Bottega

I agree with the reviewer who said Bottega was «meh.» Four of us ate there last night, and while this restaurant has been called «snug» and «homey,» our waitress seemed to have some trouble finding us. The wait was long between the time our salads and anti-​pasta courses served and the entrees came out. When our entrees were finally served, three of us remarked on how salty the food was. That’s the reason I gave this place two stars, instead of three or four.

Best restaurant in Baltimore! You can BYOB which gives you more choices for wine choices to go with your meal and budget. Always get the salted caramel chocolate pie!

I loved Bottega before they closed last year. I was so happy when they reopened. Now, I am so disappointed! Our meal last week was «meh». The service was not great (as expected). However, since they reopened they have embraced the Tuscan concept more in the sense that now your entrée comes with just the protein (with one exception the night we were there). Vegetables/​sides are extra. Furthermore, the portion size is smaller. Hence, the restaurant is now significantly more expensive. Moreover, without having sides included with the main dish, one loses the creative mix of the chef.
Very disappointing! Maybe success has gone to their head?

Pretty much a total miss for me. Upon viewing the website, I thought that it looked like a nice restaurant to try out. The website offers virtually zero info except for the daily menu and a few other details. It is a slightly hole-​in-​the-​wall place with a «cozy» seating situation. The décor is that cool distressed kind of thing you see on pinterest with dim lighting and candles on every table. The menu is found on two prominently displayed chalkboards in the dining room. Service was slow and the waiter lacked enthusiasm/​energy and had like zero f*cks to give. we opted to not BYO wine so that set us apart from literally every other table in there. From what I could gather if you did not bring your own beverage then your only beverage option is water. Neato. Anyway, ordered the malfatti. Very good. Very fresh. We also ordered our mains. I got the lamb shoulder steak and my fiancé got the Bronzino. Neither of the mains came with sides. Apparently the menu is a la cart. Waiter did not explain the menu to us, so I guess it was implied? Not sure. I feel like he could have asked if we wanted sides but didn’t bother. Anyway, I felt like a right ass with this lonely steak in front of me with no vegetables to accompany it. You would think that for $ 24 they could’ve tossed a potato or two on the plate. Hell, even a sprig of something green so it didn’t look so carnivorous. Bronzino ($ 28) was exactly the same, just a salty fish carcass on a bare plate. And cutting my steak in the dim (or dark) lighting was cumbersome since it was a t-​bone. I probably looked like a knife wielding nut trying to pry meat off of the bones. They had one dessert offering to which we declined. So, all said and done, we leave there with a $ 72 tab for no booze, two carcasses on bare plates, and some good, but expensive, malfattis. If it were a joke, I’d laugh. I will never go here again. This meal was a total waste of money. I regret the entire meal.

Bottega provides a wonderful combination of an intimate, inviting setting with delicious dishes. The restaurant is small, so reservations are a must, but a meal here is well worth it. The service is attentive and prompt, and the interior leaves you feeling as though you’ve stepped into someone’s home. The homemade pasta dishes are fantastic! You really can’t go wrong with anything on the rotating menu. The food is thoughtfully conceived and plated, well-​seasoned, and overall just plain tasty!

So dang good.
My wife took me for my birthday dinner. We had one of the first reservations of the night. It was quiet around 6pm, but when we left around 8pm it was full.
Here was our lineup:
Tuna Belly Tartare
Meatballs in Gravy
Pappardelle with Lamb Ragu
Duck Two Ways
Braised Beef Shank
Salted Chocolate Caramel Pie
(Their menu changes daily, so there’s little chance any or all of these will be on the menu next time)
The food, the service, the ambiance, BYOB — all of it was awesome.
I’ll be back and I won’t wait til my next birthday.

Loved everything we had here. Great food with fresh ingredients. One of those places in Baltimore that really stands out from the rest of the food scene.

Excellent!
Everything was excellent– perfectly attentive service without being intrusive of too chatty. Delicious food that was perfectly prepared. Very cute setting that I didn’t even know was there.
Small menu– reflective of the size of the kitchen– but plenty of good options. Picky eaters may have an issue finding something they like.
I’m sorry I was only there with 1 other person, because I would have like to try some of the other entrees. It is BYOB, which I hadn’t realized– so don’t forget your own bottle. We had the flank steak (DELICIOUS) and the spinach and ricotta pasta (which was actually little balls) for entrees and the beet and goat cheese bruschetta and the chicken liver pâté bruchetta. Both good… but the chicken liver is not to be missed.
Will be back again soon (If I can get a reservation)

Made a reservation for my daughter’s graduation dinner a month in advance, received a confirmation email, got dressed up, chose wines and went to the restaurant. Restaurant was closed, no answer when I called or banged on the door. WTF. That was really crappy! You owe me a dinner!

Amazing hand made pasta. Constantly changing menu, but very well prepared food. Bone Marrow pasta was amazing as was the beef cheeks. Friendly wait staff. BYOB!
Don’t skip on the salted caramel choclate cake. If you’re a fan of the Salty/​Sweet juxtaposition of flavor as much as I am, this is like heaven!

It’s easy to pass this one by on an uninspired section of Maryland Ave. heading south toward the city. Once inside, the rustic interior and bluesy music sets you up for daily chalkboard specials.
I decided to order healthy and starchy after a modest workout. I enjoyed the rough texture of the kale Caesar with white anchovies, breadcrumbs and grated cheese. The pappardelle with lamb in red sauce offered a smooth taste, with the wide noodles giving me a feeling of belly fullness.
I would come by again with friends and try other pasta and entrée selections of the day.

Bottega is pretty much a reservation only restaurant. While we were there at least 2 groups dropped by to get dinner but were not able to snag a table.
The restaurant is as described… rustic, cozy. Our main server was a very nice guy. Overall, the service was good though there are a couple of people serving each table so sometimes miscommunication can occur (dishes don’t come to the table).
The fold was good too and it much needed in this area of town where there aren’t many options. The romaine salad was really good as well as the costini. The malfatti was really tasty too. The only dish we didn’t love was the cassoulet… we expected a bit more of a creamy stew but our plate was pretty dry. The salted caramel pie was tasty and the thick salt on top was a nice touch.
I would definitely go back! It’s nice that it is walking distance to my house. Just have to snag a reservation.

I’m really unsure why there is such a wait for reservations here. You can get a considerably same meal from other places in Baltimore for the same price and avoid any reservation, even on the weekend.
That said, I like how the menu features local, in season meat and produce but think they should print menus for the table. We were seated right under a menu near the kitchen and were told to stand up to read the menu. I almost just asked our waiter to read it to me, since telling us to stand up, awkwardly next to other diners, is pretty rude.
For dinner, we split the beet gnocchi and rainbow trout. They were delicious and good choices. The trout was perfect.
Very reasonably priced (though I think that’s only because I am considering the bill without alcohol, which would probably make it more of the same in terms of price comparison), delicious, and in-​season. Knocked off a star for the lack of communication between the two waiters and menu situation.

Went to this restaurant on a Tuesday night at 630. Service from our waiter and the food was excellent but then there is this one girl who basically ruined everything.
I called prior to see what the parking situation was and she claimed to not know. When I finally found a parking spot the girl was on her cell phone outside the restaurant chit chatting and then at the end of our meal she just drops off the check. Didn’t even ask if anyone wanted coffee or tea… so then of course we were talking about something and she comes over and says «Oh, I was just trying to get the check…» and we all looked at each other like are you serious? then she says «No pressure but there’s a group waiting for your table…» while there was another table right beside us that came in at the same time. I’m sure she didn’t pressure them to leave.
Go for the experience, they do have some very interesting food… but I will NEVER be back here again. Any establishment that rushes tables out just won’t have my business in the future but I can cross it off the list.

Pretty good. The menu is small and ever-​changing, but even so I feel like it could have more variety.
We enjoyed everything we ate. We had a salad for an appetizer. My date had the beef cheeks. I didn’t have a bite but he really enjoyed it. I had the… well I’m not sure what they are but a form of spinach and ricotta pasta that was meatball sized and shaped. It was superb.
My only complaints are the size of this place and the subsequent seating arrangements. I had a server’s butt in my face several times while she was attending to the table next to us. They put us in the middle of the room.
Definitely make reservations. We had to wait a bit even with ours.

So the most surefire way that I know that someplace is my kind of place is that I cannot wait to go home and write about it. So I’m here, shoes and coat still on, door probably still wide open, tapping away at my computer. If you don’t have time to read the rest of my review, the gist is just try this place out, you won’t be sorry. BYOB.
Bottega hits all the main points for me. Food, service, atmosphere.
Food: finger-​and-​plate lickin’ good. seasonal, made with care. Check site for menu.
We ordered the chicken liver pâté crostini; the grilled chicory, poached egg, and roast pork salad; the rabbit pappardelle; the spinach and ricotta malfatti with butter and crispy sage; and the raspberry goat cheese cake.
crostini — good serving size, lots of pâté per crostini, the pâté itself was mild but earthy and somewhat sweet the way liver pâté is meant to be, it was finished with good quality salt and oil, making it even more delicious
salad — least exciting dish, but solid solid salad, really good grill flavour on that chicory
pappardelle — you can really tell they care about their food in this dish, as well as in the next. The pasta was cooked perfectly, with just enough sauce and rabbit to be appreciated but not overshadow the pasta
malfatti — mild disclaimer, I’ve never had malfatti before so I have no idea if this is how its supposed to taste, but if its not, all the other rmalfattis should change to this one. The amount of flavour packed into these extremely thin pasta shells of happiness is incredible. In the words of my dining companion, «I ever knew spinach could taste like this». The butter and crispy sage perfects the dish.
Also, they do not skimp on the parmesan. Solid parmesan on both pasta dishes.
cheesecake — charlotteown farm cheesecake, so I knew it would be good, if you wanna check them our they’re usually at the Waverly Farmers Market on Saturday, they’re great at all things goat cheese.
Service: I wanted to hug our server.
We were very very well taken care of; our server had lots to do by the end of our meal but he was always there when we needed him, before we knew we needed him.
Also, all the reviews are right, the place is packed, and I mean packed, by 5:45, on a Tuesday, so make reservations.
Atmosphere: cozy, quaint, date night, rustic, nothing too fancy to dress up for, so perfect.
Perhaps that was too long a review, but I’m a fan. The prices weren’t bad at all, but from the pictures you’ll see, it’s not the best place to go if you’re starving.

Made a rezze here for 8pm on a Wed. Located pretty much next to Boltbus stop near penn station. We walked in and it was a lil awkward cause not one, but two employees asked us re: our rezze. We were seated promptly. Ambience is very rustic, homey, almost sorta grandmotherly. Cozy. I took a picture of the chalkboard menu cause we were seated away from it, but realized there was another chalkboard menu right above our heads.
For starters, we were debating between the lardo grapefruit and the anchovy crostini. Given that my lipid panel is high, and when I realized lardo literally meant lard, we opted for the anchovy. It was pretty much my first time eating anchovies. Tasted and looked like sardines. The crostini that it was on was out of this world. Imbued with this aromatic smokiness! Seasoned w/​green salsa that was a little inadequate, and with dark baby potatoes.
We also got their winter salad. The waitress brought out a spinach salad and I told her it wasn’t the right salad that we ordered but that we would eat it anyway – she was quick to bring out the right salad! Which, by the way, was refreshing w/​the right amt of dill dressing and bite-​sized wheat croutons
For our 3^rd course, we got the spinach and ricotta malfatti. I had no idea what a malfatti was, but was def eyeing what the couple next to us was eating (green meatballs covered w/​parmesan). Wasn’t sure what it was but it looked good, and turns out it was the malfatti. (side note: «malfatti» means «mistake» in Italian, and in 1920 in Napa, CA, there was this lady who made «balls» outa leftover ravioli, and voila! malfatti was born). It basically tasted like cheesy spinach balls, although it coulda used more cheese, imo.
For our final entrée, we were debating between the rockfish and beef cheeks, and ended up choosing the rockfish. It was a surprisingly simple dish – a fillet of rockfish, excellently cooked/​seared/​smoked with the skin perfectly crisped up – on a bed of potate purée and garnished w/​clover leaves. Think it was supposed to come w/​more stuff (botargo) acc to the menu, but didn’t see it, unless it was incorporated somewhat and escaped my tastebuds. I woulda expected more complexity to this dish for $ 25, but it was delicious and went well with the potato purée. The fish was tender and moist.
Decided to skip dessert because we had coffee Haagen-​daz at home to eat, and they pretty much only had one dessert (salted caramel pie). All in all, this was a flavorful, rustic, humble meal with classic Tuscan flavors. Would recommend for sure!

Bottega’s brunch was a genuine pleasure.
Bottega is a small, ~10-​table joint in northern Baltimore that, as other reviews have said, is both rustic and all about the food. The décor is super rustic and simple, and everything looks slightly worn in a pleasing sort of way. The lighting is a bit dark, but lends to the feel.
The brunch here is excellent. We had the duck hash and the raisin bread french toast. The former was amazing, and probably the better of the two. The latter was excellent as well, in a very unique sort of way — it had a date confit on top that actually had a bit of spicy heat to it, which was very much unexpected and honestly quite tasty.
The real shame here is how unattended the brunch here is — it only advertised on Facebook, which wasn’t a good plan, it seems. I’d STRONGLY recommend that they get more aggressive about advertising on Unilocal and other locations — it’s hard to strike out in the Baltimore restaurant industry, so they need to get much more aggressive about it!

Bottega is a darling, but small rustic spot on North Maryland Street in Station North. 20 140 725 – 94 643 – 35 203 635.jpg There are about 15 seats in this small row house with exposed brick. I love that they have chairs up on a rack near the ceiling to adjust table size as needed. Food wise — its is northern Italian cuisine — simple, local and fresh ingredients, which means menu is ever-​changing, therefore it is written on a chalk board — usually broken into sections. If you check their Facebook page, you can see their most recent menus.
I must admit — I wanted to order one of everything. Thank goodness, my friend reeled me in and we picked 4 dishes. We started with the roasted beet crostini — large slices of warm crusty, but still a little chewy bread, slathered with crescenza (a soft, mild and young cow’s milk cheese). Next the lovely folks of Bottega topped it with large slices of red beets and a drizzle of honey. What a great way to start the meal.
Our next course was from the salad section. Heirloom tomatoes, cucumber, and panzanela (did you know? That’s also toasted bread — kind like a croûton?) mixed together with a garlicky olive oil vinaigrette. This was my favorite dish — so fresh and I was able to taste all the flavors individually. Why on earth did we ever move away from heirloom tomatoes?
For our main course, I ordered from the pasta section — which is slightly smaller than the actual entrée section, but let’s be real, I didn’t need more. As, you can see, I went with the spinach malfatti — a light and airy gnocci-​like morsels made with spinach (shocker?) and cheese and then tossed in a brown butter sage sauce. I loved it — just the perfect amount of rich fatty goodness and texture.
20 140 725 – 94 644 – 35 204 548.jpg My friend ordered the shrimp, clam and kale risotto. I really appreciate the way this place manages to blend flavors without losing texture and individual components tastes. The kale was still firm, but wilted just enough in the creamy risotto. There were at least 5 or 6 large shrimps and even more clams. My friend shared and I got two of each.
Their desserts sounded fantastic, but we were full and trying to behave and opted just to finish our bottle of wine. Wait? Did I tel you the best part? They are BYOB and if you are as big of fan of wine as I am, you have plenty of bottles lying around in the house. If not, there are a few stores near by where you can pick something up.
I will definitely be back for both the service and the food. These guys agree — this place is great. Have you been?

In April, Baltimore Magazine ran an article about the delicious Tuscany-​inspired food at Bottega. Since then, I’ve been wanting to try it however it is nearly impossible to get a reservation. You need to make it 5 weeks ahead of time. Every time I made a reservation, as the date drew near something came up and I had to cancel. However, as a recent Friday evening approached, I had no conflict and I knew it would be the day that I would finally try Bottega’s Tuscan-​inspired flavors.
The menu changes daily. Below is what was available the night we visited.
Because my friends and I wanted to try everything, we decided to just share our meal. We started with the Tomatoes and Salted Ricotta Crostini. This was delicious and a sign of more amazing things to come. Easily, these were the reddest tomatoes I have ever seen in my life which just goes to show how fresh ingredients always make a dish significantly better. When we finished this dish, my thought was ‘I really want to order another, but it’s so amazing which gives me high hopes for everything that’s yet to come.‘
Next, we shared the Boar Pappardelle. This pasta was homemade and also incredibly fresh. The boar was full of flavor and this was another dish that we simply couldn’t get enough of.
For the last portion of our entrée, we ordered the Hanger Steak. It was served alongside a plate of arugula with bacon and jalapeño jam. The steak was cooked well, and I really enjoyed the dressing on the lettuce, it had a fair amount of heat. But we preferred the first two courses significantly more.
The dessert menu was too good to pass up and we decided to split a slice of the Salted Caramel & Chocolate Pie. This was delicious, but if you don’t have a sweet tooth, you may find it a little decadent but it was delicious. The pie had a cookie crust and a nice thick layer of caramel topped with chocolate and then sprinkled with a generous portion of sea salt.
If you’re looking to experience a taste of Tuscany, Bottega in Station North certainly delivers.