Cortina Reviews

We were looking forward to happy hour at this sleek spot. The euro-styling is modern and inviting. The offerings, however, were not very interesting and over-priced. There were limited happy hour cocktail choices and the two we ordered were not good, we sent one back because it was terrible...perhaps meant to be sophisticated but tasted like pickle juice on ice.

Nice restaurant with friendly staff, Cortina puts a little different twist on some Italian dishes. The spaghetti is more of a mac and cheese style dish, so my husband went with the beef cheek ragu, which was good but a little spicy. My mushroom ravioli had a pesto sauce instead of a red sauce but I love pesto so it was great. We each had a cocktail with those two dishes and our bill (which did include a 22% gratuity) came to $130. This is Seattle...

Amazing Italian restaurant by local star chef Ethan Stowell. Order the Creste di Gallo (braised rabbits, soffritto, pecorino Toscano, poppini) it's phenomenal! Great service in a stylish setting.

Cortina is a downtown Seattle newcomer from the local Ethan Stowell restaurants, a lovely space with a handsome bar that seems to stretch for miles. Taking a seat there with a half dozen other folks clustered together for a late evening dinner would seem to guarantee fine service (as would the mandatory 20% service charge). But the one bartender there could not have been more indifferent. It took him a frustrating 10 minutes for him to even acknowledge my presence at the bar, such a lengthy period that I was on the verge of leaving without ordering. His service remained lackluster throughout my time there, even leaving my empty plate sitting in front of me for another lengthy period despite several passes past my seat. Sure, it was near closing time with some attendant tasks for the bartender, but a paying customer should still be his priority. It wasn't. That said, my potato gnocchi with smoked geoduck clam ($26) at Cortina was a pleasingly large bowl of primo comfort food, the tiny bits of clam providing a nifty taste accent. Two small carafes of Tranche Pape Blanc ($12 each) white wine from Walla Walla was a fine accompaniment. But, in one last annoying action by the bartender, he insisted on emptying out the entire carafe of wine for me both times when it reached half full -- this came across more like a way to hurry me along than provide good service. At the least, he should have inquired if I wanted him to empty the carafe for me (I didn't, thank you). This was my first visit to Cortina; it will also likely be the last.

Formerly the location of Sullivan's Steakhouse. Ethan Stowell restaurants has transformed the space into a very bright and inviting restaurant. The Bar area is very large and a great option for solo dining. The dining area has tables and very large booths. You can reserve via the Ethan Stowell website. Four of us went the first week after a soft opening. Service was attentive but not as smooth as we expect it will be down the road. Automatic 20 percent gratuity which is becoming increasingly common in Seattle. By making the tip automatic, the management gains control on how it is allocated. Some probably goes to the Kitchen, which is a good move. Unfortunately, when the tip is automatic, sales tax is added to it. This further contributes to the notably high cost of dining in Seattle. A nicely focused combination of small plates, sides and entrees that feels Northern Italian to me. The Steak Tartare was top rate! We also had some very tasty and unfamiliar pastas. The Paccheri Pasta was new to us and very special. The Desserts were predictable for an Italian restaurant with an important exception: Fruit Crostata which was a real treat. Broad and eclectic wine list with lots of by-the-glass choices.

Sat at the bar for a few drinks on a quiet Sunday night. Contemplated dinner but quickly changed our minds after we had to set off rockets to get the bartenders’ attention (both of them). Unfriendly, apathetic and just bad service. Plenty of other great neighborhood places to hang. And the lights were too bright. Sort of felt like being in a cafeteria. well made drink, though!!! Take a pass....

The food was amazing, I loved the pasta and the appetizers. The waitstaff attended to our every need without hovering and they recommended the stozzopretti and focaccia which were both incredible. Compliments to the chef!

Friends recommended the BLT sandwich. They were right. It was one of the best. All 3 of us had it and enjoyed it. And a Bloody Mary to go with it. One of the best Bloody Mary's I've ever had. The restaurant is a little noisy, but the service was first rate.

Menu $35: three courses, a lot to choose of, not too much to eat, but absolutely worth to taste - so good! Creative, daring, good balance of ingredients.

My colleague and I were keen to enjoy a nice Italian meal during a week in Seattle. The high-end look and feel of the place suggested we made the right choice. We were quickly seated and promptly forgotten about for more than 20 minutes. More than 8 servers passed by us with no acknowledgment whatsoever. After being told up front there would be a 22% charge added to the bill, our anticipation was soured further. Other tables seated after us were attended to a served drinks. My colleague was far more accommodating and wanted to wait but there was no saving this night...at least not at Cortina

My friends suggested this place (who was with us and really disliked his meal) and it was pretty disappointing. Out of 5 of us, only two really liked their dinner. Two did not like at all and mine was the chicken dish with a wimpy portion of veggies for $24. Average portion of chicken. No where near full when done. One of the other dishes was soooo salty. I could not have eaten it and my BF had the King Crab Risotto and where the heck was the crab?? Presentation was horrible. Looked like porridge on a plate. First, put it in a bowl an add something to make it look appetizing. It totally lacked flavor and only a few tiny bites of crab were to be found. Waiter said this was one of the medal winner dishes...NOT. No way. There was nothing good to be said about the dish. My other friend had the Spaghetti Carbonara and her comment was it was good but, she has had way better. So, definitely will not return. Way too many great restaurants to eat here again.

The food was good. Starters were terrific but entrees were just good (1 was good, one was OK and 1 was meh). My wife had the special and liked it but it was very spicy, which she was warned about but unusually spicy for any Italian we’ve ever had before. I had the gnocchi with braised lamb and sweet peppers but there were only 4 bites of lamb in the whole dish, the gnocchi was mushy and the lack of lamb was made up for with way too many peppers. Tasted like a bad Philly cheesesteak. For service it was mixed, started off great with a very engaged server that was all over it (ordering drinks and starters). They then had to trade with another server so they could focus on the bar area. The second server was friendly enough but never came to our table without us flagging them down (seemed to actually be avoiding eye contact). It was not a busy night so no real idea what the issue was. Took a long time to order entrees because of the lack of attention. Never checked on us or asked how our food was (or why the gnocchi was mostly uneaten). Finally, it’s a nicely appointed restaurant but it was really warm (cooler outside than in). Seemed like the AC wasn’t turned on. In all, not a very satisfying dinner for $503.00 for 3 people (including $200 bottle of wine). Not happy at all about having a set 22% gratuity for service that we didn’t really get (even charged on the $200 bottle of wine that was just set on the table).

Manager greeted me at the door and found a seat for me at the bar. Really enjoyed the pizza and my sage mezcal cocktail. Every one was professional and service was quick. Thank you

One of Stowell's newer restaurant, located near ACT theater in old Sullivan steakhouse location. Now it is brighter, and more airy. Overall it is a good place. Focused on pasta dishes. We ordered 3 different ones to share and they were all good. Service was great, (there is a mandatory automatic 20% tip) and restaurant is open through from lunch to dinner. It's a great place for business lunch or would even say family friendly in a sense that there's dishes that could appeal to kids (more like teens). Overall, was happy with our meal, pasta was cooked well. Only thing that precludes giving it a 5/5 is that it lacks that homemade pasta feel as it is a huge more institutional type place. (say vs. a il corvo in pioneer or agrodolce in fremont). They do charge for bread - you get a small order of half a baguette and some lovely butter.

Good service. Nice atmosphere. Great choices for lunch. really enjoyed the meal. Did not feel rushed and had a good conversation over a business lunch. Id go bad k

Stopped in for dinner after a long flight from NY. Was encouraged by the choices on the menu, but was quickly crushed when each choice I picked kept getting turned down because they ran out. I finally settled for a burger because I was hungry. Not a bad burger, but I doubt I will go back.

I only write reviews for memorable experiences, both good and bad. I made 5:30 pm dinner reservations, party of four. We are all fairly experienced in the culinary world. The menu is not complicated and staffing looked adequate. Unfortunately, the entire dinner was a slog, from start to finish. Our waiter was pleasant but proved to be very inexperienced. It was shocking for a resturant with it's promoted pedigree. We ordered a few appetizers and glasses of wine which were slow to arrive. Several times, we were served incorrect hors devours and drinks that had to be sent back. We had to ask for bus service as dirty plates and utensils piled up. At wits' end, we had to ask for our entrées at 7:15 pm. The food was served close to room temperature. A final bill of well over $500.00 made this a notably awful experience. I will leave it to the management to diagnose and correct the issues. In the meantime, diners beware.

Ethan Stowell needs to send his chef to Italy for training. I ordered two of my favorite dishes and was dismayed at how awful they were. Beet salad that was served in a soup bowl, cut in chunks, light pink and looked like raw fish. So unappetizing and after one bite I couldn’t finish it. Then my all time favorite Spaghetti Carbonara. They used a pasta called Tanorelli which was undercooked (not al dente, undercooked) and gummy like it had been sitting in water. It was served with a raw egg yolk on top and some sort of sauce. Awful. I have had this dish many times in Italy and this bore no resemblance to it. No need to get creative with this Italian staple. I would never return to this restaurant. I didn’t eat anything and no one cared. Didn’t even ask me what was wrong.

I was in the convention Sheraton Hotel in Seattle for four nights and discovered this little restaurant right across the street. It was perfect for lunch, afternoon drinks, evening drinks, and dinner. As you can see, I went several times. I highly recommend the salmon buschetta. Unusual and delicious. The pizza with proscuitto and arugala was as close as you can get to pizza in Italy without being in Italy. The wait staff are friendly, the atmosphere is modern, and the overall experience is excellent.

Our family visited restaurant recently - six people. Both my wife and myself don’t like it. When we visit restaurants as a group, we like to share dishes - and there was nothing to share. Portions are small - next to the tapas - and relatively expensive. Even pasta portions were $21 - $24. And pasta itself was not bad (probably homemade, not sure) - but sauces were very standard and boring. No vegetables, no some interesting ideas - really boring. Meat and fish were OK, but nothing special except price, around $32 for small portion. As positive I can mention nice “happy hour” discount (although we didn’t get it, I just saw the menu). And of course downtown location, full of tourists, help them to survive probably nicely. Good Luck to everybody! Emanuil

Just WOW!!! Went there for late lunch and was not sure about the very limited choices. But we each chose a different dish and both were just amazing. I had the spaghetti de pepe- like a very light Alfred with lots of cracked pepper. I thought it would be overpowering but it was perfect…I will dream of it u til I go again. The other party had bucatini carbonara, also first class. The atmosphere was casual, the waiter super efficient and friendly. There’s always the problem of finding street parking downtown, but worth it!

After that, we had a decent lunch. the pasta was good and the servers were very helpful. While this was our first try for this restaurant, I am not sure we will return. On any given day, There are a number of restaurants, eg., Il Terrazzo that's far superior.

We found ourselves in a part of Seattle without a lot of restaurant options and, needing to leave for the airport in a couple of hours, didn't have a much time to look around. Cortina was around the corner, they had space in their bar area, so we decided to try them out. What followed is one of the very best meals we've had just about anywhere. Every single dish ranged somewhere between excellent and phenomenal (especially the Persian Cucumbers). Although some items are a tad pricy -- our son had the Beef Tenderloin -- portion sizes were surprisingly generous, especially on the salads and pastas. Both the Tonnarelli and Ravioli were top-drawer, and we all wound up sharing them. The restaurant itself is understatedly elegant, in a spare, calm way. Fantastic service to boot. Would absolutely go again.

Excellent prices at happy hour from 4-6PM on a Sunday after the matinee at the 5th Ave Theater and they give a discount for season subscribers. 3 small plates and 2 pastas were more than enough. Beef tartare was excellent and the fish brushceta has a strong smokey delicious flavor. Fast responsive service. Clean modern decor. Very comfortable upscale atmosphere. Regular menu is more expensive but food is definitely worth it. I don't know how anyone could rate this place less than 4 stars.

New Ethan Stowell restaurant that’s definitely worth a try. Freshest ingredients, innovative and superbly prepared. Service a bit slow to start, but attentive thereafter.

We had a great time checking out Cortina. The food here is delicious and the service was friendly and fast. I definitely would recommend checking this spot out if you're in Seattle and we will definitely be coming back next time we come through.

We went here before the 5th avenue theater for dinner with 4 people. The atmosphere is modern and feels like a hotel bar or upscale cafeteria style. It was very loud and seemed to be filled by more of the after work, happy hour crowd, then the theater goers. The food was very good, especially the pastas. However, the experience as a whole was not what we were expecting, as we were hoping for a quieter, fine dining experience.

Not pleased with the food or the prices. The best thing about Cortina is the atmosphere. Downtown Seattle has so many other choices that provide a nice atmosphere, good food and, fair and reasonable prices....we wasted our time and money here :(

We had dinner here while attending the Seattle Flower Show. It was easy to make a reservation online. When we arrive, we were welcomed warmly and shown to our table promptly. The waiter was knowledgable, the service smooth and efficient. The food was very good. I would definitely return.

This is a good place to go for a business lunch - but make sure you have a reservation! Nice selections. I have been several times and enjoyed several of the home made pastas, the steak salad is one of my favorites in Seattle, and the Staple & Fancy pizza is excellent. Staff are always attentive. Good wine and beer selections. Also a good happy hour location. Only downside is that it can be very loud.

First time and probably last. Got there around 8ish for dinner not overly busy got seated fairly quickly. Ordered a King Salmon, Prime Ribeye and two Bucatini also ordered an order of Pommes Frites for appetizer. Appetizer came out in a timely fashion which was french fries and a small cup of a parmesan dip. It was ok. Then nothing. Food took forever to arrive close to 1 hour. My son had the salmon which tasted like a frozen piece of fish, steak was cooked ok a little cool when it arrived what I'm not sure is why two exact dishes were so different, they were cold when served one dish had an abundance of sauce where the other dish was without sauce. Noodles were cold and did not feel like they were cooked correctly, very very disappointing you would think in 1 hour the food would have been piping hot. Walking by the kitchen it appeared to be a chaotic place and people were not working as a team they appeared angry with each other. Dinner cost 230.00 I felt I could have gotten better service from the kitchen and more flavor if I would have went to Olive Garden. So disappointed, try your food, act as if you are serving your family and if there is a time issue talk with us....

I had high hopes for Cortina before it opened as I work in the Union Square Building and really wanted something spectacular in the old Sullivan's space. I've dined here five times since the opening (both lunch and dinner) and the experiences have been so far somewhat disappointing to me. I've never walked away 100% satisfied with their food. Either the pasta is too dry, too lemony, ahi salad meh...you get the picture. For a $35 lunch the food should be pretty damn good, but it's not.

Although we had a reservation for 5, we were seated in a small booth in the back, directly under a very loud speaker, which made it difficult to carry on a conversation. The service was good and attentive. The baby lettuce salad ($11) had high marks. The Caesar salad ($14) was interesting with the red cabbage like substitute for romaine but delicious with the shaved Parmesan, anchovy’s and dates. The beet salad ($13) so just fair according to our friends. The Carbonara ($21) came beautifully presented with a perfect soft boiled egg on top. The pumpkin ravioli ($24) a bit greasy and the potato gnocchi ($24) blah without the promised addition of geoduck. With 8 glasses of wine, and the included 20% service charge, our bill for 5 came to $345.00 The bar was hopping and possibly a better place to dine than where we’d been seated.

I usually try out new restaurants during happy hour so I can assess them with a lower financial cost. First the good: beautiful decor, good pasta, very good salad, engaging service; the not so good: I ordered a glass of wine and it was so-so — when I got to the bottom of the glass, there was about 1/8 inch sediment, meaning that, since I was eating a few minutes after restaurant opening at 4pm, I received a glass from a bottle open for awhile, or an automatic wine dispenser that sends out sediment along with wine. Not a good choice for a HH savings of only $2. I’m also okay with the increasingly present 20% service fee — less so however when city tax increases that charge to 22%. Total for my HH meal: $40. Not quite ready to put it into my Seattle restaurant rotation.

Hit-and-miss service and really average food. The fries were nice but even McDonalds can do nice fries. The prawn pasta had just four or five bits of prawn in it and it took a while to find them. The chocolate dessert was really disappointing...very dry and tasteless, and when I mentioned it to the staff they just said that it was made offsite and must have been a bad batch. There was an apology but no attempt to take it off the bill. I definitely wouldn't rush back.

Sad to report major inconsistencies in food and service. Haves dined here four times and third carbonara no resemblance to last two times.

Definitely an over rated spot in Seattle. My husband and I tried something new, Cortina, for our anniversary, and were disappointed. We ordered the scallop appetizer which was good But bland, pommes frites that came with a gross aioli, and decided to play the rest of the night Safe by sharing a zucca pizza—which was decent. Overall, loud and not an enjoyable Ambiance. Great service. The food wasn’t worth the price or the hype. We’ve eaten at some amazing places around the world and this was definitely not comparable. Disappointing.

We went for Restaurant Week, which is a nuts time to go because they were slammed. Luckily there were many helpers to keep things moving. Our server was great, just really busy! I started with a Behind the Green Door cocktail with gin, cucumber, celery, lemon and elderflower - really excellent taste - but it came over a full glass of crushed ice, which made it hard to drink. That wasn't mentioned in the description, so I was expecting a martini-type presentation. Our server quickly took it back and asked the bartender to strain it. Hopefully he didn't spit in it, but I really enjoyed it and would definitely have it again, that style. We were expecting appetizers "for the table", as listed on the website for RW, but instead had to "choose one". Not easy, when they all sound good, but we were thrilled with our selections. Treviso caesar was the best caesar I've ever had, and I don't order them any more because they're so ubiquitous and usually bad. I thought this would be good, and wow! The bitterness of the treviso with the anchovy vinaigrette and shaved parm - fabulous! I could have done without the dates, but... Hubby's burrata was wonderful, and we especially loved the smoked grapes! Strong if you're not a smoke fan, but we are! We both ordered pasta, and the flavors were amazing. I had to order Linguine with Smoked Geoduck, because who else serves that? The uni sauce was fantastic, and overall I loved the taste, though the geoduck was hard to discern, and no real smoke flavor. Subtle, but delicious. The Tonarelli Carbonara was very porky flavorful. Unfortunately, both pastas were undercooked, not al dente. I've eaten pasta at other Ethan Stowell restaurants, and that was not a problem. So way too chewy, and we each brought about 1/3 home to reheat and cook more later. Desserts were spectacular. I don't usually like really chocolaty dense cakes in restaurants, but agreed to share it and my Buttermilk Panna Cotta, and I'm so glad I did! I was won over by the end of my first bite. Incredible flavors and texture. And really good alternating bites of the excellent creamy panna cotta! LIke many newer restaurants, it was really noisy, especially since it was packed. But I do want to go back for all of those flavors, and assume the pasta will be cooked properly.

We ordered food from Cortina and it was excellent! From meat eaters to vegetarians, all were happy. Everyone loves the variety. Pizzas we're good and the salads we're exceptional! Fresh and light! Definitely would order again. I wish they would go phone/online orders.

There's lots to rave about at the new Cortina in downtown Seattle. Service is outstanding. We were promptly seated at the time of our reservation, choosing to sit in the dining room (versus the large bar area with several HDTVs). We ordered glasses of French Rose wine, which were fairly priced and quite good. Our starter was a Sun Gold Tomato salad with ricotta cheese and balsamic dressing. Rich and delicious, but a tad pricey at $15. We also split an absolutely super Carbonara pasta (homemade) which was so tasty, and perfectly cooked al dente. We also split a Funghi Pizza, with their signature dough, also cooked perfectly, loaded with mushrooms. We ended up taking half of it home for lunch. The only disappointment was that they didn't offer a complimentary dessert, in spite of knowing and acknowledging that this was a special birthday occasion. That's pretty standard procedure in many upscale restaurants like Cortina. We had hoped they would comp our Tiramisu, but it didn't happen. Like many other Seattle restaurants, a 20% service charge is added as standard.

Food was delicious. Beverages well made. Beautiful space. Service started out great, then fell apart. Could not find anyone to bring us more crostini for the Tartare. Asked twice. Took thirty minutes. Not very impressive. They should serve twice the quantity of crostini. Would be such an easy fix. $144.00 for appetizers and cocktails. Money not well spent.

Two couples. DIdn't experience the extremes of some other reviewers. A Saturday early supper. Clean, modern appearance. Very long bar with stools. Sat in the back. Reflective surfaces, missed 20% of the conversation people across the table. Two family groups with enthusiastic children added to volume. Two tasty pizzas at $17 and $19, one ample gnocchi dish with no vegetables at $23 I thought painfully spicy, maybe very southern Italian, an appetizer, two tasty sorbet. The service was adequate, sometimes a bit clumsy. Overall a good experience but not one I'd go out of my way to repeat given the kitchens in Seattle with more distinctive personalities.

Decoration is nice. Despite low number of attendants in the restaurant, conversations were loud. Dishes are nice but served nearly cold. A bit of disynchronisation between staff. Few of us were served with drink or dish from someone else Price tag is too high versus the quality of food

Never fails. Awesome food, great service. This place makes Seattle a go to city for food. One of my favorites always.

They have a very long bar as well as numerous individual tables--the bar has a great vibe to it as there are singles, couples and even small groups that prefer the bar to table service. We were there for some Happy Hour snacks as we just got off a plane flight and had missed lunch. That afternoon Cortina had Beef Tartare and Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe on the Happy Hour menu (plus other choices). Both were quite tasty and made my wife and I say that we needed to come back for dinner again soon. If you are here for lunch, the high windows must bring in the light and give the place a bright and airy feel. Check out my photos for more details.

I bet I've been to Cortina at least 20 times. It is (maybe was) my go-to happy hour spot, and I've introduced several friends to the restaurant since they opened. The food is always great, the atmosphere is lovely, and the value at happy hour is the best in town, in my opinion. And Cortina is filling a need for a good bar with great food in the downtown core. The thing is that my last two visits have been seriously marred by very poor service. Both times, a server visited our table about 5 times before we ordered food, and then they disappeared! No check back. Empty plates, empty glasses for a very long time, until we waved our server down or approached the bar. Last night, it was insult to injury when the server in a suit, who I assume is a manager, was dripping over the table next to us (in the bar) and apparently missed the fact that we were sitting there with dry glasses eager to order another round of drinks. I'm sure it's hard to find good staff--and keep them--in Seattle, but I hope that Ethan Stowell Inc. gets things under control at Cortina before turning off more people like me.

I was delighted by this Italian restaurant. From the fabulous appetizer pizza to the amazing scallops, the food was divine. Excellent service too. All around an “A”.

We had a large business group of 12 for dinner. Cortina’s wait staff took excellent care of us. Drink orders, appetizers, entrees and desserts all arrived quickly and accurately. I loved the waiter’s recommendation of the Tonarelli Carbonara. I only wished we weren’t traveling, so I could take some of my leftovers home to enjoy the next day. This usually shares desserts, passing them around the table. Cortina didn’t disappoint- 5 tasty treats made their way around, even though we were pretty full from the pasta dishes. They have a good cocktail and wine selection and this Kentucky girl enjoyed a new version of an Old Fashioned as well as a red Montepulciano with dinner.