Ive been searching for a good authentic italian restaurant for a long, long time and finally my co-worker brought me to volterra recently. I cant believe it took so long to find this place. its in... More

Ive been searching for a good authentic italian restaurant for a long, long time and finally my co-worker brought me to volterra recently. I cant believe it took so long to find this place. its in trendy Ballard which isn't necessarily a positive for me but holy cow the food is to die for and was impressed with the overall experience. Pros: food and service
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I found this place in the top ten places for brunch in Seattle and was excited to take my friends. The location was great and the place has a wonderful environment. The menu was short but packed... More

I found this place in the top ten places for brunch in Seattle and was excited to take my friends. The location was great and the place has a wonderful environment. The menu was short but packed with good choices. I was really excited to find a good brunch; however, when the food came our scramble, which stated that it had avocado, had none and the eggs were extremely dry. My fiends ragu was good but disappointing that it was ground lamb and in pieces. Another's dish was drenched in a cheese sauce that was overwhelming the balance of the dish. Sadly I will not return.
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Ballards a drive from Madison Park so I hadn't been to Volterra in over a year but was glad to see that the food and service were still just as good as I remembered. We were in for an early dinner... More

Ballards a drive from Madison Park so I hadn't been to Volterra in over a year but was glad to see that the food and service were still just as good as I remembered. We were in for an early dinner and started off with the best bloody mary that Ive had in a long time with a spicy infused vodka and mary mix that had a hint of balsalmic in the tomato goodness. The grilled scallop with a dollop of garlic aioli on top and herb salad was a great starter. We also had the seafood baked in parchment which was simply prepared and very tasty and the Rib Eye steak which was very flavorful and med rare just like I asked for. The chocolate and mint cake was to die for. Pros: Food and service Cons: Parking
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We picked Volterra based on their video. This was our wedding anniversary and since we spent our 1st one in Tuscany, we always pick a special Italian restaurant for this occassion. The restaurant is... More

We picked Volterra based on their video. This was our wedding anniversary and since we spent our 1st one in Tuscany, we always pick a special Italian restaurant for this occassion. The restaurant is very noisy, not ideal for a romantic setting. Our waiter treated us as if we were putting him out. He never filled our water or wine glasses (we had a bottle of wine on the table). The wine steward was interesting. We had brought a special '99 Brunello and offered him to try it. He used one of our clean glasses they had brought to try it and then left the 1/4 full glass on the table the entire evening and they never brought us another clean one. The food was very disappointing as well. The mussles and shrimp were "fishy" and did not taste fresh at all. The Ribeye was so fatty, that there was only about 6 fork bites that were edible. And the side dishes (potatoes) were cold. Our waiter asked how the meal was and we said we were disappointed with the food and told him why. He shrugged his shoulders and walked away. We were also disappointed that this "Italian" restaurant didn't have a risotto dish or gelato on their menu. If you are looking for a romantic, authentic Italian restaurant - then don't dine at this one. Pros: wine steward Cons: parking, noisy, crowded
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Eating at Volterra makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. There are alot of restaurants with good food but there are very few that make you feel like you are going to dinner at a friends house. My... More

Eating at Volterra makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. There are alot of restaurants with good food but there are very few that make you feel like you are going to dinner at a friends house. My husband and I eat at Volterra weekly and the food is always consistent and delicious. We have our favorites dishes but we tend to order the specials quite often. The service is always excellent and the owners and staff really take pride in knowing their customers. They know that I like my water without ice and always have my favorite cocktail ready by the time I sit down. They not only feed the stomach but they nourish the soul as well. Pros: Food, Consistency, Top notch Staff
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I took my girlfriend here for her birthday, and we just loved it. No waiting, even on a Sunday night, because there is a lot of room. We made reservations and managed to get a great little corner... More

I took my girlfriend here for her birthday, and we just loved it. No waiting, even on a Sunday night, because there is a lot of room. We made reservations and managed to get a great little corner booth. We were given ample time to look over the menu, which was nice as there was so many great options with incredible ingredients. I overheard that the wild boar was the house specialty so I tried that, while my girlfriend went with the stuffed rabbit leg. Both were out of this world. She asked "do you want to taste what rabbit is supposed to taste like?", as we had had two instances at other restaurants (that we love) where it was gamey and just not very good - I always ask why she orders rabbit everywhere we go...at Volterra it was great. The only knock on the place would be toward the end of the meal as our waiter seemed to be tending to others quite a bit and forgetting us. I got up to use the restroom, only to come back and my empty plate was still there (and had been empty 15 min before that even). She went to the restroom, and the server even walked by a few times, looked at our empty plates and kept walking; when she came back they were still there - I had to ask to have them taken away. Finally he forgot my second glass of wine, but that was okay, as upon second thought - I went with a great cappucino with our Tiramisu. I really love Ballard, so any excuse to get there is great for me, and I will certainly be back. Anyone can have an off night serving. Also, great recommendations on a nice wine list - very knowledgeable. Pros: Excellent Food. No elbow-bumping. Cons: If any, service could be slightly better
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My roommate and I went to Volterra on a Friday night. It was her birthday and we wanted to try something special, and we'd heard many good things. We had an 8.30 reservation, and came in a few... More

My roommate and I went to Volterra on a Friday night. It was her birthday and we wanted to try something special, and we'd heard many good things. We had an 8.30 reservation, and came in a few minutes after that. First red flag - the hostess informed us that our table was just finishing dessert and they'd be dropping the check any minute. As I understand it, the point of making a reservation was that so you wouldn't have to wait for another table to clear. And they kept us waiting for about ten minutes while our table was finishing up - and this whole time, a table for two stood empty right behind the hostess's desk. When we were seated, the server did not take our order when she brought our drinks, but took the candle that had gone out and disappeared for twenty minutes - and it took us twenty minutes to get our drinks. We didn't even get a bread basket until forty minutes after we'd been there. However, the food was served in a reasonable amount of time, and was absolutely delicious. My roommate had the bruschetta, which was crisp and garlicky, to start with, and I had the polenta with wild mushrooms, which was perfectly creamy and rich with flavor. She really enjoyed the beef tenderloin, and my wild boar was absolutely fantastic, tender and flavorful. The potatoes that came with it were some of the best I'd ever had. However, my roommate wasn't feeling well and was taking some time to see if she would feel well enough to continue eating. The server was thoughtful enough to bring her some soda with bitters, but just after that, a busboy asked us if we'd like to have our food to go. As the restaurant was quickly emptying out (at this point it was well past ten) we didn't think it was appropriate for him to be hurrying us out. All in all, the food was spectacular, the service, somewhat less so. Pros: Food, reasonably priced. Cons: Close seating, parking, service.
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Nice place ok, Tables way too close. service unrefined and random. However, food was tasty and authentic. It was a decent experience , But after reading all of the gushing accolades I expected much... More

Nice place ok, Tables way too close. service unrefined and random. However, food was tasty and authentic. It was a decent experience , But after reading all of the gushing accolades I expected much much more! maybe it would be better during the week. Not cheap. It seems that there are loose ends to tie up. Toodles! Pros: food cocktails and scene Cons: service and privacy
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We visited Volterra last weekend based on the great reviews I'd read. It exceeded my expectations,which is pretty unusual. Everything was outstanding - from the food through the service. For... More

We visited Volterra last weekend based on the great reviews I'd read. It exceeded my expectations,which is pretty unusual. Everything was outstanding - from the food through the service. For whatever reason, there was a delay between our starters and mains, and while I didn't really mind since the atmosphere was lovely and I hate it when I feel I'm being rushed through a meal, our server apologized profusely (she also managed to suss out some key ingredients in a dish I loved from the kitchen, and I give her huge thanks for that). I started with the mushroom tart, and would go back here just for the gorgeous truffle whipped cream that came on the side. Mmmmm. The roasted beet salad was also wonderful, with thinly shaved beets and cheese. But the highlight was the wild boar and its amazing sauce. I had ordered the crab ravioli which was nice but honestly nothing special, and kept digging into my boyfriend's meal. Finished with one the best Panna Cottas I have ever eaten. This place really is a great value for the quality of service, setting, and amazing food.
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I'd had several great experiences at Volterra for dinner, and thought the brunch would be consistent... I was wrong, and truly embarrassed because I told my new-to-town guest that this place was... More

I'd had several great experiences at Volterra for dinner, and thought the brunch would be consistent... I was wrong, and truly embarrassed because I told my new-to-town guest that this place was exceptional... The place was unkept, the tables were unclothed and had obvious stains at each setting from hot plates. The "award winning" coffee service had no soy. The tea cups came dirty - lined with foam from the last latte that was in them and with crumbs of food floating in the water. The waitress was unapologetic, anxious, and awkward. She wanted to charge more to substitute meat for more veggies in the scramble and the $10 yogurt, granola, fruit meal was snack-size. They forgot the hashbrowns and overcooked my eggs. The fruit was not seasonal and tasteless, and was put on the same plate as my eggs and toast (where my hashbrowns should have been). The waitress didn't come back until we were done, only to fly by and drop off a teapot, saying "we just got a clean teapot, hope it's not too little too late!" When I asked to speak to a manager, there wasn't any, just owners who weren't available. When she begged to know what was wrong, she ran off crying after I told her. A different waiter closed out our bill, only after interrogating us about the meal and claiming he couldn't comp anything, even though someone else had comped my meal already (we didn't ask for anything to be comped). This infuriated me because it implied that someone in that restaurant the ability to comp a meal and he didn't find it necessary to find that person. I emailed Don Curtis expressing my disappointment, and never got an acknowledgment/response. Despite having several fine dinner experiences there in the past, I won't be supporting a restaurant that hires unprofessional wait staff, serves mediocre food, and doesn't pay attention to detail. It's too bad, Volterra was a wonderful addition to Ballard and I'm sorry it hasn't held up to its reputation. Pros: dinner good Cons: brunch awful
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