Bizzarro Italian Cafe – Seattle’s Quirkiest Restaurant

Bizzarro Italian Cafe

Recommended by: I went back to work after lunch at Pasta Casalinga and mentioned it to my co-workers. We talked about Pasta Casalinga and I mentioned some of my other favorites like Tavolata and Il Corvo. A co-worker mentioned her favorite was Bizzarro Italian Café in Wallingford.  We’d been there before, but it’s been so many years. A revisit is in order.

Description on the Bizzarro Italian Cafe’s website: Bizzarro has been a Seattle favorite since it opened in 1986 by original owner, chef and visual artist David Nast. He converted the building which was originally an auto workshop into his dream restaurant on a shoestring budget with a lot of hardwork, ingenuity, artistic inspiration and love.

Neighborhood/Type:  Wallingford

Address: 61307 N 46th St, Seattle, WA 98103

What we ate/drank: Monday Night Meatball 5 juicy spicy meatballs tossed with spaghetti rustica pasta in our world famous marinara, Elk Bolognese- Wild Oregon Elk with fennel, thyme, Mama lil’s peppers and pork shoulder slowly simmered into a creamy ragu tossed with our handmade parpardelle ribbon pasta. Drunken Clams- Local manilla clams in spicy tomatoes with prosciutto, basil, shallots & ouzo. Chianti.

Bizzarro Italian Cafe has been in existence since 1986, but it’s one of those places that doesn’t consistently come to mind when thinking of Italian food for some reason.  We have our regular Italian places like Tavolata  Il Corvo and The Pink Door and our quaint neighborhood spots like Cantinetta, Salvatore and Serafina.

Our revisit to Bizzarro Italian Cafe is a good reminder to keep it as an option not only due to the good Italian food, but the one of a kind kitschy décor.  It’s  very apropos that it’s a few doors down from the King of Kitschy things, Archie McPhee.

According to Seattle Magazine, Bizzaro Italian Cafe was started by an artist, David Nast. And ownership/chefs has changed numerous times including Mike Easton who owns one of our favorites, Il Corvo .  We did not know that.

Bizzaro Italian Café is a small intimate restaurant in the Wallingford area and as mentioned has been around for over 30 years.

Their claim to fame is a cell phone surcharge if you talk on your phone while everybody is trying to enjoy their meal.

If I remember correctly, I believe this surcharge was implemented in the early years of cell phone usage, where there was no texting or photo taking abilities.  Who talks on their cell phone anymore?

For fun, if you want you can check out some of the irate customers who have been charged a surcharge and it appears they are not shy about it……

Cell Phone Charge!  Source:Yelp

We went on a Monday evening thinking it wouldn’t be crowded, but we snagged the last open table and after that there were people waiting for seats.(Note: Bizzarro does not take reservations for parties less than 6).

If you do have to wait, they will take your number and they’ll call you when ready. You can either walk around Wallingford, go to Archie McPhee or get a drink at the Blue Star next door.

If you’ve never been to Bizzarro Italian Cafe, you’re in for a visual blast you’ve not seen anywhere else. There is literally something to see in every nook and cranny of the walls and ceilings in the entire restaurant(take a look at the pics).

There are quirky bits of memorabilia everywhere you look. You have so much for conversation starters, which makes it a fun place for first dates.

The tables are packed pretty tight and the with so many people in a tight spot, it can get quite loud.

First comes the bread with vinegar and olive oil.  All entrees come with a salad and you can upgrade to a Ceasar’s salad if you wish.

We started off with the Drunken Clams which is a perfect match to slop up the sauce with the bread.  The clams and bits of prosciutto were tasty, but the sauce is the star.

Our server offered to bring more bread when he saw we had extra sauce, but ran out of bread. We were tempted but didn’t want to fill ourselves up before our mains came and said he could take the sauce away. We shed a little tear as he took it.

Our entrees were the Elk Bolognese and their special of the night, Monday Spaghetti & Meatballs.

I’m a sucker for a ragu sauce and how often can you find elk on the menu. This is probably their most popular dish. I was expecting a bit of gamey, but there was none. One thing I loved about the dish is they are not chintzy on the meat.

Normally the meat to pasta ratio is decidedly heavy on the pasta side. This dish surprisingly was heavy on the elk side.  This is a comforting dish to have on a cold night.

The Spaghetti & Meatballs is normally a mainstay on Sundays, but they happen to serve it on this Monday.

We may have gotten the last dish, because shortly after ordering it, one of the servers erased it from the chalkboard.  The sauce was average, but the spicy meatballs(5 in all) were fabulous.

One small thing. I wish they would serve wine in a proper glass instead of a tumbler.

One of the secret side stories of Bizzarro Italian Cafe is a table in the back area it’s situated right next to a massive pole and has a chalkboard sign that claims to be the “Best Table in The House”. We think it’s a tongue in cheek title since it’s situated next to a massive pole. Sorta like these seats….

The story goes(per this Seattle Met article) that this table(officially Table 19) was once a plywood-covered back corner of the restaurant when a customer requested a private place to propose. Bizzarro hastened to accommodate, installing a candlelit table behind a framing post, rendering that initial guest’s “Yes!” the first of a million memorable moments in the hidden alcove.

You might look at kitschy decor and think this is their gimmick, because the food in not up to par.  Well the food is definitely as good as the decor is kitschy.

It’s really is a one of a kind restaurant that you will not find anywhere else and has the quirkiness of a cell phone surcharge and “Best Table in The House” to boot.

Ratings:

Atmosphere: 4.75

Service: 4.75

Food/Drinks: 4.75

Bang for the Buck: 4.00

Overall: 4. 55

Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.

• • Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
  • Most locals know about it
  • Locals “in the know” know about it
  • Only those who live close by know about it.
  • You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!

Servers recommendations to visit in the future: A local reader of the blog suggested Via Tribulani as an Italian alternative since we’ve talked about Il Corvo , Tavolata, Pasta Casalinga, Cantinetta and now Bizzarro Itlian Cafe.  We’ve been to Via Tribulani, but not for many years. It’s time for a revisit.

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