BarBara is described as a cozy spot with a strong wine list where the focaccia, burrata, fresh pasta, and a varied Italian menu continually delight groups and date nights, with the ricotta honey focaccia and cacio e pepe repeatedly praised alongside dishes like arancini and bucatini; the ambiance on the terrace or inside is consistently welcoming and stylish, and cocktails and wine are often highlighted as excellent complements to the food, but several reviews flag small portions for the price, occasional slow or crowded service, and loudness at peak times or on the terrace; overall the place is seen as a beloved neighborhood spot for flavorful food, good value wine, and a lively convivial mood, with the experience varying depending on timing and pace.
We came for lunch & the standout was the focaccia special. It had vegetables on top & I don't even like vegetables but it was so good we ordered another. The cacio e Pepe was alright, nothing special. The restaurant is really clean & has a great interior!
Belle terrasse, bonne ambiance, le tout très goûteux & bien balancé. Les portions & les choix sont parfaits pour partager plusieurs plats à deux! Il suffit de se présenter tôt - nous n'avons pas eu à attendre. 😋
Edit: j'y suis retournée pour le brunch. la sandwich aux figues & le latte pepe ARE TO DIE FOR!!
Mar 3, 2026
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Bar Bara is absolutely fantastic. The cacio e pepe is a true classic, perfectly creamy & flavorful every time, & the focaccia is always insane, soft, airy, & packed with flavor.
Be aware that there are no reservations, so be prepared to wait, but it's totally worth it. A must-visit spot
From the greeting we knew it would be a great evening. The staff felt like family & welcomed us from the first our first step into this beautiful setting restaurant. We had focaccia, traditional salt & rosemary which reminded me of my Nonna's when I was young. Excellent wine selection too. We also had the calamari as a side dish. Our main meal was the famous caccio & Pepe & squash agnolotti in a buttery sage sauce. Both dishes were well portioned not to over stuff us. We even had place for an excellent carrot cake with some caramel on top. My wife & I totally enjoyed & wish to share this culinary establishment. The entire team there were looked very proud of their work & food. I would give 6 stars for service if possible.
bro this caccio e pepe is a joke i had to get mcdonald's right after cause of the portion size 😭 it was good but seriously you can find better, sorry it's overhyped!! & the price is ridiculous for the portion size, don't be fooled by these pictures the plate is so small
Nous avons toujours passé d'excellentes soirées...à chaque fois ,tout était parfait : la nourriture , notamment le caccio & pepe, les calmars frits ,les polpettes, les frites parmesan pour ne nommer que ces plats ; les vins ; l'ambiance; la terrasse; le service & les attentions du personnel ...nous n'avons hâte qu'à une chose , c'est d'y retourner ! 😊
The lowdown: one of the most beautiful resto bars in the city especially on the terrace in the evening. Been twice for dinner; the two pasta dishes I had tasted good.. the sauce spot on. However, for the price, a bit larger portion would be fair. I would also suggest to swap the type of pasta of the cacio e pepe to something like penne for a visually pleasing dish. The only real issue I experienced at this resto was the service for the terrace. It's a bit disorganized because different staff manage this. They've sat other people first who arrived after us..& there are no reservations for the terrace... & they got a choice of the better located table. This was strange because there clearly was a line up inside (which is where they ask customers to wait). So it makes sense that only one employee handles the seating for the terrace, especially at peak times. One last thing is there are a few servers who are polite but a tad impatient. My first experience here was dinner inside & the server was great.
J'ai beaucoup entendu parler de Bar Bara & j'avais vraiment hâte de vivre l'expérience. Nous avons malheureusement été déçus du service & nous ne retournerons pas à ce restaurant. Une de mes entrées préférées sont les arancinis & nous y allions spécifiquement pour les essayer & à notre arrivée le serveur nous a dit que les arancinis seraient seulement disponible dans 1heure. Nous avons commandés d'autres entrées, en attendant ainsi que le plat principal. 1 heure après, nous avons demandé si les enfin arancinis étaient disponibles & on nous dit que finalement il n'y en aurait pas du tout de toute la soirée! Le serveur n'a même fini son service & a demandé a un autre serveur de nous faire payer. Lorsqu'on nous nous dirigions vers la sortie le serveur nous a vu, a détourné le regard, & nous a même pas dit au revoir. Je ne comprend pas qu'est ce qu'on a fait pour recevoir cette attitude. De plus, nous avions commandé les pâtes cacio e pepe & celles au ragu, & les deux baignaient dans l'huile, on mangeait quasiment une soupe d'huile. Vraiment déçus de l'expérience en général.
I used to LOVE this place but unfortunately will not be in my favourites anymore. The waitors don't come see you often & i was very thirsty waiting for water, to order dessert, drinks, i even had to wait 30 minutes to finally request the bill. I stopped multiple waitors to request for salt, or water, a drink. The atmosphere is VERY LOUD. The music, the people, so if you're looking for a calmer environment this isn't your place!!! Waiting times are also very long & the thing i appreciate least is HOW TIGHT THIS PLACE IS! Sit on the terrace if you want more space because inside you will sometimes sit with strangers on tables that are stuck, or can sit on 4 people table with 2 strangers if you're 2 people. The pasta is amazing but the shrimp pasta was a dish i did not like at all. The ragu, the cacio e pepe, the ceasar's salad, foccacia, all BANGERS. Unfortunately i rated this place a 2 because after sharing my disappointment with the taste of shrimp pasta sauce (taste like fishy sea water), the person in charge was very deceived/resentful & said they'd still charge me for personal taste. I come from a family of fishers, i love shrimps but this sauce was not it. Pros: food is good (except for shrimp pasta in my personal opinion) & the drinks have virgin drinks & freshhhh food. Cons: too tight, too loud, long waiting lines (although outside of their control) & rude response from person in charge if you dislike/have an opinion based on certain foods!
May 20, 2025
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This place is 100% worthy of the hype. The service is as phenomenal as the food. I took my partner here for a birthday lunch & it was a perfect, cozy spot. The restaurant is packed but not oppressivly so: the layout is great & it's packed because people are enjoying the experience & lingering. Friend: This is a place where you want to linger. First up, we got the focaccia, the daily special (i think it was a potato/tomato/chive w/ melted parm) & the honey, ricotta. The special was light, fluffy & savory. Honestly one of the best focaccia in the city, second, of course, to the honey ricotta. I will be dreaming about this focaccia. It was salty & sweet. Heavier than the daily special (likely because of the ricotta). I will be going back again to get that focaccia. Next up, our lunch mains: I had the roasted mozzarella with almond pesto. It was light, citrus -y & delicious. It wasn't at all what I was expecting! The mild cheese was a great pairing for the zesty pesto & the arugula! My partner got the cacio e pepe: it was perfect. It was creamy & peppery & the pasta was the perfect texture. A delightful classic. Finally: dessert. The only thing we weren't a fan of was the pistachio tiramisu. This was absolutely an'us' thing & nothing to do with the dessert itself. It's a mild, rich, almost cheesecake pistachio marscapone layered with a espresso cake. It was a nice texture & a great flavor (just wasn't my thing). If you like less sweet desserts & love espresso: This will be your heaven. All in all - a great experience & i look forward to coming back to try the coffee & the rest of the menu!
Love their wine list! Personally, I prefer their appetizers over their pasta. The cacio e pepe lacks a bit of flavor. The focaccia, arancini, parmesan fries & polpettes are all delicious. Since they do not take reservations, do expect to wait 45 minutes on busy evenings.
Dec 22, 2024
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I recently visited Barbara Vin in Montreal with two friends for dinner & drinks, & overall, it was a great experience with a few minor downsides. Since they don't take reservations, we had to wait in line, which was a bit long, but the host was really accommodating. About halfway through the wait, he brought us to a little corner spot to browse the drink menu & enjoy a drink while we waited, which was a nice touch. He also offered us seating on the terrace, which is absolutely beautiful, but unfortunately, you can't have alcohol out there due to permit restrictions. The restaurant itself is very cute & fun, with cool decor that adds to the ambiance. We shared burrata, focaccia, parmesan fries as appetizers, followed by two pasta dishes (cacio e pepe & campanelle), which was plenty for the three of us. Everything was delicious! I had an Amaro Limonata, which was amazing, & my friends enjoyed margaritas. The drinks were good & affordable, but they were on the smaller side. While the vibe was super cool, the service was a little slow, & it took a while for our food to arrive. Despite that, I'd definitely go back & would recommend this spot to others. It's worth the wait!
Edit* been twice since my first time, Both times I ordered the bolognese & both times they brought me the cacio Pepe. I understand it's a simple mistake but if you're not writing the order down when we're ordering 10 things obviously something is going to get mixed up . Besides that the pastas didn't match the quality of the first time I ate there... probably will not come back Food & wines are yummy, the staff is nice however it got a little ratchet when I was there last time . The Managers were clearly piss drunk, standing on tables barefoot pouring shots from the bottles into eachothers mouths, falling off the tables...etc not sure it's the look they want to be giving off.
The food was 10/10 We had focaccia with ricotta/honey, cacio pepe pasta, green bean salad & the steak. All incredible. Because they don't take reservations the wait can be SUPER long but in our case we got lucky & only waited about 20 minutes.
