Cicchetti

We have visited here a couple of times and had a great time. Especially their small plates and their cicchettis are really, really worth going there for. Service is probably the best in Seattle with personable and attentive servers. For example: My boyfriend ordered a second round of the same draft beer he had been drinking. Apparently, something was wrong with the tap and it came out half an inch short of a full glass. The bartender came down to serve it — on the house, of course — apologized (no need!) and went to find another beer for him to try. Great cocktails (the bar makes whatever you’d like, even if it’s not on the menu — oh, and a KILLER dirty martini). Open clean kitchen with skilled chefs, and a beautiful place overall. I can’t praise this place enough, it is lovely!

Pretty small building but they make it work. Staff is very friendly. Food was very good overall (a couple small complaints). Make sure to get the lentil soup, delicious.

Came here the first time for Seattle restaurant week. Love everything about this place! Delicious drinks and food! Smoked eggplant fritters and pomegranate muhamarrah are the winners from meze! Oven — roasted branzino is absolutely delicious!
The place is beautiful and cozy. The staff is very friendly and attentive. I will recommend it to everyone!

I tried this place with some friends for the first time as part of Seattle’s Restaurant Week. We agreed to be seated upstairs and were surprised with an amazing view of Lake Union at sunset on the intimate balcony. I think now I’m spoiled and will always want the balcony when I go back.
The food was all scrumptious. We got six cicchetti as appetizers and split them between the three of us. The eggplant fritters were so good I regretted decided to split the dishes. I could have inhaled all three myself and still wanted more. The white bean dip with flatbread was also delicious. For my main course, I had the over-​roasted branzino, with perfectly crisped skin. Churros with with sherry caramel for dessert topped off this excellent meal. I will definitely be returning.

Wow. This is a perfect place. The food is amazing, the service is warm and thoughtful. If you go upstairs you can enjoy great views of Queen Anne, Lake Union, bridges, etc. Highly recommended dishes: steak tartare, steamed clams, feta pistachio dip.

One of the two best restaurants in Seattle along with serafina. The small plates are all incredible, the beef tartare, zucchini and salt cod fritters, the muhamarrah (and all the dips) along with fresh made bread are all delicious. The fattoush salad is amazingly good, one of the best salads I have ever had. The clams, lamb keftas, and the qual are all spectacular. The steak and salmon are the best large entrees too. The fries are crispy and great. All of the desserts are luscious and yummy as well. Must visit this amazing place!

I am always looking for three things when eating out. Good food, good cocktails, good service. Fortunately in Seattle that’s not hard to find — but when you get GREAT food, GREAT cocktails, and GREAT service combined with a gorgeous outdoor patio with lovely weather it’s just the cherry on top.
Think of Ciccetti when you want to woo someone. Think of it as a date spot, a place to take your boss, or just a place to feel and be awesome. I had an extraordinary time here recently attending their anniversary party and felt like the world’s dumbest person for not making it a higher priority to get here sooner.
Can’t wait to come back to eat more, drink more, and sign up for next year’s anniversary party in the meantime. I hear it sells out months and months in advance. I can see why! This place knocked my socks off.

spiced quail fantastic. apricot quail pesto and pistachios. Charming patio. attentive service. great bar.

I spent a long time choosing between «eek! methinks not.» and «meh, i’ve experienced better» and chose the latter.
GF was in town from Chicago, and luckily on Rest. Wk.
I started out my evening at sister rest– Serafina at the bar, while waiting for my gf. The bartenders were very attentive and really knowledgeable. and raved about cicchetti next door, i was excited. We were originally getting reservations at a different restaurant but the octopus and the steak drew me here so we decided to give it a shot.
It was sunny afternoon, and we met up for dinner, when we arrived at cicchetti, it was very crowded, a good sign. when we first met the host we asked about our reservations and he told us very abruptly that it wasn’t ready and disappeared for 10 minutes or so. We’d occasionally see him reappear grabbing menus thinking it was for our table but to no avail. I felt a bit self conscious just chatting and waiting in front of a couple sitting down next to us… i wish they offered bar seating or something while we waited… it was a let down.
That set the tone for the rest of the evening, once we were seated we looked at the menus and got the following
Harissa-​Braised Octopus, Corona Beans, Asparagus, Garlic & Espelette
Octopus was slightly overdone, but i appreciated the asparagus and corona bean variety, the sauce was ok but it didn’t stand out to me. I have a slight obsession with octopus, and would say this isnt’ terribly overdone, but slightly.
Lamb Kefta, Tahini Yogurt, Frisee, Pickled Fennel & Scallion
The meat was dry with plenty of seasoning, while i do admit that lamb should be a bit gamey, this was actually interesting to eat. given the yogurt sauce was provided with it. if eaten alone, it would have been too dry and salty for my tastes.
Oven-​Roasted New York Strip Steak, Rosemary-​Saged Fries & Brandy Peppercorn Reduction
this was probably the biggest let down of the meal. I was looking forward to this the most. i ordered a medium rare, and received a medium steak… but I was starving. the steak looked great, but the looks and the exp eating it did not match sadly. the meat was really tough and had a lot of tendon paces. i was surprised when i had some bites and actually bit into charred/​crispy fat instead of meat. at one point the meat was so tough to actually cut i had to pull onit with my fork and mouth to seperate it… my gf wanted to take a pic because of my slight resemblance to fido. :(
Sesame-​Chocolate Semifreddo & Candied Orange
This was recommended, and reminded me of a snickers ice cream bar. i didn’t mind it and liked the candy orange, but i was hoping for a little more. maybe they should hve added a peanut brittle instead to make it more like a snickers ice cream experience.
Honey-​Coriander Cake, Rhubarb-​Rose Petal Jam & Vanilla Ice Cream
the cake was dry and dense but the cream and jam were delightful.
it took quite a while before our food order to get our actual food… but once it started coming out it was a steady flow of food. our server was there enough for us to make requests. and we were seated in a nice corner upstairs.
overall i wish some of the dishes were more stellar.
i think the highlight of our experience was when we were leaving and had someone take our pic together. i was disappointed after hearing great things from next door and seeing the offerings for seattle rest. wk. (also slightly guilty for reccomending this place to my gf for her visit)

I used to live right around the corner and was great for happy hour and dates – particularly because I was lazy and if I didn’t like my date I would just zoom outs there so fast. For friends, it was a fun place to check out both during the summer and winter. It’s a really cute space and my friend used to be a waitress there!

Cicchetti is a Mediterranean restaurant in Eastlake that participated in Restaurant Week (RW). My friend and I made dinner reservations for a weeknight, and the place was popping. We had to wait ten minutes for our table.
Cicchetti has a bar and table seating downstairs outside and inside, and larger tables upstairs.
Three courses were offered for RW. We ordered the octopus appetizer, lamb kebab appetizer, and steak for the entrée.
Lamb kebabs were over-​spiced, and the spices masked the naturally gamey taste of the lamb. Texture of the kebabs made me feel the balls had been pre-​made, frozen, and defrosted for dinner service.
Octopus was crispy, but overcooked: octopus meat was not tender under the crispy skin.
Steak was seasoned well-​flavorful but very fatty. My dinner mate and I had difficulty cutting through the steak. Fries were fried and seasoned well with rosemary, but too salty for DM and my taste.
For dessert, I got a slice of cake with fruit sauce and crème fraîche. Crème fraîche was perfect in texture and added great moisture to the very dry cake.
Overall, I couldn’t help but feel that RW failed to show Cicchetti in a good light. Cicchetti didn’t live up to my and DM’s expectations: from service to food, I was disappointed by my first and perhaps last experience here.

*Dang! They still have it, such amazing food, wood fired pizza was better than ever and your staff is so friendly and sharp
*After a miserable experience last night at the INSANELY over rated Westward across the lake, we came here and were not let down, everything was perfect
*Please don’t change a single thing, just keep doing exactly what you are doing. Seriously,

A friend and I went here for some small plates, and were blown away. The service was perfect. There when you needed her, gone when you wanted some conversation. Offered us coffee after dinner, which is the first time ever in Seattle for me.
The food: innovative and amazing. We had brussel sprouts with some innovative date/​molasses sauce on them, plus a roasted artichoke with skordala. It was amazing. The atmosphere was calm and quiet. The view of downtown Seattle– perfection.
My friend was completely amazed and named it her new favorite place ever. It does have mostly small plates, but the tastes are unique and stunning on your palate. The cost is reasonable. Try it; it will make other dining experience pale in comparison.

Found this place because we wanted to take the parents out but didn’t want to subject them to the horrors of parking in capitol hill. So glad I did this because this place is a sweet gem that all of us were able to enjoy. Located off on a side street we were able to find parking nearby and when we walked up to the restaurant I was so pleased at how remote it felt compared to other locations. It is a tight space that really makes for an intimidate dining experience. If you have never been here before TRUST the wait staff. They will guide you through how to order off of their menu.
Everything comes in a tapas style and so don’t hold back to order as many as your palette desires. I can’t remember what I ordered specifically but I can say we loved everything we tried. My personal favorite being the brussels sprouts. I am definitely glad that this was the last place we stopped for our last meal in Seattle. We are definitely visiting again the next time around :)

Cicchetti is the crown jewel in my collective Restaurant Week experience. I mean in all the years I have been doing this nothing has come close to Cicchetti in terms of value, quality, and presentation.
There was excellent value in the Restaurant Week menu. Allowing you to choose from a few Cicchetti’s (Italian Tapas) or a small plate, a large plate, and dessert! No skimping here. The Potato Leek Croquettes were to die for and every course wow’ed us with each bite.
The service was attentive and warm without being overbearing. And the space is really cute. It seems to be a re-​purposed house and has a comfy feel.
They definitely took advantage of Restaurant Week and showcased themselves in a way which left me dying to return.

I’ve often wondered what lied beyond the patio of Serafina… after all it looked like a mythical place. However, other things got in the way of my research efforts. You know, pizza, laundry, sleep, vodka, sleep, hot dogs, more vodka, and things like that. However it took a trip to Seattle, a casual dinner with friends, and a failed attempt to get a reservation at a few other establishments for us to finally stumble upon this hidden gem. Needless to say, if the mood for a Mediterranean inspired meal should arise, look no further.
Cicchetti is simple and isn’t complex. Its a tapas style menu with Mediterranean flavors that shine. It showcases quality ingredients with superb skill that keeps the flavors fresh and the appearance beautiful. The menu screams to be shared so that you can really experience it all.
Our group started with a trio of appetizers. The beef tartare with tahini was simple but bold. The rich and earthy flavors of the beef were brought to life with the spice of the tahini. While the fried octopus was tender and the citrus flavors mixing with the charred skin. I can’t remember the third one… oh well.
The oven roasted steak was perfectly cooked to request and the red-​wine reduction brought out a bite to the dish and the fries were well executed with a crispy shell and a steamed center. The pan seared halibut with clams and pesto oil was divine. The fish cooked perfectly and was brought to life with the saltiness from the clams and their juices or the pesto oil. Simple, but brought together beautifully.
Service was good with our staff showing attention without being disruptive. Water never went empty and food arrived in a well-​timed orchestration so that we could casually enjoy our dinner with out succumbing to the whim of a full stomach while not leaving needing more.
The ambiance was beautiful with the rustic feel as if you were in a french country kitchen and some lovely views of the lake. Its romantic feel was perfect for a date, while the rustic feel was homey for that group outing. Make reservations though, it ain’t that big so it could fill up very quickly.

Came over a year ago for Seattle Restaurant Week and have also dined at their sister restaurant, Serafina. The ambiance is pretty cool, dark, lively, intimate, but public. They have a nice bar where you can sit and watch the drink and food prep.
Their menu is centered around Mediterranean flavors which are my favorite. They have appetizer plates where you can select bites of several different options which I love. I tried their brussel sprouts, croquettes, and red pepper dip. All were great, the highlight were the brussels. For an entrée I had the cod with clams in a nice fragrant broth. This dish was very unique and delicious. For dessert I shared the chocolate mousse with crostini and the orange olive oil cake with the boy. They surprisingly paired well together and were very much enjoyed.
We ordered two bottles of wine for our long dinner between four people. Very good selection of wine and ½ priced wine on Tuesdays nights let you really splurge on a good wine. I would come back!

Cicchetti stands for small dishes– i would describe this place to have an italian, french vibe with a meditteranean palette. If you like al-​fresco dining in a secret patio like atmosphere, you should definately try this place.
the appetizers are small… like one baguette slice. one bite.
the entrees were decent, medium sized. I had the falafels which were my favorite because it was dressed with pureed beets (love pureed veggies with my entrees) and topped with a nice nutty spinach salad.
The chicken was raw inside when we got started digging in so we had to take it back.
One thing I loved is the wine buckets. keeps your bottle of wine nice and chilled throughout your meal.

This is one impressive venue. The food is without a doubt excellent, and the setting is very relaxing. The only exception I have to this restaurant is that the seating upstairs is a little «tight», being that you are almost elbowing the person at the table next to you. Also, you can see into the condos next to the restaurant. Not the fault of Chicetti, yet it’s «interesting» to say the least. Oh yes, no parking garage here, so you’ll have to take your chances in parallel parking on the street. Yet even this isn’t so terrible, provided on the time that you arrive.
Aside from that, the beef tar tar appetizer with pomegranate dip + flat bread squares stand out as highly memorable. The music enhances the already vibrant ambiance, and the server (Mia was mine twice) provides excellent and timely customer service.
The downstairs bar is fine, yet the seating there is a bit tight there as well. There is a long granite table in front of the bar that is advisable to sit at while you await your table. Note that Chicetti’s is closed on Sundays yet Serafina next door is very much a viable alternative.
The designers and management certainly hit a home run with this venue. Chicetti’s, you know I’ll be back!

It’s time for a Cicchetti review update! This is a good happy hour spot for both food and drinks.
You can get three mini appetizers called cicchetti for $ 10 (normally $ 12). Get the castelvetrano olives! And the bean dip is very good too. to be honest I haven’t had one that I didn’t like. $ 2 off draught beer. $ 5 mini pizza for the margherita, or $ 6 for the daily special pizza. I always end up getting the special pizza because it’s fun stuff like sausage, onions, etc. The pizzas are about 6″ diameter if I had to guess. So don’t split one unless you’re a delicate flower.
They have good looking main courses, but make reservations as it gets pretty full the closer you get to dinner time. Happy hour usually has plenty of seating.
Friendly service, with lots of refill offers. They serve beer a little too cold, but they’re more known for wine and cocktails than beer, I think. Their homemade nonalcoholic drinks are really good! Cocktails are strong and fairly interesting.
Street parking only. Lots of vegetarian options during happy hour.