Cafe Buono & Buono Pizza

Walked in with my wife tonight at 5:18pm. Walked out at 5:22pm.
We had been looking forward to a quiet meal, but whoever seated us needs a lesson in manners. When we entered, a woman near the bar had her back to us. When she turned around, she just glared at us (was an icy glare). My wife said «hello», whoever this person was, just responded with «two»? Then a guy comes out from the back, this woman turns to him and starts talking about wine. This goes on for about two minutes before she walks over to a table and throws a couple of menus on them. Needless to say, both me and my wife were not happy with the way things started, I figured what was the point of dropping at least 70 bucks in a place with such an incredibly rude hostess/​waitress? So, we got up and left.
Also, we were the ONLY people in the place at this time.
Wished I had checked the Unilocal reviews before going into Café Buono tonight, a lot of the reviews report sub-​par service. There is no reason to be that hostile toward customers walking through the door, the owner needs to better evaluate who he is hiring.

My husband and I are still boycotting…$ 14.00 classic martinis seriously? AND the don’t even have Absolute!!! We were loyal customers, but even West Hartford and Avon don’t charge that much. I’d be interested in your comments as the owners won’t.

The food was good, home made. The service was really bad but another waitress tried to make it up to us. Good food, just go there if u have a lot of time to kill cause service is dead slow

2 ½ hours for. Pizza dining room was empty soggy thick dough and meat sauce on pasta was some kind of thick paste felt bad for waitress she had her hands full the cook should be fired unless the locals like eating this crap minus 5 stars

I went to Café Buono for ‘lunch’, since their website says they have a lunch menu, and a coupon i received from an online site said ‘now open for lunch’. I also called multiple times and received a generic message (not saying it’s a restaurant or mentioning a name). I got there and the place was closed with the hours stating open at 4pm. I’d love to try it if it ever does open for lunch.

I was greeted with a smile by the waitress. She had recommendations on the entrees and complimentary fresh baked bread. I chose the Pasta Buono and a Caesar salad, both were delicious.
The Buono was a Sunday sauce with sausage, chicken, onions and peppers over ziti.
The restaurant has a very romantic/​cozy feel. It’s nice to see Bristol hasn’t gone off the culinary cliff. I’ll definitely be back to try the pizza!

I want to address the issue on mixed reviews. I have visited this café at least three dozen times since it opened. There have been 3 owners and at least 4 chefs. Without question the original owner (who was the Chef) was a gift to Bristol. He was a real artist and I would visit several times a month. I told friends and family about the café and everyone who tried it loved it. We all agreed it was the best thing to happen to this town. We didn’t even care about the appearance or the «hit or miss» service. We would bring our own bottle of wine, relax and wait for whatever «Joe» was going to surprise us with!
Unfortunately, due to personal issues, Joe moved on and sold the café. Since then, two other owners have struggled to find talent that could justify the price and do the menu justice. The most recent owners are super good people but just can’t get the talent in the kitchen back up to snuff. I wish them the best — I fear the worst. My last meal there was… the last meal at Café Buono for me. So sorry Ray/​Monica.

Great Place!!!

man… i see this place gets some pretty bad reviews. well we finally tried it. my husband has been hearing they have really good food for a while now (my mom, on the contrary, has heard it’s bad.) we picked up a pizza last night and i don’t really have any complaints! crust was delicious, toppings good as well.
actually, my one complaint is that they don’t have broccoli as a topping. i just think that’s the strangest thing. i love broccoli! please offer it! (just don’t get that 95% stem, 5% floret mixture most pizza places seem to use. i hate that.)
also can’t rate the dine-​in experience.

I’ve always liked Buono, and I’ve been there at least a dozen times. Their chicken parm is good (and crispy), my favorite is the strip steak with gorgonzola. They have both busy and quiet nights, and we’ve always had good service. No complaints, located centrally in Bristol, worth the money if you’re looking for a nice dinner, otherwise head somewhere else.

The absolute worst service I have ever endured. Waitstaff does not even acknowledge you as you wait. Food is only ok.

Horrible experience… this place is only good if your rich and have a small appetite they used to give u larger portions but lately seems like prices are higher and portions are smaller 10 dollar corkage fee are you kidding me?

Decided to try this establishment after driving past it for years… I should of kept driving… I’ve heard mixed reviews about this restaurant but wanted to give it a fair shot. My friends and I walked into the restaurant on a Saturday evening, we were greeted by the bus lady after waiting at the hostess podium for a few minutes, she proceeded to give us a disclaimer that they only had one waitress working tonight and a party of 8 was coming in so to be prepared to wait, we decided it couldn’t be THAT bad… boy were we wrong! We were taken to a table and given menus and then waited for approximately 20 minutes, the waitress wouldn’t make eye contact, didn’t even say «I apologize for the wait I will be with you as quickly as possible» before we decided to walk out.
What kind of restaurant doesn’t have a hostess, only has one waitress on a Saturday night!!! This restaurant is doomed for failure NOTE to all don’t go to This restaurant EVER keep driving to friendlys!

I am sorry but this place was an awful experience. Maybe it was because I went on a senior citizens night but the service was terrible. The food, well I ordered mozzarella bread and it was soggy and had peppers and onions that were soggy and slapped between two soft pieces of French toast bread. The pasta the pizza the salad everything was god awful. All the «good reviews» must be from the staff because I know food and this stuff is food at best. The sign says «best restaurant in town» lol that’s a joke considering the competition around the area. I would eat a pizza from the dollar menu at McDonalds before I went back their. Come to think about it I would recommend after reading this to NOT go to this restaurant save your money and go to McDonalds and eat their instead. Keep telling family and friends to write positive reviews cause it’s all false. One word to sum up this place Horrible processed overpriced reheated food. That’s 5 but who’s counting !

One of my favorite places. I always get the Margherita pizza with pepperoni. The staff are very friendly and it’s a pleasant, comfortable environment. Ideal for casual encounters or dates.

Great Italian food, hands down one of the best places to eat in Bristol. I haven’t tried their pizza yet, but it looks great. My favorite is their chicken rollatini, but you can’t go wrong with any of their delicious meals. The place is casual, clean, and has incredibly friendly and competent waitstaff. Check them out, the next time you need a change. Prices are also very reasonable, and you will always leave with leftovers. Their house bread is also very good.

I cannot understand how this place gets good reviews and raves. We have tried it twice, hoping the first time was just bad luck. Unfortunately, our second visit was worse. First, we were brought a different beer than was ordered. It turned out they didn’t have the beer on the menu, but neglected to tell us that when we ordered. Next, we ordered a special that had chicken and sausage. When it came out, there was no sausage to be found. When I mentioned it to the waiter, he said the chef forgot the sausage. Our bill was adjusted, so they did at least take care of it.
These two issues alone would be fine if the food wasn’t tasteless. No matter what we have tried it has been boring and bland. There are so many better Italian restaurants a short drive away. Do yourself a favor and keep on driving to one of them.

Second time there… food much better the first time. Speed was atrocious. Waited 45 minutes for our appetizer to come out.
For 1 appetizer, salad, and dinner, we were there for 1 hour 45 min.
Probably won’t go back.

This place used to be Vita’s which was a Bristol landmark and an excellent place to eat. Buono is a bit upscale but I do like the pizza. Fresh ingredients and a really tasty crust that almost tastes like it was deep fried (it’s not). It was a bit pricey but the quality matched the price. Definitely worth a try.

two nights in one week at Café Buono in September– so impressed with the quality of the food and the creativity of seasonal offerings.
An appetizer of the flower tops from zucchini– fantastic!
My brother was visiting form Florida, and was so impressed with the sauce, he asked if he could purchase some to take home!
The portions are too generous– enough fro a second meal when packing it to bring home! The staff– friendly and helpful– will go again!