Bacaro

Great cocktails, beautiful front bar area with wide open windows. Nice open dining space downstairs with an additional bar. Great on its own or to grab a cocktail in a civilized setting while waiting for Kiki’s

My gnocchi were quite good, though sadly the portions were a bit small considering the price. Probably the way to do it is to get three dishes for two people. The gnocchi came with a fine variety of mushrooms and an asparagus cream. Also the olive oil you get with your free bread is quite good.

best place EVER, i always see celebrities and hot guys but its not trendy or not hipstery like the places around it. Classic & classy. great cocktails and wine and food and ICECREAM

the atmosphere is authentic here, brick and low lighting. the food is true quality, fresh and so well prepared. we were welcomed in and seated at a great table downstairs. the wine and maragaritas are superb. I like my steak well done and it was still tender enough to cut with a butter knife. Caitlyn gave us 5 star service. I would go here everyday if I could! visiting from California. M+T

For years I’ve heard good things about Bacaro, and last night I finally got to experience the food and atmosphere first hand. My girlfriend and I were the first RSVP table to arrive, and after having our choice of seating we quickly got to talking as most girlfriends do (especially after not seeing each other for 4 months!!). Our waitress was super sweet and understanding as she came back the 2^nd and 3^rd time to check if we were ready to order. We were not. But she didn’t mind, she was funny and entertained our silliness and answered all our questions about the menu intelligently. #Winning.
Finally getting through the menu, we settled on the scallop appetizer and our mains of cuttlefish ink spaghetti pasta and mushroom gnocchi with ramps & peas. To hold you over for your food, fresh ½ baguettes are served with the best damn EVOO I’ve ever tasted. Scallops were incredibly delicious, ink spaghetti was great, and the mushroom gnocchi OUTSTANDING (definitely my favorite and a must order!!) Portion sizes are perfect and nothing feels rushed or slow to come. Truly enjoyed EATING at Bacaro.
We were done with our food, nearly done with our 2^nd glass of wine, but decidedly passing on dessert when our sweet waitress informed us the table had another reservation coming (you know how girlfriends dine… forever!). To make amends, she would happily refill our glasses on the house, if we could just move over to the bar now that our plates were cleared. Brilliant service I say! This is Manhattan, of course you don’t pass on free wine! And being Manhattan, of course the bar seating is just as charming as anywhere else in the establishment. So we moved to the bar, moved onto another glass, kept passing time chattin’ it up… it was lovely.
The atmosphere is quite romantic at Bacaro, so it’s an ideal date spot or place to catch up with a friend (obviously). I think, however, because of the cavernous style of the lower level it can get a little loud. Not overpoweringly so, and I’m not so noise sensitive, but if you are sensitive to noise, or don’t like small dim spaces, maybe stay upstairs and just have a drink! (Yes, two levels… the basement for dining, the upstairs for drinking). I personally love the intimate feeling and old world charm of the brick walls and wood seating. A true charmer if you ask me!

Food was ok. Standard Italian food. We got the steak and it had more fat onto it than meat. Proportions were very small so if your hungry I don’t recommend it. The place was extremely loud and the tables are very small hardly, any room to eat. I literally just got home 30 minutes ago and I am in my fridge looking for something to eat.
I ordered the black ink pasta and there was one peace of meat in it.
For apps, we got some fancy dish which just turned out to be fresh mozzarella with literally 2 slices tomatoes and one one piece of Basel. Seriously??? And you’re charging $ 16 for it???
The chairs were extremely uncomfortable. And don’t sit on the booth, because you will feel like your 7ft tall and whoever is across from you on the chair will look like a midget.
I been to many places and never walked out so dissatisfied. Waste of money.
And as for the drinks… Just like any other place. $ 10
Bottles of wine and you pay $ 13 for the glass. So classy…

Cute restaurant downstairs. The food is good and so is the service. Recommended if you find yourself in the area.

I came here for a friend’s birthday and had a wonderful time. Our server, Paulo, was very attentive, as was the rest of the staff. The food was fantastic and they even surprised us with a complimentary panna cotta for her birthday. I can’t wait to come back.

Great atmosphere and very reasonably priced. Rich and hearty Italian food and a very un-​intimidating wine list.
The staff were all very easy going and warm. The large tables in the dining room made for a bit of a noisy and almost annoying level of noise because of the large groups that were sitting at them, but it was not unbearable.
Everything we ordered was delicious from the pork over polenta to the tiramisu. The highlight was probably the buffalo mozzarella appetizer. Ive never had mozzarella cheese this delicious, it was perfect! My girlfriend and I were uncontrollably making yummy noises with every bite.
This is definitely a «when your parents are in town» go-​to kind of place.

Had dinner here with friends this past weekend– so delicious! We were able to make reservations 2 weeks prior (which is a feat in this city haha) and were seated right away. We all had a different cocktail from their menu and they were all perfect! Food was amazing — my fiancé LOVED the smoked mozzarella lasagna, and I had the gnocchi which was very good as well. fried rice balls are vegetarian and also delicious. we shared appetizers, and all had two drinks and still price was very reasonable.
definitely recommend!

One of my most favorite NYC restaurants of all time
Such a perfect date night — candles around the restaurant and the whole place is dimly lit– you walk downstairs to dine and it’s an intimate set up of tables and wooden chairs–
Must get the crab salad — it is delicious and the polenta cake it comes with is amazing
The best fried oysters ever
Spaghetti Nero is delicious !

We kind of stumbled onto Bacaro wandering along Division St looking for something to eat. On a cold night we wanted something comforting and Italian sounded good. The sub terrain dining area feels like a cozy wine vault and softly lit candle light but still bright enough to read the menu. We had an early dinner so the choice of tables was our to chose. It filled up a bit late as dinner time came.
Our server was friendly and recited the daily specials. The food came out at a reasonable time not too long and not too quickly. They seem to like their polenta there. I guess nothing says Italian like polenta? We started with the Insalata di Granchio over you guessed it polenta. The crab was delicate and fresh as the salad. The polenta was more of a congealed mush but wasn’t bad. The beet tips sautéed with garlic was a good accompany with the whole wheat pasta in rabbit ragu and the beef shank on top of a creamy polenta! While I don’t remember if the whole wheat pasta was housemade or not but it was cooked al dente. The rabbit ragu was well seasoned. The beef shank was tender and meat fall of the bone. The polenta was nice and creamy. I can’t imagine who many stick of butter went into this but I just won’t think about it.
Bacaro was a good dinner in a quite setting. The service was good and out water always filled when needed. It would be a good date dinner night with food that is solidly good.

Thank you Bacaro for coming to the LES and adding some major value to the hood. This place is sexy. And the food is beyond delish. Hello lemon sole! and the staff goes out of the way to make sure you are happy with your dining experience. Can’t wait to go back. Such a special place.

Good affordable Italian with a really nice ambiance.

The food here is excellent. Prices are reasonable and you get to dine in a former aquarium (though, seated it was hard to figure out where the tank would’ve been). I ordered the sautéed sole filet with aragula. Cooked to perfection and had a nice light buttery sauce. I hear the squid ink pasta is legit but was put off when the waiter told us there was only one piece of squid on top of the pasta… would have expected some more seafood additions like shrimp maybe? Otherwise, pretty happy with the meal and would recommend to others. The servings sizes are generous and the place has a cosy ambience.

It’s taken me years to finally sit down and write a review for Bacaro, which has slowly become my most oft recommended restaurant to friends in and visiting NYC. Part of the charm, however, is NOT knowing exactly what to expect so I’ll be brief in telling you that 1) you will not be disappointed; 2) you will come to invent special occasions since there simply aren’t enough to justify how many times you’re going to want to eat here; and 3) there isn’t a more beautiful, unique, or romantic dining experience to be had.

Third time here and never disappointed. Food is amazing and my favorite was the Spaghetti Nero (squid ink). The fried meatballs and the snails were awesome.

+++
— They have a private room downstairs good fore reseys six and above
++
— The person who chose the gambretti (sauteed shrimp) was the winner of the evening
+
— They recommend the spaghetti nero for first timers, I thought it was cool

Appalling service. We had a 9pm booking for a special dinner. Showed up at 9 and were told our table wasn’t ready and directed towards the bar. 25 minutes later our table was still not ready and no one had come over to apologize or explain. Before we finally left to try have dinner elsewhere the only explanation we were given was that the people at our table «had finished dessert but we’re still sitting there». Not usual to tell a table that there’s a booking after them waiting or, alternatively, manage your patrons’ reasonable expectations by keeping them informed of what’s going on if you can’t meet the reservation you took. Extremely disappointing.

I spent my New Years Eve here with a group of friends yesterday for dinner. We were a group of 11 so we decided on a prefix dinner. The prefix was $ 50 per person. Please keep in mind this price did not include drinks or tax. At the end of our stay, we each ended up paying about $ 75pp. Not to bad for the city.
Exposed brick walls and wooden communal farm tables give this place a rustic tavern feel. I think this place is good for dates or large groups.
The food was solid. We tried over ten dishes and out of all of them I would highly recommend the squid ink pasta, fried chicken cutlet, and the braised pork. As for drinks, they have a great wine selection and strong coffee!
Service was a little slow but I noticed they were understaffed. Check this place out and if you have room, order the panna cotta. Enjoy!

Bacaro is a fantastic restaurant all-​around, and it is a favorite go-​to for my boyfriend and myself as it is in our neighborhood.
The food is always consistent and rarely disappoints, the ambience quite romantic in the candlelit, underground space with peeks of the restaurants diverse wine cellar. The service is extremely warm, prompt and friendly.
Which is why it was such an utter disappointment when it went all down the drain last night.
One of the main reasons we frequent Bacaro so often is due to its flexible hours. It’s one of the only restaurants in our vicinity where you can get a solid dinner even with a 10:30 seating.
Perhaps this was the reason for our cantankerous server, because within our years of living in the city — besides your local, grumpy quick Chinese take-​out place, I had never felt so mistreated and disrespected by a restaurants service before.
We were promptly seated as our server ran through our menu. I opted for the taglioloni and was crushed when it was served. To preface, I’m not a food critic nor an expert in Italian cuisine. But the dish just was so disappointing. Between the pasta being thoroughly overlooked and watered down, it was an absolute mess. I’m not one to normally send dishes back, but it had been a really long, terrible week and all I really wanted was a good bite of pasta.
It was an oversight that could have quickly been remediated with a replacement dish. However, firstly, our waiter could not be found anywhere. After waiting, we just grabbed a busser to escalate the issue and he took our plate away.
Not even two minutes, our disgruntled server returns, my sad pasta dish in hand, and rudely asks what was wrong with the dish. When I explain, he promptly cuts me off and outlandishly retorts how he’s worked for this restaurant for a year, how this is the way the fresh made pasta should taste. And when I gape my mouth open unable to respond to his rudeness, he walks away.
Perhaps he’s right, congrats on his employment for a year. But is it really any reason to completely override a client’s comments? Between the two of us, it had been I who had tasted the dish not him.
I then proceeded to sit across my boyfriend in utter embarrassment and shock, with no food in front of me.
The server returns asks us if we want our checks now, with the most ridiculous smirk on his face. That’s when we requested to speak with the manager.
The reason for the four stars vs. the one is because wow, the manager/​owner of Bacaro was one of the loveliest, understanding person. She listened to our narrative and apologized thoroughly for the oversight. We also apologized for creating such a big deal, we didn’t expect that our simple request would have upset our server so much as well. She spent the time out of her other busy tasks as the owner of the restaurant to listen and respond. She also covered our bill which was an unexpected but really kind gesture.
Discounting the evening, we will definitely continue to dine at this establishment. Regardless, the ugliness which occurred, the swift and kind response of management alleviated any bitter tastes (literally) in our mouths.
Honestly, recommend this restaurant very highly — just be wary if a server seems like he’s having a bad night.

I love the spaghetti nero! I come hear just to get this dish.

Great ambiance here, solid wine list, and really nice food. This is a go-​to restaurant that never disappoints. Great for larger gathering of close friends.

Very nice looking spot. Dark wood, dark brick. The atmosphere is great. Food is good, but the service was awful. We waited 20 min for the waiter to take our order, which may have been tolerable if they’d taken our drink order. It didn’t get better. We left feeling like we’d been ignored by our waiter. Won’t be going back.

I ordered sole fish with arugula. Both were so salty… I know it’s so subjective but it was TOO salty. They were kind enough to retake the order. So I said No salt. Arugula salad was just plain with olive oil and fish was cooked with butter. I mean seriously???
I am very picky when it comes to foods. I was super hungry but it was already 9:20pm I don’t eat after 8pm so basically they made me to skip the dinner and ruined the date because I decide to leave rather than going to other restaurant to have dinner!

I ordered sole fish with arugula. Both were so salty… I know it’s so subjective but it was TOO salty. They were kind enough to retake the order. So I said No salt. Arugula salad was just plain with olive oil and fish was cooked with butter. I mean seriously???
I am very picky when it come to foods. I was super hungry but it was already 9:20pm I don’t eat after 8pm so basically they made me to skip the dinner and ruined the date because I decide to leave rather than going to other restaurant to have dinner!

Bartender was great. Got a table downstairs and it didn’t appear busy at all. (I’ve waited tables before so I’m well aware of how hard this jobs can be.) After about 15 minutes our server finally came over with some awkward weird greeting like we had to convince her to serve us… the water boys were great though. Took 25 minutes to get our order in and couldn’t put the starters in before the meal. Everything came out at once. Food was over priced for what we got. Spicy meatballs were not spicy and dry. Dipping sauce would have been cool. My mostly fat cut of steak and the few arugula leaves that came with it was a great $ 20 waste.
Maybe it was a bad night for these guys but overall I’m very unhappy and feel ripped off.

I went with a group of Italians to this underground gem near Chinatown! Totally a normal small bar and small tables when you enter. Had spritz and headed downstairs to our table — the restaurant is basically in the basement, it’s a dungeon feeling but with an Italian flare which means it’s still really nice since everything Italian is nice! Our table for 6 was in a small private quarter with super antique décor, looking into the wine cellar… Like amazing! The service was ⁵⁄₅ and the food was honestly ⁴⁄₅ (I’ve been to Venice many times and I was with a Venetian so i wouldn’t it is 100% authentic) but overall the ambiance and my dining experience was really nice that I am leaving 5 stars.
Definitely try the Venetian delicacy — mixed plate of tempura vegetables, zucchini flower tempura and also skate tempura were all great. The arancini was average… The pasta portions were on the smaller end but the spaghetti alle vongole was solid.
Just go for the experience!

This is a hole-​in-​the-​wall literally! See the holes in the tacked up drywall everywhere. If you get a decent table it could be nice for a small group of friends. The meatballs were small and dry, so skip them. The gnochetti con funghi: mushroom, peas, and ramps was best combination of ingredients flavor and presentation. I had the rabbit lasagna to follow which drowned out the good appetizer. The flourless chocolate cake made for a decent end to a ok Italian meal, my company was the best part of the evening.

Great little spot close to Chinatown that I went to a few weeks back. The setting is romantic, I guess, very dimly lit place and the downstairs has a pretty big area as well. My date ordered black squid ink pasta and I ordered Pasta with clam sauce which was pretty good as well. The waitress was super friendly and she was very attentive as well; we never waited too long for more water or to change our dirty plates. I would come back to take a look at some of the other options on the menu. Overall, not a bad spot and I would try it again.

Read all the reviews… and many were true in terms of the food but it’s not all that. The wine cellar is definitely romantic but the hostess are exceptionally uptight. We got here on a Tuesday evening about 8pm with no reservations but the hostess wouldn’t sit us in the cellar because we had no reservation so we opted to wait 30 minutes. 45 minutes goes by and they fetched us. What was shocking was the cellar wasn’t even close to 25% occupied. She made us wait just because she could. One word… B_​C_​H.
Once we sat down the food was definitely tasty but not worth the attitude. Seriously, if this was the bomb several years ago… that was before LES had 100 restaurants every other block.
Would not return or at least not without a reservation.

Cute spot & close to the F train at East Broadway. Still super disconcerted with the transformation of this area…
in any case, arrived here for a group dinner & was seated downstairs. it feels a bit dungeon like but you kinda ignore that after awhile bc the food is great. i didn’t order the menu as it was already pre-​ordered for the group, but was selected was delicious
We had the seasonal salad (surprise peas!), meat & cheese platter, crostini platter for the day (the server didn’t tell us what was in it — pretty sure one of the spreads was fish which was bizarre). We also had the pastas which were really good and the marinated steak.

It was a friend’s birthday, and we celebrated at Barcaro. I have never heard of this place before so i wasn’t sure what to expect.
This place is sooo cozy and romantic, definitely a good spot to take someone on a date (Downstairs). Upstairs is where the bars are, just in case if you want to grab a quick bite/​drink.
Anywho, i ordered a glass of prosecco with strawberry purée, fried oysters, and the pasta nero that everyone raved about and for dessert, panna cotta. The fried oysters were yummy, but i definitely had better. The pasta nero is freaken amazing! It was al dente, and everything was perfect. If no one was around i would have licked the plate! LOL…:shamed: As for the dessert, panna cotta, it was really rich and yummy.
There were also other highlights of the dishes that we ordered. The cheese plate that one of my friends ordered were really yummy, and the fried meatballs were amazing as well. In terms of the portions, it was a bit on the smaller side; surprisingly the desserts were very generous. A few of my friends ordered the tiramisu and the slices that were served were huge.
As for service, it was soso… Wasn’t the best but it wasn’t the worst either. It didnt bother us too much since we were having a great time. I would love to come back and ordered the pasta nero again!