Bar Italia Ristorante — Restaurant in St. Louis

I'm definitely putting this place on my list to return to, at least monthly. The service is great, and will meet your party with a smile. They're friendly and attentive. The food is excellent, and the outdoor seating is very nice. The Sunday Brunch is awesome, they have eggs benedict classico, and also another style called verdi with soft boiled eggs and veges--- both of which are awesome and absolutely delicious! For breakfast/brunch avoid the French toast, because it's only two pieces for nearly 8 dollars! However, the french toast does make for a good brunch appetizer. The coffee is delivered in a little pot so you don't have to constantly ask for refills, which is really nice, it's also excellent tasting (probable Ronnoco). I've been here recently for lunch also and the bruschetta is awesome, and is prepared a little different daily. When I had it it was spinach, cheese, onions, and mushrooms, and it was absolutely stunning and delicious. Their bread is hand baked from scratch daily, and is absolutely unbelievably delicious. For the main course I had pasta della nonna, and it was totally rad! Everything is really wonderful here! The portions are a little bit on the small to medium size, so no supersized meals here, it is however very very high quality and the presentation is stunning. The atmosphere is great. The bathroom has a very unique marble sink & very nice faucet, it has to be seen to be believed. The bar area for evenings and nights has recently been updated and includes multiple projection screens, one in excess of 150 inches! AWESOMENESS! I...

Excellent Cucina Italiana in the heart of Central West End!

I have been coming to Bar Italia since the “old days” when they were at the small & intimate place in the same area (now Starbucks). The food, ambiance and service was magical then and is magical now. The family run Eatery has been around for more than 30 years!! Once you dine there, you can’t help but become part of the family with their Amazing Staff and loving atmosphere! They will go above and beyond to make you feel at home! It’s a beautiful space inside and out, the spacious patio is one of the city’s best and perfect for people watching. Add live music to the mix & you’d think you’re somewhere in Europe. Service is prompt with helpful & friendly servers that know how to guide you. The food is consistently good with fresh seasonal ingredients full of depth and flavors. It’s hard to pick favorites but I’ll try to name a few…My antipasti rotations are: Caprese, Caponata, Carpaccio and goat cheese caprini with pistachio which are all delicious. Tortellini is always amazing and is a must try! If you’re not in the mood for a cream sauce, the Linguine Miramare, Fettuccine Frutti di Mare & Pappardelle al Ragu are all fantastic. The Pollo Agro Dolce has an amazing marinade & the perfectly cooked rack of lamb melts in your mouth. They have great wine selection and good craft cocktails. It would be a mistake not to try the deserts #Tiramisu #PannaCotta #caffe

If you want authentic Italian, don’t miss out on this gem you...

I want to preface this by saying I sat at the bar and my bartender server was an exceptionally nice guy. Great service.

Now some issues. The hostess couldn’t smile for anything and officiously dragged parties to their table. She wasn’t actively unfriendly but there was zero warmth or welcoming with her.

Lots of staff hovered around and things felt oddly chaotic for it being a non-busy early Friday. The restaurant was barely a third full but staff seemed on edge.

I started with a glass of Prosecco and it was the end of a bottle so it had no fizz left. Really underwhelming. It was also nearly room temperature.

I had the goat cheese appetizer. While fairly good, the goat cheese had just come from a fridge so it was hard and unspreadable. It broke apart and was hard to mix with the onion marmalade and pistachios with it. The flavor was okay but the restaurant should strive to bring the cheese to a spreadable temperature before serving.

I had the bolognese as an entree. I was starving so I ate it all but there was a very bizarre heavily herbal almost artificial aftertaste with every bite. It was almost more cream sauce than meat sauce. The pappardelle was over cooked and soggy.

Maybe it was an off night but I wouldn’t go back....