Perche'no

My wife and I are beginning to make PercheNo our go-to restaurant when it comes to attending any event at or near the Seattle Center. The reasons are many. First: the staff there are just delightful—from the owners to the wait staff. They are efficient, helpful and friendly to the point of seeming like friends soon after you meet them. Second: the food selection (Italian) is both varied and nicely prepared. The Portobelo mushroom is a must. The polenta dishes are perfectly prepared. And it will take several visits to PercheNo just to sample the range of delightful menu items and choose a personal favorite. Third: the restaurant itself is cozy, unassuming and feels like it belongs in its neighborhood...reminding me somewhat of a good NYC neighborhood restaurant. If you're hungry for Italian fare, simply presented and in a cozy setting check out PercheNo and see what you think. more

I had a lot of family in town when I just moved to Lower Queen Anne and made reservations here in a blind panic. We had a large party and I even had to move the times but they were quite accomodating. All of the dishes I tried were mighty tasty and we received very attentive and pleasant service through the meal's duration. They have a live piano player and our waitress made a huge deal of my roommate's birthday. She let us sign and decorate their guest book, and promised to email us pictures they took of her. The fact that they later sent us pictures of a small child and her family, whom we didn't know, was almost more endearing than if they had sent us the correct pictures! more

Yep that's right. Italian food from Asians you ask? Well, why not? And that's the whole story of the restaurant, which is why they called it Perche No, which means "why not?". The food here was ok. I don't think I'll go back. The atmosphere was also ok and it smelled kind of gross inside. However, the restaurant was packed, which makes you think it has to be good, so maybe I just chose the wrong menu item? It is just about impossible to get dinner here without reservations on the night of a Sonics game since it is within walking distance to the Key Arena. I was there on such a night, but we had reservations. The service was really quick, almost too quick really, making you feel like they wanted you out of there. We had wine, apps, entrees, and dessert in 1 hour and 5 minutes. There were also a lot of rowdy diners pre-game (painting letters on their stomachs etc.). This would be a good place to go with a group. There is a lot of rabbit on the menu which struck me as kind of odd also. Finally, they have a live piano player, which was probably the best thing about the restaurant. Overall, not highly recommended by me. more

My wife and I love this place so much it's rare that we'll eat Italian food any where else! Family run in the truest sense of the word family, like Mom, Dad, and sons. We went in once on a whim and absolutley loved it, the next time we came in (about a month and a half latter) the host (ie: mom of the family) recognized us and told us she was happy to see us again and even remembered what we had had.... that's just crazy in a city this size, I can't even remember half the people I know. Oh yeah, and the food is great! All of it! more

This is not just my favorite Italian restaurant but it is my favorite restaurant of all time! I highly recommend going to this place for any occasion. This lovely restaurant is owned by a Chinese couple that flies to Italy every year and brings back newly discovered recipes to add to their menu. Not only is the food great but so is the service. Once you walk in you feel like you are a part of their family. My personal favorite is the Portabella Funghi alla Griglia as well as the Capellini con Sardine. After finishing my meal I am always tempted to buy another to take home for later. Believe me when I say that you cannot go wrong when it comes to Perche’No Ristorante Italiano! more

2 words that don't normally go well together. unless they are on the dessert menu at Perche'No. but i'm getting ahead of myself. i recently tried perche'no for the first time. the name of the restaurant means "why not?" in italian, aptly named because the owners/chefs are a chinese couple. and holy crap can they cook italian food! the chicken piccatta was huge and i loved it so much that i wanted to save 1/2 so i could eat more of it the next day but i could not put my fork down. my hubby's spinach lasagna w/shrooms was also melt-in-your-mouth good. i absolutely have not had italian food this good since i lived near little italy in nyc, and i can't wait to go back. now on to the most important part - the dessert! this chocolate lasagna thingy is a concoction of chocolate 'noodles' lightly fried and served wtih mascarpone cheese in a raspberry sauce. you have to try it to believe how good it is. that's my story and i'm stickin with it. more