Cascina Spinasse

The butter and sage noodle dish was absolutely amazing. It melted in my mouth. Loved the food, service and overall environment. I have heard amazing things about this restaurant and now I know why. The food is unforgettable! The people who work here are so kind and very helpful. Also, you can see them making the hand made noodles in the kitchen through glass windows. It’s beautiful.

Upscale Italian.
Beautifully decorated interior with a lively atmosphere. The staff is very friendly and excited to give recommendations. The service is prompt despite it being packed most of the time.
The drinks have a good pour, and the selection has a artisan, hand crafted vibe.
I went with a large group so I got to try 5 of their appetizers and all were really fresh with bright flavors. As you guessed, the handmade pasta was so fresh and executed at a high level. I got the pheasant, which was cooked perfectly and complimented nicely with the blueberry sauce.
Little pricey, but worth the experience!

We were visiting from Mississippi and absolutely loved Spinasse! We have lived in Italy and eaten a lot of fantastic Italian food, and this place is top notch! The service was impeccable, and it is definitely worthy the wait if you have to. The bar next door is very accommodating and you can and sit and have a glass of wine while you wait.

We went there for our anniversary dinner and had high expectations because of the reviews. The complementary crostini with anchovies we got was way too salty. The pasta was fresh but lacked flavor. We liked the milk braised chicken leg. It was soft and well cooked with a nice creamy gravy. The dessert was the only highlight but overall it wasn’t worth what we paid for.

This is a must-​eat restaurant in Seattle. We visit twice a year and this place feels like home. The portions are small, but each bite is worth every savor. The butter sage pasta is a MUST (seriously), so just order it without questions. Every plate makes your stomach happy. The rabbit, the pork, the fresh salads… all of it. The menu changes all the time but it’s what keep us coming back. Love it

I had the pleasure of taking my wife for her birthday and partaking in the tasting menu.
I highly recommend the tasting menu, with the advice to come very hungry and patient as you will eat your way through several courses over several hours. The highlights were the Carciofi e mascarpone, the Risotto alle ortiche and the Agnolotti dal plin. By the 3^rd course we were quite full and had to take most of the Secondi home. We finished with Affogato. The flavors were full and rich, service top notch, and a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. I dream of the agnolotti, referring to them as «little pockets of heaven.»

still 5 stars in my book.
we had half portions of all the primi and the tajarin still has a place in my heart. we also tried the artichoke app, which had a lemony and ricotta? sauce that was spectacular on a summer day. i don’t think you can go wrong here.
the entrees can be good, but to me, spinasse is all about the pasta. i’m a pasta dude and it is just spectacular here.
if i could, i would invest in this place!

Pasta is the main star at this place. It’s made fresh, in-​house and you can watch them making it. Everything else here is good, but tends to be on the heavy and salty side.
I recommend ordering the Tarjin with butter and sage. Another option was the ragu meat sauce. However, it was a bit too flavorful and since the pasta is yummy in its own, it doesn’t need much else.
Broccoli — they fried it and then drenched it in this really heavy sauce to the point where it didn’t even feel like I was eating a vegetable anymore.
Veal wrapped in Swiss chard — very tender, but very salty and flavorful.
Brown butter Apple cake — highly recommend saving room to order this one!

Y.U.M.M.Y! Although it was difficult to find while passing by in a car and trying to look for parking (suggestion: put up a sign!) it was well worth the time. I hadn’t imagined parking in this area would be so difficult on a Thursday evening around 8pm, but it’s really hit or miss in this area. In any case, I had made a birthday reservation for 6 people, as my friend was visiting from out of town and she wanted to try this place out. Reservations were a breeze to make on OpenTable and I called the day of the make sure it was okay to bring a cake.
We started out with the antipaste platter to try all of the aperitivos. I loved the baby artichokes and the miner’s lettuce salad — light and tasty! For the italian family-​style meal we had two orders of the pan-​fried trout with radish and the butter sage handmade pasta, as well as the risotto and the swiss chard wrapped pork. I didn’t partake in the pork, but everything else was fantastic. The risotto had the best flavor, while the butter-​sage pasta took home best texture pasta as the prize. The trout was cooked just right — crisp on the outside, tender on the inside so that was also a nice treat.
I brought a cake with me that they kept refrigerated in the back for us while we had dinner and I sliced it up for the group. What I learned over the phone was if I wanted them to cut and plate the cake they could do that, but it would be a $ 3 charge per person. They were more than happy to answer all of my questions about this over the phone so I could come prepared. Great service all around! Can’t wait to return!

We visited this place two nights in a row once we discovered it! It was recommended by a friend of ours who’s a true foodie.
It was packed both nights (Wednesday and Thursday)
The food and the service was exceptional. We had the followings:
Bibb salad: light salad with hazelnut. Very tasty.
Kohlrabi salad: very flavorful. The items individually are very strong. It’s best to have it with a a pice of bread
Contorini (brocolini): sweet and very flavorful (it was brought to us at no cost)
Tajarin: ragu pasta, which I tried both nights! It’s that good! Made with fresh pasta and meat ragu. Very tasty.
Capunet: a mixed of rabbit and veal in a wrapped in red Swiss chard. Incredible! Very flavorful! (sweet and savory)
Pork belly: another amazing dish. Very tender and bold in flavor.
Corkage fee is $ 20.00.
Service was exceptional. (both nights)
Thank you to our fabulous server, Kerin.

Wonderful Italian food!
I have been here a couple times now. I went with another couple and we ordered most of the menu and the specials. Our favorites were the tagliatelle with beef ragu and butter sage (if you choose one I would say the latter), agnolotti, cavatelli (very delicious), We were only so-​so with the fondue stuffed pasta (forgot the name of it) but it was in a really pretty shape. Of the antipasti we liked the beet salad and prosciutto (we ordered all of them). With the desserts we liked the mousse and apple desserts but weren’t blown away by them (we tried 3 of them including a special). Of the two meats we ordered we didn’t like the duck but liked the rabbit meatballs.
Our waitress was awesome. This is the first time that every suggestion she gave us was spot on. I usually don’t like what the waiter tells me and prefer when I go with my gut but this was an exception.
We had a great time and can’t wait to go back for the butter sage tagliatelle (and will order a full size).

Cascina Spinasse is a nice cozy place and offered handmade pasta (all their pasta are made in house, too!). You can opt to have samples of every appetizer, pasta and entrée dish on their menu for $ 100 or pick/​choose whatever you want. This time, I behaved well and limited myself to a half portion ($ 14) of tajarin with butter and sage (based on Unilocal review) and rabbit meatballs ($ 28?). Both tasted great! I was a bit worried that it might be too big fr one person, but actually there were 3 meatballs, so it wasn’t too bad for me to finish both dishes… just leaving a little bit on a full side. My other friends had salad and some sort of pasta and they appeared to have finished their dishes as well. Overall, I liked their pasta. It was definitely better than the pasta you could get at a typical restaurant. However, I felt the buttery taste was slightly overpowering… but the texture of the pasta was good though! The rabbit meatballs were excellent and were just the right portion. You can probably order meatballs to share and opt for half a portion of pasta if you aren’t too hungry, too. Overall, I wouldn’t mind stopping by this place again if someone was looking for a good pasta place with a nice ambiance in Capitol Hill.
P. S. I don’t like their restroom so much though as it’s shared between 2 restaurants as well as with their sibling restaurant Artusi. Luckily, I didn’t sit at the bar and have to watch people coming in and out of bathroom.

I’ve been meaning to try Spinasse for ages, ever since it opened in 2008 and then after Stuart Lane took the helm as chef in 2015, as I have always heard consistently good things about this restaurant’s place as one of the best choices for Italian food in Seattle.
I ordered the Tajarin egg pasta al ragu, which was tasty and had a well balanced flavor. The pasta was very thin and had a good amount of texture to complement the sauce. We also shared the prosciutto di parma and the brussel sprouts. While the prosciutto was slightly pricey, it was perfectly cured and tender with a nice melt-​in-​your-​mouth quality. The brussel sprouts were very savory and flavorful, buttery without being overwhelming. All in all, fairly large portions and excellent food.
They offer an extensive tasting menu sampler for $ 100, which I definitely wouldn’t have been hungry enough finish. I’ll be back!

Came to visit after a friend’s rave review. Here’s what I loved:
— beautiful space, cozy and intimate atmosphere
— different portion sizes so you can try more dishes
— delicate pastas
— attentive service
— amazing hazelnut cheesecake dessert /​cheesecake wrapped in chocolate and hazelnuts with a sweet and salty chocolate crunch and cookie
Here’s what I didn’t care for as much:
— prices were high, so this is definitely a special occasion dinner place for me
— tajarin with butter and sage everybody raves about was not super flavorful (loved the tajarin with ragu, though!)
We came to celebrate my husband’s birthday and they brought out this bunny with a candle alongside dessert. It was really cute and a special way to celebrate!

Rustic dinning at prodigal prices
Ambience: 4
Food: 5
Drinks: 2
Value: 2
Highlighted by handmade fresh pastas, Spinasse is a high-​end eatery focusing on homey rustic Italian dishes. The pasta are indeed delicious; the Tajarin (very thin pressed pasta) with butter and sage are pretty amazing. The oxtail ravioli special was pretty good too. You can sit at the bar and watch them make it, pretty neat experience. However, the price is pretty exorbitant. A full serving (of pasta!) cots $ 25!
Rest of their menu, we thought were tasty by not mind shattering. We had the antipasta sampler (the fresh shaved aged prosciutto was by far the best; the salads were mediocre) and the braised beef cheeks (soft and savory). They also don’t have a full bar, they focus on wines and a few simple cocktails.
Definitely worth a visit, but maybe not a reprise.
I also make one note. Though I do not let service affect my reviews since it’s often hit or miss; several of the people that served us were super pretentious. They loathed to pay us any attention, unlike the people next to us, guess it must be that they were ordering hundred dollar wines. I don’t mind that restaurants tailor to rich clientele, but they don’t have to be obnoxious about it.

100 out of 5 stars.
Let me explain.
My Seattle pride typically ends where conversations about Italian food begin.
For the most part, our geographical distance from Italy is a tad too apparent in the selection (or lack thereof) of traditional Italian (NOT Italian American) food available in the city.
Spinasse not only makes traditional Northern Italian cuisine, they do an exceptional job at it!
My boyfriend took me here for my birthday and without the staff knowing that it was my birthday, it was every bit as special as a birthday meal should be. Service was fantastic, the food was divine and the ambiance was understated romance.
Unfortunately, everyone had fed me all day so even though the boy suggested doing the menu degustazione, I was not hungry enough so we opted to order several things to share instead. Looking back now, I slightly regret not tasting everything on the menu I can’t imagine not liking everything after the meal we had.
As someone who makes fresh pasta at home, I was beyond amazed by the fine hand cut egg pasta. That pasta was so fiiiiine, I debated hitting on it. We had ours with butter and sage and oh my goodness! It was fragrant and scrumptious without losing a delicate balance. The texture was fantastic and it was almost silky.
We also greatly enjoyed the agnolotti. I think the pan seared scallops might have been my favorite and for my boyfriend, it was hands-​down the braised beef cheek. For meat-​loving carnivores, we sang the roasted turnips and quince purée that came with the beef cheeks so much praise. I debated licking my plate for a good long time before deciding that I had to figure out how to make that at home.
Overall, quite possibly the best restaurant I’ve been to in years. Seattle, I guess you CAN do Italian right.

Overall — Great food, great service, and love the interior especially with the open kitchen. Great for a date night — it’s quaint, isn’t too loud, and there’s just enough space between the rooms/​tables that you feel it isn’t crowded at all.
We ordered the prosciutto appetizer (half order since it was just two of us), squash salad, small butter tajarin, small butternut squash mezzaluna, and braised wild boar entrée.
The butter tajarin was absolutely amazing! After our meal, I jokingly mentioned I’d order it for dessert… but I honestly wasn’t really joking, I would’ve ordered it again at the end of the meal. And I would come back to Spinasse just to get a large bowl of that all for myself.
The wild boar was cooked perfectly — tender and didn’t need a knife to cut it.
Service was fabulous — super nice waiter (Derek). He also suggested a great dessert combo — ordering the chocolate dessert and the lemon sorbet of the day was so good together.

I had read some good reviews of this place and decided to eat at the bar. It has a good view of the kitchen which is always nice (particularly the pasta).
The menu is a little intimidating because the food items are all Italian words, but the wait staff is very knowledgeable and helpful.
I started with the antipasto misto – which is a combo of four appetizers. It is a lot for one, but was absolutely delicious. I particularly enjoyed the prosciutto – I could have eaten a pound of that, particularly with the bread they had. I also really liked the salad with gorgonzola cheese.
While eating the antipasto, I was watching the chef make some butternut squash pasta (mezzaluna) so I had to order that. It was super tasty, just perfect. I also ordered the contorni – brussel sprouts. Again, really good – especially the cream sauce.
All the wine is Italian which really makes you dependent on the server. She recommended the Mez Vajra Rosso 2012 which was really nice with the food.
This is must visit place for Seattle Foodies, really good food and experience.

We stopped by Cascina on a Thursday night, and the place was pretty busy (I was able to make reservations on the same day). The space is separated into two sides, with bar seating in the middle. I liked the fact that even though the place was filled, it wasn’t too long so that you can hold a conversation. I had wanted to try Cascina for a long time, so I had an idea of what I wanted to try. We ordered:
Toast with anchovy and butter: this was the amuse that they brought us after we ordered.
Kohlrabi and watermelon radish salad: this dish was just ok for me and on the pricy side for what you get
Tajarin with butter and sage: we should have got the full order, definitely. Great texture on the pasta. We opted for the shaved truffle add-​on, but I would skip it next time.
Cavatelli: the pasta part was decent, but I really liked the duck confit and chanterelles were really good.
Rabbit meatballs with polenta: I loved the taste and texture of the meatballs, and the polenta was soft and tasty, although I wish there was more polenta.
Bicerin: coffee and hot chocolate, but too bitter for my taste.
Panna cotta: nice, light way to end the meal with a dessert that isn’t too heavy or overly sweet.
Overall, I really liked Cascina: one of the best places for pasta in Seattle. Since we had reservations, we were seated at a table, but I think it would be more fun to sit and the counter seats to watch all of the action. Parking is pretty difficult in this area, so bite the bullet and park at one of the overpriced lots close by.

There’s not much more I can say about Spinasse that hasn’t already been said. People rave about this place for a reason! It truly is a treat to dine here.
I made a reservation through OpenTable about two weeks in advance for mine and my boyfriend’s anniversary dinner– I’m the self-​proclaimed foodie so I get to wear the pants when it comes to deciding where to eat hehe. I left in the little note section what we were celebrating and asked if we could get a more secluded table, after having read that most tables are very close together.
Upon arrival, we were immediately seated at the cute marble table by the window, looking out at the open restaurant. We were delighted that they accommodated our request!
Service was quick and courteous. I had no idea what I wanted to drink but our server helped by describing wines in perfect detail and I ended up with a light, summery white that I absolutely loved!
We knew coming in that we wanted to try the Menu Degustazione, but I was worried that our reservation was too late and that they might not allow us. But of course they did! Our first appetizer came out within minutes– anchovy and apricot crostinis. Yum! If the first bite was this good, how was everything to follow going to top that? I don’t know, but by some mysterious Italian magic they did it!
Plate after plate was delicious. We were halfway through and already debated waving the white flag. We can EAT, and this was still a lot of food. My favorites were the oysters, short rib, and tajarin with butter and sage (DUH, but you knew that was coming). My boyfriend loved the porchetta appetizer and the risotto. The trout was also fantastic! Our waitress mentioned to us that the skin on the trout was edible and we were both like what?! People DON’T eat the skin? It’s the best part!
We had such a pleasant time here! Our broke college student budgets probably won’t be seeing much of Spinasse again any time soon, but it will always be in our hearts