
Intimate and atmospheric, How to Cook a Wolf reimagines rustic Italian cooking through a Pacific Northwest lens. With locations on Queen Anne and Madison Park, each offers a moody, refined experience featuring seasonal small plates, bold wines, and a cozy vibe built for date nights and food lovers.
Wood-paneled eatery by chef Ethan Stowell specializing in sophisticated Italian-Mediterranean fare.
Address and Contact Information
Address: 2208 Queen Anne Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109
Phone: (206) 838-8090
Website: https://howtocookawolf.com/
Menu Photos
Order and Reservations
Reservations: ethanstowellrestaurants.com
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Reviews
Whoever the manager or lead was that night was top tier! We had a reservation for 7pm and the previous party was still at our table. The lead sat us at an outdoor table with a heater and brought us a sample of the house champagne! 20 mins later when we finally got to our table, he also brought us polenta fritters! He definitely heightened our dining experience!
Service was fantastic. Our waitress knew the menu and was attentive throughout our time dining.
Atmosphere: cozy, dark, calm a little loud but we could talk normal and still hear just fine. There’s a disco ball on the ceiling which was a little odd but funny.
Food:
-Polenta fritters : not my favorite. Could use a spicier additive for more flavor.
-Sourdough: great with that amazing butter and cloves of garlic
Burrata: this is a FAVORITE! Absolutely 10/10 recommend and love the addition of pomegranate seeds
-Steak: not worth $60 in my opinion. Not the best cut, could be seasoned more but the squash with it was amazing.
-Porkchop: this was fantastic and I rarely eat pork! Perfectly cooked, cut easily, and good flavor.
Pappardelle: this is the best dish on the menu! We ordered two of these and took one home because it was SO good! The meat is perfectly seasoned and good and the noodles are perfectly cooked as well.
-drinks: great flavor, perfectly blended, and a great selection of spirit free drinks.
-cannolis: I wish the ricotta was colder and a little more flavorful. But the shell is perfect.
Since it was our first visit, we ordered a lot so we could really explore the menu and find our favorites. We started with the olives, and wow, easily some of the best olives we’ve ever had. Perfectly marinated, super flavorful, and honestly blew us away. We also ordered the sourdough, which was delicious with the butter, garlic, olive oil, and balsamic. This might be something you could skip if you’re being price-conscious, but if you’re a bread lover, it’s absolutely amazing. Bonus: both the olives and sourdough are always on the menu, so you can count on them every visit.
Next was the burrata, and let me just say, it was the best burrata we’ve ever tasted. The combination of flavors was unreal. Pomegranate seeds, nuts, and other elements blended together perfectly. We ate it with the sourdough, and it was a must-have dish. I would order this every single time before it goes out of season, I believe around the end of March.
For drinks, we started with The Professor and Cream of the Crop, both bourbon-based and very well balanced. Bourbon can be strong, but these were smooth and flavorful. The Professor is always on the menu and clearly a favorite. With our meal, we ordered the Mai Tai and Arrivederci, which were sweeter and incredibly smooth. Between the two, the Mai Tai was our favorite. It was less alcohol-forward and topped with a foam that made it so fun and delicious to drink.
For our main course, we both chose the Paccheri, and it did not disappoint. It had a slight spice, breadcrumbs, olives, and a red sauce. There were probably even more flavors, but those stood out most. It tasted truly unique, like something you couldn’t get just anywhere, which is exactly why we loved it. You can absolutely tell the noodles are made from scratch, and they tied the whole dish together beautifully.
To finish, we ordered an espresso martini and the pistachio cake for dessert, best decision ever. The pistachio cake was incredible and seasonal. If you love pistachio, do not skip this. We’re already considering ordering one for an upcoming birthday. The espresso martini was also exceptional. You can tell they have an espresso machine in-house because it tasted fresh and smooth, not like coffee concentrate mixed with liquor. Perfectly balanced.
Beyond the food and drinks, the experience itself was top-notch. The service was incredibly attentive, and even though we were the last ones in the restaurant, we never felt rushed. We even offered to leave so they could close, but they insisted it was totally fine and encouraged us to stay for dessert. We also had the chance to meet the chef, who was super cool and genuinely sweet. The gratuity is included in the meal but it was how much we would’ve tipped anyways, they 100% deserve it.
Overall, this was a 10/10 experience across the board. From the food and drinks to the service, ambiance, lighting, and overall vibe, everything was amazing. We will absolutely be back soon to try more dishes.
Highly recommend ✨
They gave us two glasses of champagne to celebrate and we also ordered the Watermelon Sugar High and the Fire and Ice. Both were Unique and well made drinks.
We ordered the Sea Wolf Sourdough which was my wife’s favorite. Perfectly infused garlic in the bread. We also ordered the Buccatni, sauce and the pasta came al dente. Perfectly cooked and well made.
We also had the Hamachi Crudo which was fresh and the Lamb Shank which filled us. All were flavor full and well prepared. Super happy with all the dishes.
Would highly recommend and will definitely be back!
The Pistachio cake was so so.
Service was also stellar, our server was incredibly kind and attentive to us during our visit.
The atmosphere was a little lackluster, the music choice and volume being as high as it was made me feel like I was in a sandwich shop and it was hard to hear my friend across the table. I would not count that against the restaurant though as I didn’t ask about it.
Ambiance is great and service was good.
Service overall was friendly, but the pacing of the meal was definitely off. We were sitting there for a while without food while other tables who sat after us started getting theirs. Our server came by to check in and realized we hadn’t gotten anything besides drinks, so she ended up comping our sourdough. It was a nice gesture, but it definitely felt like our table got overlooked early in the night.
Food-wise, things were hit or miss. We shared 3 small plates (burrata, sourdough, and hamachi crudo), 2 pastas (gnocchi and bucatini), and 2 proteins (king salmon and duck breast). Burrata didn’t come with bread, which surprised us, and while the sourdough was very good, the burrata itself didn’t land for me. The plum sauce and radish made it overly sweet and not very balanced.
The king salmon was the biggest miss. It was a very small portion for $53 and ended up being overcooked and kind of boring. The duck breast was a little better, but still didn’t have much flavor on its own. The side veggies with both proteins were actually the highlight.
Pastas were fine, but nothing memorable. The bucatini didn’t have a center hole, so it just felt like a thicker pasta. Gnocchi was decent but not standout.
With drinks, tax, and a mandatory 22% service charge, the total came out to over $500 for four people. When pastas are $30+ and mains are $50+, it’s hard not to expect something a little more polished. We had a good time and the setting is nice, but the food just didn’t feel worth the price. Overall, this was the most expensive yet most disappointing and forgettable meal we had in Seattle.