DeNunzio’s

**OUT OF BUSINESS AS OF MARCH 1, 2010** I actually really liked this place. I only went a few times but each time the waitress said we could either eat off the menu or tell them how much we wanted to spend and they’d build a meal around that. They just ask if you have any food allergies or dislikes. I did the latter most of the times I went and got at least a salad or antipasto and 2 courses (family style) for under $ 30. I never really experienced that in a restaurant before and it felt very friendly. I felt «at home» almost. The food was pretty good but not spectacular. The place was almost always empty, though and that’s probably why they went out of business.

The smell of molds combined with cigarette smoke wafting down the stairs into this dank basement location are the highlights.
A Friday night hunger and romantic notions of intimacy caused temporary insanity when the owner, a charismatic Italian, arrived at our table and coerced us into letting let him make all the choices.
He did, it was awful and we’ll never return. I am convinced he fed us his left-​overs. In the end, it all tasted like BS to us and, the bill came in at more than $ 100.00. Yes, we’re the fools but he gets the shame. It felt criminal.

If I could give this place negative stars, I would.
Initially, I arrived late for dinner with my mom and a couple of other mother/​daughter duo’s, so I wasn’t there for the water-​refill debacle, but was clued in later. Apparently Luigi was being stingy/​rude about sending more water carafe’s their way and it had actually made them ponder leaving, to look for another restaurant.
Yet the old broads at the table told us silly youngsters that he was old school, to just be patient and stay and order our food.
Well, we tried. We really, really wanted to order food, for we were all starving and ready for some Italian. 30 minutes later, the water and the bottle of red we had ordered, finally came our way. Unfortunately, so did our wine glasses, with Luigi’s fingers gripping the insides of the glasses (gag). We said nothing, for he had already told us silly women to remain seated, unbothersome, and to let him do his job.
Um, what?
He leaves and we fill our glasses ourselves. Fine. With some wine on the palette I know I’m feeling a bit better, but still antsy and ready to order (where the hell does he keep going to, for there is only one other table???). 15 minutes later FINALLY he comes around, obviously annoyed that he even has to talk to us. My mother then asks the question that was apparently in such bad form it sent him into a fierce rage, «Can we have some bread?» Was all that uttered out of those starving lips (damn her and her addiction to carbs). His response??? «I get you bread after dinner». «But can we get bread before dinner?»
Pause. Face reddening. «OUT. Out. Out of my restaurant».
So we did what any group of women with class would do, we chugged our bottle of free wine and left, hungry and hungry to find another place that could accommodate our basic needs of food and drink.
So basically, we got kicked out for asking for more water and bread. I’ve thought a lot about that night since then. Were we rude? Did we act in any manor that would justify him demanding us to leave? The answer is no. We didn’t do anything wrong. We walked right into his male-​PMS and it will forever change how I look at First and Cherry Street.
Luigi can suck it.

I’ve been here a few times for lunch and dinner, mostly because it is one of the few Italian options near work.
Having tried multiple pastas, I am really NOT a fan of this place. I think the pastas I make at home taste better and have better ingredients, and I am by no means a great cook.
Once when I came here for dinner with a big group, we were talked into paying a set price for a multi-​course chef’s choice meal with salad, pasta, meat entrees, and wine. The results were very disappointing — the chicken was overly acidic, the wine did not appeal to any of us — and we definitely felt as if we would have gotten more food of better quality by ordering individually.
If you’re stuck in the downtown area and are craving Italian, you might as well go to Il Fornaio. If you are not restricted by location, go elsewhere, such as Volterra in Ballard!

Quite simply, the best Italian food to be had in Seattle for my money.
I’ve been to Denunzio’s twice, and both times I’ve been impressed by both the food and the location. The second time was last Saturday night, and my girlfriend and I got there at about 9:45. The place was almost empty and we could tell they were about to close, but the owner, Luigi, welcomed us in with a smile and we were quickly seated at an excellent table in the corner. Though we stayed well past closing time and were the last patrons inside, the service was excellent and helpful, never intrusive or rushed.
The restaurant is reached by a set of stairs from the street, down underground. By the time you go through the heavy double door and enter, the sounds of the street outside have faded to almost nothing. The space is lit softly but not too dim, and the interior is rich with warm colors and what seems like a lifetime’s worth of objects and decorations — paintings and colored glass vases and ceramic plates. It’s beautiful and serene, the perfect place for a night out.
The food is, in a word, sublime. On the most recent visit we shared the penne pollo pesto and the veal marsala, coupled with a bottle of red wine. All were delicious and well-​balanced in terms of flavor and portion size — we enjoyed every bite! We finished the meal with a piece of tiramisu, a slight disappointment, but still a good way to top off an excellent dinner.
Denunzio’s is moderately pricy but won’t break the bank. It has a quiet, intimate feeling even though it is in the midst of bustling downtown Seattle, and is a near-​perfect place for an excellent date. The food is the most authentic Italian food I’ve ever tasted, and delicious to boot! Highly recommended!

OK the arguments about price are valid, and he was smoking, but as a smoker, I loved being able to hang out and have my post dinner cigarette without stepping outside, a luxury that I haven’t had in about four years.
Anyhow, the food was terrific, the atmosphere was like being in a Sicilian home. Luigi is gregarious and fun, and if you are offended by his welcoming attitude and humor, well, I’m glad I’m not you.
Bring your appetite and forget about the mainstream, Americanized Italian restaurants around the city, this is as good as Seattle has to offer.

I understand that accommodating a large party can be difficult, there were 30 people in our party for a birthday dinner. Luigi was there that night serving and taking drink orders. Some of the people in the party felt that he was a little rude, I will just chalk it up to his personality/​humor.
We started with what I believe to be garlic bread, but it was more like cold stale bread. The salad was decent, a little heavy on the dressing but edible. The second course was some sort of pasta dish that had no flavor. The next course was assorted meats: chicken, pork and sausage. I had a bite of the chick and pork, both were extremely dry. We finished off with a platter for desert which looked like liver. That’s the only way I can describe it. I never had such awful food. I really wish I had the wonderful dining experience that other people have mentioned. Oh, did I mention that Luigi was smoking in the restaurant and that there was a dog in the kitchen?! YUCK and EWWW.

This place was amazing. Ah-​may-​zing. I cannot even truly speak to its excellence.
As a Denverite in town for a weekend, I had asked former Seattle dwellers for dinner suggestions, and two came up with DeNunzio’s. My friend and I had a big of trouble finding parking, and getting down the stairs (definitely not easily accessible for anyone with dis/​ability issues), but once there, it made up for it all. I even made a joke on the way down the stairs about how this had better be the best Italian meal of my life… and well, it was.
The menu itself is pretty small. Our waitress, Adriana, was very friendly, but not pushy. When I explained I was a vegetarian, she gave me some great suggestions of how to adapt already existing menu items, but then she suggested their «schtick» of Mangia Mangia to us; $ 30 a person for unlimited chef’s specials. You just told them what you didn’t eat (in our case, meat or fish), and voila, out come creative dishes. My friend and debated it, but realized for the price of an antipasto and a meal a piece, we were well on our way to $ 30, and decided to give it ago.
One of the most brilliant decisions ever made. We started out with a delicious rustic garlic bread, and a spinach/​tomato/​mushroom/​parmesan salad with a dressing to die for. Following that was one of the best dishes I’ve ever laid tongue on; a risotto primavera; creamy, tender, and full of delicious zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and more. As if that wasn’t a gastronomic masterpiece, next Luigi (the owner) and Adriana brought us an amazing bruschetta (I’m not usually the biggest tomato person, but finished more than my share) and a tower of grilled vegetables and cheese.
Now, this was a perfect example of the slight gruff, authentic Italian chef coming out. The veggie tower started to fall, so he grabbed both my fork, and that of my friend to right it. I wasn’t sure what the cheese was (it looked like it might be fish or chicken breast), so I asked. He looked at me, and asked if I ate cheese. When I acquiesced, he said «good. Now shut up and eat.» While this might seem brusque to some, it was perfect given the traditional Italian atmosphere, and had my dining companion and I doubled up in laughter.
Upon finishing this dish, my friend and I debated on another dish or not before dessert. Curiosity alone demanded one final concoction, and it was well beyond worth it. Polenta with a cream and pistachio sauce. I couldn’t even conceive how someone would come up with this, but it was absolutely mouthwatering. Brilliant, really.
Now stuffed, the dessert was brought. Tiramisu. It was a good tiramisu — don’t get me wrong. Huge portion, very light and fluffy, not too soaked, yet not to dry. However, how could it not pale in comparison to all of the delicacies we already had consumed? Delicious, yes! But not nearly as memorable as the other options.
My friend had a glass of the house white, a slightly sweet pinot grigio, that definitely accompanied the food well. I myself chose an ice tea. The service was a little slow with only one server, but it was nice to sit and digest, and she was incredibly friendly, talkative and eager to please.
Having lived in Europe, and on the East Coast, I can still confidently say that this was one of the top five tastiest meals of my life. I’ve already called my friends and my partner (who is Italian), and have told them that we must absolutely come back to visit; my dining partner is already planning her next date night for here. While I can see that it’s certainly a different type of dining experience, I can’t fathom how anyone could not fall in love with this place. It may be one of the shining reasons for return visits to this area.

Wow, just got a message from the owners and they still have the unlimited lunches available. You just have to ask. It is called Mangia Mangia I believe. Very nice ownership and these meals can not be beaten. The surprise element is wonderful (reminiscent of the Elemental in Wallingford).

I am updating my review to say that the owner contacted me on Unilocal to make the situation better. I totally appreciate the effort to make it right.

WOW. This was hands-​down the worst dining experience I’ve had in a long time — even worse because I had heard such good things about what an amazing place it was. If I could give it less than one star, I would.
We were a group of 14 people who were there for a birthday dinner. Large group of repeat customers and first-​timers… you’d think they’d want to make sure we had a great experience, right? Nope. The problems started when we sat down — they didn’t have a table arrangement large enough for us, so we had to sit at two separate tables and carry our own food platters back and forth. The birthday girl who had organized the dinner had spoken on the phone with the owner about setting a $ 20-​per-​person price for a family-​style dinner, but the waitress made a face and said, «Well, our family-​style starts at $ 25 per person.» We agreed to that, thinking that with wine, it would be about $ 35 – 40 per person — a lot, but I had been assured by several people that it would be a ton of great food.
Wrong again! In fairness, we had several veggie/​vegan people in our party, so they had different main courses. But I had a salad, garlic bread, a small serving of pesto pasta, a small piece of lemon chicken, one glass of not-​great white wine, and a tiny piece of tiramisu… for SEVENTY DOLLARS. Many of us weren’t even full, because we were taking tiny portions to share and because we thought there would be much more coming.
Of course places like this make their money with the booze, and they were charging $ 30 a bottle for wine that definitely wasn’t worth that much. At some point, a tray of limoncello cordials appeared… it was never mentioned that this was extra, or how much it would cost, but we later found out those were TEN DOLLARS each. Needless to say, they weren’t ten-​dollar drinks.
When we got the bill, it wasn’t itemized, just a vomit-​inducing total of nearly $ 1,000 (including built-​in gratuity). We tried to get the waitress to explain but never did receive an itemized bill, or any proof of, say, whether the amount they charged us for wine corresponded to the actual number of bottles we consumed (empty bottles were instantly whisked away and replaced).
Unbelievable. I never thought I would hear myself calling Pasta Freska a good deal, but we paid less there and had about twice as much food, including better ingredients (steak, shrimp, fish) AND a ton of yummy wine. This experience was so awful that I’m writing DeNunzio’s a letter to give them a chance to respond and make good, but given what I’ve seen of them so far, I’m not optimistic. DO NOT go here for any reason, and especially for big group dinners, unless your idea of a good time is spending 30 minutes having an ulcer over the bill.
5÷7÷09 UPDATE: After I sent my letter, the owner, Luigi DeNunzio, contacted the birthday girl, not me — even though I specifically asked him to reply to ME (to spare her further hassle over this). She told me they had a very awkward, confrontational conversation — he was hostile, unapologetic, and defensive, and attempted to blame us for any service problems, e.g., saying we showed up with a larger party than we made reservations for (not true).
She stuck to her guns, and eventually he reluctantly agreed to refund a portion of our money. He told her that he had not responded to my letter and he would not, which indeed he hasn’t (posting a comment to my Unilocal review is NOT a personal response). So I guess I just don’t count as a customer! The refund check did arrive promptly, and my share of it was $ 15, so now I guess I paid $ 55 for an unsatisfying meal, rather than $ 70. I’m pretty unimpressed with the «tell her I’m not talking to her» routine, and annoyed that the birthday girl had to be further inconvenienced and hassled over this whole ordeal.
I guess Luigi and I agree on one thing — I’m not welcome back!

This was the first meal I had in Seattle when I moved here. The restaurant was empty — we were the only guests for a while. The owner did stop by and that was impressive. The food was good… but not worth the money. My friend and I had garlic bread, soup, pasta, and a glass of wine. This totaled up to $ 75! I did not think that the meal was worth that kind of money at all. I would not go back here at all… for the fact that we were new in town and did not know better it was something for us to learn from.

Actually, to Bev…“state law allows businesses to decide whether to allow smoking or not”. That’s straight from the books. If the owner and the entire staff agree to it, smoking is allowed. If the patrons don’t like it, they can eat elsewhere.

Okay, seriously? Really pushy and overly friendly waitress and chef. After a long spiel from the waitress, just as we started to look over the menu, the chef shows up, which seemed charming.
He asked the innocuous question: «You want to eat good?» I’m not stupid – of course I want to eat good! I was hoping he was going to make a suggestion or two. Yeah, not so much. He grabs the menus and walks away. I had ALREADY told the waitress VEHEMENTLY that I had no interest in the nine-​course plan. I was there with a picky eater so we had to choose carefully. Anyway, he seemed a little hurt, but suggested the lasagna options, which were sausage and the evening’s special: rabbit.
That’s fine, I’ve eaten rabbit before and it was tasty. I kept that in mind while looking through the rest of the menu. Eventually, the waitress came back, we asked her about a few things, and when asked about the lasagna, she said «oh, we have sausage and chicken.» Really? Chicken, that sounds good. I’ve never had chicken lasagna. So I ordered it.
I started to wonder why the chef didn’t mention it, so I later flagged her down and asked her. «No, I’m sure its chicken. Let me go check.» She comes back with «Oh, you know what, it *IS* rabbit.»
LET ME BE CLEAR. If I had not mentioned it, she would have brought RABBIT to me, while telling me it’s CHICKEN. She lucked out, because I’m pretty sure a lot of people would have thrown up.
To top things off, it was not really that tasty.
There were just too many things wrong with this place. I’m sorry.

I randomly stumbled into this place for dinner and they had a menu for the night (4 choices) everything $ 20. I decide to go with the chicken. As taste goes it was good but all I got was a small leg with a small side of polenta. I left feeling hungry and unsatisfied.

We stopped in for dinner before heading to the First Thursday Art Walk. I had been here once before but had to leave with a sick child before I got to order to I was anxious to actually enjoy a meal.
We arrived about 6pm and the restaurant was EMPTY. Just one other family in the restaurant. Hmmm. We sat down and ordered the Antipasto platter to start. It had a great selection of cheeses, meats and marinated olives. I ordered the spaghetti and meatballs and my husband had the veal medallions. I’m usually a little more adventurous when ordering but I always like to try the meatballs when I first visit an Italian joint. If they can make meatballs, they’ve won me over. They can make meatballs!
About halfway through our starters (yummy pear salad for me and spinach cream soup for my husband) we both noticed an overwhelming whiff of smoke. We mentioned it to our server and she mentioned that «he» was smoking, and she yelled at «him» to put it out.
We can only gather that the «he» was DeNunzio himself. Guess he hadn’t heard about the smoking ban in Seattle :)

We got served by Cap’m Lou Albano! It was so awesome!
It’s like an awesome basement… where they serve Italian food. Or like… a really clean dungeon in Italy… where Cap’m Lou Albano works…
The steak in balsamic reduction with spinach dish was sweet and delicious. Tender, tender steak and crunchy spinach in sweet balsamic syrup… could almost have been a dessert. They also had a really tasty plain old pasta sauce. I can’t believe its not butter!
What?

I had to create an account on Unilocal just so that I could review this restaurant. I’ve never been so pleased with a restaurant as I have been with DeNuzio’s.
I’ll try to make this brief. I went with a work group, Luigi asked us to pick a price per person, and he’d feed us. We picked $ 20, he fed us until we were bursting.
We went again with work a couple weeks later. Luigi remembered us, remembered our order (actually charged us a little less), and it worked out well again.
So my wife & sister were visiting (can’t sell the house, wife is in Chicago, long story). I tell Luigi I’d like to have them over in a few weeks on a Saturday night for a nice dinner. He says to not worry about it, he’d make it special.
I show up a few weeks later, he recognized me right away (he has only seen me 2 times at this point). He pulls us over to a table he had set aside, and proceeded to give us an 8 (or so) course meal. Wine, breads, fruits, veggies, many different types of meats & pastas, I can’t even begin to name it all.
My sister mentioned at the beginning of the meal that she was a big fan of meat balls, and he brought out these fist sized spiced meatballs as one of the courses, they were simply excellent.
I’d add a couple $$ to the list if you ask Luigi to make a special night for family, but it is simply the best treatment I’ve ever had at a restaurant.
My sister still talks about it a couple months later, saying it is the best restaurant she has ever been to, and would like to go back. Now, to give an example of Luigi’s fun, at the end of the meal, she suggested that she’d like to come back sometime. Luigi’s response was «Don’t do us any favors! ha ha ha». You can’t get the thick italian accent in text, but man I was dying.
A large part of the fun is Luigi, so if you’re planning something special, make sure he’s involved & planning on being around. It’ll be a blast.

Gay boyfriend #2 (GBF#2) and I decided to do the First Thursday ArtWalk last night and stopped at one of the usual haunts for happy hour. Unfortunately the prices there have gone up and the size of the drinks were cut in half. We had one each and decided to go someplace else.
He suggested DeNunzio’s I said it sounded good and off we went. We walk through the fun house looking doors down to the basement of a building where DeNunzio’s lives. We are welcomed by a server and ask him if they have happy hour. He says no they don’t. GBF#2 asks when they stopped having happy hour. The server yells over to Luigi and asks him he yells something and says no happy hour, or something like that, than when he realizes we are going to leave he makes it happy hour just for us. «For you I make it happy hour» I felt special yes I did.
We are seated at a table he tells us happy hour is $ 4.00 wine and beer and plates. We get a glass of red wine each, it wasn’t the greatest a little on the grape juice side of things but I was OK with that. He tells us the food options are pasta, bruchetta, chicken and sausages. We go for the pasta and bruchetta. Pasta comes out covered in bell peppers but I really don’t care because Luigi is a riot but I do make GBF#2 eat the pasta and I take the bruchetta. Luigi brings over some garlic bread than tells us they also have polenta with gorgonzola on it, it sounded good so we ordered a plate of that too. It arrives covered in bell peppers, though one piece wasn’t so I took that to try and again made GBF#2 eat the rest, next time I’m telling Luigi no bell peppers please.
As we are enjoying the polenta Luigi comes over and say that after eating the polenta GBF#2 and I are going to goa homea and makea the babies. Ha the F ha.
It was a very entertaining happy hour, Luigi is a total character and I think Seattle needs more Italians like him. GBF#2 and I plan on going back for dinner soon and ordering the polenta so we can go make the babies. If you want to go make the babies with your date bring them to DeNunzio’s and eat the polenta.

Olive Garden… I would like you to meet DeNunzio’s and please, weep in shame. Beat yourself with hot pasta noodles and drown in risotto. Die, because you disgust me with your bland, uninspired crap that I can make better at home.
DeNunzio’s is like the lover that pleases you in ways that no one else ever has. Their laid back Italian family presence is intoxicating (and so is their wine).
The selections sound so delectable on the menu and YES, they translate perfectly when placed in front of you.
I had the Puttanesca and ate the whole thing. You would too if you had it so don’t look at me like that.
The risotto was effing wonderful, fluffy with loads of flavor.
Our server was vibrant and loud and welcoming, and set a lighthearted mood. He gave us our space and privacy while we chowed on our AMAZING Italian masterpieces.
This is now the place I will go for EVERY special meal (special, because it’s pricier than an «I don’t want to cook, let’s go out» kind of night).
I kiss your feet, DeNunzio’s, and applaud you for being the kind of restaurant that Unilocal was invented for.