**********5/20-Unfortunately, This Restaurant Has Closed Down**********
Il Corvo – Pioneer Square
Recommended by: Our server(sorry we didn’t get your name) at Trove in Capitol Hill recommended Il Corvo as her favorite lunch spot.
Description on the Il Corvo’s website:At Il Corvo we rely on years of experience and knowledge in order to create the perfect noodle. We work with traditional bronze dies and handmade tools as well as high quality organic ingredients to develop pasta with a proper al dente mouth feel that is both delicious and firm.
Neighborhood/Type: Pioneer Square
Address: 217 James St, Seattle, WA 98104
What we ate/drank: Campanelle, Pappardelle, Maccheroni, Kale Salad
Comments: Update 9/22/19: Il Corvo just made Seattle Met’s 100 Best Restaurant
There are certain Rites of Passage in Seattle like standing in line at Paseo for a sandwich or standing in line at Tsukushinbo for Ramen Friday. Here’s another one. Standing in line for lunch at Il Corvo.
Some history of Il Corvo first. It used to be this secret pasta place located in a gelato shop near Pike Place Market. I can’t remember if they served lunch everyday or only on certain days, but I remember there were maybe 3 tables. And I don’t think there was any signage that Il Corvo was located in this gelato shop. You just had to know about it. I also remember that it wasn’t really a proper kitchen but that pasta was being made off of a portable butane burner, like you might have for camping.
Eventually Il Corvo moved to it’s current location in Pioneer Square, but it’s only open for lunch and it’s only open on the weekdays. The daily ritual that happens is a line starts forming at 10:45ish and sometimes earlier. If you want a seat(aprox 35 seats) in their small location coming at 11:00 right when they open is too late. If you look at the picture below it was taken exactly at 11:00 and you might think that there’s only about 12 people waiting. Nope, there’s already a line from the back of the restaurant that starts at the cashier all the way through the restaurant and out the door. So although there’s 12 people waiting in line outside, there’s actually a line of more than 20 inside. This is definitely an indication of how good their pasta is. The owner/chef, Mike Easton, was a Finalist for the Best Chef: Northwest award given by the James Beard Foundation.
So you stand in line, get to the cash register and order. Then they will advise you where to sit and bring the food out. Even with the large crowds, they do a good job of managing the available tables. While waiting in line to order, they went down the long line to ask if you were ordering to go or staying and this way they could decide where to seat people even prior to them ordering. If you are a party of one or two, don’t be surprised if you’re sharing a table with others. It can’t really be helped due to the popularity of Il Corvo and the always present line through the restaurant, but it can feel very cramped once seated with those in line hovering right over you. It’s just the price you have to pay like any popular place.
There’s an ever-changing menu of three pastas a day at $9.95 per dish. You can follow what they’re serving that day on their Instagram. They also have some Anti-Pasta dishes such as kale salad, prosciutto plate, pickled vegetables and house made focaccia. They also serve wine.
We always order the three different pastas and when all dishes get to the table, we always look and each other and say, “There’s no way we can finish this”. We always do.
The Pappardelle ala Bolongnese was my favorite and gets a five out of five rating from me. Served with flat broad pappardelle, the meat in the Bolognese sauce is blended into a gooey paste. Bon Appetit actually published the recipe for this gravy back in 2015, but I’d much rather have it prepared and cooked by a pasta Jedi.
The Campanelle with arugula pesto with walnuts, almonds and pistachio was on the other side of spectrum with a really fresh and light compared to the savory Bolognese. I think we’ve had this same dish, but it was with Fusilli the last time we were here.
The last dish was the Maccheroni with corona beans, swiss chard and mama lil’s peppers, which was also a home run. The Maccheroni noodles are massive to match the corona beans. I think the bigger holes in the noodles allows all the ingredients to really permeate. And we’re big fans of Mama Lil’s Peppers. These are also a main ingredient of both Morsel and Biscuit and Beans’ biscuit sandwiches.
As a courtesy for those waiting in line for a seat, try not to linger too long. We did notice that a lot of people do order to go to eat back at their office, but definitely the best way to enjoy it is fresh off the pan in the restaurant if possible.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.25
Service: 4.75
Food/Drinks: 5.00
Bang for the Buck: 5.00
Overall: 4.75
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
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- Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
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- Most locals know about it
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- Locals “in the know” know about it
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- Only those who live close by know about it.
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- You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!
Servers recommendations to visit in the future: After this blog post was published a friend/reader reminded us of Tavolata after seeing me gush about Il Corvo’s pappardelle. We’ll head there soon.
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