Baroncini Ristorante Italiano
| Address: | 104 S Linn St, Iowa City, IA 52240, USA |
| Phone: | +1 319-337-2048 |
| Site: | baroncinirestaurant.com |
| Rating: | 4.2 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–2PM 11:30AM–2PM 11:30AM–2PM 11:30AM–2PM 11:30AM–2PM 5–10PM Closed |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 11
MA
Matt Uhlman
With a surprising number of Italian places available, we were excited to try this new spot that came with accolades from some friends - were glad we tried it! This is a place that has true five star potential and could be one the premier spots I town with a few small improvements. The ambiance is just right and the 12 or 13 tables really creates a nice atmosphere that is quaint, but not pretentious. Apps range from $8-11, pastas $10 -25, mains $20-30 and desserts around $6. We split four courses and were impressed with all of them. We started with the squid, octopus, and cuttlefish in puff pastry. It was light, fresh and overall just delightful! The pasta was fettucini with truffle and mushroom sauce. Not heavy, just very good. The duck breast was lovely with its friend polenta in tow and graced by spinach that reminded you its important to make vegetables delicous - the dish wasnt amazing, but was very solid. The tiramisu was quite possibly the best weve ever had! It was prepared cylindrical with a trellis of chocolate surrounding. The dessert was hands down one of the best weve had in a long time. The poached pear also looked good, but we were happy with our choice. Wine list was solid, beer list good and ambiance fantastic. The servers were friendly, interactive and at the table just the right amount. Overall the experience was great and with just a few tweaks, this could be one of the spots in town. Very apparent negatives were the number of tables where the sun was directly in your eyes while it was setting and the photocopied menus. Otherwise, its a spot you should seriously try for a nice romantic dinner with your sweetie.
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A Private User
This place just opened up and I was really excited since there isnt any decent Italian food in Iowa City. I was really hoping for the best since the chef spent a great deal of his cooking career in Italy. It lived up to my high expectations. If youve been thinking about going and havent yet, GO! I will say it is slightly pricey for the amount of food you get, but compared to something like the Brown Bottle which is WAY overpriced and disgusting, this place is worth the money. I wish theyd throw in a cup of soup or a salad with some of their bigger courses since I cant afford the standard Italian 3 course (appetizer, first, second) course, though if I could Id definitely indulge. The chef changes the menu on a regular basis (often daily) which is something you dont really see too much of in Iowa City. Most nice places will have a special daily, but not totally change things up which is really nice to see. And the chef walks around and we got to talk to him and tell him how great the food was. Id like to see an expanded wine menu, (a borollo and maybe some older wine) once the place (hopefully) takes off. The atmosphere is really nice too. Very simple and classy. Nice music too. Itd be a great place for a date or a special night out. Overall, great service and excellent food! I will definitely be back. They also do lunch which Ill be curious to check out.
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Cassie Poulos
My boyfriend and I just dined here for our 4 year anniversary. It was an underwhelming and disappointing meal to say the least. I had the seafood chowder to start and it was not salted at all. It was however bearable in contrast to my main course of the scallops and potato risotto. The potatoes were composed mainly of pancetta chunks, making the dish unbelievably salty and inedible. My boyfriend ordered the veal porterhouse which was charred on the outside and raw on the inside. It was almost 90% fat, making his dish inedible as well. On top of that, they charged 30% gratuity for lackluster service. We told them it was our anniversary and they did not bring out anything complimentary or ask if they could do anything special. Needless to say, we will not be returning to this establishment. The food was underwhelming and the prices were exorbitant. Ruined our evening.
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A Private User
Finally - delicious, authentic, and unpretentious Italian food in Iowa City! The only other options in Iowa City have been Brown Bottle (Ha! Can we even really consider this an option?) and Giavannis (great food, decent service, wretched ambiance - the pink and green neon lights all over the walls will burn your eyes out). The Baroncini owner/chef greeted us warmly and unpretentiously at the door and during the evening we even got to hear some of his story. We found both people who served us were very professional but warm (granted, the maître d was cold, stiff, and not very welcoming). The restaurant is a narrow room, but it is decorated warmly and tastefully, making it feel like a cozy place from Europe. The prices are on the medium-high end, but well worth it! Enjoy!
TO
Tom Weingeist
I had a spectacular luncheon with Chunghi Choo one of my longest friends in Iowa City this afternoon at Baroncinis. Smoked salmon with caviar with olive oil and then a delightful dish of linguine with mussels, shrimp, small scallops, calamari and red sauce. As if that was not more than enough Chunghi, the gracious enabler that she is, ordered an unusual warm flan with spinach and a chocolate mousse with a raspberry sauce at the bottom. What a treat and a bargain for such a delicious luncheon menu.
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Grif Joe
Our first time in Iowa City brought us here. We were truly impressed. Our server recommended a wonderful bottle of wine. This was THE BEST Italian cuisine we have sampled west of the Mississippi. The service and food were impeccable. I had the veal chop and my wife took our servers recommendation again and enjoyed the truffles based pasta. The portion were perfectly sized and this allowed us to enjoy an espresso and some tiramisu. The owner even stopped by to make sure were happy. Excellent!
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D Martin
The place has a great boutique atmosphere and a wide selection of wines. I had the lamp chops and wife had lobster. I was told the lamb chops were served medium rare. When they arrived they were cooked unevenly and tough as heck. The vegetables were cold and over cooked. The lobster was marginal at best, however the pasta was cooked perfectly. This is second time Ive eaten here. The service is spotty but well intentioned.
MA
Mary Goldsberry-Troyer
Really delicious Italian food with awesome service. Even though this is a pretty fancy/pricey restaurant in the evenings - perfect for celebrating a special event, it has a very reasonably priced lunch menu. The best is the combination menu that they offer. You can get a spectacular meal there for 15 bucks. I think its the best Italian in Iowa City.
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Colin Higgins
I had the truffle and mushroom fettuccini. The pasta was so overcooked that the entire affair was a large pad of mush on a plate--and a small serving at that. The food took far too long for a single course. On the plus side, the good wine selection almost made the whole experience tolerable.
MA
Mary Lennuitte
Service was decent and thought the setting was nice. However, the cod fillet I ordered took about 40 minutes to arrive, and happened to be overcooked as well. The lentil-butternut squash portion of the dish didnt do it for me either. For the price, it was definitely not worth it.
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Rochelle Yang
We have loved everything weve tried here--the octopus and crab cake appetizers, cannelloni pasta, tiramisu and bread pudding dessert..though a bit pricey, this is our favorite restaurant in Iowa City! The atmosphere and service are wonderful. Perfect place for a date night!
