Best Romantic Restaurants in Mercer Island

From the moment I walked in the experience was welcoming, efficient and thoroughly enjoyable. A bartender greeted me warmly as I walked past the bar to my table. The staff were uniformly cheerful and helpful. A bottle of water was delivered to my table immediately together with drink menu. My server, Daniela, was solicitas and took great care of me. Care was taken to explain items place in Peruvian culture. My choice of classic Peruvian Sour cocktail was delicious and I was told is traditionally delivered for its sour taste before moving to wine, which I did with a selection from the very good wine list. I ordered the cebiche sampler of 3 cebiches and all were fresh and delicious. It was my introduction to the explosion of flavors on my palate, which was consistent the entire evening. I had the Criollo, a stunning small plate (the servings are all ample), of sushi grade hamachi in a amarillo (yellow) sauce served with plantain chips. Absolutely excellent. On another recommendation I tried the beef empanadas and found them lovely, also incredibly flavorful. The pastry was perfect. My main dish was Arroz con Pato (Rice with Duck) that was prepared to perfection as well. The duck was crispy on the outside skin and fall off the bone tender inside. The rice was risotto-like, and a joy to eat. As Daniela explained their Tres Leches i’d not like others, to which i thought “yeah,yeah”, but as was the case all evening she was correct in hr description and recommendation. The cake is processed into corn kernel sized bits and made into a little mountain topped with a meringue and accompanied by fruit sauces. The process ensures the cake is saturated by the milks. Different and fabulous as was my coffee with milk. A great dinner and experience—Genial! We’ll return.

Had amazing service, wonderful food and terrific ambiance.

Carmine’s is one of the best food experiences we have had in awhile! Service was exceptional, the lobster pasta special was a dream, the fillet with gnocchi was lovely. And the bread pudding was amazing. Thank you for a great evening. We will be back!

Hosted a party of 11 for lunch. Started with truffle fries and sweet corn + avocado dip for the table...delicious! Orders for lunch were also 5 star: Chicken burger, sushi, ribs, fish tacos, noodle bowl. All food came out at one time. Service was exceptional.

Our waiter, David made this experience for us. We had a wonderful time. The food was plentiful but honestly could have been fresher. Also some things didn’t work…consider sticking to the classics like a cucumber sandwich without modifications. It’s a staple of every high tea for a reason.