Al Bacio Italian - Bristol

This restaurant is insulting to a nation by claiming to be a neighborhood Italian restaurant. My mother is Italian, and a key characteristic of such places is consistently good food, fresh ingredients, and friendly service. Al Bacio falls short in all areas. The service is terrible, unfriendly, and rude. The food ingredients are either frozen or not fresh, and the quality of cooking is subpar. The overall experience is quite disappointing, resembling the sight of a sick old dog that needs to be put out of its misery.

Ate there last night on the recommendation of our hotel: we were a tired group of 6. The staff were truly lovely, the food was pretty darn good (recommend the squid salad, the linguine gamberi lasagne). All good, for us. Enjoyed it.

The pizza was good, but the rest of the menu was disappointing. The restaurant decor was outdated and the seafood tasted like it was frozen, not fresh. It may have been popular in the past, but there are now many other restaurants that offer higher quality food at better prices. However, the staff were friendly and provided good service.

My family went to Al Bacio to celebrate my 11-year-old sister's birthday. Unfortunately, our experience was disappointing from the start. We were seated at a table for 6 despite being a party of 7. The service was slow and the staff appeared disinterested. They got my sister's drink order wrong and the wine was warm. Two of our main dishes, chicken milanese, were rotten and had to be sent back. The owner apologized for the mistake, but the damage was done. We were not offered dessert and had to request it ourselves. The bill was brought to us without us asking, and no discount was given for the poor experience. Despite my parents and sister having been to Al Bacio seven times before, we will not be returning after this disappointing visit.

Run by an Italian family this restaurant serves well cooked Italian staples. Plenty of pasta, pizza and chicken dishes with various starters and the usual list of puddings. It’s setting is charming if a little stark. The tunnel like rooms could do with some paintings and soft furnishings to soak up the sound of diners who behave as if no one else is there. There are no cosy out of the way tables for quiet dining but on the other hand it’s good that the place is popular and busy. Nothing wrongs with any of our food and wine and at prices that won’t startle. A good place for a good dollop of Italian food. Perhaps bring ear plugs!