Ballard’s Roman-Style Pizza and Pasta Place Closes After Just Three Months

Well, this was certainly sudden. Just three months after opening, Valentinetti’s — an Italian restaurant with Roman-style pizza that teased future puppet shows — permanently closed on Friday. An announcement on the restaurant’s official website explained, “The Seattle restaurant market is in a rapidly ever changing state of flux and in conceptualizing Valentinetti’s, we clearly mis-read [sic] what the dining public is seeking.”

Valentinetti’s replaced longtime brunch favorite Hi-Life in late October, after owner Peter Levy completed a six-week renovation in the historic, century-old building that was once a firehouse. In its short-lived reign, the restaurant’s brick oven served up pinsa, the restaurant’s Roman-style oval pizza made with fermented dough, along with meatballs, pastas, and sandwiches. There was also an area that was intended for puppet shows — a tribute to Levy’s wife’s godmother, Aurora Valentinetti, a former University of Washington puppetry professor and accomplished home cook. But those never got off the ground.

Levy — who also owns the restaurant group Chow Foods, which includes TNT Taqueria, 5 Spot, and Endolyne Joe’s in Seattle, and Brewers Row and Cooks Tavern in Tacoma — says he’s currently looking for an interested party to take over the lease. Meanwhile, customers who purchased gift cards can still redeem them at the other Chow Foods restaurants.

• Valentinetti’s [Official]
• Ballard’s New Italian Restaurant Starts Serving Roman-Style Pizza Next Week [ESEA]
• New Italian Restaurant With Puppet Shows Heads to Ballard This Fall [ESEA]