Il Bacco — Restaurant in New York

Amazing restaurant and staff. It's my second home😉 Il Bacco, located in Little Neck/Douglaston is hands-down my favorite Italian restaurant. Downstairs in the main dining room, their bar is large and often well occupied by a number of regular guests who enjoy knocking back some adult beverages amongst friends, their regular bartenders; Anthony, Bobby, & Chris are welcoming & knowledgeable, and quick to refresh your drink at your desired pace.

The owner, Joe Oppedisano is omnipresent, welcoming guests as they arrive - and showing them to their tables, aided by his daughter (Tina) and occasionally his son (Sal) *Yes, it's a family business & he's obviously grooming family members to take over when he's ready to kick back some & relax & enjoy life some more with his lovely wife Theresa.

The manager (Maurizio) is a charming and engaging fellow, who's quick to address any special accommodations or requests , and otherwise tend to your needs while dining at Il Bacco.

Other notable folks who enhance the overall ambiance to the restaurant are some of their long time waiters; Doral, Pino, Manny, Jose', Servedo, as well as Cashiers Chris & Vinny. All are on top of their game & make you feel welcomed from the moment you enter the restaurant until you leave the establishment.

My favorite part of the restaurant however is the Rooftop bar & grill located on the top level of the restaurant, which opens from about Memorial Day until late October. Upstairs, the bar is currently staffed by two seasoned veterans of the establishment (Jane & Miguel) who are not only incredibly charming & engaging people, but as below in the downstairs bar, there to enhance your experience at Il Bacco. I must give shout outs to barbacks Ernesto & Terry, both seasoned veterans of the Rooftop, who do a fantastic job of keeping the bar well stocked & ensuring items ordered from their special Rooftop grill menu are properly prepared to order, and promptly brought to the table. Mike & Justin are also wonderful servers who are quick to tend to your dining/grill needs as well.

While originally the Rooftop bar used to be open to the public Thursday through Saturday, due to the popularity of the venue and bottom-line ($'s) the Rooftop is now reserved for private bookings and parties Friday through Sunday, so Thursday evenings are the only night the general public is able to enjoy the Rooftop. I will also point out they provide a live DJ who begins spinning about 8pm until shortly before they close down around 12am, and the pool of DJ's that spin there are very good, playing tunes from yesterday & today, and typically open to playing your requests. Kudos to Tina Marie (Joe's daughter) who manages the Rooftop, for providing a pleasant environment for the local's to relax, unwind & enjoy after a long day at work!

As far as the food goes, hey- If Italian food is your thing, you really shouldn't have any issue with what's offered on the menu, and all items can be altered to taste as desired (just engage the waiter & ask) they'll be more than happy to prepare anything to your desired tastes & specifications. Don't see something on the menu but you're craving it? While that's not always entirely possible, chances are (more often than not) they may be able to accommodate your desire, again - you have to ask, but you may be pleasantly surprised to discover they may just have an item not listed on the menu which they will be happy to prepare for you.

I really can't speak (well, at least "Type") highly enough about this restaurant. I've been going here for the past nine years, and it has become my second home, & before my partner & I go away on vacation, it's become our tradition to enjoy our pre-vacation dinner at Il Bacco, to signal the start of our vacation, but honestly - any day with a "Y" in it is good enough reason for me to head down the street to Il Bacco and see my second family & enjoy some good drink &...

I was referred to Il Bacco from a dear friend of mine from our neighborhood in Little Italy, the Bronx. Coming from Arthur Avenue, I have a very high expectation on every aspect of my dining experience and Joe, Tina, his son Joe and the rest of the staff did not disappoint. They knocked it out of the park on every level. I came here two weeks ago for a rooftop fundraiser which was a big hit as well as a good time. I met Joe, Tina and Joe jr that night and was so impressed by them and the place that I elected take a special first date there Monday night. They were very accommodating right from the start. I had roses delivered ahead of getting there and they were on the table and waiting. The bus boys were invisible and highly effective. Our waiter was very nice, warm and knowledgeable. He made us feel like we were at home. Both Tina and Joe stopped by the table to see if things were ok and were overly welcoming. They treated us like we were family. The wine was fantastic, both the water and wine glasses were never below half glass without being refilled and the food was amazing. We shared bunch of different appetizers and our entrees were delicious. The buffalo Mozzarella was imported from Italy and a lot of the food ingredients come fresh from my own Arthur avenue as I found out. Makes sense, lol. Thank you guys, you made my first date with an amazing girl who considers herself "food Bugee" lol, a smash hit! You don't have to live in queens to enjoy this gorgeous gem of a restaurant. Make the trip, trust me its an offer you...

Well, I must say that IIBacco was a disappointment. Great valet service, very nice ambiance, great waiter service as well as maitre d service. However, that's where it stops. I think they should fire their chefs because they don't know how to prepare food. Food was mediocre at best. I had a dish of pasta with various fish including muscles which were the size of peas because they were overcooked. When I make muscles , they are plump, the size of the shell. The shrimps as well as the squid were only passable. They looked like shrimp and Squid but tasteless . They did manage to get the clams right. My wife was very disappointed with what she ate to the point where she had to get a slice of pizza afterwards. She had pasta and shrimp dish and she said the shrimp tasted like they came out of a can. My daughter ordered the meatballs and pasta and immediately said, dad, your meatballs are much better. I tried them and said I thought they were tasty but could not understand why they weren't even hot. My son-in-law is Irish so what he thinks about Italian food doesn't really count however there were no rave reviews and I wasn't about to give my opinion since he was paying the check. How do you tell your son-in-law that he just wasted a lot of money. In short, you need a new chef. Also, I used to go to this restaurant often, years ago before they moved and I found the food at that time...