Il Baretto

The food was good but the service and some issues let it down severely.
All started well but issues began early. Ordered the wine and fair enough this is aplace that pours a sip so they can smell the wine to check it but the guy literally poured half a glass, swirlled it, smelt it, and quite frankly that pissed me off. It was very obvious you wanted us to buy more but no need to do it so obviously, the way you pour the wine and water non stop …
The starters were good but the parma ham and melon was forgotten about. When asked where the dish was, we were told there was «confusion in the kitchen» aka they forgot.
Mains were good. Ordered the second bottle of wine but they got the young waiter to open it. For some reason he didnt know how to use a corkscrew and was picking away at the cork and on the 5^th go, pulled the cork and it snapped inside. Anyway long story short, wanted to sell us the wine post coffee filtered to remove the cork. We said no and were told that was the last bottle. Decided to choose another wine when magically another «last» bottle arrived. Were we born yesterday?
Wont rush back anytime soon.

Was so excited to come back here after eating here for the first time November 2014. What a huge disappointment! I don’t know if they’ve changed chefs and/​or management but it was awful. Appetizers were burrata with truffles, fried zucchini and garlic bread. Very average. Waited a while for someone to ask if we wanted wine. Main courses were pasta with mushrooms, which my girls said was okay. Husband got lasagna, kind of burnt on top, no cheese oozing out in middle. I got veal Milanese which came with a skimpy portion of arugula and one cherry tomato. Veal Milanese was awful. Breading was separating from the meat as I was cutting it. Desserts were okay. Nothing special. Coffee came with check. Needless to say we were very disappointed and will never come back. Prices were outrageous — $ 300 usd for mediocre quality.

For the price of the meal, I’ve definitely had better. £300 for 5 people. We came on a Thursday evening and it was very crowded. Came at 8:30 and didn’t get a table until 10pm. The waiting area was very small and uncomfortable, against the door waiting. Make sure you make reservations. During the wait they have asked us for drinks. I wanted to see their beer selection (if they have any) but instead they have gotten me a beer and I do not know what type it is but I am not picky anyways. We also got a bottle of wine while waiting but it was so crowded it was so awkward to drink anything. We got seated downstairs right beside the pizza oven bar. I ordered the swordfish appetizer (£13) it was a good portion but a bit salty for me. I tried my hubby’s tuna tartare and it was good! Next I had the veal for my main (£33), I was surprised at the portion — huge veal but it was very deep fried. Great portion but too fried for me. My hubby had a beef filet with foie gras and said it was amazing! For dessert I got the crème Bruelle and it was one of the most disappointing desserts I’ve had. (£9.5) the pudding was not the standard crème Bruelle, doesn’t taste like any egg in it. It appeared to be a green paste. Service was good.
They ensure our wine glasses were full and refilled my beer when emptied. Since we got seated so late we were there until 12 and they rushed us out.
I may come again but definitely not order the same dishes.

OOOOK, children, this is a first for me too, so let’s just hold my hand for a minute here.
I’m updating my review because it’s fair, and even though we all know how much I dislike admitting I was wrong, or eating italian food in restaurants that I consider pretentious and not as good as my nonna’s food — I am indeed here.
Went to Il Baretto again last night and it was a sensational food experience. Ended up in a table of 12 with a sublime amount of food, including the burrata (fresh, amazing tomatoes), parmigiana (delish), the asparagus with egg yolk (good), the goat cheese over string beans (also good), and as for main, risotto (fuck yeah), mac and cheese with truffles (lord help me) and my absolute favorite discovery — filet beef with pan seared foie gras and truffles over a bed of broccoli.
Shall I just type that again quickly? Cover your excitement, London, it’s as good as it sounds.
Service was much better than I had experienced and … filet with foie gras people. Do NOT let me repeat this.

One of the two best pizza places in London (not saying that much). The Calzone is great.
Rest of food mediocre.

Pretty good Italian restaurant. Not the best I’ve had though. A little pricy but you’re paying for the vibe. Dress-​up a bit.

Food: We ordered the tagliere, the margherita pizza, the capricciosa pizza and the bread basket. Everything we ordered was good.
Drinks: We ordered two bellinis.
Price: It’s definitely not cheap. For two people our bill was 78.75 GBP.
Ambiance: The restaurant was definitely hopping.
Service: We sat at the bar and the service was confusing because the bartender would only take our drink order. When we told him we would like to order food he said we had to order from someone else. By the time we found that «someone else» 20 minutes had gone by. No one wanted to take responsibility of the two people sitting at the bar.
Would I go back? Yes, since it’s around the corner from where we live, but wouldn’t go back often due to the price.

food was good… service was a bit cloying. lots of staff… but not really in the right place at the right time. Decent ambience, conversation was possible without screaming. Good quality food… too highly priced.

I love this place. Quality ingredient and friendly atmosphere.
And right now, they are doing a make over and should reopen soon.
Great for dinner for 2 or more, family «brunch» on weekend…

Traditional italian restaurant in Marylebone, quite big in the basement, supersmall at street level (from which the name I guess).
I have been here with a friend for dinner on a sunday night and the place was reasonably full, however they didn’t have the speciality on the menù, the Burrata cheese. We opted for some apetizers with Parma ham and a pasta with sepia, really good. Dessert and wine were okay too.
The menu offers a variety of traditional italian dishes from different regions, however I think it is a bit overpriced. Being Italian, I liked it but I won’t be a regular here.

So this restaurant was highly rate by Time Out London, but it under delivered. I was seated at the bar which was fine and then offered bread and water — this added 8£ to the bill plus a 12.5% service charge. Wines by the glass were limited as well. The appetizer and main were good but not exceptional. I think this place is over rated.

Il Baretto was our first meal in London and was highly recommended by our conceirage and they did not disappoint. The restaurant itself is really cute and nicely decorated and the staff were very friendly and attentive (we asked one of the waiters his suggestions on going out later and he gave us a list of his favorite spots in SOHO). I can’t remember details of our meal but all three of us enjoyed our dishes very much and had no complaints whatsoever. The only odd thing is we were there right when they opened so we were seated first in the corner, and as more people started coming in instead of spreading us out they seated every table in our vacinity making «our» little corner a very «tight» little corner. Definitely not a complaint just kind of odd lol and it made for some what of an obstacle course getting in and out of our chairs. Anyway lol it was amazing and a great way to start of our vacation.

I’ve been to this place 4 times over the last year, and I agree with the majority of the reviewers. The food is solidly good. Not amazing, but everything I’ve had there is good to very good (the tiramisu is excellent). The food is generally fresh, authentic, well prepared and well presented classic Italian. Nothing crazy. But the service ranges from indifferent to atrocious. The space is crammed and loud, and yes, you do have to book or risk The Sneer. Yet, it remains a popular place, which mystifies me because the prices are also quite high. For roughly the same price, go to Locanda Locatelli for more imaginative, delicious food with flawless service.

Great selection of Italian wines.

Il Baretto offers diners classic regional Italian fare that is very well prepared and presented. Located a short walk from the bustle of the high street, the restaurant has an authentic feel; the atmosphere is casually elegant. The staff is very welcoming and attentive without being at all intrusive.
I’ve eaten here on several occasions and experienced both high quality food and pleasant, professional service. Despite the misgivings of some fellow reviews I would recommend the place if you’re in the neighborhood. Although I’ve had no issues being seated, sounds as though it may be best to phone ahead…

We stumbled across this place on a recent trip down to London on a walk around Marlyebone between appointments. We were looking for a quiet place to have a late lunch, and Il Baretto appeared to fit the bill.
I’d say this was a 2.5 star experience. I waffled between 2 and 3 mostly because the food was good, but the the service was rubbish. I agree with the previous reviewers– boy are they self important. It was nearly 3:00 in the afternoon and the place was EMPTY. I think there were four tables occupied but one of the hostesses (why a restaurant of that size, at that time of day needs 5 people loitering around the front desk of a very small reception area, I don’t know) felt the need to pointedly ask if we had a reservation and then proceed to examine the seating area to apparently shame us for 1) having the audacity to NOT make a reservation and 2) make a bit of a show of doing us a favor by giving us a table (imagine our surprise when, taken downstairs, there was a sea of empty tables).
Despite ample availability, they smooshed us into a two-​top right next to one of the other three parties in the dining room (although that turned out to be an entertaining– albeit another exercise in semi-​pretentiousness since it happened to be a «power lunch» with Richard Curtis who was discussing his upcoming movie and the casting for another with his lunch companion).
Onto the food– it was good. MRN had the special– lamb shank and I had the lobster ravioli. The ravioli was delicious– a small, but a good lunch-​size portion. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to salvage the experience. Service is always my top priority, and it makes the restaurant for me. I’d go back to a restaurant with just okay food if the service was outstanding– but that’s just me. No matter how good the food is, if the service stinks, so does the restaurant. Pompous, arrogant and self-​important front of house is my BIGGEST pet peeve; and it does not make for a pleasant meal. I’d rather keep looking for a terrific restaurant with amazing food AND service rather than return to Il Baretto.

Finally got over to a local spot, Il Baretto, in Marylebone. From the outside, it looks like a cute wine bar — with stools in the window and a cozy atmosphere. That feel pretty much stops there as you’re whisked downstairs to the very busy and very loud downstairs dining area. This place would fit right in in New York’s Meat Packing district with its unable-​to-​make-​conversation-​with-​the-​person-​sitting-​across-​from-​you loudness, the amount of «fake» everything you see walking through the door, the countless numbers of table’s checks that you know are going on corporate cards, and the clear absence of any locals (b/​c we should know better!).
Enter the menus — starting with the wine menu: for a place being marketed as a «wine bar,» their selection of wines by the glass is not only limited but extremely expensive. One would think they would at least offer tasting portions or perhaps even a flight. But no. The rest of the menu offered much of the same over-​indulgence, under-​performance.
We started with the Black ink tagliolini with crab meat & courgette (though they must have been out of courgette that night, replacing it with a large helping of cherry tomatoes). We then had the Stuffed rabbit with black olives & potatoes, & Scallops & prawns sautéed with fresh peas. The rabbit dish was pleasantly delicious, though a bit dry — saved slightly by the sauce. The scallop and prawn dish was a mess. The prawns were of the peel-​and-​eat variety, heads and all, not something one wants to deal with when eating a nice dinner out. Not to mention the fact that once you tackled the shell, they were pitifully dry inside. 3 tiny prawns and 3 tiny scallops later, it left me wanting more, only b/​c I was still hungry and just paid almost 30 quid for a snack. Oh and just a note: the «fresh peas» were in the form of a green smear on the plate… they took creative liberty on that one I guess.
As mentioned already, portions for both main dishes were quite small and for the prices you pay, they either need to load up your plate or serve outstanding food, neither of which were the case.
Overall, this was an unnecessarily expensive night out in a neighborhood that has so many wonderful spots to eat, at half the price. We will not be going back, nor recommending it to anyone we know and like.

[Non-​photo review] For full review, please see:
THE LITTLE BAR THAT COULD Summary: Il Baretto aims to project a sleek and modern image, which it pulls off just fine in terms of aesthetics, but the food underlying its somewhat perplexing menu groupings is generally classic Italian fare. Overall, the dishes we had were fresh, well prepared and some were bursting with flavor (it’s all about the burrata), although none of it save for a rather unusual dessert was particularly adventurous. It is a nice place to go if you fancy a fancy Italian meal and don’t want any surprises, and the staff is generally very welcoming and professional plus you may find it interesting for people watching. I liked it and appreciated the skill in the kitchen, but wasn’t bowled over. The phantom floor So that’s it, we’re officially residents of New York. Given America’s love affair with all things Italian especially the food I thought I’d start off my Stateside blogging with a little review (‘little’ by my standards, I suppose) of a restaurant run by Italians and managed by a London-​based restaurant mafia boss. That would be Il Baretto on Blandford Street, just off Marylebone High Street and seconds away from a trio of restaurants beginning with ‘L’ (L’Autre Pied, La Fromagerie, Le Relais de Venise) and other interesting places such as Trishna and The Providores. The location has, so far as I am aware, been an Italian restaurant for a number of years (I think it was called Giusto in its last incarnation). Arjun Waney is the man behind Il Baretto, who decided to add the restaurant to his growing portfolio of higher-​end eateries in 2009 he is also behind the likes of Zuma, Roka and La Petit Maison. Il Baretto apparently means the little bar in Italian at least according to Google Translator and not a type of gun, as I had first envisaged, which screwed up my original choice of title for this post (I can hear your sighs of disappointment). And a little bar it is, on the face of it at least. The defiantly dainty but certainly swanky small ground floor room does have a little bar at the back, as well as a few close-​to-​the-​floor tables and a row of stools along a small counter that face the window looking out to the street. Perfect for a glass of prosecco and a snack maybe a pizza or some cicchetti but not much more than that. You will almost definitely be met by Italians when you check in at the little reception desk immediately past the door so far as I could tell, there were only Italians in the front of house. And the ones at reception will probably be very tall and glamorous looking women. While I had sampled some of their pizzas on a previous occasion in the upstairs room it was my good friend the Phantom Medic’s birthday, and he really likes it there, you see I had never been to the underground lair that lay below. As one of the aforementioned Italian models led us down the narrow staircase, I was surprised to find a rather large and pretty slick formal dining room in the subterranean space, replete with a semi-​open kitchen. I was told by the Phantom that it tends to be quite a scene down there at night. And I can confirm that during our meal an A-​list Hollywood star was indeed sitting in the corner near our table so the good doctor doesn’t tell a fib. As it happens, I had been invited to dine that evening by said doctor as a sort of send-​off before moving to the US. It is one of his favorite haunts and he had wanted me to try it out for some time. Confusing menu, simple food After being greeted by a slew of Italian waiters each one welcomed Dr. J as if he was their long-​lost best friend and asked after him, his family, his cat all par for the course when dining out with this guy while I waited in the recesses, wondering when we could sit down and order some food! :) I found the menu at Il Baretto to be slightly odd. There was one page of ‘Starters’, which included a fairly random assortment of dishes (many were not your typical ‘antipasti’) and a selection of salads; then there was a page with ‘Carpacci’ at the top and ‘Primi’ below (were the carpacci Starters or Primi, and what exactly was the difference?); then a page which I assumed to be main courses, which included the sub-​headings of ‘Kitchen’ and ‘Robata Grill’ (hmmrolling concepts out horizontally across the group, are weRoka anyone?). Anyhow, I found it difficult to figure out how many of what type of dishes to order and so forth, but luckily there wasn’t really a problem as the Phantom knew the menu well and we devised a tasting régime of sorts for ourselves, with the help of the friendly and proficient waiter. Once we had ordered, we briefly chatted with the sommelier to select a bottle of wine that might suit the rather fishy direction the meal had taken and ended up with a bit of a gem. 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Quarz, TerlanoA special meal deserved a special wine, after all, and I was very happy to be drinking Terlan’s 2007

Wow, this place is self-​important. I guess it’s the fact that they count Gwenyth and Madonna among their clientele. I was under the (mistaken) impression that I could walk in and be seated at 8pm on a Tuesday without a reservation. The hostess looked at me like I had just asked her to club a baby seal or something. I asked if we could perhaps sit at the bar. She pointed to the bar facing out to the street jammed in front of the staircase and told us to sit there. It turned out to be a great place to a) people watch and b) to watch the snooty staff turn other unsuspecting, reservation-​less people away.
We ordered a bottle of rose. The bartender put it on the bar across the room where it sat looking very sad and undrunk for about 15 minutes before we got to try it. And then it returned to it’s sad space on the bar and mocked us, as we sat with empty glasses through the rest of our meal.
I ordered the lobster and pasta dish. It was pretty much devoid of seasoning. The hubs ordered the rabbit, which apparently had gotten plenty of salt. Perhaps the additional was supposed to go on mine? Anyway, the dishes were not very good. And we were both very disappointed with our meal. Someone finally noticed our wine hanging out on the bar, and brought it over. We promptly drank it at near room temperature, paid the bill, and left.
I really have no desire to return.

Great food & buzzing atmosphere. Service has improved since our visit a year ago. Would recommend sea bass — salt-​baked and the tastiest!