Restaurant Review: Caf

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Kid-friendly, affordable Italian—these are what’s drawing locals back to West Seattle’s humble, welcoming Café Revó

Kid-friendly, affordable Italian—these are certainly not buzzwords, but they’re what’s drawing locals back to West Seattle’s humble, welcoming Café Revó, open since February. Owners Sean and Sofia Goff’s ristorante is nearly always packed with families who sweep in for gemelli pasta in a garlicky cream sauce, with a smattering of pistachios and grilled asparagus slivers ($10.95), sharing an enormous, conservatively seasoned (light on the anchovy) Caesar salad ($8.95/$4.95) to start, and a perfectly decent—though nondescript—hunk of tiramisu ($5.95) for dessert. It’s also the type of place—with its plum walls, votive candles and sweeping velvet curtains—where casual daters can hold hands and whisper under the considerable din. The kitchen leans toward gutsy seasoning, but can sometimes be overly generous with the salt; such was the case with a hefty plate of vibrantly spicy spaghetti puttanesca ($13.95). But go against the grain by ordering the subtler dishes—such as a lovely duo of hand-wrapped seafood cannelloni ($13.95), or the menu’s biggest surprise, the dreamy Nonna’s chicken soup ($4.95 cup, $7.95 bowl), bearing a creamy-chewy prosciutto- and salami-laced dumpling—and you’ll find the restaurant’s allure goes beyond its heartfelt welcome. Lunch and dinner daily. West Seattle, 2940 SW Avalon Way; 206.938.0592; caferevo.com. $$