Ristorante Simone

CLOSED — tried to make reservations for this evening and got a voice recording saying that their restaurant is now closed. Sorry that we never got the chance to try it.
Gave average rating because I never got the chance to try it

Service was really good. We each tried something different gnocchi, Halibut (the special) and chicken picatta. All were excellent. We also had the capreese salad as an appetizer. It was well done too.

We have eaten here as a family several times. Our party included senior citizens as well as teenagers and 9 year old. I can not say enough about how wonderful it is to have almost any dish we selected to be delicious and as represented on the menu.
We ate at another well known local Italian recently for a birthday celebration and it could not touch Simon’s level of excellence. We also enjoy their Happy Hour time.
I want to add that the hosting and service is gracious and we always feel welcomed.
Carly Gilchrist
Sammamish, WA

When the food is fantastic it merits a four star review on Unilocal!The restaurant kitchen seems to go through cycles a couple times a year, but the last four times in a row the food was exceptional. I feel safe giving them a fantastic review, but I hope I don’t jinx it! Prawn appetizer, calamari, and pizza are all musts. Avoid the steak appetizer — very mediocre. Fresh fish of the day has been perfect. Chicken piccata is cooked exactly like you would expect in a traditional Italian kitchen. Saltimboca very good when cooked to perfection — there have been a couple of times and it’s been over cooked. Meatballs are a delight, it makes me feel like Rick is back in The kitchen or more closely overseeing things. Sangria for the summer really really good combined with the outdoor dining and heaven in Sammamish!

Now I know why they have so many tables empty. Their ambience is pretty good but the food is average quality. I feel I can make better quality pasta at home. I got the veggie pasta and my husband got a chicken. You can split a pasta plate and customize it for few bucks. It was very bland with only the white sauce without any seasonings. I gave it 3 stars because of the deserts. We got tiramisu and molten lava cake. Although they are better in cheese cake factory but for a restaurant in Sammamish it is pretty fine. The service was alright. Not that great !

The best local place! Erick is one of the best waiters ever! The calamari is still amazing! And the pino noir
Scratch that!!! Came in on a slow Monday. Ordered filet med rare. It came well done and sent it back… After everyone was done eating oh my steak came! Yay I’m super hungry!!! Low and behold the steak was not cooked and was purple?! Purple?! No thank you! The consultation for having to go home and cook for myself was the under cooked steak for free. Which was left in the to go box which I did not ask for!!!
Talking with the manager on duty. We aren’t going to charge you. Oh that’s nice for the steak that I can not eat?! Did you know that they make their own steaks? That’s so nice you probably should show Jose who has been there for 4 years how to cook one. Oh and the guy who comes in twice a week should probably have me cook a steak for him… We heard we wont charge you 4 times no joke. It will be a long time before we come back here! I might as well cook for everyone if I have to cook for myself.

Aweful! The worst pasta we’ve ever had. I had the gnocchi and it was a big pile of mush. The pesto pasta the rest of my party had was over cooked. Think the cooks need to take a pasta 101 class. Ever heard of al dente? The staff was nice hence the one star but we will not be returning at least not at the prices we paid.

Love the atmosphere and the waitstaff, I would go back just for that fact. But, the food was also amazing, which just topped the evening off. I would have given it 5 stars, but a few key components were missing. When we were offered parmesan, we were not offered freshly grated, it was set on the table in dishes. We requested a specific after dinner drink, they didn’t have it and were not familiar with it. Overall, I will be back on a regular basis. I absolutely loved my meal and cannot or would not say anything bad about that. And, our server Chelsea, was absolutely delightful & very accommodating.

I came in with low expectations; we were last here about 2.5 years ago when they first opened when I wrote my original review. That original visit wasn’t a great experience — frozen ravioli mismatched between beef and cheese, strange gnocchi, and a rather indifferent wait staff.
Tonight’s visit was much better. The bread to start was warm, soft, and tasty. The caesar salad was done really nicely too — usually these are dripping in dressing but it came out with a nice, even layer that wasn’t overpowering.
Entrees were good as well. The gnocchi dish this time, a cream base with sausage, was really very good. The gnocchi were cooked really well, like little potato pillows. The chicken parm was solid, though it was served with fettuccine alfredo which seemed strange. Had I noticed this on the menu, I’d have requested a tomato base rather than the alfredo… guess I should read the menu closer!
For dessert, the tiramisu was great. It is so rare to get tiramisu with lady fingers that have been properly soaked in good espresso. It often seems like they just layer lady fingers in there without soaking them. Simone’s did it right though — it was really very tasty and the perfect size to split.
Overall, I am disappointed that I took 2.5 years to give Simone’s another try. The food quality is much better than I remember it and I can definitely say that we will be back soon.

Excellent ambiance, exquisite cuisine and great service, even on crowded days…
It is not «just» Italian. It is an experience! Love it!

Open dining room, can be noisy. calarmari good, service attentive, decent wine list: not a lot of choices but some different. Good pizza too, lava cake was good. Overall a good experience.

An Italian gem! The food is wonderful we have been back 3 times and everything has tasted wonderful. The pasta dishes are cooked perfectly, the service is top notch and the drinks are plentiful. Saturday nights can get a bit crowded and the service slows to a crawl but its still worth the wait
If I had to be nit picky I would say the happy hour discount is just ok, if you are interested in HH this might not be the best value, but we still love this restaurant because the food is so fabulous.

Friendly staff, good food, nice atmosphere, a clean restaurant. I love the spaghetti and meatballs, my wife always gets the cheese ravioli and house wine. I don’t drink alcohol but the bar area seems popular during happy hour. Parking has never been a problem even when it’s the middle of dinner time. They have a patio you can eat outside if you like.

I notice the ambiance of Simone right away. Very classy spacious place with an open dining room concept that blended right into their gorgeous outdoor patio. The staff was professional, polite and knowledgeable. Their menu is very diverse. Something for everyone. Even a gluten free menu loaded with options for people like me with food intolerances. The one thing that stood out the most to me were the small details. Things that might go unnoticed were noticed. Like the food, so beautifully plated. Not one thing was out of place. We took our children along and they had delicious hand made pizzas that looked to die for, my husband had the chicken parmesan and I had shrimp with GF pasta overall, everything was wonderful and we will be back again. Very very good Italian food.

We had dinner at Restaurante Simon last night and this was delightful dining experience. The service was great and the wait staff was knowledgable, attentive and at the top of their game. Menu was had many selections to choose from but was not over bearing. The atmosphere and decode we’re modern, stylish, warm and inviting. The food was excellent, flavorful and done perfectly. I had the linguini and clams in meat sauce which had more clams then I had ever had before in ordering this dish. The clams were very fresh as was the linguini and the sauce was robust, flavorful and one of the best that I have ever had. This was a great dining experience that I would recommend to all and we definitely be regulars at this establishment.
Bravo to them for a job well done and ou thanks for a delightful dining experience!

I absolutely love this place. The food is absolutely amazing, starting with their wonderful complimentary bread all the way to their desserts and cocktails. The service is wonderful, and the restaurant is great! We love going here for date nights!
I highly recommend… well everything on the menu! Yes, it’s THAT good!

Dare I say it? The BEST Italian food we’ve EVAAAR had?!
PROs:
* The food is so freakin GOOD! I’m writing this the day after… and as I sit here at my desk, my mouth is watering thinking of the food :/​I NEED MOAR RIGHT MEOW
* Wait staff was friendly, quick, and KNOWLEDGEABLE about the menu. We were impressed: p
* Beautiful «classy» décor. Nansay used to work in interior design, designing business colleges etc… so for her to really enjoy the artistic pieces says a lot
* The complimentary fresh baked bread with garlic & herb olive oil was soooo bomb
* Full bar along with a decent sized wine list
CONs:
* With exception to Sunday, they are only open during dinner hours
* The location… for us, this place is pretty deep, it’s around 6+miles away from i-​90 through slow mph town roads.
* Asked for the gnocchi but they were all out :(
* Pricey! But honestly… for food THIS good, I would argue that it’s worth it.
ITEMS ORDERED: **see our photos**
* Steak Bites, Spaghetti Carbonara, Tortellini
OTHER COMMENTS:
* Lots of parking in a parking garage a floor below the restaurant. There is also plenty of parking all around the restaurant.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
We came here on the recommendation of Nansay’s Italian co-​worker. He said that his family comes here often, and LOVES the food here. We were NOT disappointed! As the title says above, we agreed that this was the best Italian food we’ve ever had. Pasta was made perfectly with just enough of a bite to it, yummy pancetta as well as its juices were in every bite, bread was soft and light, olive oil with herbs was so simplistic, yet so delicious. Rest assured we will be back again and again!

I’m conflicted. I really really want to give a great review because of the positive’s about Ristorante Simone. But at the same time, the negative’s of the restaurant are glaring.
PROS:
Conveniently located on the Plateau.
Rarely a wait.
Rucola Pizza is amazing. (light tomato sauce, cheese, with arugula, prosciutto, and parmesan cheese drizzled with white truffle oil)
The tortellini is comfort food at it’s best. (meat filled tortellini, light cream sauce, peas and ham)
Tuesday Ladies night.
CONS:
Completely inconsistent food. One dish is great one time, the next it is horrid.
Overpriced for a family restaurant.
The secondi dishes are completely underwhelming. (veal picatta was dry, tough and under seasoned. Chicken gorgonzola tasted like frozen chicken breast and totally uncreative.)
Service is awkward and inattentive.
Décor is confusing and distracting.
Caprese is ridiculous. Save your money. It is literally mealy unripe tomatoes and sliced tough grocery store mozzarella balls for $ 10.95.
So, despite the very weighty «cons», we still go back once a month. We know now what to order after much trial and error and appreciate the location.

Went here for a nice dinner — the décor was nice but it must have been a big bar night because it was awful loud.
Our server was nice enough. But neither of us cared for the food we ordered. My boyfriend said his ravioli tasted as though it was the frozen stuff while my gnocchi was not really up to par either. I didn’t care for the sauce and thought it was a little overcooked.
Not sure if we’ll try this place again — would probably need better incentives to do so.

This location has changed ownership/​restaurants so many times I haven’t been able to keep up. I like what Ristorante Simone has done with the space, but the décor is a bit cold and stark.
They were quite busy on a Friday night but service was still swift and attentive. The appetizer calamari was good but I would have passed on the bruschetta. Was able to sample the entrees of everyone with me and all were tasty. For dessert, the lava chocolate soufflé was pretty average. Portions were normal, but abnormally small for a typical Italian restaurant.
I’d say Ristorante Simone is probably the «best» spot on the plateau and if you live nearby, definitely give it a try. My only complaint was that the bar area is only a few feet away from the tables and it can get a bit noisy.