Bacio Italiano — Restaurant in Tucson

I am a college student at the UofA and had seen this cute restaurant while talking to a friend, so we decided to go to it last night. We went there and tried to be seated, however had a waiter pull us to the side. From the beginning it was an odd situation, but respectfully we went towards him, and then he pulled us to the side and he asked us what we wanted which confused us both. We were both thrown off because it was an odd question, as obviously we would be there to eat, however I responded saying we were trying to eat there. The waiter proceeded to tell us at 7 PM that it would be an hour wait and by the time an hour passed they would be closed. Knowing their sign says last seating is at 8:30, we felt discriminated against, as they could have just asked if we were okay with the hour wait, however out of respect we left and said thank you. HOWEVER, as we left, we heard the same waiter help the three women behind us, beginning their conversation with "how many?" instead of telling them it was too busy for the night and deferring them as well, and then began breaking out into a conversation with them as they waited for a table. I felt disheartened, as I had already noticed that most of the people there were older and of a specific group and race, however I had thought nothing of their races of course until I was immediately deferred based on my appearance, and whether that be because of my skin color or something else about my appearance, it is not right either way. I would not recommend supporting a business that takes part in such intense profiling. It is truly disheartening that I can not even give a review of their food since I was turned away the second I began to approach the door. This discrimination really ruined the night for us, and it is unfortunate how this is still happening in such a...

I went to this place because I was on a mission to find the best and most authentic spaghetti carbonara in Tucson. I researched all the restaurants with an authentic version (no cream, peas, mushrooms, etc.) of this dish advertised on their menu, and Bacio's turned up, so I went. Bacio's version of this dish was hands-down the most authentic and best tasting of all those I tried in Tucson in the course of my mission. I had the Caesar salad, too, which also was quite authentic and tasty. The wine selections were very good, and their gelato was a perfect ending to a great meal.

But, I didn't stop there. I went back the following week, just to make sure I wasn't hallucinating about my first experience. Sure enough, I was not. On the second visit, I tried the chicken parmesan, and I was not disappointed. I also tried the calamari appetizer, which was great, too.

So, if you are looking for authentic Italian dishes, done with care, at reasonable prices, visit Andrew's Bacio (translated, kiss) Italiano. This place is indeed a kiss of deliciousness right on the edge of the University of Arizona campus. Give it a try.

I then decided I had to go back for the pizza. Everything else about this place was authentic, how about the pies? Bacio has a brick oven and advertises fresh ingredients. All the 12-in pizzas are named after Italian cities. I got the Sorrento with fresh Roma tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, red sauce, sausage, onion and peppers. Again I was not disappointed. Crust was great and the ingredients blended well to make a pizza that was a credit to its namesake town of Sorrento. You just can’t go wrong...

We were greeted and seated promptly upon entering. Waitress was warm, courteous confident. No pushy sales pitches on food items. The restaurant was openly bright and spacious. My wife chose to order the Chicken Alfredo and I chose a house pizza with Calabrese and cheese.

Our order arrived in a timely manner. My pizza was visually appealing and had a wonderful aroma. The Calabrese was large and the ooey-gooey stringy cheese offered nodes up in the Aged Parmigiano Reggiano realm. The sauce was a compliment to the cheese. The pizza's crust was a good try towards the Neapolitan (?) style and held up well when folded. My enjoyment would have been higher if the crust was made in the Cornicione style. Price was indeed fair.

The Chicken Alfredo was plated wonderfully and requisitioned a bit more of my attention. The Fettuccine were done to a perfect al dente. The Chicken came as a one piece with a thickness of about 1/2" and was missing the usual char.The Alfredo sauce was a miss. The dish was heavily buttered and quite sparse on the cream and Parmigiano with little sauce visible. Near close to being just butter noodles. My wife tried to eat a little but, she had to send the whole thing back and reluctantly settled for a "Hawaiian" style pizza.

Taking the aforementioned into consideration, Bacio Italiano averaged and will receive our four stars....