Tokyo Food Page
Il Bacaro/
Shinjuku: Italian
▼5269-8528
▽Data
The stand-up bar at
the front of Il
Bacaro has a nice
casual feel to it.
You can drop in for
a few minutes, have
a quick glass of
wine and a tiny
snack, and be on
your way. Or you can
claim a seat at one
of the three small
tables and linger
awhile, directing
your attention to
some of the dozen or
so wines served by
the glass. Cold
appetizer trays line
the counter, an
espresso machine
grinds away in the
background, and
dancehall reggae or
pop music plays on
the stereo. Waiters
from the main dining
room come and go
with drink orders,
and customers drift
in and out. Snatches
of Italian can be
heard from time to
time.
The appetizers on
display are called
"cichetti" - think
of them as bite-size
Venetian tapas - and
you can choose from
a couple dozen va-
rieties to go with
your wine. It's all
simple stuff like
roast eggplant,
roast potatoes with
rosemary, baked
tomatoes, and thick
asparagus spears,
plus mussels, sar-
dines and other
seafood and some
excellent prosciut-
to. The prices con-
tribute to the casu-
al vibe - most food
items are Y50 to
Y100 (for small
portions, natural-
ly), while wines run
Y200-580 a glass.
Some of those wines
are interesting
discoveries, and you
may find yourself
springing for a full
bottle next time
you're dining here.
You see, besides the
lively counter area,
Il Bacaro also of-
fers a couple of
spacious dining
rooms and a full
Italian menu. And
although you can't
order your asparagus
by the spear in the
restaurant section,
you can start your
meal with a nice
cichetti platter
that features the
best of the day's
selection. Alterna-
tively, if you find
yourself lingering
at the front counter
longer than ex-
pected, you can
round off your appe-
tizers with a pasta
or a lamb chop from
the regular menu
before heading off
into the night.
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◎Shinjuku 3-4-8,
Saison Plaza B1F.
[on the B2 level of
Saison Plaza, the
building with the
UFJ Bank directly
across from Isetan;
there are also en-
trances directly
from the subway
station]
◎Open 11:30am-2:30,
5-10pm (LO) daily.
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