Bar Nat Offers A Fresh Take On Food And Wine In Naples

Bar Nat acts as a neo-bistro emphasizing high-quality, fresh, and healthy ingredients, prioritizing both the food and wine being as wholesome as possible. Neo-bistros around the world are now championing natural wines, which is a shift from older bistros that may not care about the origin of the wine as long as it tastes good. Neo-bistros offer a more casual and informal dining experience with a strong focus on quality and sustainability for healthier and fresher food.

Photo Credit: Diego Sanchez

The team behind Bar Nat includes co-owner and chef Ming Yee, who was born into the restaurant industry, where his parents originally ran a Chinese restaurant before they partnered with a Japanese chef to transform it into Tokyo Sushi in 1999. Yee had the opportunity to witness the restaurant’s evolution firsthand. His dad worked as a chef, primarily handling the kitchen and cooked food items, while his mom served as a waitress. Over the years, his parents bought out the sushi chef, and his mom took charge of the sushi section. As Yee grew older, he became increasingly involved, observing the restaurant’s growth, and developing a deep appreciation for the bustling and dynamic world of a sushi chef. Yee started his own restaurant, Café Nutrients, seven years ago with the idea of creating a cozy, high-quality, and healthy space that served as an extension of your kitchen. Bar Nat offers a similar cozy and casual vibe focusing on small plates with diverse influences like Mediterranean, Puerto Rican, and a bit of Asian. They focus on natural wine, spotlighting a few ingredients without overcomplicating. It pairs well with their philosophy of simplicity and quality.

Photo Credit: Diego Sanchez

“Our goal is to offer great ingredients without unnecessary extravagance,” remarked Yee. “We prefer using organic and locally grown products.”

Bar Nat supports the community, local businesses, and restaurateurs. They source from various local farms like Care 2 Grow, Inyoni Organic Farm, and Earth Giving Medicinals.

Photo Credit: Diego Sanchez

In contrast, co-owner Peter Rizzo’s background is rooted in the wine business, thanks to his grandfather’s influence. Rizzo would go with his grandfather at a young age down to South Boston to the railroad cars where he would journey from boxcar to boxcar tasting and selecting grapes for his grandfather’s homemade wine. Growing up around wine, it wasn’t until he became a professional wine buyer and ran a wine-importing company that he truly honed his expertise. Rizzo has been part of the wine industry for 33 years, having spent most of his adult life in this field. He previously owned Natural Wine Naples before merging with Yee to open Bar Nat in September.

“At Bar Nat, our approach is about more than just running a restaurant. It’s about nurturing a place of learning and inspiration,” said Rizzo. “We prioritize educating our team members, creating an atmosphere where they are genuinely inspired by the world of natural wine.”

Bar Nat prioritizes delivering an exceptional dining experience that aligns with their mission of providing high-quality, authentic, and healthy food and wine.

Photo Credit: Diego Sanchez

“We focus on covering a range of tastes, emphasizing quality and freshness,” exclaimed Yee. “I like to keep things fun and dynamic. Our concept at Bar Nat is more like an open kitchen where guests can see the preparation. It’s a unique experience, almost like a communal vibe.”

So, what is natural wine? Natural wine is the return to the traditional ways of growing grapes and making wines. That was the standard model for thousands of years. This is just re-embracing the past and celebrating wines as agricultural products. After World War II, wine slowly but surely became an industrial beverage. It started with spraying with herbicides, and then with pesticides, and then finally, the soil was so devoid of life and robbed of its nutritional value, wine began to be made with cultured yeast and synthetics, which was easier and cheaper. It is the textures, flavors, and terroir-expressions that give each wine its own unique personality, energy, and freshness.

Photo Credit: Diego Sanchez

“Every new vintage I sell is going to be different than the year before,” said Rizzo. “My job as a wine buyer is to decide, ‘Is it as good as last year, but different? Or is it not as good and not worth buying?’ I’m making buying decisions all the time. We are trying to stay very hands-on in terms of our choices.”

Bar Nat’s menu changes every week. This allows owners Rizzo and Yee to introduce their customers to new and exciting dishes constantly.

“At Bar Nat, we always start with the food concept,” said Yee. “We prioritize sourcing high-quality local ingredients and build our menu around them. Once we have the food concept in place, we carefully select wine pairings that complement and enhance the flavors of the dishes. Our diverse and ever-changing menu is designed to provide our customers with a unique and educational dining experience.”

As for the wine flights, they change nightly. This means that even returning customers can enjoy a different wine flight each time they visit, making it educational, enjoyable, and a memorable experience. In one evening, a wine spectator can travel the world and experience a spectrum of flavors, personalities, and styles through the diversity of wines at Bar Nat.

“We want our wines to be session-type wines that are still delicious,” said Rizzo. “Bar Nat offers a diverse wine selection and aims to keep the prices reasonable, around $12 per glass, to ensure that customers can enjoy their evenings. We truly want our customers to grow appreciation and understanding for the rich diversity of what the wine world really is that the commercial world doesn’t expose people to.”

Bar Nat’s latest edition is lunch on Fridays and Saturdays from 11–3pm, featuring a variety of fresh baked focaccia sandwiches, salads, and a seasonal smoothie. Lunch is a more casual setup, perfect for a quick and wholesome meal.

In addition to their wine store, neo-bistro, and tastings, Bar Nat engages in special events and collaborations with artists, chefs, and wine enthusiasts. They believe in creativity, collaboration, and providing a unique dining experience for their patrons. Bar Nat hosts a monthly sourdough starter class and will host themed wine tastings.

Bar Nat is open Thursday 5:30–10 pm; Friday and Saturday 11–3 pm and 5:30–10 pm.

The Bottle Shop is open Tuesday through Saturday 12–4:30 pm

3080 Tamiami Trail N. Naples, FL 34103