Vespolina

Great Caesar salad and a view of the pier. Happy hour menu and drinks seemed fun on a late night so decided to come here for a beer.
The food is good and so was the beer but the service was slow. It was not busy at all. I sat outside and there was only one couple inside yet we were never checked on. We constantly had to get up every time we wanted water refills, more beer and orders put in for food. The waitress we had came only once to give us our first round of beer and never came back.
Time to get out of here but where is our waitress? Where is the cashier working the front desk? Where is ANYONE? We went inside to look for staff and the place seemed empty. Well this is awkward bc I don’t believe in dining and dashing although it could’ve been easy here with the lack of attentiveness and service we received.
5 minutes later someone comes out and apologizes bc she was «in the back and didn’t hear anyone out here.» Sure. Just give me the check please.
The service here needs a major upgrade. I’m a kind person so I still tipped 20 percent but I let the waitress know my concern and hopefully with her future customers, she treats them better.

Across from the Four Seasons Hotel on Union, overlooking the Seattle Great Wheel and West Seattle in the distance, the façade of Vespolina is quite possible to miss aside from a handful of open air tables near the fountain. Beyond the door, however, a blonde wood ramp leads to a series of tiered, narrow and modern dining spaces tucked above Post Alley and Pike Place Market.
I’m glad we found Vespolina, because our experience was superb. The staff, food and non-​alcoholic concoctions from the bar were above par. The chickpea salad on the antipasto misto plate was sweet, light and ever so slightly bitter, and the flavor (and perhaps more importantly), the consistency of the potato gnocchi was the best I’ve had. After months of summer salads, the beef short rib tagliatelle on a cooler summer night was simple, rich and hearty.
Plus, Olivia at the front desk was able to get us in with just a few hours of notice, unlike some places that may be mentioned below who fall unapologetically silent after suggesting we dine at their earliest availability of 9:30pm (on a Tuesday).
Why not stay downtown and smell the ocean on your after dinner walk? Try the bar for the view or the intimate dining room for a quieter, candle-​lit experience.

I hated my experience here. We were seated next to the kitchen and immediately heard the chefs cursing the staff before we ordered, we waited a half hour in the empty Vespolina on a Sunday evening before our orders were even taken. I ordered the 50 dollar salmon. The most expensive item on the menu. I watched it get cooked and then watched it get cold as the wait staff were no where to be found. Our checks showed up an hour and a half later, and were wrong twice. We just left without tipping and my friend ended up getting charged for an extra drink and we left because we didn’t want to wait for them to figure out the checks for a third time. I have never tipped so little in my life.
Conclusion: There’s plenty of other great Italian restaurants and even though I was excited to be living a block away from this one, the whole experience left a very bad taste in my mouth. Food was ²⁄₅ as it was cold, my friends ravioli was a joke. 4 things of pasta filled with almost nothing and the service was 0/​5, nonexistent. The whole meal took 2 hours. I feel bad for the kitchen because they were sweating and working hard while the wait staff stood around and did nothing quickly, even cutting bread. The food and service at Vespolina was a lot like their Unilocal reviews: PHONED IN.

Meh… Left hungry. I get that it’s a «fancy «restaurant and portions are smaller but it’s not worth your money. Go up the street to The Radiator and spend just as much but get twice the amount of food. Service was bad. It’s been 10 min and still no checks. It’s not even that busy! Food was okay but doesn’t warrant another visit. Skip this place.

Across the street from the Four Seasons hotel in downtown Seattle is Vespolina, an Italian restaurant in a space which has undergo a couple changes in recent years.
This space was formerly occupied by Thoa’s, a Vietnamese eatery that I have visited previously. It later transformed into the Spanish eatery, Aragona. When the restaurant did not get the type of reception on the Seattle restaurant scene that the owners expected, it decided to change concepts and become the current Italian eatery, Vespolina.
I was looking for a happy hour spot in downtown Seattle. I had initially walked by Japonessa but saw that it was full. So I decided to cross the street when I noticed a sandwich board that Vespolina had a happy hour and decided to check it out.
The happy hour is offered in the lounge area of the restaurant and is offered twice daily from 4 to 7 pm and 9pm to close. All food on the lounge menu is 50% and there are a few drinks on special including a couple cocktails for $ 6.
The lounge area here has a decent view of the Seattle waterfront. Though it does catch some of the glare of the sun during daylight hours. The bar area is actually off to the side away from the windows and has a TV mounted to the wall playing sports. If you are coming with a group for food and drinks, I would suggest grabbing one of the high tables here.
Since food on the lounge menu is half off, items range in price from $ 2 – 13. I got a few things here. Ordered the old fashioned cocktail ($ 6 HH), an order of market fish fritters ($ 3.50 HH) and the tagliatelle with Painted Hills beef short rib ragu and horseradish gremolata ($ 13 HH).
The old fashioned cocktail has Bourbon mixed with bitters and a twist of orange rind. I liked this classic drink as I enjoy cocktails that have a bold taste to them.
The food took a while to come out, so if you are on a time crunch, this spot may not be for you. However, the food was well worth the wait. The fish fritters were shaped into balls and were delicious when dipped with the accompanying tartar sauce. I thought this was a perfect bar food item to go with the drink and a good deal for what you get.
Since the restaurant is known for their pastas, it made sense for me to order the tagliatelle which is the most expensive item on the lounge menu. I noticed that this same dish was listed on the Seattle Restaurant Week menu, so I wanted to give it a try for that reason.
And upon tasting the tagliatelle, it really does live up to the expectations. The tagliatelle tasted very fresh. The short rib ragu on top had a fall off the bone tenderness to it.
I was initially apprehensive about this pasta dish having a horseradish gremolata since I don’t like horseradish, but it was a non issue since I couldn’t taste it. The flavors of the pasta and beef are dominant. This dish is reminiscent of beef stroganoff, so if you enjoy a pasta rich in flavor, I would recommend ordering this dish. Especially since you are getting an entrée meal at a happy hour price.
I was really impressed by the happy hour at Vespolina. The happy hour food specials are terrific and the prices are great for what you get. I highly recommend this spot if you are looking for Italian happy hour fare in downtown Seattle.

I love Italian food. I love pasta. I love carbs. And I don’t have shame about any of it.
We came to Vespolina, which is in a really weird spot downtown. If you don’t know downtown v well, you might have a hard time finding the place. Basically, it’s across from the Four Seasons.
The interior is nice, with a lovely open kitchen, however, the layout of the restaurant itself is a little strange. We were sat tucked away in the corner, but I had great people watching views (win!).
We ordered the shaved kolrhabi salad, which I will order again the moment we walk in the door, along with the beet ravioli and the strascinati — with dungeness crab.
Everything was delicious — from the wine to the service to the food. We loved it and will definitely be back b/c…ITALIAN FOOD!

We had a wonderful experience at Vespolina, and I highly recommend it to any one needing an intimate event space or wanting a high-​quality Italian meal.
I was searching all over Seattle for a holiday party venue for my office. I sent an email to Jason Stratton’s Vespolina on a Friday afternoon, and was surprised to receive a response by Saturday morning. I worked with Miki, who had great suggestions about food and beverage options. They do not have rental fees for the space, only a food/​drink minimum which was reasonable given the quality of the food and the size of our party.
On the evening of our holiday party we had a private space in the back of the restaurant. The space was lovely, complete with a working fireplace, an illuminated wine rack tower, and soft lighting from candles throughout. We had a dedicated server who made sure the drinks kept coming along with the food at an even pace.
Even with the beautiful space and the fantastic service, there was one thing that made our holiday party a resounding success: the food. It is incredible (stands up and claps for J. Stratton).
During our cocktail session we had tray-​passed tuna fritters and bruschetta. Both were great for eating while standing.
During dinner we opted for a family-​style menu so our guests could try multiple dishes:
Antipasti: salad with roasted beets and Gorgonzola, simply dressed with balsamico. When I learned over the cocktail hour that some of our guests didn’t like beets, Jackie spoke with the chef and half our salads came back with apples instead, and everyone loved them.
Pasta: All pastas are hand-​made and the two on our menu were exceptional. The tagliatelle with braised venison was hearty and flavorful. The winter squash ravioli was a great mix of sweet and savory.
Main dishes: The NY strip steak is accompanied with a perfect roasted garlic purée that I wanted to pour on everything, and a trout «Saltimbocca» stuffed with prosciutto. Awesome.
Dessert was olive oil gelato with candied cacao nibs and ricotta fritters with honey. Raves all around.
Thanks for making our holiday party a memorable one, Vespolina. xo

We came for a girls night to try Vespolina.
I found paid street parking about 4 blocks away.
The front door is oversized and nicely done, but once I stepped inside, I genuinely wondered if I might have walked into the wrong place. I did not immediately see a hostess and the wood paneling and red railing had a very office or condo vibe to it, not at all what I would expect from an Italian restaurant. Our reserved table happened to be in the bar area, and all of us girls noted that the restaurant was fairly barren and sterile, desperately lacking personality and ambiance.
I ordered the entrée portion of the Tagliatelle with Oregon Game for $ 25 which was overpriced and otherwise fairly mediocre. One girl in the group mentioned that her crab pasta was «really good», and another girl mentioned that she wasn’t impressed with her turkey pasta.
The only excellent thing we had was the drinking chocolate I ordered for dessert.
The service overall was good, my water was refilled frequently although we were surprised they didn’t ask us if we wanted to split up the bill.
The waitress made a few odd comments about the food:
«It’s good but has a very strong oyster flavour.»
«It’s very much from the sea.»
«It’s looks like it’s not a lot of food but it’s very heavy.»
It came off as though she had gotten many complaints and was pre-​excusing the food, which is such a turn-​off to me.
It is unlikely I will be back to Vespolina or would recommend Vespolina to any friends or colleagues.

Pretty spendy, but luckily there on the (xmas party) company dime. Great family style menu with many tasty courses. Why do they like radishes in so many things?
I would go back for a non-​party dinner, wish they had better views though

Beware the $ 7 Sparkling Water.
Huge fan and have had many good meals at Spinasse. So excited to have a central location for delicious Italian food. What I tasted was not the mind bending deliciousness and high quality of Spinasse.
As soon as we sat down we were asked sparkling or still, as if it was standard restaurant fare at many good restaurants now to have both complimentary sparkling and flat water. To my surprise after choosing sparkling, it ends up being $ 7 without warning.
The scallops and the meatballs with polenta were excellent and well done.
The spaghetti and radicchio salad were good, nothing exceptional.
The old-​fashioned was also too strong for my taste and wasn’t a standout of a classic.
My first experience here did not leave me with the overwhelming sense of joy and elation as a Spinasse meal.
The service at the door when we entered seemed a bit confusing as well. A couple had been waiting for awhile before us.
After we were greeted, the staff were very friendly and gracious.
I have huge hopes for this location. Judging by the location and the crowd, they are doing very well.
I hope they round out and perfect the menu, smoothen their door service, and up front about the sparkling water cost for other customers. I will be back, I hope it will get better.

My wife and I ate at Vespolina the other night for the first time. We’d been here before when it was in its previous incarnation, Aragona, and remembered enjoying it. Plus, we love Jason Stratton’s other two places, Spinasse and Artusi, so we thought we’d give this a try.
In short, while I have to give Vespolina three stars for its well-​prepared and tasty food, I almost gave it two stars for the smarmy service we experienced, which really put a damper on the entire evening.
It started pretty much as soon as we sat down – the waiter immediately began extolling a Champagne flight the restaurant was offering at a special price. He went on for about three minutes on what a great deal this was (five half-​glasses for $ 40, if you must know) and that it’s for a limited time, etc. OK, fine, whatever, thanks for letting us know.
When he came back to take our drink order, I ordered a cocktail and my wife opted for a glass of wine. He gave us a tight-​lipped smile, then proceeded to explain how our meal would be best enjoyed if we ordered not just appetizers and, say, a main course, but appetizers, a pasta course, and a main course.
Yes, we’re familiar with the concept of «primi» and «secondi» at Italian restaurants, but we’re adults – we can read the menu and make our own choices about what (and how much) we want to eat. By this point we were really tired of the hard-​sell attitude. My wife ordered soup (delicious) and pasta (ditto), and I tried to order an antipasto plate (no can do for just one person, so I ended up with salumi instead) and fish (delicious – trout stuffed with prosciutto).
We ordered another round of drinks too, which took about 30 minutes to arrive – we were pretty much done with our meal at that point. And then, unbidden, the waiter produced our bill – without even asking if we wanted dessert. I guess he was so fed up with us for failing to order enough food that he just wanted us out.
It was a weird experience, and so unlike our experiences at Jason Stratton’s other restaurants, where the service has been impeccable and welcoming. It made us wonder whether some corporation or other might have been contracted to run the place – a corporation that’s pressuring the waiters to aggressively upsell diners to maximize per-​table revenue.
Bottom line: As good as the food is at Vespolina, we’ll stick with Spinasse. Very similar menu, but a world apart in service. They need to fix this at Vespolina.

Restaurant Week in Seattle is a mixed bag. Some restaurants step up big, and really show their stuff. Others just punch out a few standards and cover their bases. Either way, its a chance to evaluate what they are putting out.
Vespolina is a new (or at least rebranded, formerly Spanish leaning Aragona) spot for Chef Jason Stratton, and for Restaurant Week they played it safe. In my case, I passed by an uninspired choice of caesar or basic greens in favor of a plate of charcuterie as a starter, alongside simple homemade pasta (bolognese or marinara sauce and a couple types of pasta noodle) or a simple poached chicken. There was no dessert offered for lunch. Granted, not overly excited by the options, but I remained hopeful.
Offering up basic standards can be a gamble, since there are a lot of us diners out hoping to find a new favorite restaurant, and if you knock our socks off, we’ll make the big return trip later and tell all our friends.
In Vespolina’s case, while I was disapointed there was no wow factor on the lunch menu, they did do a very good job on the basics. The pasta bolognase was substantial and meaty, and the pasta noodles were firm. The other pasta dishes were good as well. Everyone at our table agreed, a solid effort.
Sure they could have aimed higher for Restaurant Week, but it was a solid effort in what they plated. No surprise here, since this is a follow up to well-​regarded pasta spots Spinasse and Artusi, so a good track record. Overall good pasta, alongside good service, and at a very central water view location, on 1^st Avenue overlooking Elliot Bay and just steps from Pike Market.
It’s worth a try!

After tasting their hand-​made pasta with lamb semi-​appetizer, I joked to the waitress that the entrees themselves could suck and we would still be happy, the lamb/​pasta was so good.
The rest of the meal turned out to be excellent as well, though, and living nearby, we’ll be excited to eat at Vespolina again. It’s exciting when a new restaurant that turns out to be this good opens nearby.

A co-​worker and I popped in here for Seattle Restaurant Week lunch yesterday, and it took a lot longer than expected. We both ordered the french onion soup to start, followed by the tagliatelle with bolognese.
The restaurant was pretty busy, given that it was SRW, but the wait time between our starters and entrees was pretty atrocious. The soup came out pretty quickly, then the wait begun. Our server was really apologetic, stopped by to tell us the kitchen was backed up, and offered us a plate of salumi while we waited. It helped, but we both had to scarf down our pasta at record speed in order to get back for meetings.
The happy hour menu looks interesting, so I’m willing to come back and give it another go. Updates to follow!

It started off great. We were seated right away. Waitress got our order in shortly after being seated. Shortly after our appetizers came out. But then the wait between our appetizers and entrees was ridiculous. We didn’t understand why when there was only maybe 4 other guest within the restaurant. We saw other tables who sat after us received their appetizers & entrees way before us. It took almost an hour before we received our entrée. They’re lucky our dishes tasted good. Once finished our plates were taken and coffee was order while we waited for the dessert to come. This again was another long wait when usually coffee and dessert shouldn’t even take that long. Surprisingly our desserts came first and we were almost finished and the coffee still hadn’t come out. I know this restaurant is sort of new but service needs major improvement!
Pics posted on Instagram @amanda.n_

Loved the food at this place but I would probably only come for restaurant week when it’s more affordable. The meat on the ribs was so tender it literally fell from the bone, and the pasta was fresh and flavorful. Service was good, the only thing I didn’t love was the atmosphere which was a bit impersonal. More geared toward business lunches and dinner than date night.

Came here for happy hour and I love their tagliatelle. Their cheese ravioli with pine nuts is so awesome and fresh.
For dessert we had the panna cotta, which needed to set more, the bonet that looked like a chocolate éclair and the BEST nougat terrine I have ever had.
The terrine is a must! It is the best out of all the desserts.

Aragona turned Vespolina– and I liked it very much!
Same décor with beautiful lamps all around. Great view from the bar and the patio! That expansive counter top where you can watch all the hustle and bustle of the kitchen! All there! It’s like Aragona but with much better food! You got my attention!
Drinks– we had the capri sun and Aperol fizz. Both were bubbly! I like the Aperol fizz better.
Food!
Sautéed calamari served chill. I like it. It’s mellow and good.
Salami rosa with figs jam– much lighter in color for salami! And way less saltier. I liked this one a lot!
Rabbit liver mousse– didn’t get to taste this one but it looked quite amazing.
Pasta
**Fonduta Ravioli –stuffed with cheese and served with caramelized with broccoli + pint nuts. I love the texture of the ravioli. It’s al dente! Not crazy about the broccoli and the smell of it.
** lamb meat balls with samolina gnocchi– meatballs were tasty! The samolina cake aka their version of gnocchi wasn’t ready. It wasn’t set yet and too soft to serve.
** Tagliatelle with pomodoro! This was my favorite. You can really taste the fresh pasta through the light creamy tomato sauce. I like!
** Cavitelli with zucchini, ricotta and basil– least favorite dish mainly for the sauce. I think they cooked zucchini to the eggplant texture. It was rather slimy. The sauce was bitter! I do like the cavitelli though.
I also saw that they have tagliatelle with ragu/​bolognese for lunch! Sounds delish!
We sip, nibble and ate our food with the next view. It was fun. By the time dessert menu came, I had no room! But I got to taste everyone else’s dessert!
Panna cotta with huckleberries — it needs to be set longer! It wasn’t ready to be served. (I make a lot of Panna cotta at home) Im sure it would taste different if it was set.
Bonet — dark chocolate pudding with olive oil gelato and amaretti crumbs. Yum!
Carrie’s torrone gelato terrine– this was the best one! Soft hazelnut nougat with vanilla gelato, peaches and crisp rice wafer. So tasty!
Overall, I liked this place! I like this a whole lot better than Aragona. I’m glad they are back to their pastas! They make them fresh and so well. Why change it! Next visit here definitely be for lunch so I can try different sauces! You got my vote Vespolina!

No.
«Do you have a sharper knife?» in reference to pork loin from my friend at dinner.
Total mess.
Hostess was completely rude. Told me I couldn’t get in until 9pm. I stood in front of her and got a 7:45 res on open table. I tried to make a joke about it. Nothing. I couldn’t believe it.
Then ordered a wine bottle. Thirty minutes later we are told that the bottle is unavailable. Are you kidding?
Ravioli was absolutely great!
Then a main course is unavailable twenty minutes later. Switch to the pork. Fried to a crisp. Could’ve gotten this at Dick’s in the deep fryer. Inedible. Hockey puck-​like. Oddly enough chewing it wasn’t as bad as cutting it.
Spinasse related? Hard to believe.
Service was fine considering the inferior product.

Looks like I’m the first to review this restaurant. I was very pleased on a number of fronts. The décor is phenomenal. Food is excellent. Management is excellent. The third comment regarding management I should emphasize as in general I find Seattle restaurant management to be lackluster; not so here.
We shared the PROSCIUTTO DI PARMA with grilled, marinated stone fruit, JASON’S FAVORITE CAESAR with lime, parmesan and cracked pepper, ROMAN-​STYLE SPAGHETTI with guanciale, black pepper, pecorino and egg yolk, Risotto with shrimp, and grilled deboned trout stuffed with sage and prosciutto.
All were excellent. I thought the prosciutto app did not have sufficient fruit to balance the amount of meat, minor issue easily rectified. Caesar was good. The carbonara was outstanding; really well balanced egg, cheese, black pepper. Getting balance with these simple ingredients is rare. Usually one flavor predominates to the detriment of the others. The pasta itself was fresh and outstanding. Perfectly cooked. One of the better carbonara’s I’ve had. Loved the Risotto; one of the best I’ve had. It had a delicate flavor and the rice was perfectly cooked. The Trout was outstanding, deboned is such a luxury, nicely charred. I think it could have used a little less prosciutto (I must be crazy for saying that…) as the prosciutto in the quantities we received overpowered the more delicate flesh of the trout, but this is minor thing. It was one of the better fish dishes I’ve enjoyed in Seattle. Really pleased with it. It was overall really enjoyable and I thought a great value.
We had a very minor timing problem with the kitchen. Management picked up on this without our prompting. Management quickly and kindly resolved the minor issue beyond our expectations. We made no complaints yet the management made sure to rectify the issue beyond what we would have expected. Kudos for that! Its rare in Seattle to find restaurant management holding itself to such high standards in customer care. I’m actually giving 5 stars because of the management putting the finishing touches on the experience.