Bari Italian - Cedar Rapids

The appetizers and entrees were good. Our main problem was the service. I'm not necessarily accusing the server. I don't think she was trained well. There is a time to know when the cartridges are ready to order. We would like to point out that we want to enjoy our cocktails/apps, but she kept returning and during the meal we felt hurried. She forgot to leave the corks from the wine, forgot the salad, returned with him in a bowl that was HOT. When I mentioned that the salad was served in a hot bowl, she just said sad. They started taking away drinks that weren't ready. We finally asked if they needed the table. The exam was properly divided and she was pleasant, just a little too much hurry. We tapped well (former servers usually do, but expects a little less hurried experience with salad

Service was outstanding Food was excellent Not being rushed through our dining experience was greatly appreciated We will be back to try other interesting menu items Thank you for a wonderful evening Allen Johnson

Always a great meal with excellent service, great food and outstanding cocktails. The short rib ravioli and risotto were delicious. The salted caramel creme brulee was a really nice way to end the meal.

We came to Bari with high expectations, based on previous reviews we’d read. Our experience was just average. Most likely it was due to a mismatch in our tastes versus those of their executive chef. Let’s start with the grilled sourdough and ricotta cheese appetizer. The bread was tough, extremely chewy, and even difficult to cut with a knife. The ricotta topping covered each piece entirely (would have been better in a ramekin for the diner to spread as desired). The ricotta was sweet, not savory, something we don’t like before dinner. Save the sweet for dessert. Let’s move on to the wedge salad. Overpowered with a sweet (again) tomato jam and under done on the Maytag blue cheese and pancetta. My wife ordered the Barramundi with crispy Brussels sprouts, Arborio rice, and a tapenade. Good, but the fish may have been slightly overcooked. We’re not sure, and didn’t say anything to the server, because we’ve never tried Barramundi before. Overall she enjoyed the dish. I ordered the Agnolotti and added Italian sausage. It was just an average pasta dish for me. Nothing remarkable. Parking was easy, decor is modern, clean, but a bit too we’ll lit. We would recommend a dimmer lighting at night. The restaurant was not busy at 7:00 pm on a Wednesday night, about 25% full. Management checked our table several times and she and our server were attentive.

Always a great time and great food. Really enjoyed the charcuterie option on the current menu.