Basta

Amir Shevat

We had a wonderful evening here. Fantastic service, fresh pizza, and fantastic starters and desserts. Fun place.

Gonzalo A

We’d driven into Boulder earlier that day and spent the afternoon wandering around downtown—cold, hungry, and killing time while waiting for our 5:15 reservation at Basta. It was the only slot we could get. Everything else was booked solid. Clearly, the people of Boulder already knew something we were just about to learn. Dinner kicked off with oysters. Cold, clean, perfect. Then the clam pizza showed up. Full on religious experience. Focaccia was thick, warm, blessed. Trout was perfectly cooked. The sunchokes and morel mushrooms? Fine. They showed up, did their job, but definitely took a back seat to the headliners. A little pricey, a little shy. I had a non-alcoholic beer that was somehow “beautiful”—don’t ask, it just was—and my girlfriend had a glass of red wine that paired perfectly with everything. The wine basically held our hands through the entire meal. The staff—all dressed in black—were attentive, kind, and moved like a well-rehearsed dance troupe that also happens to bring you oysters. Yes, the vibe was a little cult-ish. But like, the kind of cult you want to join. The kind with focaccia. The atmosphere was minimalist-industrial-meets-cozy. Concrete and wood, clean lines, soft light. Even the bathrooms had music, which was an unexpected and appreciated flex. I ended the meal with a solid espresso. Strong finish to a strong meal. Bottom line: If you’re anywhere near Boulder and don’t go to Basta, you are actively denying yourself happiness. Make the reservation. Bundle up. Order the clam pizza. Then thank whatever higher power led you there.

Andrew Kumar

Second adventure: similar reflection. Worth returning. Piada is so good! first time and a good time, I will return for another adventure the ambiance is cozy and intimate and is well matched by attentive service in line with expectations. the menu was focused, relevant and interesting. It was perhaps a bit more ingredient forward than my little pallette is tuned for. a touch of salt and pepper on the table and turning everything flavor oriented up just a bit, would be welcome. the opt out 22% tip feels like a removal of power. yes please to fair wages, but also yes please to maintaining my autonomy without a staff facing opt out. for a 500 dollar meal, I want just a touch more flavor combined with feeling empowered to opt in to social norms and performance driven tip culture, rather than out. cocktails: inspired combinations! wine offerings: numerous and in line with cuisine offerings smoked olives: firm and fantastic castelvetranos. the smoke was a nice touch, but surface level. you loose the butter of the castelvetranos, but the smoke is still nice enough burrata: excellent, delicate, and balanced. chicken liver mousse:perfect texture, but a flavor a bit too mild baby lettuce: a lovely and balanced salad.yes please! Ceasars salad: excellent dressing, but a touch too much dressing fish for two: nice crispy skin, reasonable potato bed, slightly overcooked flesh caccio e pepe: not actually caccio e pepe. al dente fantastic pasta, over salted and thin / broken sauce smoked vanilla ice cream. very nice flavor, but a bit thin. A little more fat would balance nicely against the smoke. chevre?

Abby J. Molen

A lovely intimate dining experience! On a solo business trip so I sat at the bar, and my bartender Avery was great at making beverage and food recommendations! I loved having a direct view of the wood fire oven - very cool!! The pizza is SO GOOD you cannot pass it up when you visit. And if you love ice cream… get them all. I loved the bay leaf but I regret not getting the smokey vanilla!

Liv R

Fine experience. The location is easy to access and offers indoor and patio seating. There is a rotating menu with small bites, large plates and pizzas. We opted for the burrata and focaccia to start. Admittedly, we did not need that much bread but both options were delicious. The wood fired pizzas are light and crispy in the center with a fluffy crust. The rest of the menu did not jump out at us - the mains and sides seem to be plain items you can get anywhere. Definitely plan to make a reservation for the weekend. Plenty of parking available. 22% gratuity applied to all bills which I will continue to disagree with.