Bacco Boulder: Trattoria and Mozzarella Bar in NoBo

Apr 27, 2026 · 7 min read · Bacco Italian Trattoria Mozzarella Bar 80304 Boulder Colorado NoBo ·

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Bacco: North Boulder's Italian Corner Since 2010

Bacco Trattoria and Mozzarella Bar opened at the corner of Yarmouth Avenue and North Broadway in 2010. It is a small Italian restaurant with a bar built around fresh mozzarella. Russell and Michelle have run it since 2018. In 2025, Yellow Scene Magazine named it runner-up for best Italian restaurant in Boulder.

Where is it? 1200 Yarmouth Ave., Boulder, CO 80304 — on the southeast corner of North Broadway and Yarmouth, in the NoBo Art District.

Who Runs It

Bacco's own story page says it was "established in 2010" as a neighborhood restaurant with "a relaxed, casual atmosphere." Russell and Michelle moved to Colorado and took over in 2018. They wanted a "hands on" restaurant, "where staff is like family and guests are like a large circle of friends."

Russell works in the restaurant himself. Bacco says he "runs this place the way a neighborhood restaurant should — he's here, he knows your name." Bacco is closed on Sundays so that the staff can spend time with their families. The owners also give the credit for the restaurant's long life to the people who live nearby: "We owe our survival to the local crowd, regular guests and word of mouth advertising."

The business behind the restaurant is Fortunato, LLC.

The Mozzarella Bar

The mozzarella and charcuterie bar is what makes Bacco different. Bacco's mozzarella bar page says: "Choose your cheeses, pick your meats, and add whatever catches your eye." Everything comes out together on one board.

There are four fresh cheeses: fresh mozzarella, burrata, bufala and smoked provolone. There are six cured meats, all imported and sliced to order: Prosciutto di Parma, soppressata, salami Felino, speck, bresaola and duck prosciutto.

The online menu sets the board sizes. In October 2026 the prices started at:

One choice — $14.50: one meat or cheese and two vegetable sides
Two choices — $22: two meats or cheeses and three vegetable sides
Three choices — $29: three meats or cheeses and four vegetable sides
Three cheeses and three meats — $45: three of each, plus vegetable sides

The boards are marked gluten-free. A board works as a shared starter for a group, or as a small dinner at the bar with a glass of wine. The menu also has smaller cheese plates, such as burrata with balsamic and shaved Prosciutto di Parma, or fresh mozzarella layered with roasted golden beets.

Pasta Made to Order

The rest of the menu is classic Italian food. Bacco says its fresh pastas are whole egg pastas made locally, and its dry pastas are imported from Italy. Each dish is cooked to order, one at a time.

You can mix and match. Pick a pasta shape and a sauce, and the kitchen will put them together the way you want. The restaurant's line is that "Italian cooking at its best is about what you want tonight." One recent guest on the home page wrote about swapping pappardelle for penne and arrabbiata sauce for alfredo. The set pasta dishes on the dinner menu include penne arrabbiata in a spicy tomato sauce, handmade tagliatelle Bolognese, spaghetti carbonara made with pancetta and egg yolk, linguine with shrimp in garlic and white wine, and lasagna. There are also four ravioli — butternut squash in sage butter, spinach and cheese, wild mushroom, and lobster with rock shrimp — plus a seasonal ravioli.

From Wednesday to Friday, Bacco also serves lunch. The lunch menu adds burgers and other dishes. There is a happy hour menu as well.

The dinner menu is long. Besides the boards and the pastas, it has:

Salads — such as arugula with shaved Parmigiano Reggiano and lemon dressing, and a Bacco salad of romaine, candied walnuts, Gorgonzola and pear
Bruschette — tomato and basil; avocado with goat cheese; bresaola with garlic aioli; and one with three cured meats
Antipasti — mussels in tomato sauce, fried calamari, braised octopus, grilled shrimp, seared ahi tuna, sea scallops, meatballs, and arancini (fried saffron rice balls in Bolognese sauce)
Pizza from the oven — Margherita, a Romano with arugula and prosciutto, Quattro Stagioni and Quattro Formaggi, or a plain cheese pizza with your own toppings
Ravioli, risotto, chicken dishes, steak and seafood
Soup — a Roman vegetable minestrone, which is vegan and gluten-free, is always on the menu
Desserts — chocolate mousse, cannoli filled to order, tiramisu, New York-style cheesecake, gelato, and a warm flourless chocolate cake that is gluten-free

The kitchen also runs specials. When we checked in October 2026, they included pan-fried trout with clams in sage butter, potato gnocchi with smoked salmon and asparagus in a pink vodka sauce, and an 8-ounce beef tenderloin with green peppercorn sauce. Prices and specials change, so check the online menu before you go.

Gluten-Free and Allergies

Bacco's FAQ page says that almost every dish on the menu is gluten-free or can be made gluten-free, and each one is marked. Gluten-free pasta can replace the regular pasta in any dish except the ravioli and the lasagna. That pasta is vegan. It is made from brown rice, corn flour and quinoa, and it comes from Italy. The kitchen also has a gluten-free pizza crust and gluten-free bread from a Boulder bakery.

Because each dish is made one at a time, the kitchen can leave out dairy, nuts and other allergens from almost any order. The restaurant says it cannot promise there is no cross-contamination, but it takes every step it can, and the servers are trained to know what is in each dish.

Reservations, Groups and Parties

You do not need a reservation. The FAQ says Bacco "almost always" has room for walk-ins. For a group of five or more at a busy time, call ahead so the staff can plan for you.

For private events, there is a separate room that seats up to 28 people. Larger groups can book the main dining room or the whole restaurant. Bacco can also host events on Sundays, when it is normally closed. It takes bookings for birthdays, rehearsal dinners, graduations and work dinners.

Bacco also does catering for groups, with menus you can change to fit your event. You can order online or send a request through the website.

The Award

Yellow Scene Magazine publishes "Best of the West" awards. In the 2025 results, Bacco Trattoria and Mozzarella Bar was runner-up in the Italian category for Boulder, behind Carelli's. Bacco shows the award on its website.

Practical Information

Address: 1200 Yarmouth Ave., Boulder, CO 80304
Phone: (303) 442-3899
Hours: Monday and Tuesday 4–8 p.m.; Wednesday to Friday 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m. and 4–8 p.m.; Saturday 4–9 p.m.; closed Sunday
Parking: Free street parking on Broadway and Yarmouth, and a free lot just south of the restaurant. Enter the lot from 13th Street on the east or from Rosewood Avenue on the south.
Reservations: Not required. Call ahead for groups of five or more.
Website: baccoboulder.com

Should You Go?

Bacco is a relaxed place for a weeknight Italian dinner in North Boulder. Go for a mozzarella board and a pasta made the way you like it. If you eat gluten-free, you will have more choice here than at most Italian restaurants. Remember that it is closed on Sundays, and that lunch is only served Wednesday to Friday.