Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant

What gives ?! Why only 3 stars? We came here for a one-​year old birthday lunch today and I was pleasantly surprised. The staff was incredibly friendly and professional. The Caesar and Gorgonzola walnut salads were sUBERB!!! The ravioli was great and the chicken penne pasta — although very rich — was nice as well. I usually eat somewhere twice before reviewing. And although we didn’t eat dinner here I can’t comment on the main courses. However I think this place is really more deserving than three stars.

It hurts to write this because I’ve had some very good meals here. This place has really gone down hill since the last time I’ve been here. All four sets of silverware were gross and had old food stuck to them. Our bread plates though warm from being just washed came out with food stuck to them. When a place is basically empty on a Friday night that should tell you something. Hopefully, they can turn it around or hire a new dishwasher. Their food isn’t bad.

Made reservations here a few weeks ago for Christmas dinner. Called yesterday to confirm, and the hostess confirmed. Showed up on Christmas Day and was greeting with, «I’m sorry sir, but I can’t find your reservation». Was forced to tell my family to meet somewhere else. Good luck on Christmas Day. Ended up at an Italian place called Roasario’s near Gold’s club. New Christmas tradition!

Well… I read the reviews posted on Unilocal so that I would know what to expect. When we sat down the first thing that I wanted to observe was the silverware… lets just say that I switched mine out for another set and even that one was not the best. Had an online coupon for a free order of buccaloni and when I asked the waiter about it learned that he did not like the dish… good to know… in fact he did not know what was in it. Bread was presented cold and with olive oil and balsamic… interesting…food is served family style and I ordered a linguine dish with shrimp and spinach and subbed for alfredo sauce. Was very plentiful but could have used garlic… when I asked for some fresh shaved parmesan cheese… was told they did not have any… how can you be an italian restaurant without fresh shaved parmesan? I packed the rest of it up and took it home… had it as a late night snacked after I doctored it up… would I go back… not really in a rush to…

Since my last review, the manager called to rectify the situation. He said he would send my father a gift card to my email, which I never got. I’m visiting my dad again next week and would have liked to show him a better experience at this place then last time and do a better review. But no, one star is accurate for this location. It makes the chain look terrible because all the other locations I’ve been to have never been like this. Terrrrrible management, waiters, cooks and customer service reps who reply to Unilocal reviews. This place is a joke. I’ll never step foot in a Buca di Beppo again.

Let’s start out on a positive note: the hostess & waiter was friendly, the wall décor was awesome, and the Strawberry Tea was delicious. Ok, now let’s get to the meat and potatoes of this review. Overall, I was not impressed, I felt that I could make this food at home, and make it better. We got small serving of the Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken. As I tasted the chicken, there was nothing special about it or that would make me want to order it again. To be honest, it tasted like the Chicken Parmesan that you get in a Frozen Dinner. I know, that’s harsh to hear, but it’s the truth. We got a side of Alfredo to go with the Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken. The Alfredo was bland, we had to add salt and pepper to the Alfredo just to give it some flavor. In the end, we payed $ 42 for our meal, and I personally believe it was money not well spent.

One of the best authentic Italian restaurants in the entire USA. Have never had a bad deal there. If you go away hungry, it’s your own fault!

Awesome experience! My wife and I went here for our anniversary and all I can say is that it rocked. We were warmly greeted when we walked in the door, promptly sat (was a Wednesday night before the main dinner rush). Got their Fried Calamari as an appetizer, and their Pizza de Formaggio as an Entrée. Seeing as that was our first time there, they told us that their food is all served «family style», meaning, it’s served to share. A «small» is for 2 – 4 people, and a «large» is for 4+ people. Only downside is that everything is «A La Carte». But, food came out quickly (again, prior to the main dinner rush), and the Head Chef even came to ask how our Pizza was. Of all the restaurants I’ve been to, I’ve never had the Head Chef come and ask about the food. Overall, a very positive experience. Highly Recommend this place!

This is an update to a previous two star review.
After the previous review I was contacted by the restaurant. They were very apologetic and invited me to give them another try.
This was a MUCH better experience but still not wonderful. We were seated quickly and approached by a waiter quickly. The bread seems to be always served cold here-​I suppose they just don’t serve warm bread. We ordered the warm tomato salad which was the best salad I have ever eaten in my life. Delicious!
Next we tried the baked ziti. After the last experience we knew not to order anything with chicken or with cream sauce. The ziti was just okay, the sauce lacked flavor and it wasn’t hot.
In summary, second time was a lot better but I still wouldn’t recommend with so many other wonderful places nearby. The food seems premade not fresh homemade and the prices are high for what you get.

What a great experience!
My son was baptized this weekend and we wanted to take the whole family out for a nice lunch to celebrate and Buca was the perfect choice. Our party of 16 had a private room, for which there are many in the restaurant. Everything was ready upon our arrival. We pre-​ordered the menu to eliminate the confusion in a larger group and everything came out when it should and nothing was missed.
The food was fantastic! For starters we had the ceasar salad which was crisp, fresh, and perfectly dressed. We also had the mozzarella caprese and the bruschetta. Delicious! Very fresh tomatoes and the mozzarella firm and tastey. The entrees were phenomenal; we had the veal parmigiana and chicken marsala. Tender, delicious, everybody raved about it. My father, the veal parm fanatic, said it was the BEST he’d ever had. We also had the spaghetti marinara and the penne with vodka sauce. Both delicious, especially the spaghetti. It’s such a simple dish, but when done right, it can really make a statement about your establishment. And theirs is so good, a real marinara that coats the noodles with delicious well balanced marinara sauce. Very good.
Lastly, the staff were extremely attentive, yet unobtrusive. Many compliments from the family about how attentive our server was. Helpful, mindful, and very nice.
Thank you Buca di Beppo for a fantastic meal and experience. Not many restaurants can handle large groups as easily as they did and still serve delicious food. We will be back for sure.

The wait staff is enthusiastic and accommodating– they really want you to be pleased. The setting is campy and filled with Italian-​American novelty items and pictures. Buca reminds me of the old den/​basement restaurants in Brooklyn/​Queens due to all the little cozy rooms filled with kitsch. Sadly, the food is acceptable, but not great. I think it’s a matter of ordering well (the chicken dishes are better). The shrimp was not deveined, which is gross. This place would be great for children/​families. It is obvious that this place is popular since there was a 45 minutes wait, so make sure to make reservations online.

I was incredibly unimpressed with the food here — I had heard rave reviews, so I was surprised!
Pros: very good service, family style dining is always fun. Cute and fun atmosphere
Cons: the food was not good. Simple as that. Side salads were clammy and wet and cold, with wilted lettuce and gross dressing. The pasta had a typical and unseasoned red sauce, bare minimum vegetables, and no cheese. It got cold very quickly. Even the bread wasn’t anything special
I expected much, much more

I’d given them NO stars but that’s not an option.
If you’re planning a special event like a birthday or a catered event like a football party I wouldn’t trust these folks with it on a bet.
Two years ago they ruined my wifes 50^th birthday with appalling service and an attitude that said «we don’t care.»
They attempted to make-​up for it and we’ve since been back for dinners and had no trouble, until yet another special event.
We planned a football celebration party and invited the whole neighborhood over. We ordered a sheet of lasagna and half sheet of sausage and peppers… total $ 180 bucks.
We confirmed the order was ready and I drove over to pick it up. When I entered the hostess was busy talking to two waitresses. there was no one waiting to be seated. the place was empty and only one person sitting at the bar.
I was directed to the bar to get my catered order and received it all wrapped up from the bartender. A moment later the manager appeared assuring me that the order was complete, a sheet of lasagna and half sheet of sausage and peppers. He also pointed out that they had included the extra sauce as requested along with italian bread.
When I got home and opened it, what I found was sausages and NO peppers!!!
How is one supposed to serve hot sausage and pepper sandwiches to a crowd of 16 people without the peppers!!!
I called them about the issue and the Manager Paul’s first suggestion was drive back up and get them… REALLY… I’d just spent 50 minutes in a rainstorm picking the stuff up.
Now my question is, if it was so slow in the restaurant was the person tasked with assembling the order too busy to read the ticket? Was there an expeditor to check the order? And what about the manager who assured me my order was complete… did he even look?
After being confronted and told that coming back was not a solution or acceptable as this made ME responsible for their mistake and carelessness., the Mgr offered to refund the price of the sausage. Nice offer but I still only have half of what I’m supposed to be serving at a neighborhood event.
My advise, don’t trust these folks with anything that you consider an event of importance, they’ll screw it up and leave you holding the outcome.
You’ve stuffed me twice … never again.

The only thing I heard about this place before going here was that they had gigantic portions of Italian food. I’m almost always a big fan of gigantic portions! But the main reason why I came here was because it was my sister’s birthday and she wanted to go to a place that would satisfy everybody at the party. The party was less than the usual 12 – 15, we had 8 this time around.
Usually for these types of events, I rate my «overall experience» including the company into the review. Every single time there’s an event, my experience boosts dramatically to the point I give the restaurant 5 stars when really it should be 3 – 4 stars. This time, I’ll try to keep it more about the restaurant itself rather than the company I had. Hence the 4 stars instead of 5 lol.
Me and my brother came late, (Can’t blame the Koreans! It’s Au Natural!) though there were other Koreans that came early… Anyways we sat down and we had a waiter and a manager check up on us periodically. Overall, the service we had was great. Refills came on time, the distribution of food and drinks were timed perfectly, they gave us space and time to converse and just have an awesome time there. Our waiter made a few jokes and had a conversation with us numerous times. It definitely added to my experience there.
Onto the food! We ordered 2 pitchers of Sangria, 2 salads and 1 sampler appetizer which came with Stuffed Mushrooms, Calamari and something else I don’t remember.
The portions were normal and the prices were cheaper than the entrees. Out of the 8 of us, we ordered 4 dishes: A Large Spicy Rigatoni, a Large Baked Ziti, Large Stuffed Chicken? and a Small Eggplant Parmesan.
The portions were pretty big. Like the Large Spicy Rigatoni could have been my complete dinner alone. I know it’s not really comparing to the «average» person’s appetite but I know there are plenty of you out there that have an appetite just as big as mine or bigger! As for the taste? I felt like the Baked Ziti was the weakest link. It was pretty bland. The Spicy Rigatoni wasn’t spicy at all, I mean it may have tickled my taste buds but that was it. Flavor wise, it was pretty good and I liked that the rigatoni’s texture was perfect, not overcooked. The Stuffed Chicken was alright but whatever it was stuffed with, I could barely taste it. The Eggplant Parmesan was the clear winner. It was flavorful and the ratio of the eggplant and cheese was great.
I was making fun of my sister and her birthday when a waiter overheard our conversation. He asked who’s birthday it was and we all pointed to my sister. He said «Oh cool, you guys should definitely get some dessert then!» So we did lol. I ordered their Huge Brownie Sundae that comes with 8 brownies, a few scoops of Vanilla ice cream, one scoop of Chocolate ice cream and a bunch of toppings. One of my sister’s friends ordered the Lemon cake slice. 10 minutes later, their whole staff came to our room and sang their own version of Happy Birthday to my sister while the rest of us clapped in frenzy-​like harmony.
The Sundae was delicious. It came inside a huge martini plastic cup. The Lemon cake slice was pretty big and that too, was good. When we got our check, they didn’t charge us for the Lemon cake slice woot!
As we were getting ready to leave, their whole staff came again to sing Happy Birthday to a different table haha!
This place would be great for birthday parties and/​or big parties in general.

Good food, huge portions and great service! Eggplant Parm was crispy and amazing and the Spicy Chicken Rigatoni was delicious. The Baked Ziti was good but would benefit from more sauce. Come hungry!

Good God Almighty, only come here if you’re ravenous and are blood thirsty for portions bigger than your body.
They take ‘family style’ quite seriously. Expect the small portions to feed an entire family and the large to feed the whole world. Ok, so maybe I’m stretching it a bit. Either way, tons of typical chain Italian cuisine that’s a little better than mediocre.
And I’ll share a little secret with you. Get their house red. It’s on the sweeter side (but not too sweet) and happens to be a great simple wine to go along with your cheese stuffed meatballs and mountain of pasta.
Ultimately, don’t come here expecting Italy. Just come here expecting an experience full of family sharing, decent food, and good service.

Excellent!
As their poster in Las Vegas accurately said: «Italian food so authentic, you’ll think you were in New York»

Always great food, great service. Interesting ‘stuff’ EVERYWHERE TO LOOK at. We ordered baked ziti, green beans, and spaghetti. Close to the highway. Worth the stop. Located in the back, off the mall.

First timer here. I thought going in that Buca was going to be a bland Italian chain restaurant, but it was a fun experience. The atmosphere is not lacking in character or things to look at. The walls are covered in pictures and other memorabilia. Learned from my sister-​in-​law that eating in the Pope room is the thing to do. If you actually want to eat at the Pope table, make sure to make specific reservations in advance.
It’s family style dining, meaning all the dishes are meant to be shared, and that’s no lie. Portions are generous. The food was good; chain restaurant quality, no complaints. Spouse and I shared a garden salad (Italian dressing was really good) and a white pizza (thin crust, very cheesy, lots of garlic so bring a breath mint). We didn’t order dessert, but they have this crazy indulgence with like 8 brownies, ice-​cream and whipped cream– so that’s fun.
It was my sister-in-law’s birthday and what made it special was their unique happy birthday song, a giant candelabra was brought to the table, and all the waiters signed a card for her.

Every thing come out good, especially the meat ball and spaghetti, you can order a a small order, it is enough for two person ! The meat ball come with a very big size too, The service are always friendly from the front girl to the waiter !