Visit #1 ·
★★★★★First time at Bacari Silverlake and I'll be honest — I almost didn't stop. The Sunset location looks small from the outside and I had a thing to get to. Glad I went in.
This is a cicchetti spot, which means small plates, wine, and if you're doing it right, you graze for two hours and lose track of how much you spent. I did exactly that. Ordered a spread of their small bites — the kind of place where you point at three things on the menu, they come out fast, and then you immediately point at three more.
What got me was the prep. Nothing on the plate felt like it had been sitting. The bread situation was solid, the toppings weren't drowning each other out, and whoever is running that kitchen understands restraint. That's harder than it sounds. I spent years watching line cooks oversauce everything because they were nervous about sending out something that tasted "too simple." Bacari doesn't have that problem.
Service was relaxed without being checked out. The person running our section knew the menu well enough to actually steer us, which — again, harder than it sounds at a wine-forward spot where the staff sometimes treats you like you're interrupting their conversation.
The room is tight and loud in the best way. It felt lived-in.
Now, first visit means I'm holding my full opinion. I've been burned before by places that nail the debut and then coast. The consistency question doesn't get answered until visit two or three — that's when you find out if the kitchen actually has standards or if they just got lucky the night you showed up.
I've got receipts. Literally. Going back.