The Tuscan kale salad was tender with a tasty dressing topped with pine nuts. The mushroom pizza was so delicious and grilled to perfection. We will definitely return to try other items.
BrewstaBoy
We dined early at Bar ‘Cino this evening. It's Restaurant Week, and this place offered three courses for $36; there were lots of choices in all three courses, so we decided to try it. Restaurant Week pre-fixe menus are a mixed bag; many restaurants fail to put their best foot forward in their effort to attract new diners. But tonight's experience was quite the opposite. Among the three of us, we ordered a romaine and kale Caesar, meatballs in polenta and sweet potato frittela first, followed by chicken Milanese, braised pork shoulder and grilled salmon. We closed a vanilla panna cotta and a couple of lemon cakes topped with strawberry mousse. All of the firsts and mains were very good, and some — the meatballs, chicken and pork — were excellent. Unlike many other restaurants running pre-fixe promos, Bar ‘Cino did not skimp on anything. The plates were all generous and in some cases (the meatballs, Caesar and chicken), they were enormous. The desserts were nothing to write home about; they seemed almost institutional in their ordinariness. But whatever, we'd already eaten, frankly, too much. We had a terrific server, Joseph, who was friendly, helpful, personable and relaxed. We enjoyed his repartee. But other aspects of the service were uneven. As common as slow service tends to be, especially in crowded restaurants, it's highly unusual that the service is too fast. But tonight's courses definitely came out too quickly, with virtually no time between them to catch our breath. Plus, the food runner essentially brought the dishes to the table and placed them anywhere there was room — not even placing the wrong choice in front of each diner. It's not that it was a hardship to place the dishes in front of each diner ourselves, but it's not what you dine out for. In all, a wonderful meal and experience. Will definitely be back.
MJBK
Was excited to try this new restaurant in the old Stellina space in Watertown Square. Upon my party of 4 being seated we were not approached once by a server for over 20 minutes. I finally asked if we had a waiter/waitress so we could get something to drink. We were given 3 small weird packages of bread (there were 4 of us) and there is a can of olive oil on the table to pour on your plate. We ordered a few appetizers and the meatballs were good but not hot at all but the marinara was tasty. Our other 2 appetizers of cauliflower and broccolini toast were just ok but not hot at all. Margarita pizza came as a thin crust and a weird layout of circles of marinara and a pesto sauce but the weirdest thing was the sharp pair of clippers that they served with the pizza to cut it. It was a hazard to say the least and it should have been a mini pizza cutter if to provide anything at all. A caesar salad with chicken milanese was just ok - the dressing really had not flavor and the chicken was dry. All in all not a great experience but a nice interior.
Greg Wnuk
Bar 'Cino has an upscale metropolitan feel that sets it apart in the Watertown downtown area. We sat at the bar and had great service, with a good drink selection and great menu with options that have a good range of price and variety.I ordered a pizza which can easily be eaten by one person if they're hungry. My partner got the risotto and found it very tasty. I will say that at least for our entrees the portion size will likely not leave much for leftovers.If you're in the area it's worth a stop in, they book up quickly so if be prepared to sit at the bar if you don't make a reservation or feel like waiting. Service will be good regardless.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Silas C
Good atmosphere and location. Good service. Pasta is ok. Better seafood pasta elsewhere. Meatballs and other apps were good. Good drinks. Definitely good place to try.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
PatrickM
This place opened with a BANG and now its just a blah. We went during Dine Out and the service completely changed - never mind the food quality. We had to ask for our server several times and then still the service never picked up. We even had to go to the hostess stand and ask for the server to come by or for water. The mgr did comp our meal and drinks, but still they seemed completely disorganized and unfocused on what they had before. I will not be returning.
barbaraf
Tried it out for restaurant week and will definitely be back. Both of us had the Salmon entree and it was cooked perfectly. I had their Caesar and friend had meatballs.desert was a dressed up pana cotta and salter caramel Felton. All yummy. Serious was fabulous.Lou was just the right amount of attentive. So go try it!!!
Erica L.
The food is delicious! We got the crispy cauliflower which I am OBSESSED with, and the meatballs to share. I then got the bolognese, one of us got the Caesar salad with chicken Milanese, and the other the carbonara. The chicken Milanese looked so good and I will definitely try that next! My friends got wine and I tried the South Shore daiquiri which I was not a fan of sadly. The waitress was very nice, but service was a little slow. It is a pretty restaurant and got more and more crowded around the bar area as the night got later!
Every part of our experience at Bar Cino was outstanding! The hostess was exceptional as was our waiter. We were celebrating a birthday and we will definitely be back for more celebrations. The food is excellent! I can't say enough!
It can be loud early in the evening ... so anyone with hearing issues may struggle. We had to wait for our table and the house sent over meatballs and chips PLUS credited our first drinks - which was a huge gesture! Thanks!!! Also on the BIG PLUS SIDE, the waitstaff are amazing and we were offered a taste test for what red wine we would choose. The server was practically giddy and their energy was a fun addition to the night. I love that there's a Bar'Cino I can now walk to in the neighborhood!!
Really nice decor and the vibe is great too. Amazing customer service. The food was also great, every dish was delicious and seasoned to perfection. My favorite was the Bruschetta with fig, prosciutto and goat cheese. Such an awesome combination. Definitely would recommend this place if you're looking for something to eat and have some drinks.
Hubert H.
A rather nuanced take on certain traditional Italian dishes. The farro salad with greens, Brussel sprouts, squash, and orange dressing was excellent. The greens were crispy and well balanced with the softer elements including the cheese and the roasted squash. The dressing was a bit heavy, but the dish was otherwise good. The crispy cauliflower with shallots, capers, and Calabrian honey were nicely fried and seasoned ... the honey was a bit too sweet but the allium bits were diced in small bits as not to overpower the dish. The fried seafood was probably the weakest dish of all, as the fried bits got a tad soggy over time and the lemon aoili was a bit too rich and there was too much of it. The fried lemon slices were a revelation though. The braised meatballs were excellent, accompanied by a polenta. The polenta was a bit too creamy and congealed after a while. Upon reheating though it's delicious. The grilled broccolini was tender and yet had a nice bite in it; again a little less olive oil could have been helpful. The Chicken Milanese was delicious; the meat was nicely fried and not super thick, with a pesto sauce on top. I think it had a bit of an anchovy flavor, which might have been a tad strong, and again, in general there was a bit too much oil content in the batter. The accompanying salad was also very good; it contained some chicories stems which I never really liked but I liked them here. The salad again was dressed a bit too heavily. The chocolate budino tart was excellent, with a crust that had a bit of an interesting spice in it (might have been star anise, or might have been something else). The raspberry sorbet was exceptionally refreshing, although a bit too sweet. The environment was a lot of fun to be in, although I can imagine it getting quite loud during weekends dinner service. Service was amazing; Alex was very attentive and informative about the various items on the menu.
D M.
Been here a couple of times and I would say it is ok. Had a pizza one time (flat bread style and they give you scissors to cut it). Food is plated well and tastes fine. Recently had had kale/bean. soup and SO had beet salad. Ambiance is just one big room with bar in middle and some nice tables along the window. However, if you are going to charge $13 for a straight liquor on the rocks please pour more than a thimble. Sure if people want all sorts of mixed, colorful drinks go ahead and pour them a measured shot and charge that. Won't be visiting again.
X X.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. I think I'd feel too awkward seeing those same workers in person again, but thank you for the offer.
Ani G.
I love Bar Cino! I go a lot. The atmosphere is great and the service is fast. I usually get share plates with my friends and bottles of wine. Some of their best is their Bruschetta with goat cheese and prosciutto, their calamari which also has fried lemons in it, and their Tristan Kale salad with sun-dried tomato dressing. The prices are reasonable too. Definitely a great place to meet friends, grab a drink, have a nice meal.
The Tuscan kale salad was tender with a tasty dressing topped with pine nuts. The mushroom pizza was so delicious and grilled to perfection. We will definitely return to try other items.
We dined early at Bar ‘Cino this evening. It's Restaurant Week, and this place offered three courses for $36; there were lots of choices in all three courses, so we decided to try it. Restaurant Week pre-fixe menus are a mixed bag; many restaurants fail to put their best foot forward in their effort to attract new diners. But tonight's experience was quite the opposite. Among the three of us, we ordered a romaine and kale Caesar, meatballs in polenta and sweet potato frittela first, followed by chicken Milanese, braised pork shoulder and grilled salmon. We closed a vanilla panna cotta and a couple of lemon cakes topped with strawberry mousse. All of the firsts and mains were very good, and some — the meatballs, chicken and pork — were excellent. Unlike many other restaurants running pre-fixe promos, Bar ‘Cino did not skimp on anything. The plates were all generous and in some cases (the meatballs, Caesar and chicken), they were enormous. The desserts were nothing to write home about; they seemed almost institutional in their ordinariness. But whatever, we'd already eaten, frankly, too much. We had a terrific server, Joseph, who was friendly, helpful, personable and relaxed. We enjoyed his repartee. But other aspects of the service were uneven. As common as slow service tends to be, especially in crowded restaurants, it's highly unusual that the service is too fast. But tonight's courses definitely came out too quickly, with virtually no time between them to catch our breath. Plus, the food runner essentially brought the dishes to the table and placed them anywhere there was room — not even placing the wrong choice in front of each diner. It's not that it was a hardship to place the dishes in front of each diner ourselves, but it's not what you dine out for. In all, a wonderful meal and experience. Will definitely be back.
Was excited to try this new restaurant in the old Stellina space in Watertown Square. Upon my party of 4 being seated we were not approached once by a server for over 20 minutes. I finally asked if we had a waiter/waitress so we could get something to drink. We were given 3 small weird packages of bread (there were 4 of us) and there is a can of olive oil on the table to pour on your plate. We ordered a few appetizers and the meatballs were good but not hot at all but the marinara was tasty. Our other 2 appetizers of cauliflower and broccolini toast were just ok but not hot at all. Margarita pizza came as a thin crust and a weird layout of circles of marinara and a pesto sauce but the weirdest thing was the sharp pair of clippers that they served with the pizza to cut it. It was a hazard to say the least and it should have been a mini pizza cutter if to provide anything at all. A caesar salad with chicken milanese was just ok - the dressing really had not flavor and the chicken was dry. All in all not a great experience but a nice interior.
Bar 'Cino has an upscale metropolitan feel that sets it apart in the Watertown downtown area. We sat at the bar and had great service, with a good drink selection and great menu with options that have a good range of price and variety.I ordered a pizza which can easily be eaten by one person if they're hungry. My partner got the risotto and found it very tasty. I will say that at least for our entrees the portion size will likely not leave much for leftovers.If you're in the area it's worth a stop in, they book up quickly so if be prepared to sit at the bar if you don't make a reservation or feel like waiting. Service will be good regardless.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Good atmosphere and location. Good service. Pasta is ok. Better seafood pasta elsewhere. Meatballs and other apps were good. Good drinks. Definitely good place to try.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
This place opened with a BANG and now its just a blah. We went during Dine Out and the service completely changed - never mind the food quality. We had to ask for our server several times and then still the service never picked up. We even had to go to the hostess stand and ask for the server to come by or for water. The mgr did comp our meal and drinks, but still they seemed completely disorganized and unfocused on what they had before. I will not be returning.
Tried it out for restaurant week and will definitely be back. Both of us had the Salmon entree and it was cooked perfectly. I had their Caesar and friend had meatballs.desert was a dressed up pana cotta and salter caramel Felton. All yummy. Serious was fabulous.Lou was just the right amount of attentive. So go try it!!!
The food is delicious! We got the crispy cauliflower which I am OBSESSED with, and the meatballs to share. I then got the bolognese, one of us got the Caesar salad with chicken Milanese, and the other the carbonara. The chicken Milanese looked so good and I will definitely try that next! My friends got wine and I tried the South Shore daiquiri which I was not a fan of sadly. The waitress was very nice, but service was a little slow. It is a pretty restaurant and got more and more crowded around the bar area as the night got later!
Every part of our experience at Bar Cino was outstanding! The hostess was exceptional as was our waiter. We were celebrating a birthday and we will definitely be back for more celebrations. The food is excellent! I can't say enough!
It can be loud early in the evening ... so anyone with hearing issues may struggle. We had to wait for our table and the house sent over meatballs and chips PLUS credited our first drinks - which was a huge gesture! Thanks!!! Also on the BIG PLUS SIDE, the waitstaff are amazing and we were offered a taste test for what red wine we would choose. The server was practically giddy and their energy was a fun addition to the night. I love that there's a Bar'Cino I can now walk to in the neighborhood!!
Restaurantji Recommends
Really nice decor and the vibe is great too. Amazing customer service. The food was also great, every dish was delicious and seasoned to perfection. My favorite was the Bruschetta with fig, prosciutto and goat cheese. Such an awesome combination. Definitely would recommend this place if you're looking for something to eat and have some drinks.
A rather nuanced take on certain traditional Italian dishes. The farro salad with greens, Brussel sprouts, squash, and orange dressing was excellent. The greens were crispy and well balanced with the softer elements including the cheese and the roasted squash. The dressing was a bit heavy, but the dish was otherwise good. The crispy cauliflower with shallots, capers, and Calabrian honey were nicely fried and seasoned ... the honey was a bit too sweet but the allium bits were diced in small bits as not to overpower the dish. The fried seafood was probably the weakest dish of all, as the fried bits got a tad soggy over time and the lemon aoili was a bit too rich and there was too much of it. The fried lemon slices were a revelation though. The braised meatballs were excellent, accompanied by a polenta. The polenta was a bit too creamy and congealed after a while. Upon reheating though it's delicious. The grilled broccolini was tender and yet had a nice bite in it; again a little less olive oil could have been helpful. The Chicken Milanese was delicious; the meat was nicely fried and not super thick, with a pesto sauce on top. I think it had a bit of an anchovy flavor, which might have been a tad strong, and again, in general there was a bit too much oil content in the batter. The accompanying salad was also very good; it contained some chicories stems which I never really liked but I liked them here. The salad again was dressed a bit too heavily. The chocolate budino tart was excellent, with a crust that had a bit of an interesting spice in it (might have been star anise, or might have been something else). The raspberry sorbet was exceptionally refreshing, although a bit too sweet. The environment was a lot of fun to be in, although I can imagine it getting quite loud during weekends dinner service. Service was amazing; Alex was very attentive and informative about the various items on the menu.
Been here a couple of times and I would say it is ok. Had a pizza one time (flat bread style and they give you scissors to cut it). Food is plated well and tastes fine. Recently had had kale/bean. soup and SO had beet salad. Ambiance is just one big room with bar in middle and some nice tables along the window. However, if you are going to charge $13 for a straight liquor on the rocks please pour more than a thimble. Sure if people want all sorts of mixed, colorful drinks go ahead and pour them a measured shot and charge that. Won't be visiting again.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. I think I'd feel too awkward seeing those same workers in person again, but thank you for the offer.
I love Bar Cino! I go a lot. The atmosphere is great and the service is fast. I usually get share plates with my friends and bottles of wine. Some of their best is their Bruschetta with goat cheese and prosciutto, their calamari which also has fried lemons in it, and their Tristan Kale salad with sun-dried tomato dressing. The prices are reasonable too. Definitely a great place to meet friends, grab a drink, have a nice meal.