Buca di Beppo

EDIT: unfortunately this place closed right after Christmas 2012 and is no longer in Chicago. ~ We wanted dinner, with no wait, and Bucca di Beppo filled the bill. Every other place in town has an hour wait, but although they were busy we got right in. They are a chain, that doesn’t feel like a typical chain restaurant. The walls are filled with hilarious old Italian black and white photographs of nuns, priests, children and adults in just nutty situations or poses or just catching an odd moment. The old advertisements in the bathroom cracked me up as well!
All food is served family style in large bowls which makes the price very reasonable. A dish of baked Ravioli is what we ordered this time, and it was delicious. The pasta was cooked perfectly, the sauce was flavorful and the Italian sausage was nice and spicy. I decided to only eat half of my rigatoni because I have a sweet tooth and wanted to order this delicious looking brownie with ice cream served in a martini glass that is pictured on the menu.
OH MY GOSH this was SO EMBARRASING! It took FOR-​EV-​ER for this dessert to come out and the HUMILIATION was complete when people watching her carry it out saw that it was just for me. HOLY fudgebrowniesundae! I got a LOT of laughs at my shock.
That being said… I’m glad I didn’t know how big it was because then I would not have ordered it. This martini glass could have fit over my head. Fully. I think there were at least 20 small brownies in the bottom, topped with at least 8 inches of homemade whipped cream, sprinkles and chocolate and vanilla ice cream in the middle.
And yeah! I ate it!
We are in CHICAGO so EVERYTHING has been super expensive… so we were starting to panic wondering how enormous was the bill going to be for this thing… I thought that I saw $ 13 for the dessert… I was like… ehhh? Its Chicago. But I’m sorry… they could have sold this amount of food to about 10 diners! I really thought I got the wrong thing. It was Ohmygoshdelicious but holy crapoli!!!
So, kudos Bucca di Beppo! Dinner AND entertainment! I’ll be back!!!

I came here for a birthday dinner and we used the coupon online for a family dinner. We ordered the cesear salad, garlic bread and baked ziti. It was all tasty, but nothing outstanding. The portions were incredibly large. We split everything with about 8 people.
The waiters were patient with us while we were waiting for the rest of our party. However, I would only recommend this place if you wanted to eat a an Italian place that was a step above Olive Garden. I’ve been to Italy and this just isn’t the same. I’ve been to other Italian restaurants in Chicago, and it’s not the same. I would say this is the best of the Italian restaurant chain stores.

Free house bread if you ask for it.
Apple gorgonzola salad is very good
Perfect amount of food for 2 if you share a small salad and a small entrée. Scott the manager was very personable
Spagetti is overcooked — I may have to ask for it al-​dente next time

Don’t poo-​poo Buca di Beppo. It’s pretty decent Southern Italian cuisine served family style at affordable prices if you split it between several people.
Tips:
2 – 4 people. Get any one small pasta and one small salad or regular appetizer.
4 – 5 people. Get any one large pasta and one small salad or regular appetizer.
5 – 6 people. Get any two small pastas and one large salad or regular appetizer.
6+ people. Get any two large pastas and one large salad or regular appetizer.
You’ll probably have enough leftovers to take home. They really push drinks here, and even soft drinks are kind of pricey. The dessert-​sundae thing that’s served in a huge martini glass is gargantuan. If you have at least 3 or 4 people that can split it, the dessert is worth the $ 13, since all their other desserts are around $ 5-​$ 8 each.
This is a terrific place for kids and large groups. Friendly employees, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a crowd waiting to get in. I know they take reservations; you’ll need them for large groups of 8 or more.
This location is sorta off the beaten track and might be difficult for a lot of tourists to find. It’s at the street-​level southeast corner of Grand and Rush.

déco très sympa, bouteilles de vin au plafond, vieilles photos, on vous sert la pizza de manière très originale, sur une grosse boîte de conserve ancienne, et la qualité est là ! bon service !

I rarely get downtown anymore we decided we needed to go out and do something so we finally left our neighborhood and ventured downtown. We just parked and said it’s freezing this place isn’t too far from the car. was everything I wanted and more. I’m glad we decided to try this place out. Yes it’s a chain, but in all honesty the food and the service is what matters and that was fantastic in my book. When you first come here they ask if your celebrating anything. There is a reason they ask this, the food here is WORTH CELEBRATING. The atmosphere and Italian music, the food and the service are all great.
The service was friendly and just plain awesome.
Let’s talk about the food, because that is what’s so amazing we had Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken as well as Chicken Cannelloni. WAS FANTASTIC. The portions are huge and enough to feed a small army. This place celebrates food and that’s what Italian eating is all about, enjoying good food in the company of good friends.
Definitely try it out!