Bacco Vino Contorni - Providence

We came during the city's Al Fresco open-air dining event. Although the staff was clearly working hard to accommodate the event's extra crowds, service still felt personal and friendly. The food was excellent, and the portions were huge.

Usually my favorite but this time everything was a little off. Need more service, one person cannot handle all that load of diners. Hated the new room, lacked the fun of coziness, very dark probably due to wall color, darkest grey) SO NOISY! Couldn’t enemy converse. The food is always great but this time, I felt it lacked something.

My husband and I dined at Bacco for the first time; the restaurant was highly recommended, and I always enjoyed Zooma, the owner's previous place of employment. I was so disappointed in the experience. The table of very loud young women next to us as well as the guitar player/singer made enjoying a conversation with my husband – who was celebrating his birthday – virtually impossible. The owner, who was also our server, never came back to our table to continue with wine service, and I had to flag down another server for a water glass refill. These were my very basic expectations given that I was paying for entrees in the $30 $35 range. We couldn’t even stay for dessert. The noise volume was unbearable. I’m not against people having a good time, but respect for fellow diners should be a given. We went across the street to Zooma, sat at the bar and had after dinner drinks and dessert – very pleasant atmosphere. We could hear ourselves think. On the day after, I searched online reviews, and I wished I read them before making the reservation. Other diners wrote: “The noise was deafening.” “The service was terrible.” “Service slow.” “Not good.” I wish this was a review for an unforgettable evening. It was unforgettable, for certain, but not in a good way. I could think of so many more ways to have spent $200. What makes the situation even more unfortunate is that the food was good. We just couldn't enjoy it in that atmosphere.

The food was authentic and delicious. The chef/owner personally attended to the customers and he and his staff had great food and wine recommendations. It’s a great restaurant and we’ll be back for sure.

The Armando Experience at Bacco is the chef's tasting menu, and it was, perhaps, the greatest meal of my life.