Bar Italia

Really great food and service. The Pork Chop I had was the best pork chop I have ever had. Had a... more

Bar Italia is definitely one of my favorite spots in St. Louis. It's located in the Central West End and I've shared this spot with many friends who thanked me for the suggestion. :) Food & Drink: Good variety of choices from appetizers to main courses. A few favorites: For appetizers the Caprini, goat cheese with crushed chili pepper and virgin oil, and olives and the Caponata, Sauteed eggplant marinated with vegetables, olives capers and raisins. For main course try the tortellini; the best that I?ve had! I?m not a big chicken fan but my niece loves the Pollo e Spinaci, Poached chicken on spinach with gorgonzola, toasted pine nuts, raisins in a balsamic vinaigrette. If they have the Veal Ragu special that?s one you will not want to miss or one of the many fish specials. Good wine selections and great coffee choices from the cappuccino to the espresso martini. Atmosphere: International flare with a casual fine dining environment. The decor has a warm modern feel.There are several dining areas to choose from; the bar area - which I like as it is great for people watching, the balcony is good for a more intimate dinner and the patio is great for an outdoor experience that has a heated tent for colder seasons. Service: The staff is very attentive and knowledgable on wine and food selections. I always feel welcomed and enjoy meeting people in the restaurant from the customers to the staff. more

This place is a mediocre of all restaurant , its the worst ....the owners are rude and smelly and they have no idea what ITALIAN CUISINE IS Pros: we live at the chase . Cons: Bad food /BAD SERVICE more

Pros: We live close BY Cons: Dirty kitchen Rats in the back Kitchen ..Rude somalian .. more

VERY BAD SERVICE"" / Horrible Food !! Pros: TOO MANY DRUNKS Cons: VERY DIRTY KITCHEN AND TABLES.... more

Amazing ambiance, locally sourced produce, and an awesome menu. Four words: Red Wine Shallot Marmalade more

We (me, my wife and our well-mannered four-year-old) dined on Valentine's Day evening. We'd called ahead to check on table availability and were told 30+ minute wait, but we arrived 10-15 minutes later to a half-filled restaurant. But yes, we waited another 5-10 minutes to be seated (no bar area for waiting was apparent or offered). We ordered two glasses of wine and water which arrived in about 10 minutes, and placed an expedited order for our son. Then another 10 minutes until our orders were taken. Waited 10 minutes and asked for water. Waited another 10 minutes to have water replenished. After 50 minutes and still with no food beyond our son's now finished meal and lukewarm & mediocre bruschetta, we sought an explanation and asked for a complimentary dessert to reward our son for his patience. The server appeared to assent but didn't speak an answer. After another five minutes and seeing so food being served at nearby tables, we recognized that further waiting would result in an unacceptably long meal not only for our son but also for us. We asked the maitre d' for our orders as carry out instead; he conferred with our server, but didn't indicate a response to us. Another few minutes passed and we instead asked a second matire d' for our check. Five more minutes passed. Seeing no results, and hearing no resolution I didn't wait for a credit card payment o be completed, left an appropriate cash payment on the table for the food we'd been served and we headed to the door. Upon our exit, we received (finally) apologies from three staff and were thrust a bag containing the two adult meals (but not dessert for the most patient of us three!) and we departed hungry, tired and frustrated at a dining experience that began with much promise but failed in Bar Italia's failure to make amends for a very slow kitchen this night and recognize that not all diners on Valentine's Day want to ""linger"" over a two-hour meal. Perhaps when tables are in shorter supply and must be turned regularly to keep the revenue flowing, service here is acceptable. But not on this night. Pros: Ambience Cons: Horribly Slow, Good but Overrated/Priced Food more

I love this place. It is by my work. The food is fantastic and teh prices are reasonable. I try to think of any reason to dine here! The ambience is unbeatable. Pros: food, ambience more

Dinner's excellent, but waitstaff has a stuffy attitude...be prepared for this. St. Louis has lots of great options for Italian- so the quality of service should match the quality of the food. Otherwise, a fun location with lots of other bars and restaurants nearby. Pros: Location, Bar, Trendy Cons: Service more

Easily on a par with anything on the hill, and more sophisticated to boot. Late night drinks on the patio are a must when the weather allows. Pros: ambience, food, location more

Best Italian I've had outside of Italy. Nice ambiance, great/friendly service, amazing food. We had bruschetta, the portabello soup, a creamy tortallini, and an amazing beef dish. The wine was wonderful and our waiter was extremely knowledge. He recommended the wine, spoke intelligbly about the menu selection and desserts. He even comp'd us an after dinner apertif. It's a must eat. Pros: Ambiance, less than a mile from the metro stop, no reservation for early dinners Cons: Need reservation for later dinners more

Bar Italia has some of the tastiest pastas and desserts outside of the Hill. more

Excellent!!!! The service, the food, the drinks. Great atmosphere!!! We are regulars and are never disappointed!!!!! We are treated like family! Great place for a party, a date, or just hanging out on the patio. Bar Italia has something for everyone. Delicious pasta, salmon that melts in your mouth, beautiful desserts! Our family loves Bar Italia!! Pros: Great food, atmosphere, staff!! more

First time diner. I dined with a group of educators and students recently on a Friday evening. I was extremely impressed. This was the best food I have tasted at a restaurant except one. I would recommend this restuarant to anyone I meet. I little pricey, but well worth the money both in taste and service. I really enjoyed this. There was some confusion with our reservation, but the service and food more than made up for the time we had to wait. more

Bar Italia is one of my favorite places to frequent. The staff are great, they take care of thier customers. Drinks are fabulous as well as the food and the crowd is versatile, a great place to conversate and meet interesting people. more

The atmosphere at Bar Italia is one of cool elegance. It is a great place to people watch. The service is good as well, with our waiter being quite knowledgeable with the menu. My favorite part of the meal was the appetizer a beef carpaccio. The espresso martini we got for dessert was also very good. I ordered the Lobster Ravioli and thought it was good, but not great. Pros: Great Atomosphere, Good Service, Appetizers, Cocktail Cons: food doesn't meet, expectations more

This is the only good Italain restaurant in Saint Louis. In fact, every other place only serves Americanized (midwestern)-Italian food. Pros: Food more

This place probably has the best ambience in all of St. Louis. The drinks and deserts are fantastic. Try the espresso martinis and any of the cheesecakes to placate your palate. The menu is diverse enough that everybody can find something interesting and it changes often to keep the regulars happy. I wouldnt call it authentic Italian but the restaurants tries hard to maintain a European flair without being overly pretentious. Overall, it is a great place for an anniversary, a first date, or even a place to get drinks with a good friend. more

Some of the best Italian Food I have ever eaten. I dont know how it made it to the ""Cheap Eats"" section of this site though. Definetly worth the price. Get some wine while you are here... Live a little! more