Buca di Beppo

I have been here twice in the last month with a group of 6 – 8. Both times the food was excellent. Large family style portions, nice atmosphere and friendly staff.
The only complaints were that both times we were there it was freezing cold. We had to wear our winter coats while we ate. We even ordered mugs of tea to keep out hands warm.
They need to invest in either some good weatherstripping or turning the heat on. We will not return until warmer weather arrives. Which is a drag because the food is really worth going for.
I’m giving it a 3 star because of the discomfort. But it would be a 4 star in warm weather.
Edit:
Even if the restaurant was warm, it would still not have been a 5 start restaurant. I reserve that for very high end fine dining. This is a family style Italian restaurant.

Huge portions… Great tasting… Service was fun and friendly… Juan even gave one of us a band aid when she cut her finger… Totally worth checking out if you want a full stomach and wallet… We plan to revisit soon

Spent 60 $ on a caprese salad (5 tomatoes and 5 slices of cheese) and a salmon dish (5 very small chunks of salmon) and one glass of wine. That’s it, that’s all we got. I wish we would have gone to via, at least we would have had leftovers and still spent the 60 $. I wanted to cry and stopped myself a few times that’s how bad it was. I’ve been here before but I remember the portions being much bigger for the small. One tomato and 5 pieces of cheese would be 8 $ out in Natick (where I work and get lunch almost everyday). I would sort of expect that out there. I’m sorry 5 small pieces of salmon is NOT worth 26 $. I’m extremely angry and disappointed not to mention we feel swindled. I couldn’t even look at the bill. I will never ever be going back. The food was ok and the waitress was very sweet (we tipped her well regardless of the overpriced meal. It wasn’t her fault her employer is overpriced) Try Café Espresso Trattoria on chandler st. It’s BYOB, the home make their pasta and the liquor store across the street delivers. It’s always delicious there and the portions are generous and the prices reasonable. That’s where we will be going for our anniversary in a few weeks. This is a family restaurant where someone won’t mind dropping 150 $ for sub standard food, not for a nice date night.

Best feature is their outdoor deck seating, overlooking lake quinsigamond. The chopped antipasto is very tasty but not a big fan of their family style dining with each entrée being made for a minimum of two people. It eliminates the possibility of ordering two meals to share, which is what my husband and I enjoy doing. Will continue to stop by on a sunny afternoon for a relaxing glass of wine, an appetizer, and the pretty water view, that surrounds you.

This place was great when it first opened but has seen a steady decline as the time has gone by. Always got the chicken carbonara and the first few times was great, but the last two times the flavor disappeared and the chicken was dry. Service has gone down hill with the food as well. I feel bad to say this but I will probably not return :-/​. So disappointing.

Décor and atmosphere were pretty tacky, the food was okay (we got the Quatro Il Fourno, the spicy sausage in the stuffed shells was nice). Also, for some reason the waitress didn’t seem to know what Pinot Noir was. Altogether an okay restaurant, but there are definitely much better (and cheaper) Italian restaurants in the area.

This restaurant is delicious! It’s family style, which is great because you can try a bunch of different meals. The service was very quick and friendly. Also, the restaurant is right on the water. You’ll probably have a view of the hospital but passing boats as well. The menu is full of classic Italian meals and dessert is great as well. I highly recommend this place, especially if you’re going with your family.

Went for dinner tonight. Waited 5 minutes for the hostess to show up and seat us, with a pretty empty dining room.
Started with the Mixed Greens salad. Mixed greens? No, it’s soggy iceberg lettuce with 2 pepperoncinis, some red onion, and 4 olives.
For dinner, we shared the lasagna. It was lukewarm when it got to our table. They apologized and brought a new one that was still just warm, and cool in the middle. The hottest thing on the plate was the sauce they poured on top.
To top it off, we had to switch tables after it started to rain and the roof stated leaking over us… and the server said it’s a known problem!
We won’t be going back.

As you saw my review of the restaurant. They did reach out to me to correct the issue and get my take on what happened. I replied with my AOL email contact a few and days went by and I was disappointed I saw nothing from them on my email account.
But today I get a private message from the GM Mike Botelho on my Facebook Account! He tried to make things right, tried to have me come in as their guest for the hassle I went through on 5÷27÷214.
I decline because it was not my intent to get a free meal, simply informing the business how badly their customer service care lack.
But I truly appreciate him reaching out to me. As a matter of fact, he is a brother-​in-​law to my friend Anna! What a small world!!! Anna and I went to college together many years ago.
I am sure Mike and his team will correct the lack of customer care ASAP and the next time I am there, I hope to have a better customer care experience.
I never had complaints to the food, it was really good and prepared well. The pasta was cooked just right even thought it was a take out, it was not overcooked or undercook from my drive from Shrewsbury to West Boylston (approx. 15 – 20 drive).
I am upping them from a 1 star to a 3, not quite higher as I have not gone back to see if problem has been corrected. I am sure I will eventually go back with my mister in our boat, yes, they have a boat ramp on Lake Quinsigamond.
Mike, thanks for reaching out and showing you do care.

Unbelievably bad.
Went there tonight with my family of four. Arrived shortly after 6:00. There were plenty of empty tables so it wasn’t like it was overly busy. We ordered drinks shortly after arriving and it took a good 10 minutes for my drink and my wife’s to arrive. In the meantime, we ordered an appetizer and our entrees. The waitress mentioned that the kitchen was running slow and that they needed to «step it up» — we should have heeded that warning. About 15 minutes later, our kid’s soda drinks finally arrived. The waitress explained that it took so long because they were out of clean glasses! We then waited, and waited, and waited for at least the appetizer to arrive. There was no sign of our food and there was no sign of our waitress — she didn’t even check to see if we wanted any more drinks.
We literally sat there for well over an hour with nothing to eat. There was no apology, no bread or other food provided to us while we waited, not offer of a free appetizer or drink for our trouble.
At about 7:15, the waitress stopped by and said the food still wasn’t ready and that the appetizer «might» be out soon but that the kitchen was still backed up. She actually suggested that we might want to leave and go somewhere else because she had no idea when the food would be ready. We decided to take her advice and leave and asked for the check. We still had to wait about another 10 minutes for her to finally return with the check (can’t blame the kitchen for that!)
It’s probably just as well that we didn’t get the food — as we were waiting for the check, the party and the table next to us complained to their waiter about how bad the food was.
The experience was so bad it’s mind boggling how such an incompetent restaurant can stay in business. I’m in my mid-​fifties and I can’t ever recall such a poor dining experience. I would highly recommend avoiding this «restaurant» at all costs.

«I liked this restaurant very much! I would like to go again sometime, and I would recommend others to go there as well when they get the chance.» –Jess

We got takeout from Buca di Beppo tonight. This was not our first time at the restaurant; we have been here many times before over the years. We have always gotten because we had several small children, and even though the children are a little older now, we still prefer to get takeout.
Both the young man who took the order, and the young woman at the reception desk when I picked it up were very friendly.
We ordered a variety of food: ravioli, eggplant Parmesan, Caesar salad, garlic bread, pizza for the kids, and chocolate chip cannoli. The food comes packed in foil trays, making it perfect for transporting home. Also, the salad comes packaged in a large bowl with a sturdy lid, so it’s easy to add the dressing and shake it up.
Everything is served family style, and priced accordingly. The eggplant was an appropriate size for a «small» family style entrée. There were three stacks of eggplant, and this fed three of us with some left over. The ravioli, however, was just woeful. There were literally ten pieces of ravioli. If this is been a regular Italian restaurant, that would’ve been a nice sized entrée. However, it was extremely small for a $ 15.95 family-​style portion.
The pizza was also very small– it was about the size of a kids’ pizza at Bertucci’s, but at $ 12.95, it was twice the price!
The garlic bread has come down in price over the years. It is now a reasonable $ 6.95, as opposed to about $ 10– which was highway robbery for garlic bread!
The food was very good, and very filling — so no complaints here. It is, however, very expensive for the portion size. I had a 20% off coupon, which brought the cost down to a reasonable amount. If I had paid full price, I would’ve been much more annoyed with the amount of food that we received.
I am a member of the email club, and they send out coupons frequently. This is a good thing for them, because I only ever visit when I have a coupon. I wouldn’t visit otherwise because it is too expensive for the amount of food that you receive.
We will most likely be back the next time that we need a family sized meal. We do enjoy the food, but it seems like the portions have gotten smaller over the years, and the cost without a coupon is very expensive.

I was contacted by the manager after this review and they asked for my contact information which I provided. Never heard a word.

Ehhhhh. We ordered chicken parmigiana and veal Marsala. The service was slow. The chicken parmigian was dry and overly breaded. The veal Marsala was too sweet and tough.

In town for a family function and looking for a nice restaurant for Saturday night. The food was good, service fine, and atmosphere enjoyable. Scenic view, good parking and no complaints. Especially enjoyed the Shrimp Fra Diavolo, which was not too hot, pasta al dente, and shrimp perfectly cooked (and plentiful). Our waiter was sufficiently attentive without being overbearing and we enjoyed what we came for: good food and good company !
Was it great? No. Was it bad, definitely not! Did we all enjoy ourselves? Absolutely! Was it reasonable? Yes!

This place is AMAZING!!! I attended a private party and the food served was SO GOOD! I’m VERY picky when it comes to Italian food and this place is a hit! It’s all about the red sauce for me. Desserts are yummy too!
The staff is amazing and very excellent! The setting is just gorgeous as well, with the quinsigamond river next to it. Feel free to travel by boat, they do have docks which I thought was unique. There’s a huge out door seating area which adds a romantic feel overlooking the river. It’s a MUST, you won’t regret it!

For a chain restaurant, this was a good meal. The ambiance is great, out on the deck overlooking the lake. We ordered the Buca di Beppo Salad and the Chicken Parmigiana and both were very good and tasty. The salad came with all kinds of goodies. The chicken was crispy on the edges and moist on the inside.
It is hard to offer a competitive Italian fare in this area that has so many good authentic Italian restaurants, but this was good for a franchise.

My boyfriend brought me here for a date since it was on our list of places to try during the summer: mainly for the deck area overlooking Lake Quinsigamond.
What we enjoyed:
— The family portion. We ordered the chicken carbonara and it was more than
enough for the both of us. Good for price.
— The outdoor atmosphere and view. It was definitely a nice change of pace from
Worcester
— Cheesecake. One of the better tasting cheesecakes we’ve tried in Worcester. Rich
and tasty.
What we didn’t really like:
— The indoor seating looks cheap and has a different feel from the outside.
— The music. They played hard rock, which didn’t really fit the atmosphere.
— Service was a little slow as the waitress kept talking to her friends
Overall, we thought it was nice and would come back again.

Best location I’ve ever been for a Buca di Beppo… Right on top of a lake, at the end of winter (patches of snow here and there), the views were very peaceful in the evening hours… Service was fun and very attentive (as most Buca’s go). Meals were consistent to other Buca’s I’ve been to as well… Would definitely come back.

The BF declared the Buca di Beppo he had gone to in FL «the best veal cutlet» he ever had. So with an internet deal in hand and his birthday coming up, I treated.
I had been prepared for the «family style» food but honestly thought they’d have some single serve meals. Nuh uh. Also, the small veal parm (serves 2 – 3) at $ 21 didn’t even come with pasta!!!
The oil that came with the bread was flavorless. I asked for a bowl of sauce for dipping but that wasn’t any great shakes either. We split a caesar salad which was OK but the dressing could have used a titch more flavor, it was pretty bland.
After perusing the entire menu, I decided I would just get a side as my «meal» because I didn’t want that volume of food as my dinner. So I got 2 sausages with peppers. No mention of any gross sauce but when the plate arrived, what did I find but their icky red sauce. Turns out they also managed to overcook the sausages so they were dried out. Yuck.
Even the veal wasn’t as good and the BF declared the sauce was «too sweet» and he eats jarred sauces. All in all a very disappointing experience and definitely not worth the drive.