Baris

This restaurant brought pure happiness to my husband, and that’s no small feat. He grew up in New York and has spent years searching for authentic Italian food in Texas, but nothing has ever come close... until now. We had the Italian sausage with peppers, Dee’s special, garlic bread topped with tomatoes and cheese, and the olive oil dipping sauce. All were amazing! Every bite reminded him of home, and the entire experience was enhanced by the incredibly reasonable prices and the warm, friendly service that made us feel at home. We left full, content, and already planning our return. This place is a gem—and will be a must-stop every time we visit our daughter at Baylor.

Baris has a wonderful family atmosphere and everything feels very cozy. The food is DELICIOUS!! Portions are generous and the bread rolls are gigantic and have great flavor. We love Baris and have had only great experiences each time we've gone. I usually get the trio/sampler and its rich, flavorful, and filling. My only feedback for the restaurant is the parking, which is usually rough - especially on busy weekend nights, and the front entrance area. The entrance is so tiny that only about four people can be in the space. There was a sign out last time asking people to wait outside or in their car until they were called, which is a lottle odd. But, it's easily worth it for the food and service.

This was our first time eating here, and after our experience, we will definitely be back. The food was delicious, authentic! We ate there and ordered dinner to go. Lol! Our waiter/server Tacho was THE best part. He was absolutely amazing and very accommodating! If you are looking for an Italian spot...try Baris!❤️

Food was excellent, but getting there and picking it up was another story. Bumper to bumper parking Saturday night, 8 people sitting waiting outside just for a table inside. We were grateful to get in and out with our to go order. Best of both worlds! Interior was nothing special, but the food makes up for it!

We decided to try this place based on the reviews. It was very good. The service was great and the food was very good. We ordered a small side salad with our meal, and both were a very generous portion. We loved it was BYOB. Just the right complement to our meal. We would highly recommend this out of the way Italian spot. It was perfect.

I was craving some Italian today and I’ve heard good things about Baris. We’re told Baris is a Waco staple and one of the better Italian food places in Waco. We walked in on a Saturday night at 7:30 pm with no wait. It was busy but there were a few empty tables. There was a smoke in the whole dining area which was unpleasant and it was pretty hot in there but I wondered if this was because of the pizza ovens. Our service wasn’t bad but it wasn’t really great either. Our server was, what I noticed to be - inefficient. We knew what we wanted to drink and what appetizer we wanted but she would come to our table, drop off the menus then leave away quick. Then come back with silverware and then said she would be right back. Then came back for our drinks. She brought out two drinks and said she will be back with the other two. She brought out the other two and said she will be back. Brought out our bread and then again said she will be back to get our orders. Finally after she came back she and we ordered our food completely forgetting we wanted an appetizer. Then she brought us one plate of food at a time from the kitchen. She was nice and helpful but like I said— inefficient. I feel like with proper training she could have maximized our service and the table check thus making the restaurant more money and increasing her tip. My calzone was good but dry. The cheese was gritty and not cheesy. My girlfriends Dee’s special was amazing though. I really enjoyed that. The French bread was amazing but I feel using real butter, not the little packets of margarine, would have been better. I will go back for sure! This place is definitely due a second visit.

I’ve loved Baris since moving here - they always have great food and are super affordable. Probably won’t go back for a while though, at least not at lunchtime - most recently went for lunch and at the end of the meal our waitress stopped, did a double take at me, then asked if I was pregnant (I’m not). She didn’t apologize, just mumbled something about what I was wearing and then walked away. I’d think in 2025 we’d have learned to keep comments about other people’s bodies to ourselves - but hopefully now she’ll do that 🙃. Anyway, love the restaurant but that was a bummer experience to say the least.

Solid Italian cafe! Food is good and prices are fair. Service was attentive and pleasant. Great to have just an Italian cafe that doesn’t try to be some over the top, fine dining establishment. Just fantastic, Italian food.

This is the Waco style of Italian food. Always good. Linch specials are worth the amount asked. Everyone I have been with has enjoyed the experience. This place deserves to be frequented.

Great local Italian food. The calzone is a local favorite with specials. I try it regularly from time to time.

Was looking for a new pizza place seen some old photos and forgot to check the date they must have a new cook pizza was horrible , mozzarella sticks horrible , garlic bread horrible they need to hire a new cook. Will never give them another dollar hopefully your experience is better.

It's so sad what has happened to this place...used to be the best Italian in Waco, now its on par with Fazolis.

Coming down to Waco for a day trip, we wanted a local restaurant for lunch- and we found it! You can tell Baris has been a neighborhood institution for decades. Great food, phenomenal prices, and a wonderful staff. Natalia was such a friendly and helpful waitress.

Amazingly great food ReSo able pricesSometimes wait staff is a bit slow. Has been redecorated with new seating. But the same outdated pictures on the walls.

If you want cheap, local, large portion italian food, this is your spot. The restaurant was completely packed and we were able to get a table in 35 minutes. It seemed very understaffed but for the price we were paying, i didnt complain. I liked the local feel environment of the restaurant.

We hadn't been in Waco in several years had heard Mama Baris had passed away since our last trip. This place is as good as ever. We were warmly welcomed and immediately seated and the waiter took our drink orders. The menu is expansive and really makes it hard to decide. The bread is so delicious and filling it's hard not eat too much. The interior is charming and very authentic. The brick walls add to the ambiance. This is definitely a Waco classic.

The red sauce was AMAZING!! It made all of the dishes excellent. Chicken Marsala wasn't really what we expected, but everything else was absolutely perfect.

The food was really good! This is definitely one of those "small town authentic Italian restaurants" which are my favorite kind of Italian restaurants! They have a different lunch special each day, but I chose to order the Egg Plant Parmigiana as it's one of my classic favorites. It was delicious and served piping hot in a dish that was clearly pulled straight from the oven. Also, they are reasonably priced, which is always a plus when finding a delicious meal!

I love a restaurant with history and food that tastes great! Best Pizza and Calamari in Waco hands down! Fresh ingredients, you can tell that the sauce has been worked on till it became what they needed it to be. Delicious! They make you feel like you walked inside of the house and the red sauce has been cooking down for a minute. Like family.

Food is good. Place not much, but good Italian is served here. The servers know their stuff, too. And Mama Baris knew the customers.

Restaurant is small with little parking but the food is great and staff is awesome! Especially love their appetizers

Amazing portions, the appetizers are sooo good, great service, definitely recommend if you're passing through Waco!

Been going to Baris for years but was extremely disappointed in our food. The salad was brown & completely inedible... both of my children's Alfredo pastas (shrimp & chicken) looked like they had bathed in butter and were drowning in cream with very little actual food. Ended up throwing away the majority of our meal. Super disappointed.

A Waco institution. Authentic Italian food, tasty and legit Italian sauces (not Americanized/Wacoized, watered down drippy sauces). Great salad. Calamari served hot and large portion. Shrimp cacciatore was delicious with perfectly cooked spaghetti. Ziti delicious too, as was the fettuccine alfredo. Our server, Bailee, was terrific (see photo). Friendly and efficient service, and she checked on us regularly. Thanks Bailee for making a great meal even better!

This is one of the best restaurants in Waco definitely best Italian food in Waco! Super authentic Italian food with amazing hospitality and customer service.

This was our 1st visit to Baris. Our waitress Debbie was friendly and helpful with menu information. The food was served piping hot and the flavor was great. We ordered Calamari for our appetizer. I had the Italian sampler and my husband had a spicy chicken and spaghetti dish that was very good. We see why this place is always packed. So glad we stopped in. Now a neighborhood favorite for us.

Parking is deceiving. Place had plenty of tables. Lunch specials were excellent for the price. Salad could use a bowl. Bread is to die for. Baked ziti is good but not homemade noodles. Today's tiramisu was a cheap imitation cake. They have a better one they buy but not available right now. Food and service great. Parking and dessert leave a lot to be desired. Please make homemade tiramisu to stand out

College students, this is where it's at! The portions are huge and the food is very affordable, not to mention is delicious! We will 100% be going back!!

Pink tortellini always hits! Fresh made bread. Love, love, love, Baris! Enjoy the noms.

Pick up pizza out front makes for a convenient at home meal. The tortellini with pink sauce is another favorite.

All the food came out steaming hot.The mozzarella sticks were excellent, and the cheese was nice and hot and gooey with each bite. The pizza was just okay. Had to wait a few minutes for another server to bring a plate for my pizza.

Classic mom-and-pop American Italian restaurant, and the food is typical of such eateries, Everything I've eaten there is tasty, especially when made with the "pink sauce."

A really nice place to eat in Waco. I ordered the calamari, Eggplant forentine and ravioli. All of them were good. The calamari was good, but definitely need the sauce. You also get a small discount if you pay by cash. There's very limited parking which is the only downside. Will definitely come back whenever traveling.

Great flavorful pasta and delicious fluffy rolls. Friendly and attentive waitress. Old fashioned Italian eatery with plenty of seating. Great prices making it a family friendly restaurant.

Great location they were packed at 12 noon by 1o'clock. There was plenty of parking. Good food great service very nice stand-alone building food served fast and hot Beautiful salads Great spaghetti

The food was excellent: fresh, flavorful and authentic. The ambiance is utilitarian and simple. The service was prompt and attentive.

Vile and disgusting. Not a single thing was even remotely cooked all the way. Pizza was just wet soggy dough, half the cheese was barely even melted. The pasta sampler was probably one of the most disgusting things I've had a restaurant try and serve me tasting like nothing but sour rotten milk. Almost threw up on the floor it tasted so bad. And again not a single thing was hot and non of the cheese was even melted. Place is a rip off and a scam and clearly buying it's good reviews

This is a popular place , highly rated. We wanted to give it a try. I'm thinking we are spoiled by our regular Italian places in OKC. First parking is the worst I have ever seen ! We pulled in thinking it went around building but blocked by car. So we turn in front and get in the pick up line. This seems great if you called in.... Lady told her we could park next door. It was a closed down building , very dark. I worried car would be towed or broke into. Thank goodness turned out ok. We were seated and order taken. I had lasagna and husband had Chicken Marsol something.... Mine was good. His very liquid. Bread good. Large drinks which is always good. They did get husband's order wrong( Shrimp instead of Chicken) and had to remake. So I'm eating very slow till he gets his. No compensation offered. Looked like you had to bring your own wine. Seemed Very loud, so don't expect a quiet romantic dinner.

Great quality food, the phone and online service is very easily accessible. When I pull up to get my order the crew is always in a great spirit which makes for a great environment to be around.

Get the fried ravioli!! We forgot how good this place is!! 2 meals, drinks, and an app under $40! Tons of food and great quality!

We had a large group and Debbie was our waitress, she did an incredible job and the food was outstanding.

We don't live in Waco, but when we go, we love visiting Baris Italian. Always a lot of locals and BAYLOR students eating there so it's definitely a community choice. Food portions are great; you'll always have some to take home for lunch the next day which is great! Because it's popular on the weekends it can be crowded with a wait but that says something about the place. Quick service It's a very small place but somehow they get a lot of tables in there. Prices are reasonable and portion sizes are good. Highly recommend this "locals" favorite dining place.

Before you order bread as an appetizer, wait for the amazing rolls to come out. Then you don't want to fill up in them because the food is very good and comes out very hot. I ordered the pasta sampler with lasagna, cannelloni and manicotti. Delicious, but I will be trying the pizza next time. I was there for a Baylor game and the place was packed. I do not live in Waco, so I am not sure how busy they normally are, but that night they were packed.

Good consistent food, large portions, good flavors. This place is bring your own bottle, so if you want wine bring it with you. Never have I seen that before but it's a good idea. The house bread is awesome, and the servers are always really nice.

Oh my goodness! We were excited to try this little Italian restaurant in Waco. We had heard about the "tortellini pink!" So we arrived and were seated promptly. The waitress we had was very inattentive & didn't return to see if our order was ok or not. I ordered the chicken picatta & my husband ordered the tortellini pink! Now I will say that the bread was amazing! It was soft and appeared to be homemade. The tortellini was pretty tasty! My husband shared it with me when my chicken was 100% not edible! No, I'm not kidding! Literally I took my first bite (because it looked presentable) & it was the most disgusting piece of I don't know what? It was supposed to be chicken but I spit it out immediately! It was like a child's plastic chicken "play food"! But had the most disgusting taste and I could not literally bite into it! My husband tried it because I'm more picky than he is. Even HE spit it out too! I'm sorry to say that chicken was either the most poor quality or it was mixed up with plastic!??? Unfortunately we will not go back there again. Between the waitress just being very inattentive & the food being very bad quality, we won't try again. I'm just afraid we don't know what we are eating there!!?? Oh well, we need to try new things!

First off, we tried takeout from Baris a few years ago upon the recommendation of quite a few Wacoans. My husband had ordered from a kind, sweet, and hospitable older lady that we later learned was the owner. When we got it home to eat it, we agreed the food was "just okay," and chocked it up to it being "take out" or perhaps a bad night. A few months ago, while craving classic, no-frills Italian food, we decided to give Baris another shot, this time in the restaurant to eat it fresh and get the whole experience. We love a restaurant that's stood the test of time and is loved and trusted by locals. We really wanted to love Baris but were sadly disappointed. 1) The Food. So, I might be biased having been raised on home cooked, everything-from-scratch Italian food made by my Italian grandmother, but my whole family agreed the food was not good. We ordered the following: The Tortellini Pink, which we were told was their specialty and most popular dish. My husband said that it was pretty runny, bland, and not in the least remarkable. Lasagna-- this is my son's usual favorite. He said the sauce tasted like it came from a can and there was way too much cheese. Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo-- we usually like to get this to round out the meal. I didn't grow up eating this dish but I love it and am not usually too picky about it. I find this dish hard to mess up, but Baris' take on this was way too runny (the sauce barely stuck to the pasta) and the chicken was rubbery and bland. Bottom line on the food: the ingredients didn't taste fresh, the sauces tasted like they came out of a can, and the food wasn't seasoned well. 2) The Atmosphere. We embrace a good hole-in-the-wall and we knew this place had been around for a long time and the outside looks like it hasn't changed a bit, so we weren't expecting much regarding the decor and atmosphere, but the dark, stuffy, crowded vibe inside left a lot to be desired. It was super busy and packed when we visited-- not a bad thing to be busy, but it felt especially unfortunate the way the tables were set up. We were way too close to the tables on either side of us so, unless you can get a booth on the perimeter, you're going to feel super packed in. 3) The service was sadly not great-- our server barely greeted us and seemed perturbed when our toddler hesitated even slightly while deciding what drink he wanted. We don't expect amazing service anywhere we go and aren't too hard to please, but we definitely don't want to leave a place feeling like we weren't welcome or that one of the most memorable things about our visit was that our server wasn't very nice. Bottom line on it all: We left glad that we had given it a good couple o' tries as it really does seem to be a spot many locals love, but agreed we wouldn't be returning.

Baris So Busy No parking in the lot ended up parking in the neighborhood across the street. Started with the Calamari which was nice and crispy and delicious. Also complimented with the Deep Fried Mushrooms which were also yum. We shared the Pasta Sampler to get a taste of different items. Chicken Florentine was their signature dish and was hyped and was good but did not wow me. Maybe to much hype. The parking was terrible, the food was good.

Food is amazing & the service was great. Ask for the house dressing & fresh bread!!! Will definitely be eating here again.

Tried this place last night the food was not very good the service was ok. Definitely would not go back!

Great food, exceptionally fair prices and friendly service. Family atmosphere was a great location to meet half way between Dallas and Houston area for a family get together. Will come here again and appreciate the byob option.

this place is amazing. Food is excellent. Service is even better thank you Debbie for being our server. We appreciate you your number one!!!!! we will be coming back

Yummy, family-owned local spot. Fantastic weekly lunch specials. Affordable. Great catering prices. Ambiance is not why you go here. Sausage calzone is a lunch favorite for us.

Lousy pizza. Frozen from the grocery store is better. Don't waste your time or money at Baris.

Ordered the chicken diavolo and a meatball sub, slightly dry chicken but loved the spiciness of the pasta and the rolls were pretty good. Made the mistake of getting take out instead of eating there, but the staff was pretty friendly. Small parking lot though.

Forever and always the best Alfredo ever!! The feel is a little different since Mom went on.. seems more commercial less home.. still the best in the world

This place is busy, but I'm not sure why. We tried sampler plate and a pizza. Everything tasted exactly like a big fork full of no thank you. Ate two bites of pizza, a bite of each of sampler, paid and left it all on the table. Another place of one and done for us.

I had the Chicken Florentine and it was really good. The rolls that come with the meal are fantastic. The staff is friendly and it doesn't take long to get your food. If you want great food I definitely recommend this place. The only fault I could find, is that their parking lot is bad.