stride, which has yet to take place. Increasingly the new ownership is failing to replicate what once was arguably one of the best Italian meals in Seattle. Such as the Lamb Shank, which was a La Rustica signature dish. Under previous ownership it was well flavored through slow braising and just a drop of balsamic glaze to finish... this past weekend I ordered it and it was completely lacking in flavor but drowning in sticky sweet balsamic glaze... similarly, my wife's rigatoni gorgonzola, which used to be served in a beautifully creamy and well integrated sauce was absent any sauce and just topped with too much gorgonzola. It also had candied walnuts, too sweet for a savory dish. It seems that integrity to the old world recipes has been replaced with quick cooking and loading of too much toppings to make up for intentional preparation. In addition, the new ownership requires $ for reservations, our friend group of about 10 people historically goes there for one of our friend's birthdays but this year the reservation would have required a deposit of $900!!?? Sad to see an institution become a faded memory.

Food, service, and ambiance were excellent. Salmon Bruschetta appetizer was incredible as were the pasta dishes. Tiramisu was other worldly and will be back soon!

Excellent food, service and ambiance; just remember to wear a sweater. Request to be seated away from the front door...

Came to La Rustica as drive by it all the time when I commute from Burien to Admiral area I West Seattle. Parking is tough as streets are packed with locals that street park to their homes or are watching the sunset in late afternoon. But, not unobtainable to find one. Sat inside and they have covered outdoor seating too. The tables are small for 2 seaters, but you can make due and server keeps the clutter down. Wine and drink selection is fantastic so you'll have no issues finding a bottle of wine. My wife got carbonara and I tasted it and was great. I had the the lamb shank and came with pasta with a dark sauce that was okay, a bit vinegar taste. Loved the Affogato ice cream with coffee poured on top followed with some Sambuca. Service was fantastic and Max took great care of us assuring a great experience.

We made reservations for a birthday celebration required to put down a 50.00 deposit to hold said reservations, ended up waiting an additional 30 min no biggie Friday night, was seated at the worst table in the place one side of the table backed into the bathroom line while the other side was in the path of the wait staff, but the most unnerving thing was this table sat beneath another table that was on a raised seating area with looks down on our table absolutely no privacy, we asked to move to another table one of two that were vacant and told those were for a party of four and we were only three, ultimately a party two walked in was set at one of those tables. Food: ordered steamed muscles shattered shells through out the dish same for the oysters all of our sauces were broke and greasy so basically we just drank. I know people love this little house turned into a quaint little eatery It wasjust not for me! Way to chaotic !

This is a lovely little Italian restaurant in West Seattle, the food is wonderful and the service is lovely.

OVERALL: 9.2/10 (Yelp Converted Score: 4.6/5 = 5/5). In a nutshell, this was a quaint, randomly romantic Tuesday evening. My partner and I were walking around the Alki Beach area (on the west side of the peninsula), when we passed by "La Rustica". Later, walking back to our car, my partner decided to go in, and discovered it was an Italian restaurant (5:30pm), There were not many folks seated inside (but the deck was poppin' off), so we asked if we could get a table, without a reservation. We got to sit next to the window facing Elliott Bay! Verdict: This place is incredible -- I love that West Seattle has three of the best Italian restaurants in Seattle - this place, Raccolto, and Il Nido, all in the same neighbourhood! 1) VARIETY/SELECTION: 9/10. The menu is fairly extensive - two pages for food, two pages for drinks (1.5 pages of wine selection), and a page for dessert. Between the physical menu and the FOUR daily specials the waiter rattled off, it felt like a decent amount of variety and selection for someone to choose from. If I ever come here again, and they have it, I'm ordering the lamb shank - the wait staff mentioned it was more popular, but this first time around I wanted to try the Osso Bucco. 2) FRESHNESS: 9.5/10. I'll talk about the food from start to finish (chronologically). Starting off, the bread (especially with oil and vinegar) were incredible; I almost ordered more bread, but I knew I had to save room for dessert. The salad (that came with the mains - thank gosh we didn't order the appetizers, we'd never have room for dessert) tasted REALLY good - it had fresh ingredients, it didn't taste too oily, and it packed a lot of different flavours onto a small plate. My partner's linguine was delicious - the noodles had the taste of seafood in them, and the seafood itself was delicious. The osso bucco I ordered was slow-cooked, and fell off the bone; 3) VALUE FOR MONEY: 9/10. We ordered two mains, two desserts, and I ordered a beer; it came out to $120 after tax and tip. To me, that's actually pretty good - especially for a small business. The breakdown made sense: $11 each for the desserts, $5.50 for the beer, $28 for the Linguine di Mare, and $33-ish for the Osso Bucco. The main dishes came with a starter salad, which was awesome, and the portion sizes were reasonably big for the mains and desserts. 4) SERVICE: 9.5/10. Water refills were never too far away, but the "Help Wanted" sign at the door should be somewhat of a signal to you (as the customer) - this place definitely needs more staff! Overall, service was great - our orders came out reasonably quickly; I was able to get the bill without too much hassle, but there were definitely some lead times that I had to wait for, since the (three? four total?) wait staff were literally circling around each of the tables (even when it wasn't busy - this must have been stressful), rattling off the memorized daily specials (there were four, and they're not easy to say). 5) CONSISTENCY / FIRST IMPRESSION: 8.5/10. From the outside it looks like an unassuming restaurant - when you go inside, it looks and feels like Italy. There's a picture of the Amalfi coast on one wall, and the other wall is decorated like an Italian rustic homely interior. Definitely created a home-cooked vibe. By the time we left (around 6:30pm), the restaurant was more full; when we had arrived, it felt like the evening was just getting started.

I was REALLY excited to go here. Oh boy... we ordered a portobello mushroom and beet salad to start and got a insalata di arugula hybrid with beets. It was not good. When we mentioned it wasn't correct, they brought us a side plate of portobello mushroom slices. For the entrees the saffron in the gnocchi was A LOT. The lasagna, which I still can't wrap my head around, had whole mushrooms, giant chunks of boiled egg, and peas. It was swimming in enough oil to fry chicken. Hard pass. I'm not sure what happened with our meal but this place was not it.

Nice location. We sat outside for my girlfriends birthday. I made the reservation on their site and let them know about the B-day. The food was good, the service? Not so much. Pushy staff with absolutely no engagement or personality. From the Hostess to the bus boy. No one acknowledged the birthday.

Please read other reviews. The food was fine and our waiter was great. However the problem started at the beginning. We were a party of 6 with a 7pm reservation on Sunday. We arrive on time and are told it will be a few minutes, please wait outside. It was 40 degrees with a light wind, it was cold. There was another party in front of us that had a outdoor heated space. As soon as they went we took it over and waited. We were finally seated 21 minutes later, I personally was extremely cold and took a good 30 minutes to warm up. So you can guess my problem is with taking a reservation and be 21 minutes late. Apparently this is a common problem and really would not come back as a result. If you don't mind waiting, this place might be for you.

Food was great, service was poor. All three three entrees were delicious ( 2 different bucatinis and gnocchi w/sausage). Caesar salads and dessert were also delicious. Service - our server took server took our order and we did not see her again until dessert order and check. The assistant waiter/helper dipped the pepper grinder into the salad and also spilled water on the table and into the lap of one of our party with no apology offered. Ambience- great except for glaring sun. Would have been nice if service staff would have offered to adjust curtains in the outside area. This is our second visit in just over a week. Not sure if tonight was an anomaly, because service was great last week...

We had a rather poor dining experience here. The ambiance is definitely rustic Italian vibes, but the tables are packed in so forget a romantic experience. The service was extremely slow, although the waitstaff were all trying their best, perhaps they were short-staffed for the night? The food started well, the baked oysters were delicious and sopping up the creamy sauce with the excellent focaccia was filling and satisfying. We then had two daily special dishes: wild boar osso buco and braised lamb shanks. The osso buco was okay, but the accompanying risotto was sad. The lamb shanks were tough and the sauce way too sweet, and the side of pasta was just bad. We ended up eating a few bites of these and took the rest home, at least the dog enjoyed the lamb. I will end on a positive note that the cost is reasonable by Seattle standards. Maybe other items on the menu would have been okay but to have both entrees be bad suggests otherwise.

Nice small neighborhood Italian restaurant. Excellent food, a little pricey but worth it for special occasions.

Our family of 4 adults had dinner at La Rustica on Christmas eve. We had made reservations for 7 pm, but we had to wait 40 minutes past 7 to be seated. It was very busy and chaotic, but people who came after us (white folks) were seated before us. After I spoke to the lady in charge of seating, we were seated. For several minutes, there was no sign of a server while all the other tables were getting service. I complained to one of the server twice and the same lady in charge of seating came in to say that "server assigned to us" was busy. At this point, I was ready to leave, but I didn't like being discriminated against ( we are Indians) and I did not want to be hit with $50 cancellation fee. Subsequently, a different server (Rodney) was assigned to us. He was charming, friendly and things got better. The food and drinks were excellent and that is the reason for giving a 3 star rating. La Rustica is a great place for dining in West Seattle if you are white. If you are a person of color, Good luck!

Found this gem of a restaurant last minute and absolutely adore it. It's small and tucked away. I had no idea this place existed so close to alki. We were seated outside right by the gate so I had an awesome view of the water. We were quickly served with a large plate of focaccia (YUM). It was warm and super flavorful on its own. We devoured the bread. I regret not asking for more because it was that good. Our martinis were LARGE. I've never received a martini glass that large in my life. But my raspberry martini was just mediocre imo. Their menu was large and the food here wowed us! We were surprised to find out each dish comes with a side salad that they serve BEFORE your main entree so that was a nice surprise. We had no idea and thought they brought us our someone else's salad oops. Risotto was too knotch - cooked to perfection and was just rich without being too overwhelming. I opted for the sausage one. This place is amazing for a date night or just dinner in a lovely place. Highly recommend for great eats and amazing atmosphere, plus the prices are very reasonable

What's better than a local, cozy, family run Italian joint? Not many things. La Rustica hits that sweet spot of offering a homey yet elevated dinner out. This is classic bread on the table, side salad and red sauce pasta hits a very specific spot in all of our hearts and stomachs. Our bread was quite raw, which helped keep my intake down. But my pasta, the baked penne was so deeply flavorful. The sausage felt kind of like a throw away or forgotten about, even if not intentional. It was whole, not sliced, and not warm. But the pasta and sauce were piping hot and delicious. I tasted my friends dishes and they, too, were yummy. The steak pasta with its winey sauce and the manicotti, like a cheesier take on lasagna. Past the kitschy decor and "the hits" menu, the staff here are the true stars! The amazing service and great personalities made us feel welcomed and wanted. Plus, who doesn't love a giant wooden pepper grinder shaped like the space needle?

When we walked into the restaurant, there was a wave of musty/mildew-y smell in the air. The decor is dated and a bit downtrodden. The service was well intentioned. The food reminded us Kitchen Nightmares. Vegetables were sad and soggy. The chicken parm. was dry and chewy. The sauce was tasty. The bread was loaded with raw garlic but no salt so lacking taste. It seems to be popular with the boomer crowd so maybe we're just not the target market for this place. It was quite cold in the dining room so dress warm if you do go.

Wonderful food in a lovely environment! Great jazz, excellent service (Vita is a marvel), and skilled chefs. My new favorite Italian restaurant! Try the gnocchi when you get the chance, followed by chocolate cake that may make it difficult to drive home. (I do wish they had more vegetarian options!)

Don't make reservations! We made reservations for a birthday celebration for a party of 7 and had to pay a deposit. We got there prior to our reservation, and ended up being sat 45 mins late because they were "overbooked." Despite this, nothing was done to make up for this, and I'm sure if it were the other way around we would have lost our deposit. They really need to take a look at how they make reservations. This is one of our favorite restaurants, but I don't think we'll be back anytime soon.

Though recommended, we six friends experienced a bad night: Very slow to arrive ( almost 2 hours despite frequent notices it was coming soon), overcooked seafood, dry meat and sloppy presentation. One happy eater of good pizza; others were angry. Outdoor ambiance was pleasant so evening only saved by good friends sharing.

What should I say that everyone else hasn't already said? The staff are super friendly, but the food isn't memorable and def overpriced. I will say that the chocolate cake is amazing and the owner is def very proud of her recipe. She will come to your table and even talk to you about it. So that's nice. But the rest of the food....sorry but it just doesn't live up to the hype/price.

Cozy ambiance on a quaint street corner in West Seattle near the water. Service was good and atmosphere was nice!! We were greeted with complimentary bread and ordered the house red (Cabernet Sauvignon) to start with, which was lovely. We ordered the clams and Insalata di Spinaci to begin with. The salad was fantastic. It had a sweeter, balsamic dressing, which was a nice contrast to the pancetta and spinach. It was very well balanced and the flavors worked well together -- so delicious. The clams were solid. They had a simple, tomato based sauce -- nothing out of the ordinary, but a nice, light sauce, and the clams were fresh. It was everything you would want out of a clam appetizer. For our main, we split the fettuccini carbonara. It was an unorthodox carbonara, but very delicious nonetheless. It was rich, indulgent pasta with a lovely sauce, and they did not stiff you on the pancetta. It was fantastic. Please note the split charge, if you are sharing ($6). Overall, it was a fantastic experience and we look forward to coming back. It is definitely popular so plan to wait for a table or put your name down ahead of time. We waited about an hour on a Sunday evening and did feel a bit rushed during our meal, but that was probably just because of the time we got in at. In all, lovely, cozy place with great food!

We heard this place had new ownership and, now that they've had a while to get established, thought we'd check them out. It's a classic neighborhood spot, alone amid apartments and houses along Beach Drive, directly across from a tiny park with an Olympics view. There are a few tables in a cozy dining room, a few more in a partially enclosed and shaded area along the sidewalk, and --if it's still there-- an even cozier bar area hidden in the back. I found the Linguine alla Gino so delectable that I came back the next week and had it again! A generous number of shrimp were meaty and fresh, and the simple ingredients of ripe cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, plenty of EVOO and a little onion and hot pepper were perfectly combined --both times. The mussels were also well done (as an appetizer) and others who joined me were happy with their own linguine choices --alla vongole and di mare. There are many more selections to choose from. The menu seems to have expanded but also includes items from before. We were especially happy that they've kept their unique bread, so good for dipping in vinegar and oil. As fast as you can eat it they'll keep it coming. So why not 5 stars? The service was a little glitchy at times. Like we'd asked to sit at the empty, cleaned and unreserved table by the window but we're told we couldn't because it would throw off the balancing between servers. Or on the second night they conspicuously turned up the lights to hurry us on our way (ok by us as we had already lingered long after paying but some poor folks were still eating their entrees). The servers are nice, just in need of some training. I'll gladly volunteer to check back after a bit to see how they're doing. Maybe I'll explore beyond the alla Gino...