Il Nido

Sometimes Alki can feel like a vortex of beachy fish and chips-fueled summer fun that shuts down once the sun makes a dramatic exit, stage left. But West Seattleites know that the area is buzzing all year round, and Il Nido is one of those places worth going out of your way for. The upscale Italian spot is both fancy enough to celebrate a 15th wedding anniversary, but also informal enough that when a grown woman at the table next to you asks for an off-menu “butter pasta” the server doesn’t skip a beat. It’s the kind of atmosphere that warrants any ask and has such consistently good food that even the simplest pasta tastes great. 

Il Nido is situated in a historic homestead—when you walk up to the huge log cabin with a perfectly manicured front lawn, you’re in the right place. Inside, couples sip gin-spiked cocktails among antler chandeliers with a stone fireplace in the center of it all. The dining space is woodsy and welcoming, green house-style windows give almost every table a shimmer of sunlight, and the whole place just feels like someone's living room (probably because it once was one).

An ideal dinner order starts with prosciutto de parma, takes a detour to pasta, and ends with panna cotta. Throw in focaccia and one of their vegetable dishes like grilled asparagus for a well-rounded, great meal. There are a couple of missteps, like a mashup of seasonal ingredients that just don’t quite work and a very heavy snowing of parmesan on essentially every dish that can make things very salty. But for the most part, it’s easy to leave here satisfied and full of pasta, even if it's just the buttered kind.

Food Rundown

Focaccia

Sometimes, this focaccia stuffed with olives or tomatoes (depending on the day) comes to the table cold and stiff. With a very small portion for $8, you should get the bruschetta instead.

Prosciutto Di Parma

This plate of thinly sliced marbled prosciutto is buttery and a little salty. Nothing groundbreaking here, but it's a tasty arrangement of meat.

photo credit: Nate Watters

Tagliatelle A Nido

This is the only pasta on the menu that never leaves or changes. And seeing as it is the best one here, we love that. It’s a nice balance of meaty pork and beef ragu, with hints of sweetness from the eggy tagliatelle, and a burst of salt from the blanket of parmigiano (even if it's a touch too much).

photo credit: Nate Watters

Gnocchi Primavera

Aside from the fact that this gorgeous dish could be an art piece, it’s also delicious. There are zings of torn mint, and an herby essence of bright green salsa primavera coats every inch of these plump ricotta gnocchi—it’s everything we love in a summer pasta.

Blistered Sugar Snap Peas

These sugar snap peas lose their snap after being charred and doused in an anchovy-heavy dressing. And the dusting of sandy breadcrumbs just slides right off, ending up everywhere but your stomach.