I've been to Baris many times over the years. It's great for groups and you can get a decent amount of food for $8 with tip if that's what you're looking for. But I just can't agree with my friends and Yelp on the food quality. The rolls taste like they came out of the frozen aisle in H‑E‑B. Not bad, but certainly nothing to rave about. The sauces, especially the Alfredo, are too bland and are often a bit thin. Frankly, if there weren't low prices and a friendly atmosphere, this would be one of the worst Italian restaurants I've been to. If Baris's food was used in a venue where the atmosphere was more elegant, the dishes were nicer and the prices were doubled, you would hard-pressed to find someone who was satisfied. Anyone impressed by the quality of the food here must be setting their expectations low to begin with. But I'll be back. read more

Mama Mia Mama Baris! For over twenty years you have served our family with the best service & best authentic Italian Food, with kindness & perfection. This is why you are always packed & the wait is always more than worth it. I never understand people who stand in line then complain about the wait. But here, to complain, when the wait is more than worth it. BRUH? I Sit & watch in amazement as your staff works so hard to make each customers experience the very best it can be. I have never watched one of your staff members texting or speaking on their wireless cell phones. This means a lot to families like us who are raising children to be respectable and productive. Now for the good stuff. This place is popping over the top shut the front and back door fantastic. Who wouldn't fall in love with hot, fresh, huge Italian rolls? Then more mega rolls when your food arrives and the aromas that we have been experiencing since the moment we walked through your door become personal. Each fresh made Italian dish is sat in front of us, OMG! The six of us fight for another hot fresh roll so we can baste it with the sauce as we divulge eating your creations and then take a bite of our now sauced roll, heaven. From the house dressing on our salads, to the last bite of what we ordered. Also, so much food we always take some home! We have tried every dish & there has never been an exception to the, I love it! Yes, if they are open there most likely will be a wait. Yes the parking is tough. Yes it is more than worth it. Here, at Mama Baris on valley Mills drive, you will not be disappointed as long as you are patient & understanding. Each dish is made with fresh healthy ingredients & cooked fresh to order. Then delivered with kindness. Not many places operate this way today. If you watch you will see Mama Baris overlooking & instructing her staff as they create relationships with her customers and serve every order. She works for what she has created. Real chef craftsmanship from a locally run and operated family restaurant. Cooked and served from chef and crew operating under old time rules, "do everything to treat my customers with the very best"! All under her care. She busts her behind and is part of every dish delivered in some way. She even cleans off tables for the next bunch to be seated. This is all a big deal for me. This is also why we tend to stay away from chain restaurants for the most part. Full of preservatives and fillers, even sometimes Frozen, unhealthy food. Plus I have been to very few chain restaurants where I have not seen a staff member using their cell phone then touching food being delivered to its customer. Let the goods times roll Mama B! read more

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Service has gone downhill since my last visit. We started our visit with a rude hostess and then sat in a dining room filled with smoke from burned food. Our pizza and sandwich never arrived. After waiting 30 minutes and watching several tables that came in after us get served and finish their meals, we gave up. Distinct lack of caring from the staff- I guess customer business isn't a priority. read more

Dang good marinara sauce. Like really good! The spaghetti comes with a generous portion of bread. But you still wish for more marinara. The fried mushrooms are solid and come with a generous serving of the marinara. read more

Service wasn't the best but it wasn't bad...it was ok. The food was over cooked. I ordered the Chicken Parm and the chicken was fried so hard that it tasted burnt. It was hard to cut and they drowned it in sauce and cheese to cover up how burnt it was. The noodles were old and dry, the garlic bread was the only thing that tasted good. read more

The service was quick and the food was excellent. The pasta is wonderful! We each had a different dish and everyone enjoyed their meal.

If I could count the times over the years that I've dined at Good ole Baris. Solid Italian food. The pink sauce is money! I have no clue what's put in it. I got the chicken fettucini with pink sauce last night. Good portion sizes, good taste. Rolls are tasty. It's BYOB. Not into the crushed ice they put in the fountain drinks but the actual food. Nine times out of ten pleased with my order. I've graduated Baylor about 4 years and still have no clue how to pronounce the name of the restaurant everyone says it a lil differently. read more

Baris - Pizza Near Me - Waco, Texas

Delicious amazing warm food! Lovely staff and really good bread as well as an amazing spot for a date :)) read more

Baris - Tortellini Pink Dinner Special - Pizza Near Me - Waco, Texas

Baris did a FABULOUS job catering our rehearsal dinner in March 2024! Natalie was amazing to work with, great communication, very easy going with all of my changes, and offering great ideas that I hadn't thought of! Debbie and Tacho were our servers for the night, and they were so helpful, friendly, and professional! The food was delicious, warm, fresh, and perfect for our event! And oh so affordable, especially compared to other caterers/restaurants in the area. I highly recommend Baris and I will be using them in the future! Thank you so much! read more

The salad is just a salad, but their house dressing is wonderful! Their homemade bread is good too.

This place was recommended by a couple of our kid's college buds. Now I know why. The prices were pretty good. The portions were good. The rolls were recommended by the waitress - but were dry and hard; I was asking those vs. the garlic bread. The food served - I get it, we all have different tastes and different Italian areas serve food seasoned different ways. Overall, definitely, not chain food; it was better than that - seasoning - meatball sandwich, meh; Manicotti, meh; Lasagna - meh The bill - which is why college kids liked it. I was taken back that 4% was added to use a credit card. Not really disclosed as you read the bill, easy to miss "cash price" at the bottom. Anyone who is a credit card processor needs to contact this place as 4% is usurious. That, or this restaurant now knows a way to make processing credit cards profitable for themselves. Overall. Affordable place for college kids to go for a non-chain food Italian dinner. Otherwise - meh. read more

Good Italian food at great prices. The pizza is an exceptional draw. My 5 yr old son devoured the lasagna. read more

Baris - Lasagna - Pizza Near Me - Waco, Texas

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Came back to the nostalgic place hoping that Covid didn't change them. But we were saddened to see the lack of attention to detail in staying with the great traditional recipes of yesteryears. Had the spaghetti with meat sauce and sausage. The sauce was ok, a bit under seasoned and no salt. The spaghetti was way better cooked. My fiancé had the eggplant Parmesan. And almost anywhere you go including this place just a few months ago, the eggplant is cut about a 1/4-1/3 inch thick, breaded, fried, then baked in sauce so that the breading holds the body shape of traditional scallopini style eggplant, and doesn't mush out. Unfortunately I think someone was in a rush or lazy or just didn't care to make or keep up the standards of the true way of doing this. And my fiancés dish came out all soggy and like a mash almost covered in sauce and cheese. The server , although a really nice lady, said they go soggy from the sauce. Which isn't the case. If eggplant parmigiana is made correctly. You can bake it in a ton of sauce and it would still hold its form. We go her Bc our children like it, and it's college budget friendly. But sadly that's what this place has become. College budget friendly. Don't think we will be returning anytime soon. read more

Food is always good and portions are large so always have lunch for the next day. The bread is amazing!!! Service has always been good.

Amazing old school Italian food only thing missing is Mamma Baris she was the nicest all business women I've ever met...

Honestly the best Italian in Waco, Decampis is great but more high end this is homegrown amazing Italian. HIGHLY recommend the ziti neo with pink sauce, also the tortellini pink is the #1 item on the menu for a reason. Also the BREAD we are so full and happy. Can not get enough, we'll be back soon. read more

Baris - The aftermath, we tried to take a before pic but it was too good. - Pizza Near Me - Waco, Texas

Baris Pizza and Pasta is one of our family's go to places. We absolutely love this place. Everything is all homemade and incredible, but if you want to be blow alway you need to try the tortellini (with pink sauce) and the chicken fettuccine Alfredo, it's always delicious The food is plentiful, the prices are unbeatable, the wait staff acts happy to see us and welcomes us like we are all a big loud loving family. The only draw back is the parking......it's horrible; but well worth the hassle once you are inside. Oh the price you pay for amazing authentic Italian food Four Stars for Baris Happy Eating Y'all read more

Amazing simpel and authentic Italian food. I've been looking for such place for a while. Will definitely come back here read more

I have been to this restaurant in the past and have always had good food and service, but not this time. As soon as I walked in I was asked what I wanted to drink...could I look at the menu to see what you have first? After putting the drink order in, I just opened the menu up, not 1 minute and was asked what I would like to eat...could I look at the menu to see what I want first? After putting the order in, I was there within the lunch special timeframe, but was not told of the special which I would have ordered if I was aware of it. The drink came out and I noticed that there was a piece of spaghetti on the table in front of me...yummy! I had to call the waitress over to clean it and bring some extra napkins over. I received my meal and the chicken was overcooked, dry and burned on the ends. The employees were all sitting at a table at the back of the restaurant and were using their cell phones and one was coughing into their hands...nice hygiene going on there. I guess that was more important than making sure that the tables were clean and sweeping the dirty floor. Such a disappointment since I was looking forward to eating there. read more

Baris - Delicious spaghetti from the previous customer on my table. - Pizza Near Me - Waco, Texas

Best Italian in Waco. Can't beat the pink sauce. Great service. Nice family place. Love the chicken cardinal! Great pizza, too.

Food is great but they are literally out of a Seinfeld episode. No Rolls for you! It's become ridiculous that the owner has made it a rule that you can't get your rolls until your food comes out. I know it's stupid but for some reason the way the servers explain that they're not allowed to just ruins the experience. I even tell myself to not even ask for it but I love my bread with my salad. It just makes the whole experience awkward Food is great. Order it to go. whatever. read more

Saturday (feb 22) was my first visit here. I arrived around 2pm thinking it would be a slow time- the place was packed. I was seated, but waited quite a bit before I was acknowledged. Drink came quickly after that, as did some bread. Many choices on menu-saw others' food that looked tempting. I ordered baked ziti. Sauce was a bit thin but good flavor. Lots of cheese & nicely toasted. I will be back next time in waco. read more

Absolutely amazing! We were well impressed with the awesome food and friendly customer service. We came from the Bryan/ College Station area and it was worth the trip. I had the pasta sampler which included lasagna, cannelloni, and tortellini. It was a perfect combination if you can't decide which dish to get. As an appetizer, we tried the fried cheese tortellini with marinara sauce. Both were scrumptious. Oh yes, don't forget about the homemade rolls which are to die for!! The atmosphere is quaint. We will definitely be back. Come early for parking! read more

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Always great! Good place to take larger group too. Have tried a lot and liked it all.

This is a BYO establishment. They provide the nourishment and you provide the libations if you so choose! We loved the family atmosphere and the great home cooked meal. The price point is fantastic and they serve normal portions so you get great food (giant dinner rolls with the entree) that fills you up and leaves your wallet intact. I hope to visit Waco soon just to share this place with family! read more

Baris - Pizza Near Me - Waco, Texas

We go to this old school Italian restaurant as often as we can. The food is great with one of the best marinara sauces I've ever had. Their spinach lasagna is fantastic. Chicken parmesan is another winner. Cold drinks are served in large cups with wonderfully crushed ice. Atmosphere is friendly and casual. Service is prompt. Prices are very reasonable. I love this place! read more

Tortellini w/pink sauce, lasagna, house bread all delicious we were recommended by 3 different locals while passing through Waco so we had to try it out. Husband said the lasagna was a solid 4.8/5 I'd give my Tortellini Pink a 4/5 it's absolutely swimming in sauce which as far as bread dipping goes is great but could have been half the portion & I wouldn't have felt slighted at all. Most amazing thing....the price this whole meal was like $20! Insanely good deal (we had drinks too) very good value for money! Always ask locals they know the spots. Word to the wise it's easy to drive right past though so use GPS or you'll miss it. read more

Baris - Tortellini Pink and lasagna - Pizza Near Me - Waco, Texas

I heard about Baris from a lot of Baylor students, so I had to give it a try. When I walked in, the restaurant was compacted but had a great atmosphere. Looked like a place where families came to enjoy dinner. I noticed that each table got a huge, warm piece of bread and it was delicious. I told myself not to eat to much of the bread because I wouldn't be hungry for my entree. For my entree I ordered chicken alfredo, but instead of alfredo sauce, I got Baris's signature "pink sauce." I believe the "pink sauce" is a combination of alfredo and marinara sauce. It was so good and my proportion was big. For two people, our bill was a little over $20. Also I heard you can bring your own bottle of wine, so I will be doing that next time. read more

About as authentic as it gets. Baked ziti and spaghetti are worth noting. The garlic bread is addicting, especially when dipped in their marinara. Small mom and pop. Parking at the facility on valley mills can be a pain. read more

As someone from New Jersey, I have NEVER had Italian food better than Bari's! From the warm rolls to the tortellini pink (the pink sauce is out of this world), everything you will get here is amazing. If you go, ask for Van! She was so caring and made us feel like family. Definitely give it a try if you are in the area. read more

Had to find a lunch spot to meet some folks in Waco, and found this little das gem on yelp. We were supposed to meet our folks from Dallas there at 1. We sat down and ordered drinks. While we waited for the rest of our party, they brought out amazing garlic rolls with butter. Around this time, we found out that the rest of our party was running an hour late. We left to run an errand, and told them we'd be back in an hour. They didn't charge us for anything! This place has that small town from a past generation feel. Everything was like 5 bucks! I had the lasagna, which was fantastic. I also really liked the crushed ice in their beverages. If anyone knows of a place like this in Austin, please let me know!! read more

Great tasting food! We moved to Waco two years ago, and have found Baris to have the most authentic "old school" Italian dishes around. We'll be back again soon! read more

I LOVE their food, I don't get to eat there as often as I like. Last time in there I was charged for a refill on my tea of $2.50 and 4% extra for debit card. I love their food but I won't pay $2.50 for a .10 cent cup of tea. Tea is the cheapest item on the menu. Sorry Guys!!!! read more

Great customer service and good food. Prices are pretty reasonable. Definitely would recommend to try.

Best Italian food in Waco! Reasonable prices, large portions, and always amazing food! Never been disappointed here! Parking is sometimes tricky but otherwise always a great spot to enjoy some Italian food! read more

This is our favorite Italian food in Texas! Every time we come to Waco to visit our Baylor student we come here. The food is delicious, the prices are amazing! I literally crave this place! Don't come here for the ambience it's true an Italian diner, we come here strictly for the food nothing fancy but delicious. read more

So I am a black girl with black taste buds and the pink sauce was tasteless. And I don't like my food salty at all I'm fact I never use salt when I cook but I do like for my food to have flavor. I was originally thinking the pink sauce was more like a vodka sauce by the way pple are ranting and raving about it but it's literally an unseasoned Alfredo mixed with red sauce ... and it's a very very light salmon color. The service is great- 10/10, but I will not come back because I did not like the food. The Diablo sauce does taste better than the pink sauce but it's still a no for me. I'm very surprised but the reviews because I can usually trust Yelp. And my spaghetti noodles were over cooked. read more

So good, we were in Waco for 2 days and ate dinner here both times! Like all said, it was crowded constantly but the tables turn over quick - the owners are legit Italian and sit in the back doing paperwork or taking phone orders. The tomato sauce here is the highlight - rich, robust, it is almost as good as Prego (kidding!). Seriously, combine that with the out-of-this-world rolls (you get 2 per entree ordered!) and it was a magical combination. The pastas were great ranging from the diavolo (I can handle spicy and it was spicy!), chicken parm, eggplant parm (my wife is picky about her eggplant parm and liked Baris' rendition!). Our kids thought there was too much cheese on the pizza, we would return to try one of the more traditional pizza's next time. A great find in Waco, to top it all off it won't break the bank and is BYOB! read more

Food quality has definitely declined. service "just Ok". server insisted that I got what I ordered. restaurant needs lots of improvements - furniture is old as is decor. I won't go back. read more

Food flavoring was very bland. Alfredo did not taste like the rich white cream it should. Very disappointed. The pizza was burnt and dried out. read more