VolterraWe had a delightful eveningWe had a delightful evening at Volterra on Saturday night (6/15). The meal was wonderful and Leon was an outstanding waiter. Could not have asked for a better evening out.6/15/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat last minute dinner !Decided to have a last minute date out with my wife --to a restaurant that we had wanted to try for years ! The food was outstanding, the service professional and friendly, and we had a wonderful chance at conversation (6:45 PM reservations). Can't wait to go back with friends !6/15/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat food in a busy subway stationBy subway station, I mean noisy! The food was quite good, though, and the service was excellent.6/15/2013 12:00:00 AMGood foodCauliflower appetizer delish! Pork ribeye so tender and crab ravioli very good. Seafood stew of friend was lacking in seafood, being it is one of most expensive items on menu, she expected more. Dessert menu was not so interesting. I realize they want to serve as many tables as possible; however, even one less in room would make for more comfortable seating and conversation. Their Volterra red wine is very good. Waitress was very nice in sharing the process of preparing the cauliflower appetizer which I appreciated and I wanted to try at home.6/8/2013 12:00:00 AMHidden Brunch GemWhat a hidden gem for brunch! Everything was delicious and very-well priced. We would go back for sure!6/8/2013 12:00:00 AMWe ate dinner on the outsideWe ate dinner on the outside terrace. the food was outstanding and the portions were just right. The waiter was attentive to our every need. We love Volterra and come here every year from Florida. We will be back the next time we visit Seattle!6/6/2013 12:00:00 AMWonderful!The food as well as the service was outstanding! And even better, we could have a conversation at our table of 5 without shouting! This is my number one complaint about most restaurants today - no matter how great the food/service is if I and my dinner companions have to yell throughout the meal to converse it spoils the entire experience. Volterra does it right all the way around.6/2/2013 12:00:00 AMConsistently deliciousI always enjoy this restaurant. This time I brought some clients from out of town, and they raved about it for days (they typically eat downtown so it was a treat to get out to one of our fabulous neighborhoods). The food is always fantastic and the portions are very generous. The toughest part Is deciding what to eat - it's nice when everyone like to share - especially the appetizers!!5/17/2013 12:00:00 AMDinner was delicious!This was our first time at Volterra! We enjoyed the food immensely and the service was excellent!5/16/2013 12:00:00 AMItalian Cuisine with NW FlavorsGreat Italian food with NW flare. Have been here now several times, and have not been disappointed ever. Service is great, attentive but not intrusive. Food is full of flavor, color, and perfectly portioned. Only minor (and I do mean minor) drawback is that the floor space is totally open, so you tend to sit elbow to elbow with your neighbors. Not a big deal, just not an intimate space. This however will not - and has not - kept us from going back.5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMBallard's Best Italian RistoranteWe've eaten dinners throughout Italy, and Volterra's food is comparable to the best we have eaten abroad. We appreciated that the Happy Hour menu can be used in the courtyard as well as the bar area, because we had a dinner guest and it was much nicer in the courtyard .... one of those beautiful Seattle evenings. Toward 8pm when there was a little chill, they turned on the heater on a stand, and we were very comfortable.
We ordered wine from the Happy Hour menu, and then our salads and entrees from the main menu. Two of us were very happy with our entrees. The person who ordered the Bolognese felt the noodles were somewhat undercooked, and for him the dish was not satisfactory. Salads were also great. We had a nice evening there.5/7/2013 12:00:00 AMRomantic EveningVolterra is a somewhat pricey Italian restaurant with a fine dinning reputation. My experience lived up to this expectation. The service was very good with a server who knew just the right wine to pair with our food. The wild boar tenderloin with Gorgonzola sauce was delicious.5/5/2013 12:00:00 AMFabulous wait staffHave not been to Volterra in over a year. I have always had great meals over the years, but this time I also had an amazing experience with our servers. Gave us great direction on food choices, hipped us to some new dessert wine we have never tried, and went toe to toe with me on bad joke sharing!! Leon was awesome! I love when my dining experience is elevating by great people.5/2/2013 12:00:00 AMGood food! Felt a littleGood food! Felt a little over-waited on - the waitress tried to take my husband's dinner before he was half done! Kind of loud.4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMWonderful food and service.Wonderful food and service. Would highly recommend.4/25/2013 12:00:00 AMIt's Not Olive Garden!I wanted to treat my visiting country cousin to a nice meal & suggested Italian, so I thought of Volterra. Her main exposure to Italian cuisine due to her locale is Olive Garden, so she was a little overwhelmed. She got over it once the food arrived and says next time she's in town she wants to go back:) The service was friendly, attentive & efficient.4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMfantastic nightI must say for my first time, I absolutely loved it. Though it was really warm inside everything else was amazing. My friends loved the restaurant. Definitely would go again!4/19/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat time!I can't say enough about our food, atmosphere and especially our server. She was awesome and made me and my guy's night perfect. She was so sweet and attentive and helped us celebrate a 30th bday. We will definitely come back. Oh and the food was delicious! Great homemade pasta and seafood.4/18/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat date spot with outstandingGreat date spot with outstanding food in a charming setting - just be aware you may be seated really close to other diners.4/18/2013 12:00:00 AMSalads were creatively elegantSalads were creatively elegant and fresh (beet salad with arugula and the warm potato salad. Entree was substantial. Steak was perfectly cooked to medium. My 16 year old son really enjoyed every level from grilled asparagus to salad to steak and potatoes.
Our waiter seemed to be very brusque and dismissive with us at first when we replied that we didn't want any alcoholic drinks before ordering. He eventually warmed up and was fine. So not sure what was wrong.4/16/2013 12:00:00 AMTook an out of town colleagueTook an out of town colleague who from DC who was impressed with the restaurant, its food and the neighborhood.4/16/2013 12:00:00 AMOutstanding staff!We obviously like the place, people and especially the food. However, your servers deserve special mention. During this visit my daughter inadvertently knocked over the ketchup bottle, which collided with my water, which emptied on to my half-eaten brunch, the table and my lap. Within minutes the servers had the mess in hand, fixed and within 5 minutes returned with my a new order of my brunch. Kudos for the selection and training of such capable, efficient and thoughtful staff!4/14/2013 12:00:00 AMLittle loud and crowded, greatLittle loud and crowded, great service, great food!4/14/2013 12:00:00 AMAll six of us that went reallyAll six of us that went really enjoyed the dinner and the food. The portions were generous and the food was very well thought out. It isn't your typical Italian place where pasta is the star. Rather, great steaks and seafood were offered. The chocolate orange cake was amazing too.4/14/2013 12:00:00 AMThe wait staff was very friendlyThe wait staff was very friendly and the food was delicious!4/14/2013 12:00:00 AMWe went to Volterra with aWe went to Volterra with a couple of friends last Sunday, taking advantage of the 3/$28 offer for a few days in April. The meal was superb, our server very pleasant and we felt treated no differently than if we had asked for the most expensive dinner option with the most expensive wine. I had the tenderloin, a very generous serving cooked exactly to my liking and my friend was delighted with the pasta and wild mushroom dish. The asparagus appetizer was excellent as was the warm potato salad, but the arugula with beet was a little disappointing for the beet lovers, not enough beet. And the chocolate cake with orange sauce was divine to finish.Overall a fine experience. It was also very nice not to feel rushed at any time. We'll go back.4/14/2013 12:00:00 AMWe haven't been to VolterraWe haven't been to Volterra in a long time. We were not disappointed with our return. Great food, the service was spot on as I remember. The wine list includes so many Italian greats it was hard to make a selection. The server was not as helpful as I might have liked but with that said, the wine paired well with our menu choices. It was a cold, rainy night and the restaurant was nice. warm and comforting. The Valet parking is a great addition as finding parking on a rainy, busy Friday night in Old Ballard can be a real problem.4/12/2013 12:00:00 AMVery fine restaurant. WeVery fine restaurant. We did the 3-course restaurant week special. Of the three different appetizers only the potato salad was less than outstanding. Unfortunately the pasta entrée was quite disappointing. The pasta itself was thick and a bit tough and the sauce was fairly tasteless. I think the wild mushrooms available right now must be the less flavorful ones. It needed something more mushroomy. The beef entrée was outstanding and all three deserts were also quite good.4/7/2013 12:00:00 AMAfter spending this past SummerAfter spending this past Summer in Italy, and a few days in Volterra, this was, a remarkable place to relive Tuscany!4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMWe have dined at VolterraWe have dined at Volterra soooooo many times. The food and service is always consistent. Don and Michelle you have a fabulous restaurant. Volterra is my go to restaurant when we are looking for a great meal.4/5/2013 12:00:00 AMRustic Italian beautifullyRustic Italian beautifully presented; Outstanding quality. We have eaten here a number of times and the quality is consistently outstanding. Some unusual items such as roast boar or pork jowls with wild mushrooms, pasta, and pecorino cheese - all done to a perfect turn. Is a wonderful restaurant if you like generous portions and robust flavors. Wine list is outstanding, and includes some high quality lower and mid priced selections, which we appreciate. Staff is extremely knowledgeable about wine, and helpful in selecting good quality wines within your specified price range. The polenta with wild mushroom ragu is sublime...3/28/2013 12:00:00 AMThis was the absolute bestThis was the absolute best dinearound menu we have experienced (in many, many forays to the special weeks at various restaurants)! Fabulous choices--for the appetizer, entree, and dessert choices, everything looked good. And the food was all wonderful--from the creamy cauliflower appetizer to the prawns to the luscious chocolate-orange cake! Excellent service, lovely place. It was, all around, a treat!3/27/2013 12:00:00 AMVisited during Seattle restaurantsVisited during Seattle restaurants week. Excellent cauliflower with fontina. Perfect fusilli, shrimp, too! A very good deal. Can't wait to go back.3/26/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat breakfast on a Sunday.Great breakfast on a Sunday. The food was excellent, the service was great.3/24/2013 12:00:00 AMIt was much appreciated thatIt was much appreciated that our party of six was seated immediately for our 8pm reservation on a busy Saturday night, and the valet parking was convenient. The wine list was extensive and the food was quite good. We will definitely come again!3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMOne of thee best meals weOne of thee best meals we ever had! From the hint of natural sweetness in the creamy tomato sauce baked eggplant appetizer to the al dente homemade pastas of the crab ravioli and the spinach linguine in the shellfish dish, everything was deeply pleasing. The seafood was tender and the portions not too by, not too small, just right! The cocktails were artfully crafted and superior. The Umbra coffee in its royal presentation and the service we received were deeply appreciated and the prices were appropriate, not greedy.3/21/2013 12:00:00 AMI've been to Volterra beforeI've been to Volterra before and really enjoyed it. I started with the roasted cauliflower which was really yummy! The wild boar was good but cooked more than I requested. My friend had the clams and linquine and thought it was good but not special. Overall it was good and I would recommend dining here.3/20/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat food and service!My wife and I stopped in to celebrate a good day and had a fantastic meal. We both tried out the 30 for $30 menu, and really enjoyed each course. The service was excellent, helpful and not intrusive. I'd definitely recommend it and we'll be back!3/19/2013 12:00:00 AMOur adult group of seven orderedOur adult group of seven ordered widely from the menu and every dish was imaginative,beautifully presented, and delicious. We have been celebrating an early spring dinner together for a decade, and our Volterra experience was the best of the bunch.3/17/2013 12:00:00 AMWe ate every last scrap.Had a chance to dine with my wife at Volterra in Ballard. What a delight! I started with the minestrone with white-beans. Superb! The main course was wild boar! This was both exciting and exotic and extremely tasty with perfectly prepared vegetables. Dessert was wonderful too. We literally cleaned our plates through all three courses. If you want good food and friendly attentive service. This is the place to go. My only complaint is that the place is pretty crowded. This means it is noisier than I would like and our table for two was very close to two other tables. Fortunately our table neighbors were friendly and pleasant. It wouldn't be Volterra's fault if they were obnoxious. However overall I give it an A.3/14/2013 12:00:00 AMI appreciate that VolterraI appreciate that Volterra is on the 3 course-$30 program. It makes it more affordable - it can be a little pricey for us otherwise but we love dinners there. We had a lovely evening at Volterra for my husband's birthday.3/11/2013 12:00:00 AMThis was our second visitThis was our second visit to Volterra and it didn't disappoint. We all loved each dish, the filet, seared scallops and seafood chowder, and lamb meatball appetizers were fantastic. Excellent service, friendly with good recommendations on menu items and wine. Highly recommended!3/9/2013 12:00:00 AM