Firenze

Back in Cali, there were old TV commercials to Go see Cal (Worthington). But in Bellevue, it should be Go see Sal. \r \r There is no comparison to Firenze's Spaghetti Bolagnese or the Pasta del Mar. As much as my family and I enjoy the old standby meals, you should pay attention to the daily specials - especially if they involve steak. \r \r My personal favorite is to go off menu and order the plain Olive Oil & Spices Spaghetti and then add chicken. (no cheese for me). FANTASTIC. \r \r HINT: If the restaurant is full you can go down two doors to their pizzeria and still order from the Firenze menu. more

Food is delicious, thats for sure. I have come here multiple times on dates with my hubby, and some experiances have been better than others. I would come here more often if the staff was a bit more friendly, and if the prices werent so steep. more

My boyfriend and I have been going to Firenze since we started dating and we both love it! Anything on the menu that we have tried we loved! We go there at least four to five times a month. The staff all know us and make us feel special everytime we go there. They have an excellent wine selection and their coffee is to die for. I would definately suggest anyone who loves true authentic italian food to check it out! more

Really love the Chicken/Veal Bascoli(?) - but the service is horrible!! Even with the owner there!! The waiters will actually follow you out to the parking lot asking for more tip...and I gave more than 15% for a smaller party! Triple check the bill as the wait staff will add extra meals on the bill. We sent the bill back twice because they charged us for extra meals that we didn't order. Most meals will run you $30+, so a party of 4 will run well over $200 pretty high for dinner at the Cross Roads Mall with no view and mediocre ambiance. Pros: One good dish Cons: Service is horrible, waiters are rude and tip demanding more

My husband and I have been going to Firenze since it opened. Yes, the food quality has gone awry as prices have gone up. While we have had some good experiences there, the last two will prevent me from ever going there again. As other posters have mentioned, the pricing is questionable. \r \r This last time, we were charged over $500 for two couples, and none of us had more than two glasses of house wine. Because of the nature of the event, the food was served family style, not full portions. (There were other people at the table including the owner.) Well, the waiter apparently hit each couple up for portions of the bill. We paid over $300 ourselves, thinking it was for four. We found out later our companions were charged $200. When my husband brought this to the owner's attention, we were told no decision could be made until the waiter came back from vacation. Then my husband was treated like he was being a cheapskate. While $140 was credited back to our credit card, no real apologies were offered.\r \r The previous time, our dinner host, upon recieving the bill, remarked that it was $200 more than he expected. We chipped in to help cover the total $600.\r \r If this is how long standing customers/friends are treated... Cons: Watch your bill more

The cold, stale bread should have an indication of what was to come.. but it was late and we were hungry so we decided to chance it on the food.. after all, we had never had bad italian food.. were we wrong? The pasta was not cooked at all and the salmon my husband ordered was even worse. When I sent my pasta back, the waiter brought the same plate of pasta back and said he tossed it on the pan with some water and it should be ok now! I would never recommend this restaurant to anyone! Cons: Bad food, bad service more

Great italian food! The spaghetti with bolognese sauce is awesome. It's a quaint little restaurant in a strip mall. But, you forget where you are when you walk in. The waiters are a little stuffy, but other than that, it's great more

My wife and I went here while we were on vacation in Bellevue. This restaurant exceeded all of my expectations for quality, service and taste. Starting off with the Mozerella and Tomatoes, to the Ravioli and mushrooms, ending with the most delicious Tiramisu and coffee. This place could have been priced at $100 per plate and I would have probably paid it. It was absolutely delicious, the service was friendly and impeccable. Please go and enjoy TRUE Italian food. Pros: Delicious, authentic Italian food. more

My husband and I both really enjoy the food at Firenze. What we have not enjoyed is the inconsistant service and variable pricing. We have found that when we come in with several friends (ie - we are a large party) we are treated extremely well. When it is just the two of us, we find that we are lucky if we get our water glasses refilled. \r \r As for pricing, I tend to order the same four or five dishes. Each time, I have been charged a different price. The most embarressing incident was when I suggested to my work team that we have our lunch meeting at the restaurant. The five us of all had wildly varying charges for our meals. \r \r Why do we go back? Because the food is really, really good. Very fresh pasta, top quality ingredients, and amazingly consistant quality. That having been said, I think the next time we have a craving, we will order our food to go. Pros: Fantastic food Cons: inconsistant service, variable pricing more

I am owner of a restaurant and, I used to work as a server for many years. I have many years of experience in restaurant business and this is purely my opinion. \r I've read most of the reviews about restaurants and some people are being unreasonable and some can actually understand value of a restaurant as a money making business. If you order in a restaurant glass of water and two salads or pasta split, you can not expect ""red carpet"" treatment. Restaurateurs are in the food making business and if you are not making profit, it is hard to welcome you back with smile and open arms. They're pushing specials, because it cost a lot of money to get fish or steak, and profit is not as great as a price you're end up paying. If you want to experience a great treatment and good time in any restaurant, the best advise I can give you is SPEND MONEY! If you can't afford go out and eat, stay home!Neverthless,I do agree that service should be outstanding and you should feel welcome and have a great time. Although, you can't aspect servers do all the entertaining and you as a customer can't even answer to a simply question as ""how are you?"" I came across to many customers, that required what we call in food industry ?special treatment"", and ask you to modify their food and they ask you for something else every time you come to table, and that is difficult to do when you have 6 or 7 tables at the same time. And in the end they barely give you 15%tip, that is just hard to make a server smile when he see you next time. It is a hard business and I am not trying to make excuses but there is always two sides to every story. Some people expect to get a lot for almost nothing. Make a even trade when you come next time to a restaurant and I guarantee you, you will have a great time!\r Pros: Great Food+Great Service=Great Experience Cons: On busy night be prepare to wait more

Firenze is our family's choice for Italian on the Eastside because of its dynamic range. You can dress it up with its white table cloth-draped tables, or go casual in jeans and bring the kids. Salvatore (the owner) is always around to welcome back old friends and welcome new customers. His waitstaff are efficient and always willing to get you what you need. Half orders, family-style service, can we sit over there, ""no mushrooms on that"", or split-and-marry have been ""no problem"" whenever we've asked for things like this. Assume the best, and you will have a good time here. One note-- on super busy nights, the kitchen can get swamped and the waitstaff scrambles. That's the time to keep it simple and start with a great bottle of wine and make a real evening of it with them, it will turn out great.\r \r The front of the house will make you feel at home regardless of the situation, but the FOOD is the real reason to go to Firenze. This is not the place where you'll find dulled-down Americanized Italian food. It's Tuscan, always made fresh, and there is a huge range. Definitely try the Tomato Bean soup (takes 20 minutes, made to order each time.) Spaghetti Bolognese is really meaty and delicious. Penne Gorgonzola is light on the sauce, but the sauce packs flavor-- really memorable. Spaghetti Carbonara made to order, no creme, very good. Also look for a special fresh fish or beef recipe of the day. Desserts are basic (gelatos, which are more like ices) in their citrus fruit shells-- but maybe are just enough after you've stuffed yourself because you couldn't stop. Good Italian wine selection-- you don't need to break the bank to get out of the house wine and into a Ruffino Chianti, or maybe a Barolo, Amarone, or maybe a Brunello. Salvatore has high-end wines from other countries on hand (Opus 1 from CA, and 1st growth left bank Bordeaux), for special occasions. \r \r Firenze has delivered for us consistently for the last 10 years. Highly recommended.\r \r \r Pros: freshly-made preparations, staff establish relationship with customer, owner available Cons: can get super busy, kitchen throughput can be maxed more

We have been here twice, both times hoping for the best since we'd love a great Italian restaurant close to our house. To tell you the truth the service was so bad I don't remember how the food was.\r \r The first time the service was bad with a surly waiter. We decided that every restaurant has an off night/employee so we decided to try again. The second time has actually made a funny memory for my husband and me. The waiter spent all his time ""serving"" the group of lovely young women who looked and dressed like they had just arrived from California. He so blatently ignored us that it became a joke. Too bad, we usually tip quite well. \r \r Needless to say we won't give it another try. Pros: Ambience Cons: Atrocious, rude service more

The food was ok, but as the other reviewers have mentioned, we were overcharged for the dinner. What we thought was going to be a $70 meal came up to a whopping $110 excluding tips. It's the last time we're ever going there for an Italian dinner. more

We have been to this restaurant twice. The 1st time was a delightful experience with excellent food and attentive service. I believe the owner or manager (who is from Florence, Italy) was there and very charming and friendly. Thinking this was a nice Italian restaurant to bring the Italian family visiting from NJ, we returned. The food was again excellent however, the service was very surley, bordering on rude and then they overcharged us on the final bill. We brought this to the waiter's attention and the young manager's attention and they snickered and laughed and refused to adjust the bill. May I add that the charming owner/manager from our 1st visit was not there that evening. Needless to say, due to the poor service, we will never return nor would I recommend to any friends. more

Let me start by saying I actually like the food, the ambiance and the service. Unfortunately the waiters seem to be overcharging on food items to give themselves a bigger tip. Of the last 2 times I've been there, I noticed that many items were being charged $1-$3 more then the menu price. When you multiply that by 2-3 items per person, it really adds up! The last time I was there for lunch I had the Tortellini Alla Panna (menu price $11.95) and a side caesar the size of a bread plate (menu price $2.50). The lunch was delicious, service was adequate and expeditious, but when the waiter brought the check he had charged me $13.50 for the pasta and $5.50 for the side caesar. When you factor in the tax, he had charged me an extra $5 or 31%!!! Unless you're willing to pay a premium, it's simply not worth the hassle. Pros: Good food, good ambience, adequate service Cons: Waiters overcharge above menu price more

UPDATE: Last two times we went here for dinner we left unsatisfied with both the food and service. It basically felt like we paid too much for for not very good food or service. Granted, it's been a year and half since we came here, so hopefully it's turned back to as good as it was before, but I even passed up a Living Social/Groupon special for this place because I didn't feel like spending the money and risking another bad experience. So sad.\r \r This is where we typically go for a nice dinner. My boyfriend is picky about his Italian food (he grew up with Northern Italian cooking) and this has been his favorite Italian restaurant in this area for years. As another reviewer mentioned, you might not expect much from this place considering it's almost right next to a movie theater and a part of a mall, but the inside decor is definitely meant for couples looking for fine dining. \r \r The food has always been great - if they have steak on special those typically tend to be very good. Prices are very reasonable for the regular pasta dishes (or even the specials) especially when you compare their prices to that of places like Olive Garden. Only difference is here you get more authentic Italian fare. If you go in simply for a pasta dish and a drink, you'll get out with a reasonable bill, or if you're like us and go in for a special occasion, you'll get out with a slightly larger bill but also enjoy the meal so much more as we typically start wtih a salad and end with tiramisu and a couple glasses of port. \r \r If you plan on going here for a special holiday (i.e. Valentine's Day) I can guarantee you won't get in without a reservation. If it's a normal weekday (or even sometimes weekend) night, reservations shouldn't be necessary. Service has always been good, of course on those special busy nights, it may take a bit of time, but then again, it'll be the same anywhere else you go on nights like that. \r \r I really do not know if my review can do this place justice. All I can say is, if you enjoy northern Italian cusine and have the mindset of a European (where they don't ""rush, rush, rush"" like us) you'll more than likely find a new favorite place here. Pros: FOOD, atmosphere Cons: Location more

When I first arrived in Seattle about five years ago, I was convinced there's no good Italian food in this... more

When I first arrived in Seattle about five years ago, I was convinced there's no good Italian food in this town. Having lived in Boston and New Yor... more

I've been eating at Firenze around 2000 and while at the beginning it was a great value the prices have... more

I've been eating at Firenze around 2000 and while at the beginning it was a great value the prices have raised over the years. Despite its location... more