RESTAURANT REVIEW: Il Bistro at Pike Place Market

If you find yourself downtown craving good food and drinks, I recommend stopping in at Il Bistro. Image courtesy of Il Bistro.

Dear friends: One of my favorite pastimes is trying out new restaurants with my husband Alan and other friends. This review is my way of sharing that with you as well. Enjoy!

Il Bistro is a cozy Italian restaurant with exposed brick walls, oak floors, beautiful bar, and low lighting tucked away in the cobblestone ally between a graffiti mural and the famous gum wall at Pike Place Market.

Since it is in tourist country, you would expect it to also be touristy, but it felt like it had attracted mostly locals. They are often booked up, so reservations are recommended. The dress code is listed as business casual, but we saw plenty of people dressed in jeans. They have a pretty extensive wine list, beer, and several craft cocktails, so you are almost guaranteed to find a favorite drink.

Image courtesy of Il Bistro.

I had the Caesar salad, and Pollo con Fagiofi e salsiccia (Chicken with white beans and sausage). The Caesar salad was dressed with light anchovy and garlic, which was perfect for my taste. The Pollo con Fagiofi e salsiccia is an unusual Italian dish, which I found to be a delicious comfort food. The beans and sausage were cooked together with the sliced, baked white meat chicken added on top with a garnish of arugula.

My friends all loved their salads and entrees. I only saw on vegetarian dish on the menu, which was the house made Gnocchi, which has wild mushrooms, lemon and Parmesan.

Finally, the servers were very friendly and attentive. If you find yourself downtown craving good food and drinks, I recommend stopping in at Il Bistro.

Il Bistro
93 Pike St.
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 682-3049

Do you have a favorite South Seattle eatery you’d like to recommend? Give me a shout!