Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant
1249 Howe Ave, Sacramento, CA, 95825
Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Sacramento for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
1249 Howe Ave
Sacramento, CA, 95825 - Phone (916) 922-6673
- Website https://www.bucadibeppo.com/restaurants/ca/sacramento/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 10
- Mon : 11:00 am - 10
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : Yes
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
Categories
Italian Cuisine
The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.
Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
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Ellen H.
My favorites here are their mozzarella garlic bread (crunchy crust, warm and soft bread with great garlic flavor), apple walnut gorgonzola salad (crisp and perfectly sweet/tart apple slices, perfect amount of dressing), and chicken carbonara (creamy, cheesy, flavorful). Very busy on weekend night when we were there, so service was friendly but slow.
(4)Abigail L.
I came here for a friends graduation and the food was pretty good. It was the only place in Sacramento my friend could find that would seat 20 people and there was still plenty of room to spare. Our table was located upstairs and the waiters and waitresses were a great help. There were 2 kinds of salad, the Cesar salad which was okay and this other salad which contained apples and nuts which was absolutely delicious. They gave us free bread and the garlic bread was decent too. The fettuccine Alfredo was exactly what typical chain restaurant fettuccine Alfredo would taste like but the chicken Parmesan was okay. I would save my favorite part of the meal was dessert because the tiramisu was delicious. This place is family style so go with a big group and order a variety of things and try it out. The food itself is okay based on the items I had but if I had to go back I would probably try a different pasta dish.
(3)Shehab P.
I love Italian food and I have tried so many Italian restaurants, almost everywhere I go! Last night I had dinner at Buca Di Beppo in Sacramento and I realized that I have been cheated in other places. "If this is Italian food, I have had fast food anywhere else." I told myself when I was walking out. The food, appetizers, wine and desert where perfect. The service was great and I can't wait to go back again. I also want to mention that The small portion was surprisingly big! We came back home with a big bag of leftovers.
(5)Gary W.
I have to say the food at this location is much better than the Campbell location. My only grip here is the service we got. We had a table of 14. The table next to use had 20. But the table of 20 had much better service. They arrived after us and where gone before we finished receiving our food. He arrived with a reservation at 6:30 was seated by 635. Waitress finally took drinks around 650. We then received our drink 15 min later along with our appetizer. Are actual entrees began to show up at 740. Finally after asking half the restaurant around 830 the two kids who where the most hungry finally received there kids cheese pizzas after everybody else had been done and ready for box's. Waitress was full of craps over and over its in the oven. Oh ya had to ask for the house bread that every table automatically gets and the waitress poors the oil on the plate then on my wife's pants and pretends she didn't notice. But food was great wish for better server next time.
(2)Velia G.
Brought my friend and her daughter for their first time and they absolutely loved it! Of course, we had plenty left over, but we knew that the rest of her children would appreciate the leftovers. I say this restaurant is an oldie but goodie. Apple Gorgonzola Salad, simply amazing! I personally don't like gorgonzola, but to my pleasant surprise, this whole combination worked perfect. Artichoke Florentine Dip, always a guilty pleasure. Fettuccine Supremo was right on. Although, I only tried one small bite, the Tiramisu was delicious.
(4)Cristina O.
The hubby and I decided to eat here for dinner after Sunday Mass. We were seated right away. The reasons for the two stars are the following: 1) We ordered the mussels to start. It arrived 30 minutes after. The waiter apologizing 3x was enough to tell me we were not off to a good start. The mussels arrived and it was TOO SALTY!!! hence the caps. The waiter apologized yet again and offered to replace it or for us to order another item. I told him no that was ok. We wanted it wrapped so we could tweek it at home. The mgr later came and said he took the mussels off our tab and proceeded to tell us that the recipe for it always makes it come out salty. Are you kidding me. I am no chef, but I do know my food and my parents always taught me- never serve anything you wouldn't eat yourself. Where is your quality control if your chef doesn't know what he puts out. If you know it comes out salty all the time, change your recipe. This dish I was so excited to eat but was very disappointed. 2) We ordered green beans as a side to our entree and the waiter forgot to order it. We told him not to add it anymore. We waited long enough for our meal. Needless to say, we will be back only for dessert. That is if we are coming back. Thank goodness we had gift cards to use.
(2)Ray F.
There is always a coupon for at least $10 off your meal floating around, so check and have one in the car when your in the mood for boatloads of pasta. Good quality food, but be prepared to wait during peak hours.
(4)Scott K.
They ran out of food by 6:00pm. The service was really slow. Didn't come and give us refills on drinks. And all our orders came out separately. By the time we got our main entree we were full and just took it home. So didn't even enjoy it fresh.
(1)Cj W.
My family and i went to Bucca's the day after Christmas to enjoy a great meal. We arrived roughly at 2pm; the place wasn't busy at all. There were 2 couples in the bar area section where they seated us. Our server Eric greeted us within 5-10 minutes and took our order - just 2 small classic pasta dishes, an appetizer, and drinks. To make a small story short, service could use some improvement. Late on serving bread, no one really checks up on you to see if need more refills on drinks until you're practically done with your meal. There's no excuse for poor service especially when the restaurant isn't busy. Management should train their employees to provide better customer service and expect nothing less. Set higher standards!!!!
(2)Reno S.
It's a chain.. Food was good. Had to order pasta on the side. No entree but giant plates of food that cost23.00. Flys around our table. Waitress was nice though. Pizza eh.....
(3)Tony U.
Pretty fun Buca di Bepo. The staff are friendly, the portions are gigantic and the atmosphere is very fun here. The perfect place to carbo-load the night before the CIM Marathon. But be warned, get reservations in advance.
(4)Lidia V.
Came here on "date night". We were seated within 10 min, when the hostess said it would be 15-20, which was great. I like the family-style vibe and the large portions. The servings always allow for leftovers! Of course, we were not ready to order the first time the waitress came around, but when she said she would be back in 5 minutes, it took about 10. We ordered the apple salad, and the rigatoni, which were delicious. We weren't in any rush though, so we were patient and enjoyed the food and drinks. Will definitely come back.
(4)Elena B.
This place was a perfect place to eat before a 9pm movie. It wasnt crowded and our server ,Gerael was wonderful and on point.
(4)Billy A.
Nothing special. Server was nice as was the entire staff. Prices are also very reasonable. I like the authenticity the restaurant has and the open walk Through kitchen but the food was pretty bland. I ordered the lasagna for lunch with a side Caesar salad. I like a meal to be memorable, nothing too memorable here.
(3)Andy G.
Well this is a place good for large groups. Loud and in your face, with the smallest portion being enough for more than two people. Lots of noise, lots of movement, lots of activity, yet service seems slow. We had a good time but we were 8 people.
(3)Lynn H.
Bucca has been around for years. I feel like this place is a bit nostalgic for me since it's a landmark... Someone will something is located on Howe and the first thing I will respond with is, "oh, by Bucca do Beppo?" Anyway, I feel like a lot of people I know are fans on account that I am always going there to attend birthday parties. The food comes in family style quantities so you can't really go with just a couple of people. Unless you want a massive amount of leftovers, then you probably want to wait till you get a bigger party going. We went in the middle of the week on a Tuesday I believe for dinner and needed reservations. This place always seems packed to me. Waiters, hostesses, and bartenders are all amazingly nice and personable. People in the group really like the chicken saltam bocco. They also have this in veal which we also ordered because we had someone in our party who was allergic to chicken. I enjoyed the shrimp diavalo. It's a spicy shrimp pasta. I would pass on the spaghetti and meatballs. As impressive the giants meatballs are, they are on the dry side. I think I would enjoy this place more if this place was a little more authentically Italian. I think it's the type of Italian food that Americans enjoy which is just pasta with a lot of sauce. I am pasta purist, so sue me.
(3)Noor E.
The food here is good...but the service here was absolutely horrible. I made a reservation for my friend since it was her birthday and we arrived on time for our reservation but we still had to wait an HOUR to be seated. What is the point in making a reservation if you still have to wait? Instead of being nice and apologizing the hostess was incredibly rude to us and told us its out of his control and all we have to do was wait. Once we were seated, our waitress neglected us, didn't refill our drinks, and when they handed us our bread it was freezing cold. I've heard that Buca di Beppo is a great place for groups and they treat you like family but I definitely did not experience that at all. I don't think I am ever going to go back and if I do it wont be this location.
(2)E.V. F.
Hadn't been to Buca in 10 years, now I am kicking myself for not going back sooner. Went with my family for my mom's b day (even she was impressed, which says a lot). Lyssa was our server, she knocked it out o the ball park, very attentive. We had the calamari (to die for), broccoli, shrimp florentine, chicken with proscuitto, pizza, and spaghetti and meatballs, everything was delicious!
(5)Kirsten G.
Yummy!!!!!! I love this place! I don't often like pasta but when I do crave it I go to Buca! Spicy rigatoni, baked ziti, pizzas, and their calamari are definitely my favorite dishes here. Great service and food quality.
(4)Frankie Franc H.
Why is your main chef ALWAYS in a very bad mood and so rude?? You guys have an "open" kitchen where customers walk by all the time.
(1)Sunny D.
Ate dinner here back in May, the restaurant double charged my account my bill was about 65 and they had 1 charge on there for 65... and 1 for 62. the restaurant Didnt bother telling me but I found out when it caused my account to overdraft. . Ive been calling since than requesting a refund and every time I call, the managers say that they have forwarded the request to corporate and I should be getting a refund in a few days. Have called well over 25 times about this over the past 2 months and they refuse to return my money for some reason. one of the 2 managers is very nice and seems to relate to the issue and tells me that there are many other people just like me who this has happened to and are asking the same questions I am. If you do eat here, be weary of your bank statement a few days later.
(1)Loren Z.
To Go ordering system is awful. Customer service was awful too. We ordered 3 hours ahead of time, said we would pick it up at 5:15 and it wasn't ready till after 5:30. What is the point of us specifying a pick up time. It made us late to our appointment and they didn't even apologize for it not being ready on time. Won't be ordering from here again.
(2)Erika S.
Overall service could have been better, took about 15 minutes for them to ask us for a drink once we sat down. Then once we got the drinks we got 5 sprites that needed to be sent back. Overall the food was great!
(5)Calloway C.
Every visit at Buca is always enjoyable! Knowledgeable servers and hot, fresh, and full of flavored food! We love Italian food and have travelled through Italy before... Of course nothing compares to the real deal, but Buca is pretty good for an Americanized version. Clean restaurant and simple, nice decor, I always love the walk through the kitchen to see if a dish peaks my interest! Try the wines or the Italian sodas (with or without the cream)!
(4)Liz F.
Waited for the server to get our order for almost 30 min. The server was rude and didn't come and check on us. The food was not good it was cold didn't have any taste to it. I think this will be the last time I go!
(1)Jessica H.
I ordered catering from Buca di Beppo for an event for about 20 people. Our delivery driver was amazingly helpful! She helped dish all of the food into our serving dishes which was totally unexpected. The food was great and was extremely generously portioned. Would definitely recommend for business lunches, dinner, or event catering!
(5)Jeanette L.
I don't usually eat Italian, but when I do this is my to go to spot! Pros: Great for family style meals. Huge portions. Amusing decor. Helpful staff Cons: Long wait time if you don't have a reservation. The last time I went, my group of 5 just walked in. They weren't terribly busy and I noticed as I walked upstairs to the restroom that they had aLOT of vacant tables. We still had a 40 minute wait... And it didn't help that the person working at the front forgot to put down my name the first time. Boo. I hate long waits... especially when the smell of yummy lasagna and spaghetti are in the air.
(3)Harry S.
Giant 1/2 pound meatballs. Superb. Lasagana was average (usually excellent, but not this time). Excellent fun atmosphere for groups. GINORMOUS portions!
(4)Vince R.
First time at this location. We had Bruschetta, Calamari and Chicken Saltimbocca. The Bruschetta was way sub par but the Calamari and the chicken were perfect. Finished with a double dark chocolate cake that kind of had that fresh out of the box flavor. Okay for chain food.
(3)Samantha B.
Went here for my birthday. I was super exited because I have heard many great things about Buca di Beppos. I arrived with my friends, there were 7 of us. We only had a 15 minute wait, so not that bad. Got to the table and ordered drinks. The drinks arrived, except for mine. The waiter did not come back for 15 minutes. When he came back, I told him he forgot my drink and it took him another 15 minutes. (It wasn't that big of a drink either, a simple raspberry lemon drop.) The food was good. Overpriced a bit, but good. The waiter, who knew it was my birthday from conversation, said he would bring me something special. About 10 minutes later he comes and brings the special brownie ice cream sundae to the table next to us and starts singing happy birthday to them. Once he left the party at the table looked around in bewilderment. I didn't get my brownie sundae.
(3)Pamela N.
MEATBALLS! Have you seen their meatballs? They are ginormous! I've heard they are good but I thought ahh, its meat shaped like a ball, but they are really good. My family ordered bread, Salad, one main dish, vegi, and one meatball. That was more than enough to feed 4 of us big eaters. Everything was super delish too. If you want something light to try, try the Gorgonzola apple salad. Its the best, you will crave it after you leave. It has to be one of my favorite things on the menu.... Anyway.. The food is abundant & the atmosphere is fun, you'll leave with your bellies full and your heart warmed. A+ Bucca
(5)Pam H.
We were on our way to Applebee's for dinner and saw Buca di Beppo while waiting at a turn signal and decided that sounded much better than Applebee's! We had plans to go dancing after dinner and we were planning on meeting a friend around 8pm. We didn't want to be late, so decided to eat at the bar. The bartender was very friendly and was eager to serve. We decided to order a pizza since the dishes at Buca are meant to be served "family style" - which means large portions. The pizza was delicious!! The small was just enough for us and we were very happy with our choice! We had not dined together in a Buca before, although I have with friends and we have used Buca for catering with great success. We would definitely consider dining at a Buca again.
(4)Hien V.
I love going here! Their portion is big and order accordingly! The staff is really nice. I reserved a table for 10 people and we had a great experience. I wish we weren't that full because I really wanted to try the colossal dessert! I will try it next time :). I recommend this place. If you are a fan of italian food, check this place out!
(5)Mary M.
Came back here again for a friend's birthday dinner and still love their food! Tried their newest pasta, the ziti, it was good and had our favorite the spicy chicken rotini, which was delicious as I can remember. Only bad thing about the night was our waiter. He was very inconsistent. Never around when we needed him, a bit rude and slacked on refills, and he didn't seem to be happy. He sounded a bit rude too! I mean shouldn't he been happy that he had a large party because it would mean big tip?!
(4)Matt G.
We went with a large party reservation for about 25 of us. I wasn't expecting much but was still disappointed. The service was very slow and inattentive, and the pasta was not very hearty at all. The worst Part though was there wasn't enough food for us! Everyone got a s All helping of pasta and a small piece of chicken. Big ripoff!
(2)Eric F.
Though I don't typically review chains, the Buca up in Arden Way was one of my favorite dinner spots while I was at UCD. I've been to the branches in Campbell and Palo Alto and I have to say that this one has consistently been the best amongst them. Off the top of my head, the Linguini Frutti di Mare, Shrimp Fra Diavolo, and calamari app were always very tasty and (as most of you probably know) mad filling. It's also very easy to get here with ample parking in the lot, so the convenience is def a plus.
(4)Chris T.
Service was great, everyone was really friendly to us. Drinks were filled in a timely manner and they checked up on us pretty often. Because this is a family-style restaurant, the portions are huge. We had five people total so we ordered the follow: Fried Calamari - great to start off with, I'd like more spicy marinara sauce with it though but overall great appetizer. Small Spicy Chicken Rigatoni - This was pretty delicious, this was new to the menu and I'd probably order this again, definitely recommended Baked Ziti - I wasn't a fan of this, maybe cause it didn't have any meat. Maybe if it was paired with an entree it wouldn't be so bad, but having two pasta dishes didn't help either. My Recommendation would be to order: Fried Calamari Spicy Chicken Rigatoni 1 Entree (your choice) Desert (your choice) The Sangria wasn't too bad either, wish it was just a bit stronger. Good food, good service, all you need is good company.
(4)Mariel I.
I ordered the stuffed shells and it was delicious. 6 big shells really do fill you up. You gotta try this place.
(5)Christina M.
Went here for my sons birthday dinner. Great service, fast setting, good portions yet a little pricy. The kids menu was reasonable. Had a good time here.
(4)Linda P.
I went here yesterday to celebrate my mom's birthday. We ordered a small bruschetta appetizer, large spaghetti and meatballs, large oven baked salmon, and large eggplant parmigiana. I called the day before to make reservations for 7 of us at 6:00. This place is huge and is set up like a labyrinth. We walked through the kitchen to get upstairs and were seated in a corner near the Pope room. They have some good old school pictures on the wall but I thought that the decorations were a bit overwhelming. More tacky than classy. I liked that our waiter, David, was very accommodating to my picky family. My mom almost screamed not too much oil when our waiter was making our oil and vinegar mix to go with the bread. I gotta give the guy credit for being cool with that and he said I'll just leave these at your table and you can mix it yourself. My brother's fiance wanted raspberry iced tea. David asked her how's the iced tea and she said it wasn't sweet enough but she didn't care and was going to drink it anyway. He offered to bring out another glass of raspberry iced tea for her and said it was his special blend that makes it sweeter. I think he added peach something to it. She also wanted butter for her bread and he kindly brought it out. He even snapped a family picture for us. David is why I'm giving this place 3 stars instead of 2. If it were only about the food, I'd give it a 2 star. The food: bottom line is I've had better. Everything was just okay. 3 large entrees and an appetizer seemed to be enough for the 7 of us. David said he was impressed because usually people don't finish their food because portions are large. My family eats. A lot. There was a little bit of spaghetti left! I think my brother could have finished it though. I thought the food was ok but they seemed to like it. My mom loves the eggplant parmigiana and my BF said it tasted better than he expected. It was a little salty for me as I had to ask for 2 refills of my water so by the end I drank 3 glasses of water. I signed up for the eClub so we got a free appetizer. I also had a $10 off coupon, but we were told we could only use one. Bruschetta was $10.45 so we got a free appetizer instead of $10 off. Because it was my mom's bday, we got a free cupcake a la mode. I thought it was more like a brownie because it was hard but it said cupcake on the bill (valued at $5, which was subtracted from our total).
(3)James M.
Huge servings, gluten free available. You get a brownie sundae on birthday. YUMMY! Family Style Dining.
(5)Mary R.
Never really sure how I ever end up here. If it wasn't for the Pope Room there would be zero appeal to this place.
(2)Dominic C.
Ah... Bucca... This place reminds me of the Italian places in LA that I love so much. House Chianti I love thee. Their portions are family sized and their prices seem high but if you order enough for everyone instead of taking half the meal home it doesn't seem that bad. Definitely spent more at worse. Stuffed Clams are freaking amazing. Giant Meatballs, wtf they aren't kidding giant. I love their mashed potatoes, dunno why.
(4)Jeremy D.
Large portions. Went there with a party of 35 and everyone had a good time. The atmosphere gives you a large family mafia feeling. The waiters seem to be accustomed to large parties and have responsive customer service. I give them a 4 because the service isn't always consistent.
(4)Laura B.
Thank Jeebus I made reservations for this Buca the night before the California International Marathon so our runner friends could carbo-load and I could also carbo-load, because, well, I love me some CARBS! I made reservations for the six of us online (so simple!!) and we had no problems while other parties of our size would have easily waited 1.5 hrs for a table. Every Buca is MASSIVE, but this place was still so totally packed on both floors. We sat upstairs among rowdy parties and enjoyed salivating over the extensive menus. We ordered up huge waters (hydrate hydrate!), the large apple-gorgonzola salad (my faaave), large spaghetti with meatballs (HOLY F! meat-a balls!), small penne san remo (chicken, chokes, s-d tomatoes and peas in a light cream sauce), and a small penne basilica (chicken, brocc and pesto). Everything was awesome, but my favorite was definitely the san remo. I love the salty artichoke flavor and the cream sauce was not overwhelming (a pet peeve). We walked/rolled ourselves out of there for ~$16 per person. Dude, that's like stealing. Yes, it's a chain, but Buca does its version of homey Italian food consistently and very very well. Make a rezzie and wear your elastic-waist pants.
(4)Tiffany K.
This review is for their take out only... I had come across a $10 off a $20 order, so because I was tired (only had five hours sleep!) and didn't feel like cooking, thought I would take advantage of this. I ordered a large cheese ravioli with marinara sauce thinking it would be enough to feed a family of three. Picking up wasn't a problem, there is even parking for to go orders! I could see how the economy has definitely affected the restaurant industry. Next door was a closed up TGIFridays and there was hardly anyone in the restaurant! Bucca de Beppo has two floors with a huge upstairs. I wondered if people still crowded The Pope Room like they used to? The portions were more like to feed a family of seven at least. Huuuuge pillows of ravioli filled with fresh ricotta and their marinara sauce is killer. I should say that I am quite partial to this sauce, as I came here early one morning as part of a fieldtrip (yes - they do fieldtrips for classrooms!) and watched them make the sauce. Got to sample a bowlful with breadsticks too. So, with tax and all, I got a tray full of raviolis for $14.15 after the coupon. Not bad. Oh! And it came with a side of bread to boot.
(4)Sunny L.
I came here a few times. Its okay. I like the decor. The food is okay. Some of the food that I order weren't that great, some were good. I came here with about 20 people and they accommodated it for us, that was nice. The service was okay, I didn't have any problems with it. I would go here again if I was in the neighborhood but it wouldn't be my first choice. 3.25 Stars
(3)Allison M.
Good enough if you have coupons and gift cards. The manager/busboy even gave us another coupon for $10 off $20. Times are tough, I guess. Anyway, I've been here quite a few times over the years (why do people keep giving me Buca gift cards/coupons??) and the food seems Italian enough for a non-ethnic person like me. I actually ordered their chopped antipasto salad for the first time, and it was a lot better than the Olive Garden salad. The Buca salad was overflowing with some of my favorite things: different types of olives, onions, chopped pepperoni, peppers, feta, etc. I'll probably get the salad again because I must return before August 31, 2010 and use my coupon and gift card...oh shit did I forget to pay? No...no. I don't think so. Unless I left a Cheesecake Factory gift card. No, no that couldn't have been me.
(3)Robin C.
My boyfriend and I got gift certificates from his parents for Buca di Beppo who told us the portions were huge and the food fantastic!! Neither of us had been before and decided to go on Friday night 3-15-14. We made reservations online for 7:15 pm. Scanning the menu, We decided on Fettuccine Supremo, ( chicken, broccoli, red bell peppers with Fettuccine pasta and Alfredo Sauce) and Shrimp Florentine ( Garlic Shrimp, Roma tomatoes, and spinach and linguine in garlic butter sauce) We arrived at 7:10 pm, (what a huge building!) told the hostess we had a reservation at 7:15. It was very busy, I counted at least 15 people waiting in the lobby and overheard the hostess say the wait was 45 minutes if you did not have a reservation. 5 minutes later we followed a young male waiter through what seemed like a maze through the restaurant, our final destination upstairs to a small table for two. We were seated nearby a large crowd of over 20 people with kids. It was very loud and warm. (They needed to turn on the air!!) We received the menus and asked for lemon water to drink. The Restaurant was very busy and they forgot to provide us silverware so we asked for some. The waiter was very attentive, our order came quickly and the food fantastic!!! We had lots of leftovers!!! When the large crowd left, my boyfriend and I could finally hear each other talk. The air had kicked on and the temp became cooler. All in all a great place to eat out!!! Next time we plan to order one meal and share it!! We would highly recommend it!!
(4)Chris M.
Since writing this review and writing their parent office with a more detailed complaint, Buca (Sacramento-Howe) has really turned it around. We eat Buca about every 2-3 months now. Their dishes remind me so much of my families' that I really want them to be successful!!! PS, I should have posted this update about 2 years ago...sorry Buca.
(5)Wolfgang W.
I am picky!!! This place is clean unlike other closed kitchen restaurants. The food is very consistent and waiters almost always good. The food is too good tasting! The spicy chicken rigatoni, sup pizza, and 1893 salad kiks azz. Prices have been going up but if you want freshly prepared food not from a package, then pay. This place is still worth it and addicting. Only suggestions: 1- give teachers the same discount as police get. 2- increase pizza oven temp by 50-100 degrees or use a stone. Pizza sometimes has a soft center crust. Everything else is excellent!
(5)Amanda R.
This location actually deserves a negative rating but that doesn't exist (lame!) Holy crap. Where do I start? I have been coming to this Buca location for over 4 years for take out only (I had lived 1 mile away from this location back then)... I remember their pizzas were once really good and served hot, the service was always great and speedy and I had never had any problems with my orders. I would bring in coupons for my take out and they were always honored. No questions asked. Well, that was until today. And it is the reason why I, once a loyal customer, will NEVER be coming back. I ordered a large pepperoni pizza around 4 to be picked up around 430 so I could watch game 7 of the MLB World Series with friends. I bring my printed coupon with me and head over to Buca. I get there at 445 and there is a lady waiting in the pick up window and I had to wait over 10 minutes for them to finish before I was able to get to the window. I tell the young lady that I was picking up my pizza, hand her my coupon and was immediately told that they do not take these coupons. Puzzled, I asked why and she said that they just don't even tho there is no restrictions printed on them and they were the same ones I have been bringing in for years. Angry, shocked and hungry, I give in and pay. I leave and drive down the street heading home to watch the game. I decide to take a bite of the slice and when I touch the pizza, its cold!!! WTF!!! I did not drive 20 minutes away to take home a cold pizza. I head back and have to wait in line yet again and explain my issues to the girl working the window and she calls over her manager. I explain the issue, says she can have the pizza made again (which will take a fast 7 minutes) and she instantly takes the pizza out of my hand and walks away with it, not saying another word to me. I decide to sit down on the bench in their "waiting" area next to two other people waiting. I over hear that the woman to my left (who was the same woman who was in front of me when I first came in) has been waiting for her to go order for 30+ minutes and the guy to the right of me had been waiting for 45 minutes even thought they had both called in their orders ahead of time and were told when their food should be ready! The manager comes back and gives me my pizza and tries to send me on my way. I ask her if there is any sort of compensation that I can be given for my inconvenience of not being able to use my coupon and for being served a cold pizza. She told me that my coupon could not be accepted because it was not an actual coupon (which it was... I read the fine print over 4 times) and it wasn't a coupon from their email promotion. I tell her that the coupon that I gave her was from the email and she practically tells me, in a subtle way, that I am lying. She then tries to get me to sign up for their email club (which I am already spammed crap by them every week) and inform her that I don't want to sign up again and she gives me the oddest look and asks me why I don't want to sign up and keeps telling me how the coupon is not legit... blah blah blah. At the last minute she shoves the pizza box in my arms telling me in a belittling condescending way "here is your $10 back, here is your pizza, enjoy your game and hope to see you soon". I have never been treated so crappy by a manager before. I don't know if this lady had a bad day or what but I hope that she is not like this to all the customers that come in because treating a loyal repeat customer the way I was treated is bullsh*t!!! I am now washing my hands of this company and will be supporting local Italian/ pizza restaurants. It was nice knowing you, Buca.
(1)Rodel R.
"This is a small?!?" - TWSS Yes, BDB calls this "family style" entrees, in which a small entree serves 2-3 people and a large serves 4 or more. Also this place offers multiple coupons, usually $10 off $20 or $10 off $30, and they also give out free cake for Anniversaries, Birthdays, etc. The taste of the entrees is pretty good, not quite the best, but very good! I usually order the Fettuccine Supremo, and Ravioli dishes. Service is very good, I have never encountered a non-friendly server!
(4)Rachel G.
Came here for a friend's graduation dinner. The setting is great, kinda like a little outdoor italian eatery but indoors. We had the spaghetti with giant meatballs. It wasn't awesome, but it wasn't bad either. The spaghetti wasn't overly sauced, more so on the light soupy side. The garlic bread was good though!
(3)Monica M.
Woe.......heaven on a plate!!!! I was just getting slapped left and right with amazing food. We ordered different food and had a total of about 7 different family style choices on the table. we had the french bread for starters with the evoo and balsamic. we moved on to appetizers we ordered the pizza margherita omg just plain stupid. for our party to share we ordered Ziti, Raviolli and Lasagna and chianti braised shortribs....Oooohhh wweee. Bomb. What was even better wasthe atmosphere because were loud the server made us feel like family...For sessert we shared tiramisu, canoli, cream cake..whooo wee.... at that point were put to bed. Rediculous and i would do it again anyday. Love... Love... Love ...Bucca di beppo.
(5)ROBYN C.
We had my daughters graduation party here June 8th. It was our first time to attend this place but let me tell you AMAZING FOOD!. I had actually reviewed the menu in advance and came up with the food we would be ordering. I had scheduled 3 weeks in advance for a table. I called week before and confirmed and day of they took my menu. Upon arriving our table was ready. This place is huge. we had 19 in our party. My only issue is they crammed all the current parties in the same section then placed us in corner and another table was filled right behind us. Thus we could not get out without both tables about 3 people each table having to get up every time someone needed to potty. As this was a party this went on all night. I would suggest not cramming everyone together when the rest of the entire resturant was empty at 5 pm. That being said we still made due. They did mess up on one food item preordered even though the waiter went over the premenu in advance. They took the dish back and brought the right one about 20 mins later meaning it had to be cooked. But so worht the wait. It was the baked lasanga was to die for!!! 10 stars!!!. we also had spaghetti and meatballs, both types salad and the monterella bread and garlic, the rigatoni also. so well done. Graduation was done right and we were more than pleased and determined to add this to our top 10 list :)
(5)Elizabeth H.
Came here on a busy Saturday night for my moms birthday, party of 11. Service was good, food was good. Will be back again when in the area!
(5)Anna T.
I love coming here when I've got a $10 off $20 coupon. Usually I can come here with it and share one or two of their pasta dishes with some friends and end up full and paying less than $10 per person! Who doesn't love a deal like that? The food is good, nothing exceptional and obviously not the most authentic Italian food, but I've never eaten anything bad here either, except maybe this one time a friend ordered their cannelloni and I couldn't taste anything but fennel. The service is very friendly and I love all the decor you can admire while waiting for your food.
(3)Cat G.
I came here for a friend's birthday. This is one of those places that I always drive by and hear about but never had a chance to ever go to. Food-wise this is some good Italian. It's served "family style" so you need 1 or 2 other people to share it with. We had the Quattro Al Forno which gave us portions of their baked pastas: Cheese Manicotti, Chicken Cannelloni, Stuffed Shells and Baked Ravioli. Lasagna. Lasagna was excellent, manicotti was a bit chewy and there was something spicy in the stuffed shells. Luckily they gave us pitchers of water per table so no flagging waiters down every so often. What kept me from giving Buca more stars is the service. Our party sat around for a while filling up on bread before they even got around to serving our table. I believe the large party seated behind us got seated and served before they even asked for our orders. Our server seemed to be pre-occupied with other tables before remembering us. So while it's better than Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill, the service for large parties needs to be better coordinated.
(3)Wayne L.
The food is always awesome here and the service fantastic - not as awesome or fantastic as my baby, but better than most and a good place to take the love of your life on a rainy day. The booths are private, cozy, and romantic and the food is great. Not as great as my sweetheart, but great for an Italian menu. I would like to return someday with my Hunny, she's 5 Star...
(4)Crystal L.
Try the spicy chicken rigatoni. It's so yuuuuuummmmmeeeerrrrrr!!!!!!!! :)
(5)Sue C.
Always love my experiences at Buccaaaaah!!! I love that they actually mean the serving sizes they recommend -they're not some little dallup, they're huge!!! Awesome family fun(family of just about any age)
(5)Stephanie B.
We've been here for dinner every time. I have to admit it's my favorite Italian place right now because I honestly haven't been to many Italian restaurants around sacramento (If you have any suggestions, let me know!). The food has been good and the right amount for us. The service is probably the best part. We've always had the best servers. I really like how they're really welcoming, especially because we've gone in numerous times half an hour to 15 minutes before they would close. We've had Veal Parmigiana and Chicken Saltimbocca, which are super good. It can be expensive for some.
(3)Jocelyn C.
I went to this location & our server was the best. I asked for like a mocha type drink & he said they didn't serve that kind of drink, but would whip something like it. He went out of his way to do that for me, not only because of customer service, but because he said he used to work at Starbucks, so he would figure something out with the stuff Bucca had. He was a nice & funny guy & me & my friends gave him a nice tip. Bucca's food will always be great, no matter which location you go to. A SMALL bowl can share 2-3 people. Imagine what the LARGE bowl is like. Haha. This includes the salad too. I don't go there often, because I only like to go there on Occasions, like birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Also, because its pricey, but its worth it!
(5)Rene L.
don't go if you're a celiac like me LOL i had to stick with a small caprese salad and stuffed mushrooms. again, OVERPRICED!!! i know the economy sucks and all, and i dont give a rats ass if it's supposed to be family style, but charging $12+ for 6 small stuffed mushroom and $10+ for the caprese, seriously?!? those servings are supposed to feed 2 people... if you ate at home first! i tried my friends' spicy italian sausage from their pasta dish... yummy with a pretty good kick! wish i had ordered a side of those instead of the mushrooms. the savior was the liquored up tiramisu. i caught a buzz from that so all was forgotten until this morning
(3)Nai S.
Had my birthday dinner here a while back because I am a pasta fanatic. Heard some good things from this place so I was expecting a delicious meal. First and last time there. Their portions are huge and affordable but it was very plain/bland. I'd rather have something expensive and delicious than affordable and not hit the spot. There were 5 of us and we ordered 5 different pasta dishes. We didn't enjoy any one of the dishes. Left very unsatisfied and with boxes of left overs....
(2)Penney P.
Always love this place ! Food is always remarkable ! Just a lil loud for my family. Also wish the waiter new at least 1 other thing to say besides "no problem " was quite annoying !
(5)Torie E.
Service - out of 5, we give it a 1 at best. Terrible! Food - at best a 2! Ambiance - definitely a 1! Can't move, sitting in a corner everywhere you go, and not very nice employees. Six of us travel around the area to try new restaurants each month. We won't be back!
(1)Anji W.
This place is good for big groups because the dishes are humongous. The food here to me is okay. The service is good. I enjoy the drinks here and they have their own parking lot. The only thing I really like about this restaurant is all the decorations and pictures.
(3)Angel F.
I dont know if it was because we went for lunch but the service was not good. Slow and unfriendly and our food was barely warm when served. My noodles were soooo dry and my kids spaghetti was really watery. Only gave it to stars because I love the ambiance
(2)Devo S.
We haven't been to Buca di Beppo in a while, but with a $10 coupon and $25 gift card, we figured we'd give it a try. Plus, it's part of Open Table, so I got 100 points for the reservation (yay!). In short, this was a wonderful experience. The host/manager talked football with the hubby (Raiders vs. Patriots fan; fumble talk, blech). We were seated almost immediately, and had plenty of time to look over the menu. We settled on Chicken Limone and Stuffed Shells, with a carafe of sangria. Let's just say, excellent choices all! The Chicken Limone is so lightly battered, combined with the light lemon sauce and capers, it was delicious. The stuffed shells, six in all, were large and filled with yummy spicy italian sausage and a delicious marinara sauce. Lastly, our sangria was wonderful. All in all, this was a great reintroduction to Buca di Beppo, and we will now make more of an effort to eat here. I encourage other folks to eat here at well. I seriously doubt you will go home disappointed or empty handed!
(4)Mario R.
Brought my gf here for the first time on our One year anniversary. The wait was longer than usual and I wasn't as welcomed as usual. Once we got to our seats, it all changed. The service was outstanding and the food was delicious. We ordered a small pasta and by the end, we both had some left to take home. Overall great Italian restaurant! Definitely recommend to go here.
(4)Dave K.
Hey, it's a chain, alright? So they're pretty much all the same. The thing to like about Buca di Beppo is the food is actually pretty good. The thing not to like about it is that it's all "family style" meaning huge portions only. So it's actually a rotten place for dinner-for-two because unless you want the same appetizer and entree then you will invariably order too much food. So, for bigger groups, the formula works OK, but it fails for smaller groups and/or for people who dietary restrictions and there's only one person who wants an item, which is portioned for 2-3 people. The service here is friendly and I would given them 4 stars but for two problems. (1) we had to wait 10-15 minutes for our 7 PM reservation. Call me picky, but waiting more than about 10 minutes for a reserved table starts to bother me. (2) I left my credit card behind after I paid, returned the next day to pick it up, and was told it wasn't there. Luckily, I happened to be in Sacto on consecutive weekends because they called me mid-week saying they'd found it. But I didn't really like having to go back twice to retrieve a lost credit card.
(3)Amara S.
I really do not like this place. The decor of this place is awesome. However the food lacked in flavor. I am not a fan of family sized servings. After two bites of my pasta I was already sick and tired of it. I ordered the Frutti de Mar. I've had better and I will not be back.
(1)Chan S.
I love this place!! First of all, there's always coupons available in the Sunday Bee or you can find one to print online and it's $10 off any purchase of $20 or more. They start you off with bread to dip in the olive oil and balsamic vinegar dip (which I always add pepper flakes to spice it up). Favorite appetizer-spicy calamari which is sautéed in garlic butter and tossed with spicy banana peppers served with marinara dipping sauce. Favorite dish-spicy chicken rigatoni, which definitely has a kick to it but so good! My bf and I normally order an appetizer and main dish and end up spending a lil more than $20 with the coupon but we end up having leftovers too.
(4)me l.
Refresher on my review from January 10th.....Buca Di Beppo's insurance company calls me several days after.....Irina is her name, very rudely leaves a message to call her back. I do return that phone call within less than five minutes of her leaving me a message. It goes straight to voicemail....9 days later, yes 9!!! Irina just called me and asks everyone's names and ages in my party of 6. Seems to over change her tone (not in a good way)that we have an adopted daughter who is older. Everyone deserves family, yes we took someone in who is a young adult Irina, we gave her family something she never had!! So that being none of your business anyways, she than asked for my sons medical paper work from having to take him to the hospital. On top of that she leaves the phone call with "How can you prove, or what facts do you have that you got food poisoning from Buca???" Wow I'm livid!! Well Just as I told Irina when your server has already got attitude when you meet her, she seemed perturbed after asking if we can have a few moments to review the menu, KT the server made it very clear when she said she don't have a minute. So even knowing the FDA got involved and the Sacramento City Health Department......obviously it was more than likely the way we looked, don't know if it was because she doesn't think she would have gotten a great tip?!?!? or what the case was....but to you KT you should treat others with respect, how you treat others, is only a mirror image of what you think of yourself. As for the company, Jeff, Galen, Irina, and Constantine....I know exactly what your are thinking. Especially when I handed Galen two hairs out of my food. People like you assume everyone in this world is money hungry. I calmly excepted the fact that my first plate came out with hair in it, when the same plate comes back with hair in it, yes I'm upset. Then when your manager Galen makes an unwise comment about he has no idea where the hair came from, he doesn't have employees with that kind of hair there. my response to him is he thinks I'm pulling them out of my pocket. Anyways.... I don't need to go out to a restaurant and make excuses not to pay for mediocre food, we were only there for our older daughter to try the restaurant because she is half Italian. We are all human, we do have feelings to, and we work hard for what we have. Your company could have made a better decision on how it was handled. Jeff you definitely need better phone manners, so rude and quick to get me off the phone....saying" yeah I heard what happen!" people skills?!?!? none. Most of all Galen when your apologizing having a smirk on your face is never the way to treat an urgency issue, while wrapping two hairs that were in my food around your finger. An actual apology from upper management and looking into the issue due to sanitary reasons, would have been sufficient enough for me. That did not happen, unless the half hearted one with a smirk is what you call a real apology. But now there is a medical bill involved. So asking for someone's information and saying that your corporate office will contact them and no response is very lame business practice. Own up to your mistakes. 9 days later my disabled son is still sick. His immune system is weak and don't even want to know at this point what was done to our food...but I hope the person who did this 1) doesn't have diseases and 2) has a conscience for a little boy who is suffering. My son was already born with many health problems and medical problems I don't need to take him out and have people purposely harm him. Shame on you guys!!!!
(1)Juan D.
I really enjoy going to Buca! The staff is really friendly the ambiance is great and you have different rooms with different themes. I cannot say the food is the best but it certainly is not disappointing. My biggest critique is the wait time and on weekends and holidays i would strongly suggest to make a reservation in advance or the place will be full and you will be out of luck. Their portions are huge so make sure you order something other people in your party will like or else you will have a lot leftover. Whether your looking to try something new, or take your special someone on a date night consider trying out this location.
(4)Ruben A.
I will never go to this restaurant again. 1. Words cannot capture how HORRIBLE the service was. 2. The food was okay at best. (The free bread was the best part of my meal) 3. The prices are ridiculous. (To be fair, it's supposed to be shared with several people) 4. The food took an unacceptable amount of time to be served. Our server Sara treated us like a complete inconvenience rather than a group of customers paying for a service. She was rude with her choice of words, tone of voice, and body language. She rolled her eyes at us when we asked for our first refill of the bread basket. She questioned us when we asked for a second refill on the bread basket with a very abrasive tone. In several of our encounters she seemed incredibly disinterested in being there. One member of our party was celebrating her birthday with us there, and when we asked if there was any type of "birthday song" she interrupted before we could finish our sentence by saying, "uhhh no. we will only sing for you if you buy a desert." This statement, again, was made with a very very rude and annoyed tone. Although this place has a lot of good reviews, this experience was bad enough to never warrant another shot. I simply cannot afford to spend a miserable time when there are so many other restaurants with servers who treat you with kind and friendly service.
(1)Valerie R.
What an awesome experience. Just went here for the first time, and would definitely recommend to any and all Italian food lovers. Made a 5:00pm reservation for my hubby and I, and we were seated quite promptly. Loved the tour of the kitchen, the ambiance, all of the pictures, and the music! And to think we hadn't even gotten to the food yet! Talk about overwhelming! Haha! We were seated on the second floor. Waitress was very attentive and friendly. We felt as though we had literally stepped into her kitchen. She told us the portion sizes were very generous (meaning a small can feed 2-3 people, large can feed 4-6.) I ordered a Cherry Lemonade which was awesome, and a plate of Spaghetti and Meatballs. Hubby ordered Chicken Parmesan, and cheese bread. Literally the largest meatballs I have ever seen. Everything was sooo tasty and cooked just right. We then ordered the cannoli plate for dessert. It was filled with creme, drizzled with chocolate sauce, and had chocolate chips inside. It's too bad there were only three, I probably could've eaten like ten of them. Outstanding, and we will return in the future.
(5)Suzanne D.
Manicotti was decent. Wish it was more ricotta based. Ziti was common. Service was efficient and friendly.
(4)Bruce B.
Good food except for the ANT IN MY COCKTAIL! Oh, and my truck was broken into in their parking lot while I was eating!
(1)Renee B.
Love this place. The staff is great and the portion sizes are huge. The only thing that sucks is if you are seared upstairs on a busy night. It's really hot up there and they tend to put the parties up there so you can look forward to screaming children
(4)Caro M.
On a quest to rate sac's Caesar salads. This offering was--not surprisingly - bottom of the barrel. Summary: dressing all wrong, really tangy,with lemon instead of anchovy base. In fact, I doubt the caesar salad chefs at BB would allow an anchovy even to watch them make--incorrectly--the dressing. Croutons not fresh. Romaine appropriate. No Parmesan in sight, though. 1-10 scale gets this one a 2.
(2)Aimee B.
Buca di beppo always has some type of coupon so i used mine today. $10 off any $20+ purchase which is what made the food worthwhile. I like it becAuse you eat it family style. You get complimentary bread with oil and balsamic vinegar. I got the baked ziti which wasn't bad but it could have more cheese, but it tasted okay. The Caesar salad was normal, ice berg lettuce. Shirley Temple was very sweet. Service was decent. I didn't really understand why I had to wait to be seated...it wasn't busy. I really like Italian so I would go here again But not to spend the money I spent.
(3)Krista S.
"They might say it feeds two people, but I'm really hungry. They don't know how much I can eat." Unless you're Michael Phelps, they really do know about portion sizes. We ordered three dishes, two large, one small for four of us. Bearing in mind it will probably feed us for the next three days, prices are reasonable. And reasonably priced wine too.
(4)Stacy B.
For a restaurant that was barely 25% full, we waited an inordinate amount of time waiting for a table. We were finally seated...at a booth for 8. Hmmm. Good food, but overpriced. $15-16 for the Quattro al Forno, consisting of one stuffed shell, one cannelloni, one manicotti and something else I can't remember. Decent, but certainly not worth that price. Great sausage, but not at $8. Same for the $6 meatball. A fun place for a group, but I'll certainly drive to Angelina's in Stockton for superior Italian. At least we had a coupon this time. Shazam!
(3)Tyffani N.
I looove buca, but don't forget to look for a 10 dollar coupon off a $30 meal. They have really large portions, the small portions will feed 2 hungry or 3 ppl. They have personal portions during their lunch time. All meals come with their bread which is okay, nothing too special. Most of their dishes are very flavorful and yummy in my tummy..... I def recommend the fruitti de mare (not sure how its spelled) but its pretty much a seafood pasta when clams, shrimp, calimari, and mussels. They also have a salad with apple something that is really good as well. Overall very good quality for your money. The trip to the restroom is quite fun. While walking upstairs, there are alot of decor from the 20's (maybe?) such as female lingerie, and it feels like I'm walking through a time museum.. It is very entertaining and a joy : )
(4)Thanh B.
Every one of my friend seems to be in love with this place so I decided to try it out for myself. When my best friend and I first got there, we had to wait 5-10 minutes. It didn't bother me until we were led to our seat and I've seen how many seats were actually available the whole time. We were looking at the menu for a little while. And a little while suddenly turned into a loooooooooong while for we were LEFT there by our waiter. I had to actually get up to look for him. He did apologize as he then took our orders. I believe I got the Chicken Parmesan, an Italian soda, and a small salad. 5 days later, our food came out. After I went and got someone who appears to be manager to ask about our foods. Let's just say it was not worth the wait. They did apologize for the inconvenience and gave me my salad and Italian soda for free, but that's not even the point. It didn't change how my food tasted or the fact that my best friend and I had to wait an eternity for our foods when it didn't have to be that way.
(1)Kristina D.
I have been to Buca di Beppo twice. My first experience was great. I went for my birthday and the food and atmosphere was great. To be honest I don't rememeber what I ordered because I am sure I had more than a few drinks in me so I can't comment on the food during this visit. The second time I went I ordered the spicy sausage with penne and when the dish came out my first thought was that there was fecal matter (poop) on top of my pasta. Presentation was a complete failure and un-appetizing. I ate very little of my food that day.
(3)Joe C.
My fiancé and I had a great first experience here. Our server was Robert and he did a great job taking care if us and having a few laughs throughout the hour. Nice decorations and the restaurant had a warm feel to it. We're planning on having our wedding rehearsal dinner here now!
(5)Brianna S.
Yay I'm a fan is right! This is a family style serving of Italian cuisine. Two smalls and a large of pastas could have served 8 or 9 easily. We only 6 and stuffed, with many leftovers. So around May or June I went to a different Buca to celebrate my sisters graduation from Sac State. During our dinner Buca was pushing a promotion called Letters to Juliet and first prize was maybe a trip to Italy or somewhere. So after a pitcher of sangria I convinced my sister and myself to fill out entry forms and pray the waiters actually entered them. Months later... I get a letter in the mail saying "You've won second place!" and that meant a dinner for 6 of my friends and myself. So I took my parents and brother and close friends. ^_^ The food was just ok to me, I was sad that the calamari tasted fishy. We also got the mixed green salad, penne san remo, shrimp fra diavolo, fettucine supremo, mozzarella garlic bread and the chocolate chip cannoli.. oh and mom sprang for a pitcher of their sangria. Don't get me wrong I paid for the tax and a big tip, it wasn't all inclusive. And at $151 for a party of 6 it wouldn't have been too overpriced anyhow. I was glad that the place was only a quarter full and that the music wasn't loud, I could hear everyone talking. We really enjoyed ourselves. And Jenn giggled at the busser who's shirt read My Meatballs are Huge! hehe
(4)Melissa A.
I rate my overall experience here 3 stars. I would have rated it higher if our car wasn't almost broken into while we dined. The food and staff were fine. The food was good; it was comparable to every other Buca's. The staff was friendly. HOWEVER, the parking lot is very poorly lit. We weren't able to park right next to the restaurant so we had to park in the parking lot about 50 feet from the entrance. We arrived around 7:30 PM, when it was still light out, and finished dining right after the sun went down around 8:20. Someone had tried to pry open the driver's side door of our car and scratched up the side of our vehicle. We informed the staff and they were very helpful and apologetic, but apparently this is a problem that they encounter regularly. Many of the employees' cars, including the manager's, have been broken into in the past. I would order my food to go here or maybe just dine here for lunch....just be warned that if you decide to dine in, your car may be broken into while you are enjoying your spaghetti and meatballs.
(3)Francie L.
Our server Eric was great. We ordered the prosciutto stuffed chicken which was excellent. I will come back again!
(5)Neil P.
Been here a couple of times for work related dinners. Food is very good, and the portion sizes are astronomical. When you first look at the menu, it looks to be a pit pricey. But when you factor in that you have leftovers for the next several days, it's quite a good bang for the buck. We all split spaghetti & meatballs, pizza, and salad. No complaints about the food on any front. Pastas are sauced italian style (very little by US standards), so order extra sauce if you like it that way. Meatballs are HUGE and very good.
(5)patrick w.
We went here for my father-in law's bday. unfortunately he forgot the birthday coupons for his free cake, not to worry - the manager had our back. He was dropping off a coupon for our dinner and we told him it was his birthday and he went ahead and comped us a cake. food was tasty, had the caprese pasta, Prosciutto stuffed chicken, seafood appetizer, everything was delicious. good job buco but wtf on only having the bathrooms upstairs
(4)Sarah H.
Food wasn't too great might of made me sick. This place is highly overrated.
(1)Rachel M.
If you want a lot of Italian food, come here. Almost everything here is served family style, so you get to share among your group. Actually, I recommend coming here only when you're with a huge group of people. When I last came here, I ordered the pasta shells. I had already gotten pretty full off of the bread so I wasn't able to finish it all. But it tasted pretty decent. For dessert I had a piece of the celebration cake - It was huge! Three thick layers of cake and white icing in between each layer. Sure, the cake was pretty since it was the colors of the Italian flag, but that will be the last time I order it. I definitely didn't finish it. Over all, make sure you come here with at least 3-4 people so they can help you finish the food. I don't think I was even able to finish my meal even though I took it home for the next day. I prefer Strings, Olive Garden or Espanol over this place.
(3)Samantha L.
I don't think I, myself, have ever actually chosen to go to Buca di Beppo, but my family seems to like it a lot, so we end up going every now and then. But I think that our last visit, on a Sunday evening around 7:00 p.m., may be the last for a while. I'm consistently impressed by how the place is always so busy; I don't get it. The restaurant itself is pretty large and somehow, it always seems full. We waited for about 5 -10 minutes to be seated. Once seated though, it took another 10 minutes for our server to actually come to the table and greet us. When he did come, he took our order. We ordered a small appetizer and small pasta dish for the four of us. The menu says each small serves 2-3 persons. We tend to not eat that much and a small appetizer and small pasta has always seemed to work for us in the past. But after ordering, the waiter kept insisting that we needed to order more and that it wouldn't be enough food. 5-10 minutes after ordering our food, we were given some cold bread and olive oil. The waiter didn't ask us if we wanted the balsamic vinegar (which we like) or how much, so he put a really tiny drop. We just got up and got the vinegar to add ourselves. The appetizer then came about 10 minutes later. We ordered: Small calamari ($11.95): it is about average-sized for an appetizer. They give you a couple of "leg/tentacle" pieces and mostly rings. It was fried to a light golden color and served with a nice marinara sauce. After finishing the appetizer, the waiter came by and exchanged our plates and silverware for the main course. One of the plates was dirty with food remnants on it. The waiter took our plates away but left the empty calamari appetizer plate on the table. Our food then came a couple minutes after. We ordered: Chicken Carbonara ($18.95): it was plenty to feed the four of us. It's long noodles in a creamy white sauce with peas, chicken and prosciutto. It was pretty tasty; but there were some inconsistencies, as some pieces of prosciutto were very crispy and some were soggy. Still good overall. We got a couple refills on the bread during our visit; but not once did our waters get refilled (and the cups were empty most of the dinner). Overall the food is decent but the service needs improvement. Notes: -They have plenty of parking in the shared lot. -Family styled dinners.
(2)Sean M.
I picked up lunch for my sales guys today. I got their Penne San Remo and Penne Arrabbiata which is one of my favorites. It's rich in flavor with a tad of spice added to it. And I tried something new...called Bucatini Ala Enzo which is basically a Pancetta and fried prosciutto with sautéed button mushrooms and peas tossed with Bucatini pasta. Never heard of it? Bucatini pasta is is a thick spaghetti-like pasta with a hole running through the center. The name comes from Italian: buco, meaning "hole", while bucato means "pierced". Bucatini is common throughout Lazio, particularly Rome. It is a tubed pasta made of hard durum wheat flour and water. I thought it was delicious and everyone else loved it too. Of course, the food is ALWAYS good. But I want to give a shout out to Alisa, the girl working the to-go counter. She's always super-friendly and makes sure everything is perfect with my utensils, plates, napkins, plastic-ware, etc. It may not seem like a big deal, but as you know, it's the little things that can make all the difference between a good restaurant and a great restaurant! Buca di Beppo of Sacramento is the latter of the two. Oh, and by the way...those 3 dishes I ordered "small" sizes from the dinner menu, and so far it has fed 6 of us with no room for desert and there is plenty of left-overs. :)
(5)Kristie F.
Great food, service, atmosphere, ect! :) Came here twice in one week (kinda my fault cuz I left my credit card here -__-) but I definitely enjoy the food here! This place is great for groups, and people are talking LOUD, and food is made for sharing. They have a lot of coupon deals, from the entertainment book and from signing up for emails from their list serve! So although it could get kinda pricey here, there are definitely good reasons to come! I recently had their .. I don't even remember what it was called, but it was a HUGE, CHOCOLATE, FUDGE CAKE. I thought I could never get tired of chocolate, but this baby was doused with chocolate flavored everything all over. Definitely recommend trying their yummy desserts! If it's your birthday within 7 days, you can also get a nice chocolate cake and song, *clap clap clap* :P
(4)Jiong L.
Okay, Buca, you're only getting four stars because your portions are awesome and the pastas are good. Other than that, I think the service here can improve. I've been here many times before and had pleasant visits, but last weekend when I came here for my sister's birthday, we did not get the usual kind, patient and friendly waiter/waitress. Instead, we had a waiter who seemed bored and annoyed. If only I remember his name...anyways, good food, service is okay....four stars it is.
(4)Shubpreet M.
The food here is really good! My favorite dish is the spicy chicken rigatoni and for appetizers the cheesy garlic bread, mmm yummy. I love that the dishes are family style so they are easily shareable. Try calling ahead or make reservations if necessary. Enjoy :)
(4)Tiffany S.
First time trying this place and it was okay. I didn't really know what to expect. The host/hostess was nice. We got to tour the restaurant before sitting down at our table. Our waiter was okay.. He was helping a bigger group next to our table; my friends and I felt like he was giving them more better service than us because we noticed the way he talked to them and how he talked to us. This place is pricey, expect dishes to be $18+ but the portion is HUGE and delicious. You would have left overs to take home.
(3)Dr. Catherine L.
My many friends and I were seated upstairs in a semi private area. The chairs were lovely, such a different feel.. As if we were in Italy. he he The set up and all the displays, portaits/pictures on the walls were amazing. I felt myself staring everywhere and looking at all the images hanging on the walls. It makes one feel like they are in an actual Italian family home eating wonderful Italian food. Yes, the food was delicious. HUGE portions with excellent prices. The service was good, our waitress was attentive. Afterward, we had to go boxes for all the many left overs that we had. Very cool! MY ONLY ONE "ERK"... was the pope head in the middle of our table... As if everything around us did not already SCREAM the Vatican and Catholicism... but the POPE'S HEAD in the middle of the table, was just creepy to me... His eyes.. piercing and disturbing.. I had to turn the head so it did not face my direction as I ate. ::shivers::
(4)Bill A.
As you would likely expect, this is a chain restaurant, long on gimmicks and short on flavor. We had recently visited a Bucca di Beppo in Las Vegas that served excellent Minestrone soup. Since that was all we ordered, it was all I had to base my opinions on. When we visited the Sacramento location they did not have minestrone soup (it apparently changes daily, so their's, if they had been serving probably would have been exceptional too). Instead we had a tomatoe cream soup, which though not as good, was still not bad. It kind of went downhill from there. We ordered burschetta which was weird to say the least. Served in what looked like a giant martini glass, it was not even close to being as good as what I can make at home (and I'm not even Italian). Next we had chicken parmigana. The portion was large but tasteless and bland, though the sauce wasn't too bad. Everything appeast to be family style ala carte. When you order chcken parmagana for two, that is what you get. Two over size chicken parmaganas in a dish. Quite frankly, the dining room looks creepy and perhaps a little old and dusty. The service never got past first gear. What I did like was the tour of the kitchen, a rare thing in the restaurant business. I guess to me our $70 lunch tab for too much tasteless chicken, a martini glass of bruschetta, 2 small bowls of soup and a meatball for my son (he didn't like it and again it was pretty bland) was not exactly a bargain for some pretty mediocre fare. I might go back there just for the soup, but other than that, probably not. I'll give them 3 stars because again, I expect the minestrone soup to be very good and that is hard to find. Everything esles is probably 2 stars. Does anyone know what Buca di Beppo means in Italian? My wife being from Brasil says it means mouth of the drunk in Portuguese. Bucca certainally must transalte as mouth in Italian, not sure what Beppo is though.
(3)Danny H.
Fun atmosphere, but I was disappointed with the run around I got in reserving the "specialty tables" for a birthday party for my wife. I went and looked at the Pope table and tried the reserve it. I was told that you have to reserve it for 5:00 PM and all the other restrictions. When I tried the reserve it, however, I was told there was already a reservation for 6:00 PM. When questioned about the 5:00 rule, they just said it was an old system. She then told me I could come in at 3:30 and if I promise to be gone in time for their 6pm reservation, we could have it. When we showed up for a really early birthday dinner, we then couldn't have it. Either way, the food was good and my wife had a good time at a regular table, kinda packed in. The service was really slow as well!
(3)An H.
When I feel like eating pasta this is where I go 90% of the time. Its also my daughters favorite places to eat. If you like seafood, I would recommend the Fruitti de Mare. Its so good and has lots on seafood in it and tasty. This place is great for get together also. The portions are served Family Style during dinner so order accordingly.
(4)Ryan R.
This place is sooo good! I love the Chicken Parmigiana & Chicken & Sausage Ziti. Wow. A good place to take a date or to go hang with the Family. Great eats.
(5)Nani V.
Writing this review is making me hungry all over again. I went here a few weeks back for lunch with my co-workers. I was quite excited since I've always wanted to try this place and now was my chance. Although it was lunch time, we were seated upstairs and the only ones in the main room; there was another group in the governor's room. There were a total of 8 people in our group and the waitress let us order family style. She was also very sweet and made us feel at home. We started off with bruschetta and mozzarella caprese. They were both fresh and delicious. I've never had mozzarella caprese before and enjoyed it very much. We also had the chopped antipasto salad before our main courses of spaghetti w/ meatballs (they were huge and flavorful!) and chicken marsala. Yum!! The sauce for the chicken marsala was lovely. Another first dish for me. Before we left, they gave us each a $10 off coupon. Speaking of which, I need to get back and use it. :)
(4)Jason G.
Was 3 star but now 2 based on smaller portions, higher prices, and lower quality now versus a year ago.
(2)Huy D.
2 and a half stars. Average food at average prices. The only good thing about this place is that they have large portions. However, the food isn't that good. The pasta isn't flavorful and it taste like something you can easily make at home in your free time. Pizza on the other hand is slightly better although it is oily (at least for the ones I ordered). So the pizza is a step up from like Pizza Hut or something but definitely nothing to rave about.
(2)Theresa M.
Very dissapointed that they ran out of Lasagna on a Friday evening. We were there to celebrate a special bday. The waiter wasn't even sympathetic, I got the feeling that this happens often.We had a large party, none us were very impressed!
(2)Adriana W.
I don't even know where to begin with this wretched place. A few months back I had gone for my friends birthday (7 adults 5 children). They walked us through the kitchen and to the right which seemed incredibly small due to the fact that there was a party of 8 at one table and a party of 10 at the table behind us where we sat. Our tables were so close that every time someone got up from their seat their belly would hit me in the back of my head or their chair was constantly knocking against mine. And not to mention they were VERY loud. After a bit our waitress comes around and asks everyone if they are ready to order. This being my second time there I had no clue what I wanted to eat (i.e me taking forever and a day to look at the menu). The waitress then said okay we'll I'll be right back after she had collected everyone's order. When she came back to ask me if I was ready she started to rush me and kept pestering me if I had figured out what I wanted. (Key point #1 don't ever rush someone....especially me!) I finally decided what I wanted and at that point she snatched the menu from me. (Key point #2 please, please, please just don't please don't EVER snatch a menu from someone's hand). As we waited for our food my friend and I took the kids to the bathroom which is located up the stairs. Once we arrived up the stairs we noticed that there was an entire section that was available for us to sit since we had a large party. There were only two other parties up there and they crammed everyone into this tiny space that is hot and crowded. Not cool! By this point I'm definitely disappointed and irritated by everything that transpired so far. After we came back down the food still had not come. (Mind you I was 7 months pregnant at the time and starving). Thirty minutes later we finally got our food! All in all it took us 45mins for our food to come out, and when it did orders were incorrect and borderline cold. Really Bucca? Really? Long story short our waitress went to another table and decided to talk about us behind our backs. Once I heard that I was done. I informed her that she WILL NOT be getting tipped and that she can go ahead and remove that from everyone's tab. Once I was able to track down the manager and told her about how horrible service was she comped my meal. I just know from here on out that I will never return here ever again!
(1)Jesse S.
The place to go if ur craving for Italian food.
(3)Vicky Q.
The food and service was way better in Roseville than in Arden. The main thing that ruined it was our waitress. She was extremely rude. Just because we have a big party doesn't mean we need to order 10 dishes, especially when their portions are huge. She basically tried to force us to order more things and when we said that was it, she said "alright" in a sarcastic tone like we were doing something wrong. I don't appreciate at all. We ordered the prosciutto stuffed chicken (pretty good), stuffed mushrooms (loved the pesto sauce), lasagna (good), baked rigatoni (not as good as Roseville), and the supreme italian pizza (ok). I think the service was what really turned me off that I probably couldn't enjoy the food too much. Next time I'm going to Roseville only.
(3)azee a.
Great food and fantastic service . We had a office party of 40 guests ... Everything went smooth . Our special thanks to Eric and Allison . We will be back .
(5)Nicole N.
Love this place., the service is always amazing and the food even better. The portions are HUGE and a small can easily feed 2+ adults... We drive the 40 minutes just to get there, love love love it... 5 stars!
(5)Phuoc L.
Bucca Di Beppo is a fun family place that gives the feel of a traditional Italian family restaurant. The atmosphere is loud, crowded, and full of interesting decor of really interesting things. If you like this type of atmosphere, then you'll enjoy this restaurant. I've been here a number of times and it has always been packed. Even with reservations each time, my party had to wait at least 30-45 mins just to seat, which is very annoying. Although they're nice enough to compensate us with free appetizers each time, it still gets old. As for the food, the quality is just like my rating: A-OK. The restaurant definitely focuses on quantity over quality but now they have a new solo menu for the individual. However, that doesn't improve the quality of food. I personally prefer Olive Garden and other Italian Restaurants, but Bucca Di Beppo isn't a bad place overall.
(3)Bph B.
Walked in at 10:56 pm .. 4 minutes before they closed ...not only did they serve us ...but they had one of he best Italian food in Sacramento .. large portions ...great flavor. . Awesome look on the inside. .feels like Italy. . Service was great 10 out of 10 .. our server valorie was awesome best server .... vary clean place great environment. . 5 stars on my behalf ..... .. Best dam Italian food
(5)C. H.
Had a Caesar salad, mussels in garlic sauce and garlic bread. Salad was sub par and they don't have anchovies? They just slap a bowl of barely edible salad on the table...no anchovies for a Caesar salad? And the dressing for the Caesar was not very good, How hard is it to stock some anchovies...on to the mussels! Here's where they get the stars. Really good with a lot of butter garlic juice to dip the bread. Next time just having the mussels and bread. One serving of mussels and a serving of garlic bread is plenty for two. We are big eaters and it was great. Especially soaking the bread in the mussel sauce!
(3)Matthew G.
First time here and I liked it. I personally don't like family style but with just my wife and I it was fine. We got a small order of baked ziti and it was more than enough food to get both us full with some left over. The taste was good enough for me to definitely come back and try more of their entrees. My iced tea tasted a little off but wasn't the worst thing ever. Ambiance was interesting. It was like a TGI Fridays except everything was Italian themed. And they had several bold pieces on the wall (you'll know what I mean when you see them) which I enjoyed because it makes it feel more like an adult restaurant and not a place for little kids. Our waitress, I think her name was Katie, straight up killed it. She was super friendly and always kept our beverages full. The restaurant world needs more Katies.
(4)Cynthia C.
The portions are huge and ordering food for pick up is really easy, fast and convenient if you don't feel like going in and sitting at a restaurant. If you sign up for their rewards you get a lot of good deals like $20 off of 2 pastas or 20% off. The food has far been very good and you can get plates, utensils etc to go. They have two extra parking spots and small window inside just for the pick up orders. I will be back especially if I keep getting sent deals!
(4)Gene B.
Years ago Howe & Hurley (H&H) crossings was the destination to replenish liquid candy into your liver. Whether it be happy hour after work or a weekend binge, H&H never failed to meet expectations on a buzz spree. This was my return to the area after several years of MIA. Buca di Beppo remains to be unshaken by the brutal economy while other popular establishments are long gone. Typically it's a full house, but the total opposite during lunch midweek. Our table was immediately available with no wait time. The noise level was just perfect to have a quality conversation. Our lunch started out with Fried Calamari then the Chopped Antipasto Salad. Linguine Frutti di Mare was the main dish and lastly tiramisu for dessert. It's a matter of preference, but their tiramisu lacked the rum factor. Above all, everything tasted great. Perfect during midweek if you want to avoid the crowd. Ideal for family functions or large groups in general. A well rounded place for any occasion.
(4)Jenn S.
Food was good.... but the service was below standard. Worst service I have had anywhere in years. Not only was Forest a terrible server, we had to ask another server to bring us drinks after waiting for 30 min. It only got worse from there everything that could go wrong did and Forest continued to ignore serving our party of 5. We told a Manger and he seemed to care as much as Forest. If you want decent service ... this is one to skip even if they have decent food.
(2)Alex T.
I came for dinner tonight on feb 5 2015. Before i walked in i went to the entrance facing howe ave and it wasnt an entrance. It was kind of confusing when it looks so welcoming haha.... but then i went to the back and found it. When i walked in there was no wait and it was slow. When i got in i sat in a booth near the bar. Then i was handed with the menu. The menu looks wow with all the different variety. The menu is not intended for one person so dont come here alone because each dish is for 2 to 3 people portion with a very pretty price at 15 to 25 bucks per plate. Its only good deal if you have a large party to eat. And split the cost overall can avg 10 to 15 bucks per person. So in other words its a family style dinner. I had got a coupon recently for valid for a free small alfredo fetecuinie. i knew it was going to be huge. The coupon has a no purchase necessary. The server was kind of shocked with the free entree coupon i had haha.... anyways it was honored and of course i purchased a one piece half pound meat ball which was 5.99. Now it was about 10 minute wait. The alfredo fettuccine came out and so did the meatball as well. The fettuccine looked great and the meatball was huge with plenty of sauce. So now i took a bite of the alfredo fettuccine and it was bland. I had to add lots of parmesean Cheese and fresh pepper as well and some "salt" which is very rare of me adding to my food. I then was asked how everything was and i mentioned is there any tobasco and the server said no. In my mind i was like wtf??! Theres a whole full bar and how can ya not have a bottle of tobasco for your alkie drinks such as bloody mary. So it was a fail and dissapointed. But the alfredo fettuccine was bland and was not good but presentation and the portion size was excellent. The meat ball was okay. The meat ball was cooked well done since it was half lb and it was good with the sauce. The marinara sauce really gave it the flavor and the sauce had lots of tomatoes inside which was good. But still i wish they some sort of hot sauce to spice the meatball and noodles up. Overall the food is so so maybe it was just today. But i dont think i will be back if a simple dish like this isnt tasty and it was bland too such as the alfredo fettuccine. If i had to add salt which is rarely. it was missing something. I have had better italian food and for a chain restaurant its kind of over rated. The alfredo fettuccine only had sauce and noodles and it costed 15.99 on the reciept. I was like wow. And the half lb meat ball is 5.99. Oh and there are no lo4ds menu to this place if you have kids and want to order for them. They also have upstairs to this restaurant which i was surprised and thought that was cool. There restrooms are also upstairs as well. So u will have to hike up there to use it.
(3)Kali D.
I am a fan of this chain restaurant! Like others have stated it is a great place for large parties and groups. I have been coming to this location for years for birthday celebrations or dinners with co-workers. My most recent visit was with my Hubby, kiddos and my mother so not a large group but a group that has large appetites. We arrived last Friday after 6, a bit late due to that dam 99/80 traffic. Luckily my mother had arrived so they did not give our table away. We were quickly seated and given water and menus. Our server came over to greet us, and questioned if we had ever eaten at Buca before. They want to make sure you know this restaurant is family style and has some large portions so you do not over do it. I love the Linguine Frutti di Mare but Hubby is allergenic and kids say no Thanks. So we settled on: -Garlic Mozzarella Bread- Large -Fried Calamari-Large -Cesar Salad- Large -Linguine Frutti di Mare- Small -Margherita half/Pepperoni half Pizza - Large -Stuffed Chicken -Small Everything came pretty fast and we dove in. Sadly they forgot to put in for our salad but once we noticed we realized we had enough food. The Linguine Frutti di Mare is still may favorite and surprisingly the pizza was actually very tasty. Our server (though forgetting salad) was wonderful. Large personality and it was even larger when he sang me some birthday song in Italian! Here is a tip: *Make reservations! This place gets very busy and packed with families every Friday night. Even if it is going to be two of you, make a reservation! *Use any Coupons, it helps. You can find them online or in any Coupon book. Cheers!
(4)Emily M.
I love bucca and come here all the time with my boyfriend. We always order big so we can take the rest home and eat for a few days. Have always had great service here but the most recent time we went they would not sell me a beer though I will be 22 in a month because by VALID not expired Id was vertical instead of horizontal. This is the first time I have ever run into this issue and we go out ALOT. I was super disappointed we were kind of celebrating his new promotion at work and I really wanted a beer. Thinking back I should have asked for a manager and pushed the issue but oh well I'm not paying 30 dollars for a new id because it's vertical just will have to buy my beer elsewhere
(3)Mike D.
Chicken marsalla was excellent the bread was dry and had no flavor and the waiter took his sweet ass time to take are order and have are drinks filled not happy ill just keep my business at maggianos little Italy
(3)Michelangelo S.
Still Knocking The Meatballs "Outta da Park!" SITREP When it comes right down to it, Buca di Beppo still delivers the best, accessible, affordable and incredibly delicious Italian dinners I enjoy here in Sacramento. THE SETUP Aaron, Bambi and I had just finished a romp at the nearby "Global Winter Wonderland" at CalExpo (think "State Fair", but add a decidedly "Winter"-spin to that). We were really jone'sin for some Italian, and we then realized we were only about a mile away from Buca, so that's where we headed. KITCHEN VIEW! When we heard that the Kitchen-dining table was available, we jumped on that wagon right away! Unlike every other dining table and room in the place, THIS dining table is right-smack-dab in the middle of the kitchen where you are merely an arm's length away from all the mad-energy & vibe of busy kitchen in motion. Head-Chef Jeffery M. (aka "Chefery") was relaying cooking directives at subordinate chefs and servers, and it was as amazing coordinated dance to see how intertwined and delicate every function towards "cooking & serving" perfection was. Server K.T. (Katie) set us up personally with everything we needed to enjoy the view, and our dinner. After taking delivering us our drinks - A.T. and I each got the Peroni beers - we were ready to cruise on down the menu for our orders. OUR MENU * Baked Stuffed Mushrooms Appetizer. This was a total treat - and remarkable in that the mushroom caps were cook, but not overly done. They were still crunchy which I LOVED. They were stuffed with a cheese & prosciutto mix that was to die for, made even more delicious with a creamy pesto sauce. * Baked bread & Pesto Cream Sauce. Now this pesto cream sauce was so tasty, I took half of it home with me to enjoy later! yelp.com/biz_photos/buca… * Spaghetti & Meatballs. We were all three (3) jone'sin for Meatballs, so we actually order the large Spaghetti & Meatballs plate. Oh YUM. The hearty spaghetti sauce is packed full of flavor and the noodles are cooked al dente and not overly done. But the meatballs were (are) spicy & delicious. (I am still in fact eating leftovers from that today, the next day!). yelp.com/biz_photos/buca… * Steamed Broccoli. Served to perfection and not overly cooked. The broccoli was still crunchy and featured a nice lite red chili pepper kick. Just how I would like to make my broccoli myself. yelp.com/biz_photos/buca… * Chicken Marsala. Tender chicken with a delicious creamy sauce that was a perfect accompaniment to the rich red sauces and beef we were already enjoying. yelp.com/biz_photos/buca… * Ziti - this pasta & cheese dish was amazing, also with a spicy red sauce. And I have to admit, was probably on balance my favorite of the evening (though not by much since I enjoyed everything else as well!) yelp.com/biz_photos/buca… DESSERT We also had a festive display of dessert cannolis that were scrumptious, crunchy and creamy! There was both chocolate & raspberry sauce to enjoy dipping them on. yelp.com/biz_photos/buca… All in all, an absolutely amazing dinner! Stuffed then, and still stuffed now as I enjoy some of the leftovers as I write this update! KUDOS A huge shoutout to the talented team at Buca for an incredible dinner - and easily the best Italian meal I had all year. Special tip-of-the-hats to Chefery and K.T. for their diligent interaction with us during the entire meal. Chefery keeps an active kitchen so very well-organized and it was a privilege to see all this teamwork in action. THE LOWDOWN Buca proves itself time and again to be my best Italian dining experiences here in Sacramento!
(5)Denny T.
This is part of the chain of restraunts. With a large group reservation was made. Seated when most the party of 12 of us arrived. Seated in narrow booth corner. Staff took drink orders and checked periodically before food decision was made. Water pitcher was left as requested for those far in the booth. Bread, balsamic, oil, and bread was served as filler before. Food didn't take much time. We ordered a sampler, rigatoni, lemon chicken, fettuccine Alfredo. All the dishes came hot. The samplers we ordered included crispy calamari, spicy cocktail sauce, shrimp. Other sampler cheesy mozzarella and satisfying stuffed mushrooms. The rigatoni was spicy with plenty of peppers and spice. The lemon chicken was neither sour or sweet. A balance of flavors. The fettuccine was okay. A bit more on the thickness of sauce than creamy. Everybody likes pasta sauce in different ways. Dishes overall were okay. Just a little overpriced for food. Not a fault of the individual store. The shared dessert we brought with us was prepped in a reasonable time. Bill settlement was prompt. Good: okay execution. Bad: crammed seating, okay overpriced dishes. Tip: family portion and prices. One can save some money with coupon in various books. Not one of favorites but not one of the worst. It's a toss up.
(3)Maria B.
I have passed by here for years and finally stopped by. I love this place! It reminded me so much of Ye Ol'Hoosier Inn that once was in Stockton. It had several pictures throughout the restaurant. Dress is casual. The food I always can appreciate when it is offered Family Style! We ordered the salmon, fettuccini Alfredo and the veal parmigian! Immediate and personable staff. Family friendly environment!
(4)Lianne W.
Booked a large group event (30+) here on a Friday night. Service and food here are amazing! Buca is located around the bay area with many up North and down South in LA. Highly recommended and super satisfied with the service and dishes! Due to traffic, our groups came here 15-20 minutes late, but the hosts and servers were very considerate and had no problems with it. We got 6 tables reserved for our party on the second floor. This was probably the most hospitable place for large groups! Pros: -Service was friendly and attentive --Very flexible and fast in bringing out the food -Food was in huge portions with equally yummy tastes -Environment was lively and entertaining --Lots of fun and interesting decor -Huge two story restaurant -Price was worth the amount of food you get -Lots of parking in the private lot -Restroom was clean and easy to find (Second floor) Cons: -Seating space was a bit tight -Cheesecake here is dry but decent Tips: -Try the Parmesan Chicken -Try the Olive Oil Pasta -Spaghetti here is a must -Caesar Salad here is the bomb
(5)Amrit S.
Amazing foood. The lunch menu portions are huge and the inside so damn pretty. Eggplant parm and spicy chicken pasta
(5)Krista M.
This location did not honor a coupon I had because I added an additional entrée.. It was a family meal for $40.00. The website is very basic and doesn't allow for coupons or codes. I put in my required credit card to place order. When I arrived with the coupon I was told they could not honor the coupon because I added to the offer. I asked to ring up separately and told no. No where on the web site or coupon stated such. VERY DISPLEASED!!!
(1)Nuel F.
My dad booked this restaurant for my little sisters graduation party for 30+ guest. Never been to this place or knew what to expect. As we got here, the hostess brought us upstairs to the reserved section we had and on the way there were amusing photos on all the walls. Which was a bit the odd for an Italian restaurant, but amusing non the less. And when I sat down I was immediately helped for a drink. The waiter was very kind and very helpful, with the drink menu. I order a typical beer as my girlfriend chose "Canyon Road" wine. As the food was catered to us, the service was above par better than what I had expect especially from the reviews I read once I got there. They continue to make my family laugh as they entertained us as a group. Overall, it was delightful eating here and I'm not sure what everyone is saying about the service being terrible when it was above and beyond for me.
(5)Svetlana K.
We were fortunate enough to make it in before the dinner rush. So our wait time wasn't very long at all. I loved the place we were seated in. Just right for my son and I. Not too noisy, and our waitress was so wonderful. I wish I could remember her name. She was lovely. Very courteous and timely with service. I super appreciated the fact that I needed to reorder my drink, and it was no hassle at all. Servings are large, so be careful what you order. Kids menu is easy. It only comes in one size. Grown-ups unless you come in a group, then your only choice for smaller portions is to order off the side menu. I didn't want to have a ton of left over food so I went with a fettuccine order and caprese salad. I still had left overs but it was much more reasonable. Food was great! My son had the Mac and cheese and loved it! I really enjoyed my meal and drink. It was a delightful experience. It's not the cheap to come here, but worth treating yourself to once in awhile. Much friendlier than other Italian restaurants in the area. Only downside is how far the bathrooms are. Upstairs and all the way to the back. It's a bit of a journey to get there. But always very clean and nice decor. Plus, you get to hear all that wonderful Italian music. Really fun place to be and great service!
(5)David L.
Should have known what the experience would be like from how filthy dirty the entrance to the restaurant was! Concrete at the entrance and the front door were really dirty Just the facts: 1) Surly inattentive waitress 2) Chicken Marsala was watery and so sweet we could not eat it. The manager said they add brown sugar to it! (they took it off our bill) 3) Spaghetti and meat balls were bland 4) Eggplant parmesan tasted of old dirty deep fryer oil 5) Calamari was overcooked and dry 6) Pizza was good 7) Broccoli was cooked to perfection (at least the did one thing right) We will not go back
(1)Elizabeth B.
Family style food/serving! This place is ideal for bigger groups. For smaller groups you have to share the same meals and it can be quite expensive if people's tastes differ. My favorite is the Spicy Chicken Rigatoni. It has red sauce and peas in it, as well as, red chili flakes and is about $20.99
(4)Karen P.
Food is served family style and is decent. The decor is tacky and the Pope Room was definitely a little creepy.
(2)Jeeno M.
I would rate this place overall about a 3 and a half stars. After coming here a second time. The food is great and the service is pretty good but I felt like it was hyped too much for me. The portion sizes come in small (large in every other country) and a large ('murica!) and they are gigantic. I don't ever come here without at least 4 other friends. The prices aren't too shabby either. I would consider the layout of buca as cluttered. I feel enclosed and a little claustrophobic with the way everything is set up. There are no boundaries on where a customer can be. The kitchen, there are tables in there, the hallways, by the bar, apparently there is an upstairs, everywhere. It's as if the designers were like, "yeah, we can squeeze in a table right there. Fuck it!" Not to mention, every inch of the wall is covered with frames of pictures and paintings that somehow relate to Italy. The things my friends and I ordered was the stuffed shells, mozzarella garlic bread, and the chicken parm. The garlic bread unfortunately took quite a while to come out because they had to cook all the complimentary bread and it was taking up all the space. Both the server and manager came to apologize for the inconvenience. It wasn't that big of a deal since we were all chat chitting amongst ourselves anyways. The service was good. Our server, Kaitlin (I think) was nice to us and kept us up on our drinks. I definitely would recommend this place if you either have a group of people with you or if you have the appetite of a starving bear.
(4)Linda R.
Yesterday my spouse and I tried to dine at Buca. That's right - tried. It was 4:59pm, a usually very slow time for restaurants, especially in the summer. However, this place was taking names and making people wait. We would wait during prime time for a table, but at 5pm why should we? They were very unprepared and we saw at least four different employees in the parking lot evidently walking into the cafe to begin work. They were overrun at a ridiculous time, and after seeing how dirty the place was (inside and out) we decided not to return. How this place stays in business is anyone's guess.
(1)Jana C.
Using ValuPak coupons, and ordering to-go at this location is a super easy way to satisfy the whim for carbs, cheese, and salt:( Horribly non-nutritive as the case may be, I dont mind this now and again. Back in the day, coming with large groups was rather fun. The fam style dishes and very large portions would make any hungry patron smile.
(3)Bao N.
I order the fettuccine Alfredo and the sausage and pepper (one was mild and one was spicy). The fettuccine was not the that great which is why I gave this place 3 stars. It was dry and the noddles were a bit chewy. The sausage and pepper was great, the spicy one gave it a bit of a kick. I would come back and probably try another dish.
(3)Russell C.
First visit to Buca di Beppo and definitely not my last. Paige was my server and she was fantastic. The food was even better. I love this place.
(5)John M.
This restaurant has without a doubt the worst service that I have ever experienced. I don't normally post reviews unless I am either extremely impressed or disappointed. Suffice to say I felt compelled to share my experience. We waited for about 20 minutes and still no server to come by and say "Hi" or to take a drink order. We had no less than 4 people pass us by with empty hands and not one had stopped by to ask us if someone had taken care of us. We had to ask someone to send a server. Finally when a server came by he apologized because the server whose section it was was slammed... Okay I have worked in restaurants, and I can accept that, but a half hour is not acceptable to make people wait. We gave him out drink, appetizer and dinner order right then, which included an order for a beer. A different server came by and said he would be taking care of us. He also apologized since we were supposed to be his table, but no one told him about it. A couple minutes later our drink and appetizer order came out, minus the beer. One of the other drinks was a specialty drink, which would come from the bar, so I am not sure why a simple draft beer couldn't make it at the same time, but stuff happens, so I waited. And waited and waited. I stopped our server and told him that I didn't get the beer I ordered, he said he would check on it. Still no beer. He came by again about 10 minutes later and complained about the bar tender to us and left. We asked to see a manager at this point. 5 minutes later our server came back with my beer. By this point we had had it. We told him we would gladly pay for the drinks and the appetizer we had ordered, but to take back the beer and cancel the food order. Finally the manager came to our table and we complained. He told us that he would give us the food for free except we would have to pay for any alcoholic drinks, at this point I was so pissed that I told him I wasn't paying for the beer I didn't take a taste of because we had ordered it a half hour earlier. The food came out to table when we were talking (coincidence?) and it looked like it had been sitting under a heat lamp for 20 minutes. I told him that we would not be taking the food and at this point we left. Thanks for blowing this one Bucca! I would not ever think of stepping foot in this establishment again.
(1)Jenni T.
This review is for the Buca Di Beppo Catering Service. At work we always do a special lunch to celebrate the end of the month and this time we got Buca Di Beppo. I wasn't expecting too much going into it because I know they don't make their own pasta (*sigh*) but it ended up being a huge hit! We ordered two salads, three pastas and some bread which was enough for 15+ people to eat, take some home and still have some leftover. For salads we got a huge bowl of the Caesar Salad which was great and came with a lot of toppings, and a huge bowl of the Apple Gorgonzola Salad which again came with a ton of toppings and a great dressing. Everyone couldn't stop talking about the salads and honestly, who raves about salads? But they were that good! For pasta we got a pan of the Spaghetti with Meat Sauce which had a TON of meat in it and good flavor. We also got a pan of the Chicken and Sausage Ziti which I was able to pick the meat out of to try. I'm glad I did because the garlic cream sauce that it was drenched in was amazing! I loved it and so did everyone else. Lastly we got a pan of the Baked Ziti which doesn't have meat (yay!) and was again amazing! I was able to snag some the following day and it was just as perfect. Yum! They also gave us a ton of silverware and plates as well as extra sauces for everything (great for heating up the pasta the next day!) as well as a big bowl of bread for dipping. For the next few days afterwards no one could talk about anything else other than our end of the month lunch, it was a huge hit! Now we can't wait until the end of August..,
(5)Mary N.
TIP: Make reservations in advance. We did that for a party of 3 on a Saturday night. Thank goodness we did because the lobby was so packed with people waiting for a table that the crow spilled outside. I heard them say 45 minute wait for a party of two. I haven't been here in over 10 years and I forgot how big their portions were. Definitely family style. A small dish is actually big enough for 3 people. The service is also very slow. I didn't mind because it gave me more time to chat with friends but but definitely not a place to grab a quick bite. I was also able to find a 15% off coupon online through their website. Sangria - they had both a red and a white wine variety. I went with the white one. Fruity and tasty, just the way I like it. Not very strong but I didn't expect it to be. I cannot remember the names of most of the dishes we ordered but I'm pretty sure they were all indicated as "favorites" on the menu. We opted for the cheesy garlic bread; warm, chewy, and savory...perfect. Salad was the one with apples and gogonzola. A big bowl enough for about 4 people I think. Fresh with a light dressing. Good combination of flavors. Baked Ziti - HUGE portion. Solid dish. Not too rich but had that good comfort food taste/warmth. Chicken w/artichoke/lemon butter sauce - three pieces of savory chicken. Nice and tender. I wish they put more sauce on this dish.
(4)Kurt C.
I wish I didn't have any high expectations. This place was hyped up, so I was looking forward to an outstanding dining experience. Not to say my lunch was horrible, rather it was mediocre and nothing memorable. Our server, Eryn (hopefully I spelled that right), was very pleasant. The restaurant's setup had a lot of mocking picture frames and artifacts almost covering every inch of their walls. The dimmer lighting creates a low-key intimate dining atmosphere. I could see this as an ideal place for a lot of people on romantic dates. For me, however, it wouldn't be the first choice. I'd say this place is more catered toward bigger groups, considering their portions are huge, as in a small would easily feed two, maybe even three, people generously. It's not that I don't like to share -- sharing is caring :) It's just that it'd be nice to have two different meals for two different people, and THEN share. Am I right? Variety. Our Spicy Arrabiatta pizza was okay. The caramelized red onions on it was the highlight. It was sweet and added some kick and more flavor to the pizza. We also ordered a small basket of garlic bread with parmesan cheese, which I thought to be standard as well. An okay place, overall. Nothing bad to say, but nothing to rave about either.
(3)Byron K.
Bring the whole family. No, bring an army. The portions are huge and I severely underestimated them. Atmosphere is great and unique and wait staff was super courteous and awesome. Props to Valorie. Location's pretty good and it's a place with a lot of character. Hell, you walk through the kitchen when you get in. Food is awesome. Among the many things my partner and I sampled, there was the calamari (crisp coating), awesome fettuccine, and prosicutto stuffed chicken. Unfortunately we were so stuffed we didn't try dessert but there's always a next time. Plus, we came home with a bowl of pasta big enough to feed four people (and this was the small order). Hugely recommend for any reason- gatherings, weekend outing, etc.
(5)Alyssa B.
Definitely coming back here! I love the whole ambience of this place and the fact that they serve family style! It saves so much money compared to going to like Olive Garden and other places. Also, their food is delicious! Service is good too, our waitress always made sure we were okay. Only reason why I gave it 5 stars is because the waiting area is REALLY REALLY small and it was warm there. Mind you, it was 105 degrees outside so I was looking forward to being in some AC. Other than that, I'll still come back here!
(4)Sara T.
I'm not a big fan of this place. This place is kind of fancy with a bunch of interesting pictures and decorations everywhere. The food here is good, but its quite pricey. I guess the portions are kind of big, but it's perfect for big groups. However, I feel like service is lacking. Every time I come here it looks busy because there's a crowd waiting at the door and it takes 15++ mins for a seat! There's upstairs and downstairs seating and I sat in both areas before. It's like a long journey walking upstairs to your seat though. The bathroom is upstairs too! Anyways, about the seats - whenever they bring me to my seat I see a bunch of empty tables and I'm left wondering why I had to wait sooooo long? I sat upstairs and there was only one other group at a table and the rest were empty -____- But yeah, service here is okay -- the hostess just kind of stands there at the front and she's on her phone or talking to the workers. The other waiter/waitress here are nice, but they don't really check up on you...
(2)betty a.
Went last night. This is possibly the worst "italian" food I've ever eaten. It must shipped in frozen and they heat it, and put sauce on it. Just because you get big portions, doesn't make it any better. The salad was ok, but waaaay too much dressing. It was floating in the stuff. The kichen which they make you walk through, was actually a little dirty. Ick never eating there again. Go the El Espanol instead for family style italian in Sac.
(1)Rachel M.
Loved all the dishes. Our waitress, Kaitlyn was wonderful. The hostess, Danielle, made sure we were comfortable and adjusted the airflow to ensure I was getting cooled off on this hot 4th of July Day.. Definitely will be back
(5)F I.
I ate at this place and it was horrible. I've been wanting to write a review on this place for a while. There were a group of us eating there. I found packaging foam in my food. I put it to the side and truly wanted to ignore it because I did not want the rest of the group to find out and ruin their experience. But two of my friends saw me take it out of my mouth. So they said I should tell our server. I did. Instead of apologizing to make things right I got the impression that he thought I was looking for a free meal!! Mind you we were all in our medical scrubs! Another time I went to have lunch with my 5 year old daughter and her mother. We were seated but for more than 20 minutes no one even came to ask us if we were ready to order! The place was not busy at all either. Our waiter could see us but he just would not come over to take our order. We got up finally and left with my 5 year old daughter crying her eyes out because she was so hungry. I decided to have a conversation with the manager before we left. He saw my daughter crying. He said, "sorry. I'm going to talk to your server and find out." I told him I would never ever eat there again and we left. We live in an awesome city with so many good restaurants. Why go to this lousy one.
(1)Ashley C.
This place is a great choice for big parties and family dinners...but I'm going down to a 4 star just because I'm going to pick other places before this one. But don't get me wrong, if I'm craving Italian and I have a big group, I would choose this in a heartbeat. I wouldn't necessarily recommend Buca for a date. The portions are meant to be family style and if it's just you and another person, you better have the same taste in food or it won't be easy to decide on a dish. Luckily my boyfriend and I pretty much love all food so we went for the spicy arrabbiata pizza. The caramelized onions were a great touch. But I'm not the biggest fan of such a crispy thin crust pizza. Ordered mozzarella garlic bread too but it was a bit overcooked, I've had better in the past here. It's a great atmosphere too, everybody is friendly. Bar seating is spacious. Seems like a small restaurant inside but there's plenty of rooms and tables as you walk by the open kitchen.
(4)Carol B.
Authentic Italian style dining. Family sized meals even the small portions, were more than enough for two people. Excellent customer service. We had the Chicken Carbonara Pasta. It was Delicious! Great Prices as well! I will definitely be going back!
(4)Jean S.
Buca has HUGE portions so it would be great to come here in a big group...BUT I only came with three people and had a hard time ordering because the portions were so big that I could not order a variety of items. I settled on the chicken carbonara and it was surprisingly delicious! It comes with spaghetti noodles, chicken, prosciutto, peas, and garlic in Alfredo sauce. There was plenty to feed all three of us, plus we had leftovers enough for 1-2 people! And we ordered a small size! The menu recommends a small order to feed 2 people, but it can really feed three to four (unless you eat a LOT). I wish the entrees came with sides or something else like veggies, but they are all ala carte. The fact that one dish was so huge kept me from trying other dishes. This place can get packed on the weekends so expect a wait. The service was good, but you can tell they were busy. One cool thing about this place - if you ever need a topic of conversation during your meal, there are tons of funny, interesting photos and trinkets on the wall.
(4)Gail P.
Had a celebratory dinner for my daughter before she.leaves to grad school. Twelve in the party and we got the pope room which was perfect. Our waiter was great at.keeping the food and drinks coming. He was upbeat and enthusiast which made the whole experience just a .little bit better. I love this place for large groups and good food.
(5)Jimmy H.
While I think I like the Roseville location better, at least parking here is never an issue. The food is still great, and I love that it's family style, but I think a few other reviews have hit on what's off about this place: It's the service. It's not terrible, but they do tend to ignore. I've walked in many times and not even been acknowledged by the people up front. Still like I said, the food is great and it makes up for anything else in my opinion. Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken is still the best item they have. Can't get anything like it anywhere else.
(4)TRACY R.
The sister-in-law (SIL) wanted to spend her birthday with us in Sacramento as opposed to Lemoore (little town near Fresno). Since her palette hasn't matured or isn't as adventurous as mine, we played it safe and chose Bucca to host her birthday dinner. The girl loves Italian or basically anything pasta. And since she's only turning 15 we decided to opt for a more family friendly venue. Our party of 7 did not make any reservations on a Saturday night, but we were able to get seated somewhat quickly. Maybe 20 minutes? We didn't mind since we hit up the bar. Every one else was over 21 except the SIL. I was surprised the bartender didn't kick us out of the area! We ordered her a Shirley Temple and she got her first experience at sitting in a bar type area. LOL! I love that Bucca is made for large groups/families in mind. There is plenty of seating for everyone! I haven't been to Bucca in years! I'm pretty sure they changed their menu but kept the classics. We ordered 3 appetizers and 4 large dishes to share: 1. The mozzarella garlic bread: Still yummy and delicious! Everyone gobbled up this dish real fast! 2. Fried Mozzarella: The SIL LOVED this appetizer. Very kid friendly! 3. Calamari: The 4 "adults" killed this dish. Crisp, crunchy, with good texture. 4. Ravioli in meat sauce: My favorite dish. The raviolis were large and filled with cheesy goodness. Then covered with yummy meat sauce. 5. Chicken Limone: The chicken was amazingly juicy!! 6. Eggplant Parmigiana: I didn't want to order this but I'm glad we did. This dish surprised me at how delicious it was. I'd definitely order this again! 7. Baked Chicken and Sausage Ziti: Everyone wasn't enthused about this dish and we took most of it home. It wasn't that it wasn't good or anything. I just think it was because we filled up on too much good stuff. The waitress did warn us that 4 large dishes for our group would be too much food. We should have listened! For a chain, this place wasn't so bad. I'd love to come back again!
(4)Misha P.
My first experience with Bucca was the one in Las Vegas and the food and experience was superb. I enjoyed it so much I knew I was going to have my birthday celebration at the one is Sacramento (How's Ave). Unfortunately, my Sacramento experience was poor. When I walked in I should of known better because for a Saturday it was dead. Paige was our waiter and after telling her our order numerous times it finally clicked and she was able to put our order in. After, a hour (yes, an hour) later we finally got our food. We had Chicken Parm, Lasagna, and Shrimp Fettuccine and almost immediately we saw a long hair in the Shrimp Fettuccine. Freaking GROSS!!! We immediately flagged down Paige who got her manager Scott and he said he would send it back and make another one but NO THANKS. Everybody's appetite was gone and we decided to leave. The GM apologized and offered us 20% off the bill but who's gonna eat those leftovers. Won't be going back.
(1)Simon L.
If you have a family of 6, it is great. enjoy the food and unique environment. But warning....Don't have a banquet over here. They won't provide enough food and service is not up to par. Have a Christmas Banquet there for the company. We paid $30 per person and we didn't have enough food...One ravioli per person.... No Banquet, no party over there...
(2)Anna S.
Came here for dinner Christmas Day with my family. They were packed and were only seating reservations, which is totally understandable for a major holiday. Our service was surprisingly good for being so busy. Our server was KT and she was very attentive for such a busy night. Our family had 5 people at dinner. The portions are varied depending on what you order Lg Chopped Antipesto Salad-its an XLG serving. Way too salty. I could only do one serving since I couldn't handle all the salt. Lg Lasagna-Also a huge serving. Easily could feed 4 people generously. Very delicious. Great portion of cheese to pasta to meat ration. Will get again. Sm Chicken Parmesan-Small, only 3 pieces. Not worth the buy. It's delicious but with only 3 pieces its not worth the price your paying. Say the money and buy it at a small mom and pop place. Sm Linguine Frutti di Mare-Great deal. We just got a small but it was a huge serving considering it was seafood. There was a ton of seafood and it was all delicious. Definitely worth $24.99 Overall it was a good dinner. If your looking for a place with good food or looking to feed a large crowd this was a pretty good place to go. However considering all the other Italian restaurants around this place was average at best hence the 3 stars. It was good food but a place I come to once if not twice a year.
(3)Stephanie F.
The food was great. Fiance isn't too crazy about pasta but even he really enjoyed our meal. Either that or he was really hungry but I think it was the food. We started out with the garlic bread. Very potent stuff as the bread has real slices of garlic. It was warm and toasted to a perfect crunch which went over well on that very cold night. Our pasta entrees were fantastic. I also love that their Italian sodas get FREE refills. The wait was long, the place was packed but it was worth the wait in the large crowd. My only small gripes are the complimentary bread is cold, and the place gets loud. The servings are huge though and we had lots of leftovers. Let me warn you this place is not for anyone who doesn't like garlic! I hope to go back for my b-day and will def be making reservations. I highly recommend anyone try it out.
(5)Toby W.
Chef Jeff (Chef) & Veronica (Manager) are Awesome! We were seated in a nice remote booth in the corner of the bar which appealed to my 70 something Father. The restaurant volume was at a minimum, with no kids present. They went out of their way to make sure that my family is taken care of. They personally came by and greeted the table, introduced themselves to my parents, and acknowledged that they would personally make sure our meal was perfect! The food was hot and fresh, the service was spot on, and we had a wonderful family meal. My parents are huge Buca fans! Thanks again to Veronica & Chef Jeff for making our dinning experience a memorable one!
(5)Dan M.
This is a good place to take your kids if they are enormous and like to shout. Huge portions of mediocre food and a fake atmosphere. The service is OK and there are a lot of things to choose from on the menu...a lot of not very good things to choose from.
(2)Jessica D.
My family has held 2 major family events here, and each time I left thinking this place is not that great for large groups (we were about 25+). The service was slow, the set up of our tables was awkward (they tried to stick half of us in booths), and little things were overlooked (like filling the oil/vinegar dishes & refilling the bread baskets). The food was decent, but nothing too spectacular. I found their spaghetti and pizza too greasy and not-at-all flavorful, but I (along with the majority of my family) liked their pesto.
(2)Carly Velez H.
Stopped by on a Friday night with my 4 yr old son (spur of the moment). I thought we might have to wait awhile to get seated but we got right in. He had never been there so he loved all the funny pictures everywhere and having to go upstairs to use the bathroom. We kept it really simple and just got a "small" order of lasagna since that is his favorite. The small was $16.95 but enough for 3-4 people to eat. We shared half of it and took the rest home for daddy. The lasagna was delicious. The sauce had a pleasant sweetness and nice chunks of meat throughout. And the cheesiness... devine. I definetely don't regret the last minute stop even though our server forgot our canneloni dessert. I let it go since we really didn't need dessert anyway. Plus we got a coupon for $10 off a $20 meal the nxt time we go. We will definitely do that soon. :)
(4)Gin M.
If you like crispy eggplant parmagiana, don't miss this place. We always get an order with a small salad and small side spaghetti and this feed three of us well. I can't find another place that serves such wonderful eggplant parmagiana.
(4)Tiffany S.
This place is Chuck E. Cheese for adults. I recommend going here for a blind date when you know you won't have anything to say to the person. This goes for any Buca, not just the one in Sac.
(1)DX J.
I had a really bad experience with a waiter. Went with a number of children. Our waiter seemed to forget us. Seated us on a porch like area and it took forever to get service. One of the kids meals was incorrect and we sent it back. Never did see the right meal because he forgot to bring it before we were done. He forgot some drinks. I actually had to go find him and he was schmoozing with a table of young ladies. When I asked for the bill he asked where my guests were and I told him they had grown weary of the wait and had gone to the car. He had the gall to ask how things were and I told him he was hands down the worst waiter I ever had in my entire life. He fetched the manager who wanted to argue with me and tell me service was good. He said he would have given me the meal for free had he known sooner but since I had already paid there was nothing he could do. Two cars adjacent to mine were broken into while I was there. Staff told me that was all too common at this location. I once enjoyed the food but will never spend a dime there after this experience. Want red gravy Italian, then eat at Carmine's in Elk Grove..
(1)Andrew T.
This was the third time i had been to buca i usually get the biggest portion as i can get because what is better than left overs. For the price and the size of their portions you cant really beat it. the service is always good even on super busy nights like valentines day. In the three times i have been there i have never been dissatisified with either the quality of the food or the service the atmosphere is great love the decore. all in all a great place to eat.
(4)S F.
I organized a group lunch event here for the end of August for abour 20 people, the lady i arranged everything with was wonderful, very responsive & helpful. They do lose one star due to the room not being ready for us at arrival time which was 11am and they had prior notice so should of been ready before our arrival. But otherwise our server was excellent refilled drinks, brought food timely, and gave lots of to-go boxes. all food was so good, would recommend to anyone going in a group or office event.
(4)Super M.
I went on a date to this restaurant. The place is kinda dark and it gets loud, not a good place to take a date. The price of food was good but for some reason at the end of the night the bill was larger then expected. Obviously I pretend it was no big thing, but in my head I thought "Damn am I paying for a family."
(3)Mike L.
The cliche large group restaurant. This place is huge. It takes a half an hour to walk to the bathroom. The food is standard but not bad, better than Olive Garden.
(3)John K.
One thing I like about this place is the amount of food you get from each dish. You can probably get away with getting one dish between two people. I wouldn't bring a date to this place, but if you just want to eat lots of Italian food, I'd come here. The venue is like TGI-ish.
(3)Erica C.
Even though Bucca di Beppo is a chain restaurant, it's still one of my fave to go spots for pasta. I'm a huge pasta & seafood lover so the Linguine Frutti di Mare hits the spot all the time! That's the one dish I always order and it never disappoints! The spicy red clam sauce isn't too heavy and the bowl is filled with shrimp, baby clams, calamari and surrounded by a ring of mussels around the bowl. I've had the Shrimp Fra Diavolo as well, which is penne pasta with garlic shrimp with crush red peppers, YUM! For appetizers, you can't go wrong with the Seafood Trio Platter for those seafood lovers. You get to sample a bit of everything! Or try their steamed mussels in garlic white wine sauce. The only downside of Bucca is that everything is family style, so you must share or you'll be taking a lot of leftovers home. There's always a coupon of some sort for this place too! I always come across the $10 off $20 coupons in the Sunday paper or online! And if you subscribe to them online they send you a coupon for a free appetizer!
(4)Zachary J.
Just don't get the hype about this place...been to this one and the Seattle location. Bottom line is the food is just not that good. Regarding this location, we got stuck in the back corner booth with a group of six and my newborn baby....it was like they put us in one of their ovens, so horribly hot. Can't enjoy eating when I am sweating like a pig the whole time. Idk, maybe just me but the food was average at best and the environment was uncomfortable. Nice server tho.
(2)Rebecca C.
I haven't been to Buca di Beppo in four years or so but I always enjoyed going in the past. I decided to have our Christmas Eve dinner here based on fond memories of the past. I was the only one that had been here before so I hoped it would be a good experience for my companions--and it truly was! Even though the atmosphere wasn't as upscale as I suspect they anticipated, they loved the eclectic photographs that surrounded us. We were seated within minutes of arrival and sipping on a carafe of wine mere minutes later. Our waiter was charming and attentive, bringing everything at exactly the right time without hovering. We ordered the Lemon Chicken and Baked Ziti in small, preceded by the Apple Gorgonzola salad and Bruschetta. The Bruschetta was phenomenal and I think I could eat just that as my dinner. The salad was slightly too vinegar-y for my taste but I was the only one who thought so. The Lemon Chicken with capers was succulent, buttery, and perfectly cooked. The Baked Ziti was perfectly cooked as well. Some people may consider it bland, but it was perfect for my party which had a varying range of tolerance for salt and pepper. I lightly dusted it with their fresh-ground salt and pepper and the flavor came into focus. The portions were enormous and we left with five trays of leftovers. I am incredibly impressed with the efficiency with which the restaurant staff handled the evening considering how busy it was, but they were a well oiled machine. They all had ear pieces and were constantly communicating. All in all it was a lovely experience!
(5)Julie B.
Disappointing. Huge portions, everything sort of has the same taste: mediocre marinara sauce. Came here twice this time with the whole family and it was the last time. Go to Olive Garden which is a couple hundred feet away if you want variety of flavors with attention to quality vs quantity. Even their fettuccine Alfredo was bland. Also, did not enjoy pictures of naked chicks everywhere, definitely not kid friendly. We came here to eat not to stare. To eat mediocre food, apparently.
(2)Eddie W.
this is what i have encountered on Valentine's Day at this location.. this is a copy of the comment that i sent to Buca. Dear Buca Customer Care, I want to share my experience at the Sacramento Howe St location. On valentine's day, the busiest day of the year for dinner, I walked into the restaurant without knowing I could make a reservation ahead of time. Of course understanding the wait would be long, and the hostess have advised me that the wait time would be two hours. As I was trying to figure out if I want to standby and wait for the seat, would it be truly two hours, therefore I get visit the mall and return after. The hostess was very impatience, she basically snapped at all the walk-in without a reservation by giving them attitude, and at one instance, I have overheard she commented to her peers "Gosh this is valentine's day, what are they thinking, just walk in and get a table? good luck waiting", right after the lady in-front of me turned around. When I asked her about reservations, so i can pre-plan for my next visit, her response to me was "well in this case, you should have reserve two weeks ago, not two minutes ago". I was furious about her comment to me as a customer, but did not cause a scene in front of all the families and kids who were waiting to have a great time. I understand it's valentine's night, however, customer service should still remain at top priority! Customer go to the restaurant during special day/event because we want to capture some great memory, not dealing with some bad attitudes. I am a frequent visitor at Buca, first time in this location, I would like to express my concern with the corporate, hopefully this will not happen to other good memory seekers. p.s. I would forward this onto Yelp to let other customers a heads up about this location.
(2)JJ B.
Fun atmosphere, great for kids and families. This review won't be a lengthy one. Chain restaurants in my book are just "ok". Buca's prices are a tad on the high side, but the food is decent and the portions are large due to the "family style" dishes. What can I say? I'm neutral.
(3)Monica W.
This Buca in Sac is alright....it's not much different than the one in SF. My boyfriend and I had reservations at 8 but didn't get seated probably till 8:20ish. The waiter took us to our table and we went through the kitchen where you can see the chiefs cooking. That was quite amazing to me b/c I don't think they showed that in SF. We started off with eating some bread w/olive oil+vinegar. It was alright....then we ordered our calamari as our appetizer. The calamari was good. For our main dish, we ordered spicy chicken rigatoni. We ate this before and it was good. We couldn't finish the small bowl so we took it back home. Some how I felt sick after eating but maybe b/c I ate too much? I don't know but I ate the leftover the next morning and my stomach started hurting again. -__-'' Anyways, overall this place is A-OK. I'm sure you can find better places to eat for Italian food than here to be honest.
(3)Jason R.
The food is fairly good, the decor a bit kitsch but fun, the guests ... noisy! This is a place I'd go with a large family or group, in my experience it is not a good place for a date.
(3)Krystal P.
After our group of about 15 decided to celebrate a family member's birthday tonight at Buca di Beppo and received such poor service I had to share my experience. It seems the concept of "customer service" was lost on our server, Eric, who made it clear by his actions (or lack thereof) that an automatic gratuity charge due to the large number of our party translated to him not needing to do his job. Suffice it to say that at no point during our nearly three hour experience did he perform the most ordinary of tasks, such as ask how we were doing or even offer to refill our drinks. The other staff that helped throughout the dinner service were quick to pass out plates and help us clear the tables for the next "round" of food, but Eric couldn't have cared less. I wish some of our nearly $600 bill would have gone to the staff that helped Eric, but certainly not him. The icing on the cake was having to track down other restaurant staff to charge our credit card after waiting 15+ minutes from the time Eric dropped off the bill and getting totally disrespected. After finally finding another staff member and explaining that I just needed someone to run our credit card, Eric coincidentally passed by and said, "I already gave you your bill". (Uh, yeah - and now we want to actually pay the balance and leave.) Then, he followed that up by walking away and mumbling under his breath that he was busy helping deliver food to other tables. Wow. Nothing like "I'm sorry for the wait" or "I'll be right with you" or maybe even asking other staff to help (before or after my complaint). The food was great, just like it always has been in the past, but if it wasn't for the prior quality service we've received in the past from other Buca di Beppo staff I would never go back.
(2)Emma D.
This use to be my favorite place for Italian food, but for the past year or two it just hasn't been the same. I remember when they use to give you WARM bread, but now it is cold. Although I really enjoy the ambiance of this place so I still find myself coming here whenever I am in the Arden area. Their portions are huge and the price is reasonable. They also have friendly waiters and waitresses.
(3)Traci S.
i thought they were pretty good, didnt really like the cost of everything or how the pricing worked, i cant remember what we got. it had pasta shrimp and very spicy, it was one of their newer ideam.. went for a friends birthday.. also love how they give you a mini tour and then seat you. kinda shows the history which was cute... enjoy!!
(3)Todd S.
I've eaten here several times through out my 5 years in Sacramento. The first visit is kind of fun. Crazy pictures on the wall. Italian piped into the restrooms. Huge portions. But then, you go a couple of times, and it just gets old. My wife loves the eggplant parmesean. The stuffed shells are pretty good if you like the fennel in the sausage. Evey thing else is just average. We went last night for a friend's birthday. The service was terrible. We were sat upstairs in the back and the waiter kept forgetting to check on us. We had to waive him down for ice tea refills. Don't expect anything great here. Go once, have fun, and remember this experience. don't go back
(2)Lucas N.
I've only been here twice. One time, we came here for valentines day a few years ago, but I didnt really enjoy it because I was really sick at the time. But they were super duper packed and the server was efficient. We came back here recently for my sister's bridal shower and ordered a bunch of dishes to share family style. The dishes were good sized portions and we all left well fed and full. I don't remember exactly what we ordered, but everything was good. We did have reservations for our party and still had to wait a bit to get seated, but other than that, the servers were really attentive and efficient. We always had our drinks filled without asking and they even brought out a complimentary dessert for the sake of our celebration.
(3)Gordon J.
Good thing we made reservations.... Very popular. Lots of food that we couldn't finish. Very tasty. The Pizza is different than what I'm use too with a super thin crust, but was still very good.
(4)Pang M.
our waiter seemed to be overwhelmed and showed it. **he never introduced himself** we waited over 40 minutes for our food, only for it to get cold 10 minutes upon arrival. one of the dishes were overly salty. I had a good lunch here once, but it seems that customer service decreases upon dinner time for me and/ or my party. We wanted to get drinks, but didn't want to bother waiter so 2 people from our table went to the bar to order something. it felt like our table was the only table getting neglected because waiter visited the other tables more often than with us (was he discriminating?). at the end of our meal, he apologized but didn't address what he did wrong, only that he did something wrong. The visit to Buca was a disappointment! Our hosts did a better job than the bussers and server. B.d.B., you need to: 1. improve communication between servers 2. have a back up to help you out during rushes 3. Yelpers, Buca is either hit or miss, so expect decent or terrible experience.
(1)Jeremy B.
Emily W needs a sense of humor. This place is terrific. I'm not saying its the most authentic by any means, but I love it. Terribly campy, often very loud, and usually pretty cramped, but this place is still great. I advise the lasagna, the garlic bread with cheese, the chicken canneloni, basically any baked dish. But stay away from the tiramisu. Its no bueno. Still great overall though.
(5)Patrick S.
What can you say about a place that has red checkered table cloths. My friends and I first sat in the bar. That was the best thing to happen to us, the bartender was very nice. He showed us all around the place, with all its stuff on the walls. We have all been to that kind of place. When we got to our table for dinner. Service dropped off fast, the waiter was never around. after waiting for our drinks, I went down to the bar. Our drinks where left there. The bartender then took the order for food. After that things started pick up on the service side of things. The food is good. Portions are huge, A small could feed 2-3 people a large 4-5 people. We had two pasta dishes that where awesome. The pizza not so good. You can till this place is known for pasta. If you want feed a family of six for under $80.00 this is the place to go. all and all it was very good, and I would come back for sure.
(3)Con L.
I'm really not sure why everyone claims they like Buca....This was my first time here, and it's not good at all. No no no no.....Geez, Olive Garden might as well be a 5 star restaurant! I kid for sure, but anyhow... Where to start. With a large group, we ordered everything. 3 pizzas, seafood linguini, ravioli, and another pasta...and garlic bread.....all in the large size. I really don't understand how people can legitimately give this place anything higher than 3 stars! Nothing was really good and I don't care enough to go into detail. $27 for a huge dish of pasta? Yeah it's a ton of food...but that's about all it is... I'd probably only go here with a large group for that sole reason...tons of food...but other than that? ... Funny thing...While leaving the restaurant, I noticed a bright, neon sign in the window that said: "Health Inspected" (or something like that, I can't remember) But when I saw that, I thought...Why would you put this as an advertisement in your window? As if to get people to eat there because it's clean? Maybe it was really dirty before...or maybe that's the secret of becoming a nationwide chain that isn't good...just tell everyone you're health inspected! Who knows. Who cares. Bye Buca.
(2)Trina D.
It's hit and miss with this Buca.
(3)Silviu N.
A step up from Spaghetti Factory. You should know what to expect because, well...umm they give the spiel before you sit down to eat. The bottle of Chianti is not my favorite. The baked lasagna is awesome!
(4)Keri B.
The garlic cheese bread is good, it's round just like a little pizza. Some of the pasta is tasty and the mash potatoes are terrible. I liked the chicken cacciatore but they removed it from the menu. Better than some of the other Italian chains. Go as a guest of a party or if someone else is paying.
(2)Avg Joe C.
Portions are huge so dont go alone, they serve everything family style. That means big plates in the middle and everybody helps themeslves. The prices are a tad high but not crazy as you get a lot of food. There are no good Italian restaurants in Sac, that doesnt mean I'm a snob...it just means I've been to Italy. That pushes this place up a few notches above Olive Garden. I usually get the Green Beens, the linguine with clams sauce and the chicken saltimbocca...it will feed like 4 people....ummm or me and a small friend. I asked the waitress what Buca de Bippo meant...she said it was an Italian equivalent for "Joe's Basement". I'm kind of doubtful as, "Avg Bippo" doesnt sound right.
(3)Mei W.
The only restaurant I know that has available seating in the kitchen! Buca di Beppo is definitely a place that brings the family together. They have a very unique ambiance which includes walls lavished with interesting photos and unusual decors! This two story location is fairly big with seating available in numerous of rooms. I've never had to wait for a table here before which is awesome! Throughout my past experience here, the waiter has always brought us to our table with a walk through the kitchen where we're greeted by the most friendliest chefs. This place is known for their family sized meals that comes in big portions! In my opinion, I feel like this place is all about quantity over quality. The food here is rather mediocre in my books. I've tried numerous of pastas here and I must say it tastes no different than the pasta I cook in my kitchen! (And believe me, I'm not quite the chef either!) However, if I were to recommend a dish here I'd have to advise you to try out their lasagna! It's pretty scrumptious! *Check out for coupons in the mail! :)
(3)Josh D.
Buca di Beppo is all about huge portions and a fun environment. If you have six kids or a soccer team to feed, this is the place to go. If you want to take a woman on a date and have enough left overs for lunch and dinner tomorrow, this is the place to go. If you are training for competitive eating, this is the place to go. If you want a great Italian meal... shuffle on over and make more room for the feed bag folks; this is not the place for you. The kitsch is fun and amusing but the food is below Olive Garden in quality - how's that for a slam? However it's dirt cheap for the amount of food, crazy cheap.
(2)Karen C.
My husband was super hungry and since I had a Groupon to this place, we decided to eat here. Not much has changed since we came here (about 5 years ago). We ordered the small baked ziti and the small chicken stuffed prosciutto! Both were very good. Definitely a MUST TRY! We ended up with leftovers as well! Overall, we enjoyed our lunch there and we would come back here again.
(4)Nathan H.
Service is always the best! Great food and huge portions! Even though it is a chain restaurant, it gives you the home feeling! My family loves to come here and pig out. Highly recommended! Try their warm spinach salad and calamari these are our must haves! And pretty much everything else is good here!
(5)Jon T.
Place is great! Music and atmosphere and staff (Ramiro) especially makes you feel like you're in Italy :) food is fantastic, we got the spicy chicken rigatoni and the stuffed chicken and it went perfect together! Really recommend for a date night to share food or with family :3
(5)Amanda D.
My family has always had great service here. It is family style so be prepared for leftovers. I would recommend sitting in the kitchen booth at least once for a unique dining experience! I heart the giant brownie sundae, it will feed 4 easily.
(5)Cindy W.
All food is served family style so expect to be ordering the same thing. Prices are a little high for the quality i feel. The sides are extremely over priced, especially the garlic mashed potatoes. 10$ and it was barely enough for 2 people let alone our table of 4. Dont get the baked ziti it sucks. Dont get that strawberry cake slice either cuz it sucks. This place isnt horrible but ita definitely not great.
(3)Lacy G.
Five star for service on Christmas Day. Wonderful staff thank you for working xmas day! Kioshi was such a delight and beautiful person thank you for making our meal wonderful! Good was great too! Baked ziti and chicken parm were unexpectedly good! Dinner here is a must !
(5)Benjamin P.
This place is definitely a great diversion from the traditional corporate and/or franchise dining establishments. Each Buca di Beppo location has something unique about their location over the other similarly named restaurants. This one has interesting and quirky character to go with the ambiance, decor, and excellent service. As for flavor and portion sizes, they definitely have something for everyone to enjoy and share. It's a place where you truly are having a meal "family-style". Now, as a Filipino-American, it's hard for me to argue the merits and highlights of some Italian-American cooking and dishes over others. However, my tastebuds & stomach are sure glad we went to Buca di Beppo today. The traditional Caesar salad, baked ziti, and eggplant parmesan were home run hits today. And, if you're able to reserve far in advance of time, ask for "the kitchen table" where you actually dine at a booth placed center stage of their kitchen!
(5)Marc K.
Went with a huge party of adults and kids. Could not have asked for much better service and accommodations as I know how hard it is when 25 people show up to eat. A+ and Five stars for the service. Food? It's ok. I'm kind of picky with Italian food, but it was ok. Basic fare as we ordered huge amounts of the same thing so everyone could share. Spaghetti and meatballs, salad, etc. Overall ok, but no way I could give it five stars comparing it to some of the great Italian restaurants around.
(4)R C.
I'm a really a fan of this place especially for big family gatherings and pre-race meals (i.e., carbo loading). Service at this Sacramento location is great. However, I caution you to make reservations especially on weekends and on special occasions. Otherwise, the wait is LONG!
(4)Sonny H.
Acceptional food reasonable prices and large portions. Food tastes fresh and home made can be very noisy at times but that's a part of the ambiance. Service is sloooooooow! And the appetizers show up sometimes after the meal!
(2)Veronica S.
Good food and super large portions. It's not amazing but for the price it's worth it. I've had their fettucine alfredo, chicken parmigiana, and another pasta dish with marinara sauce. Service was good and our server was really nice. He was very quick to refill our drinks and complimentary bread with olive oil and vinegar. I almost ate so much bread that I didn't have room for the actual meal! Oh and if you sign up for their email updates you get a free pasta dish which I'm pretty sure is dinner sized. Lasted me about 4 days.
(4)Carla S.
The food was great and the portions gigantic. I give this place a 3 due to the fact that our service was horrible. The waitress took forever to deal with the check and she even lost my freinds debit card under some one elses table. I had to physically get up and hunt it down myself. When it came time to leave my friend had to go down the elevator and we had to wait 15 minutes just for some one to come. I than again had to go and get some one. The food is awesome, but the customer service is horrible. And losing some ones debit card is completely not ok. Than having to get up and look my self because the waitress was to busy talking to her friends. Smdh.
(3)Nikki Z.
We went to this location again this past Sunday, and it's obvious that the new management/staff is much better than the prior. Buca has always been one of, if not the best, chain Italian Resturants we've ever dined in, so to see them improve this location so dramatically, makes me happy again! We had our usual Antipasto Salad, which is huge (we ordered the large) and it was perfectly made. There was just enough of each ingredient that you got each one in every bite. Also ordered the Mozzarella Garlic Bread, Cheese Ravioils, Shrimp & Spinach Florentine, and the Eggplant Parmesan. My mother is full Italian & she was with us, and LOVED the Eggplant. For a chain restaurant to create such a traditional family dish as close to homemade as they did, it's a great sign of attention to detail. Also had the Raspberry tea, and the brownie with ice cream. An all around great meal! And the service was perfect! Will start coming here again a few times a month.
(5)Karyn R.
I'm going to give it 4 stars. I love how when you come in the hostest shows the kitchen. You also have the option to dine in the kitchen. (Might be extra). The server was good, she was a little busy but took care of us. The small bowls are enough for two people or more. My fiance and I both had different taste that night so he got to the spaghetti and meatballs. I got the chicken alfredo. My chicken alfredo was great. It had massive amounts of chicken in each bite. However I didn't like the spaghetti and meatballs. The sauce was needing some salt and pepper. Other than that it wasn't to bad. Overall the place is romantically unique. I would recommend it, and will be coming back to try other things on the menu. Better than Olive Garden hands down!
(4)Paahh L.
Absolutely love this place! Went here for my bday. They are good for big parties because the food is more like family size so it's a BIG portion. The server was really nice, they have good customer service and it's cool that u can walk thru the kitchen and see them cook. It's 2 stories. It's a nice place to enjoy a big dinner with friends and family.
(5)Tiffany J.
We really enjoy coming here! The staff is great even when they are busy. We made reservations for a party of 8 on a Saturday and they were very accommodating to our needs. Our server was very polite and attentive. Meals are ordered in family size. We always order at least a small pasta, a large pasta, and appetizer with a salad. This is more than enough food. My favorite is the diablo shrimp pasta. It's spicy and very delicious! We always use coupons when we go here which makes it affordable. We love this place!
(5)Sue W.
I only hope that their reservation process gets more organized, especially through their affiliated reservation sites, like Opentable.com , and that the people who work there absolutely love their job or are thankful for their job. I also hope that they are more understanding of their customers situations. Unfortunately that wasn't the case for me, so I had to cancel my group reservation and go somewhere else.
(2)Jeffrey E.
Been here several times. Just love the italian food. Make sure you RESERVE the kitchen table dine in for Couples. Its the only table inside the kitchen. Overall this place is Good.
(4)Mike L.
Second time I've been here and both times were awesome. My gf and I came here on a Monday night around 7pm. The place was busy, but there was no wait for a table. Service was excellent and we were well taken care of: waiters were friendly, checked on us several times, and food came fast. On top of that there were 3 different birthdays, so it was entertaining to see the staff sing their birthday song 3 times (pretty much in a row), which made everyone chuckle, but appreciative of the job they did. Onto the food: I honestly haven't been to that many Italian places (probably 10 or less different restaurants), so I'm not sure how authentic the food was, but I thought it was pretty authentic...maybe a 7 or 8/10? But what do I know haha? Plus I really only care about the taste and our food was delicious =D My gf and I were originally gonna just split the Quattro Al Forno (Cheese Manicotti, Chicken Canneloni, Cheese Ravioli, and Stuffed Shells), which was $20, but we had a coupon $10 off $30+ So we figured, hey let's split an order of fried mozzerella ($13), which essentially only cost us $3 because of the coupon; good deal if you ask me! It was a great choice as it was one of the best fried mozzerella plates we've ever had =) So my ratings for the night: Atmosphere: 9/10 Service: 10/10 Food: 9/10 (Fried mozzerella was a 10/10 and the Quattro Al Forno was a 8/10) Price: 8/10 ($25, pretip of course, for dinner and appetizer for two with a coupon is pretty good in my opinion) We will definitely be back!
(5)Scotty S.
Great experience here. Only bad thing was the circulation. It was warm and stuffy. The mussels with the garlic-butter broth was spectacular. The stuffed shells were the perfect meal for two. The sauce for the shells was excellent and the filling was perfectly spiced. Great place for Italian food.
(4)Malay V.
Loved their chicken saltimboca we ordered for our party. Compliments to the chef. The only thing that disturbed me was when the driver expected a tip. My husband said that the tip part on the receipt was highlighted lol. Why would I give a tip on top of the already expensive dish and delivery was paid for already! We don't mind tipping but all the driver did was place the food on the table. The plates and utensils was left in a bag still ... Whooptie doo. Bucca didn't give a sh!t about contacting me. Since then, I stayed away from them and made my own god damn chicken saltimboca.
(3)Kai R.
Came here for a friend's birthday party. We all ordered something to share, they're known for their family style meals. Everything came out hot & fresh. Service was on point. Interior/ decor is nice, but a bit too much for some (nakedness). Flavors were traditional, good... not mind blowing. Overall, pretty average, I would come here again, but I wouldn't go out of my way. It was a fine meal and a fun night. That's all.
(3)LuvFood S.
I received a PM from Buca saying someone else would reach out to me about my experience. The Division VP overseeing the Sac area emailed me, but after giving him my contact information all I heard were crickets. Please save your money if planning any big parties here. They are not very good at cooking big portions. Very disappointed.
(1)Nicole Z.
I've been coming here for years for two things, chicken marsala and the bruchetta. They are delicious. This location, however, consistently seems to have an issue. Last time my mother and I went (as is our tradition when she comes into town) the bruchetta we ordered literally took 40 minutes and came out after our entrée dish. 40 min. For bread and chopped tomatoes. This time the marsala sauce was extremely thin. Our hearts were saddened as we saw the plate coming near with a much lighter than usual hue. We let the server know it was not as flavorful as usual. He apologized. He could have offered us a fresh order made to standard...nope. Usually I vouch for these two dishes, this location, not so much.
(3)Nigel N.
The waiters were courteous. I was eating here with a large group of people and Bucca is adept at handling large groups. But the food is around fifteen bucks per person and, frankly, it was just average. Nothing about it truly stood out. The chicken was tender but bland. The pasta was fair, but it isn't anything one couldn't cook at home. When we ordered the dessert it was a sliver of cheesecake, certainly not enough to feed such a large group of people. And to top it off, it was a bit of a wait for the dessert to arrive. Bucca's a fairly decent Italian restaurant but I just couldn't find any of their dishes to be truly distinctive.
(3)Steven G.
Mangia! Mangia! Here you'll be doing a lot of that! Be sure to bring the family because the portions are family style so put on your sharing face! My friend and I decided to duck in here after a long day of adventuring all over the Bay Area and Valley. I had remembered from a previous company party that Buca was good but that was only a taste of what they have to offer. Looking at the menu, my eyes were wide with excitement. After all things considered, my friend and I decided on the Fried Calamari for starters. The calamari was hands down the best calamari I'd ever tasted and wasn't super chewy like you'd find at other places. A splash of lemon juice and dip generously in the marinara sauce, you're good to go! For our mains, we decided to share the Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken and Chicken & Sausage Ziti. Between both shareable mains, I was literally curling my toes in pure ecstacy!! Both dishes were so flavorful and it seemed like a lot of love went into them. My friend and I were pleasantly plump after our share-fest that I vow to come back again and again and again and again!
(5)Steve M.
I must say our return visit was much improved over our previous experience. Originally we had not planned to return, but when we were presented with a gift card for a meal out, how can you not take advantage? We were here tonight with our family to celebrate an anniversary, and we requested the kitchen table when making reservations. Not always easy to get this table, however, it was waiting for us when we arrived (the kids were thrilled!). We had our family style meal all planned out ahead of time. We started with a Cesar salad and the mini meatballs with garlic cheese bread. All where very well received and popular, we pretty much destroyed that salad. Next (and in a timely fashion) we received main dishes, Chicken Parm. (A favorite for a few in our family) and spaghetti with meat sauce. We finished off the chicken parm., and put a solid dent in the spaghetti, giving us something to take home for leftovers. Everyone was way to full for dessert, even though we were tempted. All the food was great, service was even better. Many staff members stopped in just to say hi. I must say this was a really great experience and I am glad to say that Buca di Beppo is back on the favorites list for our family. Thank you for a great evening out.
(4)Stephanie L.
Our first time is disappointed. Idk if we got bad choice or it is the chef who make it bad. We order the linguini di mare and baked ziti. Those come late after we finish our appertizer like 20-30 mins, and it come in kinda cold. The linguini is dry, does not saucy like what i saw in yelp or in picture , and it is plain. The baked ziti is just warm, not hot... Totally plain. I have to put alot of salt and cheese. And overall the price is pricy, $14.49 for 6 pieces of stuff mushroom is just ridiculous! I dont think i gonna give buca another try
(1)Sabrina R.
Came for Valentine's Day. I was running late for my reservation but we still got sat quickly. Our waitress was very nice and gave a great dinner recommendation. Even though it was a crazy busy day everyone working was incredibly nice and helpful. It was my first time going to this Buca and I will be back.
(4)Lisa B.
Food was cold and both my boyfriend and I got very sick after eating here. Will not go back.
(1)Harry T.
Huge portions, you eat Italian family style, becareful it's very easy to order too much food and have food to take home. They take you through the kitchen when it's your first time there to check the place out, and the place is huge. The food is good, and I've been craving their meatballs since going there, each meatball is like 1/2 a pound. Plus love the subtle touches, like we got the booth and it had a coat hanger on each side, something hard to do at other booths where you have a coat and no where to hang it.
(5)Sara C.
Buca is one of those family style restaurants that people in their midtwenties probably grew up going to for big family parties, group meals, or take-out for events. My sister and I have fond memories of a tortellini dish with peas, tomatoes, and ham, which seems to be no longer on the menu. There are almost always $10 off $20 coupons floating around, so during my most recent extended stay in Sacramento, we decided to go for old time's sake. We ordered the chopped antipasto salad and the macaroni rosa. The salad, which is full of peppers and onions and cheese and salami and tomatoes, is pretty consistently good, though paying $13.99 for a small is kind of painful. Our entree was pretty disappointing though. Looking at the specialty pasta offerings, most of them consisted of pasta tossed with a variety of ingredients and chicken breast. The dish we ordered had chicken breast, mushrooms, broccoli, and peas, and I felt a little like someone had opened one of those ready-made vegetable stir-fry bags and mixed it with pasta -- not a feeling you want to get from a $20 entree. There is an Italian Chipotle-esque local chain in Columbus where you can get that sort of thing (pasta plus mix-ins) for around $8. We did have sufficient leftovers for lunch the next day, and with the coupon our bill came to around $25, which isn't terrible, but next time I would probably just get ingredients to make my own chopped salad and skip the rest.
(2)Maureen R.
I love the atmosphere at Buca and both my husband and I really like the lasagna and their meatballs but beware, in case you're on a first date, they're both heavy on the garlic, lol. We come here at least once a month and the service can be a problem. Several times (more than 3) we've either been completely ignored, as if all the waiters thought it was someone else's table, or the waiter has taken orders from tables seated after us.The first time it happened, after 15-20 minutes of being seated, my husband walked to the front and wound up talking to a manager and she apologized profusely and even picked up our check( it wasn't that expensive, 2 lunches, around $20, but still nice). The next time was 3 weeks later. We were seated then 5 minutes later another table near us, then a few minutes another tabled seated near by. No one came to our table for about 10 minutes, not that big of a deal but then the waiter went to the table seated after us. After he took their order, we tried to get his attention but either he didn't see us or ignored us. What really bothered me was he then proceeded to go to the 2nd table that was seated after us, this was about 20 minutes into our visit and that prompted us to leave. We explained to the person up front that seated us what happened and she just looked at us with a blank stare. Had another problem at this location when we used a gift card but needed to charge a couple dollars of the balance. The waitress took the gift card and after we left she also charged the full amount to our credit card. We had to contact the restaurant along w/their corporate office to get it straightened out. We probably should stay away but it's so much easier to go to Buca to get lasagna than it is for me to make it homemade at home, lol, so we always return.
(3)Cindy K.
The last time I was here was over a year ago when I had a big birthday party here. I love Bucca di Beppo. I love their cheese ravioli and mashed potatoes. Yum. I haven't been back because no one would go with me. It's kind of a family style place and the servings are huge. Well, on a rainy Saturday I came back and with friends. Some things have definitely changed since then. - no more paper menus - olive oil and vinegar on request - lunch options I was happy that they now have lunch options. I got the cheese ravioli. Mmmm! Hubs got the eggplant which was good too and the portions were huge. What I didn't like was that the olive oil and vinegar didn't come with the bread unless you asked. Weird.
(4)Jen W.
Buca di Beppo...such a creepy restaurant to me. There's just something about the Pope's head sitting on a table in front of you...hmm... Otherwise, if you look beyond that, the food is pretty decent. I'm such a sucker for their spaghetti...it's the plainest, simplest dish ever...but for some reason, I always have to order it. The meatballs are huge...1/2 lb each... My absolute favorite dish here? ...the stuffed prosciutto chicken. Everything is family style here...everything is also really expensive here. For the price, the food isn't worth it. 3 stars max.
(3)Jenny L.
I love the specialty small pasta Linguini Fruitti Di Mare and the Appetizer Bucca Trio Platter. Their small size dish is good for at least 3 people, very generous portion of food. I asked for extra Marinara sauce to add more flavor into my pasta. It's yummy!!!
(4)W G.
Great food but not worth it when ur car gets broken into!!! They need to fix the lights in parking lot and better security. The location is horrible I'd say call in And pick up!
(2)Heidi C.
Yuck, I don't know what happened to the food and service, but both are now terrible and I would suggest a face lift. 3 years ago, my boyfriend and I came here to have our 1st anniversary dinner. And it was delicious. We had the frutti de mare. I went on an evening a couple weeks ago with friends and ordered the same dish. It was bland, the fish and pasta was overcooked and the sauce was so watery it was like soup. I understand that calamari is easy to overcook, but give me a break. And my friend's pizza was a disgrace. So expensive too!!! I love the decor however. Never going back here, it was a huge disappointment.
(1)Ann K.
I'm trying to understand what everyone sees in this place. It was highly recommended, so my husband and I tried it out last night. Completely overrated, overpriced for what you get and not to mention unmemorable. This is the type of restaurant where everything is al a carte. If you want a salad, that's a separate charge, if you want garlic bread, that's a separate charge, if you want vegetables, that's a separate charge...talk about nickel and diming you to death. So after we order our entrées, his the stuffed chicken and mine the chicken Marsala, side of garlic bread (which was bland), a glass of wine, two beers and over a hundred dollars later, all we had to eat was meat...and it was just alright, nothing to get excited about....mediocre at best. Needless, to say, we will not be making a return visit...EVER!
(1)Isabella Y.
First of many issues we had, we get there about 8:30pm on a weekend, we were told that we were gonna have a 20 min wait, so my friend an I decide okay were gonna go to the bathroom, the bathroom looked like it hadn't been cleaned all day! Also looking around the resturant there were PLENTY OF EMPTY TABLES. 5 mins before we get seated, these people come in with a party of 18! It's my friends first time at bucca and I was telling her how they go take you they the kitchen, AND THE HOST DIDNT TAKE US THRU. I asked someone later and they were like yeah there supposed to take you thru there We get seated and about 20 mins go by and she finally asks us what we want to drink, we get our drinks like 20 after that. She totally forgets about us basically and payed more attention to them. Oh yeah and she also had another table of 2. I'm not sure if it was my friend and I age that set how she was gonna take care of us. I had to get up for Oil and viningar since she wouldn't bring us it. I kept trying to ask her for napkins, but she totally over looked me every time. Had to get my own pepers and drink less /; The party of 18 totally left way before us like uhm we got here the wayy before you. The food was good, loved what we ordered. Just the server killed it for us probably coming back to this location. Roseville is totally better! & by the time we left it was 11;30!!! It shouldn't take 3 hours at a resturant!!
(2)Chris W.
Some really great food, great portions and a pretty diverse menu. Great for a carb overload for a pre-race! My only complaint was the crammed tables. Either way I will be back!
(4)T. L.
My family went to Buca di Beppo to celebrate my dad's birthday. There were five adults and one child in our party. The atmosphere was really family oriented. There were great, offbeat pictures and knick-knackery on the walls that made for amusing conversation while waiting. One of the high points was walking through the kitchen and receiving the tour when we first arrived; everything seemed to be in great order. There was a chef's table in the kitchen; I would love to eat there. For birthday celebrations the staff will sing to the celebrant and leave a tall candelabra sitting on the table. One problem with the seating was that the hostess was inattentive to the fact that my mother told her she had a knee injury. So, she seated the party upstairs at a table that ended up being too small once everyone arrived so we had to move downstairs. My mother was in pain walking up the stairs and had to walk down the stairs backwards which was embarrassing and annoying for her. It should also be noted that the restrooms are upstairs. Interestingly, the restaurant was far from busy at that time, so they should have just initially seated our party downstairs. All of the dishes are served family style. For antipasti we selected a small order of the Artichoke Florentine Dip and Fried Mozzarella. The dip and parmesan crostinis were absolutely delicious and the mozzarella and marinara sauce was great. There was more than enough for everyone to get a good taste and we tried not to fill up on the delicious bread served with olive oil and a delightful balsamic vinegar (it should be noted that the rest of my party found the balsamic to be too strong but I LOVED it). For entrees we selected a small order of the Penne Arrabbiata, Salmon Sorrento, and Ravioli with Meat Sauce. The Penne Arrabbiata had a nice kick to it and I almost had to stab my dad with a fork to get a little more of the delicious sausage as it made it's way around because I panicked thinking there might not be enough of the two precious sausages atop the mound of pasta to go around. I also really enjoyed the Salmon Sorrento. However, I was not a big fan of the ravioli; perhaps I have watched too much MasterChef, but the cheese to ravioli ratio was just a bit lacking for me. My 6-year old nephew was amazed at the size of the gigantic meatball that came on his spaghetti kid's meal. We actually had to cut it up for him because he was just overwhelmed by it. The drink selection was pretty good and wait staff was attentive about refills on the tea and soda. I had a purple pear cream soda that was really nice (delicious, but no refills on that one). However, my mother had some troubles ordering an alcoholic beverage. Unfortunately, the server offered her something that had been discontinued and then she ended up with another drink that was strong, but not very tasty. It's definitely a nice place to have a good meal and ordering the small portions for a table of 5 we still ended up with little take-out boxes. I will definitely return.
(4)Lily F.
The food is absolutely amazing and staff is great. Prices are a little steep but I personally think the food is worth it.
(5)Tiffany S.
This restaurant is my FAVORITE place to eat at because I love Italian food and this place serves the best! Must try different items from the menu everytime I go there. They give huge portions, good for going on a date or with a group of friends or family!
(5)Brandon L.
I've been to several Buca di Brppo's and can say that they are all pretty similar. To state the obvious, the portions are huge, heart attack inducing, sodium overloading, behemoths. A small platter is capable of feeding three adults. And for these reasons, I love the B... But I gotta knock 'em down a bit for my most recent trip: My girlfriend and I had a so-so experience when we went here. There were lots of large parties that were overwhelming us with noise and probably overwhelming the kitchen since our food took a while to come out...our waitress seemed slammed. It is very hard to eat here with just two people. The portions are so huge that you can not order much variety. We ended up ordering and spending more than we wanted. After all, who wants to challenge their girlfriend to a lasagna eating contest? We were very happy with the taste of the food, but we ended up taking most of it home to the eternal fridge of leftovers. That is where leftovers go to die.
(4)Kimmy N.
My friend and I tried this place for the first time a few days ago. When we were being seated to our table, it was a bit awkward. We went through the kitchen, up some stairs, and I'm like the hell is going on? Lol we were sat down and the place had a straight up Italian feel to it with pictures everywhere on the walls, Jars of (I assume) wine, etc. Our waiter (I forgot his name) was real nice and asked if it was our first time. He gave us some recommendations but he spoke too fast and had a strong accent! So I'm like ok we will just look at the menu lol I forgot what we ordered but it was some penne pasta but we substituted the pasta for fetticini. The food is served family sized btw so if you're with just two people, you don't need to order 2 bowls unless you want variety. Back to the food, it was some creamy Alfredo sauce with green stuff on it which wasn't so bad. The food was so so and it was 10 bucks each person (the whole dinner was 20 something bucks and this is if you split dinner) so it wasn't so bad. The comp bread with this wine oil dip was delicious though! I liked that more than the pasta lol I would come here again if I was craving pasta but honestly, I would rather buy the pasta at pizza Hut lol ill probably come again to try other Italian food cause maybe pasta isn't there best dishes.
(3)Joanna C.
Our server was Gereal, he was very attentive, friendly and went above and beyond for us! This was our first time eating here. We got the baked ziti (which is amazing) and the spicy chicken rigatoni (perfect amount of spice). Our daughter got the cheese pizza and ate it all up! Portions are huge, definitely a share your meal with the table type of place. The caprese salad was delicious! Can't wait to eat all my left overs!
(5)Ariana O.
If you're in the area with a group of friends and looking for an affordable place to eat (and get full)- Buca will do. Unlike some reviewers, I love the interior, especially the "creepy" pictures on the walls... it's got a very Fellini's "Roma" feel to it. Unfortunately, even with the wonderful decor and perfect volume of appropriate background music, there is a predominating chainy feel about the place. I don't know why this is.. perhaps it's the staff, who are usually pretty dull and bored. The food is definitely below par in authenticity, compared to actual Italian food, but the pasta is good and the portions are huge. The dessert is not super impressive, not even the tiramisu (especially if you've had legit tiramisu) so skip that.
(3)Heidi S.
Made a reservation on father's day 2014 for 6 people, got there and still had to wait 45 min for a table!! THAT was the point of making a reservation..NOT HAVING TO WAIT!! Also I am gluten free, spoke to someone on the phone when making the reservations about this and they said they have a gluten free menu. I get there and they have NO gluten free pasta of any kind, they don't offer it and there were only 2 salads I could eat and one of those they were OUT OF!! So I had 1 choice for dinner!! I have celiac disease and MUST EAT gluten free. All ready waited 45 min for a table so ate the crappy tasting salad and vowed NEVER go there again. Now I know why they send $10 off emails once a week...they have to in order to keep people going back!! This place has gone down hill bad from what it once was! The server was trying her hardest that was about the only saving grace!
(2)Nuriddin I.
Good food, good service, reasonable prices, especially for lunch. My favorite is eggplant parmegiana. This may not be the best Italian restaurant in the world, but their food is consistently good and their prices are very competitive.
(5)Tonya May H.
I can't stop eating even with a full stomach!!! The food is soooooo hearty our server/bartender Eric was so attentive, so friendly and always had a smile :) he is definitely an asset! The Tricolore Salad is a must try!!! avacado, vine-riened tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, frest basil and basil infused olive oil.....YUM YUM YUMMY :)
(5)Jennifer S.
Normally I LOVE Buca! The one in Las Vegas was amazing. This one lacked in service, the price was outrageous, I feel like the portions got smaller. Don't get me wrong though, the food is still delicious. The tiramisu was authentic and I've eaten tiramisu in Italy. We had the prosciutto stuffed chicken was perfect, the stuffed shells and the sauce were delicious, I wish there was more sauce. The Bellini drink was yummy but very expensive and came with a funky plastic light up 'cup' that I got to take home at least. The service was sadly what killed it for me, no refills ever offered by our waitress who seemed to disappear and took forever to reappear although as far as I know we were the only ones in her section besides one other table and there were plenty of bussers and waitstaff leisurely passing us by. I was a server and I don't appreciate it. Great food still and I always love the decor. 3 1/2-4+ service killed the score.
(3)Trisha H.
Some friends took us here for a New Years Eve Dinner. We have never been and was up for something new. Big portions of food you share with everyone. Food was tasty, but recomment comeing on a non holiday. It was packed and very noisey. Everything we ordered was pretty good.
(3)DontWorry K.
Food was good Plates are family size so it feeds 2-3 Pictures on the wall kinda creepy (wait til you go up stairs to use the restroom lol)
(4)Prescila B.
Ok, so we know this isnt top quality Italian, right?? Its a mid-grade Italian restaurant..and as far as I am concerned, they have a much better taste than Olive garden or Johnny Carinos! If you want a 5 star experience, you are looking at $30 a plate, easily. For a fair price, you get a fair quality and amount here. If I have larger groups of friends with limited budgets, Id take them here, no question. Oh yeah, did I mention a full bar? =)
(3)Jenny B.
I always think every time I go here how it would make a perfect first date for a shy couple, even though I've never gone here in that situation myself. Right when you go in, you will notice that the walls are COVERED in images, paintings, portraits, trinkets, toys, statues, etc. It is visually very loud, so you may find yourself looking around more than paying as much attention to your company at first. The whimsical atmosphere definitely makes this restaurant worth checking out. The food is served family style, meaning that you order something and it comes in a large platter portion meant for sharing. This can be good if you like to try out a bunch of different foods at a time. This can be bad if you are with one other person or two and one portion is enough to feed you all; but you can't decide on what one thing to get, but getting more is too much. So keep this in mind when thinking of how many people are going and what you all like to eat. For large groups though, this restaurant is perfect for that!
(4)Aparna S.
Went to bucca de bippo with a group of friends on a weekend for dinner. The hallway to the restaurant was very different , since you enter the dining area through the kitchen. It was positive to have a glimpse of the appetizing food (especially the desserts) even before getting seated, but negative since the hallway was very narrow and lil slippery. We had a prior reservation for a party of 10 so we were safe to be seated without any wait and I could see that the restaurant gets pretty busy. The general ambience for the restaurant was very lively and was kind of informal. Coming to food.. I started with frozen limone for drink. And we got couple of bruschetta as starters. The bread was nicely crispy and the tomato salad was very fresh, juicy and flavorful. A perfect appetizer! Since we were warned about the huge quantity of food, myself and my friend ordered a small baked ziti and it was more than sufficient for us.. The pasta was perfectly baked and to my surprise it was exceedingly spicy! I love spicy food , so I really liked the pasta. But some of my friends were uncomfortable with this level of spice . Probably we have to tell the level of spice while ordering. The others ordered small eggplant Parmesan and a large macaroni Rosa. I tried macaroni rosa and felt it to be very subtle and like home made pasta with correct amount of veggies and sauce. All the while , We had a long chat and the waiter was very patient with all of us :) When it came to dessert we were all full and each just had a bite of choco lava cake . It was an amazing combo of choco cake vanilla ice cream and choco lava but unfortunately I could only push in couple of spoons! :( Last but not least, I was specially given a nice new glass of frozen limone as a gift token for some special day ! That was pleasantly surprising. I will definitely visit the restaurant again, but my only concern is quantity of food. I am not a Togo fan , so will be good if they can reduce the quantity of small for a single person :) Ambience- 3.5/5 Quality-4.5/5 Service-5/5
(4)Patrick H.
Large portions of food, although it is nothing special. I know people come here for "authentic" Italian food, but it is really not that much more special than Olive Garden. But it's less embarrassing to say you came here I suppose, since it is not a typical chain restaurant. Wait was long for the time I went, and service was just average. Food was pricey even though portions were large. I have no desire to come back here.
(3)Cindel P.
I love Bucca! A must try for the spicy fans - the spicy chicken rigattoni. Don't skimp on the appetizers either, the mozzarella wedges are amazing.
(5)Chun C.
I order small order.it is still a lot that is a star!and now let me tell u why I no give more than 3star .dinnerware very dirty.I can see those food still in the plate .when they tell me to wash it .
(2)Karen S.
So, so unimpressive. From the second we stepped inside it felt odd. We were walked to our table via through the kitchen... which was kind of awkward. I don't really care to see the kitchen, and I think it's odd there's a table of people eating along the walkway and I can stare at them like a circus show while I'm escorted on by... The lighting in this place borders a terrible bright doctors office. Can lighting, low ceilings, and knickknacks all over the walls... Also the laminated red and white check table-cloths were a turn off. I had no idea what to expect from this place, but it was a lot less impressive than I was hoping. Maybe the fact that we were seated in a room; then a party of 10 people with drinks in hand were seated in the same room killed it... it was just loud, obnoxious and not enjoyable. Our server was fine, nothing special. I asked if they had hot tea; was told "yes" and said "okay, I'll have hot tea" .... never got offered more hot water for a second round. Never really had actually conversation with said person... real robotic. Our server explained the sharing of dishes... we got the plate that had four different items... ravioli, filled shells, chicken canelloni and something else. We also ordered the small side of broccoli; for $7. The entree was something like $16/$18... I could have eaten the whole thing myself if I was hungry enough, and the $7 of broccoli would be what I would eat as a side myself. It was prepared with garlic and red pepper flakes, pretty tasty, but geez. I couldn't believe the skimpiness of the dish. We weren't necessarily ignored or anything, and the food wasn't bad... just not very good. The pastas all tasted the same and were on a bed of some tasteless red sauce. No fresh grated parm offerings here. Ambiance is a big deal for me and this place just didn't cut it. I had never thought about leaving a restaurant and asking for my food to go; but I asked my date if he was interested in leaving, that's how awkward this place was for me. Never again. We spent $40+ on a lackluster meal that didn't include appetizers, adult beverages, or dessert.
(2)Elena B.
I've been here a few times now and the food is darn good, but the service leaves a lot to be desired. The portions are HUGE, and super filling. I generally get the apple Gorgonzola salad or the seafood pasta and I always leave full. The chicken Parmesan is also super tasty, as are both their sangrias, the red and white variety. Every time I've come here though, our waiter seems completely overwhelmed or else apathetic. I've come for both lunch and dinner and the dinner waiter was the worst. I'm not sure if he was new or what, but it took him forever to get our drinks and even longer to clear our plates and get us our bill, even after we asked him twice. His other tables looked like they were receiving equally poor service when it came to delivering them their orders. I'd go again, just don't expect speedy service.
(3)Harold D.
the food was great the service was ok but you get a lot for your money when they say family style they mean family style
(4)Melissa C.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE buca di beppos!! My favorite italian restaurant to go to in the Arden area. I like the family style portions and that I can order a small pasta and still have a full lunch/dinner for the next day! I always order the Shrimp Fra Diavlo and it never disappoints!! By far the best item on the menu in my opinion. Its penne pasta with shrimp, crushed red peppers, and i believe a mixture of a red and a white sauce. Also the cheesy garlic bread is definitely on point. If you ever get to the dessert (which I usually dont because I'm so full by the time dessert comes) try the colossal brownie sundae! Its a huge dessert and I promise you will not finish it! The service is actually hit or miss. Ive probably been there over 15 times in the past year and I've had some good waiters and bad waiters. I had a huge group once probably about 15 people and had a reservation at a specific time and didn't have to wait at all. Also, theres always coupons online for 10 off if you spend 20, which is a great deal!!!
(5)C H.
Instead of covering what everyone else has said, I'd like to cover some of the "rumors" that are not completely accurate, or are totally false. 1. Buca only has carb heavy food - not true. They offer salads, chicken, pork. Yes, the pasta and pizza are tempting, but it's possible to eat healthy here. 2. No free bread - You have to ask for the house bread. I've ALWAYS had to ask, for the last 15 years! 3. Alfredo is bland - yes, that one is true. Stick with the tomato based sauces. Might be good for kids. 4. Portions are too big - Buca has single servings for many of their dishes, especially at lunch time. The standard sizes are meant to serve two (small) or four (large). So, go there expecting to share. The food is good served as leftovers, too, so keep that in mind. 5. Ambiance is tacky - ask for a different table! Some of the "art" is over the top, but there is only one "pope" table.
(4)Kiana M.
Place was disgusting. Maybe I'm just not a massive carb inhaler, but food was gross. I got the sausage and peppers and the fried mozzarella. Fried mozzarella was okay. The sausage tasted like it was precooked and reheated. It was so dry, bleh! I can literally go to trader Joe's and buy a pound and a half of sausage for $4. It would be juicy and amazing. This place charged $10 for two dried out sausage links over mushy peppers and spaghetti sauce. I was very disappointed. Their premium Italian beer tasted like bud light. My hubby got the seafood trio appetizer. The shrimp was pure mush, the calamari was rubbery and greasy, and the mussels were over cooked and rubbery with a weird smell. I've been to the dead fish and I've had some amazing mussels. These were so gross. Overall disappointed!
(2)Maureen D.
Went to the Buca di Beppo on Howe Ave, very disappointed. 3 of us ordered the baked ziti, it was very dry hardly any sauce and luke warm. We requested extra sauce and was told it would be a while as it had to be "heated". Being an Italian restaurant you would think a pot of sauce would be on all day. By the time the sauce arrived the baked ziti was cold. I returned it without ordering any replacement. On the positive side our server was excellent, considering she worked by herself with our group of 20+ people. Buca prides themselves on handling large groups, they couldn't be more wrong, at least at this restaurant. I have been to other Buca's and the food has always been excellent.
(2)Colette R.
Having a special event that you want to be a lot of fun? You have found your restaurant. I went to BdB this past Sunday with family for a celebratory birthday/engagement dinner for relatives. Leading up to the dinner my sister made several calls requesting some special considerations: we aren't sure exactly how many people - no problem! Can we bring our own cake? - Sure! Can we bring our own Prosecco for a toast? - You bet! Is there a corkage fee? Nope! On top of this, I am a vegan. I called and happened to get the manager, Jeff. I asked him if I'd have some options or if I should plan to eat before I came. He rattled off several items (salads, pizza, pastas...) that he could have the chef veganize. He also said he would be there, and to just let him know when I arrived. Upon arrival (30 minutes early, since we were bringing flowers, cake, champagne, etc) we were greeted by the hostess and friendly servers. Jeff came out and assured me that he had the chef taking care of a vegan meal for me. They seated us early, helped us cut the flower stems and get them into our vase, took the cake and candles and prosecco to put into the fridge for us, etc. Our very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful server spoke with my bother-in-law, the host, about wine options, the family style service and made suggestions for the table. She took great care of us. My vegan meal - a lovely salad with apples, cranberries, nuts and greens in a tart vinegarette, was delicious. Chef did a lovely, simple pasta with perfectly prepared al dente veggies, garlic, olive oil, white wine and penne. It was yummy. My omnivorous companions enjoyed a cheesy garlic bread, a great looking appetizer platter, lasagna, saltimbocca, and several other terrific looking and smelling dishes. They were all quite pleased with the food quality. When dessert came, our cake and champagne were brought out and served with kind wishes and fun, silly singing. The food was great, and everyone enjoyed it. But what pushes BdB to the 5 stars for me is the incredible service we got. We weren't an easy table - 9 people, different needs, extra considerations all over the place. And every request was met with an affirmative smile and exactly what we wanted. I recently relocated here after 20+ years in New York City, and the evening reminded me of a fun time at Carmine's, for anyone who has experience with that establishment. For a family style dinner, group, special event or just to be well taken care of by attentive staff and yummy Italian food, Buca di Beppo is a great bet. And vegans - don't be shy! The menu doesn't look super vegan friendly, but you will be well cared for.
(5)StephAnie R.
Although the employees are friendly, the wait time is ridiculous. From when we ordered to when we received our order it wad a wait time of 45 mins. During a midweek lunch hour. We only ordered 2 entrées and a kids meal. The food was ok. There was flies buzzing all around the restaurant. I wont be coming back that's for sure.
(2)Greg T.
We ate here last night. Portions were huge. Had anoth meal with leftovers tonight. This was our first trip. We will be back. Service was amazing.
(5)Cheryl M.
Cheesy garlic bread was delicious and we thoroughly enjoyed our first visit here. The small order of any entree was more than enough to satisfy our hunger with leftovers to spare!!! Chopped salad to start was perfect Will definitely visit again when in town
(5)LinDa V.
Portions are huge!!! I love Italian food, and this place always fixes my cravings!!!
(4)Pary L.
This place is so stupid for not accepting walk - ins during valentine days. They should at least said something about not taking walk - ins when I called in, wasted my time.
(1)Drew M.
Eewww!
(1)Nguyet K.
We decided to come to Buca because we wanted pasta for dinner. It's about 830pm and the restaurant wasn't crowded at all. We ordered drinks and fried calamari. Our waiter said the appetizer and entrees small size feeds two people. So he questioned us when we decided to order lasagna and Fettuccine Supremo too. They end up running out of the lasagna, so didn't wanted anything else. The description makes the food so good, but WRONG!! It taste like pasta from the freezer aisle at the supermarket. I can make it better, especially for a bill over $40 for one appetizer and one entree. I was very disappointed with the quality of the food and the service. It was very slow and our waiter didn't have to wait on anyone. I think he kinda forgot about us.
(2)S. O.
I absolutely love this place. The portions are really generous. A "small" plate can feed 3 people easily. We ordered garlic bread, two small bowls of pasta, and drinks. The service was quick, the food was steaming hot, and the drinks were strong. There were plenty of leftovers because there was just so much food. As we were eating, we saw that the table across from ours ordered a pizza that was almost as large as the table. I will definitely eat here again.
(5)Christian F.
Pros: Fun with large groups Big portions Great pizza Coupons are usually easy to find Above average service Cons: Many of the menu items are hit or miss (inconsistent) Not a place to go for an intimate date setting Can become too costly if you do not share food effectively (everyone shouldn't be ordering their own menu item here!)
(4)Vincenzo C.
Definitely come here hungry! And willing to pay for it. Has an awesome atmosphere, decent service, and average prices. Servings are huge! Would be a good place for first dates and family dinners.
(5)Shana E.
I love pizza, especially Margarita Pizza w/ fresh mozzarella. Some reason, pizza places in North Cali never like to make this kind of pizza so I come to Buca for this delectable treat. For the price they charge, I am definitely pleased with the portion sizes, but just be sure you have enough people with you so that you can order and try a few items. They used to have these fried risotto...ball...thingies that were delicious.; however, they seem to change parts of the menu every once in a while so they got rid of that appetizer. I like the bread they put on the table with the oil and vinegar, and I am fond of their thin pizzas, even though they are very greasy. Their spaghetti is very tasty and is also extremely delicious as leftovers for the next day. Decor is interesting and entertaining, and service has always been good. The place is a boisterous Italian restaurant and fun to try at least once with a large party.
(4)Samantha D.
Great food, great atmosphere, great staff. My mom and I went there finally after years of thinking about it. Everything is family style which is really nice. We started with a "small" Apple and Gorgonzola salad which could have easily fed 4 people and my mom and I got full eating it. It was so good though. We also had the "small" prosciutto stuffed chicken breast and OMG it was so good. Again, too much food so I got to take it home and share with my sister who didn't get to come with us. We will definitely visit again, with a larger crowd because it would be so fun and this place is setup for a small intimate meal or a large family gathering. Very reasonable prices and we had a coupon on top of it. The best Italian chain I have ever been to, by far!
(5)David C.
Expensive, Kinda Bland. The best thing we had we chicken with prosciutto. The bill for 3 people with just 1 drink was 90 bucks... for pasta... yah, i know... Don't go here. Just eat some tasty/cheap mexican food...
(2)Christa C.
I came here for a date with my boyfriend yesterday evening, making reservations beforehand. The hostess was nice but spoke really quickly, and while our waitress was prompt in refilling our water, the customer service had room for improvement. For example, it took her a really long time to give us our change after we paid our check. The servings are very large since they're served family-style; one small order of baked rigatoni was enough to fill both of us. And while it tasted wonderful, the pasta was a tad undercooked and chewy. We ordered a side of garlic mashed potatoes, but they weren't as good as I remembered from my childhood, but the taste improved with salt and pepper. It wasn't amazing, but I'd be willing to dine there again.
(3)Nikki S.
If you want a fun family dinner in a cool place with lots of great food, then this is the place for you. The food and service is always good & the prices are excellent. It is noisy in there and it's best to book a table in advance because they are always busy. The food portions are big, be aware, but there's a great selection. I used them for catering twice, basically they delivered the food and helped with set up. They were on time and helpfull with they arrived. The food was really well received by my guests and it was half the price of almost everywhere else in town for feeding that many people. Good vegetarian choices as well.
(4)Dan V.
And I thought it was hard to F-up pasta... This place is TERRIBLE~~!! Started the night here last night with some friends (regrettably) and ended up nearly puking a short time later. Our service was a nightmare, but I'm gearing towards the food, which of course is why we all go out to eat, right? -We had the PIZZA CON FORMAGGIO as an appetizer which was incredibly bland, and practically lacked cheese or sauce! ($12.45) -For the main course, LINGUINE FRUTTI DI MARE, which was one of the WORST pasta dishes I have ever tried!!! It tasted just like cheap cafeteria food, lacking any real flavor ($21.95) -For dessert, TIRAMISU, was the only DECENT tasting item. But at almost $11, HUGE WASTE!! In conclusion, I urge anyone thinking of trying this joint out to AVOID IT AT ALL COSTS. It is one of the worst meals I have ever had, and insult to injury: incredibly overpriced!!
(1)Christi C.
We had so much fun here! It's family style and you get quite a bit of tasty foods. Id like it for a rehearsal dinner or Sunday night dinners.
(4)Lubs Y.
I've only been to this chain twice, but I find some of the food to be pretty good. Comes in giant portions aka family style...which I find rather hard to do in a big group because everyone has their own tastes and the dish you like the most may get cleaned out in like 2 minutes =\ The cheesy garlic bread appetizer is perfect to start off with. Yum. The prosciutto stuffed chicken is amazing. Moist, tender, and flavorful. Our group of 12 probably should've ordered 2 of these, as each person was limited to just a small bite for there to be enough to go around. The gnocchi was alright, nothing spectacular. Everything else was pretty forgettable. Service was somewhat slow...probably because our food took awhile to come out. But the server was super attentive at refilling drinks and distinguishing between who had diet cokes vs regular coke :)
(4)Jackie S.
We had a group reservation on a Saturday night, and had to wait over an hour for our table. The service was mediocre, as the servers just handed our food. Since we had a large group, we had water pitchers to refill our cups. The food was mediocre as the pasta and appetizers were bland. For appetizers, we ordered garlic bread and bruschetta. The garlic bread came in a round pizza style dish, but the garlic flavor was not that strong. I wish there was more garlic. The bruschetta had the tomatoes and basil topping. The topping was bland, and the bread was drenched in olive oil. We ordered many different pastas. The Gnocchi Al Telefono is a bright orange potato dumpling in a light sauce. The gnocchi was really dense and the sauce was bland. We also had Fettuccine Alfredo, Spaghetti Marinara, Tortelloni, and Penne Campofiore (vegetarian pasta). I wasn't impressed by the pasta dishes. The pizzas were not bad. The toppings were placed on a flat bread, and the pizzas were shaped in a square. We ordered the spicy sausage and mushroom, and a cheese pizza. The best part about the dinner was eating family style with a large group of people. The food isn't authentic, but it's a fun environment for parties.
(2)Molly C.
Taking down my bad review and adding a couple of stars because the general manager went out of his way to makes things right when I emailed about a (hopefully isolated) negative experience. Every other time we have had a great time.
(3)Katie T.
The Host Staff was very pleasant as we arrived. I thought their "tour" of the restaurant was tacky and unnecessary. People are there to eat, not walk a mile to get to their table. It's tacky and bland. The food isn't worth the high prices. Nothing we ordered really stood out or tasted unlike anything else. The serving staff all seemed very rushed and frazzled. The managers are nice but I could tell they were putting on a show as they came around to ask us about our meal. I overheard a manager (?) (older, round, balding man) scolding a server. I was very displeased with the unprofessional manner of his actions for doing it publicly and embarrassing the poor guy. Overall, I wouldn't go back. The employees don't seem to like working there either.
(1)Mark L.
Good place to go for Italian food, the restaurant itself is pretty cool too. Just be sure to never come alone and place a reservation if you plan on dining in. The portions are huge (my group of 4 got 3 "small" orders and cheesy bread and got enough food to feed 10 people). Definitely a place to go to if your planning a party and craving Italian food. Just plan ahead and don't make it spontaneous or else you'll be waiting an hour for your table.
(5)peachpie p.
The restaurant was great. I loved the food- the portions were huge which was perfect for my bf and I since we were starving from the long road trip. We ordered a pizza and was not too fond of it. Left majority of the pieces on the plate, the server picked up on our distastefulness and offered to refund us the money. Great experience , great atmosphere... great drinks~
(5)Sue S.
We ordered small size dishes but they gave us the large size. We didn't know that until we saw the bill the service was not good. They didn't refill our soda or water until we asked for it. It was Friday night, it was so crowed, and the space between tables was just big enough if you were slim......nearly every person hit my chair and passed. Garlic bread has light garlic taste, and it looked so strange -_- very thick and soft. (sad) I want the original one back.
(3)A L.
Sometimes I really, really enjoy this restaurant. Sometimes I am disappointed. The last time I went here I LOVED it, minus the price. People say this place has HUGE portions, but ehhh...it doesn't seem that big to me. Got the quattro al forno, prosciutto stuffed chicken, mashed potatoes and the cheesy bread florentine. I loved the variety that the quatro al forno gave. Stuffed shells, stuffed cannelloni and ravioli. Where can you go wrong? The pesto on the prosciutto stuffed chicken was on the sweet side, but oh so good. I liked the cheesy bread florentine, but for $12 never again. I don't believe that small piece of bread was worth that much. It was good, but not that good. The mashed potatoes were not good at all. They had absolutely no flavor. I guess because they just stuck a big, fat piece of butter in the middle of it and it wasn't fixed it. I want my food to come out tasting good. I don't want to do all that mixing and flavoring. Mashed potatoes really aren't that hard to make. The decor is a bit odd, but the staff is pretty friendly.
(4)Robert T.
This is place is a little pricey but it's worth it because you get a lot of good food. I think it's better if you come in a big group so you can try different things. If you come with one person either you gotta eat the same thing or order couple of things and your bill will come out high. I prefer the taste of the food here better than Olive Garden if I may compare them because Olive Garden seems to be a very popular restaurant. I'm actualy not even a fan of Olive Garden and I plan on reviewing that place next.
(4)Janice E.
Delicious food, reasonably priced, served in a delightful atmosphere. The baked ziti is scrumptious! Attentive service. I like the choice of portion sizes.
(5)Cat T.
Yum, love Buca when I have a huge craving for italian. Service is so so, but some of the food is just too good not to come back. If you're coming here for dinner, it's best to come in a group of 3-4 since their portions are very big, but it's also great if you want left overs. I would skip the lasagna (it was only luke warm), I've had better at other spots such as Carmine's and Mamma susannas. This place is a fun experience since they give you a whole walk through of the restaurant and you can observe the different levels and areas of the restaurant. The decor is very funky and you can't help but to look around while eating upstairs. I wouldn't eat here too often especially if it's only for a party of 2, the prices add up quick and food can be hit or miss.
(3)James N.
My wife and I had made Buca our regular eatery, something that she would eat well even as illness would leave her appetite lacking, the food just tasted so good so consistantly! The staff always greeted us well and often knew our preferred table, the chef recognizing the change we would make to the order every time would often come out and greet us as well. Nearly a year has passed since my wife's passing, with me returning just a couple of times, but yesterday I return, this time out on a first date, and it was the same old experience with quality food and greetings by all involved. My date was so impressed herself that she actually suggested she wants to repeat the experience there on our second date.
(5)sal v.
If you feel like eating Italian I suggest this place. It's totally based on Italian families. Huge Italian families that is. Their portions are huge, making sure everyone one in the family gets a fair share. So if there's only 2 of you going, make sure you enjoy sharing cause even if you buy half a portion and you two are sharing you're definately going to take home a doggie bag. The entire restaurant is filled w/ dark rich colors and photos, kind of like AppleBee's, however it's all Italian related of course. If you let them know that you're new, maybe they'll even seat you in the kitchen where you can see the entire works. My only problem is that it's sooooo LOUD. However, it makes sense, if you're from a huge family everyone's bound to be screaming across the room... "pass me the plate". :)
(4)Jyb J.
so since i had it in hawaii i had to try the one in sacramento.i had order the italain supreme pizza. my bf and i shared a med pizza and it filled us up. the pizza is so tasty and the sauce has alot of favor. i still want to try the other food but i in love with the pizza. the service was good there because i left my debt card and our waiter ran out and gave me back my card. i felt happy to know they cared to come find me int he parking lot..if you love italain food go!!!
(4)Kerri T.
We wanted a drink and a snack after helping his father's girlfriend move and this place was verycloseby. His Manhattan fell far short of a full shot, so the sheepish bartender poured in a bunch more Makers Mark at the end. My martini was nasty, and the olive I (unfortunately) nibbled tasted like marichino cherries. I was so grossed out by my drink, and he was so peeved that we were seated thisclose to the only other patrons in the near-empty restaurant, that we paid the bar tab and fled. I guess when translated, "Buca Di Beppo" means "Cup of Shit".
(1)Joe B.
Visited two different Buca Di Beppos and they were both outstanding. The service is always great, not badgering, and the Italian Supreme Pizza is Dope!
(4)James C.
I came here on a busy Saturday with my family on our mini-vacation to Sacramento. We found out about this place at our hotel, where they have a rack of mini-menus for local restaurants. On the back was a $10 off coupon, which sealed the deal. We were seated immediately despite a large throng of people (large parties) waiting for a table. Ordering family style, we had the goat cheese/walnut salad, spaghetti and meatballs, veal parmigana and macraroni & cheese (for the kids). Everything tasted great. and the portions were huge! Ususally, my kids (ages 3 and 5) make a lot of noise, making it difficult to eat out too often. At this restaurant, we could scream at the top of our lungs and no one would notice. And so that made eating here a real treat. The service was great, too. Turns out that our waiter was from our hometown (Alameda) and so we had much to talk about. I'm glad we came.
(5)T L.
I wasn't impressed with this place. Big portions, so what! Big portions doesn't matter if you can't enjoy your food. My pasta(s) were undercooked along with my friends dishes. Will not be going there again..and their pitcher of sangaria was a huge disappointment.
(1)hungry f.
came here for dinner yesterday and ordered the baked lasagna. waiter told us to be careful since it was hot but it wasn't hot at all, it wasn't even warm, more like room temperature to me. the lasagna was also kinda dry and did not taste fresh at all. i would not order this again, the frozen ones from the grocery store taste better. service- good, we were checked up on often overall- 2.5 stars
(3)D. A.
This review was first drafted when I visited about a week ago -- one of my few times at a Buca for lunch. I ordered the Apple Gorgonzola Salad, which was very good. It's reminiscent of the Apple Walnut Chicken Salad that Red Lobster used to serve. The Strawberry Lemonade was a nice palate cleanser, and Buca's bread, with oil and vinegar, is always great. Though usually served warm (with dinner?), the bread was cold this time.
(4)T W.
Friday Night after work, was NOT in the mood to wait 45 minutes to be seated, instead was seated in ten. We had our regular seafood linguine and my daughter loved it. It's her first experience dining in at Buca and she roamed around the restaurant and got lost by touring around herself after dinner and our waitress was able to locate her in the kitchen staring at their staff. haha Our service was great and fast today.
(4)Bill M.
I have been coming here since they opened and NEVER have I been disappointed. I have brought so many people and nobody has ever walked away hungry. This is my favorite restaurant hands down! We buy $100 worth of gift cards and get $125 in gift cards knowing we're coming back and we do... often!
(5)Jason L.
Lots of fun! Picked up a few dishes with some friends -- the pizza is really good. Loved the bread + olive oil for some reason. Great ambience and a fun staff to interact with!
(3)Stephanie L.
I came here for the first time ever this Valentine's day. And it was the first time I had anything to do on Valentine's day, so that was pretty cool. The ambiance is not what I expected. I thoought it would be fancier, but no. Pretty casual, slighty tacky. No big deal. The menu is pretty big, and by saying that, I mean there is a lot to choose from, and the portions are humungous family style portions. I wanted pasta and my friend wanted pizza. So we didn't share, which was kinds funny to me considering the day it was. I ordered the side salad and the side fettuchini alfredo. That salad was good, just iceberg, and romaine. And some pickled shallots or onions in red wine vinegrette. So good!!! And simple. The fettuchini was classic and tasty, but slightly on the coagulated side, as the cream sauce chilled it got thick and became slightly clumpy. But a squeeze of fresh lemon loosened it up, and cut the richness with the acidity. It was soooo gooood!!! My firend had the peperoni pizza, the large. Which came with 18 slices. It was supposed to come with pepperoncinis, and he asked for those when the pizza arrived, as they were absent. i will definatly go back, but hopefully with a group of friends, so we can try lots more of the family style pastas.
(4)L M.
I would give this place a five, except that I'm not really a fan of Italian/pasta food. Big portions for the amount you are paying for. Delicious lasagna and great service. definitely family style restaurant and I would recommend for families
(4)James N.
I rather drive to Roseville's buca di Beppo. Why? Because the girl here was rude. I came with my lady's family for her bday. We didn't order a lot of dishes because we know the portions are huge. The waitress kinda gave us a smug look and response when she asked us is that all you're getting and we said yes. We're little Asians and can't eat as many carbs as you do. It kinda seemed like she acted like that because she thinks it gonna affect the tip that was already gonna be charged on the bill. The only thing that was gonna affect her tip was her attitude. I've worked at a restaurant, and my girl's dad works at a restaurant and we know how important tips are, but it doesn't give her any excuse to act like that. Even after all that rudeness my girl's dad was gonna leave her an extra tip and his daughters made sure to snatch it out of his hands and put it back in his pocket so that she would get the message. I hope the message was received.
(2)Scott T.
I went here for the first time a couple of years ago, and was overall impressed with the whole place. The atmosphere is somewhat noisy, but not to the point where it presents a problem. The decorations are also pretty cool. I have to say though that this is NOT the right place to come if there's just two or three of you guys in a party. The portion sizes here are enormous, and a "small" plate can easily feed three people. The food, overall, is really pretty good. The food nor the atmosphere isn't exactly what you would call 100% authentic Italian, but it's still a pretty cool place regardless. The food is pricey, but if you come in a large group (like you really should for a place like this) then the price won't be too bad. If I can ever get about five or six of my friends together at the right place and the right time, I'd suggest this place as an option.
(4)Brenda B.
So we went to Bucca for a birthday dinner with a group of about 20 people or so. It was week day, so they were more then accommodating to our big party. The waitor promptly brought us menus and took our drink orders. Bucca is family style, s0 they have really big portions that you share with the table. We ordered the ceasar and garden salads, chicken marsala, zita, and two orders of meat lasagna. The food was a big disappointment. The salads were tasteless, with WAY TOO MUCH dressing and witly lettuce in both. The hot dishes came out very hot, but flavor was amiss. the chicken marsala had a very strong maple syrup taste to it. the lasagna was not to my like either. the zita pasta was decent (it think thats what its called). It had some good spicy sasauge in it. The best part of the meal was the tiramisu. SOOOO GOOOOD. DO not pass it up. ITs about 10 bucks, but its a huge portion to share with up to 4 people, or take it home and enjoy at midnight! yum. OVer all, you go to Bucca for the fun atmosphere, not really for the food. The waitor was very nice and quick, and there was no mistakes on our bill. SO, a great place for fun celebrations, but not so much for the taste buds.
(2)Andrea G.
I've only been here once and the food was good and filling :) however my food was forgotten and took about twenty minutes to come out of the kitchen. The pizza is really good and the portions are larger than average.
(3)Ripcurl A.
I really love this place. Being Italian I have tried my fair share of Italian restaurants and had horrible food. It's hard to find a good Italian restaurant and I love the hunt. Buca has a crazy yet interesting atmoshpere and the prices are ok, considering you get costco size portions of food. I LOVE the baked rigatoni with Italian sausage and it makes my mouth water just thinking about it. I've also tried the lasagna and chicken parmesean (spelling) which is also good. I love the food because it has a very fresh and traditional taste which is unusual for a chain type restaurant. I have yet to try any deserts but I'm anxious to try the cannolis. Keep in mind if you've never been here before that they serve family size portions. The "small" portion on the menu might seem a little expensive but it will feed 2-3 people easily.
(5)Just N.
Should have researched this place before we went. Kids wanted spaghetti so I took them here because we've never been. I wasn't particularly hungry. I planned on getting coffee and tiramisu. We got seated and learned that they serve 'family' style. When I looked at menu prices, the small portions averaged $15. The cheapest items they had were the pizzas for $10. Finally the kids settled on their kids meal. It was $5.99 each. They were going to get a whole meal, so I didn't want to order something I would only take a bite of. Their tiramisu and other dessert items served 3. I didn't want to pay $10 for tiramisu. At the last minute I did order a small order of garlic bread for $8.45. (The kids like bread. The tiramisu would have only been consumed by me and I would have inhaled the whole 3 servings and that's not good!) With my coffee that cost $2.75, the meal came to around $25. The garlic bread was tasty and the kids liked their food. I'll have to come back next time I'm hungry and actually eat something. I think after realizing I was just ordering bread, our waitress sort of lost interest in us. The service was the main reason for the 3 stars. The kids did get a small, tiny, scoop of ice cream which I later realized I wasn't charged for. Not sure if the waitress was just being nice, or if it came with the kid's meal.
(3)Michael W.
Basically in a nutshell this is a Claimjumper's of italian food. The portions are very large. The prices match. Don't expect to get out of here without dropping a pretty penny. I went here with my family for my birthday since I wanted to try something different. Even though this restaurant has been around for a long time, we never tried it out for some reason. Not sure if it was the cheesy statues outside or that the lighting is just dark outside. Going in it reminded of a cross between a o'Farrell's and an old pizza joint. The decorations are very eclectic and when you walk in, you walk in through the kitchen. Maybe they're trying to show you how authentic it is (but it's a chain, so come on!)? Anyways, we get seated but the service took a while. Everything was really slow. The server didn't come around much and our food took a while to come out. We ordered a baked rigatoni, shrimp fra diavolo, chicken marsala and chicken parmigiana. First of all the servings are HUGE since they're all family servings. So unless you have a bunch of burly lumberjacks as family members, I'd recommend the small portion instead of the large. Most of the dishes there are just very bland. The rigatoni just didn't really have much flavor considering the amount of meat and cheese that are on the dish. The Shrimp fra diavolo was actually the best of the lot, but that wasn't saying much. After putting a ton of parmesan cheese, it helped out the flavor, plus it wasn't spicy enough. The Chicken marsala sauce was just WAY too sweet. I know it's made with wine, but it was like they added sugar to the dish. The chicken marsala at the spaghetti factory was better than Buca. The chicken parmagiana was also pretty bland. I think the problem is with their sauces. It's just all tomato and not enough seasoning. I think I just expect it to be a little more bursting with flavor. Either add more garlic or oregano and a little salt. It's just too bland. Anyone can put a can of tomato sauce on chicken with cheese. How can you make it more tasty? Overall? I wouldn't recommend it. But if other people are paying, go ahead. I prefer Maggiano's over Buca any day. But alas no Maggiano's in Sactown, the closest one is in San Jose. =(
(3)Perry M.
As Ringo put it..."The Passion is gone" I'd consider myself a Buca old timer having eaten at the Sacramento location for what, 10 years now? We were there, in the kitchen, raising hell since the beginning. They knew who we were. They comped us food. We stole things from the kitchen. Then, greed took over. Planet Hollywood bought out Buca and the rest they say.... We talked to the staff last weekend when we were there. Do they still have this? Nope, it was too expensive to produce so it was removed from the menu. Plastic glasses? Real ones were to expensive so they switched them out. No more comps, to expensive. The limoncello is no longer made here, it's...you know. Sigh, it's all about the bottom line now. Corporate America, God bless them, they've given us the Snuggie and Riblets. But when they start running what used to be an independent, free thinking, I cook because I love to, have another shot of limoncello, restaurant simply because of the $$, then it simply becomes another Chili'sApplebeesRedRobinTexasRoadHouse. No wonder Buca's deserted these days...
(2)Paul C.
I like this place. The wall art, the over spiced food, the little rooms. Better than many other local Italian places. Get the cheap spaghetti to go for a party. Really good for a chain in my opinion.
(4)Andee V.
hell no, this place is as bad as The Old Spaghetti Factory. If anyone I know ever suggests coming to this place I would seriously consider their friendship status.
(1)Selina L.
This is a composite of 10 or so visits in one review: the food is well-proportioned and incredibly delicious (I have had almost everything on the menu). The only downfall I have ever had has occurred twice when I was served by a big-boned, redheaded waitress who was very neglectful and at one point threw my receipt at me - apparently she was pissed that my party and I got a salad, an appetizer, garlic bread, and gourmet beverages because she thought she wasn't going to get a good tip. Despite the fact that I'm a huge tipper if I'm treated well (which hardly occurs thanks to stereotyping of my age cohort), she didn't get a tip but a very stern message on her receipt explaining why she didn't! The last time I went there I walked away due to a 90 minute wait - from what I'm told, Buca only takes reservations on holidays hence there was no way around the 90 minute wait. Aside from those two downfalls and the rising cost of eating there, I really enjoy Buca.
(4)Steve R.
I love Bucca. They're a family style Italian joint (chain), which means they serve A TON of food. Take at least five people with you when you go here. The lasagna has always been good and their pizza is okay. My absolute favorite thing to go here for is the Apple Gorgonzola Salad. I've always had nice waitstaff as well, and I think it's neat they let you walk through the kitchen. Always nice to know that the place you're eating at is keeping things clean!
(5)Dana K.
I like Beppo (Roseville)! My husband and I have been there a few times, we like the fun atmosphere and think the food is good! Is it a bit loud, but it didn't deter us from going back.
(5)D. L.
. . . now when i first ate here i raved about this place and thought this was 'the bizness' . . . now every time i eat here i leave wondering wtf . . . I had their cheesy bread florentine and quattro al forno . . . the cheesy bread was good but i would not recommend it because it was overpriced (refer to my other reviews about cheesy garlic bread) . . . the quattro al forno was good as well but i expected more heartyful servings (kinda like when you go to claimjumpers or any steak house and you end up paying a lot after getting a whole lot and them some) but the latter was the opposite . . . i got less . . . so idk . . . ill reluctantly give this place the benefit of the doubt . . . maybe my expectations were a little high from previous experience but ill think twice about eating here . . . on the upside 'buca' is good for groups or date . . . the atmosphere and service give this place a personable feel that makes up for their declining product . . . and if you decide to get their pizza think twice . . . better value at woodstocks . . . romas . . . luigis . . . ive heard chicago fires pizza is supposed to be 'tha bizness' so ill definitely try them out . . . to be continued . . .
(3)Steve Z.
i gave it two stars because it can accomodate large groups. the food is terrible, but at least there is a lot of it. i was with a large group. i ate pizza, and I felt gross never had a good meal in 5 attempts
(2)Spring H.
My boyfriend and I ate there last night. It wasn't terrible but far from excellent, which was disappointing bc I remember the food being really tasty. We shared a large size of the spaghetti and meatballs, which was bland and not worth the asking $26.99. The bread was crusty and did not pair well with the olive oil & balsamic vinegar - which we received way after getting our bread. Our waiter seemed rushed and we had to ask for refills for our waters, after waiting and hoping that he would notice the empty glass that had been sitting there for more than 10 minutes. I'm sorry to say but Olive Garden is way better. Food has much more taste and "love" to it and the service is excellent!
(1)Pippi L.
This place used to be a bank. You can kind of feel it, but it's so packed with kitschy crap, you might miss it. Why it's good: 1) you can eat in the kitchen and watch them cook if you want to 2) kids ages 8-16 will be enthralled 3) plenty of food for your dollar why it sucks: 1) food just isn't that great. Sauce isn't tangy, pasta is just pasta, salad is okay, meatballs are so-so. You're better off at Old Spaghetti Factory for the same money. 2) annoyingly long wait. It's not that good. You don't need to wait for an hour. Find a Togo's. 3) it's really not fun for adults. Unless you like to sit in the kitchen. I went once w/ith a group, and it was fine, but kind of nervewracking, and hot as hell upstairs. When I went with just the PF, we were okay with the food we got and the atmosphere/crap on the walls started to feel very claustrophobic.
(3)Tisha F.
When asked about Bucca this was my reply: Not so much actually. It could of had to do with the fact that we had a party of ~20. The arrival was nice. I like how they take you through the kitchen and all of that. They had assigned us 2 waiters as well. I'm not sure if it was due to poor acoustics or that I was with such a big party but the noise level was high. It was very hard to get my order in because the waiter left 2wice not completing our orders. Brandon I don't know if I had ever told you but I'm a vegetarian. It was great to see a decent amount of options to choose from but the food really was not very flavorful. I didn't care for the broth used on the Vegge Penne, didn't care for the Gnocchi and the spaghetti marinara seemed to need some flavor to it. I wished that I had gone with the pizza that the waiter had suggested. I liked the family style menu and the salad was yummy. I wouldn't totally poo poo the place, but maybe its just a better place if you are having a party of 2-4. I liked the atmosphere. After eating diner we all went out into the parking lot and gabbed for a good while. We were leaving and one of the kids says " hey daddy there are people in that car." Well appearently it's a good place to do the "diddy" in the parking lot if you know what I mean.
(2)Christine K.
Odd that I haven't written a review for this yet! I've been here dozens of times since it opened blank years ago. Yes, it's crowded. Yes, it's loud. YES, portions are large. My family of 6 usually gets the kitchen table b/c it fits us perfectly and we like to watch all the food get prepared. Our most recent experience here was a little odd however. There was a woman (who we later learned was the manager) essentially screaming out food orders (but not angrily) at the cooks. Much chaos going on with a zillion servers running back and forth, chaos we found out from our server that was caused by a downed computer system. Understandable that that kind of thing can shake things up and make things difficult (we watched as the manager tried to figure out change with a calculator) but that shouldn't mean that the level of professionalism drops. For whatever reason we ended up with 2 servers which was nice but did confuddle us a bit since we didn't want to end up with 2 of everything and we certainly didn't think it was necessary to *tip* both ladies. It was my mom's birthday and when the server brought out dessert and candles for her to blow out, NO ONE came to help her sing! I've never seen that happen before, not one single other server came over. Luckily my mom has a really loud wacky family that more than made up for it, but still, it irked me. Overall, it's a fun place with good food for slightly inflated prices.
(4)Kaaren P.
OMG. I've been twice, only because it was a group and I had no choice in the matter. The place is a circus- which is I'm sure what appeals to those that actually like it. The food is bland and overpriced. I haven't had anything there that was tasty- it's just bulk on a large plate. My biggest peeve with Buca's is the NOISE (had to use caps!). It's off the charts loud, forget about having a conversation with anybody at your table! if you're a foodie, you'll hate it. If your looking to entertain your kids, or don't want to worry about their behavior, Buca's is the place for you!
(1)Gopi V.
Mediocre food. Poor service. Very noisy ambience. Ideal only for big parties and family dinners.
(1)Phil U.
Decided to meet two other couples for dinner here since we had a great dinner at the one in Seattle. Reservation was on time and didn't have to wait. We got their early so we decided to go to the bar, we were surprised that they do not serve blender drinks because they don't have blenders. We ordered some drinks that contain Galiano, surprise they don't carry Galiano. We settled for some ordinary drinks but we felt that a dinner house of this caliber needs to be better equiped. Our waitress was very nice and helpful you could just sense that she was going to make our dining experience very pleasant one. The food was very well prepared and presented. The timing was perfect between courses and they cleared plates that we didn't need between courses. We all decided that we were coming back soon since it was such a pleasant dining experience. I spent forty years in the liquor industry and found that the only reason some dinner houses decide to not have blender drinks or liquors to make certain drinks is because of a lazy bar manager not because the drinks don't sell.
(4)Lynda L.
I went here over the weekend with a group of people. My friend had made reservations and raved about the place so I expected the food to be better than normal. When we entered the restaurant, I noted the decorations and the overall atmosphere of the place. It seemed fun and lively. We quickly found out that we would be seated upstairs. While walking, we encountered various wait staff with arms full of either used or unused plates walking up and down the stairs - something I found truly impressive given the hard task of balancing. We were seated with another party so it was a little crowded but nothing unbearable. Our waitress was really nice and informed us that the entrees were all meant to serve more than one person. For instance, ordering a small would actually feed 2-3 people. As a group of nearly all couples, we decided to have each couple order an entree and share it with everyone else. As an appetizer, we started off with Fried Mozzarellas with marinara sauce. Everyone in our group agreed that it was delicious. When we finished we waited a bit longer than normal for our entrees. However, this was likely due to the fact that there were larger groups than ours throughout the restaurant. I had ordered the Linguine Frutti Di Mare and its presentation looked wonderful when it finally arrived. However, I noticed that the clam shells actually had very little clam inside of them. When I tried the food, I found it to be very bland. I had to add more Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to make it decent. At first, I thought it was just my plate but when I tried the other pasta dishes (Penne San Remo, Chicken Carbonera and Spicy Chicken Rigatoni) in our party I encountered the same problem. Everything was bland. We ALL ended up having to re-season our food. I honestly wanted to like this place but other than its great service and lively atmosphere, I can't imagine myself returning any time soon.
(2)Uma R.
Awesome cant gt a better word. i had a birthday surprise for my husband here and we were a group of 18. We had amazing food and huge portions. It was awesome with very sweet hostess and very reasonably priced. Any surprises or parties, this is a economical fun place to be with and carry out great memories.
(3)Mina D.
We've been saving to come here for when we were in town, after all we were given great insight on coming out to dine here. Unfortunately, our mediocre experience flattened our high expectations of this place. Although the waitress was cordial, her lack of remembering items that was included on the menu turned us off. Food took forever to come out. Appetizers came out in 30 mins, our entrees a good 45 mins afterwards. We were there for lunch, and it wasn't packed to full capacity. So we didn't understand why the turtle speed for service. The food was alright, I've had better. My son's kid meal had gelato included, however when I mention this to the waitress, she made it clear that she always forgets that it was included. And she did ask us what flavor to get him. So we waited for it, when she came by to hand us our bill, still no gelato, picked up our bill, and yet still no gelato. We waited patiently for a relentless 15 mins after that, and she didn't even acknowledge us while she was taking orders at the table next to us. So in the end, we left her a pleasant note about her lack of remembering one simple thing. And the whole drive home we had to explain to our son why he didn't get his ice cream.
(2)Joelle C.
This place is definitely a fun place to hang out. They take you through the kitchen and the cooks greet you. Like some restaurants, they have frames and decor all over their walls, leaving not a inch. I like that...just something for me to stare at while waiting for my order. The last time I went there, I ordered their Quattro al Forno, which is a sampler dish with portions of Cheese Manicotti, Chicken Cannelloni, Stuffed Shells and Ravioli. It's actually pretty good because they have chunks of tomato with sauce around it. Their food might be on the bland side a bit, but it doesn't bother me. We also had Salmon with Pesto, topped with sun-dried tomatoes, pesto cream sauce, pine nuts, served with vegetables, which I was not fond of. It didn't fit my taste buds. Another dish that we ordered was Porchetta Rustica: juicy herb-roasted boneless pork loin topped with a rustic red wine sauce that perfectly blends Balsamic vinegar, blueberries, capers and hazelnuts. Served with roasted potatoes and fresh vegetables. That was very good. The pork was tender and the sauce was good. Lastly, I didn't enjoy their apple italian soda. I like Old Spaghetti italian soda more. One more good note: we had a very nice waiter who was very cool, which made our experience better.
(3)Mattie P.
I've been to Buca several times. It's okay, but not a place I'd choose if I were hosting a dinner party. The decor is fun. Every square inch of wall space is covered with photos, mementos and ephemera celebrating all things Italian. Tables are crowded together and, combined with the obsessive decorating, the restaurant feels claustrophobic despite its large size. The "femmina" restroom is decorated with old feminine hygiene ads and '50s kitsch. It's cute and clever, but the piped-in music is so loud you can't hear yourself pee. Buca is a maze of hallways and dining rooms. If you're upstairs and the place catches fire, you can kiss your ass goodbye. You'll never find your way out. Service is friendly but mediocre and sloppy. Last night all the alcoholic drinks came out quickly but those of us who ordered soda or iced tea were forgotten. We had to re-order our drinks from a different server. Buca is a "family style" restaurant, which means tons of food is brought to the table on platters but not served to each person. I think this allows the wait staff to be a bit lazy. Our large group was given a stack of small salad plates but no dinner plates, so we ended up eating everything - bread, salads, entrees and deserts - from the same small plates. That was annoying. The food is just okay, nothing special. I was surprised to discover the "garlic bread" is actually a white pizza - a treat I haven't seen since I left Pennsylvania decades ago. It arrived, uncut, on a round pizza pan, which confused the other members of our party. I recognized it from the first bite. Now I know where to go if I get a white pizza craving in Sacramento. Portions are huge, even the "serves two" size. Unfortunately the vegetarian options are very limited. There were two vegetarians in our group and we only found two entrees to choose from. "Family style" is fine if everyone in the group eats the same dishes in the same amounts, but when you get a group together that wants different menu items, figuring the cost per person is a nightmare. Splitting the bill equally isn't fair to those who didn't eat or drink much, but there's no easy way to determine each person's share of the bill. This leads to overpaying (because nobody wants to underpay or look cheap) and this always works to the restaurant's advantage. That's fine if the service is spectacular, but I don't think the wait staff at Buca di Beppo deserves to reap a huge tip for shoddy service simply because nobody can accurately split the bill. Overall, Buca is fine for large, happy, casual groups. It's a fun atmosphere and the food is decent, but it could be much better.
(3)Mark P.
Cool atmosphere, generous portions, and food for the most part is pretty decent. I would probably come here only if I was with a group of friends wanting to eat large amounts of food haha but if I was just with my girlfriend looking to eat some Italian this is definitely not a place I would choose. Anytime I have eaten their spaghetti it has always tasted funny to me especially their meatballs, never order these by choice that's all I can say. Anything else you order is pretty good and tasty and I have already said expect a lot of it and leftovers for the next day. Downsides besides the spaghetti is sometimes the wait time to get seated but this is mostly during the weekends or getting close to them. Buca is a fun place though one I am sure at one time or another I will be back.
(3)Brad C.
I like this place. I always order extra so I have some to take home for a couple more meals. The service is pretty good as are the portions.
(4)Mary L.
My friends and I have officially renamed this place Buca di YUCKY! We went here to celebrate a late b-day dinner and had a horrible experience. My friend had phoned in our reservation early in the day, but we ran late so we called in, and they said that was fine.Idk if it was just a busy night, but when we got there we waited like 45 minutes to get seated WITH a reservation. I mean I know we were late, but still, people that got there WAY after us, were seated before. So when we were finally seated, we were seated way in the back, with a big party next to us. The ambiance there is definitely not one that you would expect fine dining from. It was so loud in this place that we had to shout to hear each other.The decorations and tacky pictures did not help with the ambiance. We were on a time crunch so we ordered everything at the same time. The food was so bleh. I mean considering how much you pay for their food, you'd think you would get some decent tasting food. Everything was bad! The soda was watered down, birthday cupcake was dry as hell, the bread they served was cold and small. BLEH!! The portion sizes here are pretty big, but they are definitely not worth it. Everything about this place was horrible, from the food, slow and bad service, and ambiance. NOPE NEVER AGAIN BUCA DI YUCKY !!!
(1)Lisa D.
Piizza is excellent. The spicy arrabbiata pizza is to die for and they serve it with a spicy oil to drizzle on top. Good stuff.
(5)MISS S.
I've been here a couple times for company parties and havent been impressed. The foods okay, servers are usually nice but I'm not a fan of family style eating. I heard recently they have individual plates now and we are planning on trying it again.
(3)mariza r.
four stars for the food-- 5 if it were just about garlic bread service is usually slow, and it is always LOUD so if you want quiet and romantic-- not the place to go.. i love all of the ridic italy inspired decorations-- every location is different but have similar decorations.. its different at every seat DO NOT tell yourself that you can a)finish a large portion by yourself or b)finish a small portion by yourself the first time i went here there was a shrimp pesto pasta as the special-- we went back later on and ordered a small and they charged us a ton for it because its not on the menu and it wasnt the special anymore-- but it was sooo good do you like garlic? do you like fluffy tasty bread? do you like cheese? -- it doesnt matter-- just get a garlic bread.. my bf and i order a large because we know we'll finish it otherwise we end up ordering another small half way through the meal. oh... and if you have any leftovers-- they pack it up for you and when you see the bag you always ask yourself-- how in the world did they pack all of that up into such little space? oh yeah-- parking suck on busy night because friday's is right next door too-- call in and make a reservation UPDATE 7/10/07 went back last night and ordered too much lasagna--- as well as some calamari which was fantastic.. it comes with spicy marinara which was also superb. i was a monday night so service was very good.. our drinks were refilled before we emptied them- which was a first
(4)Becca B.
I have eaten at BucaDeBeppo both at this location and the Roseville local. I have not eaten here for about a year and a half. I called the morning my group of 7 decided we wanted to dine here and made a 7:00 reservation. No problem. When we arrived and were seated I was surprised with the changes they made. The menu is no longer on the wall. You get a booklet style one to review. Its big! Also they have changes the entrees a little. They now have small and large or family style servings, and I think more choices. It took me awhile to decide for the group We ordered 2 salads. the green salad and the antipasto salad. Yummo! We had a pepperoni pizza, garlic bread, CHEESE ravioli, chicken Parmesan, spaghetti with big meatballs, and out of this world fettuccini!! We got complementary cakes for out birthdays and we ordered brownies. They were huge and yummy. We had tons of leftovers and left so full we could barley walk to our cars. Outstanding visit!!!
(5)Reuben R.
I wanted to like this place. I liked the kitsch Italian-American 50's New York thing they have going. The waiters get into it too. It's just that the food isn't good. At all. Giving me lots of it doesn't help. The spaghetti is pretty much what you get at home with a pot of boiling water and a can of cheap sauce. The Eggplant Parmesan is about the same as you can get frozen from the grocery store. Sorry.
(2)Grant y.
When I go out with alot of friends they always want to go here. Its a lot of food for a good price. Service is good to.
(4)Zhanna K.
It was a pretty good place. The waiter was nice, considering our loud group that night. Everything went well.. the wait wasn't that long, or maybe we didn't notice because we were having fun. However, the food is not that great, the pasta we had was very bland, the only flavor was on the chicken. But, amybe it was our dish because my brother said their dish was tasty. overall, a good place to go when you have a large croud.
(3)Maricel B.
I'm not too fond of Buca Di Beppo in general. I don't know about the "family-sized" portions and walking through the kitchen to get to your seats. The food is kind of bland and so was the service.
(2)Matt C.
This is my family's favorite Italian family restaurant (but we prefer the one in Roseville.....less crowded).
(5)Victoria B.
Italian food is my mana. It sustains me like no other food can. I have to have ravioli at least once every couple of months (preferably more often). Buca is good for an Italian fix, if you can't go to an independently owned place, this chain will do just fine. I have a couple of small complaints, but overall, I love this place. My main complaint is the house salad. Now, given, I ordered this at the Roseville location, but they seem pretty consistent with the menu at all the locations I've been to. The salad was essentially a huge plate of shredded iceberg lettuce with mediocre Italian dressing. It was a rip off, I felt. The place can also get awfully loud and crowded. Again, I found this was more the case at the Roseville location. Everyone brings their kids and there's at least one birthday party every time you go. I've had better luck with quiet dining when we sit near the bar. On the positive side, the wine selection is good. The ravioli, eggplant parmigiana, and the bread and dipping sauce are great. Their desserts are well done also. It's a fun place, which is was eating Italian food is all about.
(4)Big Appetite K.
One thing is for sure... this place won't sell you short on its serving portions! It's a family-style Italian restaurant, so most of their dishes are served in huge portions for you to share with others. You do have the option to order them in smaller portions, but most of the time, people come here to share huge plates with each other. The Calamari appetizers are excellent, and their pasta seems to be fairly decent. It's not a place that you can frequent, since their dishes can get a bit "old" if you go there too often. I don't think they offer enough variety for anyone to frequent more than once a month or so, unless you really, really love pasta. A few of their pizza selections are nice, but I think if you're coming here, it should be because you're getting together with friends and are in the mood for some serious eating. The service here has been good, although nothing that stands out from other places... and the place can seem a bit crowded if you go there during dinner rush hours. There isn't much space for people to walk around without possibly bumping into other people, so be careful when you're walking to the restroom, or entering/exiting your table area...
(3)Shannon C.
I went here On a Friday night with my girlfriend because we had a coupon. We will never go back. Our service was terrible. It took the waiter 20 minutes to get our drinks, and another 15 to take our order. Everything is a la carte, and the waiter was very condescending when he was explaining the menu, and how everything is served family style. We finally ordered the Caesar Salad and the Quarto al Forno. $9.99 for lettuce, dressing and some cheese. We didn't even get any croutons. We had to track him down again for bread. Then we got our meal, which was 4 of their stuffed pastas. The chicken cannelloni was terrible. The cheese raviolis were ok, the filling was good, but the raviolis weren't cooked right. Some were too mushy, and some were tough. The Stuffed shells were ok also. The manicotti was excellent, the cheese filling melted in your mouth. The sauce was mostly chunks of tomatoes and tomato liquid, not really a sauce. I prefer a thicker sauce. We ordered a small, which they say feeds 2-3 people, and we didn't have anything left. The portions didn't seem all that big to me. Before my coupon the bill was almost $40, which seemed way too high for what we got. As we were waiting to pay the check we watched the guy who comes out to clear the tables. His method of cleaning the table clothes off was to take his hand and wipe the crumbs off. In one instance, he couldn't get something off, so he turned the tablecloth over. Overall, I would not recommend this place, I'd rather go to Olive Garden.
(1)Ceci L.
Garlic Bread and Tiramisu are good, and not expensive! Great environment!
(5)RL L.
Been trying to come here for a long time and made reservations. Unfortunatley when we arrived we were told something about our reservations not going thru (although I showed my confirmation email) and we had to wait a bit. I wasnt happy with the reason but brushed it off-technology isnt always perfect. We had a rather large party but they crammed us into a booth in a corner near a busy spot so it was kind of uncomfortable (our other choice was to be seperated) but we made the best of it. The food was okay but I expected the portions to be a little larger. We were able to feed everyone but not sure if I really enjoyed everything. I'll try again with only one other person next time.
(3)Anthony W.
Not a bad chain. Olive Garden on steroids I suppose. The green apple salad was above average for sure. Predictable and kid friendly.
(3)Sara B.
I thought very highly of Buca until I ate there last night. For starters, we ordered the calamari. We were skeptical about ordering it at first, since good calamari is hard to find, but the waiter told us it was definitely tasty. To our disappointment, it was mediocre, at best. The sauce is usually the killer for any fried calamari, but it really lacked flavor. They also brought out complimentary bread with olive oil and vinegar. It was okay, but Buca would have definitely scored some more points if they actually took the time to heat up the bread. Seriously, cold bread with olive oil and vinegar? For the main course, we ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo, which was the hugest disappointment of the night. It tasted like there was barely any creamy sauce on it at all -- in fact, the sauce seemed to have absorbed into the Fettuccine, leaving it with little flavor at all. I'm not sure if it was the chef or what, but the food was a major letdown and very bland. The last time we came here the Fettuccine was almost to die for, so I'm not sure what went wrong this time. As for the service, it was very good. Our food was given to us promptly with little wait time, and there was no wait time to be seated, either. The waiter made it a point to keep checking in on us to make sure we were okay and that our beverages didn't run low. I love this place's atmosphere; however, I agree that it's centered more around quantity (family-sized portions at an affordable price) than it is on the quality of the food.
(3)Will C.
Pretty good...nice atmosphere. Great for groups!
(4)Lauren H.
Came back to this Buca location for hubby's and my 2-year wedding anniversary dinner. Our server, Allison, was delightful! The food was as good as it has been the past few times we've visited. All in all, a consistent and pleasant meal. Yay Buca!
(4)Janelle M.
i love this place the italian food is great, and portions a huge!!!! no joke. i have the lasagna, with floritine french bread, with a budwiser and you get to keep the beer glass. the prices are a little high but, worth the flavor. i highly recommend this place to anyone who enjoys great italian food..
(5)Rebecca J.
The food is usually good here, but one time while waiting, I noticed that a few of the small plates were dirty and that repulsed me just a little bit. One time I accidentally left my card and called to pick it up. When I came and got it, he just handed it to me and didn't ask for id or anything....I am just glad that I was the one who picked it up and not some stranger who could have pretended to have lost their card. I haven't been there since these two incidents, but might give them another try in the future.
(3)Christina D.
Yum. Lets just say.. I love the food here. Definitely try to come here as often as possible. (: Bring lots of friends because it's family style. The Penne Basilica is one of my favorites. Must get! Service is alright here. You can't expect the best because they're busy and I totally understand that they can't give everyone the most amazing service ever, considering the fact that each table averages about 5-10 people.
(5)Blake C.
This place is great for families and work get together's. When you walk in the place doesnt look that big but once you get seated and take a walk through the kitchen you realize how big this place really is with upstair and downstairs seating. Even though many may think the wall decor is a bit tacky, yes there is a picture of a baby peeing, weird! Anyway, you can order family style with most items feeding up to 6 people, or small style with those feeding up to 3 people. Expect to spend about $20-$30 a person here but its well worth it. You gotta try their pizza and pasta as its the staple of this place...of course it is...its an italian restaurant. Come hungy and you will leave happy and full. Bring elastic pants or unbuckle your belt! I personally love this place and the food is great and you should always try this place at least once. You are sure to come back. Most italian places serve the same bland italian food with the same bland marinara sauce. Not here, everything is made fresh and they go over the top with the serving. You get your money worth!
(5)Mauricio V.
We went for a friend's birthday and I didn't think the service was that great. Because I did not choose the food I will not rate that portion of the event. However the service could have been better. 1. I basically found my party and sat myself. I had to wander around little bit too cause they were upstairs in a corner. 2. When I did sit down I was never asked for a drink. I went down to the bar to get it myself. 3. We had a reservation for 16 but only had seating for 11; not exactly adding up. 4. The location we had was just completely inconvenient. I won't blame them too much for this cause it was a busy night but I will recommend never to get the Pope room. Not only is it hard to maneuver in there with a big party but the Pope staring you in the face while eating is a bit creepy.
(2)D K.
This place is probably the best option for Italian in the area. Agree that the portions are quite large as it's intended for family style. I would like there to be an option for individual dessert. I did enjoy the free bead and vinaigrette while waiting for the entree, adding salt and pepper to it was good. I want to believe that the quality of food and service here outweigh the appearance of the interior, so I hesitate to make this the target of any "special" occasion. Favorite entree: spicy chicken rigatoni, but I wish there were a lot more peas. Will go back
(3)Stephanie D.
Could be better. I was really excited to go. I received an ad from them in the mail and signed up for the email coupon offers. The food sounded good. We went middle of Sunday afternoon, around 3pm and figured we'd beat the rush and not have much of a wait. I lost track of time standing around the small entrance, crowded with other customers waiting for a seat as well. Finally when then brought us to our seats, we passed by many empty seats. It appeared they were just waiting on more workers to show up. They seemed pretty disorganized. I would rather have been delayed at my table than having to stand shoulder to shoulder out front. I was surprised to find out the meal is served family style and not individual plates. Seemed a bit overpriced for what you get, but it was tasty.
(3)RoseMichelle M.
PROS: I always order the limon chicken with extra capers, cheese ravioli in meat sauce and the fettuccine alfredo. I've never had a problem with that as my order. CONS: My friends ordered other noodle dishes and they all tasted the same. Some of the noodles were undercooked. Service at this Sacramento location blows. This place needs to hold a class for their waiters on how to act towards their customers. A friendly smile and polite reply will get you far.
(3)Alex M.
Food is always good, can't go wrong with pasta and Brett is an amazing waiter!
(5)Tri V.
Always heard this place was good but never tried it. We ordered a supremo pizza and gnocchi telefono. The pizza was very good. I was surprised because I made pizza for quite a few years when I was a teenager and didn't think anybody made anything significant. It was the blend of specialty meats and cheese on top of this pizza that made it so good. The gnocchi was what I was craving for also. Potato stuffed dumpling pasta in their sauce was very delicious. I only wished they used sweet potato in their gnocchi. The service was on par. The hostess walked us through the kitchen. The restaurant is very elaborate with the over 2000 pictures on the wall (i was told). All of which made the restaurant better. A couple of old fashioneds and accompanied by an old friend made it a good dinner.
(4)Tyler B.
You would have to be lacking taste buds to think this place is good. This place is a gimmick, with all kinds of tacky crap on the walls to ensure that you aren't paying attention to just how lame and tasteless the food is here. It really couldn't get any more bland. The spaghetto reminds me of something I'd cook if I received WIC. The alfredo sauce seems to be missing some key ingredients including butter and parmesan cheese. It was like water and flour for sauce - tasteless. I simply don't understand how or why anyone would eat here unless you are a corporate company that is forced to do a company dinner and want to get off as cheap as you possibly can by feeding your employees low quality food in huge quantity.
(1)Vicky T.
Buca is probably my favorite chain Italian restaurant. The servings are huge (designed to be family style) and the service is consistently competent. My boyfriend and I ordered the Penne Arrabbiata, Shrimp Fra Diavolo, and Margherita pizza. Unfortunately, the Penne Arrabbiata, the dish my boyfriend judges every Italian restaurant on, was essentially flavorless (we took it home for leftovers and added our own seasoning). Thank goodness for the other two dishes. "Let's go get that authentic Italian food!" This is what I hear from my sarcastic, mocking boyfriend every time we pass by a Buca. Yes, yes, this place isn't "authentic" but did it ever claim to be?
(4)Brandon H.
The seafood, spaghetti, and drinks were decent. The aroma and atmosphere lingered a more authentic experience. This is the most enjoyable Italian dining place in the whole city, but then again I haven't been to that many Italian places in Sacramento. One thing I favored was the booths were knitly packed, open spaces do not induce appetite.
(4)Eryn K.
My boyfriend and I went there to meet my mom for dinner and it was pretty good. The service was quick and pretty good. My only complaint was the manager reprimanding the host while we were waiting for our table. He gave a party the wrong table or something and she was fairly rude to him about it which is really none of my business, So i wish she would have been a bit more discrete about it or took him in the back not in front of the waiting customers. Made me feel bad for the guy.
(4)Sarah S.
I feel like this review may jeopardize my credibly. But, F it. I really like this place. Everything I have here is solid to great. I like: * Apple Gorgonzola Salad * Cheese Ravioli * Bruschetta (this is hit or hit-ish based on location though...) But I give it the fourth star b/c of the atmosphere & feel of the place. All my memories of this place involve family and fun, and usually a glass of wine. Most of the servers I've had, and I've been to at minimum 4 locations, are pleasant and attentive. I love the extra cheesy (x 3, maybs) decor and the Italian lessons in the bathroom. This is a chain that works. I'll take Buca most days of the week (but probably not more than once per month b/c it doesn't exactly fit in with the healthiest of lifestyles.) Like a ton, nearly love.
(4)Mark Z.
Pros: Great food Cons: service wasn't that great, and it took a party of 6, 2:15 minutes after seating to get out check to leave. Food was very slow to come out as well, but was pretty good.
(4)Barbara W.
Must say this place is much better than the Santa Monica Bucca as far as food/service is concerned. Went at lunch time as it was pretty empty. Hubby had the chicken parm..wonderful. I had the Penne San Remo-delish. Both were hot and came in a timely manner. The only thing was our server had to ask us twice for our order as he forgot...must be new or just a bad memory. (We had a $25 gift cert from the Santa Monica Bucca's manager as we had bad experience there) Glad the Sacramento Bucca was much better.
(4)Kellie P.
This trip to Bucca on Howe sucked! The food tasted like it came from Stoffers....the usually awesome garlic mashed potatoes tasted like garlic infused wallpaper glue.... And I paid $78 to eat horrible food...ugh! The only redeeming thing was our server Bryan... Awesome guy!! Bucca.....I won't ever be back...you seriously lost a good and long time customer...and no more recomendations to friends either...
(2)Miki S.
Pasta... Anyway, obviously cost effective unless you aren't sharing. Huge portions. I must say the lasagne was impressive.
(4)Tim H.
Egh. Is that how you spell it? Eh. I think that's how you spell it? Pretty wack here. I liked this before and I remember having way better tasting food. Sadly, times must have changed. The economy. I blame the economy. Cheaper ingredients. Cheaper labor. I'm just guessing. Food: The portions here are big. Well it's a family style restaurant. Order a dish and just share with everyone. It's fun and a really good idea. I'm only used to eating like that at Chinese restaurants. I had a lot of dishes and by far the best was the crusted chicken and spicy chicken pasta thing. I don't really remember the names because the food was not that good. The other dishes were bland and all tasted the same. Big disappointment. But hey, what can you do? One big issue I had was with the "lobster" appetizer thing. It's suppose to be a lobster dip with bread. The thing tasted like nacho cheese. Psh....BS. Staff: Friendly and very welcoming. Italian hospitality. Nice. Cool Plus: Two story restaurant with an optional table in the kitchen. Yea, you can actually have dinner in their kitchen. Pretty neat I must say. Final Verdict: This place deserves a 3 star no doubt, but the most recent visit was a mere 2 star. Maybe a bad day for them? Maybe. But hey, I'm a nice guy sometimes...I'm coming back and hopefully the 3 stars stand, if it sucks, I'm making this place a 1 star. Go big or go home!!!!
(3)Stacy G.
The motto here is quantity over quality. All the food here is huge, greasy, and garlicky as all get-out, served family-style. This setting would seemingly encourage families dining there. So why are there pictures of nude women in many of the rooms? Nothing like exposing children to soft-core porn at a young age to get them off on the right foot in life. I'm not really offended by it personally; after all, I'm an adult and a women. I guess nudity and Italian ambience are apparently synonymous, but it seems slightly hypocritical. Three stars because our office luncheon there last Christmas was pretty fun and they have a good setting for private parties. The staff was very accommodating. At my boss' request, they covered up select pictures with sheets of white paper prior to our arrival. :-)
(3)Tim L.
Buca is one of those family-style Italian restaraunts. Every salad, appetizer, entree, and dessert is served in HUGE portions... so feel free to bring your fat friends! This one out here in Sac has a friendly wait staff and this big dude who seems to be the designated singer here. He gets hella into it and has this deep voice and sings for the birthday people... "Meatball, meatball.. something, something, something" Its awesome tho, you should say its your birthday when you go. Food-wise, I highly recommend the Chopped Salad, Mozzarella Garlic Bread, Chicken Carbonara, Proscuitto Stuffed Chicken... actually... wait... EVERYTHING here is good! You can't really go wrong with whatever you order. Good food, good beers, good times! ** only reason this gets 4 stars instead of 5 is because last time we went, we had a new waiter who didn't really know much and mixed up our beers.. sorry new guy
(4)Ongie C.
PRO: Garlic cheesy bread - I think you consume like half a wheel of cheese, plus will sweat garlic for days, but it's UH-mazing! CON: Um... is it just me, or is it just a *tad* strange (and awkward) to walk through the kitchen in order to get seated? And would you really want to sit at the big booth right across from the main kitchen area? Wait... isn't this concept sort of unsanitary? Oh, the questions that boggle my mind! COOL FACT: This location used to be a bank. My dearest gal pal pointed that out to me while we waited for our meal. Enjoy this nugget of knowledge :) First time coming to Buca where it was just me and a girl friend. NOT a cheap dinner. Small order of cheesy garlic bread, antipesto chopped salad, baked ravioli, and each had an Italian soda = $30 EACH after tax and tip. Yes, it's a definitely a "splurge" meal if you're not with a huge group. On the plus side, I was stuffed to my heart's content and the waiter, though slightly hard to understand 'cause of his accent, was a very lovely person.
(3)Emily W.
Any place that feels they need a big neon sign in the window that says... "health inspected" just scares me away. Why on earth would you ever advertise that!!!!
(1)Paul D.
Two of us came to this restaurant because my friend lived in Sacramento long ago and remembered it. We didn't realize that it was family style. Due to my friend's dietary restrictions that meant we had to order one thing and share it, so we decided on a pizza Marguerite. It was the worst pizza I ever ate -- undistinguished sauce, moz, and basil, with a disgraceful crust that showed a complete ignorance of baking basics. Hard, chewy, no flavor development in the dough, almost unleavened even. My friend chewed on but I begged for mercy and asked for a plate of spaghetti -- about which all I can say is that the pasta was cooked correctly, but again a sauce that had nothing to recommend it; it could be it was just canned marinara. It was served without garnish, no fresh parm, herbs, nothing. The decor is eclectic, intending to be fun, but would possibly be offensive to conservative parents. Also I passed a table on the way to the bathroom with a transparent box containing the bust of a previous Pope as a centerpiece (!?)
(1)La La T.
FINALLY!!!! WE HAVE TRIED BUCAS!! My family and I was wanting to try Bucas for a long time... So, last night after a day of shopping we decided to do it!! We had to wait 10 mins for a table, which wasnt bad.. I had to wait for the Bf to arrive anyway. We got seated near the bar, across the bar! Our server was cool, he was an older guy with an accent and made our experience fun and comfortable. We ordered 3 italian sodas, which was a mistake, $3.95 each!!? Next time, just get 1 and share.. we got free bread to eat with some olive oil & balsamic vinegar i think.. We ordered the Linguini somethin Di Mare, mussels..shrimp..calamari..& clams tossed in a clam wine sauce.. BOMB! And another pasta dish, Penne San remos?? I forgot, it was penne pasta with sundried pepper artichoke hearts and chicken.. it was okay. We killed both plates instantly, and was stuffed!!! There was 4 of us, 2 small eaters, and 2 big eaters.. Man, it was good.. but the bill was a bit high..$60 sodas were already about $14!!! I enjoyed my time at Bucas, but I can make the same dishes at home for waaayyyyy cheaper.. This place is good for celebrating and special occasions..
(3)Amy H.
Horrible!! I would never go here again! Both pasta dishes were bland and noodles over cooked. There was also not enough sauce on the pasta. Also we had to wait a long tine for drinks and bread. The server said that the bread had just got done and they needed to cut it. So I was expecting hot fresh bread nope it was cold!! Nobody even wanted to take the leftovers home!
(1)Richard F.
I recently dined at Buca for the first time with my friend and I had an amazing experience! We got there and waited for about 20-30 minutes for a table. When it was time, one of the hosts guided us through the kitchen; a surprising concept for a restaurant, but they must be proud of their kitchen to do it and it also allows the guests to see where their food is coming from. The atmosphere was very energetic! The place was full and very loud. A couple people had birthdays, so some of the waiters brought out cake and sang to them. The walls were decorated with many different pieces of art and other cultural objects. It's a very unique atmosphere. As for the food, my friend and I shared a small baked rigatoni. It was enough to feed us both, despite the menu saying it could feed three people. The dish was served in a large bowl for family style. The food itself was delicious! It all melted in my mouth. I would definitely recommend this dish! For dessert we had a chocolate cake which was heavenly. My favorite part was the fact that instead of frosting like typical cakes have, this one had fudge. YUM! Service was great here! Our waiter came by our table many times to check on us. Food came out promptly. The employees were cheerful and pleasant. The manager even went around picking up plates. I also noticed the hosts walking around the restaurant, which I would think they do to provide a more accurate wait time for guests who are waiting for a table. Thumbs up if that's what they're doing! I would definitely come back here again. The prices are a little steep, but if you have a coupon, it really helps ease the pain on your wallet.
(4)Virgo M.
Buca is kinda like Chuck E Cheese...you don't really go there for the food--it's the experience. If you agree, it won't surprise you to know the food here is and always will be as bland as it gets. However, the ambiance and family style servings make it an okay place to hang for special occasions, like a graduation. Thanks to a couple of work awards, I was out the door for under $30 bucks including tip. The waitress was on the sarcastic side, more than my liking, so she should feel lucky she still got a great tip. I mean, really....who corrects the customer "it's broooz-KETTA, not brooosh-ETTA" Oh yeah? How about you just go gather up the bread with tomatoes on it less any flavor and leave my bad enunciation to myself, and me, and I. Later, she corrected my stepdaughter's new boyfriend when he accidentally called the cannoli, cannelloni. "Cannelloni? That's chicken" she said with an obnoxious giggle. Later, she comes back and says--loud enough to be heard in Jersey "OH THATS PRETTY NICE HOW YOU HAD $50.00 OFF IN GIFT CERTIFICATES TO PAY FOR THE DINNER!" There went impressing anyone with my buca-da-beppo-like-baller-ness. Bia, Bia.
(2)Bee D.
I've gotta agree with Rene L, the prices are really high, but I also agree with Mark L. , the portions are pretty generous. But the price tag at the end of dinner is a wee bit on the higher end. We decided to give the restaurant a dry-run, for our Graduation Night Festivities. My son, his fiance and our soon to be grad and I had dinner on tuesday. We arrived around 7pm and were seated as soon as we arrived (yes, business was a bit slow). Our server (his name slips me right now) was very attentive without being "cloying." We started with a pitcher of Sangria for $17.95, not too sweet, not too tart. It was Goldilocks style.... just right!! We enjoyed about 2.5 glasses each. Our server kept the free bread which was soft yet chewy and fresh coming, which kept my 6'2" athlete son happy. We ordered the small salad, the small chicken Parmesan, side fettuccine Alfredo and side spaghetti with marinara. We polished off all but a small amount of chicken and fettuccine which was tomorrows lunch for my son. $70, including 15% gratuity and the Sangria. We'll be back! PS. You can go online and do a search for coupons and almost always find one for $10 off. (I forgot mine at home. Waaahhhh)
(4)Thanh N.
mMMmMm my all time favorite italian pasta dish is from buca, Penne Arrabiata! If you're coming here, you HAVE TO TRY this dish! It's a bit on the spicy side, but it's delicious! I've taken many friends here, and they always order their own dishes and ask to try mine, and ALWAYS say "OMG" that's so good! & come back just to order the dish! Make sure you google the $10 off $20 coupon too! I've eaten at Buca at least 2+ times a month for the past two and a half years! I've notice them changing their complimentary bread at least two times, their raise in prices :(, & their change in how dishes are cooked. Their gelato pints were AWESOME too, but they no longer offer it :( If you ever have JJ help you, please tip her well! She was extremely nice and courteous & had awesome service! We only ordered out, so we didn't tip. I felt some regret, so if I ever come, and she helps me out, I'll be sure to compensate for my last trip ;) She conversed with me while I ordered togo, and even went out of her way to open the door for my boyfriend and I on the way out. Seriously? who does that?! only JJ! I think they should promote her, that was by far the most excellent personal service I've ever received from a hostess!
(4)Janelle C.
Went here for lunch today...granted with a group but we are a pretty with it and hungry group. The food was WAY substandard! The salad was a total waste of time and money; the soup okay but very small portion for the money; the pizza was soggy and the service just plain sucked. Two hours in we all left feeling ripped off, unsatisfied and well, like having a decent lunch somewhere else.
(1)Trevor S.
Family style dining = get a small if you want to serve 2 people and take some home. The times that I went was with either family (small group) or friends (large group) and the staff was always nice and prompt. The restaurant CAN be loud, however, so don't go if you're expecting a quiet dinner.
(4)