La Romanza

It’s ok. The bread, oil & vinegar was my favorite part of the meal. I don’t recommend the carbonara as its not a traditional recipe.

You raving lunatic. Perhaps if you paid more attention to actually running your restaurant and making edible food, you would still be in business. Didn’t see that coming?!?

If you ever, in west Seattle ! Must try this place ! Best meal I had in a while !!! I love love coming back to this place !!!

I can’t believe it’s taken us this long to finally make it to this restaurant! I love Italian food, and this restaurant doesn’t disappoint. I had the venison ragu, my daughter had the gnocchi and my husband had the scampi pasta special. All were very good! They serve a very yummy bread with Olive oil and vinegar as you are seated. The bread is excellent! The dish my daughter ordered came in a mushroom sauce. They were very accommodating and made a nice cream sauce instead for her gnocchi. My dish (venison ragu) was perfect! It wasn’t overly salted, and the pasta was a perfect al dente. It was a huge helping, so I luckily can enjoy the dish one more day!
The wine selection is great and we finished our meal with tiramisu, which was devine! The service was fantastic. I’m sorry it took us so long to try this place, but I’m so happy we did. We will be back often!

I wanted to like this place really badly. I like the space and the atmosphere with the live music. I took my wife here on a date night a few months ago, and it was good. We decided to go back last night and it will probably be the last.
The food was disappointing, but the main thing I couldn’t handle was being nickle-​and-​dimed. We were told all our meals came with a salad. I asked if I could substitute a small caesar for my garden salad and was told yes. I was’t told it would be full price for the small caesar, bu that’s what the bill said, it was an extra $ 4. We then ordered soda water and the waiter asked us if we wanted bottled or club soda. We’re not picky, so we chose the easy option. We got very small glasses of club soda, then it took a LONG time to get a refill for two of us and only after we asked for it. We got larger glasses this time, but we were almost ready to leave anyway. Then the bill showed up and there were 5 charges for $ 2 soda waters for a 3 person group. I’ve had people charge for soda water before, but never when it was from a gun at the bar. And NEVER for refills.
To the waiter my wife said was giving us «a look» when we were on our way out, if you were forced to charge us full price for a different kind of salad and charge for each individual soda water, I’m sorry. But I can’t accept an extra $ 14 on my bill and not be told it will be there, or offered the chance to decline it. I hope you had the chance to take a larger tip out of the extra money we were charged.

Had dinner there last night and it was all right. My wife had a wilted spinach salad that was a little too spicy for her taste as was the polenta cakes. My salad was fine the chicken with prosciutto was also good. However, the veggies that came with the meal were very spicy. When I mention too spicy I mean it in a way that you normally do not think of in Italian cooking. I am 100% Italian from the East Coast.
Our waiter was very attentive and did an outstanding job. However the food did take longer than it should have.
Overall it was a nice experience.

I took a friend here for his birthday, and this made for a really nice evening four the four of us.
It was quiet (nearly dead), though that was on a weeknight (Tuesday?). It was an odd first impression, with only about two tables filled. However, it did mean that it was quiet, and I’m a fan of nice conversation.
The food was really quite good. We ordered an appetizer that escapes my memory, but did leave an impression of «awesome» and «I wish other people weren’t with us so that I could eat more of this.» My main course was a rack of lamb that, while slightly overcooked (I ordered medium rare, and it came out closer to medium), was super tasty. My wife stole some, and I glared at her evilly.
The service was really quite attentive. Almost on the «too attentive» end of the spectrum. We never had to wait all that long for anything, but he was there just a tad too much. Despite that, I’d still rather have that than someone who is to hard to find when you need something.
Whatever night we arrived on, it was half-​off Italian bottles of wine. That was awesome. It brought wine down to a price that I was was willing to pay for it. The beer selection was not very good — just a few Italian beers, and almost all of them were pretty bad. Nothing on tap.
All in all, I was pretty happy with the experience. Good place, though certainly not the best you’ll find.

Went there last night for dinner. It was our 4^th visit and I can still say that I love, love, love this place.
Its not a big place, but it is so tastefully done. From the gilded mirrors, to the frescos on the ceilings and their big fancy chandeliers… you feel like you’re in New York, not West Seattle.
The food is also spectacular. Everything is so fresh and all of the pastas and sauces are made in house.
For starters you must try their Arrancini — which is grilled risotto cakes with mozzarella, rosemary and lemon. The other antipasti that is always a must have is their sautéed Clams (in the shell) prepared with white wine, pancetta, garlic, olive oil, and chili flakes. Be sure and soak up the juice with your bread. Sooo good.
For the main course I can highly recommend these delicious choices:
Pollo alla Ciociara
Chicken breast stuffed with prociutto and herbed mascarpone and finished with a lemon sage white wine reduction.
Melanzane Parmigiana
Grilled sliced eggplant breaded and baked with mozzarella, tomato and cream.
Pollo Parmigiana
Breast of chicken breaded, grilled and baked with mozzarella, tomato and cream sauce.
All of the entrees come with a side salad, fresh seasonal vegetables and a small side of fresh linguine. You will not leave hungry I promise you that!
Also deserving high praise is their live music on Friday and Saturday nights, each time we’ve been they’ve had the same duo… both young guys, probably in their mid 20’s. One plays a standup base and the other plays a standup piano. They are amazingly good entertainers and most likely old souls because there’s no other way to explain their love for jazzy standards.
So to wrap this up… La Romanza is a true West Seattle gem. Perfect for special occasions or just a nice night out.

In need of a place for dinner at 7:30pm on Black Friday, my father, boyfriend, and I tried this cute little Italian place.
The décor reminds me of 1700s Marseilles, with crown moulding, fencing swords on the wall, and chandeliers. Still, it isn’t opulent or stuffy, but cozy. The waitstaff was friendly and attentive, and well-​educated on their wine and food choices. We lucked out in having a fantastic piano/​bass musical duo providing atmospheric jazz while we dined.
The Adagio wine was nice, though I doubt I’ll have it again. The Venison Ragout, though… it was like making love, eating that amazingly aromatic, tender, flavorful dish. I tried bites of the lamb meatball pasta dish, and the Dungeness crab lasagna– both were good, but the Venison Ragout was clearly the star.
I have to note that their side salad was lovely, with peppery mixed greens and fresh, shaved Parmesan. And their bread is clearly homemade, with a tart oil-​and-​balsamic dipping sauce.
I could have eaten myself sick on dinner alone, but thankfully had the wherewithal to stop and save some in a box for tomorrow’s lunch. And given how amazing dinner was, I HAD to try dessert.
I opted for the Flourless Chocolate Torte, and split with my boyfriend and his Bailey’s Pots de Crème. Both were delicious, rich, and flavorful, with that unmistakable taste of freshly homemade. The Torte outmanned me, being incredibly dense and rich– I had to take half of it home to finish tomorrow (the first time in 32 years I’ve had to abandon a dessert halfway through).
In all, I highly highly highly highly highly recommend La Romanza. It’s great for ambience, service, and food… and given all that, the price is pretty damn good. I know I’ll be returning, and attempting to eat my way through the menu.

Came here last night. Empty but for one table (OK Tuesday, but the reason I came here is that Jax was slammed). Feels funny to say this, but the service was almost too attentive. It was basically a one-​to-​one deal with the waiter/​bartender, but everything was over the top when casual was not only fine, but desirable.
The food:
I ordered Pappardelle Pasta with a Lamb Ragu. I made sure the pasta would be al dente when I ordered and was told that it is always made al dente. It came to me over cooked and fairly tasteless which was a shame since the Ragu was interesting.
I had a glass of Sangiovese that was decent, but that was mainly because they had ONE beer. Yes, one — and the bartender took a few minutes digging it out from the cooler. It was from Trieste, which is very Northern Italy — used to be Yugoslavia. I decided a glass of wine was the least of the evils.
One beer. I still can’t get over that. NO beer would have made more sense.
Overall I was sorry I chose the place, and it is now deleted from my bookmarks. La Rustica is 1 mile away and MUCH better (I have no personal affiliation with either).

We had a wonderful dinner here tonight. We were celebrating my sister-in-law’s birthday; i will not say which one.
They brought out a small glass of prosecco for each of us to begin the meal; of course, we then ordered a bottle. it is a nice way to enjoy a nice wine that is not too heavy at the begining of the meal. They served a nice green salad with shavings of cheeze and a subtle dressing. The size of the salad was just right.
We had a variety of pasta dishes for dinner. I had a pumpkin ravioli, what had a full but subtle flavor. Rebecca had ghocci with truffle oil; again, the flavor was subtle. We also had a beef dish with a nice kick, eggplant parmigiano and manacotti. All had great flavors. We had a nice barbera to enjoy with the pasta.
All in all, it was a great meal. We enjoyed it very much and were surprised there were not more people in the restaurant. The service was good and the price was fair. I anticipate we will come back. It was good.

Very good service and great ambiance. We were here on a Friday night and they had a piano and cello duo performing live. I’m a sucker for live music. It felt cozy, yet upscale. Good for a nice romantic evening but could also be a good place for family to come with kids.
Food: I had the saffron risotto with clams and mussels — it was delicious and i devoured it. Super flavorful and great texture with a bit of kick. My husband had a chicken dish. I tried a bite and it was good, but I was too busy with my risotto to have room for any more than just the bite.
The only disappointing thing we encountered were the drinks. My husband had some whiskey/​ginger beer concoction which he said was not good. I ordered an arnold palmer and it tasted a little weird — I had to double check with the staff that it was what i ordered and wasn’t some alcoholic beverage. It just didn’t taste right.
Overall, still really enjoyed the meal and will probably stick to regular sodas and wine rather than going through the bartender for mixed drinks.

I have been dying to try the tea room and all of the delicious finger foods that accompany it and one day I will. But I tried La Romanza for the first time two nights ago while walking along California Avenue.
The menu outsider listed many different types of pasta pretty reasonably priced. We couldn’t see much from the outside but we decided Italian sounded good so we gave it a shot.
When we entered we realized we were slightly out of our element. There was a man performing live music for the guests, and it was very elegantly decorated inside. We were greeted by a friendly waiter who asked if we had a reservation with them. I told him no and he said that was just fine and seated us at a nice table near the back.
We were presented with a one sided, one sheet menu that listed three courses, appetizer, dinner and desert, and there were no prices. We were extremely confused because this wasn’t what we thought it was going to be.
We asked the waiter what the protocol was, and he explained there was a special going on and we would each order one item from each option on the menu and have a three course meal for a rate of 27 dollars. I smiled and went ahead and ordered. I got the lamb meatballs, the cheesy penne pasta and the triple chocolate decadence cake.
I was excited to try the food and everything was so delicious. The lamb meatballs were something I have never tried before, but they were tender and delicious and the red sauce served with them was good as well.
The penne was out of this world. I have to say, it was actually worth the money, which in my opinion, is a pretty steep price to live up to, but it was that good. The cheese was delicious, and the sauce and flavor was amazing as well, it was buttery and tasty and very filling. I boxed up half of it to take home and ate it for lunch the next day.
The desert I got to go as well because I was so full but it was so rich I had to it between two days, but it was delicious as well. I highly recommend this place, but go on a day when the regular prices and pastas are available.
An absolutely fantastic and romantic place to take someone special on a special occasion. Perfect for a birthday or anniversary or when you just want to remind her that you love her.
You will not be dissapointed by La Romanza.

Smooth Jazz & Tuscan Fare…
Friday night in ‘The Junction’. We were walking down the street hungry and stumbled upon this place (my favorite way to discover a new spot). This place used to be a tea house, but has been transformed into a Tuscan bistro.
We sat at the bar near the Jazz musicians so we had the opportunity to make requests! The piano player and the bass were fabulous and fun to chat with in between sets.
We started with some cocktails and the baked scallops with crab (as recommended by some other Unilocalers!). They were baked in lemon cream sauce with herbed bread crumbs. You might think it’s a heavy dish, but it wasn’t. The lemon and freshly chopped tomato garnish added a lightness to this rich appetizer.
Then we ordered the Strozzopreti alla Papa, a hand rolled pasta with their dad’s homemade Italian sausage. We also shared the Gnocchi Tartufo, which had shaved portabello mushrooms and truffle oil. OMG, we were in heaven. We did not have dessert — we were way too stuffed. Next time, for sure!
p. s. This is an awesome date night spot ;)

La Romanza reminded me quite a bit of my trip to Italy. The décor is cute and reminiscent of that old world style. Prosciutto and melon, water with no ice, giant frescos… all very European. I don’t remember seeing much tea in Italy, but I do like the idea of a tea room in West Seattle, as it is unique and very fitting for the area.
The server that we had was kind and very attentive. A woman, who I am assuming to be the owner, was also very friendly. She went to each table to make sure that her guests were enjoying their food. Although the order was taken quickly, the food was very slow to come out.
Since we went on a Saturday, we only had the Brunch menu to choose from. The manicotti bianco was okay, but did not blow me away. It did not come out very hot, but I imagine I would have liked it better at a higher temperature. The manicotti was not seasoned, but the potatoes that came with it were well seasoned, so I just mixed them together. I have never been served pasta and potatoes on one plate. Carbo overload. Not sure that the food was worth the price; however, the others at the table seemed happy.
I would be willing to give La Romanza another chance; however, I would go for dinner in order to sample something else. It is a great space with nice employees. Judging from other reviews, there has been some tension between the restaurant and its customers. I can’t say that I would react well if someone criticized my profession, but I hope that the owner can take the negatives as constructive criticism and work from there, because she does have a lovely little restaurant.

I’m writing this update because if you haven’t been to La Romanza recently, or just haven’t yet, you REALLY need to go now!
Why? LR has made some changes, and is now even better than it was before (and even then it was great!)
What’s different: some minor changes in the dining room give it a cozier, more intimate feel. The white linen-​dressed tables have been replaced with hammered copper ones, and the dining space is a touch darker, I think. Low lights and candles in wall sconces give the place a sort of a ‘hideaway’ look — very nice for a special dinner with a special someone.
LR boasts a new menu too! Many of your favorites, like the delicious Faraona Arrostito (chicken) are still there, but there’s a lot more classic Italian dishes now. Think of LR’s menu as ‘classy Italian comfort food’. I love old-​timey Veal Parmagiana, and LR didn’t disappoint!
But don’t think LR has lost any of it’s flair! Owner Aimee Pellegrini is spending more time in the kitchen, and it shows! The dinner specials show a level of ‘out-​of-​the-​box’ thinking and culinary playfulness that is unique to Chef Pellegrini. My wife had braised goat (!!! — goat? Where do you find goat??) served with penne pasta in a white wine sauce that was simply astonishing (if you’ve never had goat, I can say it’s comparable to really good lamb). This does leave Chef P. in a bit of a quandary. She’s a very beautiful, charming person, and hence is a natural when she works the front of the house, but when she’s personally in the kitchen, the food sings an aria! So I say this with love: Chef Aimee, stay in the kitchen (though do come out and say ‘hi’ to your guests when you can!)!
Other things haven’t changed: LR still features a long list of really creative cocktails to start the meal, and the staff is still every bit as professional yet truly warm and gracious as I recall from previous visits.
While she may be the daughter of the owners of West Seattle’s legendary La Rustica, don’t make the mistake of thinking Amy Pellegrini’s La Romanza is simply ‘La Rustica East’. She has carved out her own niche, and La Romanza is still THE best ‘date restaurant’ in any of the West Seattle junctions! By all means check them out!

Is a pretty good restaurant, nice cozy sitting area although is a bit tight. Didn’t find out about this place until SRW comes around.
The house bread starter is really good, love the herbs taste within the bread and not just on the bread. I would love the the vinaigrette olive oi dipping more if there’s more vinaigrette in it.
I tried their gouda appetizer, and LOVE it. The pepper and katalama is really good, but can’t quite get the maple plank thou
Dungeness crab lasagna is really good and have TONS of dungeness crab in it however its a bit too oily.
The tiramisu is good but not great, should have chosen a lighter dessert to freshen my taste bug thou.
Overall experience was pretty good, place was not as packed as I thought it would be, maybe because it was just around 6:30pm.

We had my bridal shower here and the experience was wonderful! I had the mushroom crêpe and it was surprisingly large and filling. Their selection of tea was great and everything was tasty! There’s also plenty of free street parking.
I felt like they did a great job of accommodating us.

I came here with a group of my friends and had a memorable time! It was definitely a tea party, in my aspect. The servers were very nice and helped us a lot when it came to choosing tea. Such great ambiance– this place was held with class and much goodies! We had two orders of the La Fenice. It was a great snack for five girls. The combination of candied walnuts and premium cheeses were fantastic– not to forget the scones and small tarts!
I’ll be returning to this place again soon.

Now this is the kind of place where I would drink my tea with my pinky finger up. Wait that’s a British thing to do and it’s a French tea place.
Besides the fact I can’t pronouce the names on the menu, I think this is a great high tea place. Best part is you can get it at $ 15 per person as compare to $ 40 something at other places.
It’s cute how they give you a different tea pot based on the tea you ordered. Creative names on the tea blend and very classy but romantic atmosphere. They even have live jazzy performance by local students. They look like students.