Best Restaurants for Special Occasions in Issaquah

I have been going to Montalcino during the holiday season for around 7 years now, even during COVID when they set up a tent in the outside parking lot. Clearly, it has always been very good and that is why I keep returning. However, tonight the experience rose to "superb." The special assorted appetizer was beautifully arranged and tasted as good as it looked. My saffron lobster go-to dish was perfect. The other dishes--lamb shank, waygu meatballs and pasta in a Marsala sauce, and short rib raviolis in Marsala sauce also made the other guests very pleased! For dessert, the cannoli, pistachio cheesecake, Italian sundae, and Limoncello gelato were all excellent for topping off a memorable meal. Our waitress was very attentive and the atmosphere was so casually and comfortably elegant that the entire experience was top notch. Will not be able to wait until next year's holiday season to return again! Thank you, Montalcino!

I took my ten year old sister for a "fancy" tea party as a Christmas gift and she rated the experience as a ten out of ten. She ordered a strawberry lemonade, which I stole a sip of and was impressed by how fresh and tasty the house made strawberry puree was. We both enjoyed our curated tea sandwiches, my favorite from the adult menu was the salmon and cucumber, her favorite from the kids was the Nutella. The second tier of the tea tray had fresh fruit and crumpets, we enjoyed the seasonal cranberry-orange jam. The dessert tier was especially yummy, and even though I'm not usually a fan of macarons, we took home a half dozen to share with the rest of the family. The shop was a bit noisy, but I attribute that to it being fully booked for the holiday season, and assume it would usually be much quieter.

Great food! I recommend the Miso Black Cod, and had a great Mezcal drink. They were very sweet and the staff made our Christmas Eve dinner fantastic!

Thanks, Jak’s for a Merry Christmas! Our daughter completely believed Santa treated us to a nice family meal. You all rock.

We ordered the green bean appetizer and it was light but very tasty. For the main course I ordered a pesto based shrimp pasta and it was delicious. They are always on point with their pasta dishes.