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Seattle isn’t known for it’s Italian American immigrants, so finding the best pasta in Seattle can be challenging. Lucky for you I’m an Italian American that grew up on the east coast, which means I developed a discerning palate for Italian food.

When I moved to Seattle over a decade ago, I was appalled at the lack of Italian restaurants serving good pasta. Naturally, I made it my mission to find the best pasta in Seattle. I ate pasta after pasta, and luckily I can say I’ve found the pasta dishes worth seeking out.

Here’s my roundup of the best pasta in Seattle, which I’ll continue to update as I find places worthy of my short list.

The Best Pasta in Seattle

Rigatoni bolognese from Le Messe

website | location: Eastlake

The rigatoni bolognese at Le Messe is next level. They invited me to try their restaurant a while back and I was completely blown away by this dish.

Its depth of flavor is nearly unmatched. It’s like you can taste each fat module from the ground meat, which signals to me that it was likely cooked over multiple hours to bring out the nuances of each ingredient. The sauce has a thicker viscosity to it and clings to the al dente pasta. Some of the pastas on this list are saucier, but true Italians know that most pastas aren’t meant to be swimming in liquid. Le Messe does this dish right, which makes it my favorite pasta in Seattle right now.



Carbonara from Stoneburner

website | location: Ballard

If you remember my post on must try dishes in Seattle, you know the carbonora from Stoneburner is on it. It also graces the cover of my self-guided Seattle food tour of Ballard. So to say I like this pasta is an understatement.

Stoneburner sometimes serves the carbonara with lamb belly instead of pancetta, but no matter the meat it is always addictively sweet thanks to caramelized onions. It bounces off the salty fatiness of the meat, cheese, and egg yolk beautifully.

Craving pasta in Seattle for breakfast? You can get this dish on their brunch menu. It’s one of my favorite brunch dishes in Seattle.



Bucatini from Cortina

website | location: Downtown

Ethan Stowell is known for his pasta, which he executes marvelously at his newest Italian restaurant, Cortina. There are a few on the menu, but the dish that I think you must get when you’re craving pasta in Seattle is the bucatini with beef and ricotta meatballs and bone marrow.

If I’m honest, the meatballs are just ok. Typically this would have me writing off a dish, but the flavor of the sauce was so good I looked pass this miss. It reminds me of the bolognese at Le Messe with its depth of flavor, thanks to the addition of bone marrow. I just kept saying, “Oh my god, this is so good,” as I messily slurped down the noodles.

The flavor is reminiscent of the bologneses and ragus at other Ethan Stowell restaurants, so if you can’t make it to Cortina, get this dish at his other spots Tavolata, mkt., or Rione XIII. Basically if you’re at one of Stowell’s Italian spots, you’re going to be eating some of the best pasta in Seattle.



Tajarin al Ragu from Spinasse

website | location: Capitol Hill

Spinasse is one of my OG Italian restaurant favorites. They’ve been making fresh, hand-cut pasta since back when Jason Stratton (now as Manmoon) was the executive chef. Their tajarin is thicker than spaghetti, but thinner than fettucini. If your hair got tangled the way this pasta does you’d call it nappy, but in a pasta dish it’s heavenly because it means the sauce gets tangled too. The result? The taste of their addictive meat sauce in every single bite.



Cavatelli from Andare

website | location: Downtown

A while back I was invited to a foodie influencer meal at Andare, the restaurant inside the Hyatt Regency downtown. To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations because hotel restaurants aren’t always known for their food.

However, this dish surpassed my expectations. First, know that cavatelli is really hard to come by in this city. I grew up eating this pillow roll of a pasta since I was old enough to eat solid foods, yet you can’t regularly find it in grocery stores or restaurants in Seattle.

Luckily you can find great cavatelli at Andare. It’s pillowy, yet al dente at the same time. And they serve it in a simple red sauce with whipped ricotta (which in my opinion is one of the foods of the gods). They do a popular lunch takeout menu and this is on it. I’m lucky I don’t work downtown anymore because this dish would do serious damage to my diet.



Anything from Il Corvo

website | location: Pioneer Square

Mike Easton is the godfather of pasta in Seattle. He’s been selling handmade pasta for ~$10 a dish out of his order-at-the-counter fast casual spot in Pioneer Square. The lines should be a sign that this pasta is good.

The menu changes daily and really you can’t go wrong with anything. One of my favorites is the pesto. Get it if it’s on the menu. You should also check out his other pasta restaurant in Seattle that’s in West Seattle, Il Nido. You can actually make reservations! If you’ve ever waiting in line at Il Corvo for lunch, you know what a big deal this is.



Saffron spaghetti from San Fermo

website | location: Ballard

San Fermo is in an as-cute-as-a-button, refurbished house in downtown Ballard. It has excellent decor and solid Italian food, but it isn’t typically one of my go-to reservations in the area. That is, unless I’m talking about the best pasta in Seattle.

San Fermo has a saffron spaghetti available on both their brunch and dinner menu that is crazy addictive. Its secret ingredient is fennel, which makes it slightly sweet and adds that, “Hmm, what is that?” element to the dish. If you end up at this Seattle Italian restaurant, make sure you get this dish!



Honorable Mentions

Here are the Italian restaurants that are making some solid pasta in Seattle, but didn’t quite may my “best of the best” list above.

Meat ragu from Ester’s Enoteca – A satisfying meaty pasta that’s only $10 during happy hour.

Cacio e pepe from Due’ Cucina – A fast casual pasta spot opened by two Italian graduates out of MIT, which was funded by the school to develop a healthy ancient grain pasta. I don’t know about the pasta, but the cacio e pepe is unlike any I’ve had before thanks to pink peppercorns.

Looking for other ideas of what to eat in Seattle? Check out my other guides for eating well in the Emerald City.

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