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Nicolino Ristorante Italiano
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 2 pm
Mon-Thu, Sun 5 pm - 9 pm
Fri-Sat 5 pm - 10 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
26 reviews for Nicolino Ristorante Italiano
Review Highlights
"I think it was olive oil with some garlic and herbs in it."
(in 5 reviews)
"It was some of the best pasta I have ever had."
(in 5 reviews)
"The outdoor patio is wonderful on the few sunny, warm..."
(in 3 reviews)
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26 reviews in English
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Review from Craig T.
Bellevue, WA
1/11/2012
My wife and I had dinner here a few nights ago and for the most part it was quite good. I would say the service was a little spotty even though when we got there it was not anywhere close to full. The nice outdoor patio was full and we just missed being seated there.
We ordered drinks which took a little while to get, but they were fine. The bread was okay - not really what I would call Italian bread. The dipping sauce was something I make at home: garlic infused olive oil, minced garlic and red pepper flakes. It was fine, although I don't think they were using garlic olive oil. My wife also ordered a ceasar salad, which was also fine - we've had better and worse, just sorta average.
The entres were a grilled chicken over a wonderful risotto (wife) and my shrimp sauted with garlic, lemon and wine over spagetti. Both we thought were very good and the clean plates attested to that. We did not order dessert, so can't review, but we did see some being brought out and they certainly looked good.
This is a nice little restaurant in Gillman Village, which is obviously pretty popular, as it was nearly full when we left at 7:30 PM. We would certainly return to enjoy another meal there. -
Review from Otis D.
Issaquah, WA
11/16/2011
If they were located 20 miles West, this would be the kind of place everybody talks about. But they are out here in the suburbs and are off the radar for even a bunch of locals. That's a shame.
Consistently great pasta dishes, great friendly service and pretty reasonably priced. In fact, probably underpriced on a quality/portion/price scale. We had the espresso Panna Cotta desert special last week and it was truly amazing.
I can think of two highly publicized, heavily Seattle Magazine praised, empire/celebrity chef owned Italian places downtown that aren't as solid as Nicolino -
Review from Dennis F.
Maple Valley, WA
2/9/2012
My date and I enjoyed a very nice dinner here last evening, although I'd had some concerns about the spotty service reported in other reviews. I was very pleasantly surprised that the service was excellent. We tried the artichoke hearts appetizer and it was absolutely delicious! My date ordered the cioppino while I had the chicken and risotto. She raved at how much she enjoyed she enjoyed the seafood dish and my dinner could not have tasted better. I'm not usually given to high praise but this dinner had only minor drawbacks. The first was the noise level from the exhaust fan over the grill. I have tinnitus so the fan's frequency and volume provided some diificulty for conversation. Another minor detraction was that my date judged her chianti to be good but not great. My malbec was excellent. Overall, the experience was almost perfect and I'll be returning soon.
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Review from Deana J.
Seattle, WA
Updated - 11/2/2011
Had the give the Pollo Alla Amarene another go and it was divine!! The server gave fantastic wine recommendations as well, so I was in Heaven. Lemoncello for dessert was delish too.
They've done some work on the patio too and it looks very nice. Glad to see that they're sprucing it up because it's a very cute place. A++ in my book.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/13/2010
The food was perfect! We started with a lite salad that had greens, goat cheese, walnuts and… Read more »
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Review from Irene M.
Issaquah, WA
7/22/2011
This place was a little tricky to find! We went all the way around Gilman Village. Anyway, it was right next to an Indian place and it's actually facing Gilman Blvd.
Like most Italian restaurants, they give you bread and some type of dips to snack on a little after being seated. The bread was just okay in my opinion but the dip was very good! I think it was olive oil with some garlic and herbs in it.
I got the Linguine alla Vongole, which had fresh clams in the shell with spicy white wine garlic sauce. It was very delicious! They also had spicy tomato as their other sauce choice but I figured I should try something different. Some people think that eating pasta spicy is weird but I think it makes any pasta dish more flavorful. The pasta was cooked just right and it was not too heavy. My fiance ordered their Penne Sovietiche, which was penne tossed with onions, mascarpone cream cheese, tomato paste, peas, prawns, and spicy vodka. It was surprisingly orange but definitely creamy and good! We normally don't order desserts but we did this time! Got their tiramisu and I thought it was pretty good but my fiance said it was just mediocre. Presentation was well done, however.
There was a long table with extremely loud girls talking so I thought the noise level was a bit of a turn-off for me. Chances of you seeing these same girls would probably be unlikely.
Waitress was friendly and let us took our time to eat. Our water cups were filled quite frequently so that's a plus! -
Review from Charles P.
Puyallup, WA
4/18/2011
I went here for a birthday yesterday. I was really excited to try it since it was so hyped up. Well needless to say not overwhelmed with excitement here. Wine was good. Salad was ok. Bread was and dip was awesome, ate a lot of that. The Antipasto del Giorno was real good. My dinner was a real let down. I got the Maiale Gorgonzola, I was told this was amazing. Not so much. It was good, but not out of this world. BUt wifes dinner was really good, she got Pollo alla Amerene. I wish I order that instead.
And then dessert was ok. Atmosphere was quaint. Not fancy by any means. I think what just real put a bad taste in my mouth was the three hour wait. That was a really long dinner for such cramped seating.
On the plus side the waitress was really nice, and apologized a lot for the wait. I'm not sure if I'll ever go back. But try it for yourself, maybe you'll have better luck. -
Review from Julian H.
Seattle, WA
Updated - 1/24/2011
We have loved the charm of Nicolino for many years. I've never had a five star experience here, where everything came together flawlessly, but I've never had a bad meal, either.
This time, the food was great. But our server was very rushed (even though the restaurant was half empty).
The atmosphere retains its charms, the staff is generally friendly and the food is the best it has ever been.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/28/2008
A local favorite of ours for years, Nicolino Ristaurante is dependable and affordable. Our only… Read more »
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Review from Gary J.
Sammamish, WA
2/11/2011
Consistently good food in a quaint environment. Food is fair priced and they always seem to have a very good bottle of wine special at a reasonable price. It's got a neighborhood feel but could easily be a top restaurant in Seattle or for that matter Florence Italy!
Gary and Eleanor Johnson -
Review from Linda L.
Issaquah, WA
6/28/2008
Overall: A restaurant that serves highly flavorsome dishes, but be warned they do NOT serve the average large American sized portions.
I was somewhat apprehensive to try Nicolino Ristorante Italiano because it's next door to my favorite restaurant in Issaquah - Bangalore. We did end up here because it was 87F and we wanted to dine outdoors.
The staff were friendly, attentive and we were greeted with four slices of soft, crusty, white bread served with a herb infused olive oil as we sat down.
We opted for the meat and cheese starter to share, lamb meatballs on creamy polenta and cannellini beans, the pork chop with gorgonzola sauce, finished off by tiramisu and the chocolate torte with two espressos.
Meat and cheese starter (antipasti) - Ok this didn't have the most exceptional ingredients set upon the plate, but the mix of cheeses, meats, olives and veggies complimented each other very well (plus I'm a sucker for antipasti). The cheeses were a little bland, but everything else was nice, fresh with interesting flavors and textures.
Lamb meatballs and creamy polenta. I never thought I would say that polenta was nice, but IT WAS nice. I loved the way that they made it - with the usual fine cornflour/polenta and the addition of the coarser grains giving it an immensely interesting texture. It was creamy, tasty and full of flavor. The lamb meatballs were good in texture and well seasoned and the beans were divine!
Pork chop with gorgonzola sauce. Whoever cooked this pork chop sure knows how to cook meat - it was a thick cut of meat, yet it was juicy all the way through. It came with potatoes, which weren't too spectacular and a few slices of zucchini and yellow squash - all in all, a very good dish with exceptional flavors.
Tiramisu. This is the dish to really judge an Italian restaurant. This to me was the only disappointment of the evening - it was nice as a "dessert/cake", but not as tiramisu. It was supposed to have boudoir fingers soaked in rum (usually Marsala) and espresso, but all I could taste was a light sponge cake with a non-distinguishable creamy layer between what tasted like some sort of citrus fruit. There was no hint of rum OR espresso.
Chocolate torte - apparently this was delicious. A very dense slice of cake, full of flavor albeit it a bit sweet for my taste.
Espresso - Cafe D'arte, not the best coffee in the World (by a long shot). It's bitter and gross, but they definitely have a good espresso machine, because there was thick crema layer set upon it.
All in all, we'd definitely visit this place again - I'd love to try the spaghetti with sausages, bell peppers, eggplant etc - however, it'll most likely be on special occasions, as although the service/food was good, I think they are a little over priced with what you get. -
Review from Gene D.
6/24/2007
The only thing I can remember about the experience was how, after 30 years of "extreme" dining throughout the world, I was informed by a teenager clearly serving in her first room that she didn't think my substitution of tomato basil sauce for their high fat cream would be a good idea for a seafood pasta and was quite sure the chef would agree with her! Hilarious.
After realizing that I am not paid to train a waitstaff, I went ahead and ordered Cioppino, knowing the message would go on the ticket as "number 4" since our Lolita couldn't pronounce it anyway. Below average dish, as it turned out. I pined for my original choice throughout.
Washed the whole debacle down with a decent Barolo. This is the ONLY reason why I won't blast this with one star. Nicolino should call and thank the italians for shoring up this rating!
Went by the place last night and almost considered trying again (the outdoor patio looked like fun), but once burned, twice shy. Walked right by it and hit Iris Grill instead! -
Review from Whitney B.
Seattle, WA
4/25/2010
Whoa, what happened HERE?! A year and a half ago, I came here for lunch and had a great dish. It was like a hearty tomato sauce cooked with pieces of beef and bacon with a spaghetti type noodle. My stomach was throwing a party afterward, my intestines raved about it. Every inch of my pores loved it. I loved that they had outdoor seating, too, and it didn't matter if we were the only customers. We could opt to sit outside.
I went back in again a few months ago, and I ordered the linguine with clams. I am pretty sure I consumed the following ingredients: unseasoned clams, clam water, unsalted noodles, and air. That's it. It was the most bland dish I have ever had. I thought I had found the devil's food. In other words: yuck.
The only thing I would complain consistently about is the quality of the bread and oil they give. It's just straight-up boring. There's nothing to show for it. I'm really upset they've gone downhill since then. Their unnecessary charge of $1.50 split fee also irks me. It is not laborous work to split the dish between two plates, and yet, I pay for that more than a pack of gum.
I don't recommend them anymore. -
Review from Julia Z.
6/24/2007 1 photo
This restaurant tried moderately hard but didn't impress me. Bolognese is one of the best tests of a restaurant that's posing as Italian family food, and at Nicolino, it really seemed like it was out of a Prego jar. Way too bland, beef flavor and pieces not obvious, and heavy on what Americans think of as Italian spices -- not a fresh herb anywhere.
My daughter's alfredo was good but how can you mess that up?
The room is pleasant and the staff I interacted with were nice enough if not especially knowledgeable about their food. He didn't even know if their bread was homemade -- hint: if you don't know, the answer is NO, or you offer to ask chef and then return with a good answer -- if it's commercially made, where.
Dessert was lovely and was clearly homemade. The cheesecake was not perfect to look at and was not from Costco's freezer -- it was freshly sliced, I watched him do it. That earned them a star from me.
The decor is a little hokey but some love has gone into it, so no criticism there, and the outside area looked fantastic though I am nearly always too chilly outside so I didn't try it.
I don't like their attitude about substitutions. Are they making everything but the pasta in advance and then throwing things together? Their split-plate fee of $2 is absurd because the portions aren't really adequate for sharing unless you're just not very hungry.
I've been watching too much Gordon Ramsey because I feel like they are trying to do too many things and not doing any of them very well. If they had more focus on some specialities that they did heartbreakingly well, they'd probably have more fans.
This restaurant is the "sister" restaurant of Robertiello's in North Bend, http://www.yelp.com/bi... which to me is a bit better but still not stunning. Give me the Vino/Grazie/Firenze family of restaurants any day!Listed in: Drunk and disorderly
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Review from Ben R.
Bellevue, WA
6/3/2011
Quite possibly the most unprofessional management I've ever encountered! We came here with our two kids (11 months and 2.5 yrs) around 5:45pm. By the time we got seated and ordered it was past 6pm, which was slow, but not unheard of. Then we waited. And waited. And waited. And waited some more. Finally, after prodding our waitress, we got our food around 6:40. Of course by this time, our kids were getting rambunctious (they had, after all, behaved really well at a restaurant for over an hour, which is a LONG TIME for little ones). We asked for to-go boxes and to speak with the manager, who when questioned, told us that "40 minutes is normal" and that "your 30 minute wait time was actually really fast!" No apology, no attempt to make things right...just a condescending attitude. Extremely disappointing.
Oh, and they charged $6 for 3 "jumbo prawns" that were roughly the size of the little frozen guys you buy by the bag at Costco.
Short version: We'll never eat here again. And suggest that you don't eat here, either. -
Review from Taylor E.
North Bend, WA
4/13/2011
My boyfriend and I went to Nicolinos a couple of months ago for his Birthday. The food here is absolutely yummy! My boyfiend ordered the special which was a chicken and risotto dish. It was so so good. I ordered the (can't rmember the exact name) pasta that has chicken and a cherry-wine sauce. It was some of the best pasta I have ever had. For dessert we had the lemon Creme Brule'... it also, was amazing. Last but not least, the bread and oil that they serve to begin with is 5 stars. Pricing is a little on the steap side but absolutely worth it! We will be back for sure.
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Review from Sarah C.
San Francisco, CA
11/24/2009
Nicolino's is nice if your looking for something that is not a chain but other then that didn't have any outstanding qualities that made me wanting to come back for more as soon as possible.
I went with my dad for a quick lunch. Only about 3 other patrons in the restaurant on a rainy day. Had the Penne which was good and he has the Chicken Marsala which I liked a bit better. Complimentary bread and olive oil, not the best either.
Waitress was very nice. Place was a little on the cold side temperature wise. Big pet peeve - having a water glass that gets refilled with more ice than water again and again so eventually you have just ice and no water. I'm clearly thirsty, I don't need more ice that I have to wait to melt to drink!
I would eat here again, but strongly consider other options before going out of my way to go back. -
Review from wateen z.
Issaquah, WA
4/19/2011
I went there with my family and the food was not what I expected. They say they are a kid-friendly restaurant, but that is not true. First they gave us a 4 seat table for 5, putting the highchair for the baby in front of the corner of the (marble or granite) table...and they charged 9 dollars for a "cup" of noodles with cheese for a 1 year old!! Apart from that, they have no changing table in the bathroom which is a big issue for someone with infants. The food was OK, but the minestrone soup is horrible! We found it a little too expensive for what you get.
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Review from Suraj G.
Bellevue, WA
Great ambience, great customer service, mediocre food.
The waitress was very patient, friendly and happily brought my friend's highly customized order. But the food was just very medicore that's why just the 3 stars. -
Review from Andrea R.
Seattle, WA
8/23/2011
My husband and I went here one night when we were in the area. We happened to be 1 of 3 tables of guests in the restaurant, but it was also around 9pm. We were skeptical because there were so few people here, but the food was outstanding! We felt they had made the food for us fresh after our order. My husband just had the Spaghetti Siracusa and I the Rissotto of the day, both were outstanding. We are looking forward to going back!
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Review from Matt R.
Kirkland, WA
9/8/2008
My go to restaurant for Italian on the Eastside. Their Puttanesca is superb, their serving sizes reasonable (not huge, as in so many other Italo-American restaurants), their service is very friendly (if often a bit young and still in learning mode) and the decor is cheery and a tad eccentric. The outdoor patio is wonderful on the few sunny, warm summer afternoons I've had lunch there. Recommended.
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Review from Paula K.
Redmond, WA
4/17/2009
Great little Italian place in Gilman Village. My Mom and I stopped for dinner and had a nice experience. The atmosphere is good, very charming. The service was very good! The portions are large so we opted to share the lasagna and caesar salad, it was perfect for the two of us. The server was really cool about us splitting our dinner (some places are not so nice about it). The outdoor patio wasn't open yet, but looks like a great spot to enjoy a nice dinner so I will go back! Overall, great service, good food, nice atmosphere!
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Review from meiling s.
Bellevue, WA
7/31/2010
Unprofessional manager threatened hungry 3-year-old triplets with arrest.
We had a pathetic experience there this evening. When we arrived at 5:50 pm, it took them 10 minutes to set up an outdoor table for us when their business was not too busy.
We got seated and finally the waiter showed up for us to tell him that our kids would like apple juice. He then disappeared, my husband had to look for him so that he didn't forget our juice. He took our order at 6:15 when I looked at my watch.
By 6:48, the kids were really hungry and my patience were running low. I told my husband that we should leave and go to McDonald's instead. My husband went up to the counter and said he wants to pay for the portion that we had received and we want to leave. The waiter went to get their manager. The manager showed up and threatened to call the police. When I saw him, this manager man was talking to someone on the phone and was chasing after us to take down our licence plate number. We never received our food but we had a salad and three apple juice. My husband gave them a $20 when we left for the trouble.
I can not imagine a restaurant which is so inefficient in making their customers happy would have the audacity to call the cop on us who paid a generous tip to cover a salad and three juices! Where has the customer service gone? This manager threatened to have us arrested for his own poor service. -
Review from Scott B.
Ford, WA
3/14/2009
The food was o.k. and a little overpriced. The service was great. Not a good place for even well behaved kids.
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Review from Neil C.
Bellevue, WA
1/30/2010
Perhaps we ordered badly. But the Seafood Rissoto ws too lemony and the Scallops too buttery. The wine was OK, the bread and spicy garlic olive oil uninspired. Our conclusion, this was a one time event.
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Review from Crysta L.
Issaquah, WA
1/24/2009
First time we went we were in love. The second time we went....not as much. It is VERY loud on a Saturday night - to the point that you can barely hear the person sitting next to you. The specials can be very good - the first visit they had a Pumpkin Bacon Gnocchi - instant love. Amazing flavors, unique. The minestrone is fantastic also. The second visit I had the spaghetti pomodoro - not so good. And I hate to say it but I've had better spaghetti pomodoro at The Palomino. My better half had another meal off of the specials menu - Scallops with a beet risotto - I dug the risotto and he dug the scallops. Oh, and for appetizer we had another item off of the specials menu - Portobella mushrooms in a cream sauce - the sauce was good, the portobellas where a tad burnt. All in all, we will definitely go back to have the minestrone and hope for another amazing special entree. The service is good, also.
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Review from Gail M.
Long Beach, CA
7/31/2010
There were 10 of us at lunch. Every single person enjoyed their meals, the anitpasto,gazpacho soup and the service. The service was phenomenal. Eat, Live and Laugh. What a great place.
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Review from T K.
Redmond, WA
5/11/2009
We have been to this restaurant three times and they have consistenly provided us with great food, ok service and a loooong waiting time for food. Not a good place for small children due to the really long waiting time for food and no kids menu. Our toddler wasn't happy when there was no pizza. Overall we will continue coming to this restaurant as long as we have a baby sitter and we are not in a rush to eat.
