San Fermo
| Address: | 5341 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107, USA |
| Phone: | +1 206-342-1530 |
| Site: | sanfermoseattle.com |
| Rating: | 4.3 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–2PM 11:30AM–2PM 11:30AM–2PM 11:30AM–2PM 11:30AM–2PM 10AM–3PM 10AM–3PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 14
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Devan Miller Lerond
I had such high expectations for this place as there has been lots of buzz about it in our neighborhood and its located in such a cute, old, original Ballard home with great ambiance. BUT, none of that makes up for how terrible the food was. My mom and I went for lunch and we were really excited for their beet salad as we both love a good beet salad but theirs was practically inedible. It was the worst salad either of us had ever had. It was almost as though their chef has no understanding of what constitutes a salad dressing. There was pretty much just oil over the lettuce. My salad was missing the blue cheese entirely and my moms was missing another ingredient. They also threw the stem of the lettuce in mine which was taking up 1/3 of the plate and wasnt edible. On top of the food being bad, their business model is to have as little service as possible, with patrons retrieving their own silverware, napkins, and self-serve glasses of water and carrying them to their table. Thats fine for a low-end type of restaurant, but this isnt that. The "server" didnt even check on us to see how things were or to see if we wanted another glass of wine, which we both would have... We were so annoyed by the end we decided to go get more wine somewhere else down the street. The worst part is that they still expect you to tip despite the fact that youre pretty much serving yourself. Honestly I cant wait for them to go out of business so a better restaurant can take over this adorable location. Its too cute to be wasted on terrible food with a s****y business model.
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Nayiri Haroutunian
My boyfriend and I stumbled upon this place on a Wednesday evening as we were heading to dinner at another location. We were drawn in by its adorable exterior and posted menu. We looked at each other, raised our eyebrows, and decided to ditch our plans and try this place instead. What a good decision! Before we had even been seated we knew this was going to become one of our favorite places. We had a magical evening at San Fermo. The interior decor was modern but incredibly cozy and inviting. The service was relaxed and attentive. The dishes, each more appetizing than the last. We went with the duck ravioli and saffron rigatoni with bolognese sauce. Both dishes though on the small side were right on the money. Absolutely delicious, comforting, and surprisingly filling. A couple glasses of red complimented our memorable meal. A regular midweek meal became a romantic special occasion. Thank you for a lovely evening- we will be back again!
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Brian Yong
Cute AF! The house has been VERY thoughtfully renovated and decorated. We sat on the deck on the right side and it was very quaint surrounded by brick walls with climbing ivy. The food looked great, but I felt the balance of flavors could have been better, especially on the trout entree (bland) and the fig app (overly tart). The lamb shank was delicious and the owner was kind enough to sub the polenta for grilled veg (pea vines, peppers, endive). We may have made a grave error by visitng a rustic italian restaurant without trying the bread or pasta... so please take my criticism with a grain of salt. Overall, would definitely recommend on ambiance alone!
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Katherine H
Amazing ambiance. You cant get cuter than this place. Wow. We have been here before for drinks during the holidays, but never for dinner. I wanted to go here for my birthday, and am really glad we did! The only disappointment was that our server didnt ask if this was our first time there or not - nor did they give us a rundown on the menu. We had to ask for any specials, and what certain dishes were. Not to worry, though, because we managed to still have a delicious night : ) We had the almonds and the antipasti board (YUM), and all had different pasta dishes. We will be back for SURE.
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James Maiocco
San Fermo gets two stars for ambiance, a good mixologist, and edible food. However, for the same price ($200 for 2 with drinks and wine), you can get loads of truly 5 star alternatives in Ballard / Seattle. The beef carpaccio was the only memorable item we tried on the menu. Despite their attempts to provide a "balanced" composition on the plate, several components simply missed the mark. Proteins were not seasoned or prepared well. Pastas were single note and lacked contrast and flavor. Desserts were disappointing - do not order the cannoli.
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Megan Erke
So adorable, but terrible service. We went for lunch, and it was 20 minutes before we were greeted. When we told the waitress we were in a hurry, she didnt mention they were having longer than usual wait times for food, and one member of our party had to leave without her lunch. We didnt have water for the second half of our lunch, and meals came out 10 minutes apart. Worst of all, after expressing our displeasure, we still had to pay the 20% gratuity that is included.
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Curtis Nelson
Wow. Just wow. For lunch today I had a marinated fennel sausage meatball sandwich that I can only describe as life-changing, and I dont generally hand out big compliments. As much as Ive loved Salumi for fifteen years, this was as good or better than any sandwich Ive had there. Finally, Mark the chef was fantastic and it was no surprise that the fellow at the next table was also a local chef who stopped in to try his latest concoction. Wow. Just wow.
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Trina Benson
I would give this restaurant 20 stars if I could! The food is amazing, cocktails are creative and delicious. The architecture and history of the building is very interesting, a very neat story. The service is phenomenal. I love every detail of this restaurant from walking through the front door and seeing the chefs hard at work to the dishes our meals were served on. You cant go wrong here, everything is delicious.
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Phil Howie
We stopped for lunch - and the place looked great from the street. Menu looked great also - but the food was seriously disappointing. The pasta was very average, and the frittata we ordered bland and very basic. All that - and a mandatory 20% gratuity. This place needs to seriously up its game!
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walli kay martinez
After they cancelled my reservation because they decided to close on New Years Day, I thought I would be treated extra nice on the next day. Not so. We were seated in the attic, where it is cramped and zero ambience. The pasta dish I had with a red sauce was way too salty.
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Matt Welsh
Nice Italian food in a cozy setting in Ballard. The food was pretty good but service totally inattentive, and our entrees took ages to appear from the kitchen. I might not have noticed had our server paid attention to our empty wine glasses during the wait!
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Julie Wine
Small ever changing menu with delicious options! The house converted into a restaurant has multiple seating areas. Next time Ill try the patio as it is so inviting! Bartenders make inventions that are impossible to describe and are versed in the art.
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Ashley Grayson
Excellent bar as well as bartenders. They know the craft inside and out and it shows. We were in awe off the wealth of knowledge from the mixologist and were very happy with our experience. We will definitely be returning to dine as soon as possible.
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Antolin Reyes
Es un espacio y lugar muy confortable con atenciones special para cada cliente visiten y se convencerán ??
