Salthouse Bacaro

Bacaro on Castle Street was one of the new wave of restaurants and eateries to open up the Mediterranean vibe in the area in recent years and change it to what we have seen it become today. The continental vibe is a good one, and at Bacaro you can sample the best of both Italian and Spanish cuisine, in small plate form. Come for the pizzettes, and leave with the taste of Negroni in your mouth and a belly full of great food and fantastic puddings. A bacaro in Venice is a workingman’s pub where small plates are served as snacks in small bars – Bacaro has captured the essence of this perfectly, and elevated it to another level.

The Vibe

It is a real shame that for much of 2019 the front of Bacaro was covered in scaffolding and surrounded by construction and refurbishment works. Now that is all over and done with though, there is nothing preventing you from spotting it and popping in and trying some of the amazing food on offer. The corner property exudes cool, and feels like the sophisticated Italian bars you find in Venice, where you can sip on a Campari and pick at a range of delicious small plates for a couple of hours at your leisure. It is quite small and always busy, but we find that the staff are always on the best side of attentive and even if you turn up and haven’t booked a table, they will genuinely do their best to find you a table. The classic furnishings and simple décor make it aesthetically-pleasing on the eye, and it is a great place to dine with a date, it’s got that special feeling to it.

The Food

It is best to ask the waiting staff what they would personally recommend, and how many dishes you should plump for. The size of the small plates are perfect, and sharing with someone else you could comfortably get by with 5 or 6 (depending on how excited you get when you look at the menu!). The inspiration is Spanish and Italian small plates, and there are some absolute corkers on the menu.

There is far too much to shout about, so we’ll go one dish from each section that has delivered heaven to our stomachs over the last few visits. The garlic and tomato bread with added Nduja sausage a great way to start off proceedings, whilst the chorizo in honey as a small starter is divine. The little pizzettes are small and delicious versions of pizza, with the braised beef, harissa, and salted ricotta a favourite. The slow cooked octopus is a brilliant part of the seafood and fish section of the menu, and the chilli and garlic broccoli the best of the vegetarian part of the menu. For meat, we always choose something like the buttermilk chicken Milanese, or the slow braised feather blade beef lasagne. What you should be getting from this is that every single small plate is carefully crafted, using the very best ingredients, to deliver the highest quality of food to your table. There is a real focus on simplicity with the drinks menu, and as with the food selections, we find that the staff are always the best place to start in terms of what to drink. The Negroni and Bellini sections are outstanding, and worth the visit to Bacaro alone.

The whole experience is second-to-none, with very few restaurants offering this level of quality on all fronts.

The Price

Most of the main small plates are priced around the £6 and £7 mark, whilst the smaller starters are around £2. The puddings are around similar prices to the main small plates.