Cafe Baci

Did lunch during Savor Sarasota
At my favorite Italian restaurant in Sarasota. I’ve been dining here for over 20 years and they consistently serve the best lasagna, the best veal dishes and the best Tiramisu I’ve found in our neck of the woods, great friendly service and reasonable prices.

Another excellent meal with A+ service from Carla. We have been going to café baci for years when we come to siesta key for vacation and this place never disappoints. If you like Italian I highly suggest getting over to baci. Order veal, salads, and the sachets (appetizer). We went with waitress recommendation for a red wine and It didn’t disappoint !!!

Ordered the veal Marsala today for take out, order was prepared in A very timely fashion. The veal was pretty good, the string beans were excellent as were the mashed potatoes. Over all a very good dinner

We had the lunch menu Veal Marsala and turkey club. the veal was slightly over cooked and the gravy tasted like beef gravy not Marsala sauce. The veal came with mashed potatoes that tasted like instant mash. the best part of the meal for me was the bread. The bread and bread dip was great but everything else was entirely subpar. The wait staff was extremely attentive and nice.

The best meal I’ve had in the state of Florida! It was just like being on Arthur Ave. in the Bronx N. Y! Great service from Naomi! Great food and a very big welcome! Thanks for a great dinner!
If you want great Italian food make it a point to visit!!!

Awesome… we have been here several times… always great. beyond great… lasagne is too wonderful… my husband has had the veal piccata… he’s been everywhere… best he had ever had… the service is wonderful… food is just terrific… u r not going to get a view of the ocean or the bay… but u will get the best food u have ever had… saw a review where he couldn’t reach anyone to make a reservation… just go… they will get u in… great southern Italian hospitality

We have had several meals at Café Baci and every one has been excellent. Service has been super and very professional. Would highly recommend it. One of the best in Sarasota.

Love it! There are so many good things to say about Café Bacci! The calamari is absolutely wonderful. They know how to do Italian right! Very authentic cooking, presentation is wonderful and service is always prompt, efficient and courteous.

took the in-​laws there for Christmas dinner… wow…what a poor presentation. Two and Half pieces of extremely thin veal (not much taste) with 2 potatoes…(yes 2 thinly sliced potatoes) and barely 6 – 7 string beans… talk about lean cuisine… the waitress was pretending to be talking to us as if she were reading some British romance novel, calling my Mother In Law…“My Lady”…and using «shall» in every sentence… we left withing 45 – 50 minutes… and we’re not going back… horrible, cheap, poor, disappointing.

I have had three experiences with Café Baci, but only one where I’ve actually eaten. A few years ago we were visiting our friends in Siesta Key and found this place. We were able to get a table for 4 and while the inside was very dark, I found the food to be good and so did our other 3 guests. I do remember I had a pasta dish, my wife had a salmon but not sure what else was ordered.
But fast forward to December 2015. We were visiting our friends again and were hoping for italian. It was a Sunday and they were listed as open from 4 – 9:30. We called and called, but could not get someone on the line. We figured they could be busy, so we just drove over there approx 4 miles away. When we got there at 6pm the lights were out, the parking lot was empty. We didn’t bother to investigate why, but did find another place to eat.
We decided to visit again on Christmas Day. This time we had a larger group of 7 so we called early and were told they weren’t taking reservations but if we came by they would try to seat us. We made sure to arrive early, about 5pm only to be told that if we didn’t have a reservation they wouldn’t seat us. We told them we had just called 30 minutes earlier and had been told differently. Needless to say, it was very disappointing because we had passed other places that could seat us.
We were able to dine elsewhere, but we will never again waste out time trying Café Baci. This isn’t baseball and you don’t get a third strike with us. We are forgiving people, but these two slip ups so close together suggest we should just take our Sarasota business elsewhere.

Decided to venture up to Sarasota to meet family and dine at Café Baci based on the stellar Unilocal reviews. While the interior décor and service were both excellent I can not say the same about the food. I’m not sure how else to say it, but anyone who honestly believes this is good Italian food has either never been to a real Italian restaurant (outside of Olive Garden) or had a decent dining experience outside the Sarasota area. The pasta dishes were all beyond mediocre. To be frank, our dishes tasted like boxed pasta and what tasted like canned Rao’s suace that you would pick up at the grocery store. This would all be fine if we were ordering take away baked penne from Sbarro, but the main entrée prices were in the range of $ 21 – 35 per item. Our group had dishes ranging from the lasagna, chicken parm, seafood fettuccini and fish. Everything was drenched in sauce with very little authentic flavor. Would not recommend this place to anyone looking for a high quality Italian fare, especially at the prices being asked by this place.

Great atmosphere, excellent food, don’t care for $ 1.50 up charges-​certain pastas, certain sauces (just price it right to begin with). Overall worth it!

Excellent service. High quality Italian dishes with a lot of variety. Moderate prices on early bird specials. Consistent quality.

Despite the food being very good I cannot give this restaurant a good review. Our waitress spilled almost an entire glass of red and down my side and back. The splash also got onto my purse and chair. The waitress apologized profusely and brought me club soda and a towel to try and get the stains out. After trying to remove the stains in their restroom unsuccessfully I returned to the table to order dinner despite such an unsavory beginning. The rest of dinner proceeded without incident and the food was good. In light of what happened I expected at least my glass of wine to have been comped. Nothing was comped or even offered. I was given a business card and told to send them the dry cleaning bill if the stain didn’t come out. This was extremely poor customer service. I realize accidents happen. At least try to make better amends for it.

Authentic Italian Cuisine Great food,
Excellent service, The lasagna was out of this world just like you get in Italy.

We planned dinner at Dolce Italia last night but it was closed on Mondays so we headed over to Café Baci. I have to say that it was better than Dolce Italia. We were seated promptly and had a very pleasant and efficient waiter. We had delicious pasta fagioli and minestrone soup. Tasted as good as my homemade. Bruschetta was good too. I had a side of gnocchi and a side of sautéed spinach because I wasn’t too hungry but each side a large portion. My Aunt had Alfredo with shrimp it looked like the sauce was a little thin but she enjoyed it. My husband had the Sea Bass and it was very good. Desserts were very good too. Give it a try.

This is a totally fun place with awesome food! The hostess was kind and patient. We ate on the second floor so we needed to use the elevator and the staff was really chill about it.
Our server was Corey and he was awesomely friendly! He made me a hot chocolate. The banter was hilarious and I enjoyed the conversation between the busboy and Corey. It felt like we were regulars!
I had gnocchi and it was delicious. I totally recommend it!
And to top it off when my mother left her phone Corey ran down the stairs to give it back to us. A true gentleman.

We had a family meal catered at Café Baci and the staff was really wonderful. The only problem we had was using the elevator which worked and then stopped working.
The food was very tasty with plenty of garlic, hurrah! They provided a nice menu with a choice of four entrees that all had too much food plus a group plate of pasta. Dessert was a yummy tiramisu.
Bathrooms were fresh. Drinks were constantly refilled. The staff was very helpful and friendly.

They have my favorite lasagna in Sarasota. It’s extra thick with layers and layers of deliciousness. The bechamel sauce is what adds the extra awesome layer.
My favorite item on their menu, however, is the truffle ravioli appetizer. It’s rich, creamy, perfect pockets of tastiness. Meatballs were great. Everyone loves their gnocchi, but I wasn’t blown away. Eggplant entrée was a hit.
The restaurant is located on 41 by Trader Joe’s. You can’t miss the sign. The restaurant itself is a little dated, but it adds to the authentic Italian experience. The diners are mostly retirees, but that’s not uncommon in Sarasota. Service is great. Everyone is extremely personable and helpful. Definitely one of the better restaurants in Sarasota.

This was certainly an interesting dining experience. I had eaten lunch here years ago and remembered that I enjoyed the meal so I suggested this place when I was on a day trip to Sarasota. The place was packed for dinner but we didn’t have to wait long at all to get seated. The first thing I noticed immediately when I walked into the dining room was that every single diner was at least 25 years older than me. The other thing that I noticed was that I was quite underdressed compared to the rest of the patrons. Oh well, hi everyone!
I ordered the chicken parmesan and it was really delicious. The portion size was absolutely enormous. Two people could have easily shared that amount of food and left with full bellies. I have to say that I was surprised that I didn’t get a salad with my dinner. If I’m paying 20 bucks for an entrée you can at least throw some salad in a bowl for me!
While I enjoyed my meal I think I will stick to having lunches here. It’s cheaper and the atmosphere is much less formal.