Leader Block Trattoria & Bar - Italian restaurant in Ferndale - 2026 Main St, USA

Atmosphere was perfect in here. Beautiful lighting, quiet and warm but still busy. Just keep in mind it is warm in here, make sure you can take off a layer or two while you eat Food was good - just not sure I would pay that high price for the same dish again. My pasta was a little firmer than I would have liked and I didn't taste any crab like the dish described to have, it was mostly clams but the flavor was good. Appetizer was amazing though! Very clean - especially the beautiful bathrooms. Overall I'd try it again but don't have the high expectations I did originally.

Under new ownership, couldn't be happier. Wonderful service, amazing food and strong drinks. A diamond in the rough for sure.

Photo - Fettuccine Al Salmone. Delicious on the way in, makes you see the afterlife on the way out. I've written a 5-star for this restaurant before. It was closed for a while and now it pains me to say, literally, it's not what it used to be. The tablecloths should've been our first sign. Underneath the paper the tables now have, the cloths are stained. The first clue should've been that there weren't too many people there this time, actually. Anyway, the staff is super friendly, the food was tasty (as far as I could tell) and the wine was smooth. I left feeling full and satisfied. I sat in the car and said to my husband, "Huh, I already need to go to the bathroom." A minute later, and I'm telling him we gotta stop somewhere because 'this is bad! It's really bad!' We stopped at a rest stop, and I ran inside (sorry for all the ladies who had to smell it)! I was in that stall for over an hour. 58 min had passed since I had texted my husband to pray for me because this was really bad! Well, I was in there for a few minutes before that text, so it's not an exaggeration to say I was in that stall for over an hour. And in terrible pain! Nothing will get you praying like food poisoning... I repented from all my sins, trust me. Anyway, by the time I'm finally done, my whole body feels sore. We're now home, I'm still sore, weak, and not feeling 100%. In fact, I'm writing this from the toilet. In my head, I can hear Gordon Ramsey yelling at the chefs, "YOU KILL SOMEONE!" . We called the restaurant and let them know something in their fettuccine al salmone had spoiled. They said they would let the kitchen know and that they were closing for the day (this was dinner time) shortly. I hope they throw that stuff out. I didn't die, but I feel like I've seen the afterlife. This was and is the worst food poisoning of my life. We went there for our anniversary, it definitely ruined the night. They didn't even offer to reimburse us, but we didn't ask. Maybe we should have. In hindsight, another clue should've been how long the menu has gotten. Before, you had like 3 choices, and they were all phenomenal. Now you have plenty to choose from... and maybe that's part of the problem... too many sauces to prep beforehand that later spoil... Unfortunately, we won't be coming back any time soon, and we will have to find a different restaurant for our special dinner occasions. No one deserves this pain.

Overpriced and underwhelming. I don't mind spending $450 for a party of six (including try kids) if that's going to be a phenomenal experience, but this was not that. The most expensive dish (blackened cod special) was the least tasty, and prepared incorrectly. Kids meals (butter noodles and some chicken) were $30. Some good appetizers (Brussels were great), and a few good entrees. Atmosphere was nice and decor was classy. Service was fine but not exceptional and the manager (chef? Owner?) seemed a little snarky with the customers. Ultimately, I was there for the "Best Italian restaurant in the Pacific Northwest" and this was't even in the top 10. If you want to spend a bunch but have it actually be worth it, hit up Paolo's in Kent.

I really wanted to like Leader Block. This area could use a gourmet Italian restaurant for special occasions. But this isn't it. The prices are as high or higher than a gourmet Seattle restaurant like Cafe Lago. The food just doesn't measure up. Mediocre pasta, okay salmon, nothing-special salads. $8 bottles of water (We didn't realize we were paying for each bottle until the bill arrived. They just kept refilling glasses and never said something signaling it was costing $, like saying "Would you like to order more bottled water?"). This was supposed to be a special occasion with three generations. Still had a nice time. But we won't be going back unless the prices drop by 30%.

Such a great night. Service, food and wine selection! Love this place.

We're new to the area, and in passing the restaurant a few times we decided to dine there for my Son's birthday. We ordered appetizers about 6 :10 pm, and waited... for our food. During the wait we ask for some bread, which I had to remind the waitress about a couple of times. Even though there were only a few tables of customers, we didn't get our food until 8pm. Hoping the wait was worth it, we were very disappointed. As an example, the "Red Sea Crab Cakes", at $59, were cold, and lack even the taste one might expect from a can. And, after the "cook" came to our table and ask about our meal, and I reluctantly spoke of my disappointment, a sorry-about-that seemed as an after thought. We ask for some to-go boxes, and after they were brought we again waited, and waited, and finally I had to go to the bar to check out. We were offered a free dessert, which we declined. This was the first time I have ever neglected to leave a tip. Very disappointing.

We visited the Leader Block Trattoria Restaurant and Bar last night and to start with it was very cold in the building. The staff had their coats on. We joked about whether they had paid the heat bill. The food was delicious but very pricey. No salad or bread goes with the dinner. The table had white paper that covered up a stained cloth. I asked for coffee but the poor girl waiting on us could not make the coffee maker heat -up. The table beside us had 5 ladies and when they received their dinner one dinner was missing. That said lady waited a very long time for her meal and her table mates were completely finished before she got hers. The chatter at their table was all about how disappointed they were. The man who was walking around and appeared to be in charge was not real friendly a smile would have helped however our waitress was great and I felt sorry for her because she was trying very hard to give us a positive experience. I managed to see the kitchen on the way out and I was shocked to see that the so called Chef was not wearing whites and in fact looked like he didn’t care what he looked like. The kitchen did not appear real clean and could certainly use cleaning and the walls needed paint. We will never go back to the said restaurant for all the reasons I have shared.