Lombardi's Italian Restaurant & Bar Issaquah

I gave it 3 stars but feel more like 2.5.There is not too much of italian other then the names on menu.First thing comming you will notice the smell, not the food but the old and moldy place.As about the food my wife like it but me not too much.Will try something else next time. more

My husband and I were hungry for a Italian dinner...this was the wrong place to stop! \r First thing that happened, the hostess was the most rude and snobbish person I've seen or met in a long time. She started to seat us and hit the waiter behind her with a chair and didn't apologize, then I noticed she was going to seat us at a very small table...I asked if we could be seated at a larger table. I was told ""no, we have lots of reservations tonight."" But 10 minutes later she seated 2 people next to us at a larger table! By the time we were finished there were maybe 20 people in the place! Now for the food, uhhhhh!!!! Garlic bread came with marinara sauce? It tasted like stewed tomatoes! I will say my tortellini was good, but I was glad I only had a small serving...I'm not sure the pasta was cooked completely. I would have liked the ravioli but it came with salmon....not everyone likes fish. The menu choices were terrible. My husband had the lasagna, it was worse than frozen, no flavor, very little meat or cheese...I had the first bite and was surprised he did not want to get up and walk out! This place is overpriced and really has no idea what real Italian food is...I think Chef Ramsey would puke on this one! more

Lombardi's Italian Restaurant is one of my favorites and I always love bringing friends who are out of town here! The staff is friendly and the restaurant overall has a nice ambiance. A couple of my favorite dishes are the Tortellini Gorgonzola, Pizza Margherita, Lombardi's Garlic Bread, and the Pear Salad, just to name a few. They also have a great happy hour menu for drinks and appetizers that is very reasonable! Pros: ambiance, service, food more

I agree with vanhalin. I've been going to lombardi's for years too and it's the best restaurant around for a good family italian dinner. \r \r the penne siciliana is my favorite dish. Their lasagna and lamb are great too. if you want loads of garlic and a great wait staff then this is the place to go. This may sound over the top but I'm a bit grumpy about some of the less favorable reviews because I doubt they even ate at the restaurant. \r \r The staff know us when we come in the door, they remember our ""special"" orders and know what our kids want to drink before they ask. \r \r noplace is perfect but for the taste, the price and the service I'll pick lombardi's over other italian options every time. Pros: really good food at reasonable price Cons: can't think of any more

Ok, I have been reading these reviews and I have never written one before and I just had to in this case. I can't believe these reviewers! I have been a patron of Lombardi's since 1989 -- before the Issaquah restaurant ever opened. I now live on the Eastside and I am a regular at Lombardi's Issaquah (and have been since the day it opened -- a happy day for me!). I have two girls and their absolute favorite place to eat (and we eat out a fair amount due to our busy schedules) is Lombardi's. The staff are super friendly -- they know us by face and name. The food is always awesome -- my girls love the Pizza Margherita and the calamari appetizer is a must have every time. We chow on the bread and roasted garlic (oh my gosh! it is soooo good) and we love the Penne Siciliana, the Chicken Marsala – the absolute best anywhere in the area!! - and the seasonal specials are always to die for. The Scampi Diavolo is unbelievable -- the spicier the better! Anyway, we get there as often as we can -- and it is a favorite of my extended family as well. And, I spent my 40th birthday party there and my friends loved it as well! Pros: Food, service, amazing ownership Cons: There aren't any! more

When we set foot in the restaurant, I really expected an amazing experience. As far as the professionalism and friendliness of the service, I was not disappointed. The setting was very pleasant as well, and I guess that's why I was fooled. We ordered appetizers, drinks, and our entrees. I was so terribly disappointed in the quality of the food, I had to wonder why people had recommended this place to me so often. Were their tastes really that bad?\r \r If you have a craving for really good Italian food, then stay away from this turkey at all costs. If you want something on par with a Denny's version of Italian food, targetted at the lowest common denominator of tastes, then this is your place. Pros: The service and the setting were very pleasant. Cons: Mediocre food at best, Olive Garden couold have done better. more

We went here on a Sunday afternoon for lunch and were horribly disappointed. After being seated, my first impression was ""This looks like it belongs on Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares."" First impressions aside, we placed orders for a calamari appetizer, italian sausage penne, and a prawn pizza. Two baskets of bread later our lukewarm calamari showed up and was just OK. After they cleared our appetizer dish out of the way we watched an elderly couple get served, finish eating, AND pay before we got our dishes. Both entrees were barely warm; the pasta wasn't cooked thoroughly, tasted worse than canned sauce, and barely had any sausage; the pizza was so rubbery my jaw was sore after eating half of it and the basil on the pizza looked old and wilted. All in all, the service was friendly, but slow, it was the food that has scared us away for good. Cons: Cold Food, Noisy, Slow more

....if the food is palatable, the wait staff friendly, the place clean, and prices reasonable, most customers will return.\r \r I had a mediocre experience. Our waitress was cordial, the food tasted pre-processed, and the prices misled me into believing I was going to get a quality lunch. \r \r Having said that, I usually give restaurants another chance, often assuming it was a bad night for the chef or that the waitress was overworked and underpaid (which is often the case). HOWEVER, after speaking to my friend who is in the food service industry, I will never return to this snobbish place. She had gone there as a vendor to hopefully pick up this place as a future client. The manager/owner folded up her business card and threw it in the trash right in front of her. If this place is owned or run by such an arrogant person, I'd rather spend my hard earned money at McDonald's whose customer service surpasses places like this. Cons: Value, Quality, Integrity more

This was my first experience eating at Lombardi?s in Issaquah, and needless to say it will also be my last. I went in with a group of 5 and all of us feel the same. The food I ordered was extremely bland on the verge of tasteless. One member in my party claimed the ravioli were undercooked almost to the point of being crunchy. The server that served us seemed unfriendly and almost put out that he was serving us, and this from very little interaction. I feel that when I go to a restaurant and everyone who went with me can agree the best part of the meal was the beverage and the free bread that the restaurant is not worth a repeat visit. Pros: The Roasted garlic and bread that came with the meals were very good Cons: Everything Else more

As the General Manager at Lombardi's in Issaquah I felt it important to respond to the most recent review, dated October 25, 2008. Often times businesses do not respond to reviews of this type and, in some cases it is a mistake. \r \r Menus at restaurants are typically designed with a specific recipe and presentation in mind and, in corporate situations, often times the kitchen and the service staff have no control over those presentations or recipes. I do acknowledge that service staff does have control over the message that is communicated to guests and the way in which that message is presented. In this particular case, did the message get passed along appropriately? - no - did our service staff take a guest-first approach? - in some respects yes, but in the way in which the guest viewed it - no and that is our mistake.\r \r The guest acknowleged having visited a total of 7 times and it appears that the first six left a positive impression - it is unfortunate that this most recent visit created a situation where the guest has decided not to return and, again....our mistake so, on behalf of the entire staff, I would apologize for that. \r \r I suppose it is pretty cliche to say that we all have bad days....and servers and kitchen staff and managers are not exempt from that - nor are guests I suspect.\r \r We are not unlike any other small business in these scary economic times - striving to do the best we can, provide the best possible service, value and product - every day is a learning experience ts reviews and comments are opportunities for our management team to work with the service staff to get better each and every day in hopes that we will provide all of the things we are all working so hard to provide.\r \r Thank you for your critique - we will work on it and here's hoping we will have the chance to show you the progress we've made. more

We have been here about seven times in the last 6 months. In the past we have always been surprised by the pleasant ambience, good service and good food.\r \r Our last experience though, was horrible. We had a rude and overbearing server named Scott. On top of that, they pretty much told us never to come back. Reason? We asked for Penne pasta instead of Spaghetti with the roaster red pepper sauce. Here is how it went:\r \r We: We are vegetarian, so could we get the roaster red pepper sauce with the penne pasta and any vegetables please?\r Server: Uhhh ... well, we just had a BIG meeting and we were told not to change the orders because that takes away from the experience. I would have to ask my manager.\r We: Sure, could you please do that and let us know?\r Server: Well, I asked and this time we will do it as a favor. But not next time onwards.\r We: Oh, all right.\r \r There you go. They can't combine a different pasta with a sauce? What kind of Italian place would behave like that? We have been to a large vareity of Italian restaurants in Houston, NYC, SF, Seattle and elsewhere and this is the first time we have had this experience.\r \r I wouldn't recommend going back to Lombardi's in Issaquah ever. Pros: Better food than other Italian restaurants Cons: Poor service, high prices, poor ambience, poor cutlery and limited choices more

Lombardi's was recommended to me by friend of mine as being great. I went and found that the staff was quite friendly. However, the service was slow and it was so loud that I found myself yelling to my other dining companions. We ordered the Tuscan prawns and they were horrible, inedible after returning home that evening I was ill and my guess is that it was from the prawns. My husband ordered the lasagna and thought it was fine. We ordered desert and coffee and again had to wait over 20 minutes to receive it. I would not recommend this place and do not plan on returning there myself. Pros: Very expencive for the food you are getting more

Haven't really been to this place all that often in the past but I really like it now. A group of us go for happy hour(s) once or twice a week - while the food selections are not abundant, meaning it's a small happy hour menu, it is quality stuff. The Vodka Fire Tortolini is killer and the Tuscan prawns are incredible. My favorite, and the favorite of most of our crowd, is the sliders (if you get them on the italian bread..not the buns).\r \r Decided to have dinner in the dining room on Friday. Short wait but were encouraged to sit in the bar as it would only be a little while. Had a drink and then it was time for our table. The Caesar saled is great - you can tell the dressing is home made. I had Lassagne - server explained it is a new recipe - old school italian with a light meat sauce and light cream/cheese sauce - it was awesome. Friends had the fettucine alfredo and seared ahi - they both thought they were excellent.\r \r All in all....plent y of reasons to keep going or stop in for your first visit - staff and service and food are outstanding! Pros: Food, Service, Double Happy Hours, Patio Dining soon! Cons: Waitlist if you don't have a reservation,lots of kids at times more

Visited Lombardi's twice last month after almost two years of choosing not to visit - we'd heard through the grapevine that there had been changes...in management, menus, ambiance, and most importantly service - I think the last review posted from ruch may have been the exception and not the norm as our servers (Nolan & Scott) were friendly, knowledgeable, attentive and knew when to stop by and when not too!!! I had the Lassagne and my guest had the Penne Siciliana without meat (She's a veggi) and it was flavorful and spicy too......The place was packed both nights...we did not have a reservation the first visit but were smart and made one the second time. We also stopped in the bar afterwards and their bar staff (Chris) was great both times - he recognized us from the previous visit and remembered our cocktails of choice!\r \r I believe all restaurants (and I dine out several times a month) go through growing pains and with the changes in managment and staff this place sure seems like it has made it's way back...All in all - whatever has happened with this place - things are definitely on the up-swing and it's been our pleasure to dine there - we re-found our favorite neighborhood spot! Pros: Service, Management is very visable, food, greetings from front desk and staff Cons: Gets loud when they are full and you sometimes have to strain to hear guests at the table more

horrible service.I went last night for dinner and was waited on by this lazy,ignorant waiteress.Once she knew we would not be ordering alcohol she completely forgot about us.She got our orders and never came back to check on us ,till we were ready to go.We kept trying to reach her but she was elusive concentrating on tables with more orders.Food was ok no great shakes.We had Fettuccine and Penne.Both were bland .Since our waiteress never came back we couldnot even have parmesan to change the taste a bit.The menu had virtually no options for vegetarians like me.Maybe they dont care but they should considering the go green wave sweeping off the city.Being a serious italian eater I would never go back there even though I live just 1.1 miles away.Very disappointed . more

While there were several mistakes in the delivery of our order the over-all quality of the food was pretty good. The app was flavorful, as was the ... more

Lombardi's has a second location in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, and they have the best Italian cuisine I've tried in the area. Unfortunat... more

Im giving Lombardis an A. Some of the comments listed here are ridiculous. I cant believe how foul and rude people are with the internet these days. Lombardis has been a regular venue for us for 8 to 10 years and its always been an enjoyable experience. Their Caesar salad is one of the best in town. Other favorites are the Tuscan chicken, fettuccini Dimari and taste meat lasagna. Recently we tried the garlic prawn pizza and thought it was incredible. If there is room, I always finish with the tiramisu and the Italian roast espresso. Pros: Save room for the tiramisu more

I don't know what was worse, the food or the service. I can't believe this restaurant is still in business. I had the Scampi Diavolo, and it was unbelievably bland. Let me describe the prosciutto - think of what the flavor and texture would be if you left bits of thinly sliced ham out on the counter for a week. Then throw it in to the boiling water with the linguini for a couple minutes to try to re-hydrate it a bit. And I have never experienced such SLOW service! Pros: N/A Cons: horrible food, slow service, repulsive "decor" more

We visited on a Wednesday night, and it was fairly busy. Why, I am not sure. This is such an incredibly mediocre Italian restaurant, I can't believe anyone goes back. The ambiance feels like an Italian-themed Denny's. We were seated so close to other parties that we could almost share plates. My wife and I ordered wine (which was OK, although the portions are small), pizza, and caesar salad. The salad we pretty good actually, but the pizza was really terrible. The dought was barely cooked, and there appeared to be no spices in the sauce whatsoever as the pizza tasted of nothing in particular. Very bland. The service was fairly average. I can't think of any reason to go back, as every other italian restaurant within 5 miles is better, and not any more expensive. Pros: Good salad Cons: No ambience, Bland food more