Restaurant Review 05 | Bar ‘Cino - Brookline
An Italian Experience
by Traci Crugnale on March 9th, 2025
Bar 'Cino in Brookline is all about bringing a little slice of Italy to the neighborhood. Located just across from the St. Mary’s T-stop on Beacon Street, it's right on the border of Boston—perfectly placed for both locals and visitors.
Ambiance
As soon as you step inside, the place hits you with a vibrant, energetic vibe. The bar, which is huge and U-shaped, sits right in the center, with dining tables surrounding it on all sides. The music strikes a nice balance—lively enough to keep the energy up, but not so loud that you can’t chat comfortably with your table. The staff was incredibly friendly. I had arrived a little early as I was looking to set up a special surprise for my best friend’s 27th birthday dinner. We wanted to take her somewhere new and exciting, and this place seemed like the perfect spot.
I asked the team if they could sneak a birthday dessert to the table without my friend knowing. While they couldn’t write a message on the plate, they offered to bring out our chosen dessert with a lit candle to make it extra special. I picked the tiramisu—classic, Italian, and just the right touch for a birthday celebration. The staff were super helpful, guiding me through their most popular options, and they didn’t mind at all that I showed up 15 minutes ahead of our reservation. They even led me to the table and made sure I was comfortable and everything was set up perfectly.
Apps
For appetizers, our table had our hearts set on the Fritto Misto and the Bolognese Arancini. But halfway through placing the order, we realized the Fritto Misto came with shrimp, which posed a problem because one of our friends at the table has a shellfish allergy. So, we quickly pivoted and decided to go with meatballs instead.
Now, we all love calamari, and in an effort to still make this dish work, our friend reassured us that a reasonable amount of cross-contamination would be okay, but he couldn’t risk eating a shrimp directly—it would trigger his allergy. Our server offered to check with the kitchen to see if the dish could be made without shrimp.
When she came back to our table, she explained that the Fritto Misto was pre-prepared in a bag, with the calamari and shrimp already mixed together. The kitchen could remove the shrimp before cooking, but due to the risk of cross-contamination, she warned us it might not be entirely shrimp-free. With that in mind, we decided to play it safe and swapped it out for the Braised Meatballs instead.
We were a little surprised by the discovery of how the Fritto Misto was prepped—frozen in a bag and cooked together. We weren’t fully aware of the process, and honestly, it didn’t give off the “fresh and homemade” vibe we were expecting. But no complaints at all when it came to the new choice! The meatballs and arancini were absolutely amazing. As two people at the table come from traditional, old-fashioned Italian families, we weren’t sure what to expect—especially with meatballs, since we’re so used to homemade versions. But these were a pleasant surprise! They completely held their own, and the arancini were warm, melty, and delicious—just perfect.
Entrees
For our entrees, I went with the Carnaroli Risotto, the birthday girl had the Rigatoni Bolognese, and our two other friends chose the Spaghetti Carbonara. We all agreed that the Rigatoni Bolognese was absolutely delicious—perfectly cooked and packed with flavor. One friend loved the Carbonara, but the other wasn’t a huge fan of how it was prepared. It was cooked perfectly al dente (I thought it was amazing), but the friend who ordered it wished it had been cooked a bit longer to soften the texture.
As for my risotto, I liked it, but didn’t love it. The only reason I felt that way is because the dish listed mushrooms as one of the ingredients. I’m not a fan of mushrooms, so I asked our server if it could be made without them, and she assured me it could, so I decided to stick with the risotto. But a few bites in, I thought I tasted mushrooms, though I convinced myself I was just overthinking it. When we were all sampling each other’s dishes, my friend poked around in my risotto and asked about some of the “chunks” in it. After trying one, I quickly realized there were mushrooms scattered throughout. I had to go through and pick them all out, which wasn’t a hassle, but a bit of an annoyance.
It made me wonder if my dish was prepared in the same way as the Fritto Misto—pre-made in a bag and just cooked when ordered. Or maybe it was just a simple mix-up, but either way, it left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. Minus this slight annoyance, the risotto was still delicious, and I ended up cleaning the plate.
Desserts
For dessert, our server brought over a beautiful tiramisu with a lit birthday candle, just as we’d requested! It was the perfect size for the four of us to share. One thing I hadn’t seen before was the little spheres on top of the tiramisu that looked like chocolate. When I tasted one, I couldn’t quite figure it out, but it had a distinct coffee flavor—almost like espresso balls. We all agreed it tasted better without them, so we brushed them off.
After that, we quietly sang "Happy Birthday," careful not to disturb the other tables around us. The tiramisu itself was delicious—just the right balance of flavors, and it felt like the perfect traditional version. While no one asked for more dessert, we were offered a dessert drink menu, which was a nice touch. What I really appreciated was how our server let us linger after dessert, giving us plenty of time to chat and spend those extra moments celebrating the birthday girl.
Drinks
For drinks, I went with my usual, a Negroni, while the others at the table opted for sangrias. There was an option for a restaurant-style Negroni, but I like to keep it classic, so I asked for the original. The sangrias were super flavorful, and my friends loved them so much that they ended up ordering a couple of rounds.
Overall Experience
3/5
I liked Bar ‘Cino. It definitely offered a lively atmosphere with incredibly sweet and attentive staff—perfect for a birthday dinner, especially on a Friday night. But for me, nothing really stood out. The small hiccups with the Fritto Misto and the risotto left me questioning the food prep and cooking processes a bit.
However, my table mates were pleasantly surprised. Two of my friends live in Brookline and had never heard of or visited Bar ‘Cino before. They were excited to discover a new spot in the neighborhood that they could definitely see themselves coming back to.
*The exterior image of Bar ‘Cino was taken from Open Table.