Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant

Love Milwaukee Buca. Appleton one was a disappointment. Busy server not a lot of customers. We ordered Eggplant Parm and it was thin and tough not like the cant wait to taste Buca tradition. Waited for meatballs and a glass of wine. Wont be back.

This one does not live up to the Buca di Beppo’s we’ve eaten at elsewhere. Seemed like they were cutting corners at every turn. The size of the portions was not truly enough for 2 as advertised. The drinks were watered down. Ugh! What a disappointment.

Had been here along time ago, before I became a real foodie. But mama bear wanted to go because her friend told it was good, I beg to differ as now being a true foodie living in San Francisco (born in Appleton area, but flew off to the golden state awhile ago, but come back to visit the mama bear!) The service was good, the place was nice (like the rest of the chain of restaurants it owns around the country), but that is where it stops.
The food is ok, but way, way over priced. Almost $ 90 for a pizza, salad, pasta and a glass of wine and beer… huh??? Hate to say this, since I never want to put a business out, but I have to stay true to my Unilocalerness; you are better off gandering over to Victoria’s on the other side of Appleton for some real true, yummy italian… better food and value.

Went on a Monday evening, and it was pretty quiet. Our server was very attentive and patient with us as we were chatting instead of looking at our menus. Food was good but not great. I am generally not a fan of chain restaurants but this one is OK. It seems to be a good place for birthday gatherings if you like places where the staff makes a big show for the whole dining room.

2^nd try:
I decided to try Buca again after getting a sweet Groupon ($ 10 for $ 20). The menu has changed and looks a lot more appealing. The appetizer prices are still very over inflated. I went with the shrimp florentine. It was very similar to a dish I make an enjoy.
It was pretty good! I got the calamari again and was accommodated with a non spicy marinara. The service was slower than I had hoped but it was busier than I had expected a Monday to be. Overall I was more impressed with this visit than the first.
About 4 hours later, I felt very sick. Buca was all I had for food yesterday.

My husband and I went for an impromptu dinner with our energetic toddler tonight. Naturally, as first time parents, we were nervous to try out a new place with her. Much to our delight, the restaurant was filled with warm and understanding employees. Every single one made us feel at home. Our waitress, Molly, brought out a little piece of pizza dough for her to play with and interacted with our daughter in such a sweet way. I have never felt so comfortable in a restaurant with our «tiny tornado toddler» before. We’ll be back in no time!
Oh yes, the food and the tiramisu martini were great too.

Did not realize how many families with noisy kids this place attracted. Haven’t experienced a Buca like this ever before — way less classy than what my date and I were expecting.
Also, not sure if the menu has changed everywhere but I was surprised by how few red meat options there were. Most choices were chicken or vegetarian.
The value is good for the money -$ 20 for an entire that is big enough for 4. The wine we got was good but was also $ 40.
Also, three people had birthdays in the hour we were here. Not great to be interrupted so frequently but if it’s your birthday then I suppose it’s ok.

Went for lunch. We all ordered the chicken Parmesan sandwich. The most god awful dry tasteless sandwiches we ever had. The service was slow also.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere and décor of this restaurant. I know it’s a chain, but It is new to me! Will be back.
Food was good and portions were ample. My favorite thing I ate was the bread! Their bread beats any breadstick by a mile!

Great food for a large chain restuarant. Food is always good quality and service is great too. Don’t skip the connoli, they are amazing. If you like wine then this is the place for you, their wine selection is endless.

Considering the prices, this place should at least be better than Olive Garden and I don’t really like Olive Garden. Their tomato sauce tasted of canned tomatoes and had no flavor. The cheese ravioli also was tasteless and had no signs of herbs. I couldn’t help but wonder if there was a garlic and herb embargo. Perhaps their business plan involves getting patrons intoxicated enough to not notice they could have received a higher quality Italian dinner from the refrigerator section of the grocery market. Needless to say I won’t be coming to this chain restaurant again.

ICK! Our party of 5 went this evening. We were told 20 – 30 minutes but it ended up being more like an hour. The Chicken Marsala was gross! It tasted like honey. The Chicken Rigatoni was okay. The Bruschetta was some chopped tomato and basil on garlic bread. Staff was okay. REALLY CHEESY!
If you are looking for yummy Italian food try Bela Vita downtown. No, I don’t work for them!

Hate this place. The prices are ridiculous! I’ve never seen such over priced mediocre food. You cannot get out of here for $ 40 a person and you could’ve made boxed spaghetti that tasted better.

Great rigatoni and green beans and tiramisu. Friendly service. Let the waiter know u graduated with an advanced nursing degree and they will announce it to the entire restaurant. Overpriced though

Love it it’s a must and if you go try the meatballs wait staff was real nice up beat made the dinning fun would do it again and be ready to take left overs home you will have some

I normally don’t really like chain restaurants, but Buca has somehow disengaged from the feelings I’m wont to have for a Chili’s or Applebees. Maybe it’s because some of the locations (in Minneapolis, one in Chicago and the one in Milwaukee, for instance) have an urban kitsched-​out authenticity. I also like the pizza and sweet sauces and have some solid memories of dining there.
Unfortunately, there’s no avoiding that this Buca is in a brand new building in the epi-​center of a Appleton’s sprawly Mall Land. And when I went in, all the Frank Sinatra blasting and photographs of Italian nude statues in the world couldn’t shake the fact that we’re right next to a Red Lobster and Hooters and cars are everywhere.
It’s *kind of* the same as some of the locations, but it’s a little shinier, a bit more cookie-​cutter, a little less heart, and it just has more of a mall-​restaurant vibe.
The place is mostly fine, and I’ll still come here occasionally when i have a coupon. They could definitely use some additional booths — the best part of a Bucas – and the beer selection and beer prices could be waaaay better, but if you want big sloppy, sauce-​y pastas, you’ll probably like it. I mostly do.
Maybe it’s just that when pitted against some of the other cities where I’ve visited the restaurant, this location doesn’t do quite enough to whisk me far, far away from Appleton. Something I desperately need from time to time.

I liked the baked ziti here better than at Olive Garden! My companion and I dined here a few months after it opened and were eager to compare it to other chain Italian restaurants. We shared the ziti and didn’t order anything else.
I really love the décor here with the wine bottles on the ceiling. Cool! Classy! So… Italian? Maybe. Whatever it is, it added positively to my experience.
Even though it was a little pricey for what you get, we still had leftovers after sharing the ziti, which I enjoyed for a meal later. I would return here, even though I know I can get better in the Valley for a little more $. Buca di Beppo is a solid Italian restaurant and I’m glad a location opened up in Appleton.

Not much to say here, average Italian, clean place, good service, but not for me.
I could see doing this with a big family, but for our business travels, this was not a good substitution for Carmella’s, the night we tried Carmella’s and the wait was too long for us, we ended up here. Not a bad experience, but food was too «average» to bring me back.

So what do Hulk Hogan, Jay Leno, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone and Lindsay Lohan have in common? Well, aside from naturally hairy chests, their aspirations of Popeness, and a love for the female form, they are all of Italian descent.
Now, it is widely rumored, and accepted as fact, that all celebrities having any amount of Italian in their heritage, aspire to be Pope. After all, who else can throw tantrums, tell a large portion of the population how to live their lives, and wear silly hats? Unfortunately, due to the tremendous physical strain and the fact that only men can become Pope, the only one sure to endure through the rigors of Conclave and eventually be appointed as the Supreme Pontiff is, undoubtedly, Madonna.
So why the big fuss over trying to become Pope? Is it the fancy robes, the many rings adorned with precious stones, the really cool Pope-​Mobile, the fact that you own all Catholics, or, is it the young alter boys? No! All of these benefits can already be had by many celebrities. The one benefit of Popeship that can only be bestowed with Popedom, is the privilege of having your bust at the center of the Pope’s Table at every Buca di Beppo restaurant! What could be better? Although many have had Madonna’s bust, the pleasure has yet to be bestowed onto the center of a Buca di Beppo table.
The only way we peasants can even get close to such an honor as having our busts at the center of a dining table (other than changing your name to Skittles, oiling yourself up and dancing for dollar bills on a table at Olive Garden), is to reserve the Pope Table at your favorite Buca di Beppo location. Well, not having 15 friends with whom to share the table at the new Appleton location, but still wanting to see what the fuss was all about, my dining partner and I had to settle for a small booth in a corner watched over by our server, Pat.
The atmosphere is happily busy with about 17.2 million photos on the walls and the vibrant sounds of Italian music echoing through the entire space.
We started our meal with a pricey little appetizer of Bruschetta [broo-​sket-​uh, –shet-​uh; It. broo-​sket-​tah]. Crisp Italian bread covered with olive oil and Parmesan cheese. Individually sliced grape tomatoes and basil overflowed the top giving it a fresh and authentic flavor. The price point of almost $ 11 was a little steep in my opinion (this is Appleton not LA), but the work that goes into it and the final result makes this appetizer for two almost worth the price.
I chose the Tomato and Basil soup as my accompaniment. Presentation was a bit sloppy and could have used a few bits of fresh basil on top which would have really stood out against the color of the base. Flavor was a bit better than Campbell’s, but the tomato seeds were not completely strained out of the soup and they ended up having the effect of large boulders on an otherwise smooth country road — Da da da da da da … BAM! Not to my liking.
My entrée was the popular Spaghetti with Meat Ball. Yes, «Meat Ball». Singular. Peerless. Only one. Having no other. Lance Armstrong. But, as Sheryl Crow might attest to, one is enough! The large meat balls served at this place are a meal in themselves! The spaghetti was cooked perfectly al dente. The sauce tasted fresh with lots of garlic slices and Italian goodness but had separated and left a puddle of flavor at the bottom of the bowl. The pasta had a hard time hanging on to the loose sauce and it was a bit difficult to incorporate all of the flavors onto each bite. The meat ball had a great flavor with well rounded herbs and spices and was reminiscent of my Aunt Bunny’s meatloaf. I wouldn’t mind having a couple of those balls on an Italian hoagie with fresh mozzarella and basil!
Overall, my meal at Buca di Beppo was quite flavorful with a freshness not usually found in other Italian chain restaurants. I felt the lunch prices were a bit high for the area, maybe deterring some guests, and the prices are perhaps the reason for the less-​than-​stellar Urbanspoon rating. Perhaps all of those poor ratings are from those who do not appreciate the size of Buca’s balls! Although not as large as Madonna’s, when you experience one, it leaves you feeling like a virgin!

Baked Ziti (Buca small)
Flavor — The baked ziti was good and it had great flavor imparted by the different cheeses and use of ricotta cheese.
Chicken Parmesan (Buca small)
Overall — One of the best chicken patties I’ve ever had. I’m not really sure if it was a chicken patty or supper tender chicken. It had good flavor and I would buy it again if I didn’t care about money. I think I received about 1.45 lbs., yes I used a scale, of chicken for $ 18.99, so that is $ 13.10 per pound of chicken parmesan with sauce and it didn’t come with spaghetti.
Cost — The total bill was about $ 37 and was good enough for 4 small meals. If the people I ate with were bigger eaters it would have been enough for 2 – 3 meals.
I’m giving it 4 stars because the food was good even if the price is high. I will return in the future, but not the immediate future.