I've been going here off and on for 10-15 years. On average I'd give the food quality 4 stars. There's a couple dishes that I think are 5 star. My last visit was a bit off. Our meal wasn't so good (for the first time ever). Further, I didn't feel that my complaint was heard. And that upset me. (Somebody here posted a picture of their pasta. I know there was a mistake with ours, because ours looked nothing like that picture. If it had, there would have been no issue.) Since this is an online world, I voiced my frustration. And out of nowhere somebody from Bucco management tracked me down and basically comp'ed my entire meal after the fact. That's actually more than I deserve and a class act. So, I'm back to being a fan. Everyone is entitled to one off day in 15 years. The important thing: Do they make it right. And Bucco did. If you're here, you must be trying to figure out if you should go. Here's the simple facts. Its quality food. The "value" is proportional to the size of your group. They serve everything "ala carte" and in large portions. So its expensive to go alone and hope to have soup, salad, entrees, side dishes, etc. But in a large group you can order a lot of stuff and take bits from all the plates so that it all works out to a reasonable per-person price point.
(4)
Michael H.
The wife and I went here for her cousin's birthday/college graduation party. Walking up to the place, it looks like a typical Italian restaurant complete with Roman style sculptures out front. Once you enter, it is a bit less typical and a bit more eccentric. They take you from the front entry way through the kitchen to get to the dining rooms. The interior of the restaurant is designed to resemble someone's home with multiple rooms. That way private parties can each have separate dining rooms. However, it can be a bit confusing and maze-like to find the restrooms through all of the hallways, dining rooms and bar. The walls are lined with photos to further the impression that you're in someone's home. However, some of the pictures can be a bit distracting--child picking his nose, butt cracks, full rear nudity and the like. Some of the pictures are charming. Others are a bit odd. For a gathering the size of our party, the food was served family style. You get bread with olive oil to dip it in. You get fried, breaded cheese triangles. Both are good. You get fried calamari which has a nice tempura like breading, but the calamari was a bit overdone and chewy. The rigatoni with shrimp and fra diavolo sauce was good. The sauce was a bit thin, but it had a nice heat to it. The salads were nice, because unlike some places they didn't use cheap iceberg lettuce. That meant that I could eat it, because my lactose intolerance prevents me from eating iceberg lettuce. The salmon was nicely seasoned and fork tender. The chicken was also nicely seasoned. Then, there was the dessert. The cheesecake was creamy and delicious. The pictures in the restrooms were the weirdest that I have ever seen in a restaurant. They had pictures of full nudes duplicating the poses of Roman sculptures. They had pictures of people urinating. The place was charming and weird, but my wife and I would go back to eat again, because the food was good.
(3)
Pete P.
Nice Italian chain. I had a gift card so the meal was free for me but I thought it was a bit pricey for what it is. Really great service!! The waitress was informed of an allergy at the table and went above and beyond anywhere else to make sure said allergy was acknowledged by the kitchen staff and brought any possible issues to the table for consideration. The prosciutto stuffed chicken and the chicken carbonara were excellent!! A nice visit here was had!!
(4)
Executive Chef Ronnie B.
Server is great!! Ambiance I crazy cool old school And the food is classic and this place have to be awesome for parties
(4)
Annette J.
This is a bit of a review for their "special event" hosting. Came here for my friend's baby's sex reveal dinner (that's a mouthful!). It was a small group of her closest family and a few girlfriends who got together to find out if she was having a girl or a boy. We also ate a lot of carbs. My idea of a good time! We had a small private room in the back (this place is FULL of private rooms all configured in a maze-like way) with a massive round table that we all filled in around. It was the pope room so it was decorated with papal memorabilia and the centerpiece was a huge bust of Pope Francis. It was magical. We felt blessed. Actually, some people might think it creepy but we thought it hilarious. Book it for your next party! Aaaaannnnnnyway. The evening consisted of family style dishes like spaghetti with marinara, salads, bread, roast chicken and green beans. The table had a bit of a lazy susan in the middle so we could easily rotate all the plates throughout the group. Easy for taking seconds without making a scene, too. The food was good. I feel like anytime something is served up in a huge batch it can be hard to maintain quality control but they did a pretty good job. Everything tasted good and I definitely got my fill. It wasn't the best Italian that I had but it got the job done and we had a lovely time. For dessert my pal had a cake that she cut into with the frosting inside indicating the sex of the baby. We brought the cake in from another another bakery but the staff at Buca was awesome about helping us serve it. In general the servers were fab. Very attentive to our giggly little group. I'm not sure I'd myself do a full on shower or something here but for smaller scale, casual celebrations where you want an easy night and some fast, filling food it gets the job done.
(3)
Mike B.
Service was good. Food is nothing to brag about. Fettuccini Alfredo was horrible. Tasted like noodles with wet flour on them. Even after drowning them in pepper and the grated cheese it still didn't help the dish. The waitress was nice enough to take it off the bill. Lemon chicken was nothing to brag about didn't taste that much lime lemon either. I gave this place a second chance and they failed again. Last time i come to one of these places. Last time i ate at this place was in Manhattan and my table and table next to us both were complaining about the food and had most of our food taken off the bill.
(2)
Peggy F.
Will be giving this a chance again on sat the 21st... Hopefully it's back to the high standards that we had been used to... If this event is a fail... We will be looking for a new venue ....... I will update you after Saturday's dinner
(3)
Ilana T.
I worked with Buca to organize a corporate event and they were beyond amazing to work with!! They created a special menu for us that was within our budget and were extremely accommodating. The chef clearly makes things fresh and the day of and the staff is so friendly and helpful - I am so excited to see how wonderfully our dinner will turn out. Thank you to Buca for making this process quick, easy and successful! I would absolutely recommend Buca for such events! Ask for Angela Esquivel and she will be amazing and help you :)
(5)
Nichole V.
After reading the mixed reviews I was a little bit hesitant about trying this place. But I received a $20 off coupon for my birthday so it prompted me to try them out anyway. I went with my husband and my daughter. My daughter is extremely picky so I was a little uneasy about the family style serving. When we got there we will quickly seated in a room filled with pictures that took you into old school Italy. I found it surprising that when you get there you get a short tour through the kitchen. The kitchen appeared clean. Our waitress was out of this world helpful and amazing. She brought out both bowl sizes so we could see what we were up against. The large was way way too much for what we needed! We decided to get that time sausage with rigatoni and cheese manicotti. When it csme to our table I was a little un sure about the manicotti but after biting into it it was delicious creamy filling and light sauce almost perfect to our liking. The mozzarella garlic bread was not too bad either we would definitely go back and recommend trying this place at least once
(4)
Sara B.
It was just ok. We got spaghetti and meat sauce that was ok and of a good sized portion, but it needed a bit more flavor, and seemed a bit pricey at $19.99 for the small portion. I was also a bit put off by the fact that they walked us through the kitchen as part of the restaurant tour, but it was pretty dirty; not something I wanted to see in a place that would be making my food. I think for that money and taste I'd rather just stay home.
(3)
Angel D.
Very disappointed in the lack not commitment between myself and the event manager. I was scheduled to have my baby shower there and two days before my event she called and told me they had not only given the space away that I was holding my party in but she had no other time slots for me and my party. She did everything to ruin my event possible therefore I canceled I did not want to spend a dime as I was clearly being mistreated. She did not honor our original agreement.
(1)
An V.
I was thoroughly satisfied with the experience I had at Buca di Beppo! I was not expecting such a delectable experience. First off, the restaurant is a maze with lots of turns and twists. I love the decor. There are a lot of interesting photos on the wall and the ceiling is covered with empty wine bottles. We (group of five) sat in the Gangster Booth, which was awesome! The service was good, not particularly friendly, but it was good. The real highlight was the food. We had mozzarella sticks (they were actually triangles) and the house bread for appetizers. The bread wasn't anything special, but the marinara sauce with the mozzarella sticks was excellent. The cheese was perfect, not too hard or too stringy like some other places. For our main course we had chicken parmasean, baked ziti, and manicotti. The texture chicky chicky parm parm was very tender and the cheese on top was sweet and perfect. The highlight of the meal was the manicotti. The mixture of cheeses stuffed inside was just so delicious and the pasta was cooked to perfection. The tomato sauce on both the manicotti and chicken parmasean was sweet and delicious. The baked ziti, however, left something to be desired. Some of the pasta seemed like it was not cooked long enough and was a little hard. I was really let down by the state of the facilities. The (men's) bathroom was pretty bad, which was especially disappointing considering how clean and beautiful the rest of the restaurant is. Overall this place is great, I love the family style eating. In our group of five, we had one vegetarian and two picky eaters, but we still managed to all thoroughly enjoy the food. I highly recommend this place!
(4)
K M.
SO overpriced. With a table of 10 it turned out to be about $50-$60 per person. We ordered the small size entrees to share, two appetizers and one large dessert. The food was decent, nothing better than the Olive Garden. The restaurant was half empty on a Saturday night at 7pm. Waiter was strange and seemed annoyed he had such a large table. We won't be coming back.
(2)
Ashley G.
I went there on Valentine's Day 2015 with 3 other guests this restaurant is a bit pricey but it is worth it and portions are very large it is a good restaurant for four people and up the food was some of the best I ever had the chicken alfredo that is. It's a very nice scenery to it gives you a nice warm feel of Italy at home. I heard they also have a table you can book in the kitchen haven't got the check that out yet. and also got a $50 off coupon for 4 people after my first visit
(5)
Tricia S.
This place is beside our hotel so after riding past it a few times we decided to go in. Well it was Good Italian food. The decor and layout is different than what I'm used to.... But hey a good meal is a good meal.
(4)
Chris M.
Reserved a large room and pre ordered family style. Worked out awesome . Good food and plentiful , staff very nice . The manager I worked with prior to arrival was superb !! Only complaint was at the end our waitress got a little pushy about her tip!!
(4)
Brett C.
I'm always tired of going to the same places for romantic meals. So, last night we went to a place we haven't been to in years: Buca di Beppo. If you love Italian food, this nearly authentic restaurant will take you down the streets of Sicily, through the tunnels of Venice, and right in front of the Vatican. You'll need a reservation, as this place is hoppin'. We made ours using OpenTable and were very impressed at how quickly we were seated. We went in on a Friday evening at 7:30...on Valentine's Day...so finding a parking spot was rough. But once I joined my wife inside, we were seated 5 minutes later after showing up 12 minutes early. This place is great for the experience. When they seat you, they walk you right through the kitchen. Don't worry...it's hygienic. You're walking past a big opening really. They actually have a table "in" the kitchen you can sit at, but you have to make a reservation. Once you're out, the walls are adorned with pictures from Italy and its famous faces. One such face that stuck out at me was Sophia Loren. Our table was meant for four but the extra space was nice with an 8-month pregnant wife. Our server was Dana and she joined us right away. She took my drink order and got us started with the mozzarella garlic covered bread basket. I ordered the house light beer (forgot the name) in their souvenir glass. Now, Buca di Beppo is really a family-style restaurant. Meaning, all the portions are typically meant for 6-8 people BUT they do offer smaller portions for 2-3 people. And that's the route we took. When Dana returned we ordered the stuffed shells. The entree came rather quickly and the plate was HOT! It was a good portion, coming with 6 fully stuffed pasta shells but we were surprised that there weren't maybe two more. No big deal. They were absolutely delicious and we were able to eat the 3-a-piece between 2 of us. Surprisingly, we had room for dessert. Or so we thought. Like with any Italian restaurant we usually visit, we ordered the tiramisu. Based in what we saw up to that point regarding portion size, our thought was that they would bring one plate with a nice big square of tiramisu in the center. This was totally not the case. They brought an entire bowl of tiramisu to the table. It wasn't too rich or sweet. It was the right amount of light and fluffy to rich and creamy. It was delicious. It could have at least fed 4. We took the rest home. Now, this was Valentine's Day and we went above and beyond what we would usually order. But for what we ordered, our bill was very fair at roughly $75 after it was all said and done. This is a place you go once a year or if you have a huge group of people you want to feed quickly. We love this place and will be back very soon.
(5)
Vance P.
I'd say this place is the Max & Erma's of Italian-American dining. My meal didn't have quite the punch I was looking for, but it wasn't as horrible as I had anticipated (based on the reviews I've read here). Our waitress was really nice too. I'm glad I didn't get the below mentioned Nazi waiter.
(3)
Kate B.
Kitschy and more fun to look at than to eat at, they have a great tiramisu!
(3)
Lisa P.
My party of 8 was celebrating a college graduation, a birthday, and a proposal that was to happen during our meal so I wanted everything to go very smoothly. I made reservations via Open Table, which allows you to make special requests so I articulated the above. Buca called me the day of the reservation to confirm, at which time I reiterated that we needed things to go smoothly and we'd prefer a table in a more intimate area if possible. She couldn't commit to that but said they'd really try. Her shift ended before our reservation and it seemed evident to me that nothing I articulated earlier (both in my reservation and verbally over the phone) was carried forward to the next shift. Our group was shoved into a booth and 2 chairs were added to the end of the table. (I suspect a little table was added to the booth table; the table cloth covered it up.) I explained to our hostess the situation and she offered to let me speak to the manager. He was very nice and ended up moving us to an unoccupied round table off the banquet hall. I am sure if there wasn't a marriage proposal happening, he would've told me we were out of luck. This is why I deducted a star. There are too many Buca reviews where people have complained about unmet expectations with regard to reservations, including large parties being crammed into too small spaces. Buca, please stop doing this! If you don't have a table for X number of people, don't allow the reservation to be made! Apart from that, everything was fantastic! I was worried, again because of some reviews on Yelp, but it was a wonderful experience (sans the fact that I had to have dinner with my ex-husband). Waitress--came back to check on us many times. Food--was hot and delicious. Note that the entree portions are large so I ended up over-ordering because I was afraid the portions would be tiny. I'd highly recommend everything we ordered: Fried Mozzarella, Artichoke Dip, Mozzarella Garlic Bread (this was "okay"), Chicken Parm, Beppo's Soffici Gnocchi, Lasagna, Quattro Al Forno. The food was, by all accounts, fantastic. (This food never would've fit on the original table!) They seated us right away although 2 people were about 30 min late. Their website says they won't seat until the whole party was there so I really appreciated that we had no issues with that. There were super busy at 645 pm on a Sunday so I think that says a lot about customer satisfaction. My daughter (the guest of honor for all 3 things we were celebrating) loved the atmosphere, the kitschy wall hangings and statues, the booth in the kitchen, it was just fun for her and enhanced our experience even more. We had a great night and I honestly think that going to Buca's took it to the next level over and above going to your run-of-the-mill restaurant. It was a great place to create a long-lasting memory for my daughter and future son-in-law. Very happy with my decision to go here. I would advise anyone who has a special event to micromanage the details and ensure you've got the manager's attention long before your event to prevent any issues.
(4)
Tyler B.
Very slow service. Food was okay, but the large portion size and price is a pain when you have a family that can't agree on things.
(1)
Gary A.
So did you know this place is open for lunch, and they have lunch portions. I mention this because there was less than 15 people in the restaurant for lunch, but try dropping in for dinner, this place is always packed. I know this place is know for its family style meals, but when over places for lunch are so crowd, it doesn't make sense. I actually asked them if they were open for lunch. OK, this is an "American" style Italian restaurant. Pasta and the triple threat, Parmigiana, Marsala, and Lasagna. Since I was there for lunch, they do have a decent lunch menu, salad and pasta or soup, and the portions were still big. Normally for dinner, it is served in family style or really big family style. This place is set up for big groups, and it has a very kitchy decor. Wait staff is younger and friendly, serve was a little slow, but we weren't in a hurry. I assume they incent the wait staff with appetizer and desert quotes - its their job. Nothing on the menu really stands out, but the menu is not that diverse. Its location is good, right off the highway - really the first restaurant at the start of restaurant row on Haggerty.
(3)
C S.
We went to Buca last Saturday for dinner. Had a $10 off $20 coupon. We ordered the baked rigatoni. when it was delivered to our table it was a bowl full of pasta. it had a few cooked tomato dices in it and 3 slices of Italian sausage.and it had 3 melted mozzarella balls on top. Not worth even the $10 we spent. The Pasta was overcooked and dried out. quite disgusting. I won't go back - ever. my prediction for Buca is that it won't be there in 2 years. Go to Bravo up the road for a flavorful meal.
(1)
Robert S.
The food was very tasty. We got the chicken Marsala, a spicy shrimp pasta dish and a small garden salad. Normally I expect family style dinning to overwhelm me with the amount of food, this was not the case and I was disappointed. Expensive for what you get. I don't know that I like walking through a kitchen on our way to eat. Place was busy and they sent our food to the wrong place. We won't go back.
(3)
Felecia S.
I was there for a MS seminar, it was great! The service was excellent! My only complaint would be, the room we were in, is not suited for wheelchairs, it was too tight in there not enough room. Food was good! We'll be back. My favorite was the salad with the granny smith apples!!!!!!!! Thanks!
(4)
Prasun R.
One more 5 star :-) and they deserve it. My second visit menu : Bruschetta, Lasagna and Tiramisu. It was a treat, not just for the taste buds but for all the senses. Impeccable presentation, superb service and nearly authentic taste.
(5)
Liz K.
We chose Buca for a large group gathering of 95 people. I had the pleasure of working with Angela. We had a large variety of menu options to choose from that would please everyone. We didn't have to verify the number until a few days prior. Once we showed up, they had plenty of wait staff, and the food came out in an expeditious manner. I didn't get one negative complaint out of 95 people! The food was delicious and I would not hesitate to book it again. Thank you Buca!
(5)
Brian W.
Buca used to be one of my go-to-places. NOT now. I used to love this place. Today, we went there because we had a couple of gift cards Today's dinner was not planned. I wish that I would have insisted on that Thai Food place that I really wanted to go to. For today's fare at Bucca, the only thing that was really good was the mussels - Yum. Everything else there was very overpriced and lacked in taste. 3 meat balls - $15 not much taste, A small pizza 1/2 cheese 1/2 pepperoni - $16. Mashed potatoes - $10 Seriously ! Chicken breast with cheese and prosciutto $35. Really, only 5, 1/2 breast. They were mushy with a doubtful flavor. Vida wanted something different so I ordered Fettuccine Alfredo. This dish just tanked. Runny sauce with no flavor. Now with the service that we had through the meal - it was just missing, I still gave a tip, not a tip for a $115 bill, but a tip. I really didn't wan't to leave anything. The waitress was absent through the entire meal. I should have tipped the other waitress, she was more attentive to us than our waitress was. Just after the meal, my wife got sick and we had to stop on the way home for her to lose her meal. For the next 3 hours, she still kept loosing her meal. Since, my wife got so sick, we tossed all our left-overs. No loss !
(1)
Ted C.
MANGIA MANGIA !! I love everything on this menu. I go there and I enjoy it. I started going to the one in my old Chicago neighborhood. I like eating in fancy tratorias and cucinas too don't get my wrong but the portions in this place are INSANE. My family doesn't like to go with me because they are not into Italian food period. So when I go here I go here to enjoy myself and this amazing food in peace. SO what if I have to eat by myself !! More for me. I can't tell you enough about those crazy meatballs, they are the size of a meatloaf.. yes they give you too much... so take it home !! And that garlic bread is the size of a steering wheel. The service is great here. And that kitchen has a table so you can eat in the kitchen with the cooks... thats a big city thing... a lot of people don't get it and it makes them nervous... but I lived in NYC and Chicago so I get it.... and its a relief to see that little bit of comfort from the big cities I lived in. I like the decor too... I get it. My father loved this place too. The service is always good here. People are real friendly and its a joy coming here. What else can I say its also family friendly. Kids love to come here and who can blame em ? Its a fun place.
(5)
Maria G.
I've been going to Buca for over 10 years. Not much has changed. Food is great. Huge portions. Nice place for large parties. I had to get used to the pictures on the wall. But as you walk around and look at each picture...so many stories. It feels like going back in time. The service is always adequate. Best canoli. I like the eclub idea. I signed up and already started getting coupons.
(5)
Andy B.
..
(3)
Nyobie Q.
We had a group of 13 and many were commenting how delicious the food was. Service was excellent too. We'll definitely be back and I can't wait.
(5)
Carol K.
Where to go when you have 8 hungry mouths to feed? Well Buca di Beppo, of course! We went on a Friday night, but early, so getting a seat was not a problem. We were seated in the "vines and wines" room (all the rooms have strange names) and with April as our server, we were extremely well fed on this evening. We started with three appetizers (calamari, thin crust pizza and caprese salad) and they were so big- we should have just stopped while we were ahead. But no! Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs (and we had 3 hungry boys with us!) so we ordered 3 pastas and 2 entrees. Know that the SMALL pasta dishes serve 2-3 people each so go easy on the ordering. And the entrees were huge so by cutting the meats in half we were able to have reasonable sized portions for everyone. April was quick to warn us that we had too much food so we went to small sizes on the pasta and large on the entrees. The decor is like all Buca locations- tons of old pictures and "old school" Italian decor. I like that they take you through the kitchen on the way to your table. And if you are looking for a really fun experience- ask for the "kitchen table". It's a table right in the kitchen where you get to enjoy dinner as you watch the action around you. It's perfect for 6 people! Dinner for 8 with enough food for leftovers ran just about $200 which was a steal considering what it usually costs to feed this bunch when we go out! As our server said, "if you don't leave stuffed . . . .you're doing it wrong". Let me tell you . . . . .we did it right. Very right!
(4)
Tamara Y.
I enjoy Buca more than the average chain Italian restaurant. Certainly more than the garden of olives. I tend to stick to the non-pasta dishes, mostly because I'm more of a carnivore than a "large-dish-of-starch" kinda girl. The prosciutto stuffed chicken is excellent, as is the veal saltimbocca. I also enjoy the apple gorgonzola salad. PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT -- When you do order a bowl of pasta, please be advised that all of the "stuff" is resting on top of the pasta. If you don't mix it up, you'll find yourself out of meat and vegetables and looking at a big bowl of plain pasta. So the first dish or two of, say, shimp florentine is delicious, but you're screwed after that. The waitstaff is heavy on trying to "upsell" you. I understand, but many times they just don't drop it when I turn them down. Yes, I'm QUITE sure I don't want fried mozzarella or a quartino of house wine, thanks. Would I return? Yeah, mostly because I dig the veal saltimbocca.
(3)
tanya a.
I like this place! The food portions were a little confusing and boy did the kitchen tour throw me off! "What, I'm supposed walk back here??" The food was yummy and accommodating to our dietary requests and I was impressed that our server pointed out which entrees had meat products. Chicken based Alfredo? That was a bummer, but at least we didn't find out after the fact. (Ahem, not to be named Italian restaurant in Ohio with lobster sauce.) Anyway, the decor was kookie but I liked it. Words cannot describe the "Pope Room."
(4)
Grace M.
Solid italian food, family style. Chicken Marsala & Shrimp Florentine were my favourite while dining there the other day. My friends enjoyed the dessert too, but i was too full after several helpings of the pasta dishes. Portion sizes were huge & we ended up with a lot of left-overs.
(4)
D R.
You know, are qualified waitstaff really that hard to find? It's become too common to get forgetful, flaky waitstaff anywhere these days, so I searched out, drove further and payed higher prices at Buca assuming I'd get better service. Waitress was very nice but very forgetful. Kids got plastic kids cups with lids but no straws (3 of them actually for 2 kids)- took awhile to return while kids waited to drink and got antsy. I ordered a milk which never came and after food arrived, I asked for a side of marinara which also never came. When she did return (meal was almost done) to ask us if we needed anything, I told her to forget (sarcasm) the sauce since I was almost done as well as the milk and asked if she would make sure that it was off the bill. Her response was "that's OK, I never put it on the bill". The correct response would be to correct the mistake by getting me my drink and side. Buca had sent me a coupon on my phone which she wrote down the UPC code when we arrived but had lost it and created some confusion when the bill came. Food was excellent and my only gripe was the spaghetti with meatballs that served 4 people. It only came with 3 meatballs. Yes, they are big but when 4 people are dining, someones getting jipped. We had kids so it wasn't a big issue, but 4 adults would have been shorted. I thought what might have sounded like an interesting concept when designing the restaurant was odd. When seating you, they walk you through the kitchen amongst hectic staff and slippery floors and tell you this is a tour of the kitchen. No "tour" was given. I worried a tray of food may be tipped over by the kids bumping into a waiter. I'd absolutely hate this setup if I worked there. There is one table (chefs table I guess) in the kitchen where they seat guests under bright lights and every person being seated and on the "tour" walk past and inspect the food as they eat. I'd feel like a zoo animal. I'll eat there again, but I will expect the same so so service that I'd get at BK or McD's The food and decor make it worth it.
(3)
Andrea J.
We have passed by this establishment many times before stopping in. The service was OKAY, but very friendly. The restaurant was having issues with somebody not showing up for their shift, so they were shorthanded. We ordered the chicken marsala with the antipasto salad. Both were very good, particularly the antipasto salad. The chicken marsala was tender, tasty and very filling. The desserts are HUGE, enough for 3 people (at least). The meals are served family style, so it is fairly inexpensive place to eat as a group. We will eat here again.
(4)
Kathleen M.
2.5 stars would be about right for our recent experience on Sunday 4 January when we hosted 11 people for our son's 17th birthday dinner. The good: the food (Buca's Chicken Marsala is just about my favorite version in the world), our server who tried very hard and got one of the cooks who has a severe peanut allergy to come out and talk to our niece (one of the guests) who also has a severe peanut allergy and a great deal of restaurant anxiety regarding the ingredients Buca uses in different dishes. The bad: we had a reservation in the Pope's room and found out after we were seated and had ordered drinks, that we were in a dark room because most of the room's track lighting bulbs were burned out and "we haven't received our shipment." If you were the GM of a restaurant and there were 2 hardware stores within a mile of your restaurant wouldn't you go (or send someone) to buy the light bulbs you needed to keep you guests from sitting in semi-darkness. It took over 15 minutes to get two beers because the bar was backed up (at 5pm on a Sunday?). And finally, one of the faucets in the ladies' room was broken and was left sitting on the counter covered up with a Buca takeout bag (and to boot, the restroom was not particularly clean). I took the time to share my concerns on Buca's website and predictably no one has bothered to respond. The next time we are planning a $500 dinner, we will take our party elsewhere. I would still come back with my family for dinner, but refuse to host a large party in an establishment with burned out lights and broken restroom fixtures.
The thing about Buca Di Beppo is that they seem to think they can get away with selling decent food at an excessive price just because the portions are large. For instance, the "small" lemon chicken consists of 3 small chicken breasts covered in a very mild lemon sauce and it will set you back $18.00. My girlfriend likes one of the pasta dishes which is essentially a box of pasta with tomato sauce and a piece of sausage. That also costs $18.00 for the "small" portion. Without drinks, you can easily spend $50.00 here on some pretty average Italian food. You can do better elsewhere and probably should. I give the place one star just for the glass encased pope head that sits on one of the tables.
(1)
Jackie R.
WARNING: Large portions of Italian food ahead. Skip previous meal and come hungry! :) I'm serious, you need to come hungry and you'll leave feeling like you don't need to eat for a month. Large portions served family style so it's a great place to come with a group. The food is good and the spaghetti with meatballs is really yummy. The decor is like someone's basement with pictures and knick knacks covering EVERY area of the walls and sometimes ceilings. It's amazing because you really feel like you stepped down a flight of stairs and are below ground with how this place is layed out. If you want a quiet and relaxing resteraunt you really came to the wrong place because that is not what it was intended to be, it's a place to have fun, eat lots, and enjoy the atmosphere. My suggestion: Come with a large group and sit in the Pope room one of the times you visit. It's a pretty cool room.
(4)
Keith G.
I'm not the hugest fan of Italian, but I used to like Buca. What I liked about "Joe's Basement" was the fact that it broke many of the weak links in chains. For instance, the decor: over the top, yes--but sometimes even offensive. The food: spicy and surprising to the domesticated palate. What happened? The garlic bread used to have large, Edward-slaying pieces of garlic on top. And once upon a time you could smell the fishes swimming in the caesar. What happened? I'll tell you what happened: someone in management decided to reduce their fare to the least common denominator. Say it ain't so, Joe.
(3)
Stacy B.
The food is great, as usual. My only issue was the size table we were placed at. I booked in advance for a party of 7, thinking that if anyone has some space large enough for us, it would be Bucca. We ended up in a booth with a chair slid up the end, which was tight to say the least. Since I was entertaining business clients, it made it that much worse for us. I will go there with the family again, but not with clients
(3)
Jeff H.
I'm not an Italian, so true Italians may not like my review. I thought the food was very good. This is a great place to come if you like Italian food (and aren't Italian, or aren't extremely picky). The portions are very generous; my Uncle, girlfriend and I all split one large bowl of spicey chicken rigotoni. The decor of the place is really cool. It's designed to look like a mobster's hangout (they say someone's basement, but it looks like Frank Sinatra would have hung out in a place like this). When you first get there, the waitress takes you on a tour of the place - which is pretty cool. It has all different sized separated rooms. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit!
(4)
M D.
Very nice Italian restaurant chain. It might not be the best selection of Italian food around, but the ambiance is fun, the service is good and the portions are mountainous. I give them 3 stars for the menu, but 5 stars for effort. For extra fun, ask for the booth in the kitchen.
(4)
Kevin S.
Bruschetta & eggplant incredible! I LOVE THIS PLACE :)
(4)
Jeff A.
Chose Buca di Beppo as the location for my Birthday dinner. Used Open Table to book, requested the Pope room (which they gave us!) Odd thing was that they called my cell in the middle of the day and wanted me to call back to confirm the reservation. I was a little annoyed by this, but they must have had a lot of no shows. Food was great, room was great. Portions HUGE as usual. We always order too much. Our server was quiet and shy. She didn't offer any info on a birthday dessert, etc. It was kind of odd. Our biggest disappointment was that apparently Buca Corporate has chosen not to carry Spumoni any longer. This used to be the best treat that Buca offered. I know it's been a long time since we've been there, and the Spumoni may have been gone for a long time, but it was still a let down. Good food, so-so service, disappointing corporate decision. = 3 stars.
(3)
Andria B.
I love this place! It is such a fun atmosphere and talk about the food! Delicious! I always have enough for like three or four meals. The Cannoli's are also fabulous! It is a little pricey, so I can't come as often as I would like to, but definitely worth the trip!
(5)
Chelsea M.
We go here every once in a while when I get a coupon and can use a gift card I receive from my credit card points. This last time we went we had a really hard time finding something that sounded good to even order. We decided against a bottle of wine because it was so over priced and the quality was so low. We ended up ordering stuffed chicken and it was ok. For the price I have found such better food at other chain Italian restaurants. I have only good things to say about the service. Our server was attentive and helpful but it isn't enough to keep me returning.
(2)
Alyssa M.
I used to always go to Buca Di Beppo in Birmingham, but then it closed. Now I go out to the one in Livonia and I like the set up A LOT better than the one in Birmingham. The parking is better, and some of the waiters, cooks and managers transferred over to that one from Birmingham. I always get the Fried Mozzarella Fettuccine Supremo I used to get Linguine Frutti di Mare Quattro al Forno
(4)
Cassandra G.
The food is bland and tasteless!!! I sent food back because it was Luke warm and...where is the FAVOR? The decor is so outdated, no outdoor lighting coming in...and that music...UGH! I'd rather eat at Olive Gardens where the food has favor and is good, even though it's a commercial chain it's way better. Watch out for Gordan Ramsey from "Kitchen Nightmares"!!
(1)
Holly P.
I love this place. It may not be THE best italian in the world but man they do a great job with everything. Food, service and atmosphere. They really cater to the customers which now a days really lacks. The food is so good you really can't find a better place within the area. I love their new dish spicy chicken rigatoni SO good and the tiramisu is just amazing! Love that they always have a $10 coupon, makes me love the place even more.
(5)
Benton P.
I was in Buca Di Beppo last tuesday. There was litterally 3 other tables in the restaurant. This was around 7:30pm. Myself and a girlfriend of mine had a fabulous meal. We got the small sampler platter, a salad, and a bottle of wine. The service was timely and the food was amazing. But there were some other things about this place that werent so great. The manager came by and dropped off a $10 off coupon and said we could use it at any time. However as we were leaving the server said there was not enough money to cover the tab. The bill was $61, I left $65 cash and the $10 coupon. Thats like a $14 dollar tip. When they informed me of this I was pissed to say the least. It was more than embarrassing. Do your self a favor and go to Olive Garden. Oh yea, and as we were sitting, chatting after our dinner we over heard our server saying " If these people would ever leave the I could get out of here" Im a server myself and if IF I say or feel that way, its always in the back where the customer cannot here me. Don't Go!
(1)
Brandon X.
Buca Di Beppo has the worst Italian restaurant food I have ever had! Over priced, ridiculously large proportions of food, annoyingly decorated and food that is on par with catered food. I've had frozen food that had more flavor than this garbage. Anyone that appreciates Italian food stay away from Buca Di Beppo.
(1)
C T.
The food is pretty good not authentic but whats fun about this place is you can bring a ton of friends and family and just let your hair down and have a good meal and some good conversation. The staff is always fun and sometimes downright funny! We have always had a real nice time at Buca Di Beppo.
(4)
Elisa G.
Sorry to bring down the star rating, but I have to discuss the food in depth. It is merely okay -- they get cute points for the decision to plate things in family size servings, but they use the exact same Sysco tomato sauce base as every other Italian resturant. The reason I know that it's the same sauce is because there's some food additive in it that makes me sick as a dog. I want to make it clear that it's not Buca's that makes me sick -- I would get the same kind of nauseous stomach cramps from the tomato sauce at my college cafeteria and every other Italian restaurant I've ever been to. So I don't blame Buca's for being sick but I'm constantly on the hunt for an Italian restaurant that gets its tomato base from some other smaller, more local and more tasty retailer. And I haven't found one yet, except in my kitchen, my mom's kitchen and my grandma's kitchen. But we all make our sauces from scratch, so it's probably not fair to compare. I would also emphasize what an earlier reviewer said, which is that this is extremely Americanized Southern Italian food. Calling any of the dishes "traditional" Italian is a big stretch. The decor is amazing and totally makes the trip worth it if you're not particularly sensitive to food additives. Or hunt down a dish there without tomato sauce? Our waitress was prompt, funny and very nice and we finished with a slice of raspberry cheesecake that I thought was loads better than the mains.
(3)
Matthew J.
I've eaten at Bucca many times. Very unique - old world Italian charm. The food is good - the portions are huge and the service is great. Usually cannot finish meal - so there is enough for take home. They also have curb side / carry out. I've had better but, Buca is good!
(4)
Andrew C.
Excellent service, food, and theme. I like how they do their pasta, bread, and calamari. Very authentic and beats any experience you would get at olive garden!
(5)
Gerry X.
I have been to the one in Chicago downtown, but this is the first time I have actually eaten here. As I am on lent I haven't eaten any of the main courses, but just read my review. The place reminded me of a very colorful establishment (I am going to steal this posters description as it fits to a T..Decor is very italian, and a little bit over the top. Think Italian style TGI Fridays nicknacks on crack), where the host was very friendly and prompt on greeting us. The inside, like the one in Chicago, is sectioned off, some areas smaller for a cozy family or date seating. There is a bar inside as well, and the walls full of pictures and nicknacks, as my pictures will show. (I apologize as some of them are not great shots.) Our waiter ( damn I forgot his name ) was very knowledgeable and patient, as I asked alot of question about what food had what in it for my lenten purposes; I was quite impressed. So I would come back here to eat if I come back to MI for work...there are alot of nice little places here, and a couple of places that I ate here than I haven't back home that I will now try. :)
(5)
Eric G.
Went here with a larger group for a birthday lunch. I was immediately annoyed by the tacky decour of the place. Just crap hung all over the walls with silly lighting. The food was decent besides the spaghetti and meatballs which were overcooked with a very watery bland sauce.. The pizza was great, the chicken ragatoni was good as well as the chicken parm. Everything was ordered as large dishes which 3 or 4 were enough to feed like 8 people and have food leftover. Would like to come check it out on a smaller scale sometime.. maybe .. eh
(3)
Frank Z.
I'm Italian. My parents both came from the 'old country'. We owned a restaurant in Livonia. I'm fat and pretty tolerant of food. I'll eat anything, everything. I love food BUT this place is ABSOLUTELY THE WORST FOOD I have ever had. This stuff is unmitigated pure unadulterated CRAP! To call this Italian food...hell, to call this food at all makes me wanna yak! Large portions? Who cares if it's inedible garbage. A Banquet TV dinner is 1000 times better. Did I mention I don't like this place? YUCHH!!!!!!!!!!!
(1)
Becki B.
Buca Di Beppo is not one of my favorite restaurants. Not even close. The food was acceptable, but I'm not a fan of all the family style stuff. Everyone else seems to love it though. The atmosphere really drives me nuts - it's just too loud for me to relax and enjoy anything here. Obviously this works for some people, but this will never be somewhere I look forward to visiting on a regular basis. If you do enjoy this sort of place, take a party to the Pope's Table. With the same vibe, it takes your group to a whole new level.
(3)
James K.
We decided to try this place because we had a coupon. The family style setup is good for a big group of people, but it doesn't work as well for only two people who are craving different things. We ended up getting the fettuccine alfredo and some garlic cheese bread. Both were just meh. The alfredo didn't have much flavor to it. The cheese bread was okay at best. It just wasn't worth the money. Our server was a little slow even though the place wasn't busy. There are better places in the area.
(2)
Liz W.
I have been a few times. I used to stop in quite often for the fabu bone in whole chicken cacciatore with large chunked mushrooms with my family but sadly they took it off the menu. James and I decided to give it another whirl recently and were not thrilled with the changes we saw at all. Our waiter was annoying and kept insisting we needed a salad, bruschetta and a small dish to share despite our assurances we had been there before and weren't interested in salad per se and knew the large entree would be too large but were looking for big leftovers. He seemed pissed when we would not follow his unasked for suggestions or advice, really rude actually. I mean sorry I will never order a mediocre version of bruschetta when I am getting freebie bread and really you should not try to push me into it. Also if we want to get a large entree rather than a small what is it to you? I am being mean but at least pronounce bruschetta right too if you are going to be pushing it, it is annoying to be mentally correcting you too. We ordered a small mozzarella caprese which used to come with marinated roasted tri colored peppers as well as fresh buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes and basil. Not anymore. Spendier now and no peppers, lame. The waiter actually said we would have been happier with the salad he suggested, ummm no. I would have been happier if you cheap ass people would have kept the peppers on the app. We practically had to beg to get parm and the red pepper flakes to jazz up the olive oil we were dipping the free bread into. Finally another waitress took pity on us after she overheard us ask him for the second time and got us some herself. More bread was similarly slow, no doubt because we should have ordered that bruschetta in his opinion. We noticed his other table in our section ordered exactly as he said and they got much better service. WTF? Is he the waiter Nazi? Is he messing with us for some kind of hidden camera chuckles? Hello can we get some damn bread? Hello more drinks? We asked to see the manager at one point but nada, he never came. I don't know if he was asked by the waiter to or not though in all fairness. The baked pasta sampler dish was really very tasty. It is hard to mess up carbs topped with melty cheese though. We did have plenty for later but that was kinda the plan. Bread to go with that when we packed up was just asking too much apparently as they did not include any. The capper was when the table that was *good* got free chocolate covered strawberries, yes we heard the grand announcement. In the kitchen on the way out I passed the manager and told him exactly what I thought. He offered us free strawberries to go to make up for it. Oh gee thanks. Nice. I walked out and waited in the car, my husband took the berries and we skedaddled. Nope I will not be back in. Food, decent but the service was so freaking bad and frankly no one cared at all. No wonder the waiter thinks he can treat people like that, the management obviously thought it was fine. Hope your visit goes better, if not don't expect management to actually care.
(2)
Wm H.
Always a good meal here. Had to convince some high class white table cloth diners that we were traveling with this place was the place to go. They complained when we suggested the place they complained some more when we got there, they complained when they saw the prices. But once they realized that this was family style with VERY LARGE portions and after they ate the food, they stopped complainging and admitted this place was good! Great location, will go back when I am in the area. Make sure you sign up on their website so you get freebies BEFORE you go in. Too late once you are inside.
(4)
Kate B.
This is a favorite, not of us, but of a few family members and a few friends (perhaps the availability of large tables?) What I DO like: - Tiramisu, comes in a hideous tin pie-plate, looks like a gas-station giveaway, but tastes great...I get cravings for this stuff. I could make my own, but if I'm there - why not! - Green bean or broccoli side dishes. Not over-cooked, garlicky and lemony. Yum and big portions (we are heavy veggie eaters, so this is a plus!) - Chicken Parmesan: not soggy, and decent marinara. I can't find fault. - Pope Under Glass Room: as it could make my Polish Step Mom cross herself until her blouse is almost worn through. What I don't like: Pushy staff who up-sell to the point of feeling like I'm in Hell's used-car lot, most items are very overpriced for the quality, pasta dishes are greasy and overcooked for the most part (except for lasagne), claustrophobic decor.
(2)
Jason C.
If you need a place to meet up with large group of folks or you want to have Italian for dinner with your family... then this is the place for you... Be warned - they only have two portion sizes: small or large. If you need a restaurant that can handle large crowd and you want to eat Italian food, then give Buca a try. When you walk in, they will take you to your table through the kitchen... and if you are lucky you can reserve the table in the kitchen... dine while watching the staff cook your meal. My favorites: - Large order of Fried Calamari with their Marinara Sauce... who can resist?? Put some hot chili flakes in the sauce - YUM... it gives that extra kick... as Emeril would say... kick it up a notch! I swear, I could eat the large plate all by myself! - I also like their Chopped Antipasto Salad. - Linguine Frutti di Mare - I really enjoy it, but the last time I had it, it wasn't good... to watery... lacked the standard taste. The wait staff I end up with are always friendly and helpful... they come and check on us regularly, granted I have had few that was never to be seen once the food was delivered. But it all depends on who you get... and to be honest, I'm one of those customers that tip based upon the service level... give me crappy service, won't be getting even 15%, maybe 10% if that person is lucky... and yes, I'm very demanding customer... sorry... the Asian side of me... (can I say that on Yelp??) :)
(3)
Emma C.
Pretty good, highly recommend going during the week at an off time though as they can get very busy. It already feels crowded in there when it's not busy but with a crowd it's even more cramped and loud. We've always gotten good dishes and have had good service. I think the prices are reasonable considering how much you get.
(3)
Megan S.
This place sux. Hustled us.
(2)
The F.
OK yelpers, I have a followup. After my original review, I was contacted by Bucca management and was assured that they had personally talked to the staff about cleaning up their act and that things would be better now. They also graciously sent me some gift cards to make amends and asked that I give them another try. So, I did. Twice. Trip #1 - we were a bit skeptical after our previous experience. But to our surprise, both the service and the food were good. I didn't want to push my luck though, and chose conservatively - Quattro al Forno (i.e. 4 pasta sampler) This turned out really good. Lasagna, Stuffed Shells, Ravioli, Canneloni. A little bit of everything. The stuffed shells were by far the yummiest, I would recommend getting those as a separate dish. My date tried the oven-roasted Salmon, which also turned out very nice. Our waitress Michelle was very attentive and courteous, although she did manage to sweettalk my date into ordering some "crisp broccoli" i.e. a small portion of steamed brocolli garnished with garlic for the terrific price of just $7 (sigh!) Trip #2 - feeling a lot more optimistic now, and convinced that our very first trip had just been a bad aberration, we headed back once more. This time a bit late on a Saturday night (around 9:30 pm). Perhaps it was our timing (they are open until 11 mind) but this visit was a total disaster :( We walked into the lobby - no hostess. We waited around for a few minutes. Nobody. We peeked into the kitchen, couple of cooks there saw us, but noone did anything. We returned to the lobby and waited. Peeked into the bar area, bartender gave us an empty stare. Returned to the lobby, waited. Now at this point, any sane person would have taken a hint and just left. But as I said before, we were feeling optimistic (in retrospect, unjustifiably so). So we just sat there, waiting. A few minutes later a waitress passed by and asked us if anyone had helped us. When we said no, she said she would take care of us right away, and with a big smile ushered us to a nice table. Her name was Kayla. We thought our night was going to get better. Couldn't have been more wrong. I ordered the Shrimp Diavolo pasta, my date ordered some other pasta (doesn't really matter exactly what.) Waitress served us some cold bread and olive oil and disappeared. About 15-20 mins later she showed up with my date's pasta. Disappeared again, I assumed (wrongly) to get my dish. After waiting for a while, I flagged her down and asked her about my order. "Oh I'm so sorry, I forgot. What was it again?" Ok, let me break this down for you young lady. There are 2 people at the table, you brought out one dish. How many more should be coming still? You do the math. So I reordered, and it showed up 15 mins later, nice and fresh out of the oven. It tasted good, but not as good as the stuffed shells. By now it had gotten quite late, and our appetites had waned. So we waited for her to bring us some boxes. We waited. And waited. AND WAITED. Finally another waitress passed by and we asked her to help us out. As she was bringing the boxes over, our waitress reappeared ON HER WAY BACK FROM THE BAR AREA, RUM AND COKE IN HAND!! I couldn't believe it, she had been sitting at the bar the whole time we had been waiting. Probably chatted up the bartender into pouring her a free drink too. As she passed us, she said "oh good she got you some boxes then." Isn't that your job, I felt like asking. So, after we boxed up our leftovers, we waited for our check. And waited. AND WAITED. Finally she showed up, didn't ask us about dessert or anything, and in her inebriated state left us with the check. So I put my card in the leather booklet, hoping she would at least cash us out quickly. Wrong again. We could see her in the waitresses' area sipping on her drink, merrily chatting away with someone. So I did the only thing I could at this point - left cash enough to cover the food + a tip so small it could only be taken as an insult, and walked out vowing never to return. A few weeks later when we craved Italian again, we chose to go to the Olive Garden (yes, that's right!) and by comparison it was fantastic.
(1)
K M.
SO overpriced. With a table of 10 it turned out to be about $50-$60 per person. We ordered the small size entrees to share, two appetizers and one large dessert. The food was decent, nothing better than the Olive Garden. The restaurant was half empty on a Saturday night at 7pm. Waiter was strange and seemed annoyed he had such a large table. We won't be coming back.
(2)
Ashley G.
I went there on Valentine's Day 2015 with 3 other guests this restaurant is a bit pricey but it is worth it and portions are very large it is a good restaurant for four people and up the food was some of the best I ever had the chicken alfredo that is. It's a very nice scenery to it gives you a nice warm feel of Italy at home. I heard they also have a table you can book in the kitchen haven't got the check that out yet. and also got a $50 off coupon for 4 people after my first visit
(5)
Pete P.
Nice Italian chain. I had a gift card so the meal was free for me but I thought it was a bit pricey for what it is. Really great service!! The waitress was informed of an allergy at the table and went above and beyond anywhere else to make sure said allergy was acknowledged by the kitchen staff and brought any possible issues to the table for consideration. The prosciutto stuffed chicken and the chicken carbonara were excellent!! A nice visit here was had!!
(4)
Tricia S.
This place is beside our hotel so after riding past it a few times we decided to go in. Well it was Good Italian food. The decor and layout is different than what I'm used to.... But hey a good meal is a good meal.
(4)
Chris M.
Reserved a large room and pre ordered family style. Worked out awesome . Good food and plentiful , staff very nice . The manager I worked with prior to arrival was superb !! Only complaint was at the end our waitress got a little pushy about her tip!!
(4)
Vic L.
I've been going here off and on for 10-15 years. On average I'd give the food quality 4 stars. There's a couple dishes that I think are 5 star. My last visit was a bit off. Our meal wasn't so good (for the first time ever). Further, I didn't feel that my complaint was heard. And that upset me. (Somebody here posted a picture of their pasta. I know there was a mistake with ours, because ours looked nothing like that picture. If it had, there would have been no issue.) Since this is an online world, I voiced my frustration. And out of nowhere somebody from Bucco management tracked me down and basically comp'ed my entire meal after the fact. That's actually more than I deserve and a class act. So, I'm back to being a fan. Everyone is entitled to one off day in 15 years. The important thing: Do they make it right. And Bucco did. If you're here, you must be trying to figure out if you should go. Here's the simple facts. Its quality food. The "value" is proportional to the size of your group. They serve everything "ala carte" and in large portions. So its expensive to go alone and hope to have soup, salad, entrees, side dishes, etc. But in a large group you can order a lot of stuff and take bits from all the plates so that it all works out to a reasonable per-person price point.
(4)
Mike B.
Service was good. Food is nothing to brag about. Fettuccini Alfredo was horrible. Tasted like noodles with wet flour on them. Even after drowning them in pepper and the grated cheese it still didn't help the dish. The waitress was nice enough to take it off the bill. Lemon chicken was nothing to brag about didn't taste that much lime lemon either. I gave this place a second chance and they failed again. Last time i come to one of these places. Last time i ate at this place was in Manhattan and my table and table next to us both were complaining about the food and had most of our food taken off the bill.
(2)
Peggy F.
Will be giving this a chance again on sat the 21st... Hopefully it's back to the high standards that we had been used to... If this event is a fail... We will be looking for a new venue ....... I will update you after Saturday's dinner
(3)
Ilana T.
I worked with Buca to organize a corporate event and they were beyond amazing to work with!! They created a special menu for us that was within our budget and were extremely accommodating. The chef clearly makes things fresh and the day of and the staff is so friendly and helpful - I am so excited to see how wonderfully our dinner will turn out. Thank you to Buca for making this process quick, easy and successful! I would absolutely recommend Buca for such events! Ask for Angela Esquivel and she will be amazing and help you :)
(5)
Executive Chef Ronnie B.
Server is great!! Ambiance I crazy cool old school And the food is classic and this place have to be awesome for parties
(4)
Michael H.
The wife and I went here for her cousin's birthday/college graduation party. Walking up to the place, it looks like a typical Italian restaurant complete with Roman style sculptures out front. Once you enter, it is a bit less typical and a bit more eccentric. They take you from the front entry way through the kitchen to get to the dining rooms. The interior of the restaurant is designed to resemble someone's home with multiple rooms. That way private parties can each have separate dining rooms. However, it can be a bit confusing and maze-like to find the restrooms through all of the hallways, dining rooms and bar. The walls are lined with photos to further the impression that you're in someone's home. However, some of the pictures can be a bit distracting--child picking his nose, butt cracks, full rear nudity and the like. Some of the pictures are charming. Others are a bit odd. For a gathering the size of our party, the food was served family style. You get bread with olive oil to dip it in. You get fried, breaded cheese triangles. Both are good. You get fried calamari which has a nice tempura like breading, but the calamari was a bit overdone and chewy. The rigatoni with shrimp and fra diavolo sauce was good. The sauce was a bit thin, but it had a nice heat to it. The salads were nice, because unlike some places they didn't use cheap iceberg lettuce. That meant that I could eat it, because my lactose intolerance prevents me from eating iceberg lettuce. The salmon was nicely seasoned and fork tender. The chicken was also nicely seasoned. Then, there was the dessert. The cheesecake was creamy and delicious. The pictures in the restrooms were the weirdest that I have ever seen in a restaurant. They had pictures of full nudes duplicating the poses of Roman sculptures. They had pictures of people urinating. The place was charming and weird, but my wife and I would go back to eat again, because the food was good.
(3)
Annette J.
This is a bit of a review for their "special event" hosting. Came here for my friend's baby's sex reveal dinner (that's a mouthful!). It was a small group of her closest family and a few girlfriends who got together to find out if she was having a girl or a boy. We also ate a lot of carbs. My idea of a good time! We had a small private room in the back (this place is FULL of private rooms all configured in a maze-like way) with a massive round table that we all filled in around. It was the pope room so it was decorated with papal memorabilia and the centerpiece was a huge bust of Pope Francis. It was magical. We felt blessed. Actually, some people might think it creepy but we thought it hilarious. Book it for your next party! Aaaaannnnnnyway. The evening consisted of family style dishes like spaghetti with marinara, salads, bread, roast chicken and green beans. The table had a bit of a lazy susan in the middle so we could easily rotate all the plates throughout the group. Easy for taking seconds without making a scene, too. The food was good. I feel like anytime something is served up in a huge batch it can be hard to maintain quality control but they did a pretty good job. Everything tasted good and I definitely got my fill. It wasn't the best Italian that I had but it got the job done and we had a lovely time. For dessert my pal had a cake that she cut into with the frosting inside indicating the sex of the baby. We brought the cake in from another another bakery but the staff at Buca was awesome about helping us serve it. In general the servers were fab. Very attentive to our giggly little group. I'm not sure I'd myself do a full on shower or something here but for smaller scale, casual celebrations where you want an easy night and some fast, filling food it gets the job done.
(3)
Nichole V.
After reading the mixed reviews I was a little bit hesitant about trying this place. But I received a $20 off coupon for my birthday so it prompted me to try them out anyway. I went with my husband and my daughter. My daughter is extremely picky so I was a little uneasy about the family style serving. When we got there we will quickly seated in a room filled with pictures that took you into old school Italy. I found it surprising that when you get there you get a short tour through the kitchen. The kitchen appeared clean. Our waitress was out of this world helpful and amazing. She brought out both bowl sizes so we could see what we were up against. The large was way way too much for what we needed! We decided to get that time sausage with rigatoni and cheese manicotti. When it csme to our table I was a little un sure about the manicotti but after biting into it it was delicious creamy filling and light sauce almost perfect to our liking. The mozzarella garlic bread was not too bad either we would definitely go back and recommend trying this place at least once
(4)
Sara B.
It was just ok. We got spaghetti and meat sauce that was ok and of a good sized portion, but it needed a bit more flavor, and seemed a bit pricey at $19.99 for the small portion. I was also a bit put off by the fact that they walked us through the kitchen as part of the restaurant tour, but it was pretty dirty; not something I wanted to see in a place that would be making my food. I think for that money and taste I'd rather just stay home.
(3)
Robert S.
The food was very tasty. We got the chicken Marsala, a spicy shrimp pasta dish and a small garden salad. Normally I expect family style dinning to overwhelm me with the amount of food, this was not the case and I was disappointed. Expensive for what you get. I don't know that I like walking through a kitchen on our way to eat. Place was busy and they sent our food to the wrong place. We won't go back.
(3)
Felecia S.
I was there for a MS seminar, it was great! The service was excellent! My only complaint would be, the room we were in, is not suited for wheelchairs, it was too tight in there not enough room. Food was good! We'll be back. My favorite was the salad with the granny smith apples!!!!!!!! Thanks!
(4)
Liz K.
We chose Buca for a large group gathering of 95 people. I had the pleasure of working with Angela. We had a large variety of menu options to choose from that would please everyone. We didn't have to verify the number until a few days prior. Once we showed up, they had plenty of wait staff, and the food came out in an expeditious manner. I didn't get one negative complaint out of 95 people! The food was delicious and I would not hesitate to book it again. Thank you Buca!
(5)
An V.
I was thoroughly satisfied with the experience I had at Buca di Beppo! I was not expecting such a delectable experience. First off, the restaurant is a maze with lots of turns and twists. I love the decor. There are a lot of interesting photos on the wall and the ceiling is covered with empty wine bottles. We (group of five) sat in the Gangster Booth, which was awesome! The service was good, not particularly friendly, but it was good. The real highlight was the food. We had mozzarella sticks (they were actually triangles) and the house bread for appetizers. The bread wasn't anything special, but the marinara sauce with the mozzarella sticks was excellent. The cheese was perfect, not too hard or too stringy like some other places. For our main course we had chicken parmasean, baked ziti, and manicotti. The texture chicky chicky parm parm was very tender and the cheese on top was sweet and perfect. The highlight of the meal was the manicotti. The mixture of cheeses stuffed inside was just so delicious and the pasta was cooked to perfection. The tomato sauce on both the manicotti and chicken parmasean was sweet and delicious. The baked ziti, however, left something to be desired. Some of the pasta seemed like it was not cooked long enough and was a little hard. I was really let down by the state of the facilities. The (men's) bathroom was pretty bad, which was especially disappointing considering how clean and beautiful the rest of the restaurant is. Overall this place is great, I love the family style eating. In our group of five, we had one vegetarian and two picky eaters, but we still managed to all thoroughly enjoy the food. I highly recommend this place!
(4)
Gary A.
So did you know this place is open for lunch, and they have lunch portions. I mention this because there was less than 15 people in the restaurant for lunch, but try dropping in for dinner, this place is always packed. I know this place is know for its family style meals, but when over places for lunch are so crowd, it doesn't make sense. I actually asked them if they were open for lunch. OK, this is an "American" style Italian restaurant. Pasta and the triple threat, Parmigiana, Marsala, and Lasagna. Since I was there for lunch, they do have a decent lunch menu, salad and pasta or soup, and the portions were still big. Normally for dinner, it is served in family style or really big family style. This place is set up for big groups, and it has a very kitchy decor. Wait staff is younger and friendly, serve was a little slow, but we weren't in a hurry. I assume they incent the wait staff with appetizer and desert quotes - its their job. Nothing on the menu really stands out, but the menu is not that diverse. Its location is good, right off the highway - really the first restaurant at the start of restaurant row on Haggerty.
(3)
C S.
We went to Buca last Saturday for dinner. Had a $10 off $20 coupon. We ordered the baked rigatoni. when it was delivered to our table it was a bowl full of pasta. it had a few cooked tomato dices in it and 3 slices of Italian sausage.and it had 3 melted mozzarella balls on top. Not worth even the $10 we spent. The Pasta was overcooked and dried out. quite disgusting. I won't go back - ever. my prediction for Buca is that it won't be there in 2 years. Go to Bravo up the road for a flavorful meal.
(1)
Brett C.
I'm always tired of going to the same places for romantic meals. So, last night we went to a place we haven't been to in years: Buca di Beppo. If you love Italian food, this nearly authentic restaurant will take you down the streets of Sicily, through the tunnels of Venice, and right in front of the Vatican. You'll need a reservation, as this place is hoppin'. We made ours using OpenTable and were very impressed at how quickly we were seated. We went in on a Friday evening at 7:30...on Valentine's Day...so finding a parking spot was rough. But once I joined my wife inside, we were seated 5 minutes later after showing up 12 minutes early. This place is great for the experience. When they seat you, they walk you right through the kitchen. Don't worry...it's hygienic. You're walking past a big opening really. They actually have a table "in" the kitchen you can sit at, but you have to make a reservation. Once you're out, the walls are adorned with pictures from Italy and its famous faces. One such face that stuck out at me was Sophia Loren. Our table was meant for four but the extra space was nice with an 8-month pregnant wife. Our server was Dana and she joined us right away. She took my drink order and got us started with the mozzarella garlic covered bread basket. I ordered the house light beer (forgot the name) in their souvenir glass. Now, Buca di Beppo is really a family-style restaurant. Meaning, all the portions are typically meant for 6-8 people BUT they do offer smaller portions for 2-3 people. And that's the route we took. When Dana returned we ordered the stuffed shells. The entree came rather quickly and the plate was HOT! It was a good portion, coming with 6 fully stuffed pasta shells but we were surprised that there weren't maybe two more. No big deal. They were absolutely delicious and we were able to eat the 3-a-piece between 2 of us. Surprisingly, we had room for dessert. Or so we thought. Like with any Italian restaurant we usually visit, we ordered the tiramisu. Based in what we saw up to that point regarding portion size, our thought was that they would bring one plate with a nice big square of tiramisu in the center. This was totally not the case. They brought an entire bowl of tiramisu to the table. It wasn't too rich or sweet. It was the right amount of light and fluffy to rich and creamy. It was delicious. It could have at least fed 4. We took the rest home. Now, this was Valentine's Day and we went above and beyond what we would usually order. But for what we ordered, our bill was very fair at roughly $75 after it was all said and done. This is a place you go once a year or if you have a huge group of people you want to feed quickly. We love this place and will be back very soon.
(5)
Angel D.
Very disappointed in the lack not commitment between myself and the event manager. I was scheduled to have my baby shower there and two days before my event she called and told me they had not only given the space away that I was holding my party in but she had no other time slots for me and my party. She did everything to ruin my event possible therefore I canceled I did not want to spend a dime as I was clearly being mistreated. She did not honor our original agreement.
(1)
Lisa P.
My party of 8 was celebrating a college graduation, a birthday, and a proposal that was to happen during our meal so I wanted everything to go very smoothly. I made reservations via Open Table, which allows you to make special requests so I articulated the above. Buca called me the day of the reservation to confirm, at which time I reiterated that we needed things to go smoothly and we'd prefer a table in a more intimate area if possible. She couldn't commit to that but said they'd really try. Her shift ended before our reservation and it seemed evident to me that nothing I articulated earlier (both in my reservation and verbally over the phone) was carried forward to the next shift. Our group was shoved into a booth and 2 chairs were added to the end of the table. (I suspect a little table was added to the booth table; the table cloth covered it up.) I explained to our hostess the situation and she offered to let me speak to the manager. He was very nice and ended up moving us to an unoccupied round table off the banquet hall. I am sure if there wasn't a marriage proposal happening, he would've told me we were out of luck. This is why I deducted a star. There are too many Buca reviews where people have complained about unmet expectations with regard to reservations, including large parties being crammed into too small spaces. Buca, please stop doing this! If you don't have a table for X number of people, don't allow the reservation to be made! Apart from that, everything was fantastic! I was worried, again because of some reviews on Yelp, but it was a wonderful experience (sans the fact that I had to have dinner with my ex-husband). Waitress--came back to check on us many times. Food--was hot and delicious. Note that the entree portions are large so I ended up over-ordering because I was afraid the portions would be tiny. I'd highly recommend everything we ordered: Fried Mozzarella, Artichoke Dip, Mozzarella Garlic Bread (this was "okay"), Chicken Parm, Beppo's Soffici Gnocchi, Lasagna, Quattro Al Forno. The food was, by all accounts, fantastic. (This food never would've fit on the original table!) They seated us right away although 2 people were about 30 min late. Their website says they won't seat until the whole party was there so I really appreciated that we had no issues with that. There were super busy at 645 pm on a Sunday so I think that says a lot about customer satisfaction. My daughter (the guest of honor for all 3 things we were celebrating) loved the atmosphere, the kitschy wall hangings and statues, the booth in the kitchen, it was just fun for her and enhanced our experience even more. We had a great night and I honestly think that going to Buca's took it to the next level over and above going to your run-of-the-mill restaurant. It was a great place to create a long-lasting memory for my daughter and future son-in-law. Very happy with my decision to go here. I would advise anyone who has a special event to micromanage the details and ensure you've got the manager's attention long before your event to prevent any issues.
(4)
Tyler B.
Very slow service. Food was okay, but the large portion size and price is a pain when you have a family that can't agree on things.
(1)
Prasun R.
One more 5 star :-) and they deserve it. My second visit menu : Bruschetta, Lasagna and Tiramisu. It was a treat, not just for the taste buds but for all the senses. Impeccable presentation, superb service and nearly authentic taste.
(5)
Brian W.
Buca used to be one of my go-to-places. NOT now. I used to love this place. Today, we went there because we had a couple of gift cards Today's dinner was not planned. I wish that I would have insisted on that Thai Food place that I really wanted to go to. For today's fare at Bucca, the only thing that was really good was the mussels - Yum. Everything else there was very overpriced and lacked in taste. 3 meat balls - $15 not much taste, A small pizza 1/2 cheese 1/2 pepperoni - $16. Mashed potatoes - $10 Seriously ! Chicken breast with cheese and prosciutto $35. Really, only 5, 1/2 breast. They were mushy with a doubtful flavor. Vida wanted something different so I ordered Fettuccine Alfredo. This dish just tanked. Runny sauce with no flavor. Now with the service that we had through the meal - it was just missing, I still gave a tip, not a tip for a $115 bill, but a tip. I really didn't wan't to leave anything. The waitress was absent through the entire meal. I should have tipped the other waitress, she was more attentive to us than our waitress was. Just after the meal, my wife got sick and we had to stop on the way home for her to lose her meal. For the next 3 hours, she still kept loosing her meal. Since, my wife got so sick, we tossed all our left-overs. No loss !
(1)
Ted C.
MANGIA MANGIA !! I love everything on this menu. I go there and I enjoy it. I started going to the one in my old Chicago neighborhood. I like eating in fancy tratorias and cucinas too don't get my wrong but the portions in this place are INSANE. My family doesn't like to go with me because they are not into Italian food period. So when I go here I go here to enjoy myself and this amazing food in peace. SO what if I have to eat by myself !! More for me. I can't tell you enough about those crazy meatballs, they are the size of a meatloaf.. yes they give you too much... so take it home !! And that garlic bread is the size of a steering wheel. The service is great here. And that kitchen has a table so you can eat in the kitchen with the cooks... thats a big city thing... a lot of people don't get it and it makes them nervous... but I lived in NYC and Chicago so I get it.... and its a relief to see that little bit of comfort from the big cities I lived in. I like the decor too... I get it. My father loved this place too. The service is always good here. People are real friendly and its a joy coming here. What else can I say its also family friendly. Kids love to come here and who can blame em ? Its a fun place.
(5)
Maria G.
I've been going to Buca for over 10 years. Not much has changed. Food is great. Huge portions. Nice place for large parties. I had to get used to the pictures on the wall. But as you walk around and look at each picture...so many stories. It feels like going back in time. The service is always adequate. Best canoli. I like the eclub idea. I signed up and already started getting coupons.
(5)
Andy B.
..
(3)
Nyobie Q.
We had a group of 13 and many were commenting how delicious the food was. Service was excellent too. We'll definitely be back and I can't wait.
(5)
Carol K.
Where to go when you have 8 hungry mouths to feed? Well Buca di Beppo, of course! We went on a Friday night, but early, so getting a seat was not a problem. We were seated in the "vines and wines" room (all the rooms have strange names) and with April as our server, we were extremely well fed on this evening. We started with three appetizers (calamari, thin crust pizza and caprese salad) and they were so big- we should have just stopped while we were ahead. But no! Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs (and we had 3 hungry boys with us!) so we ordered 3 pastas and 2 entrees. Know that the SMALL pasta dishes serve 2-3 people each so go easy on the ordering. And the entrees were huge so by cutting the meats in half we were able to have reasonable sized portions for everyone. April was quick to warn us that we had too much food so we went to small sizes on the pasta and large on the entrees. The decor is like all Buca locations- tons of old pictures and "old school" Italian decor. I like that they take you through the kitchen on the way to your table. And if you are looking for a really fun experience- ask for the "kitchen table". It's a table right in the kitchen where you get to enjoy dinner as you watch the action around you. It's perfect for 6 people! Dinner for 8 with enough food for leftovers ran just about $200 which was a steal considering what it usually costs to feed this bunch when we go out! As our server said, "if you don't leave stuffed . . . .you're doing it wrong". Let me tell you . . . . .we did it right. Very right!
(4)
Tamara Y.
I enjoy Buca more than the average chain Italian restaurant. Certainly more than the garden of olives. I tend to stick to the non-pasta dishes, mostly because I'm more of a carnivore than a "large-dish-of-starch" kinda girl. The prosciutto stuffed chicken is excellent, as is the veal saltimbocca. I also enjoy the apple gorgonzola salad. PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT -- When you do order a bowl of pasta, please be advised that all of the "stuff" is resting on top of the pasta. If you don't mix it up, you'll find yourself out of meat and vegetables and looking at a big bowl of plain pasta. So the first dish or two of, say, shimp florentine is delicious, but you're screwed after that. The waitstaff is heavy on trying to "upsell" you. I understand, but many times they just don't drop it when I turn them down. Yes, I'm QUITE sure I don't want fried mozzarella or a quartino of house wine, thanks. Would I return? Yeah, mostly because I dig the veal saltimbocca.
(3)
tanya a.
I like this place! The food portions were a little confusing and boy did the kitchen tour throw me off! "What, I'm supposed walk back here??" The food was yummy and accommodating to our dietary requests and I was impressed that our server pointed out which entrees had meat products. Chicken based Alfredo? That was a bummer, but at least we didn't find out after the fact. (Ahem, not to be named Italian restaurant in Ohio with lobster sauce.) Anyway, the decor was kookie but I liked it. Words cannot describe the "Pope Room."
(4)
Grace M.
Solid italian food, family style. Chicken Marsala & Shrimp Florentine were my favourite while dining there the other day. My friends enjoyed the dessert too, but i was too full after several helpings of the pasta dishes. Portion sizes were huge & we ended up with a lot of left-overs.
(4)
D R.
You know, are qualified waitstaff really that hard to find? It's become too common to get forgetful, flaky waitstaff anywhere these days, so I searched out, drove further and payed higher prices at Buca assuming I'd get better service. Waitress was very nice but very forgetful. Kids got plastic kids cups with lids but no straws (3 of them actually for 2 kids)- took awhile to return while kids waited to drink and got antsy. I ordered a milk which never came and after food arrived, I asked for a side of marinara which also never came. When she did return (meal was almost done) to ask us if we needed anything, I told her to forget (sarcasm) the sauce since I was almost done as well as the milk and asked if she would make sure that it was off the bill. Her response was "that's OK, I never put it on the bill". The correct response would be to correct the mistake by getting me my drink and side. Buca had sent me a coupon on my phone which she wrote down the UPC code when we arrived but had lost it and created some confusion when the bill came. Food was excellent and my only gripe was the spaghetti with meatballs that served 4 people. It only came with 3 meatballs. Yes, they are big but when 4 people are dining, someones getting jipped. We had kids so it wasn't a big issue, but 4 adults would have been shorted. I thought what might have sounded like an interesting concept when designing the restaurant was odd. When seating you, they walk you through the kitchen amongst hectic staff and slippery floors and tell you this is a tour of the kitchen. No "tour" was given. I worried a tray of food may be tipped over by the kids bumping into a waiter. I'd absolutely hate this setup if I worked there. There is one table (chefs table I guess) in the kitchen where they seat guests under bright lights and every person being seated and on the "tour" walk past and inspect the food as they eat. I'd feel like a zoo animal. I'll eat there again, but I will expect the same so so service that I'd get at BK or McD's The food and decor make it worth it.
(3)
Kathleen M.
2.5 stars would be about right for our recent experience on Sunday 4 January when we hosted 11 people for our son's 17th birthday dinner. The good: the food (Buca's Chicken Marsala is just about my favorite version in the world), our server who tried very hard and got one of the cooks who has a severe peanut allergy to come out and talk to our niece (one of the guests) who also has a severe peanut allergy and a great deal of restaurant anxiety regarding the ingredients Buca uses in different dishes. The bad: we had a reservation in the Pope's room and found out after we were seated and had ordered drinks, that we were in a dark room because most of the room's track lighting bulbs were burned out and "we haven't received our shipment." If you were the GM of a restaurant and there were 2 hardware stores within a mile of your restaurant wouldn't you go (or send someone) to buy the light bulbs you needed to keep you guests from sitting in semi-darkness. It took over 15 minutes to get two beers because the bar was backed up (at 5pm on a Sunday?). And finally, one of the faucets in the ladies' room was broken and was left sitting on the counter covered up with a Buca takeout bag (and to boot, the restroom was not particularly clean). I took the time to share my concerns on Buca's website and predictably no one has bothered to respond. The next time we are planning a $500 dinner, we will take our party elsewhere. I would still come back with my family for dinner, but refuse to host a large party in an establishment with burned out lights and broken restroom fixtures.
I'd say this place is the Max & Erma's of Italian-American dining. My meal didn't have quite the punch I was looking for, but it wasn't as horrible as I had anticipated (based on the reviews I've read here). Our waitress was really nice too. I'm glad I didn't get the below mentioned Nazi waiter.
(3)
Kate B.
Kitschy and more fun to look at than to eat at, they have a great tiramisu!
(3)
Andrea J.
We have passed by this establishment many times before stopping in. The service was OKAY, but very friendly. The restaurant was having issues with somebody not showing up for their shift, so they were shorthanded. We ordered the chicken marsala with the antipasto salad. Both were very good, particularly the antipasto salad. The chicken marsala was tender, tasty and very filling. The desserts are HUGE, enough for 3 people (at least). The meals are served family style, so it is fairly inexpensive place to eat as a group. We will eat here again.
(4)
Chelsea M.
We go here every once in a while when I get a coupon and can use a gift card I receive from my credit card points. This last time we went we had a really hard time finding something that sounded good to even order. We decided against a bottle of wine because it was so over priced and the quality was so low. We ended up ordering stuffed chicken and it was ok. For the price I have found such better food at other chain Italian restaurants. I have only good things to say about the service. Our server was attentive and helpful but it isn't enough to keep me returning.
(2)
Gerry X.
I have been to the one in Chicago downtown, but this is the first time I have actually eaten here. As I am on lent I haven't eaten any of the main courses, but just read my review. The place reminded me of a very colorful establishment (I am going to steal this posters description as it fits to a T..Decor is very italian, and a little bit over the top. Think Italian style TGI Fridays nicknacks on crack), where the host was very friendly and prompt on greeting us. The inside, like the one in Chicago, is sectioned off, some areas smaller for a cozy family or date seating. There is a bar inside as well, and the walls full of pictures and nicknacks, as my pictures will show. (I apologize as some of them are not great shots.) Our waiter ( damn I forgot his name ) was very knowledgeable and patient, as I asked alot of question about what food had what in it for my lenten purposes; I was quite impressed. So I would come back here to eat if I come back to MI for work...there are alot of nice little places here, and a couple of places that I ate here than I haven't back home that I will now try. :)
(5)
Eric G.
Went here with a larger group for a birthday lunch. I was immediately annoyed by the tacky decour of the place. Just crap hung all over the walls with silly lighting. The food was decent besides the spaghetti and meatballs which were overcooked with a very watery bland sauce.. The pizza was great, the chicken ragatoni was good as well as the chicken parm. Everything was ordered as large dishes which 3 or 4 were enough to feed like 8 people and have food leftover. Would like to come check it out on a smaller scale sometime.. maybe .. eh
(3)
Wm H.
Always a good meal here. Had to convince some high class white table cloth diners that we were traveling with this place was the place to go. They complained when we suggested the place they complained some more when we got there, they complained when they saw the prices. But once they realized that this was family style with VERY LARGE portions and after they ate the food, they stopped complainging and admitted this place was good! Great location, will go back when I am in the area. Make sure you sign up on their website so you get freebies BEFORE you go in. Too late once you are inside.
(4)
Becki B.
Buca Di Beppo is not one of my favorite restaurants. Not even close. The food was acceptable, but I'm not a fan of all the family style stuff. Everyone else seems to love it though. The atmosphere really drives me nuts - it's just too loud for me to relax and enjoy anything here. Obviously this works for some people, but this will never be somewhere I look forward to visiting on a regular basis. If you do enjoy this sort of place, take a party to the Pope's Table. With the same vibe, it takes your group to a whole new level.
(3)
James K.
We decided to try this place because we had a coupon. The family style setup is good for a big group of people, but it doesn't work as well for only two people who are craving different things. We ended up getting the fettuccine alfredo and some garlic cheese bread. Both were just meh. The alfredo didn't have much flavor to it. The cheese bread was okay at best. It just wasn't worth the money. Our server was a little slow even though the place wasn't busy. There are better places in the area.
(2)
Kate B.
This is a favorite, not of us, but of a few family members and a few friends (perhaps the availability of large tables?) What I DO like: - Tiramisu, comes in a hideous tin pie-plate, looks like a gas-station giveaway, but tastes great...I get cravings for this stuff. I could make my own, but if I'm there - why not! - Green bean or broccoli side dishes. Not over-cooked, garlicky and lemony. Yum and big portions (we are heavy veggie eaters, so this is a plus!) - Chicken Parmesan: not soggy, and decent marinara. I can't find fault. - Pope Under Glass Room: as it could make my Polish Step Mom cross herself until her blouse is almost worn through. What I don't like: Pushy staff who up-sell to the point of feeling like I'm in Hell's used-car lot, most items are very overpriced for the quality, pasta dishes are greasy and overcooked for the most part (except for lasagne), claustrophobic decor.
(2)
Cassandra G.
The food is bland and tasteless!!! I sent food back because it was Luke warm and...where is the FAVOR? The decor is so outdated, no outdoor lighting coming in...and that music...UGH! I'd rather eat at Olive Gardens where the food has favor and is good, even though it's a commercial chain it's way better. Watch out for Gordan Ramsey from "Kitchen Nightmares"!!
(1)
Liz W.
I have been a few times. I used to stop in quite often for the fabu bone in whole chicken cacciatore with large chunked mushrooms with my family but sadly they took it off the menu. James and I decided to give it another whirl recently and were not thrilled with the changes we saw at all. Our waiter was annoying and kept insisting we needed a salad, bruschetta and a small dish to share despite our assurances we had been there before and weren't interested in salad per se and knew the large entree would be too large but were looking for big leftovers. He seemed pissed when we would not follow his unasked for suggestions or advice, really rude actually. I mean sorry I will never order a mediocre version of bruschetta when I am getting freebie bread and really you should not try to push me into it. Also if we want to get a large entree rather than a small what is it to you? I am being mean but at least pronounce bruschetta right too if you are going to be pushing it, it is annoying to be mentally correcting you too. We ordered a small mozzarella caprese which used to come with marinated roasted tri colored peppers as well as fresh buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes and basil. Not anymore. Spendier now and no peppers, lame. The waiter actually said we would have been happier with the salad he suggested, ummm no. I would have been happier if you cheap ass people would have kept the peppers on the app. We practically had to beg to get parm and the red pepper flakes to jazz up the olive oil we were dipping the free bread into. Finally another waitress took pity on us after she overheard us ask him for the second time and got us some herself. More bread was similarly slow, no doubt because we should have ordered that bruschetta in his opinion. We noticed his other table in our section ordered exactly as he said and they got much better service. WTF? Is he the waiter Nazi? Is he messing with us for some kind of hidden camera chuckles? Hello can we get some damn bread? Hello more drinks? We asked to see the manager at one point but nada, he never came. I don't know if he was asked by the waiter to or not though in all fairness. The baked pasta sampler dish was really very tasty. It is hard to mess up carbs topped with melty cheese though. We did have plenty for later but that was kinda the plan. Bread to go with that when we packed up was just asking too much apparently as they did not include any. The capper was when the table that was *good* got free chocolate covered strawberries, yes we heard the grand announcement. In the kitchen on the way out I passed the manager and told him exactly what I thought. He offered us free strawberries to go to make up for it. Oh gee thanks. Nice. I walked out and waited in the car, my husband took the berries and we skedaddled. Nope I will not be back in. Food, decent but the service was so freaking bad and frankly no one cared at all. No wonder the waiter thinks he can treat people like that, the management obviously thought it was fine. Hope your visit goes better, if not don't expect management to actually care.
(2)
Frank Z.
I'm Italian. My parents both came from the 'old country'. We owned a restaurant in Livonia. I'm fat and pretty tolerant of food. I'll eat anything, everything. I love food BUT this place is ABSOLUTELY THE WORST FOOD I have ever had. This stuff is unmitigated pure unadulterated CRAP! To call this Italian food...hell, to call this food at all makes me wanna yak! Large portions? Who cares if it's inedible garbage. A Banquet TV dinner is 1000 times better. Did I mention I don't like this place? YUCHH!!!!!!!!!!!
(1)
Jason C.
If you need a place to meet up with large group of folks or you want to have Italian for dinner with your family... then this is the place for you... Be warned - they only have two portion sizes: small or large. If you need a restaurant that can handle large crowd and you want to eat Italian food, then give Buca a try. When you walk in, they will take you to your table through the kitchen... and if you are lucky you can reserve the table in the kitchen... dine while watching the staff cook your meal. My favorites: - Large order of Fried Calamari with their Marinara Sauce... who can resist?? Put some hot chili flakes in the sauce - YUM... it gives that extra kick... as Emeril would say... kick it up a notch! I swear, I could eat the large plate all by myself! - I also like their Chopped Antipasto Salad. - Linguine Frutti di Mare - I really enjoy it, but the last time I had it, it wasn't good... to watery... lacked the standard taste. The wait staff I end up with are always friendly and helpful... they come and check on us regularly, granted I have had few that was never to be seen once the food was delivered. But it all depends on who you get... and to be honest, I'm one of those customers that tip based upon the service level... give me crappy service, won't be getting even 15%, maybe 10% if that person is lucky... and yes, I'm very demanding customer... sorry... the Asian side of me... (can I say that on Yelp??) :)
(3)
Emma C.
Pretty good, highly recommend going during the week at an off time though as they can get very busy. It already feels crowded in there when it's not busy but with a crowd it's even more cramped and loud. We've always gotten good dishes and have had good service. I think the prices are reasonable considering how much you get.
(3)
Megan S.
This place sux. Hustled us.
(2)
The F.
OK yelpers, I have a followup. After my original review, I was contacted by Bucca management and was assured that they had personally talked to the staff about cleaning up their act and that things would be better now. They also graciously sent me some gift cards to make amends and asked that I give them another try. So, I did. Twice. Trip #1 - we were a bit skeptical after our previous experience. But to our surprise, both the service and the food were good. I didn't want to push my luck though, and chose conservatively - Quattro al Forno (i.e. 4 pasta sampler) This turned out really good. Lasagna, Stuffed Shells, Ravioli, Canneloni. A little bit of everything. The stuffed shells were by far the yummiest, I would recommend getting those as a separate dish. My date tried the oven-roasted Salmon, which also turned out very nice. Our waitress Michelle was very attentive and courteous, although she did manage to sweettalk my date into ordering some "crisp broccoli" i.e. a small portion of steamed brocolli garnished with garlic for the terrific price of just $7 (sigh!) Trip #2 - feeling a lot more optimistic now, and convinced that our very first trip had just been a bad aberration, we headed back once more. This time a bit late on a Saturday night (around 9:30 pm). Perhaps it was our timing (they are open until 11 mind) but this visit was a total disaster :( We walked into the lobby - no hostess. We waited around for a few minutes. Nobody. We peeked into the kitchen, couple of cooks there saw us, but noone did anything. We returned to the lobby and waited. Peeked into the bar area, bartender gave us an empty stare. Returned to the lobby, waited. Now at this point, any sane person would have taken a hint and just left. But as I said before, we were feeling optimistic (in retrospect, unjustifiably so). So we just sat there, waiting. A few minutes later a waitress passed by and asked us if anyone had helped us. When we said no, she said she would take care of us right away, and with a big smile ushered us to a nice table. Her name was Kayla. We thought our night was going to get better. Couldn't have been more wrong. I ordered the Shrimp Diavolo pasta, my date ordered some other pasta (doesn't really matter exactly what.) Waitress served us some cold bread and olive oil and disappeared. About 15-20 mins later she showed up with my date's pasta. Disappeared again, I assumed (wrongly) to get my dish. After waiting for a while, I flagged her down and asked her about my order. "Oh I'm so sorry, I forgot. What was it again?" Ok, let me break this down for you young lady. There are 2 people at the table, you brought out one dish. How many more should be coming still? You do the math. So I reordered, and it showed up 15 mins later, nice and fresh out of the oven. It tasted good, but not as good as the stuffed shells. By now it had gotten quite late, and our appetites had waned. So we waited for her to bring us some boxes. We waited. And waited. AND WAITED. Finally another waitress passed by and we asked her to help us out. As she was bringing the boxes over, our waitress reappeared ON HER WAY BACK FROM THE BAR AREA, RUM AND COKE IN HAND!! I couldn't believe it, she had been sitting at the bar the whole time we had been waiting. Probably chatted up the bartender into pouring her a free drink too. As she passed us, she said "oh good she got you some boxes then." Isn't that your job, I felt like asking. So, after we boxed up our leftovers, we waited for our check. And waited. AND WAITED. Finally she showed up, didn't ask us about dessert or anything, and in her inebriated state left us with the check. So I put my card in the leather booklet, hoping she would at least cash us out quickly. Wrong again. We could see her in the waitresses' area sipping on her drink, merrily chatting away with someone. So I did the only thing I could at this point - left cash enough to cover the food + a tip so small it could only be taken as an insult, and walked out vowing never to return. A few weeks later when we craved Italian again, we chose to go to the Olive Garden (yes, that's right!) and by comparison it was fantastic.
(1)
Kevin S.
Bruschetta & eggplant incredible! I LOVE THIS PLACE :)
(4)
John N.
The thing about Buca Di Beppo is that they seem to think they can get away with selling decent food at an excessive price just because the portions are large. For instance, the "small" lemon chicken consists of 3 small chicken breasts covered in a very mild lemon sauce and it will set you back $18.00. My girlfriend likes one of the pasta dishes which is essentially a box of pasta with tomato sauce and a piece of sausage. That also costs $18.00 for the "small" portion. Without drinks, you can easily spend $50.00 here on some pretty average Italian food. You can do better elsewhere and probably should. I give the place one star just for the glass encased pope head that sits on one of the tables.
(1)
Jackie R.
WARNING: Large portions of Italian food ahead. Skip previous meal and come hungry! :) I'm serious, you need to come hungry and you'll leave feeling like you don't need to eat for a month. Large portions served family style so it's a great place to come with a group. The food is good and the spaghetti with meatballs is really yummy. The decor is like someone's basement with pictures and knick knacks covering EVERY area of the walls and sometimes ceilings. It's amazing because you really feel like you stepped down a flight of stairs and are below ground with how this place is layed out. If you want a quiet and relaxing resteraunt you really came to the wrong place because that is not what it was intended to be, it's a place to have fun, eat lots, and enjoy the atmosphere. My suggestion: Come with a large group and sit in the Pope room one of the times you visit. It's a pretty cool room.
(4)
Keith G.
I'm not the hugest fan of Italian, but I used to like Buca. What I liked about "Joe's Basement" was the fact that it broke many of the weak links in chains. For instance, the decor: over the top, yes--but sometimes even offensive. The food: spicy and surprising to the domesticated palate. What happened? The garlic bread used to have large, Edward-slaying pieces of garlic on top. And once upon a time you could smell the fishes swimming in the caesar. What happened? I'll tell you what happened: someone in management decided to reduce their fare to the least common denominator. Say it ain't so, Joe.
(3)
Jeff A.
Chose Buca di Beppo as the location for my Birthday dinner. Used Open Table to book, requested the Pope room (which they gave us!) Odd thing was that they called my cell in the middle of the day and wanted me to call back to confirm the reservation. I was a little annoyed by this, but they must have had a lot of no shows. Food was great, room was great. Portions HUGE as usual. We always order too much. Our server was quiet and shy. She didn't offer any info on a birthday dessert, etc. It was kind of odd. Our biggest disappointment was that apparently Buca Corporate has chosen not to carry Spumoni any longer. This used to be the best treat that Buca offered. I know it's been a long time since we've been there, and the Spumoni may have been gone for a long time, but it was still a let down. Good food, so-so service, disappointing corporate decision. = 3 stars.
(3)
Andria B.
I love this place! It is such a fun atmosphere and talk about the food! Delicious! I always have enough for like three or four meals. The Cannoli's are also fabulous! It is a little pricey, so I can't come as often as I would like to, but definitely worth the trip!
(5)
Alyssa M.
I used to always go to Buca Di Beppo in Birmingham, but then it closed. Now I go out to the one in Livonia and I like the set up A LOT better than the one in Birmingham. The parking is better, and some of the waiters, cooks and managers transferred over to that one from Birmingham. I always get the Fried Mozzarella Fettuccine Supremo I used to get Linguine Frutti di Mare Quattro al Forno
(4)
Holly P.
I love this place. It may not be THE best italian in the world but man they do a great job with everything. Food, service and atmosphere. They really cater to the customers which now a days really lacks. The food is so good you really can't find a better place within the area. I love their new dish spicy chicken rigatoni SO good and the tiramisu is just amazing! Love that they always have a $10 coupon, makes me love the place even more.
(5)
Stacy B.
The food is great, as usual. My only issue was the size table we were placed at. I booked in advance for a party of 7, thinking that if anyone has some space large enough for us, it would be Bucca. We ended up in a booth with a chair slid up the end, which was tight to say the least. Since I was entertaining business clients, it made it that much worse for us. I will go there with the family again, but not with clients
(3)
Jeff H.
I'm not an Italian, so true Italians may not like my review. I thought the food was very good. This is a great place to come if you like Italian food (and aren't Italian, or aren't extremely picky). The portions are very generous; my Uncle, girlfriend and I all split one large bowl of spicey chicken rigotoni. The decor of the place is really cool. It's designed to look like a mobster's hangout (they say someone's basement, but it looks like Frank Sinatra would have hung out in a place like this). When you first get there, the waitress takes you on a tour of the place - which is pretty cool. It has all different sized separated rooms. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit!
(4)
Matthew J.
I've eaten at Bucca many times. Very unique - old world Italian charm. The food is good - the portions are huge and the service is great. Usually cannot finish meal - so there is enough for take home. They also have curb side / carry out. I've had better but, Buca is good!
(4)
Andrew C.
Excellent service, food, and theme. I like how they do their pasta, bread, and calamari. Very authentic and beats any experience you would get at olive garden!
(5)
M D.
Very nice Italian restaurant chain. It might not be the best selection of Italian food around, but the ambiance is fun, the service is good and the portions are mountainous. I give them 3 stars for the menu, but 5 stars for effort. For extra fun, ask for the booth in the kitchen.
(4)
Benton P.
I was in Buca Di Beppo last tuesday. There was litterally 3 other tables in the restaurant. This was around 7:30pm. Myself and a girlfriend of mine had a fabulous meal. We got the small sampler platter, a salad, and a bottle of wine. The service was timely and the food was amazing. But there were some other things about this place that werent so great. The manager came by and dropped off a $10 off coupon and said we could use it at any time. However as we were leaving the server said there was not enough money to cover the tab. The bill was $61, I left $65 cash and the $10 coupon. Thats like a $14 dollar tip. When they informed me of this I was pissed to say the least. It was more than embarrassing. Do your self a favor and go to Olive Garden. Oh yea, and as we were sitting, chatting after our dinner we over heard our server saying " If these people would ever leave the I could get out of here" Im a server myself and if IF I say or feel that way, its always in the back where the customer cannot here me. Don't Go!
(1)
Brandon X.
Buca Di Beppo has the worst Italian restaurant food I have ever had! Over priced, ridiculously large proportions of food, annoyingly decorated and food that is on par with catered food. I've had frozen food that had more flavor than this garbage. Anyone that appreciates Italian food stay away from Buca Di Beppo.
(1)
C T.
The food is pretty good not authentic but whats fun about this place is you can bring a ton of friends and family and just let your hair down and have a good meal and some good conversation. The staff is always fun and sometimes downright funny! We have always had a real nice time at Buca Di Beppo.
(4)
Elisa G.
Sorry to bring down the star rating, but I have to discuss the food in depth. It is merely okay -- they get cute points for the decision to plate things in family size servings, but they use the exact same Sysco tomato sauce base as every other Italian resturant. The reason I know that it's the same sauce is because there's some food additive in it that makes me sick as a dog. I want to make it clear that it's not Buca's that makes me sick -- I would get the same kind of nauseous stomach cramps from the tomato sauce at my college cafeteria and every other Italian restaurant I've ever been to. So I don't blame Buca's for being sick but I'm constantly on the hunt for an Italian restaurant that gets its tomato base from some other smaller, more local and more tasty retailer. And I haven't found one yet, except in my kitchen, my mom's kitchen and my grandma's kitchen. But we all make our sauces from scratch, so it's probably not fair to compare. I would also emphasize what an earlier reviewer said, which is that this is extremely Americanized Southern Italian food. Calling any of the dishes "traditional" Italian is a big stretch. The decor is amazing and totally makes the trip worth it if you're not particularly sensitive to food additives. Or hunt down a dish there without tomato sauce? Our waitress was prompt, funny and very nice and we finished with a slice of raspberry cheesecake that I thought was loads better than the mains.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
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.
Vic L.
I've been going here off and on for 10-15 years. On average I'd give the food quality 4 stars. There's a couple dishes that I think are 5 star. My last visit was a bit off. Our meal wasn't so good (for the first time ever). Further, I didn't feel that my complaint was heard. And that upset me. (Somebody here posted a picture of their pasta. I know there was a mistake with ours, because ours looked nothing like that picture. If it had, there would have been no issue.) Since this is an online world, I voiced my frustration. And out of nowhere somebody from Bucco management tracked me down and basically comp'ed my entire meal after the fact. That's actually more than I deserve and a class act. So, I'm back to being a fan. Everyone is entitled to one off day in 15 years. The important thing: Do they make it right. And Bucco did. If you're here, you must be trying to figure out if you should go. Here's the simple facts. Its quality food. The "value" is proportional to the size of your group. They serve everything "ala carte" and in large portions. So its expensive to go alone and hope to have soup, salad, entrees, side dishes, etc. But in a large group you can order a lot of stuff and take bits from all the plates so that it all works out to a reasonable per-person price point.
(4)Michael H.
The wife and I went here for her cousin's birthday/college graduation party. Walking up to the place, it looks like a typical Italian restaurant complete with Roman style sculptures out front. Once you enter, it is a bit less typical and a bit more eccentric. They take you from the front entry way through the kitchen to get to the dining rooms. The interior of the restaurant is designed to resemble someone's home with multiple rooms. That way private parties can each have separate dining rooms. However, it can be a bit confusing and maze-like to find the restrooms through all of the hallways, dining rooms and bar. The walls are lined with photos to further the impression that you're in someone's home. However, some of the pictures can be a bit distracting--child picking his nose, butt cracks, full rear nudity and the like. Some of the pictures are charming. Others are a bit odd. For a gathering the size of our party, the food was served family style. You get bread with olive oil to dip it in. You get fried, breaded cheese triangles. Both are good. You get fried calamari which has a nice tempura like breading, but the calamari was a bit overdone and chewy. The rigatoni with shrimp and fra diavolo sauce was good. The sauce was a bit thin, but it had a nice heat to it. The salads were nice, because unlike some places they didn't use cheap iceberg lettuce. That meant that I could eat it, because my lactose intolerance prevents me from eating iceberg lettuce. The salmon was nicely seasoned and fork tender. The chicken was also nicely seasoned. Then, there was the dessert. The cheesecake was creamy and delicious. The pictures in the restrooms were the weirdest that I have ever seen in a restaurant. They had pictures of full nudes duplicating the poses of Roman sculptures. They had pictures of people urinating. The place was charming and weird, but my wife and I would go back to eat again, because the food was good.
(3)Pete P.
Nice Italian chain. I had a gift card so the meal was free for me but I thought it was a bit pricey for what it is. Really great service!! The waitress was informed of an allergy at the table and went above and beyond anywhere else to make sure said allergy was acknowledged by the kitchen staff and brought any possible issues to the table for consideration. The prosciutto stuffed chicken and the chicken carbonara were excellent!! A nice visit here was had!!
(4)Executive Chef Ronnie B.
Server is great!! Ambiance I crazy cool old school And the food is classic and this place have to be awesome for parties
(4)Annette J.
This is a bit of a review for their "special event" hosting. Came here for my friend's baby's sex reveal dinner (that's a mouthful!). It was a small group of her closest family and a few girlfriends who got together to find out if she was having a girl or a boy. We also ate a lot of carbs. My idea of a good time! We had a small private room in the back (this place is FULL of private rooms all configured in a maze-like way) with a massive round table that we all filled in around. It was the pope room so it was decorated with papal memorabilia and the centerpiece was a huge bust of Pope Francis. It was magical. We felt blessed. Actually, some people might think it creepy but we thought it hilarious. Book it for your next party! Aaaaannnnnnyway. The evening consisted of family style dishes like spaghetti with marinara, salads, bread, roast chicken and green beans. The table had a bit of a lazy susan in the middle so we could easily rotate all the plates throughout the group. Easy for taking seconds without making a scene, too. The food was good. I feel like anytime something is served up in a huge batch it can be hard to maintain quality control but they did a pretty good job. Everything tasted good and I definitely got my fill. It wasn't the best Italian that I had but it got the job done and we had a lovely time. For dessert my pal had a cake that she cut into with the frosting inside indicating the sex of the baby. We brought the cake in from another another bakery but the staff at Buca was awesome about helping us serve it. In general the servers were fab. Very attentive to our giggly little group. I'm not sure I'd myself do a full on shower or something here but for smaller scale, casual celebrations where you want an easy night and some fast, filling food it gets the job done.
(3)Mike B.
Service was good. Food is nothing to brag about. Fettuccini Alfredo was horrible. Tasted like noodles with wet flour on them. Even after drowning them in pepper and the grated cheese it still didn't help the dish. The waitress was nice enough to take it off the bill. Lemon chicken was nothing to brag about didn't taste that much lime lemon either. I gave this place a second chance and they failed again. Last time i come to one of these places. Last time i ate at this place was in Manhattan and my table and table next to us both were complaining about the food and had most of our food taken off the bill.
(2)Peggy F.
Will be giving this a chance again on sat the 21st... Hopefully it's back to the high standards that we had been used to... If this event is a fail... We will be looking for a new venue ....... I will update you after Saturday's dinner
(3)Ilana T.
I worked with Buca to organize a corporate event and they were beyond amazing to work with!! They created a special menu for us that was within our budget and were extremely accommodating. The chef clearly makes things fresh and the day of and the staff is so friendly and helpful - I am so excited to see how wonderfully our dinner will turn out. Thank you to Buca for making this process quick, easy and successful! I would absolutely recommend Buca for such events! Ask for Angela Esquivel and she will be amazing and help you :)
(5)Nichole V.
After reading the mixed reviews I was a little bit hesitant about trying this place. But I received a $20 off coupon for my birthday so it prompted me to try them out anyway. I went with my husband and my daughter. My daughter is extremely picky so I was a little uneasy about the family style serving. When we got there we will quickly seated in a room filled with pictures that took you into old school Italy. I found it surprising that when you get there you get a short tour through the kitchen. The kitchen appeared clean. Our waitress was out of this world helpful and amazing. She brought out both bowl sizes so we could see what we were up against. The large was way way too much for what we needed! We decided to get that time sausage with rigatoni and cheese manicotti. When it csme to our table I was a little un sure about the manicotti but after biting into it it was delicious creamy filling and light sauce almost perfect to our liking. The mozzarella garlic bread was not too bad either we would definitely go back and recommend trying this place at least once
(4)Sara B.
It was just ok. We got spaghetti and meat sauce that was ok and of a good sized portion, but it needed a bit more flavor, and seemed a bit pricey at $19.99 for the small portion. I was also a bit put off by the fact that they walked us through the kitchen as part of the restaurant tour, but it was pretty dirty; not something I wanted to see in a place that would be making my food. I think for that money and taste I'd rather just stay home.
(3)Angel D.
Very disappointed in the lack not commitment between myself and the event manager. I was scheduled to have my baby shower there and two days before my event she called and told me they had not only given the space away that I was holding my party in but she had no other time slots for me and my party. She did everything to ruin my event possible therefore I canceled I did not want to spend a dime as I was clearly being mistreated. She did not honor our original agreement.
(1)An V.
I was thoroughly satisfied with the experience I had at Buca di Beppo! I was not expecting such a delectable experience. First off, the restaurant is a maze with lots of turns and twists. I love the decor. There are a lot of interesting photos on the wall and the ceiling is covered with empty wine bottles. We (group of five) sat in the Gangster Booth, which was awesome! The service was good, not particularly friendly, but it was good. The real highlight was the food. We had mozzarella sticks (they were actually triangles) and the house bread for appetizers. The bread wasn't anything special, but the marinara sauce with the mozzarella sticks was excellent. The cheese was perfect, not too hard or too stringy like some other places. For our main course we had chicken parmasean, baked ziti, and manicotti. The texture chicky chicky parm parm was very tender and the cheese on top was sweet and perfect. The highlight of the meal was the manicotti. The mixture of cheeses stuffed inside was just so delicious and the pasta was cooked to perfection. The tomato sauce on both the manicotti and chicken parmasean was sweet and delicious. The baked ziti, however, left something to be desired. Some of the pasta seemed like it was not cooked long enough and was a little hard. I was really let down by the state of the facilities. The (men's) bathroom was pretty bad, which was especially disappointing considering how clean and beautiful the rest of the restaurant is. Overall this place is great, I love the family style eating. In our group of five, we had one vegetarian and two picky eaters, but we still managed to all thoroughly enjoy the food. I highly recommend this place!
(4)K M.
SO overpriced. With a table of 10 it turned out to be about $50-$60 per person. We ordered the small size entrees to share, two appetizers and one large dessert. The food was decent, nothing better than the Olive Garden. The restaurant was half empty on a Saturday night at 7pm. Waiter was strange and seemed annoyed he had such a large table. We won't be coming back.
(2)Ashley G.
I went there on Valentine's Day 2015 with 3 other guests this restaurant is a bit pricey but it is worth it and portions are very large it is a good restaurant for four people and up the food was some of the best I ever had the chicken alfredo that is. It's a very nice scenery to it gives you a nice warm feel of Italy at home. I heard they also have a table you can book in the kitchen haven't got the check that out yet. and also got a $50 off coupon for 4 people after my first visit
(5)Tricia S.
This place is beside our hotel so after riding past it a few times we decided to go in. Well it was Good Italian food. The decor and layout is different than what I'm used to.... But hey a good meal is a good meal.
(4)Chris M.
Reserved a large room and pre ordered family style. Worked out awesome . Good food and plentiful , staff very nice . The manager I worked with prior to arrival was superb !! Only complaint was at the end our waitress got a little pushy about her tip!!
(4)Brett C.
I'm always tired of going to the same places for romantic meals. So, last night we went to a place we haven't been to in years: Buca di Beppo. If you love Italian food, this nearly authentic restaurant will take you down the streets of Sicily, through the tunnels of Venice, and right in front of the Vatican. You'll need a reservation, as this place is hoppin'. We made ours using OpenTable and were very impressed at how quickly we were seated. We went in on a Friday evening at 7:30...on Valentine's Day...so finding a parking spot was rough. But once I joined my wife inside, we were seated 5 minutes later after showing up 12 minutes early. This place is great for the experience. When they seat you, they walk you right through the kitchen. Don't worry...it's hygienic. You're walking past a big opening really. They actually have a table "in" the kitchen you can sit at, but you have to make a reservation. Once you're out, the walls are adorned with pictures from Italy and its famous faces. One such face that stuck out at me was Sophia Loren. Our table was meant for four but the extra space was nice with an 8-month pregnant wife. Our server was Dana and she joined us right away. She took my drink order and got us started with the mozzarella garlic covered bread basket. I ordered the house light beer (forgot the name) in their souvenir glass. Now, Buca di Beppo is really a family-style restaurant. Meaning, all the portions are typically meant for 6-8 people BUT they do offer smaller portions for 2-3 people. And that's the route we took. When Dana returned we ordered the stuffed shells. The entree came rather quickly and the plate was HOT! It was a good portion, coming with 6 fully stuffed pasta shells but we were surprised that there weren't maybe two more. No big deal. They were absolutely delicious and we were able to eat the 3-a-piece between 2 of us. Surprisingly, we had room for dessert. Or so we thought. Like with any Italian restaurant we usually visit, we ordered the tiramisu. Based in what we saw up to that point regarding portion size, our thought was that they would bring one plate with a nice big square of tiramisu in the center. This was totally not the case. They brought an entire bowl of tiramisu to the table. It wasn't too rich or sweet. It was the right amount of light and fluffy to rich and creamy. It was delicious. It could have at least fed 4. We took the rest home. Now, this was Valentine's Day and we went above and beyond what we would usually order. But for what we ordered, our bill was very fair at roughly $75 after it was all said and done. This is a place you go once a year or if you have a huge group of people you want to feed quickly. We love this place and will be back very soon.
(5)Vance P.
I'd say this place is the Max & Erma's of Italian-American dining. My meal didn't have quite the punch I was looking for, but it wasn't as horrible as I had anticipated (based on the reviews I've read here). Our waitress was really nice too. I'm glad I didn't get the below mentioned Nazi waiter.
(3)Kate B.
Kitschy and more fun to look at than to eat at, they have a great tiramisu!
(3)Lisa P.
My party of 8 was celebrating a college graduation, a birthday, and a proposal that was to happen during our meal so I wanted everything to go very smoothly. I made reservations via Open Table, which allows you to make special requests so I articulated the above. Buca called me the day of the reservation to confirm, at which time I reiterated that we needed things to go smoothly and we'd prefer a table in a more intimate area if possible. She couldn't commit to that but said they'd really try. Her shift ended before our reservation and it seemed evident to me that nothing I articulated earlier (both in my reservation and verbally over the phone) was carried forward to the next shift. Our group was shoved into a booth and 2 chairs were added to the end of the table. (I suspect a little table was added to the booth table; the table cloth covered it up.) I explained to our hostess the situation and she offered to let me speak to the manager. He was very nice and ended up moving us to an unoccupied round table off the banquet hall. I am sure if there wasn't a marriage proposal happening, he would've told me we were out of luck. This is why I deducted a star. There are too many Buca reviews where people have complained about unmet expectations with regard to reservations, including large parties being crammed into too small spaces. Buca, please stop doing this! If you don't have a table for X number of people, don't allow the reservation to be made! Apart from that, everything was fantastic! I was worried, again because of some reviews on Yelp, but it was a wonderful experience (sans the fact that I had to have dinner with my ex-husband). Waitress--came back to check on us many times. Food--was hot and delicious. Note that the entree portions are large so I ended up over-ordering because I was afraid the portions would be tiny. I'd highly recommend everything we ordered: Fried Mozzarella, Artichoke Dip, Mozzarella Garlic Bread (this was "okay"), Chicken Parm, Beppo's Soffici Gnocchi, Lasagna, Quattro Al Forno. The food was, by all accounts, fantastic. (This food never would've fit on the original table!) They seated us right away although 2 people were about 30 min late. Their website says they won't seat until the whole party was there so I really appreciated that we had no issues with that. There were super busy at 645 pm on a Sunday so I think that says a lot about customer satisfaction. My daughter (the guest of honor for all 3 things we were celebrating) loved the atmosphere, the kitschy wall hangings and statues, the booth in the kitchen, it was just fun for her and enhanced our experience even more. We had a great night and I honestly think that going to Buca's took it to the next level over and above going to your run-of-the-mill restaurant. It was a great place to create a long-lasting memory for my daughter and future son-in-law. Very happy with my decision to go here. I would advise anyone who has a special event to micromanage the details and ensure you've got the manager's attention long before your event to prevent any issues.
(4)Tyler B.
Very slow service. Food was okay, but the large portion size and price is a pain when you have a family that can't agree on things.
(1)Gary A.
So did you know this place is open for lunch, and they have lunch portions. I mention this because there was less than 15 people in the restaurant for lunch, but try dropping in for dinner, this place is always packed. I know this place is know for its family style meals, but when over places for lunch are so crowd, it doesn't make sense. I actually asked them if they were open for lunch. OK, this is an "American" style Italian restaurant. Pasta and the triple threat, Parmigiana, Marsala, and Lasagna. Since I was there for lunch, they do have a decent lunch menu, salad and pasta or soup, and the portions were still big. Normally for dinner, it is served in family style or really big family style. This place is set up for big groups, and it has a very kitchy decor. Wait staff is younger and friendly, serve was a little slow, but we weren't in a hurry. I assume they incent the wait staff with appetizer and desert quotes - its their job. Nothing on the menu really stands out, but the menu is not that diverse. Its location is good, right off the highway - really the first restaurant at the start of restaurant row on Haggerty.
(3)C S.
We went to Buca last Saturday for dinner. Had a $10 off $20 coupon. We ordered the baked rigatoni. when it was delivered to our table it was a bowl full of pasta. it had a few cooked tomato dices in it and 3 slices of Italian sausage.and it had 3 melted mozzarella balls on top. Not worth even the $10 we spent. The Pasta was overcooked and dried out. quite disgusting. I won't go back - ever. my prediction for Buca is that it won't be there in 2 years. Go to Bravo up the road for a flavorful meal.
(1)Robert S.
The food was very tasty. We got the chicken Marsala, a spicy shrimp pasta dish and a small garden salad. Normally I expect family style dinning to overwhelm me with the amount of food, this was not the case and I was disappointed. Expensive for what you get. I don't know that I like walking through a kitchen on our way to eat. Place was busy and they sent our food to the wrong place. We won't go back.
(3)Felecia S.
I was there for a MS seminar, it was great! The service was excellent! My only complaint would be, the room we were in, is not suited for wheelchairs, it was too tight in there not enough room. Food was good! We'll be back. My favorite was the salad with the granny smith apples!!!!!!!! Thanks!
(4)Prasun R.
One more 5 star :-) and they deserve it. My second visit menu : Bruschetta, Lasagna and Tiramisu. It was a treat, not just for the taste buds but for all the senses. Impeccable presentation, superb service and nearly authentic taste.
(5)Liz K.
We chose Buca for a large group gathering of 95 people. I had the pleasure of working with Angela. We had a large variety of menu options to choose from that would please everyone. We didn't have to verify the number until a few days prior. Once we showed up, they had plenty of wait staff, and the food came out in an expeditious manner. I didn't get one negative complaint out of 95 people! The food was delicious and I would not hesitate to book it again. Thank you Buca!
(5)Brian W.
Buca used to be one of my go-to-places. NOT now. I used to love this place. Today, we went there because we had a couple of gift cards Today's dinner was not planned. I wish that I would have insisted on that Thai Food place that I really wanted to go to. For today's fare at Bucca, the only thing that was really good was the mussels - Yum. Everything else there was very overpriced and lacked in taste. 3 meat balls - $15 not much taste, A small pizza 1/2 cheese 1/2 pepperoni - $16. Mashed potatoes - $10 Seriously ! Chicken breast with cheese and prosciutto $35. Really, only 5, 1/2 breast. They were mushy with a doubtful flavor. Vida wanted something different so I ordered Fettuccine Alfredo. This dish just tanked. Runny sauce with no flavor. Now with the service that we had through the meal - it was just missing, I still gave a tip, not a tip for a $115 bill, but a tip. I really didn't wan't to leave anything. The waitress was absent through the entire meal. I should have tipped the other waitress, she was more attentive to us than our waitress was. Just after the meal, my wife got sick and we had to stop on the way home for her to lose her meal. For the next 3 hours, she still kept loosing her meal. Since, my wife got so sick, we tossed all our left-overs. No loss !
(1)Ted C.
MANGIA MANGIA !! I love everything on this menu. I go there and I enjoy it. I started going to the one in my old Chicago neighborhood. I like eating in fancy tratorias and cucinas too don't get my wrong but the portions in this place are INSANE. My family doesn't like to go with me because they are not into Italian food period. So when I go here I go here to enjoy myself and this amazing food in peace. SO what if I have to eat by myself !! More for me. I can't tell you enough about those crazy meatballs, they are the size of a meatloaf.. yes they give you too much... so take it home !! And that garlic bread is the size of a steering wheel. The service is great here. And that kitchen has a table so you can eat in the kitchen with the cooks... thats a big city thing... a lot of people don't get it and it makes them nervous... but I lived in NYC and Chicago so I get it.... and its a relief to see that little bit of comfort from the big cities I lived in. I like the decor too... I get it. My father loved this place too. The service is always good here. People are real friendly and its a joy coming here. What else can I say its also family friendly. Kids love to come here and who can blame em ? Its a fun place.
(5)Maria G.
I've been going to Buca for over 10 years. Not much has changed. Food is great. Huge portions. Nice place for large parties. I had to get used to the pictures on the wall. But as you walk around and look at each picture...so many stories. It feels like going back in time. The service is always adequate. Best canoli. I like the eclub idea. I signed up and already started getting coupons.
(5)Andy B.
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(3)Nyobie Q.
We had a group of 13 and many were commenting how delicious the food was. Service was excellent too. We'll definitely be back and I can't wait.
(5)Carol K.
Where to go when you have 8 hungry mouths to feed? Well Buca di Beppo, of course! We went on a Friday night, but early, so getting a seat was not a problem. We were seated in the "vines and wines" room (all the rooms have strange names) and with April as our server, we were extremely well fed on this evening. We started with three appetizers (calamari, thin crust pizza and caprese salad) and they were so big- we should have just stopped while we were ahead. But no! Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs (and we had 3 hungry boys with us!) so we ordered 3 pastas and 2 entrees. Know that the SMALL pasta dishes serve 2-3 people each so go easy on the ordering. And the entrees were huge so by cutting the meats in half we were able to have reasonable sized portions for everyone. April was quick to warn us that we had too much food so we went to small sizes on the pasta and large on the entrees. The decor is like all Buca locations- tons of old pictures and "old school" Italian decor. I like that they take you through the kitchen on the way to your table. And if you are looking for a really fun experience- ask for the "kitchen table". It's a table right in the kitchen where you get to enjoy dinner as you watch the action around you. It's perfect for 6 people! Dinner for 8 with enough food for leftovers ran just about $200 which was a steal considering what it usually costs to feed this bunch when we go out! As our server said, "if you don't leave stuffed . . . .you're doing it wrong". Let me tell you . . . . .we did it right. Very right!
(4)Tamara Y.
I enjoy Buca more than the average chain Italian restaurant. Certainly more than the garden of olives. I tend to stick to the non-pasta dishes, mostly because I'm more of a carnivore than a "large-dish-of-starch" kinda girl. The prosciutto stuffed chicken is excellent, as is the veal saltimbocca. I also enjoy the apple gorgonzola salad. PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT -- When you do order a bowl of pasta, please be advised that all of the "stuff" is resting on top of the pasta. If you don't mix it up, you'll find yourself out of meat and vegetables and looking at a big bowl of plain pasta. So the first dish or two of, say, shimp florentine is delicious, but you're screwed after that. The waitstaff is heavy on trying to "upsell" you. I understand, but many times they just don't drop it when I turn them down. Yes, I'm QUITE sure I don't want fried mozzarella or a quartino of house wine, thanks. Would I return? Yeah, mostly because I dig the veal saltimbocca.
(3)tanya a.
I like this place! The food portions were a little confusing and boy did the kitchen tour throw me off! "What, I'm supposed walk back here??" The food was yummy and accommodating to our dietary requests and I was impressed that our server pointed out which entrees had meat products. Chicken based Alfredo? That was a bummer, but at least we didn't find out after the fact. (Ahem, not to be named Italian restaurant in Ohio with lobster sauce.) Anyway, the decor was kookie but I liked it. Words cannot describe the "Pope Room."
(4)Grace M.
Solid italian food, family style. Chicken Marsala & Shrimp Florentine were my favourite while dining there the other day. My friends enjoyed the dessert too, but i was too full after several helpings of the pasta dishes. Portion sizes were huge & we ended up with a lot of left-overs.
(4)D R.
You know, are qualified waitstaff really that hard to find? It's become too common to get forgetful, flaky waitstaff anywhere these days, so I searched out, drove further and payed higher prices at Buca assuming I'd get better service. Waitress was very nice but very forgetful. Kids got plastic kids cups with lids but no straws (3 of them actually for 2 kids)- took awhile to return while kids waited to drink and got antsy. I ordered a milk which never came and after food arrived, I asked for a side of marinara which also never came. When she did return (meal was almost done) to ask us if we needed anything, I told her to forget (sarcasm) the sauce since I was almost done as well as the milk and asked if she would make sure that it was off the bill. Her response was "that's OK, I never put it on the bill". The correct response would be to correct the mistake by getting me my drink and side. Buca had sent me a coupon on my phone which she wrote down the UPC code when we arrived but had lost it and created some confusion when the bill came. Food was excellent and my only gripe was the spaghetti with meatballs that served 4 people. It only came with 3 meatballs. Yes, they are big but when 4 people are dining, someones getting jipped. We had kids so it wasn't a big issue, but 4 adults would have been shorted. I thought what might have sounded like an interesting concept when designing the restaurant was odd. When seating you, they walk you through the kitchen amongst hectic staff and slippery floors and tell you this is a tour of the kitchen. No "tour" was given. I worried a tray of food may be tipped over by the kids bumping into a waiter. I'd absolutely hate this setup if I worked there. There is one table (chefs table I guess) in the kitchen where they seat guests under bright lights and every person being seated and on the "tour" walk past and inspect the food as they eat. I'd feel like a zoo animal. I'll eat there again, but I will expect the same so so service that I'd get at BK or McD's The food and decor make it worth it.
(3)Andrea J.
We have passed by this establishment many times before stopping in. The service was OKAY, but very friendly. The restaurant was having issues with somebody not showing up for their shift, so they were shorthanded. We ordered the chicken marsala with the antipasto salad. Both were very good, particularly the antipasto salad. The chicken marsala was tender, tasty and very filling. The desserts are HUGE, enough for 3 people (at least). The meals are served family style, so it is fairly inexpensive place to eat as a group. We will eat here again.
(4)Kathleen M.
2.5 stars would be about right for our recent experience on Sunday 4 January when we hosted 11 people for our son's 17th birthday dinner. The good: the food (Buca's Chicken Marsala is just about my favorite version in the world), our server who tried very hard and got one of the cooks who has a severe peanut allergy to come out and talk to our niece (one of the guests) who also has a severe peanut allergy and a great deal of restaurant anxiety regarding the ingredients Buca uses in different dishes. The bad: we had a reservation in the Pope's room and found out after we were seated and had ordered drinks, that we were in a dark room because most of the room's track lighting bulbs were burned out and "we haven't received our shipment." If you were the GM of a restaurant and there were 2 hardware stores within a mile of your restaurant wouldn't you go (or send someone) to buy the light bulbs you needed to keep you guests from sitting in semi-darkness. It took over 15 minutes to get two beers because the bar was backed up (at 5pm on a Sunday?). And finally, one of the faucets in the ladies' room was broken and was left sitting on the counter covered up with a Buca takeout bag (and to boot, the restroom was not particularly clean). I took the time to share my concerns on Buca's website and predictably no one has bothered to respond. The next time we are planning a $500 dinner, we will take our party elsewhere. I would still come back with my family for dinner, but refuse to host a large party in an establishment with burned out lights and broken restroom fixtures.
(2)Jeffrey B.
This may be the most American Italian restaurant at which I have ever dined. I somehow have never been to Buca di Beppo in my adulthood until today when my sister made Mother's Day reservations for a 3:00 dinner (or was it lunch?). Walking in you're immediately hit with a visual kaleidoscope of kitsch, knick-knacks, and nonsense, so it's right up my alley right? I was totally caught off guard when the hostess walked us through the kitchen where there's a table for some lucky diners to sit--so bizarre, or secretly amazing? I couldn't wrap my head around it though I guess it shows you how clean the kitchen is as well as makes you feel like you're at home? We were paraded past the Pope room with the King Arthur sized round table and showcased bust of His Holiness and shown to our booth. You might think Applebee's screws things into the wall in the name of décor, but Buca really goes crazy with it, which might make it the most entertaining place if you're having a less than exciting meal--there's always something there to distract you. First things first, my sister and I ordered a carafe of the house red wine, which priced at $22.00 didn't seem horrible. I get their family style thing but really, that only works when everyone wants to eat the same thing. Since our table was a little more varied we all just chose something to order and take some home as well as ordering the large Caesar salad. I decided on the Cheese Manicotti, my sister had some cavatapi with chicken and peas in a blush sauce, my mother some shrimp pasta thing, and her husband the veal parmagiana (why people order veal anywhere is beyond me!?). Bread was provided but despite being made in house (or I think it is since there's a window in the lobby that over looks a bread making type scene) was kind of just bread. We weren't provided bread plates, which may have been an over sight, but we dealt with it. I did request oil because I saw some on another table which took a while to get but did add another dimension of flavor. I was actually quite happy with my entrée. I wish that they would just allow you to order a regular serving or like create a combo without going family style. It also seems to me that if you're spending $20.00 on a meal they could include a salad. I was going to order the Eggplant but then would have had to order a side of spaghetti or vegetables so I wasn't just eating breaded eggplant with sauce. I guess the manicotti wasn't a horrible way to go because comparably at the Olive Garden you would receive three pieces and this was four, and really, I did enjoy it. When dessert rolled around the menu was brought over and my mother decided we should order the giant brownie sundae thing that was like 12 little brownie chunks with 6 scoops of chocolate and vanilla gelato, whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles, and a cherry and served in a super sized plastic martini glass (seriously, made for Americans.) The dessert was amazing. No really, amazing. And somehow serving yourself from a giant martini glass with a large serving spoon just again seems so ridiculous. I still can't figure out what I think of this place? In the event of a fire we would have all been screwed since I swear there's one exit and it's like a labyrinth to find. I think I should really try to go back with a bunch of friends who like to eat the same things as me so we could really family style it up, but I swear that element adds so much more complication. They should really just do a buffet which would push it over the edge of being amazing/absurd. When we left there was a family sitting at the kitchen table, which again, I don't know if I would want that or think it's the worst thing ever? All in all, it was a decent Italian meal. I'm trying to think of the hierarchy of chain restaurants where this would fall? Maybe Maggiano's on top (superior food and their $40.00 deal for two is an incredible value), followed by Bravo! (good food, great bread), Buca, Olive Garden (I have never had a bad meal despite many other's complaints), and Macaroni Grill (hello crayons for the table!), and underneath that Papa Vinos (bland, blah), and Carrabas (I recall nothing special at all. . . )?
(3)John N.
The thing about Buca Di Beppo is that they seem to think they can get away with selling decent food at an excessive price just because the portions are large. For instance, the "small" lemon chicken consists of 3 small chicken breasts covered in a very mild lemon sauce and it will set you back $18.00. My girlfriend likes one of the pasta dishes which is essentially a box of pasta with tomato sauce and a piece of sausage. That also costs $18.00 for the "small" portion. Without drinks, you can easily spend $50.00 here on some pretty average Italian food. You can do better elsewhere and probably should. I give the place one star just for the glass encased pope head that sits on one of the tables.
(1)Jackie R.
WARNING: Large portions of Italian food ahead. Skip previous meal and come hungry! :) I'm serious, you need to come hungry and you'll leave feeling like you don't need to eat for a month. Large portions served family style so it's a great place to come with a group. The food is good and the spaghetti with meatballs is really yummy. The decor is like someone's basement with pictures and knick knacks covering EVERY area of the walls and sometimes ceilings. It's amazing because you really feel like you stepped down a flight of stairs and are below ground with how this place is layed out. If you want a quiet and relaxing resteraunt you really came to the wrong place because that is not what it was intended to be, it's a place to have fun, eat lots, and enjoy the atmosphere. My suggestion: Come with a large group and sit in the Pope room one of the times you visit. It's a pretty cool room.
(4)Keith G.
I'm not the hugest fan of Italian, but I used to like Buca. What I liked about "Joe's Basement" was the fact that it broke many of the weak links in chains. For instance, the decor: over the top, yes--but sometimes even offensive. The food: spicy and surprising to the domesticated palate. What happened? The garlic bread used to have large, Edward-slaying pieces of garlic on top. And once upon a time you could smell the fishes swimming in the caesar. What happened? I'll tell you what happened: someone in management decided to reduce their fare to the least common denominator. Say it ain't so, Joe.
(3)Stacy B.
The food is great, as usual. My only issue was the size table we were placed at. I booked in advance for a party of 7, thinking that if anyone has some space large enough for us, it would be Bucca. We ended up in a booth with a chair slid up the end, which was tight to say the least. Since I was entertaining business clients, it made it that much worse for us. I will go there with the family again, but not with clients
(3)Jeff H.
I'm not an Italian, so true Italians may not like my review. I thought the food was very good. This is a great place to come if you like Italian food (and aren't Italian, or aren't extremely picky). The portions are very generous; my Uncle, girlfriend and I all split one large bowl of spicey chicken rigotoni. The decor of the place is really cool. It's designed to look like a mobster's hangout (they say someone's basement, but it looks like Frank Sinatra would have hung out in a place like this). When you first get there, the waitress takes you on a tour of the place - which is pretty cool. It has all different sized separated rooms. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit!
(4)M D.
Very nice Italian restaurant chain. It might not be the best selection of Italian food around, but the ambiance is fun, the service is good and the portions are mountainous. I give them 3 stars for the menu, but 5 stars for effort. For extra fun, ask for the booth in the kitchen.
(4)Kevin S.
Bruschetta & eggplant incredible! I LOVE THIS PLACE :)
(4)Jeff A.
Chose Buca di Beppo as the location for my Birthday dinner. Used Open Table to book, requested the Pope room (which they gave us!) Odd thing was that they called my cell in the middle of the day and wanted me to call back to confirm the reservation. I was a little annoyed by this, but they must have had a lot of no shows. Food was great, room was great. Portions HUGE as usual. We always order too much. Our server was quiet and shy. She didn't offer any info on a birthday dessert, etc. It was kind of odd. Our biggest disappointment was that apparently Buca Corporate has chosen not to carry Spumoni any longer. This used to be the best treat that Buca offered. I know it's been a long time since we've been there, and the Spumoni may have been gone for a long time, but it was still a let down. Good food, so-so service, disappointing corporate decision. = 3 stars.
(3)Andria B.
I love this place! It is such a fun atmosphere and talk about the food! Delicious! I always have enough for like three or four meals. The Cannoli's are also fabulous! It is a little pricey, so I can't come as often as I would like to, but definitely worth the trip!
(5)Chelsea M.
We go here every once in a while when I get a coupon and can use a gift card I receive from my credit card points. This last time we went we had a really hard time finding something that sounded good to even order. We decided against a bottle of wine because it was so over priced and the quality was so low. We ended up ordering stuffed chicken and it was ok. For the price I have found such better food at other chain Italian restaurants. I have only good things to say about the service. Our server was attentive and helpful but it isn't enough to keep me returning.
(2)Alyssa M.
I used to always go to Buca Di Beppo in Birmingham, but then it closed. Now I go out to the one in Livonia and I like the set up A LOT better than the one in Birmingham. The parking is better, and some of the waiters, cooks and managers transferred over to that one from Birmingham. I always get the Fried Mozzarella Fettuccine Supremo I used to get Linguine Frutti di Mare Quattro al Forno
(4)Cassandra G.
The food is bland and tasteless!!! I sent food back because it was Luke warm and...where is the FAVOR? The decor is so outdated, no outdoor lighting coming in...and that music...UGH! I'd rather eat at Olive Gardens where the food has favor and is good, even though it's a commercial chain it's way better. Watch out for Gordan Ramsey from "Kitchen Nightmares"!!
(1)Holly P.
I love this place. It may not be THE best italian in the world but man they do a great job with everything. Food, service and atmosphere. They really cater to the customers which now a days really lacks. The food is so good you really can't find a better place within the area. I love their new dish spicy chicken rigatoni SO good and the tiramisu is just amazing! Love that they always have a $10 coupon, makes me love the place even more.
(5)Benton P.
I was in Buca Di Beppo last tuesday. There was litterally 3 other tables in the restaurant. This was around 7:30pm. Myself and a girlfriend of mine had a fabulous meal. We got the small sampler platter, a salad, and a bottle of wine. The service was timely and the food was amazing. But there were some other things about this place that werent so great. The manager came by and dropped off a $10 off coupon and said we could use it at any time. However as we were leaving the server said there was not enough money to cover the tab. The bill was $61, I left $65 cash and the $10 coupon. Thats like a $14 dollar tip. When they informed me of this I was pissed to say the least. It was more than embarrassing. Do your self a favor and go to Olive Garden. Oh yea, and as we were sitting, chatting after our dinner we over heard our server saying " If these people would ever leave the I could get out of here" Im a server myself and if IF I say or feel that way, its always in the back where the customer cannot here me. Don't Go!
(1)Brandon X.
Buca Di Beppo has the worst Italian restaurant food I have ever had! Over priced, ridiculously large proportions of food, annoyingly decorated and food that is on par with catered food. I've had frozen food that had more flavor than this garbage. Anyone that appreciates Italian food stay away from Buca Di Beppo.
(1)C T.
The food is pretty good not authentic but whats fun about this place is you can bring a ton of friends and family and just let your hair down and have a good meal and some good conversation. The staff is always fun and sometimes downright funny! We have always had a real nice time at Buca Di Beppo.
(4)Elisa G.
Sorry to bring down the star rating, but I have to discuss the food in depth. It is merely okay -- they get cute points for the decision to plate things in family size servings, but they use the exact same Sysco tomato sauce base as every other Italian resturant. The reason I know that it's the same sauce is because there's some food additive in it that makes me sick as a dog. I want to make it clear that it's not Buca's that makes me sick -- I would get the same kind of nauseous stomach cramps from the tomato sauce at my college cafeteria and every other Italian restaurant I've ever been to. So I don't blame Buca's for being sick but I'm constantly on the hunt for an Italian restaurant that gets its tomato base from some other smaller, more local and more tasty retailer. And I haven't found one yet, except in my kitchen, my mom's kitchen and my grandma's kitchen. But we all make our sauces from scratch, so it's probably not fair to compare. I would also emphasize what an earlier reviewer said, which is that this is extremely Americanized Southern Italian food. Calling any of the dishes "traditional" Italian is a big stretch. The decor is amazing and totally makes the trip worth it if you're not particularly sensitive to food additives. Or hunt down a dish there without tomato sauce? Our waitress was prompt, funny and very nice and we finished with a slice of raspberry cheesecake that I thought was loads better than the mains.
(3)Matthew J.
I've eaten at Bucca many times. Very unique - old world Italian charm. The food is good - the portions are huge and the service is great. Usually cannot finish meal - so there is enough for take home. They also have curb side / carry out. I've had better but, Buca is good!
(4)Andrew C.
Excellent service, food, and theme. I like how they do their pasta, bread, and calamari. Very authentic and beats any experience you would get at olive garden!
(5)Gerry X.
I have been to the one in Chicago downtown, but this is the first time I have actually eaten here. As I am on lent I haven't eaten any of the main courses, but just read my review. The place reminded me of a very colorful establishment (I am going to steal this posters description as it fits to a T..Decor is very italian, and a little bit over the top. Think Italian style TGI Fridays nicknacks on crack), where the host was very friendly and prompt on greeting us. The inside, like the one in Chicago, is sectioned off, some areas smaller for a cozy family or date seating. There is a bar inside as well, and the walls full of pictures and nicknacks, as my pictures will show. (I apologize as some of them are not great shots.) Our waiter ( damn I forgot his name ) was very knowledgeable and patient, as I asked alot of question about what food had what in it for my lenten purposes; I was quite impressed. So I would come back here to eat if I come back to MI for work...there are alot of nice little places here, and a couple of places that I ate here than I haven't back home that I will now try. :)
(5)Eric G.
Went here with a larger group for a birthday lunch. I was immediately annoyed by the tacky decour of the place. Just crap hung all over the walls with silly lighting. The food was decent besides the spaghetti and meatballs which were overcooked with a very watery bland sauce.. The pizza was great, the chicken ragatoni was good as well as the chicken parm. Everything was ordered as large dishes which 3 or 4 were enough to feed like 8 people and have food leftover. Would like to come check it out on a smaller scale sometime.. maybe .. eh
(3)Frank Z.
I'm Italian. My parents both came from the 'old country'. We owned a restaurant in Livonia. I'm fat and pretty tolerant of food. I'll eat anything, everything. I love food BUT this place is ABSOLUTELY THE WORST FOOD I have ever had. This stuff is unmitigated pure unadulterated CRAP! To call this Italian food...hell, to call this food at all makes me wanna yak! Large portions? Who cares if it's inedible garbage. A Banquet TV dinner is 1000 times better. Did I mention I don't like this place? YUCHH!!!!!!!!!!!
(1)Becki B.
Buca Di Beppo is not one of my favorite restaurants. Not even close. The food was acceptable, but I'm not a fan of all the family style stuff. Everyone else seems to love it though. The atmosphere really drives me nuts - it's just too loud for me to relax and enjoy anything here. Obviously this works for some people, but this will never be somewhere I look forward to visiting on a regular basis. If you do enjoy this sort of place, take a party to the Pope's Table. With the same vibe, it takes your group to a whole new level.
(3)James K.
We decided to try this place because we had a coupon. The family style setup is good for a big group of people, but it doesn't work as well for only two people who are craving different things. We ended up getting the fettuccine alfredo and some garlic cheese bread. Both were just meh. The alfredo didn't have much flavor to it. The cheese bread was okay at best. It just wasn't worth the money. Our server was a little slow even though the place wasn't busy. There are better places in the area.
(2)Liz W.
I have been a few times. I used to stop in quite often for the fabu bone in whole chicken cacciatore with large chunked mushrooms with my family but sadly they took it off the menu. James and I decided to give it another whirl recently and were not thrilled with the changes we saw at all. Our waiter was annoying and kept insisting we needed a salad, bruschetta and a small dish to share despite our assurances we had been there before and weren't interested in salad per se and knew the large entree would be too large but were looking for big leftovers. He seemed pissed when we would not follow his unasked for suggestions or advice, really rude actually. I mean sorry I will never order a mediocre version of bruschetta when I am getting freebie bread and really you should not try to push me into it. Also if we want to get a large entree rather than a small what is it to you? I am being mean but at least pronounce bruschetta right too if you are going to be pushing it, it is annoying to be mentally correcting you too. We ordered a small mozzarella caprese which used to come with marinated roasted tri colored peppers as well as fresh buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes and basil. Not anymore. Spendier now and no peppers, lame. The waiter actually said we would have been happier with the salad he suggested, ummm no. I would have been happier if you cheap ass people would have kept the peppers on the app. We practically had to beg to get parm and the red pepper flakes to jazz up the olive oil we were dipping the free bread into. Finally another waitress took pity on us after she overheard us ask him for the second time and got us some herself. More bread was similarly slow, no doubt because we should have ordered that bruschetta in his opinion. We noticed his other table in our section ordered exactly as he said and they got much better service. WTF? Is he the waiter Nazi? Is he messing with us for some kind of hidden camera chuckles? Hello can we get some damn bread? Hello more drinks? We asked to see the manager at one point but nada, he never came. I don't know if he was asked by the waiter to or not though in all fairness. The baked pasta sampler dish was really very tasty. It is hard to mess up carbs topped with melty cheese though. We did have plenty for later but that was kinda the plan. Bread to go with that when we packed up was just asking too much apparently as they did not include any. The capper was when the table that was *good* got free chocolate covered strawberries, yes we heard the grand announcement. In the kitchen on the way out I passed the manager and told him exactly what I thought. He offered us free strawberries to go to make up for it. Oh gee thanks. Nice. I walked out and waited in the car, my husband took the berries and we skedaddled. Nope I will not be back in. Food, decent but the service was so freaking bad and frankly no one cared at all. No wonder the waiter thinks he can treat people like that, the management obviously thought it was fine. Hope your visit goes better, if not don't expect management to actually care.
(2)Wm H.
Always a good meal here. Had to convince some high class white table cloth diners that we were traveling with this place was the place to go. They complained when we suggested the place they complained some more when we got there, they complained when they saw the prices. But once they realized that this was family style with VERY LARGE portions and after they ate the food, they stopped complainging and admitted this place was good! Great location, will go back when I am in the area. Make sure you sign up on their website so you get freebies BEFORE you go in. Too late once you are inside.
(4)Kate B.
This is a favorite, not of us, but of a few family members and a few friends (perhaps the availability of large tables?) What I DO like: - Tiramisu, comes in a hideous tin pie-plate, looks like a gas-station giveaway, but tastes great...I get cravings for this stuff. I could make my own, but if I'm there - why not! - Green bean or broccoli side dishes. Not over-cooked, garlicky and lemony. Yum and big portions (we are heavy veggie eaters, so this is a plus!) - Chicken Parmesan: not soggy, and decent marinara. I can't find fault. - Pope Under Glass Room: as it could make my Polish Step Mom cross herself until her blouse is almost worn through. What I don't like: Pushy staff who up-sell to the point of feeling like I'm in Hell's used-car lot, most items are very overpriced for the quality, pasta dishes are greasy and overcooked for the most part (except for lasagne), claustrophobic decor.
(2)Jason C.
If you need a place to meet up with large group of folks or you want to have Italian for dinner with your family... then this is the place for you... Be warned - they only have two portion sizes: small or large. If you need a restaurant that can handle large crowd and you want to eat Italian food, then give Buca a try. When you walk in, they will take you to your table through the kitchen... and if you are lucky you can reserve the table in the kitchen... dine while watching the staff cook your meal. My favorites: - Large order of Fried Calamari with their Marinara Sauce... who can resist?? Put some hot chili flakes in the sauce - YUM... it gives that extra kick... as Emeril would say... kick it up a notch! I swear, I could eat the large plate all by myself! - I also like their Chopped Antipasto Salad. - Linguine Frutti di Mare - I really enjoy it, but the last time I had it, it wasn't good... to watery... lacked the standard taste. The wait staff I end up with are always friendly and helpful... they come and check on us regularly, granted I have had few that was never to be seen once the food was delivered. But it all depends on who you get... and to be honest, I'm one of those customers that tip based upon the service level... give me crappy service, won't be getting even 15%, maybe 10% if that person is lucky... and yes, I'm very demanding customer... sorry... the Asian side of me... (can I say that on Yelp??) :)
(3)Emma C.
Pretty good, highly recommend going during the week at an off time though as they can get very busy. It already feels crowded in there when it's not busy but with a crowd it's even more cramped and loud. We've always gotten good dishes and have had good service. I think the prices are reasonable considering how much you get.
(3)Megan S.
This place sux. Hustled us.
(2)The F.
OK yelpers, I have a followup. After my original review, I was contacted by Bucca management and was assured that they had personally talked to the staff about cleaning up their act and that things would be better now. They also graciously sent me some gift cards to make amends and asked that I give them another try. So, I did. Twice. Trip #1 - we were a bit skeptical after our previous experience. But to our surprise, both the service and the food were good. I didn't want to push my luck though, and chose conservatively - Quattro al Forno (i.e. 4 pasta sampler) This turned out really good. Lasagna, Stuffed Shells, Ravioli, Canneloni. A little bit of everything. The stuffed shells were by far the yummiest, I would recommend getting those as a separate dish. My date tried the oven-roasted Salmon, which also turned out very nice. Our waitress Michelle was very attentive and courteous, although she did manage to sweettalk my date into ordering some "crisp broccoli" i.e. a small portion of steamed brocolli garnished with garlic for the terrific price of just $7 (sigh!) Trip #2 - feeling a lot more optimistic now, and convinced that our very first trip had just been a bad aberration, we headed back once more. This time a bit late on a Saturday night (around 9:30 pm). Perhaps it was our timing (they are open until 11 mind) but this visit was a total disaster :( We walked into the lobby - no hostess. We waited around for a few minutes. Nobody. We peeked into the kitchen, couple of cooks there saw us, but noone did anything. We returned to the lobby and waited. Peeked into the bar area, bartender gave us an empty stare. Returned to the lobby, waited. Now at this point, any sane person would have taken a hint and just left. But as I said before, we were feeling optimistic (in retrospect, unjustifiably so). So we just sat there, waiting. A few minutes later a waitress passed by and asked us if anyone had helped us. When we said no, she said she would take care of us right away, and with a big smile ushered us to a nice table. Her name was Kayla. We thought our night was going to get better. Couldn't have been more wrong. I ordered the Shrimp Diavolo pasta, my date ordered some other pasta (doesn't really matter exactly what.) Waitress served us some cold bread and olive oil and disappeared. About 15-20 mins later she showed up with my date's pasta. Disappeared again, I assumed (wrongly) to get my dish. After waiting for a while, I flagged her down and asked her about my order. "Oh I'm so sorry, I forgot. What was it again?" Ok, let me break this down for you young lady. There are 2 people at the table, you brought out one dish. How many more should be coming still? You do the math. So I reordered, and it showed up 15 mins later, nice and fresh out of the oven. It tasted good, but not as good as the stuffed shells. By now it had gotten quite late, and our appetites had waned. So we waited for her to bring us some boxes. We waited. And waited. AND WAITED. Finally another waitress passed by and we asked her to help us out. As she was bringing the boxes over, our waitress reappeared ON HER WAY BACK FROM THE BAR AREA, RUM AND COKE IN HAND!! I couldn't believe it, she had been sitting at the bar the whole time we had been waiting. Probably chatted up the bartender into pouring her a free drink too. As she passed us, she said "oh good she got you some boxes then." Isn't that your job, I felt like asking. So, after we boxed up our leftovers, we waited for our check. And waited. AND WAITED. Finally she showed up, didn't ask us about dessert or anything, and in her inebriated state left us with the check. So I put my card in the leather booklet, hoping she would at least cash us out quickly. Wrong again. We could see her in the waitresses' area sipping on her drink, merrily chatting away with someone. So I did the only thing I could at this point - left cash enough to cover the food + a tip so small it could only be taken as an insult, and walked out vowing never to return. A few weeks later when we craved Italian again, we chose to go to the Olive Garden (yes, that's right!) and by comparison it was fantastic.
(1)K M.
SO overpriced. With a table of 10 it turned out to be about $50-$60 per person. We ordered the small size entrees to share, two appetizers and one large dessert. The food was decent, nothing better than the Olive Garden. The restaurant was half empty on a Saturday night at 7pm. Waiter was strange and seemed annoyed he had such a large table. We won't be coming back.
(2)Ashley G.
I went there on Valentine's Day 2015 with 3 other guests this restaurant is a bit pricey but it is worth it and portions are very large it is a good restaurant for four people and up the food was some of the best I ever had the chicken alfredo that is. It's a very nice scenery to it gives you a nice warm feel of Italy at home. I heard they also have a table you can book in the kitchen haven't got the check that out yet. and also got a $50 off coupon for 4 people after my first visit
(5)Pete P.
Nice Italian chain. I had a gift card so the meal was free for me but I thought it was a bit pricey for what it is. Really great service!! The waitress was informed of an allergy at the table and went above and beyond anywhere else to make sure said allergy was acknowledged by the kitchen staff and brought any possible issues to the table for consideration. The prosciutto stuffed chicken and the chicken carbonara were excellent!! A nice visit here was had!!
(4)Tricia S.
This place is beside our hotel so after riding past it a few times we decided to go in. Well it was Good Italian food. The decor and layout is different than what I'm used to.... But hey a good meal is a good meal.
(4)Chris M.
Reserved a large room and pre ordered family style. Worked out awesome . Good food and plentiful , staff very nice . The manager I worked with prior to arrival was superb !! Only complaint was at the end our waitress got a little pushy about her tip!!
(4)Vic L.
I've been going here off and on for 10-15 years. On average I'd give the food quality 4 stars. There's a couple dishes that I think are 5 star. My last visit was a bit off. Our meal wasn't so good (for the first time ever). Further, I didn't feel that my complaint was heard. And that upset me. (Somebody here posted a picture of their pasta. I know there was a mistake with ours, because ours looked nothing like that picture. If it had, there would have been no issue.) Since this is an online world, I voiced my frustration. And out of nowhere somebody from Bucco management tracked me down and basically comp'ed my entire meal after the fact. That's actually more than I deserve and a class act. So, I'm back to being a fan. Everyone is entitled to one off day in 15 years. The important thing: Do they make it right. And Bucco did. If you're here, you must be trying to figure out if you should go. Here's the simple facts. Its quality food. The "value" is proportional to the size of your group. They serve everything "ala carte" and in large portions. So its expensive to go alone and hope to have soup, salad, entrees, side dishes, etc. But in a large group you can order a lot of stuff and take bits from all the plates so that it all works out to a reasonable per-person price point.
(4)Mike B.
Service was good. Food is nothing to brag about. Fettuccini Alfredo was horrible. Tasted like noodles with wet flour on them. Even after drowning them in pepper and the grated cheese it still didn't help the dish. The waitress was nice enough to take it off the bill. Lemon chicken was nothing to brag about didn't taste that much lime lemon either. I gave this place a second chance and they failed again. Last time i come to one of these places. Last time i ate at this place was in Manhattan and my table and table next to us both were complaining about the food and had most of our food taken off the bill.
(2)Peggy F.
Will be giving this a chance again on sat the 21st... Hopefully it's back to the high standards that we had been used to... If this event is a fail... We will be looking for a new venue ....... I will update you after Saturday's dinner
(3)Ilana T.
I worked with Buca to organize a corporate event and they were beyond amazing to work with!! They created a special menu for us that was within our budget and were extremely accommodating. The chef clearly makes things fresh and the day of and the staff is so friendly and helpful - I am so excited to see how wonderfully our dinner will turn out. Thank you to Buca for making this process quick, easy and successful! I would absolutely recommend Buca for such events! Ask for Angela Esquivel and she will be amazing and help you :)
(5)Executive Chef Ronnie B.
Server is great!! Ambiance I crazy cool old school And the food is classic and this place have to be awesome for parties
(4)Michael H.
The wife and I went here for her cousin's birthday/college graduation party. Walking up to the place, it looks like a typical Italian restaurant complete with Roman style sculptures out front. Once you enter, it is a bit less typical and a bit more eccentric. They take you from the front entry way through the kitchen to get to the dining rooms. The interior of the restaurant is designed to resemble someone's home with multiple rooms. That way private parties can each have separate dining rooms. However, it can be a bit confusing and maze-like to find the restrooms through all of the hallways, dining rooms and bar. The walls are lined with photos to further the impression that you're in someone's home. However, some of the pictures can be a bit distracting--child picking his nose, butt cracks, full rear nudity and the like. Some of the pictures are charming. Others are a bit odd. For a gathering the size of our party, the food was served family style. You get bread with olive oil to dip it in. You get fried, breaded cheese triangles. Both are good. You get fried calamari which has a nice tempura like breading, but the calamari was a bit overdone and chewy. The rigatoni with shrimp and fra diavolo sauce was good. The sauce was a bit thin, but it had a nice heat to it. The salads were nice, because unlike some places they didn't use cheap iceberg lettuce. That meant that I could eat it, because my lactose intolerance prevents me from eating iceberg lettuce. The salmon was nicely seasoned and fork tender. The chicken was also nicely seasoned. Then, there was the dessert. The cheesecake was creamy and delicious. The pictures in the restrooms were the weirdest that I have ever seen in a restaurant. They had pictures of full nudes duplicating the poses of Roman sculptures. They had pictures of people urinating. The place was charming and weird, but my wife and I would go back to eat again, because the food was good.
(3)Annette J.
This is a bit of a review for their "special event" hosting. Came here for my friend's baby's sex reveal dinner (that's a mouthful!). It was a small group of her closest family and a few girlfriends who got together to find out if she was having a girl or a boy. We also ate a lot of carbs. My idea of a good time! We had a small private room in the back (this place is FULL of private rooms all configured in a maze-like way) with a massive round table that we all filled in around. It was the pope room so it was decorated with papal memorabilia and the centerpiece was a huge bust of Pope Francis. It was magical. We felt blessed. Actually, some people might think it creepy but we thought it hilarious. Book it for your next party! Aaaaannnnnnyway. The evening consisted of family style dishes like spaghetti with marinara, salads, bread, roast chicken and green beans. The table had a bit of a lazy susan in the middle so we could easily rotate all the plates throughout the group. Easy for taking seconds without making a scene, too. The food was good. I feel like anytime something is served up in a huge batch it can be hard to maintain quality control but they did a pretty good job. Everything tasted good and I definitely got my fill. It wasn't the best Italian that I had but it got the job done and we had a lovely time. For dessert my pal had a cake that she cut into with the frosting inside indicating the sex of the baby. We brought the cake in from another another bakery but the staff at Buca was awesome about helping us serve it. In general the servers were fab. Very attentive to our giggly little group. I'm not sure I'd myself do a full on shower or something here but for smaller scale, casual celebrations where you want an easy night and some fast, filling food it gets the job done.
(3)Nichole V.
After reading the mixed reviews I was a little bit hesitant about trying this place. But I received a $20 off coupon for my birthday so it prompted me to try them out anyway. I went with my husband and my daughter. My daughter is extremely picky so I was a little uneasy about the family style serving. When we got there we will quickly seated in a room filled with pictures that took you into old school Italy. I found it surprising that when you get there you get a short tour through the kitchen. The kitchen appeared clean. Our waitress was out of this world helpful and amazing. She brought out both bowl sizes so we could see what we were up against. The large was way way too much for what we needed! We decided to get that time sausage with rigatoni and cheese manicotti. When it csme to our table I was a little un sure about the manicotti but after biting into it it was delicious creamy filling and light sauce almost perfect to our liking. The mozzarella garlic bread was not too bad either we would definitely go back and recommend trying this place at least once
(4)Sara B.
It was just ok. We got spaghetti and meat sauce that was ok and of a good sized portion, but it needed a bit more flavor, and seemed a bit pricey at $19.99 for the small portion. I was also a bit put off by the fact that they walked us through the kitchen as part of the restaurant tour, but it was pretty dirty; not something I wanted to see in a place that would be making my food. I think for that money and taste I'd rather just stay home.
(3)Robert S.
The food was very tasty. We got the chicken Marsala, a spicy shrimp pasta dish and a small garden salad. Normally I expect family style dinning to overwhelm me with the amount of food, this was not the case and I was disappointed. Expensive for what you get. I don't know that I like walking through a kitchen on our way to eat. Place was busy and they sent our food to the wrong place. We won't go back.
(3)Felecia S.
I was there for a MS seminar, it was great! The service was excellent! My only complaint would be, the room we were in, is not suited for wheelchairs, it was too tight in there not enough room. Food was good! We'll be back. My favorite was the salad with the granny smith apples!!!!!!!! Thanks!
(4)Liz K.
We chose Buca for a large group gathering of 95 people. I had the pleasure of working with Angela. We had a large variety of menu options to choose from that would please everyone. We didn't have to verify the number until a few days prior. Once we showed up, they had plenty of wait staff, and the food came out in an expeditious manner. I didn't get one negative complaint out of 95 people! The food was delicious and I would not hesitate to book it again. Thank you Buca!
(5)An V.
I was thoroughly satisfied with the experience I had at Buca di Beppo! I was not expecting such a delectable experience. First off, the restaurant is a maze with lots of turns and twists. I love the decor. There are a lot of interesting photos on the wall and the ceiling is covered with empty wine bottles. We (group of five) sat in the Gangster Booth, which was awesome! The service was good, not particularly friendly, but it was good. The real highlight was the food. We had mozzarella sticks (they were actually triangles) and the house bread for appetizers. The bread wasn't anything special, but the marinara sauce with the mozzarella sticks was excellent. The cheese was perfect, not too hard or too stringy like some other places. For our main course we had chicken parmasean, baked ziti, and manicotti. The texture chicky chicky parm parm was very tender and the cheese on top was sweet and perfect. The highlight of the meal was the manicotti. The mixture of cheeses stuffed inside was just so delicious and the pasta was cooked to perfection. The tomato sauce on both the manicotti and chicken parmasean was sweet and delicious. The baked ziti, however, left something to be desired. Some of the pasta seemed like it was not cooked long enough and was a little hard. I was really let down by the state of the facilities. The (men's) bathroom was pretty bad, which was especially disappointing considering how clean and beautiful the rest of the restaurant is. Overall this place is great, I love the family style eating. In our group of five, we had one vegetarian and two picky eaters, but we still managed to all thoroughly enjoy the food. I highly recommend this place!
(4)Gary A.
So did you know this place is open for lunch, and they have lunch portions. I mention this because there was less than 15 people in the restaurant for lunch, but try dropping in for dinner, this place is always packed. I know this place is know for its family style meals, but when over places for lunch are so crowd, it doesn't make sense. I actually asked them if they were open for lunch. OK, this is an "American" style Italian restaurant. Pasta and the triple threat, Parmigiana, Marsala, and Lasagna. Since I was there for lunch, they do have a decent lunch menu, salad and pasta or soup, and the portions were still big. Normally for dinner, it is served in family style or really big family style. This place is set up for big groups, and it has a very kitchy decor. Wait staff is younger and friendly, serve was a little slow, but we weren't in a hurry. I assume they incent the wait staff with appetizer and desert quotes - its their job. Nothing on the menu really stands out, but the menu is not that diverse. Its location is good, right off the highway - really the first restaurant at the start of restaurant row on Haggerty.
(3)C S.
We went to Buca last Saturday for dinner. Had a $10 off $20 coupon. We ordered the baked rigatoni. when it was delivered to our table it was a bowl full of pasta. it had a few cooked tomato dices in it and 3 slices of Italian sausage.and it had 3 melted mozzarella balls on top. Not worth even the $10 we spent. The Pasta was overcooked and dried out. quite disgusting. I won't go back - ever. my prediction for Buca is that it won't be there in 2 years. Go to Bravo up the road for a flavorful meal.
(1)Brett C.
I'm always tired of going to the same places for romantic meals. So, last night we went to a place we haven't been to in years: Buca di Beppo. If you love Italian food, this nearly authentic restaurant will take you down the streets of Sicily, through the tunnels of Venice, and right in front of the Vatican. You'll need a reservation, as this place is hoppin'. We made ours using OpenTable and were very impressed at how quickly we were seated. We went in on a Friday evening at 7:30...on Valentine's Day...so finding a parking spot was rough. But once I joined my wife inside, we were seated 5 minutes later after showing up 12 minutes early. This place is great for the experience. When they seat you, they walk you right through the kitchen. Don't worry...it's hygienic. You're walking past a big opening really. They actually have a table "in" the kitchen you can sit at, but you have to make a reservation. Once you're out, the walls are adorned with pictures from Italy and its famous faces. One such face that stuck out at me was Sophia Loren. Our table was meant for four but the extra space was nice with an 8-month pregnant wife. Our server was Dana and she joined us right away. She took my drink order and got us started with the mozzarella garlic covered bread basket. I ordered the house light beer (forgot the name) in their souvenir glass. Now, Buca di Beppo is really a family-style restaurant. Meaning, all the portions are typically meant for 6-8 people BUT they do offer smaller portions for 2-3 people. And that's the route we took. When Dana returned we ordered the stuffed shells. The entree came rather quickly and the plate was HOT! It was a good portion, coming with 6 fully stuffed pasta shells but we were surprised that there weren't maybe two more. No big deal. They were absolutely delicious and we were able to eat the 3-a-piece between 2 of us. Surprisingly, we had room for dessert. Or so we thought. Like with any Italian restaurant we usually visit, we ordered the tiramisu. Based in what we saw up to that point regarding portion size, our thought was that they would bring one plate with a nice big square of tiramisu in the center. This was totally not the case. They brought an entire bowl of tiramisu to the table. It wasn't too rich or sweet. It was the right amount of light and fluffy to rich and creamy. It was delicious. It could have at least fed 4. We took the rest home. Now, this was Valentine's Day and we went above and beyond what we would usually order. But for what we ordered, our bill was very fair at roughly $75 after it was all said and done. This is a place you go once a year or if you have a huge group of people you want to feed quickly. We love this place and will be back very soon.
(5)Angel D.
Very disappointed in the lack not commitment between myself and the event manager. I was scheduled to have my baby shower there and two days before my event she called and told me they had not only given the space away that I was holding my party in but she had no other time slots for me and my party. She did everything to ruin my event possible therefore I canceled I did not want to spend a dime as I was clearly being mistreated. She did not honor our original agreement.
(1)Lisa P.
My party of 8 was celebrating a college graduation, a birthday, and a proposal that was to happen during our meal so I wanted everything to go very smoothly. I made reservations via Open Table, which allows you to make special requests so I articulated the above. Buca called me the day of the reservation to confirm, at which time I reiterated that we needed things to go smoothly and we'd prefer a table in a more intimate area if possible. She couldn't commit to that but said they'd really try. Her shift ended before our reservation and it seemed evident to me that nothing I articulated earlier (both in my reservation and verbally over the phone) was carried forward to the next shift. Our group was shoved into a booth and 2 chairs were added to the end of the table. (I suspect a little table was added to the booth table; the table cloth covered it up.) I explained to our hostess the situation and she offered to let me speak to the manager. He was very nice and ended up moving us to an unoccupied round table off the banquet hall. I am sure if there wasn't a marriage proposal happening, he would've told me we were out of luck. This is why I deducted a star. There are too many Buca reviews where people have complained about unmet expectations with regard to reservations, including large parties being crammed into too small spaces. Buca, please stop doing this! If you don't have a table for X number of people, don't allow the reservation to be made! Apart from that, everything was fantastic! I was worried, again because of some reviews on Yelp, but it was a wonderful experience (sans the fact that I had to have dinner with my ex-husband). Waitress--came back to check on us many times. Food--was hot and delicious. Note that the entree portions are large so I ended up over-ordering because I was afraid the portions would be tiny. I'd highly recommend everything we ordered: Fried Mozzarella, Artichoke Dip, Mozzarella Garlic Bread (this was "okay"), Chicken Parm, Beppo's Soffici Gnocchi, Lasagna, Quattro Al Forno. The food was, by all accounts, fantastic. (This food never would've fit on the original table!) They seated us right away although 2 people were about 30 min late. Their website says they won't seat until the whole party was there so I really appreciated that we had no issues with that. There were super busy at 645 pm on a Sunday so I think that says a lot about customer satisfaction. My daughter (the guest of honor for all 3 things we were celebrating) loved the atmosphere, the kitschy wall hangings and statues, the booth in the kitchen, it was just fun for her and enhanced our experience even more. We had a great night and I honestly think that going to Buca's took it to the next level over and above going to your run-of-the-mill restaurant. It was a great place to create a long-lasting memory for my daughter and future son-in-law. Very happy with my decision to go here. I would advise anyone who has a special event to micromanage the details and ensure you've got the manager's attention long before your event to prevent any issues.
(4)Tyler B.
Very slow service. Food was okay, but the large portion size and price is a pain when you have a family that can't agree on things.
(1)Prasun R.
One more 5 star :-) and they deserve it. My second visit menu : Bruschetta, Lasagna and Tiramisu. It was a treat, not just for the taste buds but for all the senses. Impeccable presentation, superb service and nearly authentic taste.
(5)Brian W.
Buca used to be one of my go-to-places. NOT now. I used to love this place. Today, we went there because we had a couple of gift cards Today's dinner was not planned. I wish that I would have insisted on that Thai Food place that I really wanted to go to. For today's fare at Bucca, the only thing that was really good was the mussels - Yum. Everything else there was very overpriced and lacked in taste. 3 meat balls - $15 not much taste, A small pizza 1/2 cheese 1/2 pepperoni - $16. Mashed potatoes - $10 Seriously ! Chicken breast with cheese and prosciutto $35. Really, only 5, 1/2 breast. They were mushy with a doubtful flavor. Vida wanted something different so I ordered Fettuccine Alfredo. This dish just tanked. Runny sauce with no flavor. Now with the service that we had through the meal - it was just missing, I still gave a tip, not a tip for a $115 bill, but a tip. I really didn't wan't to leave anything. The waitress was absent through the entire meal. I should have tipped the other waitress, she was more attentive to us than our waitress was. Just after the meal, my wife got sick and we had to stop on the way home for her to lose her meal. For the next 3 hours, she still kept loosing her meal. Since, my wife got so sick, we tossed all our left-overs. No loss !
(1)Ted C.
MANGIA MANGIA !! I love everything on this menu. I go there and I enjoy it. I started going to the one in my old Chicago neighborhood. I like eating in fancy tratorias and cucinas too don't get my wrong but the portions in this place are INSANE. My family doesn't like to go with me because they are not into Italian food period. So when I go here I go here to enjoy myself and this amazing food in peace. SO what if I have to eat by myself !! More for me. I can't tell you enough about those crazy meatballs, they are the size of a meatloaf.. yes they give you too much... so take it home !! And that garlic bread is the size of a steering wheel. The service is great here. And that kitchen has a table so you can eat in the kitchen with the cooks... thats a big city thing... a lot of people don't get it and it makes them nervous... but I lived in NYC and Chicago so I get it.... and its a relief to see that little bit of comfort from the big cities I lived in. I like the decor too... I get it. My father loved this place too. The service is always good here. People are real friendly and its a joy coming here. What else can I say its also family friendly. Kids love to come here and who can blame em ? Its a fun place.
(5)Maria G.
I've been going to Buca for over 10 years. Not much has changed. Food is great. Huge portions. Nice place for large parties. I had to get used to the pictures on the wall. But as you walk around and look at each picture...so many stories. It feels like going back in time. The service is always adequate. Best canoli. I like the eclub idea. I signed up and already started getting coupons.
(5)Andy B.
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(3)Nyobie Q.
We had a group of 13 and many were commenting how delicious the food was. Service was excellent too. We'll definitely be back and I can't wait.
(5)Carol K.
Where to go when you have 8 hungry mouths to feed? Well Buca di Beppo, of course! We went on a Friday night, but early, so getting a seat was not a problem. We were seated in the "vines and wines" room (all the rooms have strange names) and with April as our server, we were extremely well fed on this evening. We started with three appetizers (calamari, thin crust pizza and caprese salad) and they were so big- we should have just stopped while we were ahead. But no! Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs (and we had 3 hungry boys with us!) so we ordered 3 pastas and 2 entrees. Know that the SMALL pasta dishes serve 2-3 people each so go easy on the ordering. And the entrees were huge so by cutting the meats in half we were able to have reasonable sized portions for everyone. April was quick to warn us that we had too much food so we went to small sizes on the pasta and large on the entrees. The decor is like all Buca locations- tons of old pictures and "old school" Italian decor. I like that they take you through the kitchen on the way to your table. And if you are looking for a really fun experience- ask for the "kitchen table". It's a table right in the kitchen where you get to enjoy dinner as you watch the action around you. It's perfect for 6 people! Dinner for 8 with enough food for leftovers ran just about $200 which was a steal considering what it usually costs to feed this bunch when we go out! As our server said, "if you don't leave stuffed . . . .you're doing it wrong". Let me tell you . . . . .we did it right. Very right!
(4)Tamara Y.
I enjoy Buca more than the average chain Italian restaurant. Certainly more than the garden of olives. I tend to stick to the non-pasta dishes, mostly because I'm more of a carnivore than a "large-dish-of-starch" kinda girl. The prosciutto stuffed chicken is excellent, as is the veal saltimbocca. I also enjoy the apple gorgonzola salad. PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT -- When you do order a bowl of pasta, please be advised that all of the "stuff" is resting on top of the pasta. If you don't mix it up, you'll find yourself out of meat and vegetables and looking at a big bowl of plain pasta. So the first dish or two of, say, shimp florentine is delicious, but you're screwed after that. The waitstaff is heavy on trying to "upsell" you. I understand, but many times they just don't drop it when I turn them down. Yes, I'm QUITE sure I don't want fried mozzarella or a quartino of house wine, thanks. Would I return? Yeah, mostly because I dig the veal saltimbocca.
(3)tanya a.
I like this place! The food portions were a little confusing and boy did the kitchen tour throw me off! "What, I'm supposed walk back here??" The food was yummy and accommodating to our dietary requests and I was impressed that our server pointed out which entrees had meat products. Chicken based Alfredo? That was a bummer, but at least we didn't find out after the fact. (Ahem, not to be named Italian restaurant in Ohio with lobster sauce.) Anyway, the decor was kookie but I liked it. Words cannot describe the "Pope Room."
(4)Grace M.
Solid italian food, family style. Chicken Marsala & Shrimp Florentine were my favourite while dining there the other day. My friends enjoyed the dessert too, but i was too full after several helpings of the pasta dishes. Portion sizes were huge & we ended up with a lot of left-overs.
(4)D R.
You know, are qualified waitstaff really that hard to find? It's become too common to get forgetful, flaky waitstaff anywhere these days, so I searched out, drove further and payed higher prices at Buca assuming I'd get better service. Waitress was very nice but very forgetful. Kids got plastic kids cups with lids but no straws (3 of them actually for 2 kids)- took awhile to return while kids waited to drink and got antsy. I ordered a milk which never came and after food arrived, I asked for a side of marinara which also never came. When she did return (meal was almost done) to ask us if we needed anything, I told her to forget (sarcasm) the sauce since I was almost done as well as the milk and asked if she would make sure that it was off the bill. Her response was "that's OK, I never put it on the bill". The correct response would be to correct the mistake by getting me my drink and side. Buca had sent me a coupon on my phone which she wrote down the UPC code when we arrived but had lost it and created some confusion when the bill came. Food was excellent and my only gripe was the spaghetti with meatballs that served 4 people. It only came with 3 meatballs. Yes, they are big but when 4 people are dining, someones getting jipped. We had kids so it wasn't a big issue, but 4 adults would have been shorted. I thought what might have sounded like an interesting concept when designing the restaurant was odd. When seating you, they walk you through the kitchen amongst hectic staff and slippery floors and tell you this is a tour of the kitchen. No "tour" was given. I worried a tray of food may be tipped over by the kids bumping into a waiter. I'd absolutely hate this setup if I worked there. There is one table (chefs table I guess) in the kitchen where they seat guests under bright lights and every person being seated and on the "tour" walk past and inspect the food as they eat. I'd feel like a zoo animal. I'll eat there again, but I will expect the same so so service that I'd get at BK or McD's The food and decor make it worth it.
(3)Kathleen M.
2.5 stars would be about right for our recent experience on Sunday 4 January when we hosted 11 people for our son's 17th birthday dinner. The good: the food (Buca's Chicken Marsala is just about my favorite version in the world), our server who tried very hard and got one of the cooks who has a severe peanut allergy to come out and talk to our niece (one of the guests) who also has a severe peanut allergy and a great deal of restaurant anxiety regarding the ingredients Buca uses in different dishes. The bad: we had a reservation in the Pope's room and found out after we were seated and had ordered drinks, that we were in a dark room because most of the room's track lighting bulbs were burned out and "we haven't received our shipment." If you were the GM of a restaurant and there were 2 hardware stores within a mile of your restaurant wouldn't you go (or send someone) to buy the light bulbs you needed to keep you guests from sitting in semi-darkness. It took over 15 minutes to get two beers because the bar was backed up (at 5pm on a Sunday?). And finally, one of the faucets in the ladies' room was broken and was left sitting on the counter covered up with a Buca takeout bag (and to boot, the restroom was not particularly clean). I took the time to share my concerns on Buca's website and predictably no one has bothered to respond. The next time we are planning a $500 dinner, we will take our party elsewhere. I would still come back with my family for dinner, but refuse to host a large party in an establishment with burned out lights and broken restroom fixtures.
(2)Jeffrey B.
This may be the most American Italian restaurant at which I have ever dined. I somehow have never been to Buca di Beppo in my adulthood until today when my sister made Mother's Day reservations for a 3:00 dinner (or was it lunch?). Walking in you're immediately hit with a visual kaleidoscope of kitsch, knick-knacks, and nonsense, so it's right up my alley right? I was totally caught off guard when the hostess walked us through the kitchen where there's a table for some lucky diners to sit--so bizarre, or secretly amazing? I couldn't wrap my head around it though I guess it shows you how clean the kitchen is as well as makes you feel like you're at home? We were paraded past the Pope room with the King Arthur sized round table and showcased bust of His Holiness and shown to our booth. You might think Applebee's screws things into the wall in the name of décor, but Buca really goes crazy with it, which might make it the most entertaining place if you're having a less than exciting meal--there's always something there to distract you. First things first, my sister and I ordered a carafe of the house red wine, which priced at $22.00 didn't seem horrible. I get their family style thing but really, that only works when everyone wants to eat the same thing. Since our table was a little more varied we all just chose something to order and take some home as well as ordering the large Caesar salad. I decided on the Cheese Manicotti, my sister had some cavatapi with chicken and peas in a blush sauce, my mother some shrimp pasta thing, and her husband the veal parmagiana (why people order veal anywhere is beyond me!?). Bread was provided but despite being made in house (or I think it is since there's a window in the lobby that over looks a bread making type scene) was kind of just bread. We weren't provided bread plates, which may have been an over sight, but we dealt with it. I did request oil because I saw some on another table which took a while to get but did add another dimension of flavor. I was actually quite happy with my entrée. I wish that they would just allow you to order a regular serving or like create a combo without going family style. It also seems to me that if you're spending $20.00 on a meal they could include a salad. I was going to order the Eggplant but then would have had to order a side of spaghetti or vegetables so I wasn't just eating breaded eggplant with sauce. I guess the manicotti wasn't a horrible way to go because comparably at the Olive Garden you would receive three pieces and this was four, and really, I did enjoy it. When dessert rolled around the menu was brought over and my mother decided we should order the giant brownie sundae thing that was like 12 little brownie chunks with 6 scoops of chocolate and vanilla gelato, whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles, and a cherry and served in a super sized plastic martini glass (seriously, made for Americans.) The dessert was amazing. No really, amazing. And somehow serving yourself from a giant martini glass with a large serving spoon just again seems so ridiculous. I still can't figure out what I think of this place? In the event of a fire we would have all been screwed since I swear there's one exit and it's like a labyrinth to find. I think I should really try to go back with a bunch of friends who like to eat the same things as me so we could really family style it up, but I swear that element adds so much more complication. They should really just do a buffet which would push it over the edge of being amazing/absurd. When we left there was a family sitting at the kitchen table, which again, I don't know if I would want that or think it's the worst thing ever? All in all, it was a decent Italian meal. I'm trying to think of the hierarchy of chain restaurants where this would fall? Maybe Maggiano's on top (superior food and their $40.00 deal for two is an incredible value), followed by Bravo! (good food, great bread), Buca, Olive Garden (I have never had a bad meal despite many other's complaints), and Macaroni Grill (hello crayons for the table!), and underneath that Papa Vinos (bland, blah), and Carrabas (I recall nothing special at all. . . )?
(3)Vance P.
I'd say this place is the Max & Erma's of Italian-American dining. My meal didn't have quite the punch I was looking for, but it wasn't as horrible as I had anticipated (based on the reviews I've read here). Our waitress was really nice too. I'm glad I didn't get the below mentioned Nazi waiter.
(3)Kate B.
Kitschy and more fun to look at than to eat at, they have a great tiramisu!
(3)Andrea J.
We have passed by this establishment many times before stopping in. The service was OKAY, but very friendly. The restaurant was having issues with somebody not showing up for their shift, so they were shorthanded. We ordered the chicken marsala with the antipasto salad. Both were very good, particularly the antipasto salad. The chicken marsala was tender, tasty and very filling. The desserts are HUGE, enough for 3 people (at least). The meals are served family style, so it is fairly inexpensive place to eat as a group. We will eat here again.
(4)Chelsea M.
We go here every once in a while when I get a coupon and can use a gift card I receive from my credit card points. This last time we went we had a really hard time finding something that sounded good to even order. We decided against a bottle of wine because it was so over priced and the quality was so low. We ended up ordering stuffed chicken and it was ok. For the price I have found such better food at other chain Italian restaurants. I have only good things to say about the service. Our server was attentive and helpful but it isn't enough to keep me returning.
(2)Gerry X.
I have been to the one in Chicago downtown, but this is the first time I have actually eaten here. As I am on lent I haven't eaten any of the main courses, but just read my review. The place reminded me of a very colorful establishment (I am going to steal this posters description as it fits to a T..Decor is very italian, and a little bit over the top. Think Italian style TGI Fridays nicknacks on crack), where the host was very friendly and prompt on greeting us. The inside, like the one in Chicago, is sectioned off, some areas smaller for a cozy family or date seating. There is a bar inside as well, and the walls full of pictures and nicknacks, as my pictures will show. (I apologize as some of them are not great shots.) Our waiter ( damn I forgot his name ) was very knowledgeable and patient, as I asked alot of question about what food had what in it for my lenten purposes; I was quite impressed. So I would come back here to eat if I come back to MI for work...there are alot of nice little places here, and a couple of places that I ate here than I haven't back home that I will now try. :)
(5)Eric G.
Went here with a larger group for a birthday lunch. I was immediately annoyed by the tacky decour of the place. Just crap hung all over the walls with silly lighting. The food was decent besides the spaghetti and meatballs which were overcooked with a very watery bland sauce.. The pizza was great, the chicken ragatoni was good as well as the chicken parm. Everything was ordered as large dishes which 3 or 4 were enough to feed like 8 people and have food leftover. Would like to come check it out on a smaller scale sometime.. maybe .. eh
(3)Wm H.
Always a good meal here. Had to convince some high class white table cloth diners that we were traveling with this place was the place to go. They complained when we suggested the place they complained some more when we got there, they complained when they saw the prices. But once they realized that this was family style with VERY LARGE portions and after they ate the food, they stopped complainging and admitted this place was good! Great location, will go back when I am in the area. Make sure you sign up on their website so you get freebies BEFORE you go in. Too late once you are inside.
(4)Becki B.
Buca Di Beppo is not one of my favorite restaurants. Not even close. The food was acceptable, but I'm not a fan of all the family style stuff. Everyone else seems to love it though. The atmosphere really drives me nuts - it's just too loud for me to relax and enjoy anything here. Obviously this works for some people, but this will never be somewhere I look forward to visiting on a regular basis. If you do enjoy this sort of place, take a party to the Pope's Table. With the same vibe, it takes your group to a whole new level.
(3)James K.
We decided to try this place because we had a coupon. The family style setup is good for a big group of people, but it doesn't work as well for only two people who are craving different things. We ended up getting the fettuccine alfredo and some garlic cheese bread. Both were just meh. The alfredo didn't have much flavor to it. The cheese bread was okay at best. It just wasn't worth the money. Our server was a little slow even though the place wasn't busy. There are better places in the area.
(2)Kate B.
This is a favorite, not of us, but of a few family members and a few friends (perhaps the availability of large tables?) What I DO like: - Tiramisu, comes in a hideous tin pie-plate, looks like a gas-station giveaway, but tastes great...I get cravings for this stuff. I could make my own, but if I'm there - why not! - Green bean or broccoli side dishes. Not over-cooked, garlicky and lemony. Yum and big portions (we are heavy veggie eaters, so this is a plus!) - Chicken Parmesan: not soggy, and decent marinara. I can't find fault. - Pope Under Glass Room: as it could make my Polish Step Mom cross herself until her blouse is almost worn through. What I don't like: Pushy staff who up-sell to the point of feeling like I'm in Hell's used-car lot, most items are very overpriced for the quality, pasta dishes are greasy and overcooked for the most part (except for lasagne), claustrophobic decor.
(2)Cassandra G.
The food is bland and tasteless!!! I sent food back because it was Luke warm and...where is the FAVOR? The decor is so outdated, no outdoor lighting coming in...and that music...UGH! I'd rather eat at Olive Gardens where the food has favor and is good, even though it's a commercial chain it's way better. Watch out for Gordan Ramsey from "Kitchen Nightmares"!!
(1)Liz W.
I have been a few times. I used to stop in quite often for the fabu bone in whole chicken cacciatore with large chunked mushrooms with my family but sadly they took it off the menu. James and I decided to give it another whirl recently and were not thrilled with the changes we saw at all. Our waiter was annoying and kept insisting we needed a salad, bruschetta and a small dish to share despite our assurances we had been there before and weren't interested in salad per se and knew the large entree would be too large but were looking for big leftovers. He seemed pissed when we would not follow his unasked for suggestions or advice, really rude actually. I mean sorry I will never order a mediocre version of bruschetta when I am getting freebie bread and really you should not try to push me into it. Also if we want to get a large entree rather than a small what is it to you? I am being mean but at least pronounce bruschetta right too if you are going to be pushing it, it is annoying to be mentally correcting you too. We ordered a small mozzarella caprese which used to come with marinated roasted tri colored peppers as well as fresh buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes and basil. Not anymore. Spendier now and no peppers, lame. The waiter actually said we would have been happier with the salad he suggested, ummm no. I would have been happier if you cheap ass people would have kept the peppers on the app. We practically had to beg to get parm and the red pepper flakes to jazz up the olive oil we were dipping the free bread into. Finally another waitress took pity on us after she overheard us ask him for the second time and got us some herself. More bread was similarly slow, no doubt because we should have ordered that bruschetta in his opinion. We noticed his other table in our section ordered exactly as he said and they got much better service. WTF? Is he the waiter Nazi? Is he messing with us for some kind of hidden camera chuckles? Hello can we get some damn bread? Hello more drinks? We asked to see the manager at one point but nada, he never came. I don't know if he was asked by the waiter to or not though in all fairness. The baked pasta sampler dish was really very tasty. It is hard to mess up carbs topped with melty cheese though. We did have plenty for later but that was kinda the plan. Bread to go with that when we packed up was just asking too much apparently as they did not include any. The capper was when the table that was *good* got free chocolate covered strawberries, yes we heard the grand announcement. In the kitchen on the way out I passed the manager and told him exactly what I thought. He offered us free strawberries to go to make up for it. Oh gee thanks. Nice. I walked out and waited in the car, my husband took the berries and we skedaddled. Nope I will not be back in. Food, decent but the service was so freaking bad and frankly no one cared at all. No wonder the waiter thinks he can treat people like that, the management obviously thought it was fine. Hope your visit goes better, if not don't expect management to actually care.
(2)Frank Z.
I'm Italian. My parents both came from the 'old country'. We owned a restaurant in Livonia. I'm fat and pretty tolerant of food. I'll eat anything, everything. I love food BUT this place is ABSOLUTELY THE WORST FOOD I have ever had. This stuff is unmitigated pure unadulterated CRAP! To call this Italian food...hell, to call this food at all makes me wanna yak! Large portions? Who cares if it's inedible garbage. A Banquet TV dinner is 1000 times better. Did I mention I don't like this place? YUCHH!!!!!!!!!!!
(1)Jason C.
If you need a place to meet up with large group of folks or you want to have Italian for dinner with your family... then this is the place for you... Be warned - they only have two portion sizes: small or large. If you need a restaurant that can handle large crowd and you want to eat Italian food, then give Buca a try. When you walk in, they will take you to your table through the kitchen... and if you are lucky you can reserve the table in the kitchen... dine while watching the staff cook your meal. My favorites: - Large order of Fried Calamari with their Marinara Sauce... who can resist?? Put some hot chili flakes in the sauce - YUM... it gives that extra kick... as Emeril would say... kick it up a notch! I swear, I could eat the large plate all by myself! - I also like their Chopped Antipasto Salad. - Linguine Frutti di Mare - I really enjoy it, but the last time I had it, it wasn't good... to watery... lacked the standard taste. The wait staff I end up with are always friendly and helpful... they come and check on us regularly, granted I have had few that was never to be seen once the food was delivered. But it all depends on who you get... and to be honest, I'm one of those customers that tip based upon the service level... give me crappy service, won't be getting even 15%, maybe 10% if that person is lucky... and yes, I'm very demanding customer... sorry... the Asian side of me... (can I say that on Yelp??) :)
(3)Emma C.
Pretty good, highly recommend going during the week at an off time though as they can get very busy. It already feels crowded in there when it's not busy but with a crowd it's even more cramped and loud. We've always gotten good dishes and have had good service. I think the prices are reasonable considering how much you get.
(3)Megan S.
This place sux. Hustled us.
(2)The F.
OK yelpers, I have a followup. After my original review, I was contacted by Bucca management and was assured that they had personally talked to the staff about cleaning up their act and that things would be better now. They also graciously sent me some gift cards to make amends and asked that I give them another try. So, I did. Twice. Trip #1 - we were a bit skeptical after our previous experience. But to our surprise, both the service and the food were good. I didn't want to push my luck though, and chose conservatively - Quattro al Forno (i.e. 4 pasta sampler) This turned out really good. Lasagna, Stuffed Shells, Ravioli, Canneloni. A little bit of everything. The stuffed shells were by far the yummiest, I would recommend getting those as a separate dish. My date tried the oven-roasted Salmon, which also turned out very nice. Our waitress Michelle was very attentive and courteous, although she did manage to sweettalk my date into ordering some "crisp broccoli" i.e. a small portion of steamed brocolli garnished with garlic for the terrific price of just $7 (sigh!) Trip #2 - feeling a lot more optimistic now, and convinced that our very first trip had just been a bad aberration, we headed back once more. This time a bit late on a Saturday night (around 9:30 pm). Perhaps it was our timing (they are open until 11 mind) but this visit was a total disaster :( We walked into the lobby - no hostess. We waited around for a few minutes. Nobody. We peeked into the kitchen, couple of cooks there saw us, but noone did anything. We returned to the lobby and waited. Peeked into the bar area, bartender gave us an empty stare. Returned to the lobby, waited. Now at this point, any sane person would have taken a hint and just left. But as I said before, we were feeling optimistic (in retrospect, unjustifiably so). So we just sat there, waiting. A few minutes later a waitress passed by and asked us if anyone had helped us. When we said no, she said she would take care of us right away, and with a big smile ushered us to a nice table. Her name was Kayla. We thought our night was going to get better. Couldn't have been more wrong. I ordered the Shrimp Diavolo pasta, my date ordered some other pasta (doesn't really matter exactly what.) Waitress served us some cold bread and olive oil and disappeared. About 15-20 mins later she showed up with my date's pasta. Disappeared again, I assumed (wrongly) to get my dish. After waiting for a while, I flagged her down and asked her about my order. "Oh I'm so sorry, I forgot. What was it again?" Ok, let me break this down for you young lady. There are 2 people at the table, you brought out one dish. How many more should be coming still? You do the math. So I reordered, and it showed up 15 mins later, nice and fresh out of the oven. It tasted good, but not as good as the stuffed shells. By now it had gotten quite late, and our appetites had waned. So we waited for her to bring us some boxes. We waited. And waited. AND WAITED. Finally another waitress passed by and we asked her to help us out. As she was bringing the boxes over, our waitress reappeared ON HER WAY BACK FROM THE BAR AREA, RUM AND COKE IN HAND!! I couldn't believe it, she had been sitting at the bar the whole time we had been waiting. Probably chatted up the bartender into pouring her a free drink too. As she passed us, she said "oh good she got you some boxes then." Isn't that your job, I felt like asking. So, after we boxed up our leftovers, we waited for our check. And waited. AND WAITED. Finally she showed up, didn't ask us about dessert or anything, and in her inebriated state left us with the check. So I put my card in the leather booklet, hoping she would at least cash us out quickly. Wrong again. We could see her in the waitresses' area sipping on her drink, merrily chatting away with someone. So I did the only thing I could at this point - left cash enough to cover the food + a tip so small it could only be taken as an insult, and walked out vowing never to return. A few weeks later when we craved Italian again, we chose to go to the Olive Garden (yes, that's right!) and by comparison it was fantastic.
(1)Kevin S.
Bruschetta & eggplant incredible! I LOVE THIS PLACE :)
(4)John N.
The thing about Buca Di Beppo is that they seem to think they can get away with selling decent food at an excessive price just because the portions are large. For instance, the "small" lemon chicken consists of 3 small chicken breasts covered in a very mild lemon sauce and it will set you back $18.00. My girlfriend likes one of the pasta dishes which is essentially a box of pasta with tomato sauce and a piece of sausage. That also costs $18.00 for the "small" portion. Without drinks, you can easily spend $50.00 here on some pretty average Italian food. You can do better elsewhere and probably should. I give the place one star just for the glass encased pope head that sits on one of the tables.
(1)Jackie R.
WARNING: Large portions of Italian food ahead. Skip previous meal and come hungry! :) I'm serious, you need to come hungry and you'll leave feeling like you don't need to eat for a month. Large portions served family style so it's a great place to come with a group. The food is good and the spaghetti with meatballs is really yummy. The decor is like someone's basement with pictures and knick knacks covering EVERY area of the walls and sometimes ceilings. It's amazing because you really feel like you stepped down a flight of stairs and are below ground with how this place is layed out. If you want a quiet and relaxing resteraunt you really came to the wrong place because that is not what it was intended to be, it's a place to have fun, eat lots, and enjoy the atmosphere. My suggestion: Come with a large group and sit in the Pope room one of the times you visit. It's a pretty cool room.
(4)Keith G.
I'm not the hugest fan of Italian, but I used to like Buca. What I liked about "Joe's Basement" was the fact that it broke many of the weak links in chains. For instance, the decor: over the top, yes--but sometimes even offensive. The food: spicy and surprising to the domesticated palate. What happened? The garlic bread used to have large, Edward-slaying pieces of garlic on top. And once upon a time you could smell the fishes swimming in the caesar. What happened? I'll tell you what happened: someone in management decided to reduce their fare to the least common denominator. Say it ain't so, Joe.
(3)Jeff A.
Chose Buca di Beppo as the location for my Birthday dinner. Used Open Table to book, requested the Pope room (which they gave us!) Odd thing was that they called my cell in the middle of the day and wanted me to call back to confirm the reservation. I was a little annoyed by this, but they must have had a lot of no shows. Food was great, room was great. Portions HUGE as usual. We always order too much. Our server was quiet and shy. She didn't offer any info on a birthday dessert, etc. It was kind of odd. Our biggest disappointment was that apparently Buca Corporate has chosen not to carry Spumoni any longer. This used to be the best treat that Buca offered. I know it's been a long time since we've been there, and the Spumoni may have been gone for a long time, but it was still a let down. Good food, so-so service, disappointing corporate decision. = 3 stars.
(3)Andria B.
I love this place! It is such a fun atmosphere and talk about the food! Delicious! I always have enough for like three or four meals. The Cannoli's are also fabulous! It is a little pricey, so I can't come as often as I would like to, but definitely worth the trip!
(5)Alyssa M.
I used to always go to Buca Di Beppo in Birmingham, but then it closed. Now I go out to the one in Livonia and I like the set up A LOT better than the one in Birmingham. The parking is better, and some of the waiters, cooks and managers transferred over to that one from Birmingham. I always get the Fried Mozzarella Fettuccine Supremo I used to get Linguine Frutti di Mare Quattro al Forno
(4)Holly P.
I love this place. It may not be THE best italian in the world but man they do a great job with everything. Food, service and atmosphere. They really cater to the customers which now a days really lacks. The food is so good you really can't find a better place within the area. I love their new dish spicy chicken rigatoni SO good and the tiramisu is just amazing! Love that they always have a $10 coupon, makes me love the place even more.
(5)Stacy B.
The food is great, as usual. My only issue was the size table we were placed at. I booked in advance for a party of 7, thinking that if anyone has some space large enough for us, it would be Bucca. We ended up in a booth with a chair slid up the end, which was tight to say the least. Since I was entertaining business clients, it made it that much worse for us. I will go there with the family again, but not with clients
(3)Jeff H.
I'm not an Italian, so true Italians may not like my review. I thought the food was very good. This is a great place to come if you like Italian food (and aren't Italian, or aren't extremely picky). The portions are very generous; my Uncle, girlfriend and I all split one large bowl of spicey chicken rigotoni. The decor of the place is really cool. It's designed to look like a mobster's hangout (they say someone's basement, but it looks like Frank Sinatra would have hung out in a place like this). When you first get there, the waitress takes you on a tour of the place - which is pretty cool. It has all different sized separated rooms. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit!
(4)Matthew J.
I've eaten at Bucca many times. Very unique - old world Italian charm. The food is good - the portions are huge and the service is great. Usually cannot finish meal - so there is enough for take home. They also have curb side / carry out. I've had better but, Buca is good!
(4)Andrew C.
Excellent service, food, and theme. I like how they do their pasta, bread, and calamari. Very authentic and beats any experience you would get at olive garden!
(5)M D.
Very nice Italian restaurant chain. It might not be the best selection of Italian food around, but the ambiance is fun, the service is good and the portions are mountainous. I give them 3 stars for the menu, but 5 stars for effort. For extra fun, ask for the booth in the kitchen.
(4)Benton P.
I was in Buca Di Beppo last tuesday. There was litterally 3 other tables in the restaurant. This was around 7:30pm. Myself and a girlfriend of mine had a fabulous meal. We got the small sampler platter, a salad, and a bottle of wine. The service was timely and the food was amazing. But there were some other things about this place that werent so great. The manager came by and dropped off a $10 off coupon and said we could use it at any time. However as we were leaving the server said there was not enough money to cover the tab. The bill was $61, I left $65 cash and the $10 coupon. Thats like a $14 dollar tip. When they informed me of this I was pissed to say the least. It was more than embarrassing. Do your self a favor and go to Olive Garden. Oh yea, and as we were sitting, chatting after our dinner we over heard our server saying " If these people would ever leave the I could get out of here" Im a server myself and if IF I say or feel that way, its always in the back where the customer cannot here me. Don't Go!
(1)Brandon X.
Buca Di Beppo has the worst Italian restaurant food I have ever had! Over priced, ridiculously large proportions of food, annoyingly decorated and food that is on par with catered food. I've had frozen food that had more flavor than this garbage. Anyone that appreciates Italian food stay away from Buca Di Beppo.
(1)C T.
The food is pretty good not authentic but whats fun about this place is you can bring a ton of friends and family and just let your hair down and have a good meal and some good conversation. The staff is always fun and sometimes downright funny! We have always had a real nice time at Buca Di Beppo.
(4)Elisa G.
Sorry to bring down the star rating, but I have to discuss the food in depth. It is merely okay -- they get cute points for the decision to plate things in family size servings, but they use the exact same Sysco tomato sauce base as every other Italian resturant. The reason I know that it's the same sauce is because there's some food additive in it that makes me sick as a dog. I want to make it clear that it's not Buca's that makes me sick -- I would get the same kind of nauseous stomach cramps from the tomato sauce at my college cafeteria and every other Italian restaurant I've ever been to. So I don't blame Buca's for being sick but I'm constantly on the hunt for an Italian restaurant that gets its tomato base from some other smaller, more local and more tasty retailer. And I haven't found one yet, except in my kitchen, my mom's kitchen and my grandma's kitchen. But we all make our sauces from scratch, so it's probably not fair to compare. I would also emphasize what an earlier reviewer said, which is that this is extremely Americanized Southern Italian food. Calling any of the dishes "traditional" Italian is a big stretch. The decor is amazing and totally makes the trip worth it if you're not particularly sensitive to food additives. Or hunt down a dish there without tomato sauce? Our waitress was prompt, funny and very nice and we finished with a slice of raspberry cheesecake that I thought was loads better than the mains.
(3)