Il Bacaro

One of Melbourne’s best Italian spots Had an amazing dinner at Il Bacaro. I tried the truffle risotto, tagliatelle gamberi with artichoke sauce, and the duck breast — every dish was delicious, with the duck cooked to perfection. Staff were super friendly and the chef’s touch really shows. The menu isn’t huge and prices are a bit high, but the quality and location in the middle of the CBD make it absolutely worth it. Highly recommended if you’re after a good Italian with a touch of elegance in Melbourne.

This dining experience was truly memorable. For entrées, the Porcini, polenta, chestnut, port offered rich earthy flavors, with porcini, chestnut, and port wine harmonizing beautifully. In contrast, the Burrata with persimmon, tarragon, and olives was light, creamy, and refreshing – the perfect transition before the mains. For mains, the Agnello (today’s special: goat with truffle) was slow-braised to perfection, hearty and aromatic, with the added truffle elevating it to a luxurious dish. Meanwhile, the Pesce del giorno (Rockflatter / Rock Flathead) was delicate and sweet, with tender white flesh that paired wonderfully with mushrooms and crispy garlic – balancing the richness of the goat dish. Desserts brought a playful surprise. The Torta di formaggio e agave with blueberry sorbet (cheesecake) contained popping candy, creating a delightful crackling sensation, while the blueberry sorbet refreshed the palate. The Rhubarb tart with meringue, puff pastry, and gelato was tangy, crisp, and refreshing, ending the meal on a high note. The whole menu flowed beautifully: entrées (rich → refreshing) → mains (hearty → light) → desserts (playful → fresh). Perfectly balanced and highly recommended!

I had the pleasure of bringing my sister to this amazing little restaurant last Saturday. I’d been before and had absolutely loved it and l was just as happy again. I’m a huge fan of consistency, especially when recommending! It’s cosy and animated by friendly wait staff with a sense of humour. The service really is on point. Attentive but not intrusive. The food was next level scrumptious. Fresh, delicate, flavoursome and original. Unsurprisingly booking is essential. I would recommend this elegant and yet unpretentious eatery to anyone who is appreciative of delicious and well prepared food. ❤️

Overall: vibe is good, staff are amazing. Food is okay and over charged. Don’t recommend. Food: The bread is cold and hard to bite, not as good as we thought. Definitely, dont order big portion calamari, it’s overcharged with the portion and taste we had. It’s not on the menu but we got recommended so we chose large size and it’s 74 AUD and it tasted normal. To be honest, disappointed because I couldn’t taste any calamari taste and it’s just not worth it. The duck portion is very small and spaghetti sauce is normal. Cheese cake is very good! Overall the food is fine, can find better options in Melbourne. Service: Staff are very friendly and nice! I’m kinda disappointed with this dining experience

An excellent city restaurant which could be said to be an institution and inspiration for many other Italian inspired restaurants around Melbourne. The design has created a cosy environment with excellent friendly staff and delicious food and wine. For a good business meal or special occasion this is an ideal spot! Enjoy and make sure you book in advance.

We had the pleasure of celebrating our anniversary at Il Bacaro, and it was an absolutely fantastic experience. From the moment we arrived, the service was warm, attentive, and efficient, making us feel truly welcomed. The food was nothing short of exceptional – every dish was beautifully presented and bursting with authentic Italian flavours. The zucchini flowers with truffle filling were a standout, delicate yet rich in flavour. The suckling pig and duck were also exceptional, both perfectly prepared with wonderful sauces that elevated each bite. It was clear that high-quality ingredients and skillful preparation were at the heart of every plate. The drinks were equally impressive, complementing the meal perfectly. The atmosphere was cosy but also loud and inviting, making it the perfect setting for a special occasion. A big thank you to the team at Il Bacaro for making our anniversary dinner so memorable – we’ll definitely be back!

Overall it was a good experience but unfortunately I wont be able to give it a 5 star due to some dishes not tickling my taste bud. The calamari is very good and the polenta and chestnut with porchini combination is actually insane, top 10 dish this yr for sure. The Ziti carbonara was nice too but the truffle was kind of unecessary. However, the spaghetti with bay bug and the porchetta was a tad off. Perfect technique and execution, but the flavors was just too much on the savory side. There was no chill so to speak. Too bold for a seafood pasta and the porchetta was way too saucy. Unfortunately these two dishes threw me off quite a bit. The broccoli was nice, but the dessert was just ok flavor wise despite it being perfectly executed. I would definately come back of given then chance next time. And the langhe nebbiolo by the glass was delightful!

We finally got the chance to visit "Il Bacaro," in the CBD. Intimate but elegant place with a amazing atmosphere, the impeccable service (if I am not mistaken the guy at our table was called Fabio), all the lovely staff was pleasantly italian, I felt like at home :) The courses were all delicious and well put together; I would have liked more dishes with truffles (given the season and where I come from) but the chicken broth with duck ravioli finished with black truffle flakes was very appreciated and a cure-all for the cold weather of that night. I close by thanking the staff of Il Bacaro for making that night even more special!

Another great Italian place for lunch in Melbourne. I went with the fish of the day as my main dish. I'm not sure what type of fish it was but tasted good! Also included scallops. I also ordered the green beans as a side which was tasty given they covered it with some sore of sauce. The olives that came with the side dish was weird due to the being overly small than what I'm used to. Overall a good restaurant for lunch. Not crowded in lunch given I went around 2pm on a Saturday and there was only three other tables occupied in the restaurant

Amazing service with Alejandro who was the best server we had in Australia !!! Would definitely come back. The cheesecake dessert Alejandro recommended with pop rocks and gelato was ridiculously good! I've never had such good cheesecake! So glad we came here. It is people like Alejandro that make special dinners an experience and so memorable. Thank you! Highly recommend!!!

Tried the starter special of seared scallops wrapped in shaved radish with a delightful pine mushroom sauce and baby radish. Really nice - very light and exquisite yet delicate flavours. For the main I tried a small size of a dish off the main menu - the Moreton Bay bug, chili and garlic spaghettini which was also excellent. Paired the above with a glass of the Grenache/Shiraz - the cheapest on the menu at $12 but very drinkable and a great match for both dishes. All in all a very pleasant meal (and great service despite what some other relatively grumpy reviewers have posted!)

Il Bacaro is pretty damn slick. It's classically stylish, the service is perfect and the food looks as good as it tastes - amazing. I was lucky enough to be taken here on a date so it was a little bit extra-special, but I'm sure I'd still like Il Bacaro as much even if I went with my mum. I had the calamari on rocket for starters, followed by a prawn linguini. Yup, I double seafooded! Both were perfect, with melty, tasty, fresh ingredients. My favourite part of the whole meal was dessert - the sweet canaloni and sorbet was completely mind blowing. We drank wines by the glass to match each course, and all were lovely. I particularly remember the Riesling with dessert being fantastic, but can't recall where it was from. Regardless, our waiter was helpful and made sure we always had a drink that suited the meal. Coffee at the end was the icing on the cake - it was nice and strong, just the way I like it. Overall a great restaurant.

Once again this Italian institution has delivered. The service is exemplary and the food cannot be surpassed My gluten free needs were catered too (as you can see in the different variations of entree) and it was no trouble for them at all I didn't go through the wine list although it looked extensive and must be said expensive The early sitting worked for us. We were seated by 6:15 and out by 8. We were able to have 3 courses without feeling rushed. Not the cheapest of venues but definitely worth a visit. Once again, a picture is worth a thousand words so take the time to flick through.

No Rebecca, you are not the only one.. and I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one too, otherwise I might just guess they are racist XD Well, we went there with a high hope after reading urbanspoon's review, but there is really something wrong with the services and I hope their management should fix it and really look at how their staffs work.. The foods?, we ordered "Calamari St. Andrea" which was said to be one of best fried squid in town, well it's not too bad but I still feel it's overrated. "Spaghettini Con Cicale Di Mare" is not bad, I like it but I guess it may look more elegant if they just leave the bugs shell on, otherwise people might just think it looks no different from ordering spaghetti from take-away pizza place. Fish of the day was Barramundi, which was just ok but the eggs yoke ravioli was so bad since the yoke was overcooked. All in all, I will never go back there again..

An interesting experience. After an odd experience with a very opinionated barman talking over us and eventually walking away. I had an expectation that the bread would be well worth having but unfortunately it really wasn't. That was a little disappointing. The meal though was great, the calamari was light and well prepared with just enough rocket to spice the dish up. I had the pappardelle and lamb ragu for main and was both very tasty and looked gorgeous on the plate. We toyed with the idea of a desert but just couldn't fit anything else in. So other than the odd barman and disappointing bread, it was a very nice meal in a buzzing restaurant.

I would just like to say firstly that I have never in my life written a review or reported on bad service until NOW. We dined at this restaurant last Friday night after being recommended. The food was lovely but the two people who served us were the rudest people I've ever come across at a restaurant, and I have dined at many. When we asked if they had some garlic bread they replied rudely " if you want garlic bread you should've gone to Lygon street WE only have FRESH breads here!" And when asked where we came from, as 8 of us had travelled to Melbourne for a Birthday celebration and we said Brisbane, the waiter shrugged and said "shouldn't have asked!!! We will be telling all our friends NOT to go there when in Melbourne and have already told all our Melbourne contacts. The MOST INSULTING ARROGANT SERVICE IVE EVER EXPERIENCED!!!

This is hands-down my favourite Italian restaurant in Melbourne. I have been eating here for years. I love everything about it, the décor, the service (Marco always makes sure we are looked after), the food is just beautiful ( Dave the chef certainly has some serious skills when it comes to this style of food). The wine list is great and I always leave happy and continue to recommend this place to friends and colleagues.

Food, Service, Ambience all AWESOME! Been coming for a decade and the standard never varies. Calamari, Bug Spaghettini, Wagyu Steak all exceptional.