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    Bottega Michelangelo

    4.1 (788 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Bottega Michelangelo Photos

    Business Info

    BOTTEGA MICHELANGELO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Loud
    Classy
    Happy hour specials
    Good for groups

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    Coconut and Pineapple Easter Cake !
    Rob G.

    We've dined here numerous times usually for birthdays and anniversary celebrations- it's always amazing. This review is strictly for the bakery aspect of the restaurant. The cakes and pastries are phenomenal- every time. I ordered the coconut and pineapple cake to take for Easter dinner at a friend's house - it was sensational and beautifully decorated for Easter. Always always save room for the amazing desserts or order them to go - just don't skip!

    Traci G.

    Our waitress Karsen was amazing and attentive!!! The ambiance was a fun vibe! The food is delish! We had wonderful bread dipped in garlic olive oil/balsamic vinegar and spaghetti and meatballs! Great portions! Great sauce! Dessert was pineapple coconut cake that was perfect consistency and light frosting! They close for vacation and I love when they value their employees and do that!

    complementary bread :)
    Ioanna K.

    The food here is great, cozy, classic Italian. It feels like your friend's grandmother is in the kitchen whipping up something for you with extra care. I absolutely love a complementary bread service, especially with Italian food it feels like a must. The meals were a smidge over-salted, though this made them reheat very very well the following day. The salad was simple but delicious, and there was generous cheese in the eggplant. The pastas were near flawless, minus that salt element but I really didn't mind. The service was admittedly not the best, very slow and not attentive but it was a busy Saturday evening and didn't take away from how much I loved this spot and will return!

    Lamb chops
    Jaime M.

    Came here for dinner tonight. They were packed. The server was pretty good for how busy it was. He came back frequently and even refilled our drinks in a timely manner. Everything came out correctly and was very good. We will definitely be back.

    Mista starter salad delicious and this bread and garlic balsamic olive oil got me twisted!!
    Lee F.

    Guess who's back?!?! Back again!!! Can't stay away too long my tastebuds were calling and Bottega picks up on the first ring!!

    Lamb
    Madelynn F.

    Had a reservation and was seated immediately. Our server was great and checked on us often. I used to come here for the lollipop lamb chops, and hadn't been in a while. Yesterday I came and had 2 margaritas (delicious! Salute to the bartender) lamb chops (too much of a char taste, and tougher than i like) a pepperoni and sausage pizza (cooked good and they didn't skimp on the toppings) and the chicken parmigiana (chicken was seasonless and tasted like air. I definitely enjoyed this the least).

    Tiramisu dessert
    Debra C.

    My husband and I chose Michaelangelo's to celebrate our 29th wedding anniversary. We were greeted with a "happy anniversary " from everyone including our hostess, server, and even the bus staff. Our table had a lovely message board, and we we surprised with a delicious taramisu dessert! Lauren, our server, was a delight and oh so attentive! The ambiance was lively and fun. Tge food, as always, perfection!

    Cannelloni
    Denise W.

    You will need a reservation, as the place can get quite crowded. Dinner on a Sunday evening had a good flow of people coming and going. We were seated on the outside patio. The interior of the restaurant is loud, making it difficult to hear conversations. However, the outside patio may not have the most comfortable chairs, but it does facilitate a better conversation flow without the need to shout across the table. Our party ordered the following: Bruschetta ($15.00), Margherita Pizza ($16.00), Pork Marsala ($27.00), Cannelloni ($18.00). For the bruschetta, you get to pick two, and we chose the calabrian pepper jam and goat cheese, and the pear tomatoes with fresh basil. The pepper jam and goat cheese was the favorite! The individual eating the pork marsala raved about it being extremely delicious. The individual eating the cannelloni said it was ok, and not something they would order again. The margherita pizza was scrumptious....the crust was soooo good! Our waiter, Robert, was very attentive at first and then unfortunately he got slammed with tables in other areas including the bar area, which then decreased the amount of service we received. All in all...it was good.

    Pope's Pillows
    Sunny S.

    We came here celebrating a birthday. It was most of the party's 1st time there. Total we had 9 adults, 2 teens and 3 under 5. They sat us in a nice area that was like a private room but it had windows looking outside on the back patio. Everything we ordered was very delicious with the exception of 3 things. The kids Mac n cheese was not that good. I understand it is for children but it had little to no flavor and was like they used a white velveeta. The kids spaghetti was alright but it also had no real seasoning or flavor. I had ordered the Orrecchiette, and although it was nice in flavor, it wasn't anything special. I really loved the salted caramel affogato, it's the best one I've ever had. Overall it was a very nice place to celebrate and the staff was wonderful. We will definitely be back.

    Elizabeth O.

    This place blew my mind for SONORAN RESTAURANT WEEK!!!!! Nothing but praises. We came at 12pm on Saturday but to our dismay the menu is supposed to only be available for dinner. This was not on their website or the official Sonoran restaurant week web page. They honored it which was step in the right direction. It was greatly appreciated and went a long way concerning hospitality. It also put the current chef on the spot bc was he the one who was performing dinner service?!? Did he know the recipes?!?! We were alsoTHE FIRST TO ORDER the restaurant week menu!!!!!! Started off with polenta fries which were great. First time having polenta. They were crispy on the outside and deliciously smooth and creamy on the inside. They could have had more flavor, the green chile and other spices were faint. I had a better batch than my friend but I agreed it could have had more chile and salt. The marinara that accompanied them was a hard pass completely overpowered the flavors. Second course was the cilantro lime linguine with porchetta. Since I've gotten it I've wept. It was OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!!!! Omg just 10/10 I absolutely loved it. The flavors were so interesting and unique but melded so well together. A perfectly executed concept that highlighted traditional Mexican flavors with a twist. Dessert.....bruh. Haven't stopped thinking about the tres leches tiramisu since. What a knockout way to end the meal. They already have the best tiramisu in Tucson. But the addition of the tres leches cake under the tiramisu was INSANE!!!! I loved this so much I even called to see if I could order a slice and the woman said no. It's just on the restaurant week menu. I was heartbroken. The beauty of restaurant week is to see how flavors of the Sonoran desert can be honored and brought to life. This absolutely did that. I loved it so much that I will probably do it again before restaurant week ends.

    Tagliatelle Alfredo
    Raeann Q.

    Only two stars because the service was great. Our server was great and attentive! I was missing my protein from my salad and she brought it promptly and was super nice. The food was a hard miss, I've been on my search to find decent Italian food in Tucson and wow I feel like I was let down very hard today. My husband got the Alfredo and it was very basic it was one of the most bland Alfredo's I've ever had. I did have my salad with a side of goat cheese and we added that into the Alfredo and it was 10x better. I had an arugula salad, the strawberries had been prepped WAY in advance it was like the strawberries that have been sitting in a pre cut fruit container at Walmart. They forgot the porchetta and the server brought a side right away and it was SO DRY and like tiny pieces of very dry Jerky, they obviously have this prepped somewhere and stored in a walk in for who knows how long which is why it's dried out probably. The salad dressing was very good however and the only reason I kept eating the salad. Overall super disappointing experience minus the quick service.

    Arielle W.

    We walked in for a birthday celebration (for myself) at 6:18, for a 6:30 reservation. It was very loud when we walked in. The gal at the front was incredibly rude. My honey had to say his name three times then she asked for his last name. She glared at him then looked down at her screen, made some obnoxious faces and then said wait while we get that ready. We were seated at our table and waited about 10 minutes before someone came to offer water and bread. The server finally came and he was very friendly and attentive. We ordered the ribeye, the pork Marsala and a side of brussels. Everything was fantastic aside from the mashed potatoes that were not cooked all the way and very bland in flavor. We loved everything. It was all so flavorful. The pork was amazing! It was so moist and perfectly cooked. The ribeye was perfectly seared. We then ordered the pineapple coconut slice for dessert and were given the tiramisu to go for my birthday treat. The pineapple cake was phenomenal. It had an amazing flavor and wasn't overly sweet. Our waiter was awesome. He was very personable. Overall, the food is fantastic and we will be back. But it is so incredibly loud in there. So that, plus the terrible girl who gave us a bad first impression were why I dinged a star.

    Salmon
    Mandy T.

    I came here for happy hour with a friend on Friday night. I highly recommend making a reservation if you'd prefer to sit in the restaurant rather than the bar area--happy hour pricing is available in both. I tried three of the drink specials: The Cherry Italian Margarita was good but seemed a bit weak. The White Negroni tasted like black licorice at first, but it grew on me by the end. I really didn't like the Bicicletta Spritz--it just wasn't for me. As for food: The Fritto Misto was tasty but came out cold and the portion was very small for happy hour. The Prawns Fra Diavolo were good and flavorful but very spicy, also a small portion. The Chicken Spiedini was delicious, a little on the sweet side, but a better portion size for happy hour. My friend had the Spaghettini with Meatball, which she enjoyed, and the happy hour portion was surprisingly large. Overall, it's a nice spot for happy hour, but portion sizes vary quite a bit depending on the dish.

    Free Tiramisu on your b-day..

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    Thank you Madelynn

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    Thank you Trina!

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    Food was fantastic! Service was excellent. Be sure & make a reservation as it's always busy.

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    Page 1 of 20

    Ask the Community - Bottega Michelangelo

    Outdoor dining too?

    We do have patio seating.

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    4.4
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    Takes reservations
    Romantic vibe

    It's been a minute but another wonderful experience. We got the meat lasagna ($23) and calzone ($12…read more+ $8.50 for meatball topping). And she tried their Old Fashioned cocktail ($16). Food arrived just 15 min later and was piping hot and delicious. The lasagna is a good sized portion (roughly 5x7) and is generously filled with meat. Taste is amazing with medium-firm pasta and a nice crust across the top and sides. The ricotta calzone came with a side of marinara (yay) for dipping as there is no sauce inside. Roughly 2 dozen toppings are available, ranging from $3-$8+. I opted for the meatballs ($8.50) and was slightly disappointed. The meatballs are crumbled within the calzone (understandable) but not pronounced in quantity. I would prefer larger pieces (halves work at this size - after all I ordered meat-ball not meet-ground ;) However, for $8 (a 75% upcharge) my chief gripe is that I was simply expecting more. Next time pepperoni/mushrooms! Ambiance is lovely and waitstaff were awesome -- gracious, knowledgeable about menu specifics, and attentive. Parking is free/easy at this corner of a small strip mall. Can't wait to try their new Detroit menu too! Note: due to Rene's smaller size (less than 10 tables total) and high demand, all reservations (any day) require a credit card to hold. This is entirely understandable as even one no-show is a measurable hit to keeping a full house. I also have kids yet 100% embrace their patio-only policy when with kiddos. This literal mom/pop venue (they have kids too) tries to do the impossible balance between clientele and intimate, high-end dining (we simply accommodate by getting take out when feeding the Whole family ;)

    Checked out Renee's a few weeks ago and it's honestly my new favorite Italian spot in Tucson. The…read morefood was amazing, the vibes were great and it's such a great place for date night. The murals on the walls are super cool too. I loved how they had hand sanitizer at the table. Seating is pretty limited, so I'd definitely make a reservation. Service was great and everything tasted super fresh. We ordered the Meatballs & Jalapeño Cream, Spinach & Artichoke Dip, Garlic Knots, Papas con Queso Pizza, Penne Arrabbiata, and Tiramisu. Everything was amazing but my favorites had to be the meatballs and the pizza. Only downside was that they were out of lemonade, which I really wanted to try. But the food was so good that I'lol for sure be back, so I'll just grab it next time.

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    Penelope

    Penelope

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    (290 reviews)
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    FYI, they don't take reservations and they do have a HH that ends at 6pm. Alas, we arrived at 6:15p…read moreand all tables were already full on this Thursday dinnertime except for the 8-person community table. The estimated wait for two was 10 minutes so we grabbed drinks and headed upstairs to their cute/loft lounge. As we passed the entrance we already heard the host increasing wait time to 20 minutes. For drinks she had got the house red cabernet and for me the bartender and I whipped up a little custom cocktail (see pic). Moments later our table was ready. Note: Penelope operates on a novel "community-waiter" system so don't be confused if a totally different person comes by to: take appetizers, check on you, order entrees, check on you again, and order dessert! We've often had four different staff during a meal here and all are super friendly with experience-filled opinions about everything on the menu. We ordered the Burrata and Tomatoes app which arrived in barely 5 minutes - the cheese is traditionally mozzarella-like but here it was almost ricotta-soft... and melded deliciously with the mildly acidic slices of ripe tomato and lots of pistachio pesto (nice twist chef!). We split the Sgt Pepper pizza this time, craving both sausage and roasted chilis. It arrived in 15 minutes with ample sausage and just a few burnt bubbles (totally ok because we know these thin-crusts must be flash broiled at super high temps (around 1k degrees). We demolished the 'za but both of us would like to have seen a bit more green chili. We were looking forward to the olive oil cake however, at 7pm, they had just sold the last slice (confirmed by our "second dessert waiter" who wandered by a few minutes later ;) Atmosphere is casual-elevated and sound levels aren't bad despite the density of tables - likely due to the 20 foot tall ceilings. Parking is free/easy in their private lot and it appears they do a popular takeout business too. We are both looking forward to their return to downtown this fall with Penelope's II !

    We arrived at around 5:30 and was told there was a 25 minutes wait time. We were seated one hour…read morelater. We found out that they have "team service" which explains why you can see servers are all over the place. Regardless, They were all nice and very welcoming. Place has plenty of seating. We ordered a Caesar salad, spaghetti meatball, cheese pizza, OTC pizza and the Jackie luna. Everything was flavorful, our experience would have been better if we were able to get in and out a little quicker.

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    Falora

    Falora

    4.2
    (410 reviews)
    9.5 mi
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    Great spot for date night or if you're looking for an upscale pizza place! The pizzas are made…read moreNapoli-style with a thin, chewy crust with a nice char. The menu also features salads and pastas and a nice wine list. We've ordered the Margherita pizza several times, and it consistently is delicious. Though the pizza is definitely the main event, the salads and pasta are solid as well. We've had the Caesar salad which is pretty good, but recently tried the Piastra (chilled zucchini noodles in housemade pesto) which was a light and refreshing start to the meal. We also shared the hazelnut gnocchi which was unique, umami and creamy in flavor. For dessert, we shared the panna cotta which is served in a mason jar - great way to end the meal.

    I am a big fan of this plaza and the surrounding businesses…read more My husband and I have made it a mission to try all pizza spots in town so this was next on our list. We made reservations and I'm glad we did as this is an extremely small space. We were seated at the bar where they have their kitchen. Generally we don't like sitting at the bar but it was nice to watch the crew make food. It's impressive what they can do with this small space. Very small menu- My husband and I are sober so we are always looking for spots with good NA/ mocktail options but it fell short here so we just got a bottle of sparkling water. We ordered the butter pecan salad which was amazing. Loved everything about it, I was hesitant that they only had butter lettuce but I think I appreciated the soft lettuce with the crunch of the apple and pecans in it. The dressing was phenomenal. For a pizza we got just the pepperoni, I saw a lot of margarita pizzas with pepperoni being made and I think we would've liked that option better with the fresh chunks of mozzarella. The cheese they use for the regular pizza is a very strong flavor, probably a nice aged parm so that really came through. We are sauce people so it was hard to appreciate the sauce with the strong profile of the cheese which is why I think we would've liked the margarita pizza better We had the panna cotta for desert and my husband LOVED it. They prep it in advance in cute little mason jars. Overall not a bad spot. Service was great, salad was phenomenal. I think if we would've had a table and maybe tried a different pizza this would've made our top 5 spots for pizza.

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    Tavolino Ristorante Italiano

    Tavolino Ristorante Italiano

    3.7
    (548 reviews)
    3.4 mi
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    For whatever reason, I haven't been here in nearly ten years, and my dining companion had never…read morebeen. So we journeyed out on Memorial Day for a grill-free dinner. The space is lovely of course, with tons of courtyard view windows. We did run into a broken chair when we sat down, but that was easily remedied (hopefully it was permanently removed from the floor). Our server was also tending bar, so he was stretched a bit thin, but overall the service was solid. He happily went back to the kitchen in a couple of questions he couldn't answer, but was overall very knowledgeable. He recommended a white wine made by a relative of the restaurant owner and it was lovely. We started with the octopus. I didn't expect this starter to be cold, but the tender octopus, fingerling potatoes and olives were a great combo in the acidic sauce. Would most certainly order it again. My main was the short rib. Short rib is always a heavy dish, but the vegetable risotto and asparagus helped lighten it a bit and it was tender and delicious. I probably ate 1/3, but I'm not sad to have generous leftovers. My dining companion had the veal, which was also excellent. I finished my meal with the crème caramel, which was very traditional and exactly as expected (which is what I want in a dessert like that). I'm very happy to dine here more often than every ten years.

    Great experience here today. I stopped in for a quick meal before I hit near by art galleries…read more Tavolino is located in a beautiful plaza with a lot of parking. The restaurant is clean and beautifully decorated. Today I ordered their caprese burrata. It was unbelievable, creamy and fresh. Service was a little slow but super friendly.

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    Vero Amore - Swan

    Vero Amore - Swan

    3.8
    (662 reviews)
    8.0 mi
    $$

    Food was fresh and made to order. First time, so we tried a lot and packed up most of it to go…read morehome. Here's the misses and hits: Misses: Wasabi ranch dipping sauce for toasted ravioli? Uh, no. It tastes like tartar sauce and is extremely unappetizing mixed with warm cheese rav's . 0/10 do not recommend, would not ever taste it again. Caesar salad dressing. Listen, I love me some anchovy paste in my homemade Caesar salad dressing but this was way too much. And where is the lemon to brighten it up? 5/10 would order again if they brought out a small cup of their Caesar dressing to taste beforehand. Calamari. Husband got the calamari and said it was just ok, but definitely not worth the price. Too much $$$. Salsiccia pizza. Fresh, delicious, just severely lacking in cheese. A little more generous portion of that divine homemade mozz would be nice. 7/10, would definitely ask for extra cheese when ordering. Hits: Toasted rav's appetizer. 10/10 would get again, however when I look at the price ($18) and you only get 6 ravs plus dipping sauce (marinara and that horrendous wasabi ranch), it really doesn't feel like a good deal. Yes delicious, but $3 per 1"x1" square rav?? Too much money in my book. Tomato bisque. While not quite fresh, it was divine. The toast piece that came with it was rubbed with garlic and oil and grilled to the perfect texture and then partially dipped in the soup for playing, amazing 100/10 would get again, but this time request just a little more fresh basil. Highly recommend. Caesar salad. Though the dressing leaning too far into fishy tasting (too much anchovy paste), the overall salad was fresh, albeit extremely small for the price you are paying. Checca pizza. Warm, garlic olive oil as the base, homemade mozz and basil and tomatoes, all wonderful EXCEPT what monster in the kitchen is using chopped salad tomatoes as a pizza topping? Hideous. Looked like a circle k pizza, at best. Tasted great, except for those tomatoes - were they San marzano?? Overall, we would go back, but try different dishes. Ambiance was warm and friendly, service was not great. Hoping it was just a one off, but by the looks of the other reviews, it's hit or miss with the wait staff, which is unfortunate. Edited to add: We also ordered the tiramisu and the siciliani cannoli - very generous portion of tiramisu, cannoli are only three small 3" pieces. Tiramisu good, would order again, cannoli is quite delicious - hubs said for sure would order again. 10/10 recommend and would re-order.

    Well, not really sure where to start on this review? It was a very sad experience from previous…read morevisits.I will start with me calling all day (2) weeks prior trying to make a dinner reservation for a party of six for dinner on Sunday night. Even though the restaurant was open for business they did not answer the phone! Warning! I finally had my call answered in the evening and made our reservation and informed them that we were interested in the 'Cheese Wheel Linguine' as you are required. We were then informed while ordering that they would not be doing the 'wheel' due to 'callouts' that night. OK, so I tried to order (4) different bottles of Chardonnay and they were out of three of them. We started with an appetizer of 'calamari' and it came 'burnt' and like rubber. We also ordered their famous Caesar Salad and were never served. We then decided to order a pizza which was served to us cold, uncooked and doughy. The poor wait staff and cooks are not managed correctly and were well over whelmed with no help. I was informed that the restaurant has 'new ownership' as they were purchased by 'Flying Leap Vineyards' and have been recently having staffing issues, inventory issue's and the new owners have cut back on everything. They did credit us on our bill for the cold uncooked pizza and the burnt calamari that was not edible. Our waiter felt so bad but, as we told him it was not his fault we were leaving without eating dinner 90 minutes later. Flying Leap Vineyards needs to somehow overcome this type of quality and improve things in a hurry otherwise ' just shut the doors' and sell Wine!

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    Vivace

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    4.2
    (875 reviews)
    3.5 mi
    $$$

    My son chose Vivace for his birthday dinner, and once again, this restaurant reminded us why it's…read moreone of our absolute favorites in Tucson. We like to switch up our appetizers every visit, so this time I tried something new, the escargot with artichokes. If you've never had escargot before, this is the perfect beginner dish. The escargot was buttery, tender, and packed with flavor. Paired with the artichokes and toasted bread, it was absolutely incredible. I almost ate the entire order by myself because I simply couldn't stop! We also ordered the shrimp and crab cakes, and wow, these were phenomenal. The outside had the perfect crispy crust while the inside was tender, flavorful, and full of seafood. The accompanying sauce tied everything together beautifully. For our entrées, we had the seared tenderloin over creamy polenta, cooked medium rare. It was perfection. The tenderloin was incredibly tender and flavorful, the wine sauce was rich without being overpowering, and the polenta was creamy and comforting. The portion was also very generous. We also shared the rigatoni with braised short rib, and I honestly can't stop thinking about it. The short rib was melt in your mouth tender, juicy, and so flavorful that I'd happily order a plate of just that! Combined with the perfectly cooked rigatoni, rich sauce, and a generous sprinkle of Parmesan, it was one of those dishes where every bite was better than the last. Our server was fantastic, attentive, friendly, and full of great recommendations without ever making us feel rushed. The restaurant itself is always beautiful and has such an elegant atmosphere. Since we were celebrating my son's birthday, I was hoping we'd get one of the tables with the city view, but honestly, the outstanding food and exceptional service more than made up for it. Vivace continues to be one of Tucson's best dining experiences. Every meal here reminds us why we keep coming back. Highly recommend!

    When a dining experience is SO excellent in SO many ways, where every little thing goes well, it's…read morea rarity. Let alone a birthday dining experience where you go in with high expectations and can easily be let down when something goes wrong. This was one of the most memorable birthday dinners I've ever had.Vivace did so many things well. Let's start with the fact that not only did they seat us at noon when I'd made a 12:30 reservation (and the place was pretty busy, particularly for a routine Monday afternoon), but pleasantly and at a quiet, roomy 4 person table. And they acknowledged my birthday (not only at the host/hostess station but by the server AND with a delicious dessert)!Our server, Jemeella (I hope I spelled it correctly) was just phenomenal! Such a pleasant disposition, and she was so helpful with the menu, and she made sure to check on us to see how we were doing through the experience, and she was funny and just elevated the whole experience for us. I mean, the food alone stands on its own as among the finest, to me. And I'm not the easiest person in the world to please, either. The delicious bread with pesto (not long ago I thought "nobody serves pesto anymore!") and the mixed green salad alone had me hooked before we even got to the entrees! That salad is something we're still thinking about. How does a simple salad leave such a remarkably pleasant impression? The greens were just very fresh and tasty? The dressing was so citrusy vinegary delicious? The little fried potato sticks gave it a crunch (we initially assumed they were not gluten-free, but they were, just potato, so BONUS!). I don't know what it was about that salad but it was delicious!I usually go with chicken piccata generally as my first dish at an Italian restaurant I haven't tried yet (no, NOT parmesan, although in fairness, boy the chicken parmesan looked good too!). But the chicken Marsala looked pretty appetizing and it did not disappoint! In fact, it exceeded my expectations! The sauce was just perfect in both flavor and consistency, and the chicken itself was delicious - plump, tender, just the right thickness (I think it's redbird?) and the pieces of mushroom were great (not overwhelming but subtle). Admittedly, II didn't really know what the "vegetable pasta" that accompanies it is, I could guess it's some version of primavera. That pasta side was ALSO outstanding! I don't remember if they make their pasta in house, but it was like a fettuccine type of noodle, with small pieces of vegetables (squash, I think crunch green bean maybe, thinly sliced red pepper? Not sure) and the pasta soaks up that delicious sauce, so it was perfect. Jemeella said "you good with the vegetable pasta that comes with it" and I said "sure as if I knew what I was talking about. Just figured if that's what they do, let's go with it. Silky, delicious, fresh pasta side. Right on. My wife got the steak. Sunken gently in a mashed potato. With a delicious sauce again. With fresh spinach. Another total winner. It's so easy when the other person orders steak and it's not done to the desired temperature for that to ruin the timing of the meal if it has to be adjusted. But this was a perfect medium well, straight up. AND they didn't deliver the dish and run away so if you DID have an issue with doneness, it just sits there getting cold. NOPE. Perfectly done and delicious as delivered!Now, with service, you usually only pay attention to the server. But I have to say, the bus staff was also really great. They refilled water glasses, removed plates, and boxed up our leftovers for us (I know that doesn't seem like a big deal, but there are plenty of restaurants, even high end, that just give you a container and have you do it yourself. And get this - I felt a little sheepish about wanting to take the couple of remaining pieces of fresh bread home, and not only did the bus guy box it up, he gave me EXTRA pieces of bread! You think that's lost on me? I'm gonna remember that. Also it should be noted that the service was outstanding on a day that - despite being a routine Monday roughly noon - was pretty darn busy at this place! Which says a lot. They even comped my birthday dessert (crème brûlée) and it was yet another winner! Perfect consistency, smooth, not pasty, sweet but not too sweet, and the perfect thin caramelized sugar topping (without making a fuss with the blow torch at the table, which is fine by me, just serve it as it will be eaten). Wow. Wine list was REALLY reasonably priced. And my wife and I both ordered after dinner drinks, both of which were great. Not only was the wine just reasonably priced, but overall, when the bill arrived, I thought it was a great value. High quality food, superior service, great view, easy parking.I'm just upset it took us so long to get to Vivace. Don't wait for a special occasion to try this place. I know we're not gonna wait. We're going back soon!

    Photos
    Beautiful restaurant
    Beautiful restaurant
    Ramen
    Ramen
    Shrimp and Crab Cakes

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    Shrimp and Crab Cakes
    Bacio Italiano

    Bacio Italiano

    3.9
    (298 reviews)
    8.4 mi
    $$

    First, I love Bacio it is our GoTo on theater night. Unable to get reservations tonight, but we…read moremanaged to walkin within 15 minutes. Staff are amazing and helpful, and kind. Some new staff, but they were doing great. Food was great. Love that they do theme food, no prices for Broadway in Tucson Theater. Chicken Picotta was great, a little too much liquid, Italian Hawaiian Pizza was great, a little burned but can happen with fired pizza. Second, gnats were very annoying tonight. Our table and the next were swatting every minute. Our sweet drinks, Lavender Lemon Martini and Manhattan were attracting them also bc the Manhattan spilled when presented. Eventually, a gnat got by. Just when I noticed my fork was still dirty. Staff were gracious and remade my drink and provided coasters to cover the drinks. The restaurant does have an open outdoor area, and that contributed to the problem. I think they used to have a blue bug fixture, bc I cannot recall prior issues like this. Not a pleasant meal swatting gnats off body, food and drinks. Not every second, but every couple of minutes. Hopefully this was a one off. We love Bacio and will be back. Wish they would price the theater specials. Staff amazing and friendly. Anyway, leaving 4 star, but the visit was 2.5 tonight.

    Stopped in here before going to an event at Centennial Hall. We made reservations for a patio…read moretable; we were seated right on time and the hostess was friendly and pleasant. The server stopped by the table relatively quickly and took our drink order. Drinks were delivered in a timely fashion, we ordered appetizers and the entrees. The server was also friendly and pleasant. The appetizers (meatballs and stuffed mushrooms) were brought to the table by a runner. We had no silverware, napkins, or plates, so we asked the runner for these things when they asked, "do you need anything?". The runner said they'd be right back, but it was about five minutes and no joy. The server stopped by when they noticed we were staring at the appetizers with no way to eat them and brought over the plates, silverware, and napkins. As we were finishing up the appetizers, the same runner brought our entrees. I had the eggplant parm and added a side of spinach, which was very good. My date ordered a pasta dish which was served luke warm at best. The flavors were good, but the pasta dish wasn't nearly as hot as the spaghetti that was served with my eggplant parm. The server never stopped by to check on us, so we ate it and was happy for our water as we didn't get an opportunity to order another round of drinks. To be fair, it started getting a little busier by this time, so maybe the server had other responsibilities. The space is enjoyable. The patio can be hit or miss if there happens to be rain, as there was when we were there, but we were perfectly dry out there. We did see the hostess try to seat another party at a table that was getting wet in the rain and they kindly asked for another table that wasn't so moist. The food was good. The portion sizes were decent and aside from the temperature of the pasta dish, presented well. It would have been nice to have been able to order another round of drinks, but the server stopped by to ask if we had a dessert after we had completed our entrees. We just asked for the bill, paid, and called it an evening. Overall it was a good experience not one I would seek out specifically to go to this particular restaurant again.

    Photos
    Love the flowers on our table
    Love the flowers on our table
    Garlic Toast
    Garlic Toast
    Craving for some pizza!

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    Craving for some pizza!

    Bottega Michelangelo - italian - Updated July 2026

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