Bar 'Cino

Tried Bar 'Cino for the first time on a Thursday night and ate on the outdoor patio. Great atmosphere inside and out. We ordered a few apps, a pizza, and a pasta to share as a party of four. The food was delicious and fresh -- highlights for me were the prosciutto bruschetta and bolognese. The pasta with the bolognese was cooked perfectly al dente. Service was a bit slow, but our waitress was extremely friendly and doing her best. The pistachio ricotta dessert is a must-get. Overall, this is a solid spot and I wouldn't hesitate to go back.

I had been eyeing Bar 'Cino in Watertown for a while, so I finally decided to check it out for a Friday night dinner date. Parking was a breeze with a convenient lot in the back. Things took an unexpected and fun twist when we ran into our Yelp Community Manager right as we arrived--always a good sign! She recommended the meatballs, so we knew we had to try them.Starting off, our table wasn't the cleanest, but our server made up for it with attentiveness and a friendly attitude. However, the three little slices of bread served on parchment paper weren't the most appealing, and I found myself wishing for a little olive oil cup to dip them in.The meatballs, though, were a highlight--so tender and juicy, they reminded me of my mom's albondigas. We also tried the clams, which were packed with flavor. The contrast between the hot tomato sauce (which my date swore was different and better than the sauce on the meatballs) and the fresh clams made for a great combination. Just a word of caution--don't touch the sizzling hot pan like I did! My pinky paid the price while I was dipping bread in the sauce.For the main course, I went with the half roasted chicken. In my experience, you can always judge a restaurant by their roast chicken, and Bar 'Cino did a solid job. The chicken was well-cooked, but the real star of the dish was the roasted carrots--they were simply delicious. The potatoes, on the other hand, were a bit underwhelming, lacking in flavor, and the gravy was too watery for my taste.As for drinks, I had both the tequila and mezcal cocktails. While they weren't my favorites, I could appreciate that the bartender didn't skimp on the alcohol. I'm definitely curious about the pasta dishes and pizzas, so I'll have to come back to give those a try next time!

Last night, Tuesday, June 18,2024, three of us made reservations at Bar'Cino for dinner. The menu was nice and we ordered a variety of fair. The food came in a speedy manner and it was desent.I would rate the service as less than satisfactory. However, in the spirit of full disclosure, I have just read Unreasonable Hospitality and my expectations have grown just like the prices of dining. Unfortunately, service is the same or worse than before the resent meteoric rise in prices. As I was eating the Tiramisu and filling out the check, a rather large rodent ran across the floor near us. My wife who has a phobia with rats and mice looked at me in horror. She held it together and did not scream for the first time in our 35 years together. When the waiter returned to our table, I let him know what had happened. His response was the reason for the low review. He acted like this was not a new thing for this restaurant and told me he would tell the manager. We sat there another 10 or 15 minutes expecting to hear something about what had happened. Needless to say, we did not hear from the manager or our waiter again. I understand that these things do happen, but this is not how to handle it if staying in business and making money is the goal. We will not be going back.

We were quite excited for dinner as were big fans of the location in Newport. But I suppose our expectations were too high. Our favorite dish was probably the kale Caesar salad. The rigatoni bolognese was also good. However, the prosciutto pizza and carbonara pasta were let downs. The carbonara was probably one of the worse we have ever had. It was extremely dry and lacked any flavor. The pizza had scattered cheese and very little figs, that each bite was missing the flavor profile. It's a shame because the restaurant has a great vibe with an awesome bar. Our server was great but not sure if we would be coming back.

Great spot! Lovely staff, good ambiance, good bread and a nice selection of wine. Always nice to have a go-to like this!

Very spacious inside with high ceilings. They have a nice outdoor patio. Decent size menu. Food is pretty average. They have a pre-fixe menu for $36 includes an appetizer, entree and a dessert. Not everyone at the table is required to get it. Our servers were very attentive and polite.

This is new to Watertown, replacing Stellina's in Watertown Square for reference on the location. What a nice spacious spot. A dark wood interior, friendly staff, creative ways of including wine bottles in their decor above the bar, plenty of seats, and a convenient parking lot out back with meters. We started with the meatballs which were delicious. 3 get served with marinara sauce and we had some bread saved to dip into it. Highly recommend the meatballs. For dinner I ordered the grilled chicken panini wrap meal which came with chips topped with cheese. The wrap was really loaded with arugula - it was pretty overpowering so I didn't absolutely love this meal but all in all it was still good.

We came for dinner somewhat late on a weekend and were seated without any wait. By that time, outdoor seating was no longer an option. They started off giving us a few pieces of bread in parchment paper. Definitely a pro move to save these for dipping, as recommended by CM Sophie. The sauces were by far the highlight for me. Scooping up the red sauce (along with the polenta, which I'm a sucker for) in the meatball appetizer dish and in the clam appetizer dish was the best part (especially with the additional oil toasted bread that came with the clams). I wasn't too hungry, so I just had a soup and salad as my main. Both were fresh. I liked that the soup had melted Parmesan inside. The salad was light and refreshing- with a good amount of acid on the fresh greens. It was a little arugula heavy, but overall very tasty- finished every last bit. Also had a tequila cocktail which was quite strong. Service was friendly and attentive. Would return for the pasta- which those around us (including Italian nationals) seemed to really be enjoying.

This is the new sister restaurant of the Bar 'Cino in Brookline. They've been open for about 6 months and if you liked the Brookline location, you're gonna like this one even more! It is bigger, more spacious, and better service than the original location. The menu and food quality is about the same, but the service here is slightly better as I felt less rushed here. For parking, there is a big free parking lot in the back of the restaurant and street parking available. The ambiance is upscale, with modern art on the walls, dim lighting, an open concept kitchen, and a large bar in the middle. For the appetizers, definitely order the Braised Meatballs (3 large soft juicy pieces served over ricotta cheese), Fritto Misto (calamari, shrimp, and lemon aioli) that was fried perfectly and had good variety, and Grilled Broccolini (delicious and very slightly spicy with served with a zesty sauce). The only thing I wouldn't recommend are the baked clams. The shells came broken in pieces and the taste was overwhelmed by too much tomato sauce.For the entrees, the clear favorites were the 14oz New York Strip with Roasted Potatoes and Broccolini plus the Chianti-Marsala Braised Beef Short Rib with Parmesan Polenta and Roasted Mushrooms. The meats were very tender and melted in your mouth and worth every penny! The Roasted Rhode Island Mushroom Pizza came out whole and we cut it ourselves using a scissor that was provided. The Rigatoni Bolognese and and Whole Roasted Branzino were also pretty solid. The fish came with a lot of arugula which was a perfect combination as a side.For dessert, we got the Pistachio Gelato + Pineapple, Orange, and Guava Sorbet. The gelato was rich, creamy, and full of pistachio flavor. The sorbet had a lot going on and overall tasted tart and sour so I wouldn't order it again.For 5 people and ordering a lot, our bill was less than $250 so it felt like a deal for the portions and quality. They didn't charge us automatic gratuity and you can sign up for restaurant rewards with them and their sister restaurants if you're interested. Overall, Bar 'Cino is a solid choice for Italian food if you're in the area.

Glad this space is now occupied by Bar cino. This is just what the area needed. Love the Italian food here. Great meatballs. Great Flatbreads. Amazing server! The staff is so nice here. They gave a cool patio for outdoor dining as well. I was very happy with this visit. I'll be back because it's so close.