Trattoria Isola

As members of the Bainbridge Islanders Facebook group discovered, they could and they did. “I just put it out there to the group one day,” said Gerald Simonsen. “I asked what kind of restaurant people would like to see on Bainbridge Island.”

Simonsen, who previously owned the Islander restaurant, said the overwhelming vote was for Italian.

“The people want pasta,” said Simonsen.

The new restaurant’s name was also crowdsourced. “It’s Trattoria Isola,” he said. “Italian for island.”

The menu offers an ever-changing selection of Italian specialties including burrata salad, lamb ragu, saffron tagliatelle, lobster ravioli and, of course, Tiramisu.

The space on the main floor of the Pavilion was configured so a single kitchen serves three restaurants—Isola, Bainbridge Tapas, and the Islander—each with its own cook.

Simonsen has owned several different businesses, including a laundromat with a liquor license. He started the Islander because—as he put it—”there was nowhere to get a drink after 8 o’clock on Bainbridge.” He sold the restaurant to current owner Cheston Overman just before the pandemic hit.

“My other bars and restaurants have really been for fun,” he said. “But Trattoria Isola is different. The people have spoken and I take the obligation to heed their call quite seriously.”

>> Trattoria Isola, 403 Madison Avenue N., Ste. 140, 360-932-5949