10/29/09

Best North End Spot

by stephanieB

Bacco is my favorite spot in the North End and I have been to most over the years. The food is absolutely to die for. Pair that with an incredable atmosphere and it's really hard to beat. I have tried most things on the menu and have yet to dislike anything. They have a great wine list but I usually stay with the red. It's warm, cozy, and makes you feel like your part of the North End charm!!!

• Pros: Friendly, Warm, Great Atmosphere

01/26/09

My Favorite In Boston!

by irishadam1978

I just went back to Bacco for my 5th time this past Saturday night and have to say this is my favorite restaurant in Boston. Great spot in the North End and the restaurant is romantic, beautiful, warm and cozy. Great wine selection and service is good and polite, not the best in the world, but the real key is the food. Absolutley amazing and they are good portions with good prices. I keep reading people say it's expensive, well clearly they don't get out much because I could name 100 places in Boston that are far more expensive and not as good. Bacco has great specials each time I go, but the Butternut Squash or the Lobster Ravioli is increadable. I keep ordering one of the two each time I go. I can't bring myself to try more of the menu. I would highly recommend Bacco!

• Pros: Food, Ambience, Wine, Location, Price, Everything!
• Cons: None that I can think of.

09/19/08

Very nice experience in Boston Italian dining in the North end.

by anne2346

We visited as tourists in Boston, but not as "fine dining virgins." It was a beautiful Monday evening and we wanted a really good restaurant with a full bar (surprisingly difficult to find in Boston - ask your concierge.) Bacco provided relaxed elegance. The windows (not really windows actually - no glass to be found) were open to the street and it was a wonderful city atmosphere. We were taken to the second floor and seated near an opening over the street, which was busy with foot traffic. I loved the setting and the atmosphere.

Our server was both pleasant and knowledgeable. We enjoyed a leisurely cocktail without any pressure. I ordered the evening's seafood puttanesca special with shrimp and mussels. It was excellent. The pasta was perfect and the shrimp were crisp and sweet. My husband ordered chicken marsala with asparagus and polenta from the regular menu. His chicken was fresh, tender and delicious. He reported the asparagus (a favorite of his) was perfectly prepared.

We both enjoyed our dinner thoroughly. The chef is clearly talented, ingredients are fresh and the wait staff knows what they are doing. The atmosphere is lovely, both of the neighborhood and the restaurant itself. We took a cab from and back to Cambridge for our dinner in the North End and had a wonderful experience. This is a lovely restaurant.

09/12/08

Best Italian in Boston

by summer2008

Bacco is my favorite restaurant since I moved to the North end. The atomosphere is amazing and romantic.

The staff are attentive and friendly. My fav. is the risotto del giorno, loaded with fresh seafood with tomato creme. I take all my friends and families there when they come visit. Sometimes they sent me complimentary tira misu after my meal, how can you beat that!!!

• Pros: window seats

09/10/08

Great italian food!

by LaurenMarie2

Wonderful Italian restaurant in the North End. Fabulous desserts and a great atmosphere in the bar!

• Pros: Great location
• Cons: Little loud

09/08/08

overrated and bad service

by foodie0206

The food at Bacco is overrated, expensive, and comes in tiny portions. While I thought the garlic oil and hummus that comes with the table bread was delicious, the bread itself was stale and the food took over an hour to arrive at the table. My boyfriend ordered the carpaccio appetizer and the Mezzolune entree with two glasses of wine. We waited over an hour to receive our entree and despite the high prices, there was no apology for the incredibly slow service. Although I appreciated that they split the entree for us (we were sharing) and the food was decent, there was nothing that wowed us except the high prices.

• Pros: ambiance, romatic, street parking is not by permit
• Cons: price, service, food

08/27/08

feel like being in Italy

by hancock89

My husband and I were in your restaurant on Sunday

evening and I just had to write and let you know what a wonderful time

we had. We were in town because of an appointment at Brigham & Women's

the next morning. As we were a little anxious about the appointment,

we really wanted to find a place where we could have a lovely meal and

a relaxing time without having to dress up. We were concerned about our

attire (shorts and shirts) but we were warmly welcomed by your

hostess. We sat at the two top right at the entrance and proceeded to

have an incredible evening. Appetizers, wine, entrees - everything was

just delicious. Our server, Katie, was very sweet and attentive

without being overly so and not once did we feel rushed to give up our

seats. The atmosphere was so inviting (especially with the open

windows and the sunlight on the buildings) that is was hard to believe

we weren't in Italy.

We will highly recommend Bacco to anyone visiting Boston and we hope to be able

to return again soon.

• Pros: great window seats

08/25/08

Overrated

by jcorwin12

The night did not start off well. We had an 8:30 reservation and didn't get seated until 9:30. We weren't offered complimentary drinks or apologies until I complained about the wait at a little past 9. Any quality restaurant would have tried to keep the experience as pleasant as possible by offering us drinks or seats at the bar prior to us getting upset. It was restaurant week, so it was no doubt busy. But the reservation manager did not plan appropriately for the crowd and the hostess' response to the unhappy customers was a poor display of customer service.

The bruschetta appetizer was nothing more than a slice of bread, a slice of cheese, and some tomatoes. I thought the presentation was poor and the taste mediocre. The caprese was average, but nothing I couldn't prepare at home. For dinner I ordered veal florentine, and the veal was overcooked and gnocchi was dry.

The only part of the cooking that was worth complimenting was the tiramasu, which was light and tasty.

• Pros: dessert
• Cons: customer service, reservations

08/22/08

Great restaurant

by southie617

Bacco Ristorante is a unique restaurant in the North End. The atmosphere is fun and romantic. The bar serves great cocktails and the food is even better. I love the carbonara and the butternut squash ravioli. i have never been disapointed with their service or any other aspect of the restaurant, if your looking for a great north end experience, you should definetly try Bacco on Salem st.!

08/21/08

Best North End Scene

by bigspender166

I had the opportunity to wine and dine at Bacco the other night and was very impressed! The open windows and beautiful flowers present a very inviting look as you walk up to the restaurant. I saw a busy bar as soon as I entered but was happy to see the bartender clear off two seats as my date and I walked in. TJ was happy to recommend a nice glass of red wine to my date and for me a delicious Mai Tai made from 8yr old rums! We intended to sit at a table for dinner, but found the bar to be very comfortable. For dinner I had the Gnocchi and was happy I did. The dish had a hearty bolognese sauce and fresh mozzerella tossed on top. My date loved the Butternut squash ravioli made with a butter cream sauce! I will definitely return to visit the Bacco bar scene soon!!

• Pros: Great bar, great food, great service
• Cons: can be crowded