Cornelly has grown beyond its Capitol Hill roots. The neighborhood pizzeria, known for its naturally leavened dough and handmade pasta, has opened a second location on upper Queen Anne.
The new spot keeps the same approach that made the original so popular: good food, a tight team, and a strong sense of community.
Chef and co-owner Brett Phillips runs Cornelly with Sam Carroll. The two met in 2015 while working at Purple Café & Wine Bar downtown. After years in Seattle kitchens, including Ethan Stowell’s Tavolàta and How to Cook a Wolf, Phillips wanted to create something of his own.
“I had wanted to be a chef since high school,” Phillips said. “Watching my dad cook dinner almost every night made it look fun. Both my grandmas were really good cooks, and I remember watching them bake bread with fascination.”
Before opening Cornelly, Phillips and Carroll hosted pop-ups out of NW Peaks Brewing in Ballard. Those Friday nights helped them test recipes and build a following before opening on Capitol Hill in 2020. The concept was simple and focused. Pizza doughs fermented naturally, pasta made by hand or extruded in-house, and vegetable dishes built around whatever was fresh and local.
“I love pasta. I love making pasta. I love eating pasta,” Phillips said. “I’ve always liked pasta from an early age. I remember making box spaghetti a lot with my dad growing up, and always finding it fun to find the right time to pull the pasta so that it was perfectly Al dente.” Olive oil anchors much of his cooking. “It’s such a foundation for most of what I cook,” he said.
Cornelly’s menu nails that balance between familiar and fresh. The Hornet Honey pizza, a Capitol Hill favorite, hits sweet, salty, and spicy notes with hand-stretched mozzarella, honey-roasted pineapple, pepperoni, basil, and chili. For purists, the Classic Pep always delivers. But truly, every meal I’ve had at their Capitol Hill spot has been a winner. Over on Queen Anne, the new Delicata Queen is creating a seasonal buzz with delicata squash, leek cream, mozzarella, and a drizzle of saba dressing.
Pasta and salad are a can’t-miss combo here. The rigatoni with pork sausage, n’duja, tomato, mint, parsley, and parmesan is a hearty standout, while the Chicory Caesar keeps things crisp with radicchio, romaine, red onion, and a garlic anchovy vinaigrette.
For your sweet tooth, the tiramisu tempts with a caramelized coffee bean crunch, and the Queen Anne spot adds a peach tart served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Cornelly’s team always gets high marks for its service. Most of the early hires were friends and former coworkers from other restaurants. “We operate with a lot of trust in the people that choose to work with us,” Phillips said. “We’ve tried really hard to listen to our staff and realize that if we can create a positive culture for them, that will turn into something special that we can share with our guests.”
That culture extends beyond the restaurant. Cornelly collaborates with local makers, including Noah Larson of Larson Made, who crafts hand-forged knives from his shop in South Park. Larson’s connection with Cornelly goes back to the early days.
“Whenever I get an opportunity to work with the people at Cornelly, I feel truly honored,” Larson said. “I’ve made them the pizza cutters they use to cut every pizza at both locations. The people Brett attracts and surrounds himself with are the best of the best.”
One of those hires is Mark Galambos, the chef de Cuisine at Queen Anne, who once interned with Larson to make a line of knives. “Mark has many of my knives working behind the line, and now I am lucky enough to call one of Cornelly’s own cooks my apprentice.”
Larson’s appreciation for Cornelly goes beyond the kitchen. “Cornelly is a family that welcomes you in every time you dine with them,” he said. “They all deeply care about each other. They all deeply care about your experience.”
Opening a restaurant in 2020 forced the team to stay flexible. Phillips said that adaptability remains at the center of how they operate. “We learned that you can’t be complacent,” he said. “If things aren’t working, you need to be adaptable and embrace change.”
The Queen Anne restaurant marks the next step for Cornelly, offering more space and extended reach without changing the core idea. The menu still changes with the seasons, pizzas and pastas are made from scratch, and the vibe stays relaxed.
For Phillips, growth is about keeping things steady. “We take it one day at a time,” he said. “If something else is in the cards for us, we don’t know what it is yet.”
Whatever comes next, it’s safe to say it will be worth showing up for.
Learn more about Cornelly here.
Jenise Silva is a freelance contributor for Seattle Refined.
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Dining and Cooking