Baccello in Christchurch

Cannot recommend this place enough, a little gem! Food, service, wine and ambience in abundance! We loved every bit of it and cannot wait to return! You really have captured a little bit of heaven!

Just had a lovely meal here. Recommend!

Having visited earlier in the year we made sure to come back for the amazing Bruschetta sharing boards, delicious food and great service. The waitress Alicia was very helpful, attentive and friendly. The restaurant was very quiet which made the atmosphere a bit dull but was nice to be able to have a quiet date night on our own..would definitely recommend this place for a tasty meal and great pairing wine.

We stumbled upon this absolutely lovely restaurant by chance and would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone who finds themselves in Christchurch. Service was excellent, from the friendly welcome through to the great pairing of wines with our light lunch. The food was great, tasty and well presented, it all looked so fresh and inviting.

One of our favourite places for a cheeky bottle of rose and olives. Service is always exemplary. Besutiful wine glasses. The decor is very tasteful. Sit at the bar or window and watch the world go by. Great addition to the high Street. Open another one in Southbourne please!

Si prego Baccello is a rustic Venetian gem in Dorsets, Christchurch. With delightful staff, an extensive wine list & wonderfully simple cicchetti, the decor has a relaxed New Orleans vibe. I think I ate my body weight of their hummus, so if would only be fair to go back to test the arrancini & more…

Absolutely adore this place. Li has created a place in Christchurch with genuinely amazing wine, food, service. With the recent addition of the wonderfully knowledgeable Stella, it's our favourite spot for either lunch, dinner, or a 'just because' glass of wine if passing at a socially acceptable time. Bacello embraces cichetti (small Italian dishes) and combines them with the most beautiful selection of wines. Changing every week there are several that you can have by the glass, giving you the opportunity to try wines that you might not have committed to buying a bottle of because of price or because you hadn't heard of the grape for example. They have a fab selection by the bottle too of course. Li's passion for Italian wine and food is contagious and we can never go for too long without our Bacello 'fix'. If you are considering it - go! Try everything, but especially the Venetian potatoes and the meatballs.

A top class night out in Christchurch. The food and wine make this place obviously and the owner’s extensive knowledge! A cold sparkling red lambrusco for the wine. Those meatballs hit different. No dry crumbling mess elsewhere.

My wife and I went on Baccello’s first wine tour to Piedmont in Northern Italy in October. What an incredible experience! Everything was perfectly arranged for us by Li and Lisa, the owners of Baccello. We were picked up by a taxi and taken to the airport and were greeted in Turin by Li. We stayed in a perfectly delightful village called Roddi and were hosted by Danilo and his very friendly staff. The welcome dinner on the first night was something not to be missed. We spent 4 days exploring the surrounding area of Barolo and visited the family run Cadia vineyards. Here we learned all about viticulture and tasted their fantastic wines. We were treated to a fabulous experience of vertical tastings along with another fabulous dinner in the barrel room which is an experience we will never forget. The whole trip was made extra special by the knowledge and passion that both Li and Lisa clearly have for Italian wine, as well as their close relationship with Cadia. It was a truly magical experience and we have already signed up to the next trip to Veneto.

We joined the first Baccello Italian Wine Tour to the Piedmont region in October 2023. Li and Lisa were so warm and welcoming. Our group was super friendly and we’ve ended up making life-long friends. Everything within the trip was organised, so all we had to do was relax and enjoy the experience. Li is extremely knowledgeable about Italian wines and the Cadia winery that we visited was breathtakingly beautiful. The whole Cadia family, took exceptional care of us, especially Noemi who spoke fluent English and really gave us an insight into the workings of a vineyard. The food there was sublime and a perfect accompaniment to the excellent wines. Whilst in Italy, we had the chance to visit Barolo for the day. It’s a charming village, with an interesting museum. We got to participate in truffle hunting at the vineyard, with two cute Italian dogs named Vicki and Lady. The truffles were amazing! The accommodation that Li chose was absolutely perfect and our chef was top notch. The meal on the first night was one to remember and the breakfasts set us up for our days of wine tasting! We went for my husband’s 50th birthday celebrations and it was truly memorable and a once in a lifetime opportunity not to be missed. Thoroughly recommend to anyone who has a passion for wine or just likes drinking it! The t-shirt was a lovely touch and served as a perfect memento for the whole group. Thanks Baccello and we are very much looking forward to the next trip to Verona in April!

Fabulous little place on Christchurch high street - we were visiting family and walked in on a whim for lunch with no reservation. The waitress was very welcoming, service was great and the food was fantastic! We had the medium sharing board and it was excellent value. We will definitely be recommending and coming back.

My husband and I were on an overnight trip to Bournemouth, and on the next morning decided at the last minute to head over to Christchurch on our way home. We enjoyed the town and as usual great food always makes our trip much more memorable. Looking for food, we stumbled upon Baccello. We chose the medium sharing board and absolutely enjoyed it. The pairing with, I think, the wine from Cadia was the right choice for us. We travelled quite a bit and have to say this is the best tapas we ever had. The flavour was wonderful and most importantly the chef did not skimp on the ingredients, which to me always make a big difference in the overall taste.

How had I never heard of this place before?!? Intimate lovely atmosphere but not cramped at all. Food was sensational, feel stuffed but not in a heavy bad way. Cannot wait to visit again.

I'll go back to try his own wine soon. I could really see the passion in his eyes when he talks about wine. He also has my favourite white from Campania so this place really does it for me!

Tried here for the first time last Friday for an engagement celebration with my girl friends. We loved the food atmosphere and of course the wine. Look forward to coming back again soon!

We were back at Baccello a couple of weeks ago for New Year’s Eve - this time with our daughter. It was great evening, as usual - lovely wine and cicchetti. Li & Amber are fantastic hosts - very knowledgeable about their wine & food. We will definitely be back and recommend Baccello very highly. Kevan, Meg & Sarah

Found this place by chance when visiting Christchurch. We liked the look of it so dropped by for dinner. The restaurant was simple yet cosy and we received a very warm welcome from the owner. We ordered a Cicchetti sharing board and a glass of the wine they produce themselves. Both were delicious. Everything tasted freshly prepared and it was clear that they use high quality ingredients. There were a few tables dining and a number of people enjoying a glass of wine at the bar and the atmosphere was very relaxed and warm. The service throughout our visit was very attentive and friendly. We will definitely be back!

This is by far the best Italian tapas! The food is so delicious and the wine is so tasty! It offers fantastic service and a really beautiful setting! We had the most delicious dishes the prawns have to be my favourite! The staff are super knowledgeable when it comes to what wine you should pair your food with! We can’t wait to return

Our first visit to Baccello certainly didn’t disappoint. Greeted by Amber who explained the menu to us, she was also very knowledgeable of their extensive wine menu. We chose the medium sharing board which again was recommended by the waitress., the chilli prawns and meatballs were incredible and the bruschetta options we went for were equally as good and tasted so fresh , we will definitely return again.

Recommend by a friend, fantastic place, amazing service with great food and wine! Will definitely be back :)

Food, staff and experience is second to none. Came in not liking wine too much will come back longing for some

The team at Baccello are just outstanding. The food is fresh, packed full of flavour and wholesome. Li and Lisa have created a special place that we cannot recommend more. 👍🏼👏🏻👌🏻

Such a lovely little gem, food was amazing, staff were very helpful and a good choice of wine. Definitely worth a visit and we will be coming back. Thank you for a fab experience.

I am local and this is my favourite place to go in Christchurch. Lee and his staffs knowledge on their Italian wines is amazing. The food is fantastic. Finally got my husband to come for an impromptu couple of hours this afternoon. He loved it and came away with 6 bottles of wine!! 🍷🍷🍷

Great wine - a fabulous selection. If you’re new to Italian wine then staff will readily help you to find something you will like both by the glass or by the bottle. Delicious food - platters are excellent value for money. Don’t be put off by the ££££ rating. A small platter was £39.99 for 2 and we were well fed. Lots of choice regarding what you would like on the platter too! There are lots of small plate options too if you don’t want a platter. Perfect service - all the staff are super friendly and knowledgeable about the food and wine they serve. Been many times and each time never fails to impress. Thank you!

Lovely new place on the high street of Christchurch. Amazing service and very good selection of wines. The only disappointment we've had it was with the tuna bruschetta as it says on the menu is tuna steak and we've got tinned tuna or from a jar and we expected fresh tuna otherwise we wouldn't have ordered it but rather than that awesome experience and definitely would go back.

Great food, even better service. Amber was knowledgeable and attentive. We went for our anniversary and were made to feel very special

We popped in last night to Baccello, always a little wary of anywhere with just 5 star reviews, but this was justified. Although you will probably walk past many times before entering, if you knew what was on offer you’d have gone in first time. Very knowledgeable owner and a very warm and friendly welcome. The Nebbillio was lovely and many many more to try. The charcuterie board looked amazing as it was brought out to another table. Definitely one we will try again!

A great place for something a little different. We enjoyed the selection of small tasting plates and there was a good selection of wines topped off by lovely service.

My friend and I found this little gem, the staff were excellent. We only had a drink, but I would go back for a meal when next visiting my Friends

Absolutely amazing. If you love great wine & food that compliment each other then Baccello is a must try. Beautiful Mediterranean style dishes, great meat, cheese & fish dishes. All in a lovely ambiance.

Having read the reviews on this restaurant/wine bar, I decided to book it for a Saturday evening, as we were on a long weekend stay in Christchurch. We were a bit concerned when arriving at 6.30, as we were the 1st there, however, within 15 mins the place (which is quite small) had filled up & was buzzing! Great advice on food selection from the 2 ladies present & the young lady was very knowledgeable on her Italian wines - a credit to the restaurant. Food arrived promptly, but we were able to take our time savouring the delicious medium board between 2 of us. Great place to eat.

Really nice - no complaint about anything, but it's pretty pricey. (Perhaps reasonable prices for a wine bar - I just don't know.)

What an amazing little find this place is.. I booked this restaurant for a group of friends and I for a celebration and we wanted somewhere that we could have sharing food, and so we ordered two large Charcuterie boards. The food was absolutely divine and so very generous with their choices. Their Bruschetta is something else. If you are looking for amazing food and a restaurant where the staff know their wine then this is your place. Lovely family run restaurant with the nicest home cooked food.

Came here on 9:30pm on a weekday after finding out every pub’s kitchen was closed. Was retreated with great service. We ordered a medium board which included 4 kinds of Buchettas and 2 hot plates, and the food was unbelievably amazing!

I was greeted with a wonderful warm welcome when I went into Baccello and the service was professional and friendly. The food was excellent and I have no hesitation in recommending this superb restaurant. I will be visiting again on a regular basis. Thank you to Li for creating such a lovely restaurant with the perfect ambience.

Popped in for Italian tapas, you can tell the food is good quality also the wine, Amber & Issy are a credit to this business their knowledge of the products & their ability to chat to people older than them selves made us stay longer than we initially intended

Thank you to the team - we had a great evening, enjoying two large Boards between 4 of us, plenty of wines and leaving with some amazing Mastro Sapore pasta. Sore heads this morning, but plenty of smiles and memories.

A little bit of Venice in the heart of Christchurch! Whether you want a quick drink or a lobster and champagne night, Baccello caters for everything. There's nothing that the owner Li doesn't know about wine, he's an absolute expert, and so friendly and welcoming. I can't recommend Baccello enough x

This restaurant is just what we were missing! Bournemouth/Christchurch seriously lacks decent tapas/sharing food spots to go to with friends. We went to a wine tasting evening at Bacello first which was amazing, the owner was so knowledgeable and the pasta course paired with each dish was beautiful. We then came back to celebrate my 30th birthday in March and got the largest sharing board - wow. All of the different topped bread options are faultless, the meatballs fantastic, and the plantain fries a 10/10. Please check out this place with a partner or friends, you won’t regret it

Our first, but not (hopefully) last visit to this Venetian-styled bar and restaurant. Great service, super wine selection and tasty dishes, in relaxed surroundings. Highly recommended.

A great new find - a restaurant with Italian wines, and superb sharing dishes. We shared a large board, with 6 bruschetta servings - Mackerel, Anchovies with cannelloni beans, Smoked salmon with ricotta cheese, cotto ham, Parma ham with ricotta cheese, and classic tomato bruschetta, with polenta chips and chilli prawns. Superb bread, lovely food, great wines - a fantastic find. Check it out.

Just fabulous, love this restaurant, if you like Tapas you will love Cicchetti. Great selection of wine and wine by the glass changes every week, so you get to try different wines all the time. Staff are knowledgeable in wine and can suggest a wine...

A fantastic little gem in Christchurch - deliciously authentic Italian cuisine with an extensive wine menu - Sarah was fantastic and so helpful, will definitely be back.

Food very nice. Service lacking for a venue with these prices, only one staff member, who even when most tables had left, wasn't attentive.

This was our third visit and each time we are positively overwhelmed with the amazing service. This wine bar is exactly what Christchurch needs! The perfect relaxed atmosphere to enjoy a fantastic variety of wine and cheese. We hope they will be around for a long time.

Just popped in for a drink before our booking elsewhere and honestly had such a lovely experience! Lee was so knowledgeable about the wines and had some fabulous recommendations! Can't wait to come back again!

Had a really lovely evening here. Simple concept for food, but beautifully executed and delicious. We had a mix of bruschettas, hot plates and specials. Lovely wines from the weekly bar specials. Very relaxed and friendly. Would definitely go again if we were local.

Lovely people, chilled vibe, called in late for coffee.

Visited twice now once for a drink and once for a light lunch.Both times were very enjoyable Great concept-think Venice- good choice of wines and fantastic food. I’ve never had polenta chips before and they were great as were the meat balls and other tapas....

It was on a wet Thursday afternoon that I spotted this new bar. It is very well appointed and clean and has lots of stools to sit on at the bar, which I love. Lee the sommelier and owner really impressed me with his welcome...

Two of us went for a post-concert drink and loved the place. The wine was superb and not overpriced. Sadly we had eaten too much earlier in the day so didn't try the cicchetti, tempting though they were. Many thanks.

Delicious food, excellent and interesting wines Great ambience and charming and knowledgeable patron and staff. A real gem of a place.

Delicious Italian ‘tapas’ . Interesting and excellent wines. Everything of the highest quality and beautifully presented. A real gem

Excellent wine, excellent food, excellent service.

Group of 5 of us went in on Thursday. Great service, wine and food. One of our party is coeliac and Baccello went the extra mile to cater for her. Great value god as well. Thanks. We’ll all be back soon!

Wish I had found this place sooner! Lovely atmosphere, good service and excellent food and wine. Highly recommend.

Great wine, menu and atmosphere

Very nice place to have Italian wine and platters in Christchurch, food and wine taste very Italian, strongly recommended this place to spent time with your friends and family enjoying your time.

Myself and a group friends had a wonderful visit to Baccello. The staff were very friendly and informative when we came to choosing food and helped with pairing a great wine to compliment it. The food was fresh, delicious and well worth the prices. Relaxing atmosphere and definitely a place I'd recommend to friends and family. Would visit here again. A welcome addition to Christchurch High Street, all in all- FABULOUS!!

My partner and I spent New Year's at Baccello and had a lovely evening. The staff were so friendly and attentive; it took a mere 30 seconds to attract attention and our glasses were never empty! It was a risk to go somewhere for new year's eve that we'd never been to but it thoroughly paid off and we will be back!

Great little place. Superb choice of wine, great food and great atmosphere. We've been here a couple of times now and will definitely be back.

Amazing food, wine and knowledgable staff. I can’t rate this place highly enough. Brilliant new addition to Christchurch high street. We spent 1 month in Italy this year and I can truly say that this was an authentic Venetian experience that we will remember. Thank you so much to both of our servers, we will be back soon!

Great atmosphere, great staff always a warm welcome and of course great wine. We love popping in and highly recommend a stop here when in Christchurch-hopefully we will try food on our next visit. Thank you for making our evening enjoyable and relaxing.

Fantastic Italian tapas accompanied by a delightful wine selection. Have visited this restaurant twice since opening & received a warm welcome & great service on both occasions. Owners & Amber are very knowledgeable on both food & drinks menu, would definitely recommend!

I took my Dad here for a casual bite to eat after hearing good things. This is basically Italian tapas and wine. Lots of different bruschetta to choose from, along with some hearty hot dishes. The staff are excellent. Polite attentive and offer great guidance and recommendations through the menu. Definitely not upwelling or over selling the menu. We opted for the medium sharer board which was plenty. Some really tasty bruschetta’s along with chilli prawns and a potato stew. We also went for a chianti, which was delicious. Nacelle has a great atmosphere, with a good mix of ages, along with great service. So I would definitely recommend giving it a go!

Had a brilliant evening here, with amazing food and wine. The staff were so knowledgable and subtly attentive. They were naturally friendly and welcoming. A very authentic atmosphere with a real feel for Italy. A lovely, unique meal that I can’t recommend highly enough.

We really enjoyed our date evening at Baccello - The staff worked together as a great team. Very knowledgeable, friendly and personable. Everything we tasted was excellent from the wines to the food and the whole atmosphere was lovely. We had a brilliant night.

If you want an authentic Italian experience.....then look no further than Baccello!! Wow! The extensive Italian wine list is fantastic, the decor with the terracotta tiles and floor tiles, even the ceiling tiles, you'd be forgiven for thinking you're in Italy. And now the food... Authentic, imported Italian produce means the flavours are unbelievable, transporting me back to the hills around Benevento and for my Italian partner, back to her nans front room, with the authentic potato stew and meatballs, (the sauce is magical). Lee is a great host who clearly cares about authenticity and quality....we are now regulars!! Reasonably priced too!

Relaxed with great wine selection and rotating choice for wine by the glass. Been twice now and will return

First time amazing food and wine. Owner and staff amazing. Thank you for a lovely evening

Just popped for one drink, but we were made so welcome, we stayed for more and a bite to eat. We were just visiting Christchurch from Hertfordshire, but would recommend this wine bar to anyone visiting or living in the area. They deserve every success

If you're after more of a glass of wine and some nibbles then Bacello should serve you well. Service was good. Place was clean (really groovy doors to the loo). But I'm not a fan of bruschetta + "stuff" which is about 50% of the menu. Call them cichetti if you like, but it's basically bite size bread snacks. It's trying to pull off a kind of tapas thing but it's not for me I'm afraid. We ordered the hot plates to share. These take a little longer to come but we were warned of that, so no bother. And the food itself tasted fine and was presented very nicely. But I just felt it was all a bit style over substance. As a small example, the affettato plate was beautifully presented and came with a pretty tiny basket/bag of assorted slices of bread. But there wasn't a whole lot there. Not sure of the price but it wasn't a bargain. Despite there not being the most abundant amount of food on the plate, I still felt the need to order a second helping of the tiny basket/bag. In Italy, if I've ever had to order more bread to the table it came for free. So overall pleasant, atmosphere, nice n clean, tasty food but really not my bag

Very enjoyable evening, the staff were amazing and the wine selection is delightful. Thankyou

I was recommended to try Baccello, and I am glad I did. I did not know there was Italian tapas, thought it was a Spanish thing, but it exists and it is great, especially with a couple of glasses of red wine. I liked that there was lots of choices of wine that we did not have to order a bottle and could have by the glass. I like the map of Italy to show where all the wines were from.

Fantastic wine bar - great wine and delicious cicchetti; the freshness of the ingredients really came through. Will be returning.

A wonderful addition to the high street! Delicious wine & fantastic service. A very unique experience- and warming atmosphere! We also had the most delicious pumpkin pate, that left me wanting more!! Compliments to the chef!

What a lovely little wine bar. If you like wine and good food in cosy surroundings, definitely try it out! Amber was very helpful and picked out the perfect glass of red to go with our cicchetti (kind of like Italian tapas) dishes - all of which was delicious. Will definitely be back next time I'm in the Christchurch area.

Such a lovely new wine bar. All the staff were so knowledgeable and welcoming, and their passion for Italian wine and cicchetti really shone through. Everything was delicious, with an impressive array of drinks and dishes to choose from. Definitely worth stopping by if you're in the Christchurch area!

Located on High Street in Christchurch Bocello is a great little restaurant. Beautiful deco combined with a great selection of Italian wines, delicious tapas and very knowledgeable staff, all make for a memorable experience.

Amazing place, amazing atmosphere, great choice of wine and amazing food. Staff were also great.

Great place to catch up with friends with a glass of wine. Highly recommended. Saluti!

Italian tapas is not something you get to experience a lot outside of Italy... From our first experience, you can tell that genuine thought and love have gone into the restaurant. The decor is very much on point, from the ceilings to the tiles and the tables. The service and the staff are all very kind And of course the food..... My top favourites are; the meatballs, polenta fries, the classic bruschetta, aubergine and mushroom bruschetta! If you are like me, I can be quite indecisive with menu choices. Here at Baccello, you can a variety of choices and tastes! Baccello is where you meet your friends, colleagues and family for wine and food in a social and relaxed environment.

Relaxing , cosy and warm setting to savour some beautiful wines and authentic Italian Cicchetti. Delicious ;)

What a lovely evening we’ve had! Great wines, lovely food, wonderful atmosphere and decor… will come back soon!

Wow - the place looks amazing, the attention to detail is stunning, from the mosaic tiled floors to the very classy wall decor BUT for me the quality of staff is the thing that will bring me back, super friendly and knowledgable.

Great choice of Italian wine and who doesn't like Italian food? This time however it was in the style of Tapas! Delicious, lots of healthy options and passionate owner who has brought the best of Italy to Christchurch.

Well, I am truly blown away by the whole experience. The staff are so knowledgeable about the grape variety on offer here and also wine in general. They advise on the perfect wine and food pairings which can sometimes feel a bit daunting, but they really know their stuff. The decor is also absolutely gorgeous, it is a very welcoming environment. The rustic walls give the bar a very authentic experience, I truly felt like I was in Venice. Thank you Diego and the rest of the team for such a wonderful time. The best wine and cicchetti bar in Christchurch! I'll be back for sure!