Via Verde Pizza

You can put this place to bed… closed by order of the King County Sheriff’s office last week for unstated reasons. It won’t be missed.

Overpriced with bad service… and the pizza was just mediocre. Waste of your time and money. I think if the pizza had more of a kissed by the flame finish, and the pizza combos were better, this place could work.

When you enter a restaurant In Ballard on a Saturday night at 6:45 and there’s hardly anyone in there, you know something’s off. Thoroughly non-​descript and cold, Via Verde is to be avoided.
The waitperson had a thick accent and enunciated something we figured out after asking her to repeat was «do you want crackers?» Yes. We shortly received Nabisco Saltines, served in their cellophane wrappers (no bread was served). The soup was good.
My wife had ordered an eggplant dish, but received a chicken dish smothered in a non-​descript, viscous goo. This sort of mix-​up would have been understandable, had the place been hopping, but it was becoming clear why Via Verde was so dead. My order was also smothered in the same goo. True Italian food is never smothered in goo, and the cheese used in true Italian food is never, ever bland.
Via Verde is the sort of dreadful factory formula, cost-​cutting dispensary you encounter in airports, truck stops, and redneck backwaters. It will, before very long be deservedly gone, along with other Italian restaurant wanna-be’s and good riddance. The Italian way of cooking is the finest in the world, and as an Italian-​American who knows the magnificent real thing, I don’t appreciate arrogant, clueless, cynical incompetents trying to pass themselves off as an Italian restaurant. Good Bye ViaVerde; when you close your doors for the last time, it won’t be a moment too soon, and you’ll be forgotten instantly.
One star each for a reasonably priced, honest martini, and a good salad.

Well, hmmm…
I randomly met up with some friends at Via Verde… their choice. I had beef ravioli and a side salad. Let’s see, the food didn’t make me sick and I ate my leftovers (I think out of pure hunger), but I will not be craving or desiring it again. The salad with honey mustard dressing was good and the ravioli was just mediocre. I wasn’t appalled by any of the food, but it didn’t excite my taste buds.
The biggest annoyance was paying for our bill. They have a portable credit card swiper that they bring to your table. They enter your total, you swipe your card, enter your pin if it’s debit, type in how much you want to tip, and it prints out the receipt. That’s all fine and dandy if it’s just one person, but having to sit through 4 people do this was ridiculous. I didn’t realize when I went to a restaurant, I had to provide my own service of checking out.
To summarize… I am not a fan.

Bugs in our salads, got new ones and were charged even more money. Lousy service (we had to ask for our beverage order four times!). Manager was rude and not interested in making our situation right. Steer clear!

TASTY FOOD and GREAT ATMOSPHERE is what one can expect when visiting Via Verde.
My best friend had her birthday dinner there last night and not a single person from our party complained about our food or drinks!!!
I STRONGLY Disagree with all of the negative comments written previously.
Me and my boyfriend shared a Via Verde pizza and a Sofia salad. They were both delicious and a good size. (not your typical fattening american pizza)
I spoke with the new owner and what i was told was that they are just 5 people working for your dinning experience and they are there ²⁴⁄₇.
The photos below are outdated and i think that people in Ballard should definitely visit this wonderful restaurant and give it a chance.
The place is amazing and very inexpensive with quality food and drinks :) Try their Blue Martini it was amazing :)

YUCK!
This place has already changed management, and it’s just awful. We went last week for a quick bite.
First of all, the «Open» sign was not on. The food is subpar (read, awful blue cheese dressing, nasty sandwich, and hubby’s alfredo was BROWN). And they had Animal Planet on. Animals were eating each other. Disgusting.
+1 star for cheap wine/​beer/​cocktails during happy hour. You can bet your sorry ass that I will not be back again (even with the cheap liquor).

Of all the casual Italian dining along Market Street, I think this one is quickly becoming my favorite for the following reasons:
1. Prices. Completely reasonable, with the average price of a pasta entrée being less than $ 14. The pizzas can get a little pricy, but dinner for two for me and my husband has always come in under $ 30 (we usually split a pizza and pasta)
2. Cozy atmosphere, despite the expansive space and high ceilings.
3. Food is good. Their marinara sauce has a different (but still yummy) taste than most of the Italian places in Ballard. The pizza is dependable, crispy crust but with the right amount of chewiness.
4. Late night dining and an agreeable happy hour prices.
I hadn’t read the previous Unilocal before trying this place out (sacrilege!!!), but I’m glad I didn’t, because I was able to approach Via Verde with an open mind. I’m sure they’re going through the growing pains of being a new restaurant, but I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a well-​priced sit-​down meal in downtown Ballard.

I ate at Via Verde with two friends after a movie on New Year’s Day. We each ordered pasta dishes, with a salad and garlic bread.
The salads were decent, with nice mixed baby greens, which left us hopeful for something that’s too hard to find in Seattle — decent pasta at a reasonable price.
I had the baked ziti with eggplant parmagina. The dish arrived covered with a solid layer of browned, bubbling cheese, which seemed a bit over the top. The ziti was so overcooked that I could barely fork it out of the plate, and the sauce was extraordinarily bland. The eggplant was merely a couple of slices laid across the pasta before it was covered with the layer of bland cheese.
My girlfriend had the Fettuccine Alfredo, which was had way too much lemon flavor in the sauce, and again the pasta was critically overcooked.
Our friend had spaghetti bolognese with meatballs. Again, bland sauce, bland but tender meatballs.
All of the garlic bread had never made an actual acquaintance with garlic.
Throughout our dinner, the sound system was playing stereotypical Italian music, including muzak versions of That’s Amore and Santa Lucia.
On the whole, there are so many better choices in Ballard that we will probably never go back to Via Verde.

I really want this place to succeed because it is a two minute walk from my home, and I don’t really dig Ye Olde Pee-​quliar. Unilocal readers, the reviews are all over the place. If you are in the Ballard, give Via Verde a chance. If you don’t like it, give me a call and I’ll come down and buy you a drink.
The servers are very sweet. I can tell that they are still learning the trade, but everybody needs to start somewhere, right?
I had the spinach salad and my friend had the antipasto salad. Nom. Nom. Nom.
We shared cheesy bread. It was also very good. The marinara is very good. It is seasoned well and is the perfect amount of tangy-​ness.
Their house sangiovese is very good. Smooth and not tannic like cheaper versions I’ve had at other restaurants.
I’ve not yet had the pizza or pasta, but I’ll definitely return.
I think Via Verde and it’s staff are cute and quirky. And look at the bright side, you’ll never have to wait for a table.

sigh…
I really wanted to write a glowing review of this place. I came here twice 3 months ago and had an excellent meal with excellent service. Tonight? Not so much. There has obviously been a change of owner/​manager– they’re cutting costs with everything and it’s painfully obvious.
3 months ago– I had a delicious spinach salad (with pieces of fresh-​cooked bacon and balsamic vinaigrette) with a yummy cheese pizza. The place was completely empty. Why isn’t this place packed with people?
Tonight– I had an iceberg lettuce salad with bottled Italian vinaigrette (even though I ordered balsamic) and a spaghetti with meatballs that were so rubbery and non-​beef-​tasting that I couldn’t finish one. My boyfriend had the same spinach salad as before, except the cheap, bottled Italian vinaigrette was used with semi-​raw pieces of bacon on top. The place was completely empty again… now I understand why.
I would never, ever suggest this restaurant to a friend. I give this place 1 month, tops.

First of all, my friends and I ordered Stella and what we got 30 minutes later was something that tasted like a hybrid of stale Rainier and Pabst. Now don’t get me wrong, both VERY good but together it’s not beer anymore. It’s «something» that’s been fermenting in a dirty boot.
Back to the menu, or the lack of it. All the 10 items could of easily of fit into a 60 font Times New Roman Bold Word page. If that was the case it would’ve at least been easier for them to do spell check.
This space is obviously lacking start-​up capitol, the whole restaurant seemed like it was missing half the décor and the other half was probably left there from the old Market Street Grill. We looked at the leather pouch holding our bill and it said «Market Street Grill»?
I don’t know if the kitchen was meant to be open or they just couldn’t afford walls but I don’t think it’s attractive, or a novelty, to look into a kitchen where you can see the «chefs» standing around and occasionally scratching there hair.
And for God Sake’s, the first six months it was open it didn’t even have a proper sign, it had a BANNER! «Via Verde». It might of just as well said «Don’t bother coming in because we spent all our money purchasing this space and can’t afford anything else, especially good ingredients»
On plus side: This place does have a patio. Hopefully the next restaurant that comes in (I give it three to six more months) will have good beer and good food.
If I could recommend something to the owner, besides to shut down right away and never be in the restaurant business again, is maybe provide some cheap and fast (but still good) breakfast.

Good pizza for my taste (used to pizza east of the Mississippi). Best Margherita pizza I’ve had yet and I’ve had them all around here. Haven’t tried any other dishes though.
Will agree what others have said about the place being kind of empty. I live nearby and I don’t think I’ve ever seen it full. Worth a shot at least once.

Wonderful wood-​fired pizza. The fugazza, a pizza with no red sauce, just olive oil, onions and oregano, is amazing. Great place to bring kids, especially if you sit outside.
Staff is friendly and welcoming with lots of suggestions. Let them make you a pizza! I never would have thought to put cornichons on my pie, but they did, and it was great!
Lots of reasonably priced wines and beers on tap.

This place needs to be discovered. The Margherita pizza. The crust is great. I’m from, originally, the Chicago area but I can’t stand deep dish. This is the way crust is suppose to be thin and tasty. The salad was mixed green s with roasted veggies. Very tasty. I don’t even like Tiramisu very much but this was very good. The chef is from Argentina and takes great care to get good ingredients. He loves food and loves to talk about it. In picking restaurants or anything for that matter it is usually a good sign when the person in charge is enthusiastic about what they are doing. This place is a keeper.

Been here twice in 2 weeks, and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Next door to the Ballard Sip & Ship. Great wood-​fired pizzas — good crust thickness, perfect amount of toppings (in my opinion). The spinach salad is very delicious; the perfect size and very tasty. Haven’t had a pasta yet, but will probably be trying it within the next week. Happy hour is 2:30 to 6:00, Monday through Friday, plus another happy hour the hour or so before closing, which is 20% off the entire menu. I’m a late lunch and late dinner eater, so it’s very accessible for both of those times. Everyone here is extremely nice and welcoming. You get personal greetings on your way in and out.
Their beer list seems to be growing, as tonight I had $ 3 Manny’s.
They also do take-​out and delivery, which is very pleasing to my lazy belly.
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EDIT:
Above, on 8÷1÷08, I gave this place a 5-​star review. It deserved it, it was a good place. Tonight, in mid-​October 2008, I’ve changed it to a 1-​star rating. The place is completely different. I don’t know if the owners changed, or if the place is trying to cut corners… but my meal was heinous. I ordered the same things I ordered back when I gave this place 5 stars, and the drastic difference was incredible. My spinach salad was completely drenched in cheap grocery-​store-​bought dressing, and topped with a pile of raw strips of bacon. Two months ago, the same salad had extremely good dressing (a perfect amount), and crispy tiny bits of fresh cut bacon. My pizza was OK, but it was nothing I couldn’t make at home (and I would probably do a lot better). The atmosphere of the place has completely changed. It felt like I was eating at a bad, bad, bad Italian Bennigan’s in the middle-​of-​nowhere Nebraska. Unironic Whitney Houston blasting through my meal wasn’t a happy moment. Thank god they had Red Hook, it was the only thing that got me through my meal. I should have turned around when I entered, as right from the get-​go, I could sense something was completely different than 2 months ago.
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EDIT AGAIN:
How is this place still open?

Ate there tonight at prime Ballard time. Place was all but empty except for 3 people at the bar and one other couple. We awkwardly stood around waiting to be greeted. Finally, casually one of the staff told us to «pick a seat». We waited several minutes before the next interaction where the waiter was awkward and was not familiar about the menu.
A few minutes later another couple awkwardly stood around and eventually sat down, but left about 5 minutes later, and the the guy making pizzas ran after them and asked why there were leaving, they said «they were hoping for something faster». The guy did not look happy and went back to his staff and made big gestures and retold the story sarcastically in Spanish.
We only ordered a Margherita pizza. The had a good sauce and fresh mozzarella and basil but the crust was much to think, doughy and soft.
We will not be returning. There is just too many other places to get a good pizza. I don’t see this place making past 2008.

At 10:30pm, we were hungry and had sand in our pants. Surprised to find anything open that wasn’t a dressy condo-​dweller bar, we sauntered in. We were the only people there – slow night for a new biz – and the cooks had just been let go. The owner, in a heavy Italian accent, whispered to our (very) friendly waiter. They could do salads and pizza, that ok?
Yes, it was. Between the two of us, we shared a margherita pizza and a salad. While I think the impromptu cook may not have been closely following the menu, all of the ingredients were great quality. I was so impressed with their pizza sauce I practically licked it off the plate. The mozzarella was perfectly creamy and soft. They rushed the crust, but even a little light, it was still tasty. The salad was sizable and delicious.
Thankst to happy hour (after 10pm Monday through Friday, and I think before 6 on M-​F, though I could be wrong about that one), we got 20% off, and spent just $ 15 plus tip on a really good, hearty meal.
Word to the wise – the pizza sauce is perhaps a step above Tutta Bella’s (I know, it’s scandalous that I’m saying this!), which makes the parmesan cheese in packets kinda weird. This place is a solid neighborhood pizza joint.
All it needs now is a local artist to fill their (considerable) wall space currently occupied by the Artist Known as Ikea, and little bowls of fresh parm, oh, and some Field Roast sausage on the pizza (please??).
PS We had sand in our pants from playing volleyball at Golden Gardens.

We didn’t find anything special about Via Verde. The BBQ pizza was far from the best we’d had. And the service was pitiful — my husband actually had to get up from the table twice to try to get napkins and then a drink refill. And we can’t use the excuse that they were busy — there were only 2 – 3 other tables taken.
However, they were EXTREMELY friendly and the caesar salads were spot on. If we return it will be for the salad.
We found the pricing to be a bit high, not stupid what the hell high, but just a tad. And the décor was odd — vangogh and climt posters on the walls.
Overall we didn’t think it was any better than mediocre Palermo across the way. And certainly wouldn’t be our pick for pizza, even with the fancy wood-​fire stove. We’ll likely go back and give them another shot at some point …after they hire some additional wait staff.

Wooohooo! I’m SO excited to have this place in my hood!
I ate here tonight and I might just be back again tomorrow!
They’ve been open now for about four days (it’s where Market Street Grill used to be), and while they’re still getting the opening kinks (lighting, beer, service) worked out, overall, we were extremely happy with our dining experience.
We were seated promptly in the spacious dining area. We immediately noticed the giant wood burning pizza oven and knew we had to order a little something from that.
Nice selection of salads, pizzas, sandwiches, and appetizers. We ordered the Margarita pizza, the Prosciutto Sandwich, a roasted vegetable salad, and the chicken wings.
Currently there are only two beers on tap (Hales Pale Ale is one of them), and one bottle (Heinekin), but they assured us that they are working with the beer and wine reps to get more of a selection in in the next few weeks. I had a glass of Syrah and it was pretty dang good.
Now. on to the FOOD!
We realized quickly that the people here take their food seriously. The woman making pizzas was rolling dough (pretty much the whole time). They were all speaking Italian. These were all good things.
The pizza was perfectly cooked, had a light sweet tomato sauce and the crust was thin and golden brown. It was excellent!
And all of this before the wings came.
Now, I love my wings. but these. Seriously, these take the cake! They were golden brown and pan fried and the rub was spicy with chili flakes and oregano. They came with a sweet spicy BBQ sauce that completely perfected this little winged dreams. We could have easily eaten several orders of these bad boys, they were that good.
The Prosciutto Sandwich was also pretty tasty. We decided that while the bread was just ‘meh’, the prosciutto was ‘yay’. It came with a huge side salad that I ended up eating because my salad. well. it just never came, which was actually okay b/​c by that time, we were stuffed.
Super reasonable. All pies are around $ 10– 14, sandwiches from $ 7– 10. and salads– $ 7– 12. They’ve got an amazing looking Misto salad, as well as a Caprese that looked equally good.
The portions were big and filling and everything tasted great. The vegetables in everything we ordered were fresh, and I think we all walked away feeling sated, but not stuffed, which is a good thing.
Their staff was super nice and accommodating, but the service was a bit slow– mostly b/​c I think they were little overwhelmed. Hey, they’re new. I’ll give them a break.
I will be back very soon. They’re open 7 days a week– 11am– 11pm. I have to try a plate of the baseball sized meatballs that we saw come out of the kitchen.
Seriously. these people aren’t messin’ around with their Italian.
and I like it.