Willmott's Ghost

Like cufflinks, potato ricers, and sunscreen, some things only have one sole purpose. They’re there when you need them, and aren’t in the way when you don’t. Well, except for potato ricers. Those things take up a lot of drawer space. Willmott’s Ghost, a nice all-day Italian spot on the Amazon campus, is no different. It’s a good place to keep in mind when you need to impress someone over a laidback lunch, but not much else.

The restaurant is located inside the Amazon Spheres, which could pass for a UFO mothership, but is really just offices and restaurants housed inside three giant glass orbs. And while the interior is impeccably designed down to every brass rod and robin’s egg blue barstool, there’s something sterile and eerie in the air, especially at night. We wouldn’t be surprised if, halfway through dinner, you were plucked up by a robot and sent across the country (for free with Prime two-day shipping). But in a neighborhood full of lunch options that are either too casual or too fancy, Willmott’s Ghost is the middle ground that this corporate district needed. And the lack of character will hopefully impress your client who owns a multimillion-dollar lakehouse in Medina. You’ll probably overhear snarky jokes about Bezos, notice that the bathroom is more beautiful than yours, pay a little more for pizza than you normally would, drink some wine, and ultimately, seal whatever deal needs sealing.

photo credit: Nate Watters

Since Willmott’s Ghost comes from the same team behind The Walrus And The Carpenter, our expectations for food were high. That spot has mastered oysters and crudo, so pizza—which dominates the lunch menu here—sounds easy enough. The charred pies are tasty enough, and the rest of the menu is forgettable but does the job. We wouldn’t come here for dinner when the whole place has that sleepy “we’re almost closed” feel, but at lunch, the dining room is alive, and light shines through the Spheres’ futuristic exoskeleton windows. It’s the perfect setting to soften the blow of whatever budget you’re about to propose, and after a bite of the incredible olive oil cake at dessert, the client might just agree to meet your proposal. It’s a powerful cake.

If you need to win someone over in a setting that has looks, drinks, and safe food, lunch at Willmott’s Ghost is a fine idea. But if you’re in another neighborhood, leave this place in The Spheres like you leave your potato ricer in the drawer.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Aimee Rizzo

Focaccia

If you come to Willmott's Ghost and eat nothing else, make sure it's the focaccia. This warm round gets an olive oil shower upon service, soaking into each golden brown crater while leaving the middle completely dry. Order this and a spritz, and you're set.

Chicory Salad

Much like your elementary school self who pushed that other kid off the seesaw for having better stickers than you, this salad is very bitter. Chunks of apples provide the same kind of sweet relief as dunking a sunburned arm into ice water—a feeling that probably shouldn't be experienced through food.

Arancini

Fried to an absolute crisp, we lose the arborio rice in these arancini's crunchy-to-a-fault breading. However, we love the tender braised lamb stuffed in the middle, as well as the spicy calabrian chili cream underneath.

photo credit: Nate Watters

Sausage Pizza

This pie will undoubtedly satisfy a pizza craving. The sausage is moist and fennel-y, the mozzarella is perfectly broiled, and the sauce has the right amount of acidity. But the crust integrity is a little all over the place—some parts are flat and gummy, while others are nicely risen and puffy. Caramelized cheese edges provide a good crunch, though some bits are burnt beyond carcinogenic recognition. Then they go and add snips of preserved lemon rind, which is a flavor profile that doesn't belong with hot tomatoes.

photo credit: Nate Watters

Margherita Pizza

We like that the mozzarella and olive oil are added after the pizza comes out of the oven, because those things taste really good when they’re cold. But this pizza just doesn’t have a ton of pizazz, which pizza should have, because you can’t spell pizazz without pizza.

photo credit: Nate Watters

Olive Oil Cake

Quick, someone get Eric Whitacre on the phone. This amazing cake needs a tearfully beautiful choral piece written about it immediately.