Bacaro Venetian Taverna

Although Boulder has a plethora of restaurants to choose from -- and new ones seem to open every week!-- I keep returning to my favorite place, Bacaro (921 Pearl Street, Boulder). Bacaro is a gourmet Italian -- actually, Venetian -- restaurant that has a menu that features a large menu of small plate options. Whether I'm in the mood for a pizza or pasta or seafood or risotto, I can always find something delicious and satisfying. Plus, Bacaro has an extensive wine list and you can get just about anything you want to drink from the (full) bar. (The signature martinis are to die for!) In the summertime, you can sit on the Pearl Street facing patio or enjoy the views of the mountains from the rooftop deck. In the wintertime, you can keep warm in the cozy dining room or bar area. Bacaro has been a favorite of mine for 10 years...and it just keeps getting better! more

BEING FROM THE EAST COAST AND OF ITALIAN DESCENT, WE APPROACH ANY ITALIAN RESTAURANT WEST OF THE HUDSON WITH TREPIDATION. WE GAVE THIS DINING EXPERIENCE 5 STARS AS THE MENU CHOICES ARE DIVERSE AND SOMEWHAT UNUSUAL. \r WE ESPECIALLY LIKED THE SMALL SERVING SIZE WHICH ALLOWED US TO EXPERIENCE AS MANY OF THE ENTRES AS POSSIBLE. THE FOOD QUALITY IS AS GOOD AS ANYTHING I HAVE HAD IN NEW YORK OR ANY WHERE ELSE. THE SEVICE WAS EXCEPTIONAL AND ALTHOUGH THEY WERE VERY BUSY WE MANAGED TO BREEZE THROUGH COCKTAILS, ORDERVES, ENTRES AND DESERT AT A PLEASANT PACE. \r I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS RESTAURANT TO ANYONE LOOKING FOR EXCEPTIONAL FOOD QUALITY AND TASTE. more

The food was okay - nothing to write home about though, and definitely not worth the price. The staff was forgetful of details. There are cozy italian restaurants right nearby. Pros: Location Cons: Stuck up atmosphere more

The waitstaff at Bacaro were VERY helpful in helping us pick a wine to go with our dinner . The bread was fine, but the breadsticks were kind of odd. A little too stale to be called ""crisp"" but too hard to be called ""fresh"". The salads and entrees were suberb. and the meals were served more quickly than I would have expected, which for me, is a plus. My only complaint was that we ordered decaf coffee after the meal, and apparently we were served coffee that had been left over from an afternoon party. It was not hot, and we were only told later that the coffee was 6 hours old! Also, we asked for ""cream"" and were given milk. The entree prices were very reasonable, but the prices for everything else seemed a bit high. With two entrees averaging $20 each, the total bill for two was just over $100 before tip. Overall, however, I would recommend Bacaro, as the food was excellent. Pros: Excellent food, excellent service Cons: Kind of expensive for wine and desserts more

The New Year's Eve menu sounded great, but the experience wasn't. We waited an hour after our ""reservation"" time, I realize it's a busy night but we were dismissed and shuffled around the restaurant, even offered to take a table upstairs without chairs. Once seated, our ""confused to be at work"" waitress stopped by once, then disappeared for the rest of the night, wandering around the restaurant. We remained hopeful about the food, which was good, but after a four course meal we left hungry. Spending $80 per person (w/ tax and tip) and leaving a restaurant hungry is ridiculous. I'm not exaggerating that my ""entree"" was finished in three bites. If it were a five star meal I could understand, but the food wasn't nearly good enough to justify the tiny portions. The champagne pairing was a nice idea, but the two-ounce pour was an insult to New Year's Eve. After the ""meal"" we were hurried from our table, without apology, to make room for a some type of dance party. I'm surprised they didn't remove the table with us still seated there. An arrogant place, not recommended. more

I enjoyed the friendliness and attentiveness of the waiter. He made excellent wine recommendations paired to my food and personalized to what I typically like, and had a welcoming demeanor and smile despite the restaurant being packed. Both my appetizer (arugula) and entree (salmon) were delicious and beautifull plated. The dessert didn't completely amaze me, but was still good. What I didn't appreciate was the parking situation--I was told I would find an underground garage in the back alley behind the restaurant and was given an access code, but drove through the alley 3 times without seeing it. When I tried to call to ask for help, no one answered. Then, 15 minutes after my reservation, as I was still in my car trying to park in downtown Boulder, stuck in not-moving traffic in a garage, the hostess called and asked in a snotty tone ""if I was still coming""...if she would have answered the phone in the first place, I would have been on time, or it may have been helpful to give more explicit directions when I first called to get the code... My other complaint is that you have to squeeze through the packed bar area to get to the bathroom, which kind of takes away from the experience of fine dining, and the tables are so crowded together and packed it's hard to get up and walk when you need to get to the bathroom, door, or your table. Pros: Great service and delicious meal Cons: Too crowded, parking garage too hard to find more

The reviews on here give you a picture of the wide range of experiences at this restaurant: it can be great, or it can be awful.\r \r At best, the food is tasty and innovative, happy hour is cheap, ambience is charming, and service is slow but adequate.\r \r At worst, service is abysmal, food cold or completely undistinguished, waitstaff incompetent/poorly trained, and you will receive someone else's food, or your food will show up at someone else's table.\r \r We've eaten here 4 times over the past few years; the last visit was so bad that we will never go back. $10 for angel hair pasta with an unimaginative tomato sauce, served nearly cold; drinks that showed up 30 minutes late, and 15 minutes after we finished dinner; bread that never appeared; waitstaff standing around all over the place, but apparently unable to communicate customers' requests to each other. more

I have lived in Boulder many years and tried many restaurants here, but was blown away by Bacaro's friendly staff and delicious food. Boulder is a busy restaurant town and I always find myself in a busy atmosphere than can be less than accomodating. Bacaro's atmosphere and staff made the wait for food and drink an enjoyable experience. Their patio and upstairs bar turn it up on Friday night with the accompaniment of a live band. The dinner crowd was busy and although I waited ( something I expect to do anywhere on a Friday night) my waitress came by with smiles and jokes to keep my friends and I informed and entertained. I will definitely find myself back in Bacaro for their delicious eats and lively atmosphere.\r Pros: Fun place to unwind, eat and drink. Also, they now offer parking Cons: not a romantic place on weekends, but very nice during the less busy week more

I'm wondering if the restaurant wait staff was trained by the Soup Nazi. Even when it is not crowded. That's too bad because the upstairs outdoor staff do a good job with all the chaos. Pros: upstairs Cons: wait staff, upstairs crowd more

Visited Bacaro recently for a business related dinner and was very pleased with our meals and with the over-all ambiance of the restaurant. We were seated in the main dinning area, which can get a bit loud, but not distracting. Service can be a bit slow at times, but is always friendly and helpful. The food is outstanding, and the wine list is superior to most restaurants at this price point. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit, and we will always include Bacaro, as a choice, for both business and personal dinner plans. Pros: lively Cons: can get loud more

This is not romantic or quiet like I read from reviews. My fiance and I had to shout at each other to talk. First, they wrote our reservations down on the wrong day and time. Then, I asked for a quiet table. They sit us next to three tables with 6 or more people drinking heavily and yelling and screaming at each other. We saw our waitress once to take our order. The food showed up an hour later. The bus boys helped us the most. If you are looking for a good place for a group of friends to drink a lot and eat good italian food and dont mind begging for a waiter/waitress to take your order or get more drinks, then go here. Just make reservations. They told a group of 4 on 5:00 of a Friday night that the wait was over an hour. Pros: Awesome food Cons: Everything else more

Not what you'd expect from an upscale restaurant we were served another table's appetizers and blamed for ""accepting them,"" and yet we didn't touch or eat them... We spoke to the manager to order our own appetizers, as we felt the waitress wasn't very sympathetic. He kindly served us, but then we didn't see him again. The waitress returned and confronted us for speaking to the manager and again blamed us for taking the next table's appetizers. I am sorry, but since when did it become the customer's fault for messing up an order? We were just out to have a fun happy hour before xmas and the wait staff did their best to see that we had a medicore $200 happy hour. Shame on her. Pros: good food, nice location Cons: rude, terrible service, confrontational more

As an avid user of Citysearch, I travel often, and dine out frequently. I have not found another restaurant that matches up to Bacaro's ambience, authentic Italian cuisine, or it's lively crowd. I frequently come for the happy hour, because the tapas and drinks are extremely inexpensive, and it lasts till 7pm daily! Bacaro has great live bands during dinner, and late night scene on the weekends. It has alot to offer, which is why I love coming here. Pros: bar more

Bacaro has become a new restaurant , they change the look , from the modern of the bar to the table \r and new light.It look very cool and the new two Chefs make this place in our opinion one of the best in Boulder .Try they new cicchetti menu ( old Tapas menu ) is great and fair price.\r Good job Bacaro Pros: Great for large party more

If The Mediterranean has a 45-min wait for a table, come here. That's what my girlfriend and I did last Saturday, and we were quite pleasantly surprised. The bread was quite good, and although olive oil is supplied at each table, pepper is not, a minor gripe. The appetizer (brie/walnuts/honey with crostini) was delicious and well-balanced. And the entrees were delightfully bright and very clean tasting. The atmosphere is a bit cold and loud, but attractive. Service is a bit aloof/arrogant but still professional. We had a problem getting clean water glasses at first (lipstick and smudges and whatnot), much to our waiter's embarrassment and dismay. Prices aren't exactly economical, but ultimately you *do* get what you pay for, which is more than many restaurants of this ilk can proclaim. more

Whether you're looking for a low-key lunch, a romantic dinner, or a few cocktails on the patio, Bacaro will not disappoint you. The food is excellent, the restaurant is spacious and trendy, the waitstaff are knowledgeable, and the wine list is VERY extensive. The total experience is definitely worth the money! Pros: Delicious, Great wines, Romantic Cons: Sometimes crowded, Expensive more