Lombardi's Italian Restaurant & Bar Issaquah

I live in Issaquah and noticed this place was consistently busy at night so I decided to try it. Since I was alone and football was on, I sat in the bar (only person there). The waiter was unpleasant, the bruschetta toppings were poor, the iced tea was instant, the service slow, the food bland and not heated through, had to ask and then wait for drink refills and the bread was bland. The roasted Garlic for the bread was the only nice part of the meal. more

A group of 20 of us went, with reservations, for lunch recently, and it was just terrible. Indeed, the food was fine, it's just that getting it and paying for it was an ordeal. When we arrived at 1130, we were the only ones there, we were seated and promptlly forgotten. Over the next hour, delays in service and in getting our food were long and unacceptable for lunch hour business people. By the way, the restaurant never was crowded. The final problem was the check - the ONE check for 20 people who were expecting to pay separately. WE had not told the server that we wanted separate checks, so it was going to take 20 minutes, a manager told us, to separate out the charges. Nevermind the server never asked if we wanted separate checks - a common practice at all the restaurants we have visited. Pros: decent food Cons: VERY slow service, inept server more

Lombardi's in Issaquah was quite a happy discovery! The angelica della morte appetizer was delicious, and the garlic bread was truly exceptional - flavorful, tender, perfectly balanced. The chicken parmesan is tasty and so tender you can cut it with a fork, and the gorgonzola tortellini is sublime. Try the tiramisu, too. Each meal is served with crusty bread and heads of roasted garlic in shallow pools of olive oil. The service was good, too. This is the first place I think of for a night out - it's almost perfect. Pros: reasonable pricing, good parking, yummy food Cons: iffy wine selection more

Lombardi's served the worst italian food I've ever had. I ordered the steak with gorganzola. The fist-sized mound of cheese on top of the steak overpowered everything on the plate. I haven't been able to get near gorganzola since. The atmosphere was horrible. We were seated so closely to the tables around us, we could have eaten off of their plates. My husband was seated across a small table from me, yet we couldn't hear each other speak without yelling. Service was extremely slow -there appeared to be only two waiters working, although the place was packed. We shop near Lombardi's and it's always full - which means it's always noisy. I don't understand why so many people go there every night. They'd be better off getting frozen Italian food from the grocery store and eating it at home. more

I have to revisit my original review from October 2004. We went back for lunch in October 2006 and even though there were only 3 groups of people in the restaurant, the service was horrible. The food was even worse. The sandwiches were dry and bread was stale. The pasta was cold. I will not be going back any time soon. Pros: Lots of parking Cons: bad service, mediocre food, no ambience more

Staff was rude, from the moment we walked in. Took about 45 minutes to get our food, server never returned, and had to grab bus boy for service. I am never returning, and would never recommend to anyone. Went to Far Far's for dessert and it was excellent. Pros: good atmosphere, parking Cons: bad service, bland food, flaky staff more

This is my favorite Italian restaurant. The food is always excellant; try the tortellini gorgonzola and ceasar salad. It's not too fancy or expensive which means you can either dress up or down. The service has been known to be less than perfect but it's a small sacrifice to make for the excellant food. Great wine list too (try anything by Hedges). But beware: you will reek of garlic when you leave-plan on going straight home! Pros: food, wine, prices Cons: occasional slow, service more