Lil Baci Taverna

Lil Baci was a really nice little restaurant around Yonge and Davisville. Our vegetarian friend brought us here.
I had the tonno e fagioli salad for appetizer ($ 15) and the rigatoni with pork and beef ragu ($ 20). Both were delicious.
Our server was very friendly and helpful.
We ordered bread and there was olive oil on the table but no other condiments. Our server brought us some balsamic vinegar when we asked. There was no parmesan or pepper but the food really didn’t need it. The pasta was so good, I would definitely visit again.
Our friends ordered some vegetarian dishes. I tried a bite of their mushroom pizza and it was very good but I liked my pasta better.
The price is on the higher side of my budget but the portions were the perfect size and the food and atmosphere were great. I would definitely recommend bringing a date here.

Amazing food AND service!
Since I tried Lil Baci a few years ago, it has been one of my favorite go-​to Italian restaurants.
I always enjoy the food and I find that the quality is ALWAYS consistent! My favorite pizza on the menu is the Funghi. The mushrooms are always fresh, tasty and delicious!
The staff is also always so pleasant and friendly!
Way to go Lil Baci! I would highly reccomend this restaurant!!!

Winterlious menu was great, started with the meatballs, well seasoned juicy and tender. My girlfriend had the caesar, light dressing was nice because most are over dressed and leave the salad rather soggy but that was not the case and I loved addition of radicchio giving a nice bitter bite.
Mains were ribs on mash and salmon on fennel arugula salad with faro. Ribs were sweet and fall off the bone tender and went perfectly with the mash and honey on the plate, very winning combo. Salmon was also very nice, olives and capers provide a nice briny bite with the salmon.
Desserts were panna cotta and maple bread pudding. Panna cotta was beautifully light and the candied orange provided great texture with the smooth creamy vanilla and a great pistachio to add to this winner, bread pudding was also very nice crisp bread with a custardy inside toasted walnuts throughout and the perfect level of sweetness from the maple syrup.
Only was $ 25 per person for all of this great food all made in house, they are really bringing there game for lious and it shows. This level of quality and care for 25 dollars can’t be beat and the portions are generous so arrive hungry.
Hats off to the chef!

Update: I am now obsessed with this place. The secret is in the meatballs. Those delicious meatballs! Oooooo mama

3.75
Was hesitant of this place since reading some reviews.
Seems to be mostly of their brunch.
But I had dinner here instead.
Very friendly staff and helpful regarding allergies etc.
I love thin crust pizza and this was good. AND it wasnt soggy in the middle like some thin crust pizzas I’ve had from a popular chain-​ish trendy place that has about 3 locations in the city… ahem.
The sauce was generous (hate dry pizza) and it wasnt too tart or too salty, nor did it skim on the toppings. Just right!
Had a taste of the soup du jour — a bit spicy but yummy.
Had a bit of the origional meatball Baci stuff was good — a bit too soft for my liking but others said it was really good. Generous portions of this stuff.
Pasta tasted ok as well — but only had a tiny taste of that so can’t fully review.
Ambiance and décor was great — love the rustic look and candle light. Surprisingly lots of room inside beyond what you see from the street.
Great for a date.
And surprisingly for a Monday night was pretty busy!
Good over all.

A gem in the east side!
Often overlooked behind the massive underwhelming line from Lady Marmalade. One of the only places that serve food past 3pm in a Sunday (hangover brunch). Their eggs ANYTHING are divine. Pizza are also crispy and smothered in cheese — they know the way to my heart.
Favorite thing: those damn meatballs. Soooooo cheesy and juicy and just the right amount of tomato sauce to make every bite heavenly.
My go to hangover brunch spot :) highly recommend!

Had a Nonna Pizza: it was thin crust, which was great, but the ingredients were cut so thin and at almost 19 $, I was disappointed that two inches all around the pizza was crust only, with almost no tomato sauce. This experience was ‘meh’ from a food perspective; not interesting at all. The service was friendly, the patio very nice, calm, and clean (and the washrooms were fine as well). The interior of the restaurant looked lovely as well. Perhaps I ordered the wrong thing? I might return, but would be more careful about what I order. Seeing other reviews afterwards, it seems many items are boring and uninspired.

What the hack! Piece of plastic came from pizza.
sever were so friendly. but i have no idea their kitchen is clean

So a friend and I were in the area and decided to stop into Lil Baci, having noticed it several times in the past. It just so happened that Summerlicious was still going at the time, but I wasn’t hungry enough for a three-​course meal, so I just ordered the «Classic meatballs al forno,» which is three meatballs served in a small dish.
I will admit that these meatballs were quite tasty. The sauce, which is just tomatoes, basil, and parmesan, was extremely tasty and quite plentiful. The meatballs themselves were essentially falling apart, which would’ve been weird if I had gotten the pasta but on their own it was fine.
The problem was, though, that my dining companion ordered from the Summerlicious menu and two out of three of her items were essentially inedible. She started with the Seafood Panzella, which is a salad that’s described thusly: «marinated shrimp, octopus, calamari, red peppers, black olives, tomato, arugula, capers, house made bread.» In theory, this should’ve been quite tasty. In execution, however, the salad was overpowered by vinegar — to the point where nothing else could be tasted. The bread was fairly soggy, too, indicating that the salad had been made *much* earlier in the day.
Her next course was the Rigatoni Amatriciana, which is described as «pancetta, red onion, white wine, tomato sauce, parsley, pecorino.» I’m generally not one to complain about the saltiness of dishes, but we both found this dish overpowered by salt. Perhaps it was the combination of pancetta and pecorino or the chef employed a heavy hand with his/​her salt shaker, but neither of us were able to eat more than a few bites of this dish.
Finally, dessert, which was the Cherry Panna Cotta. I will admit I found this very tasty; the panna cotta itself was very creamy and rich, while the cherry topping, which also contained hints of dark chocolate, complemented it perfectly. (My dining companion, perhaps soured by the lackluster first and second course, didn’t care too much for it, unfortunately.)
All in all, a fairly terrible experience. We shan’t be returning.

It’s almost there. Just missing that little bit and it’s there. Their pasta could have been al dante. Their pizza could have been less burnt. It was just so close.

I have been going to the Yonge Street Lil’ Baci location since it opened in 2012. I use to rave about their food to everyone. and got very excited when i saw on their website that they had a membership w/​benefits for those who are «loyal and regular customers,» called «Lil’ Baci Social Club,» as I felt I am a «loyal and regular customer.»
About a month ago, when I phoned the restaurant to inquire if they do take away & asked about this loyalty program, the gentleman said all you have to do is come into the restaurant & ask them for it & they will give it to you. When i came the following week for some pizza with my sister, and inquired again about the loyalty program, the waitress stated that in order to become a member of the loyalty program you have to be «like family» and it is given to those who host private events at their restaurant. I was extremely disappointed by this statement; for over the last 3yrs i have visited the restaurant about once every other month. for brunch & dinner … one would think that would justify myself as being a regular customer. But it does NOT. And it has now deterred me from wanting to revisit them again any time soon. And now I have commented to my friends and neighbors.
I feel it is False Advertising; and should either be removed from their website. Or they should offer it to everyone, as that will encourage patrons of the Yonge Eglington/​Davisville Neighborhood to visit their restaurant more frequently. Thus increasing sales, as opposed to loosing them.

My boyfriend and I were searching for a nice cozy place to eat on a Friday night. Lil Baci taverna, which was close to his house seemed like a great option. The restaurant was empty, it took forever to get the menus and food and the food was ok but not excellent. Pretty small portions. The costumer is really not the priority here.

This was quite nice. I had the duck meatballs with poached eggs. Delicious. It was a bit loud (too many crying babies on a Sunday morning for me) and a little
smoky for some reason but the food and service made up for it. We had a couple of drinks and the check was about $ 50.

We want to thank Lil’ Baci for everything they did for our wedding – the service you and your staff provided was perfect – the food was delicious, and the guests enjoyed it very much; the lemon-​vodka shot was quite memorable, and the atmosphere and setting was picturesque for what we wanted.
Lil’ Baci will be our special place, and we hope to frequent it soon enough in the future.

I went to the Yonge location for Winterlicious dinner with my friend. First time here and the restaurant looked very trendy and hipster. There was a complimentary appetizer of bread with olive oil, which is a classic Italian appetizer. However, I found the crust of the bread to be a bit too hard. The appetizers we ordered were the kale salad with fennel, radish, red onion and ricotta salata. I found the kale to be very oily, but I liked the cheese that was sprinkled on top of the salad and the radish and fennel went well with the kale. As for our main courses, I had trofie pasta with kale, pesto and pecorino. The pasta was in bite sizes rather than a long string of pasta. Never had this kind of pasta in my life. My friend ordered osso buco with red wine risotto. I thought it was delicious. For dessert, I ordered caramelo chocolate mud pie and my friend ordered apple crumble with crème Anglais. I thought they were wonderful desserts, tasted as good as I expected. I would give that five stars and the main courses and appetizers four stars.
As for service however, I felt there was a lack of, but I wouldn’t say they were unfriendly. Rather aloof and unattentive. Didn’t even introduce themselves when first taking our order and didn’t really check on us. Never poured water for us, we did it for ourselves. There was more than one waiter serving us, so I didn’t even know who I was tipping exactly. In a way it wasn’t too big of a deal ’cause if my dining partner and I have a lot to talk about, I’d prefer service to bother us less. but not completely no service either if you know what I mean. I’d go again in the future, wonder if the Queen location is better.

Brunch
Ambience: 3.5−4÷5
Food: 3.5÷5
Service: ⁴⁄₅ (Friendly)
Value: 3.5÷5
Repeat: Perhaps. It is a great brunch spot for locals.

I love the food here!!!
We live close and come here often, the me u is small but the food is delicious!!! I would mainly recommend it for brunch .
This place is very close to the Davisville subway, great for groups and family. Try their duck fat fries and frittata.
Price is little on the higher end.

We love coming back to this place for brunch. The food is great and the portions are perfect. The deserts are fantastic and the service just brings a smile to your face.
The interiors are cosy with about 15 tables and a nice view of the street.
My favorite dish here is the lil baci baked eggs. Also recommend the mushroom baked eggs too. Among the deserts, my favorite is the Carmelo mud pie.
The pricing is reasonable — not cheap but no crazy expensive.
Will recommend for brunch.

The 2 of us came here on labour day Monday for brunch. We made a reservation for noon and were seated right away. We decided to sit out on the patio in the front. Not a lot of seating out there (fits maybe 6 people total) but it was perfect for us.
Good selection of drinks to choose from including wines but we went with prosecco because as my dining companion so eloquently put it: «why the hell not?»
Great choices on the menu. It was a tough decision but our waitress was incredibly helpful and we decided to go with the poached eggs ($ 11) which came with salad and duck fat potatoes (hollandaise on the side) and I ordered the tonno sandwich $ 11) on their housemade bread: tuna, sundried tomatoes, capers, arugula and olives. I asked to sub the mixed salad with their beet salad (additional 3 bucks) and so glad I did because it was so delicious! The bread was so amazing. Nice and soft… perfect chewiness… And the olive oil they used in the sandwich was heavenly. The flavours of that sandwich were so perfect, especially with the saltiness of the capers and olives… mmmm…
My friend seemed to really enjoy her eggs but one of them was a little overlooked… poached eggs gotta be runny!
If you are in the yonge and eglinton area, definitely check it out for brunch. You won’t be disappointed!

I am a fan of the original neighbourhood eatery. This new location I stumbled into shares the growing Yonge&Eg crowd with the fresh Italian goodness Leslievillians have known.
Familiar Lil’ Baci fares with the familiar fresh Lil’ Baci goodness also to be had here. Decently priced, too. Their pizzas are always good and flavourful – I am a sucker for pizza with a healthy savoury dose of tomato sauce, and even here they don’t disappoint. Add to that a large front outdoor patio, and this place ought to be a midtown hit if it isn’t one already.
I enjoyed my BLT sandwich. The bacon, much like the bread it is stuffed in, was nicely crispy. Much like the ambiance of this bright and classy location.
{TTC: Southeast corner Yonge and Glebe E., a short couple blocks walk north of Davisville subway station. There might – key word: might – be free parking on the side streets or behind the building.}