Mondello Ristorante Italiano

Super impressed with the food here. We used a Groupon for dinner and kept our expectations low. This place exceeded our spaghetti expectations and then some!
The clam spaghetti had very generous clam portions and the tiramisu was light and fluffy with not too much sugar. Our only concern was that we were charged an extras $ 2 for a second basket of bread, even though we did not ask for it nor want it; I guess it would’ve been nice to know we were going to be charged. Other than this, we will definitely come back here again!

Really great spot! The food was excellent. I had fettuccine with veal which was great! My partner and his mom both had lasagna. We also had a salad to share.
The food was great! I finished my plate even though it was more than I could really eat. The salad was great. They brought warm bread to the table along with the wine we ordered and made a point of keeping both the wine glasses and the bread bowl full. The service was fantastic. Parking was street parking but was not a challenge. I will say that I thought the prices were a little high for what the food was but it seemed nice for a special night out. I’d go back if I end up in Magnolia on a special occasion again.

What a nice spot in Magnolia. The food was good, the manager was friendly, the atmosphere was authentic. I definitely will be going again.

We love Mondellos. It’s a locally owned family business that serves upscale food that is true Italian cuisine. The only drawback is the size of the restaurant, it’s tiny and the tables are packed together.

Live music and awesome foods.
I love to have bring my family and friends to have dinner here.
Love it.

This is a superb, small and friendly Italian restaurant in the beautiful Magnolia neighborhood.
We walked in off the street and were immediately warmly greeted and seated. It smelled lovely inside. The aromas of an excellent small Italian restaurant are heavenly!
I asked our waiter for his recommendation for best item on the menu, and without hesitating he suggested the Spaghetti Carbonara. I’m always delighted when a server has a favorite meal, especially when it’s not the most expensive item on the menu.
My spaghetti was superb! I don’t even remember what my wife had, it was so good. It was so good, in fact, that I completely cleaned my plate, which is something I rarely ever do, and only when the meal just blows me away.
If we make it back to Magnolia, we’ll be checking in again!

I adore this restaurant. The atmosphere and staff is so charming, warm and authentic. And the food was delicious! The gnocchi was amazing and the lamb was cooked to perfection, it was so tender and flavorful. I highly recommend this place.

Special Valentines Day Edition:
–Valentines Day menu was not posted on the website (if it was it was not obvious) so the menu was a surprise. Pretty standard italian fare not unlike their normal menu but for 2 – 3 times the cost. Basically the restaurant was skimming the valentines crowd.
–My date’s meal was gnocchi with some type of sauce. It came out cold, honestly room temperature. Mine was piping hot. So they just left her dish out while finishing mine and nobody checked. If your going to scam me with absurd prices for basic pasta dishes on valentines day, at least get the ladies meal right! Capisce!
–My dish was pasta with meat ragu. A meatball, rib, and two sausage. Meatball was super bland and tasted like it was made from sponge cake. The rest of dish was good, but get this. The cook had left some of the pasta out of the water while boiling it and most of the pasta had a distinct hard end on one side. We are not talking about the finer points of al dente here! Thats why I gave this place a 2.
–Good wine, especially for the price. Whoever is doing the buying deserves a gold star.

My friend recommended me about this place and how it was so good, so I was excited to try it. Unfortunately, my experience was not the best.
We made a 6:30pm reservation on a Sunday since I had a Groupon. Finding street parking was fairly easy, and there was free parking on Sundays.
The interior has a cozy, rustic Italian charm. I was getting really excited to try some delicious and authentic Italian food after seeing how cute the place looks!
The waiter brought over our menus, but gave me the bad news that the dish I wanted (Braciole Di Vitello) was out! I felt sad since my friend raved about that dish, but I decided to go with the Fettuccine Con Salsiccia per our waiter’s recommendation. My boyfriend ordered the Spaghetti Bolognese. We also ordered the clams and mussels dish as an appetizer.
The bread that came with our meal wasn’t spectacular. However, I did enjoy the clams and mussels appetizer. The sauce was delicious!
When we received our entrees, we were both underwhelmed with the lack of flavor in both of our dishes. The Italian sausage that came with my dish tasted so bland, and even the sauce as well. My boyfriend said his bolognese did not have enough of a savory flavor to enjoy it. We were both pretty hungry and didn’t want to say anything because we felt bad! Our waiter was very friendly and attentive, but I was disappointed in the food. The only thing I enjoyed was the clams and mussels appetizer.
In terms of cleanliness, I was surprised to find bits of leftover food stuck on one of our forks, which was a little gross. I don’t feel like they take the time to check to see if the silverware is clean before serving them to customers, so that is something to consider.
Maybe tonight was an off night, but I have had better Italian food in other places.

This used to be my favorite place, but you can tell they started making little shortcuts here and there. I once praised the venue for its amazing pasta, but my last couple of visits left me underwhelmed. The noodles didn’t have their characteristic thickness and spring that intoxicated me my first dozen times here.
There were some sins at my last dining experience here that really stuck with me. Aside from slow service (which I can live with, Italian restaurants are meant to be savored and enjoyed), the Gorgonzola Gnocchi arrived with shaved almonds on top instead of the staple of walnuts. It would be one thing if this dish was always made with walnuts, but the first six times my friends or myself have gotten this dish, it came with walnuts. For it to be quietly substituted with shaved almonds is upsetting because it changes the texture significantly. Combined with a slightly thinner sauce and smaller sized gnocchi, the whole dish felt cheaper.
Lastly, the tiramisu had frozen ladyfingers on the bottom.

I don’t know how this restaurant gets so many stars. I have tried it four times. I have been disappointed each and every time!!! This last time, my husband and I went to Mondello’s we both got pasta dishes. My husband ordered linguine with clams. While eating, my husband found a rock in his dish. Not a pebble, but a big, black rock. We were told that «that’s what happens when you order fresh food!»
Not, a huge apology, not lets get you a new plate. Nothing. Just laughed it off.
That’s it. Last time for us!

Best carbonara ever… Loved how the noodles were cooked – a little firm and chewy, well seasoned, the pancetta… Need I say more. Also got seconds on the bread. Will return soon No doubt.
Ambience was so homey. Dimly lit, warm and quaint decorations that made me feel like I was in a city in Italy. :))
Great date spot!

This is our go to place for Italian now, every time I try a new dish it just takes it to another level for me! Was here with the boys last night, and while my friend usually goes for the veal meatballs I tried the Vitello Saltimbocca (the veal scaloppini) and it was an exquisite, thin layer of meat that had all the juices soaked up and was definitely the right balance of a meal, with veggies and potato on the side.
Highly recommend this place!

We had an excellent dinner at Mondello and can’t wait to return. Every element was savory-​worthy and the dining experience was relaxed and warm while being both casual and intimate.
We were absolutely pleased with the atmosphere, service, and of course, the food.
The setting is rustic with a cozy family feel. They are kid-​friendly as well although the tables may be a bit tight to accommodate a high chair. They have a small kids menu.
We ordered the Polpo Affogato Octopus appetizer– octopus braised in spicy tomato ragu ($ 12 I think), the Braciole Di Vitello Boneless leg of natural veal rolled with prosciutto, pancetta, mortadella, salami, egg and provolone cheese braised in tomato sauce with grilled veggies ($ 23).
The octopus dish had such a good sauce!
We also got the seafood risotto with clams, mussels, and prawns ($ 21 I think).
The risotto was tasty and we enjoyed it but the real star was the veal dish. This dish along with the house-​made, tender pasta was absolutely fantastic. We thought we would have leftovers as we ordered an appetizer and two entrees and dessert but we ate every last bite!
We also shared a bottle of Syrah which was great.
For dessert, we enjoyed the tiramisu ($ 8).
They make most of their desserts in-​house. I cannot wait to go back. Mondello was fabulous and I would recommend them to anyone!

This is a cute little spot for a date night. It’s off the beaten path– but the food was excellent, the atmosphere really welcoming, and the service was on point.
Order the bolognese– and the daily bruscetta if you have a chance. They were both exceptional.

Do yourself a favor and try this place!
Mondello is a beautiful restaurant owned and ran by a lovely Sicilian family! The food is amazing comfort food, the staff are sweet and efficient, and the ambiance is perfect for date night or with the whole family.
My man always gets the carbonara but I try to jump all over the menu so I can try all the beautiful dishes! I don’t think you could be disappointed with anything you order here!

This might be my favorite restaurant in Magnolia. I love the cute family atmosphere and I love the look of the restaurant. They are all so nice and hospitable. The food is off the charts!!! It is worth it!
My Personal Restaurant Rating Key
One star: the food was bad and I had a negative experience.
Two star: I had a more negative experience and would not come here again but the food was good so I may.
Three store: Everything is good except one thing. Example-​the food is good, the price is more reasonable but the atmosphere is lacking class. Or the food is good, the atmosphere is good, but they over charged us. These three stars are actually my favorite types of restaurants to go eat at if the reason is due to the atmosphere because they are usually delicious and reasonably priced.
Four stars: Everything is great, food and experience. However the price is definitely on the upper end. I would not recommend this first to Obama unless he didn’t like my five stars. These are restaurants you can take your boss or your mother-​in-​laws to impress them, however they still don’t fit into the five star category. A bit fancier than my three stars, hence I don’t often eat here unless there is an occasion for it or there is a groupon that gives me a bit of a discount!
Five stars: I would recommend this to Obama. The price may be on the upper end but the experience and the taste is so exquisite, it is actually worth every nickel and dime.

Ummm wow, where to start?
Ok, how about the positive-​the waitstaff was super friendly, very personable, and pretty efficient. The place was cute and cozy. We live in Magnolia, so we wanted to hopefully find a new haunt close to home.
That’s where it ends my friends.
The food is SAD. Very SAD. I know, but it bears repeating.
We ordered the Gorgonzola gnocchi with walnuts. IF this sauce had ANY Gorgonzola in the whole batch, it was no more than the sad little piece you might find at the end of the cheese counter at Whole Foods. We’ve had Gorgonzola sauces at many restaurants, and I can say for sure that this sauce should be simply referred to as a cream sauce, as to not disappoint prospective diners.
The Gnocchi itself reminded me of the lazy blister packs you can buy at World Market. Oh, and the Parmesan it was topped with tasted like the green can junk.
We figured we’d try to end the night on a high note and ordered the $ 8.00 cannoli. That’s about the going rate for good cannoli so we were hopeful…
Sadly, it sucked too. Hershey syrup over, half filled, but crispy (high note) shells. It was tiny and tasteless.
We hate to give bad reviews. It’s hard enough for restraints to make it under normal circumstances. But when your gonna charge so much for your food, at least make your customers not wish they’d have gone home and opened a jar of sauce and eaten a pop tart for dessert.
P. S. I hate pop tarts, and still…
*thanks for replying to my review. To answer your question, yes, I did write the review the same day we dined. In fact it was right after we left. My fiancé and I were both very unhappy with the quality of food. As far as fixing a dish, maybe adding Gorgonzola to the gnocchi would be a great start. Plus, gnocchi should be a bit pillowy not chewy like it was made, dried, then re-​boiled. It tasted like very low quality dry packaged pasta, that was covered in a thinned down jar of Alfredo.

I’m Italian, and I have rarely (if ever) rated an Italian restaurant in the Seattle area 5 stars. In fact, there are only a handful of Italian restaurants here that I frequent on a regular basis. Mondello will definitely be one of them.
Mondello has it all: Charm, great service, nice atmosphere, delicious food, reasonable prices. The neighborhood is a bit out of the way for most folks, and also pretty ho-​hum, but don’t let that deter you. Mondello is a gem.
The grilled bread was excellent, and I think they might have changed the way they do the bread since previous reviews, because our 2^nd basket of bread was also grilled. Delicious! I had an excellent glass of Barbera. I don’t know much about wine, just what I like, and I would highly recommend the Barbera. It’s very balanced.
We ordered the caprese salad appetizer, and while it was pretty much standard fare, it was presented in a particularly lovely way, scattered with little precious drops of aged balsamic.
I had the linguini with clams, which is what I always order the first time I’m eating at an Italian place, if they have it on the menu. I guess it is kind of my «test» dish, a barometer of the quality of the food. Mondello passed with flying colors. I have never had a dish of linguini and clams that contained such a generous amount of clams! The linguini was cooked perfectly al dente. Some folks have complained about the pasta here being hard and undercooked… maybe they just aren’t used to pasta cooked perfectly in the Italian style. It was a perfect dish of pasta.
My spouse ordered the rigatoni puttanesca, and that was also executed very well.
One of my complaints about many Italian restaurants in the Seattle area is that the servings aren’t big enough. i can’t count the number of times that I have eaten Italian, paid a ridiculous amount for a plate of pasta, and not been full afterward. That is a crime!
Thank goodness Mondello isn’t that way… Yes, I have lived in Italy and I know that pasta is usually a primi there, and followed by a meat or fish course. But here in America, many folks (myself included) just want a salad or appetizer, and one or the other, primi or secondi. Mondello is set up that way, and I GREATLY appreciate it. Grazie, Mondello!
As for dessert, I am not faulting Mondello for this, because it is nearly impossible to get the right type of ricotta here to make an authentic cannoli, but the cannoli was not that great. No worries, no one here in Seattle makes a good cannoli. I would definitely try their other desserts on a future visit, though. Also, the espresso was delicious, and a very authentic cup of coffee. I ordered a double, because that is what I would order in other restaurants, because the standard is pretty small. But the double here was quite large, and the same consistency as the coffee that is served in Italy… less strong, and not as viscous as the espresso one gets at local coffee shops
All in all, a truly pleasurable dinner… we will be back!

You know it’s good when you see mama in the kitchen making the pasta, and grandma sitting at the bar smiling and drinking wine. Wonderful hidden gem in magnolia center. Delicious pasta and great wine selection. Love their tiramisu as well. Every dish I’ve tried has not disappointed, if you like red wine, you HAVE to try their nebbiolo. So bold, earthy yet smooth.