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Il Bacaro
Ph: (03) 9654 6778; Shops 4 & 5, 168-170 Little Collins St, MELBOURNE 3000 www.ilbacaro.com.au
Modern Italian, $$ +, ** for Food & Ambience
Open Mon-Sat noon-3pm, 6-11pm, Closed Sunday; Licensed; AE DC MC V, Seats inside 50
Photo: Tony Knox
Mietta's Review
This is a very confident restaurant that survived a change of ownership, a year or so ago, without batting an eyelid. Not that such a firm masculine environment would tolerate eyelid batting. It is dark, with a huge central bar that crowds the tables in a comforting way. It is the sort of place you go for the long lunch knowing that the rude outdoors could never intrude. Old style professional waiters charm an adequate tip from the mostly male clients. Food is Italian style for Australians that is quite well done. It's not cheap, but it sure is safe.
Other published opinions
Age Good Food Guide 2008 Score: 15/20, One Hat "Chefs come and go, yet standards at this remarkably consistent CBD gem rarely fall. Like the Chris Connell-designed interiors that remain both sexy and timeless well into their second decade, there is a bottom line for the modern Italian food here that is rarely breached"
Gourmet Traveller 2008 Australian Restaurant Guide "With its moody, dark good looks and effortless sense of European style, Il Bacaro does Melbourne dining theatrics beautifully"
Age Epicure Restaurants, John Lethlean, 27-6-06 Score: 16/20 ""
Herald Sun Dining Out Simon Plant 15/11/05 Score 17/20 "Soon to mark its 1 0th anniversary, Il Bacaro just gets better. A gifted chef works wonders in the kitchen and knowledgable waiters work the lovely dining room with practised ease, Il Bacaro keeps an astonishing cellar, some bottles breathtakingly expensive. Good value can be found if you zero in on half bottles and wines by the glass."
The Age Good Food Guide 2006 scoore 15/20 1 Hat "Il Bacaro is one of those secret spots you always hope to find tucked down an alley in Milan or Venice. How lucky we are, then, that this fearsomely urbane beauty is perched on Little Collins Street. A high bar dominates the room, forcing the tables to concertina around it, but once you've wedged yourself n, it's a treat."
Gourmet Traveller 2006 Australian Restaurant Guide * "Sexy, modern and dead smart, Il Bacaro is seen by many from interstate as the quintessential Melbourne dining experience. Co-owner/manager Joe Mammone cut his teeth at Caffe e Cucina and keeps many of its attributes alive through Il Bacaro: service-driven with a moody, almost mysterious feel."
Gourmet Traveller 2006 Australian Restaurant Guide Best romantic restaurants "Groovier, sexier (than Grossi Flerentino) but, ultimately, just as Italian is the CBD's dark and brooding Il Bacaro, home to some excellent modern Italian cooking and a distinctly intimate ambience."
Age Jane Faulker August 05 "Time hasn't aged the dining room - after about 10 years it's still smart, ultra-cool and very attractive. You can sit at the central marble bar while waiting for friends and, if dining alone, it's the best spot. The accommodating banquettes at one side of the room are my preferred seating arrangement, while the rest is set with dark wood bistro chairs. All that aside, it's the consistently good food that makes you stay longer. The uncomplicated Italian food under chef Riccardo Momesso's careful direction always pleases."
The Age Good Food Guide 2005 score 15/20 On Hat "FEW things have changed in almost a decade at this finely tuned laneway restaurant. There's the lavish marble bar, shelves of European wine, almost military-like service and CBD suits, bespoke of course. The food has had its ups and downs, but the appointment of chef Riccardo Momesso has given this machine a good oil and grease."
Gourmet Traveller 2005 Restaurant Guide * "By night, II Bacaro is like an Italian lothario - dark, moody and sexy. Soft lighting, wooden panelling and crisp white linen seduce diners to slowly sip an aperitivo and settle in for the evening. Brighter and lighter by day, you can also sit at the bar for a more casual dining experience."
AGFG 2004, score 15/20, 1 hat, excellent wine list, excellent bar
Herald Sun, Sunday Magazine, 7/3/04, Sally Fisher,'This is a perfect restaurant: it's small but diffcult to hear the conversation at the next table; it's dark except for the flickering candles and strategic soft lighting; the menu is unspeakably delicious; and the Italian waiters are knowledgable and charming.'
Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide Australia 2004, 2 Black stars, Excellent wine list, Good vegetarian options,'This Venetian-style restaurant opened with a bang in 1995 quickly settled in, and has since proved something of a rock in this ever-evolving CBD environment....cosy Latin ambience...At night, the clientele broadens to include anyone who appreciates fine Italian fare.Service is slick'
Herald Sun, Sunday Magazine, 15/2/04, Graham Pearce, Score 8/10, 'One of the best Itailan menus in Melbourne.'
Vogue Entertaining & Traveller, March April 2003
The Weekend Australian, May 17-18 2003, Cameron Stewart
Herald Sun, citystyle, eat, 29/3/03, Bob Hart
The Age, Sunday Life, Eatstreets, John Lethlean, 6/10/02
The Age, Epicure, Restaurants, John Lethlean, 13/8/02, Score 15/20
The Age, Epicure, 04.04.00, John Lethlean Score: 14 out of 20."
The Age, 07.07.98, John Lethlean Score: 12 out of 20."
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