Il Bazzali

Chiara

5.0

Cibo ottimo, sapori veramente italiani e profumi deliziosi. Lo chef è anche un magnifico cantante. Una bellissima esperienza!

Emilio

5.0

Best italian restaurant in town

Philip

3.0

Food was very slow to arrive
Atmosphere is great & the owner sings italian

Edoardo

5.0

Magnifica cena, ottimo cibo italiano, autentico. Emozionante la performance del titolare, il signor Bazzali, un tenore che con il suo canto ci ha fatto ricordare l'Italia del secolo scorso e tante storie di emigrazione.....
Quando torno a Montreal, ritornerò....

Yanick

5.0

Went there for my birthday & was happy to have an Italian singer with a beautiful voice. The dish carefully made with fresh pasta. The whole vibe was pure Italia.

Jules

5.0

Lovely service, delicious bread basket, & everyone was very happy with their dishes! A place I would gladly take anyone craving nice homemade Italian food.

Derek

5.0

Food was excellent, Chef came to chat with us & even serenaded the place with an Italian song. Definitely recommend

My

5.0

Cute Italian restaurant serving comfort food. The raviolis are really good. Service was super attentive. Opéra bonus nights as well ;)

Trevor

5.0

Unpretentious Fine Dining

As an artist (& not one that comes from a moneyed background),'fine dining' is something that can be relatively impossible. In fact, most of the typical fine dining experiences make me queasy: overpriced, minuscule morsels of food that leave you heading for a burger immediately after you've emptied your paycheque on a few forkfuls of'food', having just spent 3 hours amongst horribly pretentious influencers & Instagrammers, unable to avoid hearing their inane & vapid yammering from every corner of the restaurant. (I also NEVER wait in line to go eat somewhere… Montréal seems to be just as famous for people waiting in line for eggs on toast as it is for being served eggs on toast. It's eggs on toast, people, c'mon!!). I do not feel comfortable forcing myself TO BE comfortable in these establishments.

On the very special occasion that I do end up with the opportunity to eat out somewhere, it needs to be worth it, & on realistic terms. It often helps when friends or family come to town, & we go out for meals. Not that we don't treat ourselves on the regular, but it beats eating in a tiny flat & having to do the dishes in an even smaller kitchen. & just a couple of blocks away, with the same comforts of being in a homely environment, is the incredibly unique, & equally unpretentious restaurant Il Bazalli, at the crossroads of Little Italy & La Petite Patrie, just a few blocks east of St Laurent on Beaubien.

This gem of a neighbourhood eatery serves truly amazing Italian cuisine, while nestled in mismatched chairs & ramshackle booths. Oh, & being sung to by the owner & chef, Davide Bazalli. Yes. Opera no less. If you have heard about'that Italian place in Montréal with the handsome opera singer', this is the place.

We have been to Il Bazalli several times since they opened ten years ago, & I have never left a review. We most recently visited for my birthday celebration, & we were not let down! They were able to cater to our group of sixteen, & there was something there for everyone. The staff were extremely courteous & patient, not to mention extremely helpful & very knowledgeable about the food & wine selection. Over the past years, I think I have had most items from the menu, if not ordered for myself, but shared from the plate of my wife. The cod accras are a usual favourite, but tonight I went for their braised beef & mushroom stuffed arancini (a few months back, during the restaurant's anniversary celebrations, we had BEET arancini!!) About the size of a walnut, I felt like a bit of a savage eating these crispy morsels whole, but they were incredible! For my main, I had the Linguini'Goloso' (see photo) which was Parmigiano Reggiano cream, smoked lardons, mushrooms, caramelized onions & Parmigiano Reggiano. Ravioli, cod filet in pizzaïoli sauce, braised beef scoter, pizza, beef & salmon tartare, not one of our 16 guests were left disappointed! We were only disappointed we didn't have room for dessert, although this birthday boy did get a slice of almond & orange cake (vegan & gluten free!)

In a persistently gentrifying city that seems to be favouring pretention over true cultural substance, Il Bazalli is the type of place one would hope to find in their neighbourhood. Check it out!

Adrian

5.0

Fantastic Italian restaurant, loved the food & the service was great!