Tosoni's Restaurant

This is hands down my favorite restuarant in the Seattle area. Consistent quality, great food, great atmosphere. You would never guess how fine the cuisine would be due to it's unassuming location in a strip mall in Bellevue... but it does not disappoint! more

On entry the dining room was cozy and covivial - looked like a find. Once seated, it was clear that the room was too small for the number of patrons. Every conversation could be heard and there was a load of muzak on top of alll of this. You could not hear your own voice let alone anyone else at the table. There is no menu as it is wriiten on a chalkboard on the wall. This would be ok if there were more than 7 entres - none of them vegetarian and half some sort of veal. We ordered and then came the wait - over an hour to be served a tepid steak - supposedly a filet (at $32 one would hope it would be quality as the quantity was maybe 4 oz). It was the thinnist, most tasteless piece of meat I had ever been served. Mashed potatoes for a side - now that's Italiano. My wife had pasta overcooked in a way that you can only get out of a can. We will never darken their doors again. Cons: unbelievably slow service, very limited menu, very noisy more

I love food. For me, there is nothing finer in life that savoring a well cooked meal. That said, it took me a lot of time to get to Tosoni's. It is hidden in a strip mall in Bellevue, and is only open for dinner. Once I tried it though, I was amazed. The wait staff (Alexander) was perfectly attentive, the wine list is comprehensive, and the food was extraordinary. My wife and I shared flash fried Dungeness crab stuff ravioli in a lobster sauce, followed by a caprese salad. The crab was delicious and the tomatoes and basil were very fresh. I then had a filet mignon, and my wife had a vegetarian lasagna. The filet was cooked perfectly and was so tender, that it literally melted in my mouth. The vegetarian lasagna was fantastic, the tomato sauce was sweet, and the vegetables were exceedingly fresh. We both chose the house cake afterwards, which is a layer cake stuffed with fresh fruit. I would wholly recommend this dessert to anyone who eats there. The price at the end of the night was steep, but the meal was nearly unforgettable. Pros: Fantastic food, cooked by someone who loves food. Cons: The cost was not cheap, but the value was good. more

My wife and I were to meet our son and daughter-in-law for dinner after arriving at SEATAC airport. He is a chef at another eatery in the area and made the reservation. My wife and I arrived a bit early, and while she shopped next door, I went into the restaurant to let them know that my son and his wife might be a bit late. The waiter invited me to sit down with the owner at a table near the front while we waited. We had an early reservation and there were not yet any other diners present. The owner was unbelievably gracious, shared his own ""home brew"" wine with me, chatted about his background and we had a great pre-dinner time! Then, the food! Oh, my! The service matched the food and the atmosphere was intimate and incredibly warm. Highly recommended. We will return the next time we are in the area. more

Food is great, wine list is also very good. I felt a strong austrian influence (but that make sense, I think owner/chef is originaly from there). more

Wow! One feels like s/he is sitting in a quaint European restaurant watching the chef prepare the feast while dining on delicious crispy portobellos drizzled with a soy type dressing, sharing crabcakes, and sipping a glass of wine. Amazing food, extraordinary service, and a pleasantly intimate ambiance are all the benefits of a night at Tosonis. What a find! The exterior does not do the restaurant justice, so don't be fooled when you drive into this strip mall in Bellevue and see a glass door storefront. Open it! Go in and find the magic that will tease your tastebuds! One wonders why the owner has not found a lovely cottage somewhere on the eastside to house the culinary delights which are born here. A little more room would benefit the patrons and the owner. We were identified immediately as first time visitors alerting us that most customers are returning patrons! Our waiter seemed pleased to present us with our dishes, smiling broadly as he approached and later dropping by to grin and nod when we confirmed our heartiest appreciation of the mouth-watering tastes we were discovering. The pride with which all the wait staff work was evident in their demeanor and responses to the satisfaction customers expressed, a sure sign of good business in every aspect. We watched a souffle being made and presented to a nearby table and decided at once we would be sure to experience this at a later date. A call ahead is necessary for this dessert since it takes a couple of hours to make. Another dessert was the ""house cake,"" one filled with fresh berries and custard! We watched others receive their own little gems and envied each one! Our pecan encrusted halibut was fabulous to the tastebuds and huge in portion size. Grilled veggies and a carrot souffle added more perfection to the evening. Take-home will make a nice lunch. We will revisit Tosonis many times in the future, I am sure. Pros: Creative Menu; Delicious Food; Superb Service; Easy Parking Cons: Unattractive exterior with crowded and small interior more

I stumbled upon this place through the internet. My family and I decided to try something new and randomly selected it. The outside is a turn off as it is in a strip mall with a non-descript exterior but once you went in it was charming. The waiter was fantastic and the food was even better. The service was attentive without being slow or pushy. We started out with the mushrooms and crab cakes and both were superb. The meal was only better. Since I had my 2 daughters who love food but can be picky, one had lasagna and the other had angel hair pasta. I had the crispy chicken that was the best I have ever had. The chicken was seasoned perfectly and crispy without charring. To accompany the meal I had a glass of wine and they offered only quality wines. I had a Clos du Bois from France. We shared their special cake with fresh fruit. This was a perfect light finish to a perfect meal.\r \r Pros: Great food and service Cons: Location more

There are lots of poor restaurants and lots of good restaurants. This is a great restaurant. This restaurant is NOT the place to go to eat on the way to something else. This is the something else. Excellent food and service. More expensive than a burger joint, of course. They need a better location is all... an old house would be perfect... I would count my meals here as among the best I have had anywhere. more

This place is a winner. We have eaten as Tosani's four times now. The food was very good each time and the service was excellent. The waiters have always been great, the wine selection is good, and the food unique and quite good. The owner usually drops by to ask how you are doing and will stay and chat if encourage him. Seems family friendly with well behaved kids. The location is a little odd and as a result the restraunt is a rather cramped. Pros: Food, Service Cons: A little pricy, Cramped more

My wife took me there for my birthday. The place felt crowded, noisy and cramped, not romantic... The only menu was high on the wall, away from our field of view, so we ordered our drinks before knowing what we were going to eat. Appetizers included deep fried portabello slices, drizzled with what appeared to be soy sauce, and some uninspiring escargots. The entrees included a deep fried half duck, that tasted somewhat greasy, and a stuffed quail, venison, and fried bacon dish. The adventure lasted two good hours. We skipped dessert. The check was the main surprise of the evening (since prices were not listed): At fifty dollars, we would have felt disappointed, but the bill added up to more than twice that amount (with a glass of wine and one beer). I know places that serve better food for the amount of the tip... Pros: feather on chef's hat Cons: slow, expensive, uninspiring food more

it was my bros bday and i found this restaurant online. we ordered tiramisu for my brother, my bf and i ended up meeting the chef! he introduced himself to us, offered us a seat and even a taste of wine. (the chef is delightful btw). and a few minutes later when my dessert came out, he took it back to add a little extra included a special additional bday cake for my brother! i know he can't always do this, but i couldn't feel more special! while we were there he explained how the tiramisu was made AND when i had some later that night i was NOT disappointed! WONDERFUL!!! i'll be back for sure. Pros: customer service, small restaurant feel, dessert menu! more

This restaurant doesnt look inviting given its location in an average strip mall onthe Eastside. However, once you are inside, you will feel like you are in a family owned European restaurant in Austria or Northern Italy. The food is amazing (Portabello Mushrooms for appetizers, Lamb Curry, Venison, Beef roulades, etc.). While the menu is mostly meaty, the owner loves to improvise and cook vegetarian dishes too. Tiramisu at Tosoni is authentic & fantastic! Pros: Great Food, Friendly Service, Good for groups Cons: Slightly Pricey more

I have been a faithful customer for 20 years. The reasons: good food and good service. Although as pricey as a high-end restaurant in Seattle, there is nothing that compares to this place on the eastside. A continental restaurant with German/Italian slant, you will have a great time here! They are also very accomodating. I often ask Walter (chef owner) to whip-up items not on the chalkboard menu. My wife and I love to come here as often as we can. Pros: Excellent food, Great service, Custom orders more

I wouldn't really classify it as Italian, more contintental, in the same sense as Umberto's Il Giardino, to which it compares favorably. Excellent preparations with red meats, flavorful sauces, what you would expect from a fine restaurant in that class. You'd never know it by the exterior, but this is one of the best restaurants on the eastide. The ambience is very class, cozy euro-style white tablecloth, wine cabinets, good smells from the kitchen. Update, 1/04: A recent visit confirmed the quality remains high. Had crab cakes, bunny and seafood risotto, all superb, really first class. A dish like ""fruit de mer"" risotto can sound good but be very ordinary, but not here. It was succulent. Very good wine suggestions as well. Pros: classic food, classic service Cons: strip mall locale more

My husband and I just had dinner at Tosoni's and found it to be fabulous! The service was excellent, the wine list also very good. The crab cakes were mostly crab and delicious with a citrus-like sauce that was superb, the rack of lamb cooked to perfection, and the veal piccata was delicious. All the accoutrements were perfect. I felt like I was in a little European restaurant in Switzerland or Austria. Walter, owner and chef, was very warm and welcoming. I'd recommend it to everyone! Never mind that it's in a strip mall-once you go inside, you'd never know! Pros: Excellent food, Excellent service, Good wine list Cons: small more

Most of the 10s for this restaurant were written by ""Anonymous"", which has me a bit suspicious. Here's an actual review. I really do think this is 1 of the best restaurants around, food wise. But verrry pricy, esp. considering that the ambience is just average. Definitely do try the portabello appetizer--delicious. As the only menu they have is on a chalkboard, be sure to ask prices for appetizers, salads, etc. None of us had wine, but our bill was over $200 for 4. We each had salads and entrees, shared 1 cake & 2 had coffee. That 's it! Eeyikes. Owners, take note: most restaurants (esp. pricy ones) will give customers at the very least a complimentary scoop of ice cream for a birthday party. You didn't give us anything after a $200 dinner! That is not good public relations. Otherwise the service was fine. Pros: Very good food Cons: Hard to find, Pricy, Hard to tell prices more