I chose this restaurant for my birthday dinner. We had a reservation but got there early to have a drink at the bar. We sat for several minutes before being acknowledged, which was frustrating. While making others' drinks we observed the male bartender putting his hands on the tops of the glasses and tapping the tops of the straws into the drinks. This seemed weird since this is where people put their mouths. Our dinners were tasty but pricy for what we received. We had a delicious Caesar salad to start with, but $15 for it was steep. I think you can find a much better value elsewhere. read more

I have been coming to this restaurant for years always great food and great service until last night when I went to my niece's birthday!!! First of all the service was horrible!!! The waiter was removing drinks and food without even asking!!! I had the crispy chicken and pasta and beans and it was horrible. I wouldn't even take the rest home!!! I ate half a piece and left the rest!!! At one point when the birthday cake was taken out I had to ask the waiter three times to get a knife so my niece could make a wish and he kept telling me me they cut the case and then service!!! After three times of telling him she wanted to make a wish and finally telling him I needed the knife for her to make wish it was a family tradition !!! He finally understood. And we were rushed out the restaurant because they had 8:30 reservations but they starting pushing it at 7:15!!! We finally got up and left at 8!!!! I really don't know what happened to this restaurant but I wouldn't go again!!! read more

My fiancé and I were in for dinner last Saturday , the food was delicious however the service was not up to par. Our server did not ask us how our meal was once until we were both finished , another waiter brought us bread and oil because we couldn't get his attention to bring it himself , and the grated cheese I received was from another waiter as well because ours was non existent most of the night . We also felt obligated to order dessert because we were asked 3 times if we wanted any . We received a gift card from family for Christmas to use here but if this is the way the service is , we probably won't be back . read more

Came here for dinner on a very busy night. The staff was phenomenal. The bartender Crystal was very friendly and welcoming. I started with some wine and arroncini from the tapas list. It was excellent. For my entree I had the pasta con i funghi, it was incredible. One of, if not the best meal I've had in Providence. Place had a great vibe with plenty of parking. I cannot wait to go again. read more

I dined at Bacaro this past week for the first time. I initially sat at the bar while waiting for the rest of my party to arrive. The bartenders were very pleasant and definitely know how to make an excellent Cosmo. Others enjoyed a basil vodka gimlet which was garnished with a basil leave, lime and was very delicious. While being shown to our table there was a little confusion. We started off on our way upstairs and then were told that we were sitting downstairs (I would have thought that this was already decided as we had reservations). Service from the start was terrible. The waitress seemed overwhelmed & her retention span was lacking. We had to ask for bread after being served our appetizers . We waited for water & grated cheese and finally obtained these items from another waiter. We asked a young kid going by to take an empty glass to which he responded that he was not doing that job tonight. Reluctantly he did take the empty glass. The waitress forgot a drink ( she only had 3 to remember & 2 being the same). Basil vodka gimlets ordered at the table came with no basil garnish. No consistency. Service was lousy but the food was DELICIOUS. The zucchini flowers & corn salad were very good as was the bolognese. It's just too bad that the service was extremely lacking. For the price that we paid for the evening, I was very dissatisfied with the service. No matter how great the food is at a restaurant, if the service is terrible people are reluctant to return. Hopefully management can rectify this problem as the food was above my expectation. read more

STAY AWAY!!! Definitely something wrong with this place! Made a reservation several days in advance for a special evening and was told over the phone that outdoor seating was first come first served.. the person taking my reservation suggested I make a reservation for indoors and then if something was available outdoors we could be seated outdoors. When we arrived the outdoor seating area was completely empty except for one couple yet we were told we couldn't sit outside because we didn't have a reservation and they were expecting people to show up for their reservations at 7pm (it was only 6:10 pm at the time.) All this after being told on the phone that they don't take reservations for outdoor seating. The hostess was completely rude and treated us like we were vagrants trying to get into the Taj Mahal. No second chances from us for such a poorly managed establishment. A red flag. read more

The location and decoration are wonderful. The upstairs seating is beautiful and provides nice water views and a peak at the kitchen. The wine menu is extensive but the glass menu is limited. Since I was the only one in our party of 4 to want red wine, I had to opt for the glass option. My wine was $12/glass and our friend had a $22/glass white wine. The waitstaff was prompt and there were hands coming from every direction to drop food off, clear plates, and fill water. We had one main waiter and then several others helping. I don't know how the kept it all straight but nothing got mixed up. The food...mix of very good and great. This is were my 5 star becomes a 4. The ordering was confusing and the waiters didn't explain much to us. You're given a big menu and a sheet of paper. The sheet is to order tapas and the menu is to order apps, salads, and mains. It takes a good 20 mins to read through both. Once we got the hang of it things went easier. I asked for good cheese pairings for the meat and the waitress struggled when I said non dairy cheese (they have goat, sheep, and buffalo)... Our table opted to split several tapas, apps, salads, and mains. We tried several meat and cheese plates. Generous portions for these, plenty for 4 people to pick at. The ones we choose ranged from $6 to $11 each. For apps we ordered the Brussel sprouts (perfect!) $9. Truffle scallops (my husbands favorite), arancini (didn't try bc I can't have dairy), potato chips, and a pork belly. These last were all $7/ and we're plenty for our party of 4. Salads we ordered a mozzarella, prosciutto, and arugula $15. As well as a fennel with clementine. $15. Both were great and enough for the whole table to try. Entree we split the rib eye and some seafood dish (that I can't remember because I don't eat seafood). These were the priciest at $45 and $35. This price seemed out of place considering the prices above. But it was a hefty plate with plenty of sides and the steak was delicious. We had no room for dessert but it was recommended to order early as they are made to order. Overall, we had a wonderful date night. Spent more than we should have but you can easily spend less here and still leave full. We will definitely go back, there is so much more to try. So cons: some prices seemed too much, waitstaff wasn't knowledgeable enough. Hire a sommelier. Pros: far outweigh the cons. Food and wine were great. Parking is free. Farm to table can't be beat. Support local!! Make a reservation! I only have a picture of the bill...and no one wants to see that. read more

I DO NOT KNOW WHERE TO START! Everything just makes me so happy. I would definitely make Baccaro my go to if I still live in Providence. You will not regret dining here whether it is with a couple of friends or with a large party. The service here is amazing. All the staffs are super friendly and accommodating. And the food - omg. I don't recall the name of the dish but the foie gras on the small toast with jam was above and beyond. My entire group got 2 more rounds after we tried it out. It just melts in your mouth. Perfect amount of saltiness and sweetness. PERFECTION. And the pastas were amazing too. My personal favorite is the Pasto Con I Funghi. The Egg yolk ties all the flavors together. We doubled up on this dish when we dined there. And for desserts, we got the Lemon Meringue Tart. It was the dessert we needed - light, refreshing, but still filling. I'm so glad we booked Baccaro two months in advance. We had such a great night here Thank you Baccaro!!! read more

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Where to begin... my girlfriend and I dined here last night for a late Valentine's Day celebration. I was blown away by the menu, to the point where it was almost overwhelming how delicious everything sounded! Let me first start out by saying how reasonably priced this place was for the quality and selection of hard to find foods offered! The main menu consists of appetizers, pizzas, entrees, etc. There is a second menu containing a list of Italian tapas and cheeses/meats to build charcuterie boards. The Italian tapas is such a great idea, each one has a few "bites" smaller than an app, but enough to be able to try a wide variety of things without having to commit to an entree. For tapas, we ordered the eggplant parm (the favorite), duck breast with jam on bread, garlic bread, and foie Gras with jam on bread. All were SUPERB! We also built a charcuterie board which was awesome. For entrees we ordered the pizza Bianca and pasta con I funghi. Both were to die for, especially the pizza, which was honesty the best pizza I have ever had. The combination of goats milk cheese, rosemary, caramelized onions, and hot pepper was so amazing. They also slice it into mini pieces so it can be shared with all. The bottom of the pizza was crispy which gives an amazing bite. The pasta had amazing texture and the truffle and mushroom paired so nicely with the cheese and egg. We were so full we brought home leftovers. I washed down my dinner with two old fashioneds and my girlfriend had a Moscow mule. The liquor list was impressive and the wine list is about the length of an encyclopedia. Shout out our waitress who was extremely knowledgeable and attentive and even gave us a cheese recommendation which ended up being our favorite! read more

I tried Bacaro again, and this time I got it. Totally and completely and quite happily, too. We came in and our waiter, John, totally swept us off our feet. We started with glorious oysters on the half-shell and a really fabulous bottle of wine. Then, we moved on to the creamy bakala over seared polenta, which was perfection. Up next? The stuffed squash blossoms with marinara and Narragansett Creamery Ricotta... I know, right? How RI-Italian can you get? Needless to say, we were giddy with pleasure. But I haven't even gotten to our entrees yet... or dessert. I had the amazing and delectable saffron-scented rice with little necks and chorizo. OMG. OMG. It was like a take on paella, but without the crusty bottom and loads of other meats. It was beyond good - beyond. My companion and dear friend Sarah T had some outrageous pasta dish with truffles and a perfectly fried egg on top, but to be honest I was so involved with my dreamy goodness I can't remember a thing about hers other than that. All I know is this: we were both so happy and overloaded with joy we wanted to make out with our waiter. Then he brought out the dessert. Sarah was too full, so she left it to me. It was a puff pastry filled with local figs and topped with a melted cheese akin to camembert. Yup. It was a non-sweet lover's dream dessert. Crispy, gooey, sweet and savory. It was genius. Dreamy. So, I may have been a little harsh last time. Just a tad. But the service that time really was bad and that can ruin a meal for me... especially when it's supposed to be one of the best restaurants in town. But being able to admit you were wrong is a sign of dignity, right? Right. And John made all the bad things into good things, and my meal was, well... perfection. 5 stars, kids. They earned every single on of 'em. read more

I was taught to always start by saying something nice before giving constructive criticism: The setting is very nice, and the free parking for WaterFire could not have been more convenient. HOWEVER, the food was just OK. Some dishes were great (those that were easier to cook; the pastas and the pizzas). The highly over-priced entree's were no where near as good as the prices suggested. Furthermore, the tapas were far too small of a portion. Being a New Yorker, I'm used to high prices and small portions; but even in New York I get a larger size burrata cheese than this place serves. And the Octopus was not char-grilled, it was charcoal... It was literally cooked until it became ash. (Which is a real shame, because Octopus is one of our favorite dishes.) Here's the kicker though... My father-in-law and I both got violently ill about 30 minutes after leaving the restaurant. Neither of us had been in the same state together, or even within 200 miles of each other for at least 30 days. We met at the restaurant, dined and then both got the EXACT SAME STOMACH ILLNESS at the EXACT SAME TIME. The only common thing we ate was the tapas... so I will echo the other reviews that state the tapas do not seem fresh. They are definitely NOT fresh. (For those of you who are cynics... I was drinking club soda, my father-in-law had 1 beer... we were not drunk.) Overall, the price tag for the quality of food, quality that is highly suspect given the above mentioned illness, was extremely disappointing. To quote my mother-in-law: "They have a lot of nerve serving that food for those prices." @Bacaro you are really too expensive given your calibre of food. read more

My boyfriend and I have come to Bacaro once before, and had a good experience with the pizza and a glass of wine. While doing some gift shopping recently we decided to buy some foodie members of our family gift certificates to Bacaro because of the rave reviews it always gets, and the yummy pizza we had. After spending $500.00 in gift certificates, we went over to the bar for some drinks and apps. Not feeling like wine, we asked about the tequila selection (our hard liquor of choice) and the bartender recommended a blanco tequila which we ordered with soda water and lime juice. We then chose some things from the cheese and meat selection, as our bartender told us that none of the pre-selected boards were really that robust. When we received the bill - it had come to almost $250.00. Our bartender did not tell us that each drink we were consuming was $19.00?? (as a former bartender, this is something you generally tell a customer when you up-charge into a mixed drink) And the meat and cheese individually came out to be grossly more expensive than a pre-selected board. So, after spending $800.00 at this restaurant we will probably not be returning anytime soon. If we do come back it will probably be for another round of pizza and wine. read more

A year has passed since my first experience at Bacaro. We took a chance and showed up without a reservation on a Saturday night. The dining room was full for another 2 1/2 hours but luckily the bar area is first come, first served so we snagged the last high top table. The staff were friendly and our server was knowledgeable about the menu and happy to accommodate some weird alterations I wanted made to a dish. We started with the Wood-Grilled Octopus. Holy Sh*t! So good. The octopus was so tender and juicy yet it had the best smoky, grilled flavor to it. It was served on a perfect bed of baby arugula with grapefruit sections and a dollop of olive tapenade. OK, let's just take a moment to salivate on that flavor memory.......... Next up, my pasta entree. Here's my issue with Bacaro. It's flippin' pricey. There were two options for a non-meat eater such as myself. Cacio e Pepe or the Pasta Con i Funghi. $26 just seemed like way too much to pay for pasta with some pepper and cheese so I opted for the Pasta Con i Funghi. I had this the first time I dined at Bacaro and it was much better this time since I requested the truffled egg on the side. That way I was able to just add in a little as I wished. But still, this was pricey for a vegetarian pasta dish. Our brownie dessert with vanilla ice cream was the perfect portion since we were both stuffed from dinner. The espresso drinks were terrible. A latte and a cappuccino couldn't be distinguished from one another and the server who brought them to us, didn't know which one was the decaf. So overall, the effort they are putting forth on the back end is apparent but the added costs that are relayed to the customer are a little hard to swallow. One note of mention, I ordered a specialty drink and mentioned I thought it had champagne in it and the server did come back and suggest I get it with prosecco since their champagne is really pricey. They could've just stuck me with a $20 cocktail but I appreciated the honesty and my $11 French 75 was very tasty. read more

I hate to be the barer of bad news, but if you're looking for a special 5* dining experience please take note - Bacaro might not be the place to fully experience all that you're wanting. The food is good, the view amazing, but this restaurant is missing certain things that make for a true 5* experience. For $30+/plate I have to review based on what I believe we in Providence have come to expect from fine dining. For starters, what about the simple things in life, like taking our coats? Nope, can't be bothered. Why don't you have any music playing on the second floor? You've got a view of the river but without ambiance my table of four couldn't help but focus on the click clack of the forks coming from the only other table (of 14) in the restaurant, oddly placed smack dab next to us. Our server, bless her, knew NOTHING. Nothing about wine, couldn't really make food recommendations, and had a general air of insecurity about her. The manager stepped in at certain points to accommodate our cohort's gluten free needs and help with the wine selection, and call me caddy but she was way too casually dressed to be given any street cred. Pink and brown striped Old Navy V neck with jeans doesn't really scream I should be spending a lot of money here. I will say the bottle of wine we were pointed to was excellent. But call me crazy, where I come from, wine bars offer wine flights and I got a blank Bambi stare when I asked for one. We started with the pork belly appetizer, a small plate served salty and glazed. Then I moved on to the duck breast over risotto. The duck was too bloody for my taste so I passed most of the middle on to my partner, and the rice portion tasted like the butter it was made in had been accidentally burned during preparation. With the richness of the dish it was sadly lacking in the vegetable department. Michael had a whole fish as they were out of the other two pesce options on the menu. It was fine but not satisfying. If you're looking for some place special I have a list of top 5 in the state. Go to anyone of these establishments http://www.yelp.com/list/big-5-in-little-rhody-providence and enjoy the total package! read more

We walked in shortly after they opened hoping to have a few small plates and drinks. Given their menu with tons of small plates of cheeses, meats, olives, and tapas, you would think this would be a great place for this. The food is average but pricey. The worst part: the service created an extremely uncomfortable atmosphere. There are many choices in Providence, and the service completely ruined any positive aspect of our experience. We are very unlikely to go back. When we walked in, we asked the hostess if we could sit in the bar area so that we could order a couple of small plates and drinks. She said sure, we could just go over there and sit at a small table if we wanted. So, we did. We didn't feel bad about taking a small table because there were more, and TONS of tables in the main dining area (it was just before 6pm). But, the entire time our waitress kept asking us when we wanted to put our entree order in, that we should look at the dessert menu now, and wanted us to know that when we were ready to order more small plates, she'd bring the menu back. We told her we really just wanted a few small plates and a few drinks, but she seemed rather irritated. We had to ask her to take the big menus away (which were taking up the entire bar table, since they are rather small). She was pushy, rude, and completely uninterested in any question we had about the tapas menu. The only thing she responded to was another order. After the third time she mentioned the dessert menu, we said we wouldn't be ordering desserts. At that point, we overheard her ask the bus boy to clear the table and clean the tablecloth! He actually came over and had us lift our drinks so that he could scrape crumbs off of the tablecloth. We were there for 50 minutes, and with a couple of drinks and two (very) small plates, our bill was over $50. And, service aside, I wasn't blown away by anything we ordered. After we signed the receipt, the waitress came swooping over and said "are you done with that?" taking the bill. She clearly wanted us out of there, and we weren't sitting for that long, and in the BAR! This place could be really great given the structure of their menu, but they have a lot of work to do to make it a customer-friendly restaurant. read more

This was probably the second best meal my mom and I had in Providence. We stopped in here on our last night in the city on Yelp and hotel recommendations. The weather was great so we opted to dine outside (inside it gets kind of crowded and loud). Service was prompt. We ordered drinks and appetizers. Bacaro has a selection of small plates and salads as appetizers that do the trick for sharing. We opted to share salami and olives as our starter with cocktails. We both ordered pasta dishes as entrees and the portions were plentiful and tasty. I ordered some pasta with mushrooms and a savory sauce while my mom ordered something with lobster/crab (she loves it). We both enjoyed our choices and were sad to not be able to take leftovers with us since we were staying in a hotel. Toward the end of our evening, the service became a bit slow because people were talking and enjoying themselves. We just wanted our check at some point and our waiter was MIA for over 20 min. I ended up asking a hostess about our check when I stopped inside to use the washroom. It was a bit ridiculous. All in all, good dining experience, but expect your service to slow down on weekend nights because the place is full and most people are content to sit around and drink a ton of wine. read more

The food here is and has always been fantastic. However the last 2 times that we went on a Saturday night the bartender was not very on top of it. We had to ask her for another round of drinks on more than one occasion and it wasn't because she was running around or super busy. It almost felt like she was doing us a favor which when you are spending a lot of money ($16 per cocktail) the service should be way better. It's not an inexpensive night out at bacaro no matter what you get and the service just hasn't been up to par. read more

After trying this place once and giving it 2.5 stars at absolute best..my friends wanted to go on a birthday night and as much as I couldn't talk them out of going to a much better place, we went anyway. I haven't much to say other than they didn't have our reservation, even though it was called in 10 days prior. I had to scramble and got us in to CAV. This place was completely not apologetic and had no intention of even trying to fit us in. Dinner at CAV was excellent. I will never step near this place again. They absolutely don't deserve your business. I would give ZERO stars if I could. CAV 5*****. read more

This is easily the best meal I've had in Providence. I've been three times now, and the food has impressed me every time. I love picking charcuterie, tapas and cheeses to start- you can design your own antipasto. Then between the pizza, pasta and entrees, it's almost impossible to choose. The best bet is to go with a group of friends and share, everything on the menu sounds great and really delivers. The atmosphere is beautiful, and the parking is a big plus. Check them out! It really is incredible food. read more

Can't write about the food or experience here because, unfortunately, my husband and I had to leave prior to even sitting down. We made a reservation two weeks in advance and showed up only to be told they didn't have the reservation in the system (despite a confirmation email I received). We were told we would have to wait for a table, and proceeded to watch the hostesses seat several other parties before us. We were frustrated so we left. We did receive a follow up from the restaurant and were supposed to receive a gift card but two months later it has not arrived. Would love to give Bacaro another try, but with so many awesome places to eat in PVD, it won't be any time soon! read more

They lost our reservation too! We were still seated- a few minutes late. I was served flat Prosecco in a white wine glass, returned it. Once seated, service was excellent, pizza was to die for, tapas were good, some better than others (PORK BELLY!!!!). We had the best dessert I've ever had (and I've had a lot) which was a banana cream tart. Holy Mother of God. Food was comparable to Al Forno without the arrogance (they cut the pizza for you!) and they take reservations (except when they lose them). We will go back- easy parking lot adjacent too. read more

Excellent dining experience at Bacaro. My wife & I recently went with a friend of ours and had a thoroughly pleasant dinner. The salumeria selection offers a great way to start a meal. In addition to both cured meats (try the speck) and cheeses, there are also some small plates (both hot and cold). The menu offers a range of options from a full blown multi-course meal to individual options like pasta or wood-grilled pizzas. Excellent wine selection as well, heavy on Italian wines though plenty of options from other regions. Place itself is reasonably open w/ high ceilings. There's seating both downstairs and upstairs, the former adjacent to the bar and the latter offering a view of the kitchen. Service wasn't exceptional, though still very good overall. But the food was definitely outstanding. read more

Food was absolutely insane! There wasn't a single item that we got that we didn't love. Must try their pizza too, amazing. All of their tapas were phenomenal! Super busy Saturday night. Only downfall was we had to wait longer for our table to be ready even though we had a reservation, but we solved that by having a drink at the bar read more

Very Impressive Ambiance, well trained staff, and the food was excellent - just like "Al Forno", and you can never go wrong when replicating Al Forno's menu. I recommend eating upstairs, with nice westerly views of the Providence River. There is one huge blank wall upstairs (north wall), that could use some Tuscan countryside murals, (or something creative) to give one the feeling of eating in Cortona, or another Tuscan village, but I'm sure Brian will figure that out in time... Much of the food was perhaps too much like Al Forno... The Pizza Margarita, Caesar Salad, Scallops and mashed potatoes were clearly taken from Al Forno's menu. I was hoping to find more of a variance from the restaurant that Brian trained in, and ran, for so many years, but I guess I can understand how a chef will do what he knows. I was just very surprised with the menu similarities, and in some cases, identical duplications... The quality of food, and food preparation was as excellent as I expected it to be. I'd just recommend to Brian to lose the Al Forno signature dishes and show us more of his own originality, which I'm sure he has... read more

The family was in Providence for the night to retrieve our daughter from Brown Univ, and didn't expect much by way of fine dining in such a sleepy town. I definitely underestimated Bacaro. We sat in the slightly more formal upstairs dining room. It is a gorgeous unassuming space, where you feel special but are completely comfortable. That's not easy to do. The setting is a former warehouse and there are some rustic touches but she is dolled up. An added plus to sitting upstairs is an even nicer view of the river and the gas lamps that line it. Gorgeous. The menu is overwhelmingly long. To be clear the salumeria menu is ridiculous on its own and then there is the main menu and all accompanied by a creditable Italian wine list. I loved the idea of ticking off our salumi selections a la sushi bar and handing them to the server. No need to rattle off individual dish reviews because between the four of us we had 5 apps and 4 entrees, each very different and each absolutely delicious. There is nothing more enjoyable than the taste of a deft hand on sublime ingredients. Go ahead, pick anything. Dessert followed suit, though we were highly encouraged to try their olive oil cake but unfortunately was not available. What we had was very very good. read more

Hands down, consistently impressed by the quality by this restaurant. Just like the song lyric, sea to shining sea, this restaurant is tops. Beginning to end. From your greeting, seating, service, clearing, food quality and exit... it is amazing. Even the bussers and food expeditors are friendly and courteous. Hands down, a top favorite in Providence, consistently read more

I almost gave Bacaro three stars because the food was good but reflecting on the other elements of my experience, the two starts is well-deserved. We made reservations ahead of time for 7 pm. We were seated upstairs right next to the bathroom and entrance to the kitchen which had a lot of traffic was very closed off from the rest of the restaurant. We asked to be moved to a different seat and were immediately, which was good. From the start it was obvious that this place was trying to get as much money as it could from its customers. We were offered bottled, sparkling, or tap water. Instead of serving water to everyone for free, this was a way to get people unfamiliar with 'fine' dining to pay up when usually they would be fine with tap or could order bottled or sparkling water on their own time. I was frustrated after I realized how things are run here. Our waiter was friendly but training someone during our meal. He was attentive and trying to show a good example, but it felt like he wasn't fully engaged or listening to what we were requesting. I'm vegan, so I asked for recommendations. Since the prices are so high and since I called ahead to confirm there were vegan alternatives (and I was told there were MANY), I expected this to be a simple request. The waiter kind of left me to guess what pastas and sauces were vegan until I asked again for a second time when he recommended vegan noodles they had with marinara and basil. We waited over half an hour for our meal. The waiter forgot to bring my mom's wine until she reminded him. We were so hungry and the bread did not come out for about twenty minutes...and it was really hard. The bread came with a tiny cup filled halfway with olive oil and a salt shaker. It was so odd that it was actually funny...as an Italian I've never seen such a thing. We asked for more olive oil and moved on. Our meal arrived and it was really good. Portions are nice and large, some dishes could probably be shared. However, they forgot to add basil to my meal which was literally the only additional ingredient I asked for in my already simple meal. The amount of times we had to ask for things or remind our waiter about something made us uncomfortable and reluctant to get what we wanted to have an enjoyable meal, and we're not a picky or high maintenance family. On top of that, it was very dimly lit and noisy with very quiet music being played. Overall, the food was good but this is a restaurant trying to live up to the fine dining, upscale image without the proper staff or organization to match that vision. I'm sure we could have had a better experience with one of the many other Italian restaurants in the area. Not really worth the prices and patience it takes to eat here. read more

How does a review soar from 5 to a 2? Bad customer service. I have nothing but great things to say about Bacaro's food. The service, however, makes for a poor experience. This can be attributed to many factors: #1: There are too many untrained, new staff on hand. #2: They have zero autonomy or decision making authority. #3: They DO NOT know the menu, at all. Due to the above factors, we were stalled for seating because the host had to run back down the stairs to ask if we could have the table by the window (there were three tables by the window open). None of the servers knew what was on the menu nor could they recommend anything. I asked for bright green olives and he brought me red ones. I asked if there were meatballs on the menu, he didn't know. I asked the drink server what his favorite dish was, he said he never got around to reading the menu. Are you serious? I expect that Bacaro, a place that takes such pride in their food, to employ people that are willing and able to learn the menu, take interest in the food, and promote (as the true face and salespeople of the business) the restaurant. None of these expectations were met on this Wednesday night. A severe fail on their part. Hard for me to confidently recommend this restaurant until these kinks are resolved. read more

4.5 Environment: 4/5 Food: 5/5 Service, 3.5/5 I finally had the chance to try out Bacaro after reading endless reviews of the now former Al Fornos restaurant chefs new home Bacaro. I was somewhat scared away from the prices, but i was in town with some other foodie friends and said hey, lets do it! (I ended paying 50$ for my share which included an exxcellent wine! My meal included an a shared antipasta, wine, and a main dish with bread) We came a bit early for dinner, around 6, so the tables were a bit emtpy, but around 7-9 the tables were jam packed. Parking is easy...its located in a parking lots for 50 or so cars...and if that is packed, theere is plenty of parking on the streets for free. The menu is huge(almost overwhelming) and delightful. Tons of variety with everything from pastas, to starters, to desserts, to seafood, and a very cool salumi antipasta thing (it's like sushi for antipasta)which was amazing! The wine menu is also flawless with a larger variety from all over the world. Service: It took some time for our waiter to service us for some reason even though the place was empty. Lots of waiters standing around...so we were a bit confused, but eventually our waiter came over (I think he was new and a bit shy) He was informative but was unfamilar wine pairings, so he sent over the manager who was very knowledgable of her wines, but also yawned a few times even apologizing because she was tired (even if you are tired, dont tell us....your shift just started and you have another 6 hours to go!) Environment: the first floor houses a large lit up bar overlooking the entire restaurant whch is nice. Near the stairs to the upper floor is a mini meat fridge holding all the dry meats and cheeses for your antipasta. It's a nice rustic setting though the I'm a bit picky on interiors and though they could match the furniture and wall colors to the rustic smokey vibe of the bar and open kitchen...the Open Kitchen is upstairs...you cant really see much action, but it's well lit and it gives youa nice fresh vibe for the food to come. Food: Excellent!!!!! I had a tasting of the duck, scallops, and al dente pasta! the breads also fresh...no complaints here...just damn tasty. 5 starts for sure. The wine might have helped some, but the food still rocked! Audience: The crowd is the genral Al Fornos crew; dress nicely, wear a tie and a coat, and dress to impress italian style. The nice thing is that the restaurant doesnt feel like a must for this, just a hint. I wore a fancy shirt w/jeans, so, no worries on the dress code...just wear something comfortable that's dark cause it seems everyone including the staff does so. Keep away from shorts and sandals though. Come here for a dat, with a crew of friends, een a large crowd. There were several tables setup for 8+, including one corner for 20 people. Hopefully i'll get to come here again, perhaps sit downstairs and compare, though the kitchens upstairs, so I i my food hot! Be prepared to be a bit confused about ALLLlll the dishes on the menu. I was a bit overwhelmed, but this only calls for several more visits. read more

Another food gem in Providence. Yes! I had no idea there was an upstairs dining room -- it was a pleasant surprise when we were seated just next to the kitchen and I could watch the action from my seat. I do so love an open restaurant kitchen. I also appreciate when you are able to order a 1/2 bottle of wine. My friend and I split a 1/2 bottle of a red that was recommended by our waiter, Daniel. He did an excellent job, as it was delicious. I only wish that I remembered to write it down off the menu. We did not have apps or charcuterie (but that is certainly what I will try the next visit). My friend had the baked pumpkin pasta, which was stick-to-your-bones comfort food and perfect for the cold winter night that we were there. I had orchiette pasta with pancetta and brussel sprouts. It had a lemony flavor, which I loved. For desert, we had the bombollinis -- fresh and warm with the melty, rich hazelnut center. Perfect ending. Our server was great. Attentive, funny, and made excellent recommendations off the menu. We were seated at a table next to a pole, which is awkward for serving. But he and the runners did an excellent job maneuvering it all. Looking forward to visiting again. read more

I went here with my boyfriend for our 1 year anniversary and it was a great night. The atmosphere in the dining room was lovely, with the view of the water and the kitchen. My boyfriend said it looked like something from food network and he was right, it was a beautiful kitchen and not too noisy. We had a corner table that was intimate, but didn't give a great view of either water or kitchen. We sat next a table of people with a lot of money and watched their experience compared to ours. Their waitress offered them grated cheese and fresh cracked pepper, our waitress did not. The chef even came up to their table, I was jealous. Our waitress wasn't extremely friendly or helpful, but she did her job. When a spider was crawling on the wall near us and my boyfriend squished it and then told the waitress and she said "that's sick"? Hah okay.. The olive oil that was put on the table was delicious, very italian, robust olive flavor like the olive oil I had in Italy, doesn't need added herbs and spices. The bread was okay, nothing special. Our candle kept on going out because there was a draft near the window which stunk. But what really made the night, besides being with my sweetie, was our delicious entrees and desserts! The food is why this restaurant gets 5 stars in my book. I could tell you the italian names of our dishes, but I don't think it would really matter, you'll get the gist. I got the fungi tagliatelle with a truffle scented egg on top and it was amazing, my mouth literally died and came back to life. I just wanted to lay in my pasta, the delicious flavors, textures and scent, yumm. I don't even like seeing egg yolks, but when this creamy truffley yolk entered my pasta, it just made it even better. My boyfriend got the eggplant pasta and it tasted so fresh and the penne was perfectly cooked. It was very good, but mine was better ;) For dessert we got the freshly baked pear tart which was like heaven, not too sweet, the perfect dessert. It was very fresh tasting. It had to be ordered with our entrees and was made while we ate. It was steep in price, but it was very special and a huge portion of goodness. My boyfriend wasn't too sure about this place at first and I had never heard of it either, but we were both so happy we went. For an Italian restaurant, they are very vegetarian friendly and have a great menu. Next time I go I really want to try the tapas, they sound delicious! read more

Yuck! Seriously? I am easily admitting that this is the worst restaurant I have been to in Providence... ever! The food was DISGUSTING and tasteless! Service was significantly lacking and the decor is dreadful. The bathroom made me feel like I was at a hick dive bar in the Midwest. NEVER AGAIN! read more

Don't get me wrong, Bacaro is one of THE BEST restaurants in Providence. Their food is absolutely delicious and unique, from their tapas menu to large selection of entrees to their tasty desserts which make my mouth water every time! Some of my recommendations include the pork belly from the Tapas menu, the beet salad, the pumpkin pizza or any of the pasta dishes. Each season the freshest ingredients are used and incorporated into the dishes. I'm particularly a fan of the penne with with the squash flowers and goat cheese! Don't forget about dessert! Although a bit pricey, it can't be missed. The little donuts with nutella are spectacular as are all the fruit tortes. The reason I cannot give it 4 or 5 stars is because the service is lacking. Sometimes you can wait what seems to be an unusually long amount of time for a glass of water or utensils. It's unfortunate because this delicious food is right in front of you and the aromas are begging you to attack. It seems to have gotten a bit better but every time I go and hope for a better experience, it's usually the same. Would you rather eat good food or enjoy the ambiance? If you prefer great food, you have to stop in and try for yourself! Be sure to ask to be seated upstairs....there's a great open kitchen! read more

Had dinner here last week with a big group. We liked the cherry pepper, pork belly, cracked baby potatoes, cheese panini, and sausage trio with mustards. We found the mozzarella with speck a bit too small to warrant the price. My friend liked her salted cod and eggplant. I liked my white sangria and peach bellini. Our server was nice, though a bit slow after the food came. It took forever to get the check and to get change. This is one of our favorite places and we will return read more

Had reservations for party of 6 at 8 PM on a Saturday night. Arrived a little before 8, was told table would be a few moments. Waited in the bars but, no room in the bar as it was full, all bar seats full with partied eating dinner, all tables in the bar area also full with parties eating dinner. So our party, one pregnant and one disabled, stood in the bar area dodging waitstaff bringing meals though. Host checked in on use every 5 minutes, giving us updates - he was great. Not his issue, the restaurant over booked and left no where for the overflow, there was no place to stand comfortable and no way to get a drink at the bar. Once seated, service and meal was exceptional. Charcuterie board and Pizza Margherita as apps were great - some of the best charcuterie I have every had (Porchetta was phenomenal and made in house). Meal was excellent also, 3 of us had Rigatoni with Veal Bolognese and requests for different pasta were accommodated with no issues. Do not recall what others had but they all enjoyed their meals. Dessert was also very good. Wine list is very extensive but has a range of mid-high priced wines, our wine paired perfectly with the meal, one party member had a mocktail and she really enjoyed it - very flavorful. But, that short wait with no where to go and no possibility of a drink from the bar, very annoying. Bacaro is not alone in over booking and crowding the bar area but I'm not sure I'll be back to Bacaro (even though I really want more of that porchetta) until they address this issue. read more

What an excellent dining experience. The food was tasty, and tapas are so fun. On a Saturday night this place was packed, it was very loud and busy....but in all fairness it was a full lighting at Waterfire and a beautiful night. We started with a Southern Italian Board complete with mozzarella, speck, nutsm honey and jams... oh so tasty. We proceeded to have several small tapas- 6 total between 2 people and it was just enough food. My favorites were the bolognese stuffed olives, the fired zucchini blossom, and the sausage trio. I liked how authentic the menu is and the diversity of the choices. Overall I would go out of my way to return to this restaurant. read more

I wasn't sure what to expect upon entering Bacaro.Everyone has been raving about this place and the outside is really pretty but when I stepped inside I thought "this is it?" The decor is bare, typical of European style with tile floors and all tables, no booths. Don't let that fool you.. they got it going on. I started with a refreshing cocktail with grapefruit vodka, compari and ginger beer.. it was great! Very light and I could have easily downed 5 (if i wasn't on a date, playing it cool). The entrees were amazing. I had the mushroom risotto with truffle oil poached egg. At first, I wanted to boycott ordering it because of the $35.00 price tag (assuming it would be a small portion and contained no meat) but they brought out a GIANT pot of rice. And as I eat the leftovers for lunch... I can't complain. My friend got the crispy chicken entree... Also amazing, great sauce. I would like to try more. A little pricey for frequent trips, but I enjoyed it! read more

Wow, just an amazing experience! Great tapas, excellent drinks and enthusiastic staff; you really can't find a better place. I came here on a Tuesday evening, no lines, no wait, just instant seating and let the indulgence begin. The overall establishment has a restaurant-meets-deli shop vibe with a romantic flare. I recommend dining primarily on the tapas, with either a nice bottle of wine, or try their grapefruit inspired vodka drink with ginger beer (I don't remember the name, it may start with a B") but it was absolutely amazing; tart, refreshing and tingling sensation that made me blush a little bit for liking it too much. As for the tapas, my only regret is not getting the glazed pork belly and the arancini risotto balls, but hey, can't get it all done in the first run, gotta leave room for a return visit, right? I ordered the pan-seared duck breast, fried smelts, salt-cured fois gras crostini, the beef tenderloin one...., and the Siciliuan eggplant caponata. Everything was just phenomenal, but I really loved the duck breast. The fois gras was incredibly rich and fatty, and married so beautifully with the jam. The stuffed Mortadella Alla Griglia was also quite a treat, but I especially loved the mustard seed jam. Price...well, to be honest, each tapa was around $7-9, but they were worth it. If you pregame a little bit, maybe munch on a few carrots, slices of bread, and jars of peanut butter, your wallet may not take too much of a hit. Otherwise, you'd be tempted to fall down the tapa's rabbit hole and find yourself crying both out of happiness and stinginess. Food: 5 stars Price: 4 stars Service: 4 stars read more

Food was excellent and so was the service. The appetizer selection was immense and a fun way to try a lot of everything. Overall, a bit pricey, but worth it. The decor could have done more for ambiance read more

Bacaro - The blood orange glazed pork chop - Wine Bars Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

Went for dinner with some friends a few weeks ago for the first time. I was simply amazed at the wide selection of appetizers, so we ordered a few for the table. The waiter, who was very courteous, first brought out a basket of warm fresh bread and olive oil which we all devoured. The appetizers we ordered looked amazing but portioned smaller than I would have liked for the price. But they were great! The date stuffed gorgonzola wrapped panchetta was probably the best thing I've ever put into my mouth. Almost a perfect balance of a sweet, salty and smokey flavor. We also ordered the grilled sausage with spicy mustard and the arrancia fried risotto stuffed with with mozzarella that were amazingly good. For dinner I ordered crespelle in the style of apulia which was basically a pasta crepe with burrata cheese. Very good but also very filling. One thing about the main entrees is the portions were were very satisfying. My friends ordered a grilled corn margarita pizza off the special's menu, which was fantastic. An entree of assorted seasonal vegetables which was huge and had at least 7 different types of really fresh vegetables. And some sort of white fish dish, that although tasted good, the plate somewhat resembled a bloody crime scene. A bit pricey for your typical night out, yes. But overall the food and dining experience as a whole was very satisfying. read more