Narducci’s Cafe

I’m baffled by the low rating for this place! We took some friends from out of town here on a Saturday night, got right in and the service was wonderful and so fast. I ordered The Setup and everything was delicious! Our waitress brought us salad after salad because we just couldn’t get enough, the fries were fresh cut and so dark and perfect, soup was fresh and flavorful. My husband ordered the Friday special, friends ordered a burger and butternut ravioli and both lapped up every last bite. We also both had babies and though from the outside it looks just like a bar, there is a big dining room in the back and was very family friendly. We will definitely be taking more friends here.

I came to Narducci’s for lunch to fulfill the «Things to do in Bako» challenge and I must say the experience was great but the food was only fine. Not bad by any means, but nothing to absolutely come back for.
The server was fantastic, and I think the bar area was full of «regulars» (and by full I mean every-​seat was taken) and it was loud, which I actually didn’t mind at all. We sat in the back room and were all alone so it was quiet but I didn’t mind that either because we could actually hear each other speak lol.
The food, like I said was fine. It came out in a timely manner and was warm but the taste was only fine. I had the set-​up because I wanted to have the Basque experience and it was ok. The set-​up came with a salad, fries, beans, and cabbage soup. No real entrée or protein I guess which I was kinda bummed about but the beans and soup were pretty good. Again, nothing fantastic. Just fine. I wouldn’t choose this place for basque again but it seems to be a favorite of the regulars so they might be doing something right in the bar area. ;)

Great food and service. This place takes you back in time with its old world setting. It’s nice to see that the new owners left the original décor and added to it. I’ll be back.

My husband and I got out of a seminar early so we decided to try somewhere new for lunch. We had heard great things about Narducci’s so off we went. We were greeted as soon as we entered and told we could sit anywhere. The waiter brought us menus. As we were about to order, we got a message that we needed to take care of something at home. We told them what was going on and made our order to go. They were so helpful and accommodating. Our order was prepared quickly and they gave us everything we needed. I ordered the lobster ravioli and my husband order the beef ravioli. Our meals came with soup or salad and I decided on soup (it was clam chowder) and my husband got a salad. The clam chowder was delicious and just the right consistency; not too thick or too thin. When I opened the container for my lobster ravioli, I found that they had put red sauce on them. I have never heard of red sauce on lobster ravioli, but I ate them. I was not a fan of the taste at all. The two don’t go together very well. I am assuming in all the rush to get us out since we had an emergency at home, they put the wrong sauce on them. My husband on the other had loved his meat ravioli with red sauce. We will have to try them out again when we have time to dine in. I do love how helpful and understanding they were about our emergency at home.

We had a big party of 10 and our table was reserved on a Saturday night. The service was excellent, the food was great! Our server Katie was sooo nice and helpful! We will definitely be going back and recommend to our friends!

I used to like this place, but last night we took a friend there for his birthday dinner, what a big mistake!
First off when we were seated by our waitress the table had dirt on the table cloth from the wind, so we ask for a different table. That table looked like it had been on there for many services.
Everyone’s food was mediocre, my Ribeye steak was horrible it was to be medium rare, the outside appearance was a gray color no grill marks it was cooked to slow and to low of heat it was cold when I got it, the inside had very little pink but mostly looked like the outside did.
I will not ever recommendgoing to this place to anyone.

Sad after Jimmy sold the place it went downhill. Now the steaks are half as thick and dry. I ordered Friday fish and chips for 3. None of the orders had tartar sauce. We ordered vegetable basque soup, got clam chowder instead, and the fish was like some fish sticks you buy for kids. Cheap and nowhere near worth $ 13 per order! Stay away.

«UPDATE 01−19−2016»
I had heard that the Restaurant was being ran by someone else so I thought I would give them a try. I am not a total AH! So, as for the food Pastrami Sandwich… full of fat and extremely salty. My companion had the Basque Soup and an Italian Panini Sandwich he did say they were both pretty good hence the added star. Service although very friendly very slow. I will give them a few more months and see if anything changes however it’s looking pretty bleak at this point.

New ownership has brought back the old Narducci’s!!! Food was lovely, staff polite and helpful, overall a nice place to eat. The garlic chicken was great. Prime rib aus juice was really really good (isn’t it funny how that little details can make a meal?). Looking forward to next time.

A very nice surprise. We were checking out the Basque area and fell into this delicious place. Not many diners on a Monday night but everything was very fresh and delicious and inexpensive. Our waitperson, Lindsey, treated us like royalty. Pork Loin was juicy and well cooked. The burger was massive, and the pastas were tasty and not starchy.

Great food, from chile verde tacos on taco Tuesday, to steak night on Thursday, to breakfast any day all the food has been excellent. The new owners have come in and done a great job, the place is welcoming, the overall feel is much better. Definitely a must visit!

I can’t sugar coat this — this place went downhill.
I went to steak night on Thursday for a first time in awhile. I was surprised that this place was almost dead when I remember steak nights filling the dining areas to capacity. The crickets chirping in the background should’ve been my first clue.
The soup, salad, pasta, and steak were just as good as I remember it. Sadly, everything else was not. They no longer serve beer in pitchers. The service was horrible. Our server was either new, overwhelmed, or both. I saw the poor girl running around panicked and trying to fill drink orders and cover the dining room while the other servers sat in the dining area and did nothing to help her. She forgot our drink orders and when she remembered them, it took a long time to get them to us.
After the meal was over, the server forgot some items and had to revise the check… twice. When it came time to run my credit card, she manually wrote down the account number to run later. I was nervous about having my credit card info floating around a poorly ran restaurant. Lastly, the environment is just off. A near empty dining room and servers sitting around with nothing to do. Sad times for a Bako institution.

Pleasantly Suprised!
The Service was Great!
The Bartender was Awesome!
The Food was Tasty and Hot!
Great Menu and Great Atmosphere!
They are on their way back!

Went for lunch yesterday, it was my 2^nd time. The Basque setup is amazing. As good as Woolgrower IMO.
I thought it would be nice to watch football and have lunch.
The problem is the out of control football fans. They were so incredibly loud, drunk, arguing and pounding on the bar.
If Narducci’s wants to continue with the clean up of the area and encourage good customers with lots of disposable income, they better get it in check.
I will go back because of the food, but if it’s like that again, it will be the last time.

I have tried many of the dishes here and I must say the new cooks and staff know how to take care of the people had Alfredo pasta delicious and a pork shop might I say biggest chop I’ve seen served anywhere well cooked and deliciously tender the basque set up incredible I recommended to all my friends to give it another try the new staff is excellent and drinks are even better thumbs up high to narduccis going back to its roots and focusing on the food and getting better staff

Customer service is bad food arrived one hour later cold and under cooked and it’s loud bathrooms are gross and small, unless your there to drink it isn’t worth your money or time. Workers stood around and talked with each other instead of tend to the customers. Will not go back

We have come to really love this place over some of the other basque restaurants probably because of the young ownership. Its positioned in what I would like to call the basque district. They have really done a great job on the menu but also sticking with a traditional basque set up. It can get kind of noisy due to their excellent jute box in the bar which is positioned in the middle of the restaurant. The daily specials are very good too. If you havent tried basque food and your willing to give it a try this restaurant is a great start off point.

06÷01÷14 (according to my Excel spending spreadsheet)
My friends and I were looking for a place to eat after a weekend of camping, hiking, river-​rafting and hot springs along the the Kern River (
). I recalled Huell Howser’s program on the Basque community in Bakersfield. Thus with that inspired thought, we headed toward Bakersfield. Unfortunately, we were too early for the Noriega Hotel buffet, and Wool Growers was closed on Sundays. So we ended up at Narducci’s.
At the front of the restaurant is a bar area which unfortunately for me was showing Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals between the Kings vs. Hawks. Oh no!!! I couldn’t bear to see the score. Thankfully there’s more seating in another room away from the TV, and my friends tried not to tell me the score: P
I ordered the Basque setup which came with a lot of food for the price! The bread, butter, salsa, soup, salad, pasta, Italian beans, french fries were standard fare. Good, but nothing exceptional. However the pickled tongue, the only uniquely Basque item, was really good! Would definitely come back for that. It was sliced thinly so you don’t see the bumps of the tongue and would go great in a sandwich or as an appetizer.
One of my friends is a vegetarian, and the waiter turned out also to be a vegetarian and made some recommendations. Service was pretty good but maybe it was because the waiter had to come to the table many times to bring out each item of the Basque setup.

The bar was CRACKIN at 2 PM on a Saturday. I mean that’s to early for me but more power to y’all.
This review is for the food and it is very delicious! The Basque soup, the vegetables, the Cajun salmon and Cobb Louis salad were yummy! Big portions and fresh.
–Service took foreverrr… *yawn*
–You have to walk through the bar to get to the dining tables. We sat ourselves on this particular afternoon but I don’t think that’s always the case.

I was here last Wednesday evening with my husband for dinner. We came a bit too early since they actually only start serving dinner at 5:30 pm. They were nice enough to give us some salsa and bread to eat while we waited for their kitchen to open & the chef to arrive. The waitress finally took our order at 5:15 pm (about 15 min earlier), so that was very kind of them. :)
I had a spotted fox voucher to use, so we ordered the following items:
(1) Ribeye — my husband had this item and thought it was just OK; not as good as Black Angus in town. A bit dry.
(2) Beef Tongue — this was an appetizer dish that my husband ordered; he loves tongue and I just think it’s gross. It was very tangy (felt like it pickled tongue) and had some green scallions sprinkled on top. I can’t get into it… but he thought it was delicious!
(3) Pork Chops — I ordered this; came with 3 chops and it was very dry. I could only finish one; and it wasn’t very well seasoned. 3 stars.
The restaurant had a dive-​bar feel to it. Wait staff was very nice and friendly.