Living Dublin Restaurants

Il Baccaro

Meeting House Square

To dinner the other night in Il Baccaro, the little barrel-vaulted wine bar and restaurant tucked in the corner of Meeting House Square in Temple Bar. I'd had lunch in Il Bacarro on a couple of occasions before and enjoyed it but this was the first time I'd been there in the evening.

Twelve of us were sending off a colleague on her first maternity leave. Arriving late as usual, having torn ourselves from our desks, we were shown to our places. The layout of the place - two single-vaulted rooms designed to look like a Roman cellar - means that any long table has effectively a private space of its own, making it particularly suitable for groups.

The rest of the evening supported this impression. Friendly, efficient Italian staff served from a very authentic Italian menu. Although the menu was short it was nice to see that they avoided the traditional pasta stalwarts (and pizza altogether), putting their own spin on the dishes offered. I've heard the menu changes daily, so there's no need for full details here: suffice to say that between the twelve of us we covered a good range of the menu and there were no complaints. A pan-fried beef in rocket was particularly well received and my own farfalle in a crabmeat sauce was both tasty and original.

Prices were very reasonable, given the Temple Bar location. I noticed that Il Baccaro do not use starters and extras to add weight to the bill in the way some restaurants do. The wine prices however, seemed heavy, but this is a specialist wine bar and the house carafe will be more than adequate for most palates, as evidenced by the number we consumed. With most of the party having three courses plus coffee, a lot of wine and a couple of liqueurs thrown in, the total bill was less than 40 euro per head. There was no service charge, gratuity being left to our discretion.

You don't have to eat in Il Baccaro. On a fine evening, sit outside in Meeting House Square and enjoy the wine list amidst the buzz of Temple Bar.

March 2005

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