My boyfriend and I love this place! We've been there several times, and we've never been disappointed. We typically get chicken parm, spaghetti and meatballs, and a side of fett. alfredo. (Ok...so we don't do well with sharing!) We also get a kick out of the photos on the walls. I don't understand why the Olive Garden across the street is always more crowded than this place...Spread your wings people. There's more to life than an Olive Garden!
(4)
Amanda W.
Been here a few times and every time the food is always great. The service is also excellent. I love looking at everything on the walls.
(4)
giulia i.
Buca di Beppo is always a great deal of fun. It's more fun when you go with someone who is not Italian and doesn't know... Food's ALWAYS great. Not quite like mom makes it, but close.
(5)
Mike T.
First time visiting one after attempting to for over 2 years and I was very impressed.. First off the decor of this place is really cool with ton's of pictures and the dimly lit atmosphere.. Upon arriving we were given a quick tour of the kitchen and walk through the place which reminded me of being in the Goodfella's movie! Now onto the food.. Started off with the garlic bread appetizer with melted mozzarella on it.. tasty as could be. Being new to the place me and my friend went with each of are own bowl of pasta going against the one bowl feed's two.. Fettuccine Alfredo with Shrimp on her side with Spicy Chicken Rigatoni on my side.. Both were really good especially the Spicy Chicken Rigatoni which was perfect, nice kick to it and the pea's add a touch of taste to it. Take home for sure it was and boy what a great lunch the next day. Service was outstanding, are server was excellent and upon paying are bill I vowed to return again when I'm up in the area.. Def my favorite Italian chain restaurant now.. Olive Garden, Bertucci's, Maggiano's you name it have there pro's but this place definitely beat's them out in quality, quantity and the unique atmosphere.. you could spend hours in here looking at all the pictures! 4 star's all day long no matter what!
(4)
Thomas T.
BUCA DI DISSAPOINTO Ive been to buca before about 10 years ago. It was great! Loved the place and would continue to go at that point. But never hot a chance to go back. Unfortunately we decided to go back today... and this visit single handedly made me create a yelp account... To start off all the plates were sticky and dirty mine had crumbs on it. It looked like they were the original plates from when they opened because they were beat up looking too. Then we didnt get any bread so we asked for some and she gave us a small basket of bread for 9 people! There wasnt even enough tiny slices for each one of us to get a peice so we asked for more and again only gave us a little bit. We then order 2 small family salads which were the most sad looking salads i have ever seen. The lettuce was brown and pinkish like it went bad. And they put 2 olives, 2 pepperoncis, and a few onion circles on it. I couldnt belive they charged us for salad to begin with and then they serve us that??? I wish i took pictures but they did indeed charge us about $25 for them. Mcdonalds has better salads then this semi expensive italian restaurant. Whats wrong with that picture? Not one of the 9 people in our party was happy with the food. The chicken marsala tasted exactly like general tso chicken!!! I swear! It tasted nothing like any chicken marsala ive ever tasted. I could have saved the money and ordered happy garden. Calamari was gross, stuffed chicken tasted like it was frozen, and the ziti i didnt try but the people who ordered it didnt want any more after a few bites... the only thing that was ok was the cheese ravioli which is dissapointing... I never complain but i feel i should warn people about wasting their money on that place. Its amazing how they turned a great place into the worst italian restaurant in 10 years... its sad but ill never go there again. SORRY ABOUT THE BOOK BUT THIS IS THE SHORT VERSION OF THE STORY...
(1)
Carrie R.
I've been here several times and have been impressed with the service and food. Hailing from a restaurant city, I had low expectations for this chain. However, I've been pleasantly surprised each visit. The food has flavor, unlike Olive Garden across the street, servers are always genuinely friendly, and portions and prices are well-aligned.
(4)
Dory S.
Excellent food as usual. Portions were large (family style). We ordered a special item and I didn't know it had meat in it and I'm a vegetarian. I then placed an order for soup at that point and because of the misunderstanding they did not charge for the soup. The staff was very nice and the restaurant was clean.
(5)
Jim S.
Love the Pescatore! Good food and fair prices....I would never hesitate going back whenever I am in the area.
(5)
Anna T.
Just got back home after our dinner at Buca. Such a waste of money=( The only Italian restaurant, where you have to pay for garlic bread (6.99)! They gave us a peace of cold hard bread from the grocery for free.... That wasn't a good sign. The girl explained that the prices are higher, because the portions are for 2 or more people to share... Hmmm... Our 20$ appetizer came... Calamari/stuffed mushrooms/mozzarella sample... And I am not picky! I can eat almost anything, but the mozzarella was disgusting... It was greasy and not crunchy at all, the cheese was yellow, not white....it looked like it came out of a microwave. My husband said calamari were disgusting too... Entrees are all over 20$... But they don't come with any sides... So we orders those chicken cutlets for 25$ (they have a picture of them everywhere, must be there special). But we had to order a side, becuse they dont give you anything, not even a few vegetables. NOW! The side order of pasta with marinara sauce is 8$. So we paid 33$ for an entree (chicken with pasta). And if only food was good, I would not have any problem with prices! And not only that! My cup was sticky, plates were not clean either! Bathroom smells really bad( Never coming back.
(1)
Chris C.
In a word, meh. Buca restaurants everywhere have the schticks of A) Walking you proudly thru the kitchen, and B) pseudo-vintage eclectic stuff all over the walls and C) portions are "family style" meaning a Small is for 1-2 people and a Large is for 2-4. Your call on whether this is charming. I'm just going to focus on food and service. Our evening here didn't get off to a good start. After standing ungreeted in the vestibule a while, a hostess gave us the "kitchen walk" and seated us and told us our waitress X would be our server. She apparently never alerted X that we'd been seated and we sat long enough for us to make a lengthy decision on our meal and for my spouse to use the bathroom. A lady came into our room, saw us and made a face of obvious surprise, apologized and took our order. She was an ok waitress overall, checking often enough to be attentive without being annoying. It was odd to be asked "how is it tasting?" but whatever. The only issue with the service after the long wait to get a hostess and then a waitress was the huge gap in time between finishing the meal and waiting and waiting to order dessert. It was long enough that I was ready to just get the check and leave but then the waitress arrived and we got the cheesecake which was the highpoint of the meal, rich, tasty, topped with hazelnuts (and a tart raspberry drizzle). The main dish, fettuccine Alfredo, was pretty sad. It had clearly sat a while before being served because by the time it arrived the noodles were dry and the sauce lay at the bottom of the bowl. While tossing it again fixed that, there was no fixing the fatty flavorless sauce. I loooove Alfredo, but this was just blah. We were glad the table had salt and pepper and cheese so the food could be doctored. I had a side of mild Italian sausage- it tasted fire grilled which was good, but the casing was thick and chewy. Pre-meal we had pedestrian sliced bread with a plate of olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping. It was fine. Overall, we were glad to have had a coupon. The "family style" portions are accurate for the number but when you think it thru it's really no bargain. Plus they really nail you on extras - cheesy bread or a side of sausage links are about $6-8 a piece. At the end of the day, it was a forgettable meal. We still have another coupon for 20% off, plus another one they gave us with the check. Despite the discount I'm kinda doubtful we'll be using them.
(3)
Meghan H.
What a wonderful evening we had at Buca this evening! Me and my daughter were born two days apart so we came to celebrate our birthdays. I signed up for their VIP club and got a free to go of baked ziti, $20 off my dinner check and a tremendous brownie sundae (literally there were 12 brownies stuffed in there which were evidently a close second to my homemade). After eating 4 dinners we came home with leftovers of 4 course meals (beverage included) for at least 2 people. We only spent $150 including tips! Sign up for the Amici club and get this same unbelievable deal! Much thanks to Chris, our extremely accommodating waiter.
(4)
Oliver G.
This place has fallen off a cliff not just gone downhill. Used to over order here just to be able take some of it home. Went last night after a gap of about 18 months - the menu has changed (obviously by accountants and NOT food lovers. Not the same place will not be going back. Only gave 1 star when would have given 5 previous to last night's visit because no stars is not an option
(1)
Kelly B.
A very Italian restaurant. The decor is much like an old Italian home, with tons of "family" photos. There are several rooms to dine in, rather than one main dining area. We were taken through the kitchen, on the way to our table and I even noticed a table in the kitchen. The staff is very attentive and friendly. Meals are served family style, so if you have a larger group, you can add many choices to your table, so that everyone is happy. With just 2 diners, it may be a bit more costly, if the 2 don't want to eat the same things. But then, you will have extra food to bring home, as a size small bowl or plate does feed slightly more than 2. Large is for 4 or more. We found the food quite tasty and the meal quite enjoyable. We went as a group and had a great time. I would definitely dine there again, but most likely in groups of 4 or more.
(3)
Rishi D.
Run away from here. First and last time in a Buca Di Beppo. If you're looking for a date night kind of setting, this should be the very last place on the planet you should go. I get they are going for a basement look but please dust the restaurant. The table we were sitting at had spiderwebs all over the walls!! The edge along the wall was COVERED with dust. Disgusting. I was expecting the worst as I was sitting there inhaling dust from the prehistoric era but the food was actually ok. We still wished we went to the Olive Garden across the street. Also, the table we were seated at had a lovely picture of about 6 middle aged men's bare butts on the wall (at eye level). No joke.
(1)
Sharon C.
I used to love Buca, and honestly I still really enjoy going - but mainly for the calamari. My family of five always orders two large calamaris to start - always crunchy and flavorful and delicious. On our most recent visit, we also ordered the Supremo Italiano pizza and Linguine Frutti di Mare. I did enjoy the pizza, although in my opinion they could have loaded up the toppings just a little bit more, but I thought the linguine was incredibly mediocre. The noodles were limp and dry. The service on our visit was also a bit of a bummer. Usually I feel like the service is pretty good, but this time we didn't get our bread until after our appetizers had already arrived, and - rather than filling up our waters when needed - the waitress just left us with a pitcher of water and dropped off an extra that another table didn't want.
(3)
Chris R.
My wife and I went here a couple of weeks ago. Neither of us had been there before and we kinda went there 'cause...well...the lot was empty. As a chef I know the golden rule...if the lot is empty its for a reason. Nevertheless we ventured inside. We were greeted by a very cheerful hostess and given the obligatory tour including their very clean kitchen and various themed dining rooms. We were seated in the Sinatra room where a portrait of ol' Blue Eyes stared at us no matter where we stood. It kinda looks like someone's eclectic aunt decorated the walls with every random picture she could find. Our apps came out quick. We got the calamari. It was seasoned and fried properly and was very tasty. Entrees were good...Alfredo sauce may have been from a jar or from powder. Is it too hard to make scratch sauces Al a Minute style when your restaurant is not very full? The wife liked her entree. The portions are family style (think huge) and you WILL be taking some home. Come hungry. If you leave hungry it's your own fault.
(3)
Stephanie K.
We ended up going here after Olive Garden, which is directly across the street couldn't seat us, a table of 9 at 4pm when the restaurant was empty. So we walked across the street to bucas, was seated immediately. But not before doing the tour of the kitchen which we all loved. We passed the Popes table and sat in the back corner away from everyone! Which was lovely. Because we had 3 kids under the age of 4 with us. Our waiter was Robert I believe. He was fantastic! All the kids got light up cups and I got a huge light up peach daiquiri. Which was delicious. All of the food was amazing as well. No one had any complaints. The only down side to it, which is why I gave it 4 stars was because our desserts took 20 min to come out, they had to make the whip cream by hand. That should have been done earlier in the am shift. The manager was great though, took the desserts off the check. We will return :)
(4)
Joanne O.
I cannot believe people are waiting across the street at Olive Garden! Buca is soooooooooo good! I love the atmosphere! Great for families or a date! A must try!
(5)
Jason K.
Mmmmmm.... Pasta The best Italian cream soda around. The seafood trio app is very good and serves as a meal. The ravioli with meat sauce is tasty and very filling. Although tonight trying the chicken cannelloni which my wife thinks is delicious . Service is always good
(4)
Simon W.
I came back here recently because I had an offer of $15 off $30. Made reservations at Opentable to score a 100 points. We had the Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken and Linguine Frutti di Mare. It was so good. I definitely recommend them. Both were the small portions, but trust me they are BIG! small portions are good for 2-3 people. large portions are good for 4+ people. Remember it's a family-style restaurant. The wall has alots of pictures to keep you busy looking at the history of Italy. I love their bread with olive oil & balsamic vinaigrette before the serving. Their Sassy Strawberry CREAM SODA is really good. They make them two kinds. One is just without the soda and the one with it. So take your pick and ask just to be sure. I'll definitely be coming back here again and again and again.
(4)
Mae L.
I have eaten here many times for many reasons. The first reason being that I love Italian cuisine particularly spaghetti with meatballs. A meatball is about the size of a petite girl fist (or my fist) lol It's family style chain restaurant, therefore, they serve large portions. Good for groupies. As for couples, I wouldn't recommend ordering more than 2 dishes not including appetizers (dessert if you're a big eater). Spaghetti tasted very authentic like homemade and their pizza (the meat) was superb. They will walk you by their kitchen and welcoming you to their restaurant. Also, I really like their bread with balsamic vinaigrette and olive oil. Very good. Pretty affordable. $15 and up.
(5)
Hungry G.
Wow great place. Came here with 4 co-workers straight from Italy. They said the food taste like home. 5 stars easy...have the sea food platter with the mussels( don't remember the name) Advice... The small feeds 2, the large will feed 4.
(5)
Mysterious Z.
The food here is good but you need to come hungry. Most of the foods are served family style but its not always easy to get everyone to agree on the same thing. You can get single size portions which are still large. they have a gigantic meatball that you can get on the side which is pretty tasty. The food is pretty authentic as well.
(4)
Christopher C.
So against my better judgment I was coerced into going back to Buca after the Mother's Day massacre of atrocious service and bland food that made me swear the place off forever. But this time I'll admit I was surprised. Our service from beginning to end by "E" was fantastic. She was attentive, prompt, courteous and even though the restaurant was not busy and she could have been lackadaisical she wasn't. For an appetizer we tried the Lobster Fonduta and it was good. Naturally there was not a whole lot of Lobster actually in it, but the flavor of what was there was good. For the main course we got the Chicken Carbonara and to our suprise, unlike in a prior visit, the chicken was actually warm like it should be as opposed to room temperature or almost cold like it has been in the past. Each table also got a quick visit or two to inquire about everything was going from the AGM KC and that was a nice touch from prior visits where management has been invisible. Overall the experience at Buca was definitely better than in the past. 5 stars better? No, because it still takes entirely too long for food even on a dead Monday but overall things were better from top to bottom and there may be a return visit in the near future.
(4)
John G.
I love Buca. We took my daughter for her 21 birthday. We sat at the chief table. It could not have been better. The entire staff is glad your there and the food is fabulous. A great night out.
(5)
Stephanie G.
I have eaten here many times and it has always been good. One of the few chain restaurants that gets it right.
(4)
Ash K.
I've always been to the chain in Philadelphia, so I know what to expect food was from Buca, and the Allentown location was no different. Food was good, service was also good. But the smell of the restaurant was absolutely atrocious, especially in the bathrooms and long hallway leading to the bathrooms. I"m not sure if they're is a sewer problem there or the building just needs to be cleaned/ or is old. But the stench was absolutely disgusting and will prevent me from ever going back here.
(3)
Tom D.
I've been there many times...never had a bad meal...never had bad service...always left WAY too full...and had food to take home. Even through bringing a recalcitrant guest...they served us with fun and style. AND...there a picture of my Mom on the wall in the Frank Sinatra shrine area there...how can you beat THAT? 2 thumbs up! Peace.
(5)
Dave M.
Tried one of these for the first time and I was not impressed. The decor came down as tacky and creepy not true Italian. Portions were huge and frankly not that great quality of food.
(3)
IL T.
I know, I know- Buca di Beppo serves family-style. I get it. But how many places do that? So it's hard to adjust when one is accustomed to getting a salad or a side with entrees that are priced over $15.00. So that's my first complaint. Most people I know like a salad with pasta. To have to pay $12.00 for a "small" salad is, I think, ridiculous. Being a party of 4 adults and two children, we ordered the "large" and shared it. Honestly, it tasted great. Didn't like seeing a few brownish pieces of lettuce, however. There's just no excuse for that. The wait time between our salad and the entrees was way too long, especially as we ordered our entrees before the salad arrived. It was our choice to bring young children, and they were well-behaved, but it still sucked having to wait about 20 minutes between for the entrees to be served after we had finished the salad. Entrees. I tasted 3 of the 4 entrees. Whatever my wife had, I thought it sucked. Penne pasta with chicken and artichoke hearts. Not my thing. Pasta was very plain unless coupled with a sun-dried tomato. My wife thought it was ok but wished she had ordered something else. Spaghetti with meatballs (2 giant ones). Again, very pedestrian, in my opinion. I make better spaghetti that what was served, and that's not what one goes out for. The sauce is terrible- way too sweet. Plus, the person who ordered it had to wait 10 minutes for some "extra" sauce, as the main dish had very little on it. (The person who ordered didn't detest the sauce as I did- he thought it was "ok".) My own entree was the stuffed shells. The biggest disappointment here was that it was supposed to be served with Italian sausage (stuffed in the shells). Well, after 10 minutes of searching for it, I figured out that the tiny crumble-like things in the sauce must have been the sausage. Great. The sauce was pretty good, as it had a bit of a bite to it (spicy) that I like, but the pasta shells were just so-so. If you are claustrophobic, stay away from this place. No windows and it looks like a kleptomaniac decorated the place. The hostesses seemed to determine to crowd everyone who walked in to the same room we were in, so it feels a bit tight and it gets loud. Men's bathroom? My feet stuck to the floor the whole time. Not pleasant. I took my little boy in there and felt like I needed to shower before returning to the table. Overall, not a good experience. Food is definitely not worth the price, in my opinion. Service? Our server was ok, nothing special. No real complaints about her, we just like friendlier and more pleasant servers. Next time we do Italian we'd take Taste of Italy, Roma Restaurant, or even Olive Garden over this place.
(2)
Brian W.
Good was pretty good. We had the stuffed chicken, spaghetti marinara, calamari and mini meatballs. Overall the food was ok BUT The pictures all over the walls are distasteful and disgusting. Dining with my children was a challenge their as the pictures are not appropriate for kids especially in the men's room where you are stuck looking at butts and male parts. Really, I'm not joking, my 8 yr old was quite disgusted and they really should reconsider their decor. I get the idea, but some things just don't belong.
(2)
Candi K.
My husband & I had our first date in a Buca's, so I used to be pretty partial to the place. The food is good. Tons of options. For the two of us, a Buca small is more than enough...we normally have lunch leftovers plus more. It's a great bet for groups because you can get several things and try them. This location has always struck me as slow and unfriendly. I've been here three times since we moved to the Valley, hoping to get better service, but they've always failed. I got flack from our waiter on my birthday when I used my free birthday dessert coupon. I've found that their servers aren't really trained to deal with big parties, which is sad since that's half the reason to go to Buca's. We went to a birthday party where we only had 1 waitress for all 22 of us. Needless to say, she was a bit overwhelmed. If they improved their service, I'd go back, but for now I save Buca's for trips out of town.
(2)
Betty T.
Not everyone can enjoy an authentic Italian meal in Little Italy or Bensonhurst and for those who can't, Buca Di Beppo delivers what non-New Yorkers would imagine one of these family owned Italian restaurants to be like. When you first enter, the maitre d' will ask you if you have ever been there before. Say "no" and you will be given the kitchen tour. Even if you've been there before, tell them you'd like the tour again anyway. It's not long and I always find it fascinating. This tour reminds me of the scene from the movie "Goodfellas" where character Henry Hill takes his date, Karen, to the Copacabana club via a back entrance, weaves through the busy kitchen and then to the front of the club where a table is brought in for them. In the kitchen, there is a booth with a table that is reservable for meals for parties of (I think) 4-6 people. I want to eat at this kitchen table! The restaurant is divided into several large rooms -- each to mimic the size of a small family owned Italian restaurant -- and each one has wall-to-wall photos of vintage Italian actors, actresses, miscellaneous black and white photos, Italian flags, maps, Christmas lights, a naked Mona Lisa (this is in the bar), and a eclectic mix of 1950s kitsch. If you take a walk from room to room, you'll notice that some of the pictures repeat and appear in other rooms as well. There is also a constant rotation of Italian music over the speakers by singers like Julius La Rosa, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin or the songs "Tu vuo fa l'Americano". Coincidentally, it was the same song playing when I got there the last two times -- "Pizza Boy USA" by Lou Monte. Oh yeah, there is also the Pope room, named as such because there is a giant round table for larger sized parties and in the center of the table, is a bust of the Pope. The food is served "family style" meaning its large portions are meant for sharing. Each order is enough for three people and I'm glad because it means I always have leftovers to bring home. The food, for a chain, is very good and I've never had a bad meal there, although they were a little heavy handed with the salty capers on the chicken cacciatore the last time I was there. But my favorite meal is the Linguine Fruitti Di Mare -- shrimp, clams, mussles and calamari (no calamari for me though). They are generous with the seafood and the food tastes mmm mmm good. I would not have ordered the Apple Gorgonzola Salad on my own, but having tried that now, I have to say it is a strangely delicious combination of flavors that I would not have imagined would taste good mixed, but somehow it works! I need to go back and try this again. Their Tiramisu is much stronger than the ones I'm used to having and you can taste the rum. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it's not something I would offer a child. The friendly waitstaff will gladly accept coupons and upon receiving your bill, will also give you a coupon good for $10 off your next meal the following month. Do not be shy about using coupons at this place. They also have a website where if you sign up for their eClub mailing list, you will get coupons via e-mail that they will accept. Price-wise, this place is a little expensive (for Lehigh Valley), but when you consider that it covers three meals, it doesn't seem so bad. The only downside is if you're expecting your food to arrive on your table almost instantly. We went for a mid-afternoon meal when the restaurant was not too busy, yet it did take a while for our food to arrive. Depending on how you look at this, it could be a fault since we're all so used to meals served up quickly. But I take this as a sign that the food has not been sitting under a warming lamp or kept on the burner and that items are made fresh to order.
(5)
Mrs. W.
I used to love this place. I recently went in because the new golden corral was so packed and all the restaurants in town were empty. I love Italian food and on night's I don't want to cook and go out for dinner I would at least expect my meal to.taste better then what I make at home for less then a quarter of the price. My salad had no dressing on it. When I told.my waitress she basically said I was lying and that "it looks like dressing is on it" LOL it seriously was just wet lettuce. So she brought us a separate bowl of dressing. It still wasn't great but whatever...my family was hungry. We piled on salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese and ate it. Minus the 9282928 onion slices in the bowl. We ordered shrimp fettuccine Alfredo and it was the worst I've ever had. Keep in mind this was my fav place to eat and fav. Dish to order. When the pasta came out it was sticky. In a giant heaping ball of unfresh fettuccine that has been sitting in a colander for god knows how long. With barley any Alfredo on it you couldn't even maneuver it out of the pasta ball to get it on a plate, let alone let the sauce penetrate the pasta. I payed $6 extra to get 4 pieces (four!!) of microwaved shrimp. Lmao not even jumbo or normal sized shrimp -salad shrimps!!! my waitress was a wreck with her fried long black frizzy hair and her drawled on eye brows. A total bitch. We were 1 family out of the 3 family's that were in the whole place so I took her rushing us to order as her just being bored bc nobody was there. The manager was useless. Even said he had his best cook on. Since nobody was in buca almost all day I'm guessing I just got old food that's been waiting to get ordered and some old sauce scraped from the bottom of the pot. So with all that said and all of the complaining and my kids not being satisfied we ended up just paying for 2 sodas, and 2 kids juices a small salad and bread and our total came out to 35$ it was a joke. Golden Corrals Italian food was better then that. We should have just sucked it up and stood in line. Bc for 35$ my whole family could have gone out for better tasting, more satisfying food that's all you can eat. In the end My husband, my 2 year old, my 5 year old and myself had the worst food poison for 3 days. Im guessing it was the "wet" salad that my waitress said "looks like it has dressing" I will never eat there again not even with a gift card. Poor customer service and awful food.
(1)
Howie A.
This is a family entree concept so everyone in the group must agree on that specific food to order. We had the chicken parm and it was fatty. Not a good quality chicken. I enjoy Olive Garden across the street much better with more of a selection and better prices. This place is unique in the setup and walking tour past the kitchen but the quality of food I had with the prices on the higher side you can count on that I will not be back.
(2)
Pauline T.
I love the family dinner style. We ordered three dishes. The salmon was really good, and I also liked the apple walnut salad. Our third dish was the chicken pasta, which wasn't too amazing, it was only okay. The only downside was that because the portion was large, even for the smaller size, the price was still a little high. I'd prefer smaller portions for a lesser price.
(3)
Larissa B.
Delicious! Took my teen boys there for the 1st time. We got the chicken parm, fettuccine alfredo, and baked ziti, all small dinners. The kids eyes bulged out when they saw the proportions & agreed with me its pretty cool hows you can share the food like family style. I've been the many times & im so glad my boys like it too. Great service every time I've been there. Waitress came back just enough time to check on us but nit too much that it was annoying like some places. Id definitly recommend Buca to anyone, 2 people or the whole family, there is pkenty of room & food there. I've never ate anything bad there.
(5)
John V.
One of the better Italian places I've eaten at their family style dinners are fairly priced and are very filling !!
(5)
Jacob G.
At first glance it seems a bit pricy. When you get the meals you realize that this isn't your average sit down Italian meal. Family portions of 2 or 4 people can make for some great leftovers. The food itself is amazing and never fails to please. The atmosphere is set to be like eating in an Italian home but the decorations are a little outlandish. Great food, good service and a fun time.
Not a fan of this place at all. First off the decor is very garish, and way too much just thrown up on the walls. More is not always better. I don't consider the stained plywood flooring, I couldn't believe it, exactly nice or appropriate for the prices charged. Service the day we were there was dreadfully slow and the food tasted like microwaved. As another reviewer said, no wonder the Olive Garden nearby was busy and this place wasn't. I'll pass on this place.
(1)
Kevin K.
Found this place quite by accident and never heard of it before but what a pleasant surprise. As you are led to your table they walk you THRU the kitchen and it looks really clean and well-managed. There's even a table you can reserve IN the kitchen. We were seated in back among hundreds of really interesting pictures and decor - right next to a room dedicated to the Pope! Hilarious! Some pics are quite sexy so keep the kids close. In fact, this would be a MUCH better experience if the families with little ones were in a seperate area but such is the world...Food served family style, their "small" serves two and everything was excellent. It is slightly pricey but you get a TON of food and it's all top-notch. Nothing bad to say here! And we will return!
(5)
Mr. W.
I usually enjoy taking my wife Nd kids here. It's reasonably casual and I'm usually not to shocked when I get the bill. It's been a little while since I last was a patron of this establishment and since the new golden corral (which is awesome) was packed we decided to give bucas a shot. The first disappointment was that the prices went up about $2-$4 a plate. We ordered our salad which is my wife's favorite and it came out with no dressing on it. Only wet lettuce with maybe a little oil. Next we ordered our favorite shrimp Alfredo. How can you possibly screw that up you might ask? It's just Alfredo sauce dumped over pasta with some shrimp. You screw it up by not putting enough on so that you get some noodles with a tacky consistency. At around $20 for about $4 worth of ingredients I expect it to be better than what I can make at home. Don't get me wrong, After her initial bitchy attitude our waitress was Ok. The manager was apologetic and did accommodate us well but I expect better quality food at a restaurant with 20+ competitors within a mile or so. Boo hiss bucas you sucked hard tonight.
(1)
Tim D.
Great food!!! A little pricey but worth it!!
(5)
Adrienne W.
I personally can't stand this place. The decor and general mayhem of the place always give me a migraine, which I could tolerate if the food was amazing. But it's not -- it's actually pretty terrible. The portion sizes are huge, which I know is because they're meant for sharing, but it always tastes very institutionalized -- like how spaghetti tastes when you get it in your college dining hall. The service is also pretty lousy -- when the waiter/waitress actually takes the time to come by your table, you can't even hear what s/he is saying because it's so damn loud in there. A big thumbs-down to this place.
(1)
Dan E.
Let me first start by saying that I wish I could give this place 2.5 stars. Buca is fine if you have the right expectations going in. This place is not homemade gourmet italian food, but I do think it is a step above the other italian chain restaurants. I kind of think the decor is a little cheesy with pictures covering every single square inch of wall space. I guess I could see how some people like it, but it just isn't for me. The food is decent. The chopped antipasto salad was very good and I thought the calamari was decent, too. I thought the lasagna was decent and I do like the chicken parm entree. Everything is served family style and the portions are pretty big. The desserts are decent. The service is pretty spotty, IMHO. I have had good service here and some pretty bad service. All in all, a half decent place.
(2)
Gina K.
I am usually not very impressed with restaurant chain Italian food, but this, and one other chain actually do it right, and do it well. Normally I am not a huge fan of family style dining, but it is ok here, as they at least have the smaller option for people who are not in a huge party. The Bruchetta is fantastic, and could eat that for my meal its so good. I like another person who wrote a review, am not a fan of being paraded through the kitchen, and in my experience at this location, all of us had been to a Buca before and told them that when they asked, and still we went traipsing through the kitchen. But, the food is great and the prices are totally reasonable for the quality and quantity of food. If you haven't tried this place, give it a shot, I bet you'll like it.
(4)
Vanessa W.
Love this family-style restaurant chain. I had my wedding rehearsal dinner there in the pope room, and we had a blast. Food is always good, and very traditional. Staff is friendly, and quick on their feet. Great place.
(4)
Brian C.
Pretty good family style Italian place, reminds me of Carmines in NYC, only much more schmaltzy with photos, statues and the general decor. But it's a fun place and the food is pretty good.
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 : Hipster Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No 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.
J. S.
My boyfriend and I love this place! We've been there several times, and we've never been disappointed. We typically get chicken parm, spaghetti and meatballs, and a side of fett. alfredo. (Ok...so we don't do well with sharing!) We also get a kick out of the photos on the walls. I don't understand why the Olive Garden across the street is always more crowded than this place...Spread your wings people. There's more to life than an Olive Garden!
(4)Amanda W.
Been here a few times and every time the food is always great. The service is also excellent. I love looking at everything on the walls.
(4)giulia i.
Buca di Beppo is always a great deal of fun. It's more fun when you go with someone who is not Italian and doesn't know... Food's ALWAYS great. Not quite like mom makes it, but close.
(5)Mike T.
First time visiting one after attempting to for over 2 years and I was very impressed.. First off the decor of this place is really cool with ton's of pictures and the dimly lit atmosphere.. Upon arriving we were given a quick tour of the kitchen and walk through the place which reminded me of being in the Goodfella's movie! Now onto the food.. Started off with the garlic bread appetizer with melted mozzarella on it.. tasty as could be. Being new to the place me and my friend went with each of are own bowl of pasta going against the one bowl feed's two.. Fettuccine Alfredo with Shrimp on her side with Spicy Chicken Rigatoni on my side.. Both were really good especially the Spicy Chicken Rigatoni which was perfect, nice kick to it and the pea's add a touch of taste to it. Take home for sure it was and boy what a great lunch the next day. Service was outstanding, are server was excellent and upon paying are bill I vowed to return again when I'm up in the area.. Def my favorite Italian chain restaurant now.. Olive Garden, Bertucci's, Maggiano's you name it have there pro's but this place definitely beat's them out in quality, quantity and the unique atmosphere.. you could spend hours in here looking at all the pictures! 4 star's all day long no matter what!
(4)Thomas T.
BUCA DI DISSAPOINTO Ive been to buca before about 10 years ago. It was great! Loved the place and would continue to go at that point. But never hot a chance to go back. Unfortunately we decided to go back today... and this visit single handedly made me create a yelp account... To start off all the plates were sticky and dirty mine had crumbs on it. It looked like they were the original plates from when they opened because they were beat up looking too. Then we didnt get any bread so we asked for some and she gave us a small basket of bread for 9 people! There wasnt even enough tiny slices for each one of us to get a peice so we asked for more and again only gave us a little bit. We then order 2 small family salads which were the most sad looking salads i have ever seen. The lettuce was brown and pinkish like it went bad. And they put 2 olives, 2 pepperoncis, and a few onion circles on it. I couldnt belive they charged us for salad to begin with and then they serve us that??? I wish i took pictures but they did indeed charge us about $25 for them. Mcdonalds has better salads then this semi expensive italian restaurant. Whats wrong with that picture? Not one of the 9 people in our party was happy with the food. The chicken marsala tasted exactly like general tso chicken!!! I swear! It tasted nothing like any chicken marsala ive ever tasted. I could have saved the money and ordered happy garden. Calamari was gross, stuffed chicken tasted like it was frozen, and the ziti i didnt try but the people who ordered it didnt want any more after a few bites... the only thing that was ok was the cheese ravioli which is dissapointing... I never complain but i feel i should warn people about wasting their money on that place. Its amazing how they turned a great place into the worst italian restaurant in 10 years... its sad but ill never go there again. SORRY ABOUT THE BOOK BUT THIS IS THE SHORT VERSION OF THE STORY...
(1)Carrie R.
I've been here several times and have been impressed with the service and food. Hailing from a restaurant city, I had low expectations for this chain. However, I've been pleasantly surprised each visit. The food has flavor, unlike Olive Garden across the street, servers are always genuinely friendly, and portions and prices are well-aligned.
(4)Dory S.
Excellent food as usual. Portions were large (family style). We ordered a special item and I didn't know it had meat in it and I'm a vegetarian. I then placed an order for soup at that point and because of the misunderstanding they did not charge for the soup. The staff was very nice and the restaurant was clean.
(5)Jim S.
Love the Pescatore! Good food and fair prices....I would never hesitate going back whenever I am in the area.
(5)Anna T.
Just got back home after our dinner at Buca. Such a waste of money=( The only Italian restaurant, where you have to pay for garlic bread (6.99)! They gave us a peace of cold hard bread from the grocery for free.... That wasn't a good sign. The girl explained that the prices are higher, because the portions are for 2 or more people to share... Hmmm... Our 20$ appetizer came... Calamari/stuffed mushrooms/mozzarella sample... And I am not picky! I can eat almost anything, but the mozzarella was disgusting... It was greasy and not crunchy at all, the cheese was yellow, not white....it looked like it came out of a microwave. My husband said calamari were disgusting too... Entrees are all over 20$... But they don't come with any sides... So we orders those chicken cutlets for 25$ (they have a picture of them everywhere, must be there special). But we had to order a side, becuse they dont give you anything, not even a few vegetables. NOW! The side order of pasta with marinara sauce is 8$. So we paid 33$ for an entree (chicken with pasta). And if only food was good, I would not have any problem with prices! And not only that! My cup was sticky, plates were not clean either! Bathroom smells really bad( Never coming back.
(1)Chris C.
In a word, meh. Buca restaurants everywhere have the schticks of A) Walking you proudly thru the kitchen, and B) pseudo-vintage eclectic stuff all over the walls and C) portions are "family style" meaning a Small is for 1-2 people and a Large is for 2-4. Your call on whether this is charming. I'm just going to focus on food and service. Our evening here didn't get off to a good start. After standing ungreeted in the vestibule a while, a hostess gave us the "kitchen walk" and seated us and told us our waitress X would be our server. She apparently never alerted X that we'd been seated and we sat long enough for us to make a lengthy decision on our meal and for my spouse to use the bathroom. A lady came into our room, saw us and made a face of obvious surprise, apologized and took our order. She was an ok waitress overall, checking often enough to be attentive without being annoying. It was odd to be asked "how is it tasting?" but whatever. The only issue with the service after the long wait to get a hostess and then a waitress was the huge gap in time between finishing the meal and waiting and waiting to order dessert. It was long enough that I was ready to just get the check and leave but then the waitress arrived and we got the cheesecake which was the highpoint of the meal, rich, tasty, topped with hazelnuts (and a tart raspberry drizzle). The main dish, fettuccine Alfredo, was pretty sad. It had clearly sat a while before being served because by the time it arrived the noodles were dry and the sauce lay at the bottom of the bowl. While tossing it again fixed that, there was no fixing the fatty flavorless sauce. I loooove Alfredo, but this was just blah. We were glad the table had salt and pepper and cheese so the food could be doctored. I had a side of mild Italian sausage- it tasted fire grilled which was good, but the casing was thick and chewy. Pre-meal we had pedestrian sliced bread with a plate of olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping. It was fine. Overall, we were glad to have had a coupon. The "family style" portions are accurate for the number but when you think it thru it's really no bargain. Plus they really nail you on extras - cheesy bread or a side of sausage links are about $6-8 a piece. At the end of the day, it was a forgettable meal. We still have another coupon for 20% off, plus another one they gave us with the check. Despite the discount I'm kinda doubtful we'll be using them.
(3)Meghan H.
What a wonderful evening we had at Buca this evening! Me and my daughter were born two days apart so we came to celebrate our birthdays. I signed up for their VIP club and got a free to go of baked ziti, $20 off my dinner check and a tremendous brownie sundae (literally there were 12 brownies stuffed in there which were evidently a close second to my homemade). After eating 4 dinners we came home with leftovers of 4 course meals (beverage included) for at least 2 people. We only spent $150 including tips! Sign up for the Amici club and get this same unbelievable deal! Much thanks to Chris, our extremely accommodating waiter.
(4)Oliver G.
This place has fallen off a cliff not just gone downhill. Used to over order here just to be able take some of it home. Went last night after a gap of about 18 months - the menu has changed (obviously by accountants and NOT food lovers. Not the same place will not be going back. Only gave 1 star when would have given 5 previous to last night's visit because no stars is not an option
(1)Kelly B.
A very Italian restaurant. The decor is much like an old Italian home, with tons of "family" photos. There are several rooms to dine in, rather than one main dining area. We were taken through the kitchen, on the way to our table and I even noticed a table in the kitchen. The staff is very attentive and friendly. Meals are served family style, so if you have a larger group, you can add many choices to your table, so that everyone is happy. With just 2 diners, it may be a bit more costly, if the 2 don't want to eat the same things. But then, you will have extra food to bring home, as a size small bowl or plate does feed slightly more than 2. Large is for 4 or more. We found the food quite tasty and the meal quite enjoyable. We went as a group and had a great time. I would definitely dine there again, but most likely in groups of 4 or more.
(3)Rishi D.
Run away from here. First and last time in a Buca Di Beppo. If you're looking for a date night kind of setting, this should be the very last place on the planet you should go. I get they are going for a basement look but please dust the restaurant. The table we were sitting at had spiderwebs all over the walls!! The edge along the wall was COVERED with dust. Disgusting. I was expecting the worst as I was sitting there inhaling dust from the prehistoric era but the food was actually ok. We still wished we went to the Olive Garden across the street. Also, the table we were seated at had a lovely picture of about 6 middle aged men's bare butts on the wall (at eye level). No joke.
(1)Sharon C.
I used to love Buca, and honestly I still really enjoy going - but mainly for the calamari. My family of five always orders two large calamaris to start - always crunchy and flavorful and delicious. On our most recent visit, we also ordered the Supremo Italiano pizza and Linguine Frutti di Mare. I did enjoy the pizza, although in my opinion they could have loaded up the toppings just a little bit more, but I thought the linguine was incredibly mediocre. The noodles were limp and dry. The service on our visit was also a bit of a bummer. Usually I feel like the service is pretty good, but this time we didn't get our bread until after our appetizers had already arrived, and - rather than filling up our waters when needed - the waitress just left us with a pitcher of water and dropped off an extra that another table didn't want.
(3)Chris R.
My wife and I went here a couple of weeks ago. Neither of us had been there before and we kinda went there 'cause...well...the lot was empty. As a chef I know the golden rule...if the lot is empty its for a reason. Nevertheless we ventured inside. We were greeted by a very cheerful hostess and given the obligatory tour including their very clean kitchen and various themed dining rooms. We were seated in the Sinatra room where a portrait of ol' Blue Eyes stared at us no matter where we stood. It kinda looks like someone's eclectic aunt decorated the walls with every random picture she could find. Our apps came out quick. We got the calamari. It was seasoned and fried properly and was very tasty. Entrees were good...Alfredo sauce may have been from a jar or from powder. Is it too hard to make scratch sauces Al a Minute style when your restaurant is not very full? The wife liked her entree. The portions are family style (think huge) and you WILL be taking some home. Come hungry. If you leave hungry it's your own fault.
(3)Stephanie K.
We ended up going here after Olive Garden, which is directly across the street couldn't seat us, a table of 9 at 4pm when the restaurant was empty. So we walked across the street to bucas, was seated immediately. But not before doing the tour of the kitchen which we all loved. We passed the Popes table and sat in the back corner away from everyone! Which was lovely. Because we had 3 kids under the age of 4 with us. Our waiter was Robert I believe. He was fantastic! All the kids got light up cups and I got a huge light up peach daiquiri. Which was delicious. All of the food was amazing as well. No one had any complaints. The only down side to it, which is why I gave it 4 stars was because our desserts took 20 min to come out, they had to make the whip cream by hand. That should have been done earlier in the am shift. The manager was great though, took the desserts off the check. We will return :)
(4)Joanne O.
I cannot believe people are waiting across the street at Olive Garden! Buca is soooooooooo good! I love the atmosphere! Great for families or a date! A must try!
(5)Jason K.
Mmmmmm.... Pasta The best Italian cream soda around. The seafood trio app is very good and serves as a meal. The ravioli with meat sauce is tasty and very filling. Although tonight trying the chicken cannelloni which my wife thinks is delicious . Service is always good
(4)Simon W.
I came back here recently because I had an offer of $15 off $30. Made reservations at Opentable to score a 100 points. We had the Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken and Linguine Frutti di Mare. It was so good. I definitely recommend them. Both were the small portions, but trust me they are BIG! small portions are good for 2-3 people. large portions are good for 4+ people. Remember it's a family-style restaurant. The wall has alots of pictures to keep you busy looking at the history of Italy. I love their bread with olive oil & balsamic vinaigrette before the serving. Their Sassy Strawberry CREAM SODA is really good. They make them two kinds. One is just without the soda and the one with it. So take your pick and ask just to be sure. I'll definitely be coming back here again and again and again.
(4)Mae L.
I have eaten here many times for many reasons. The first reason being that I love Italian cuisine particularly spaghetti with meatballs. A meatball is about the size of a petite girl fist (or my fist) lol It's family style chain restaurant, therefore, they serve large portions. Good for groupies. As for couples, I wouldn't recommend ordering more than 2 dishes not including appetizers (dessert if you're a big eater). Spaghetti tasted very authentic like homemade and their pizza (the meat) was superb. They will walk you by their kitchen and welcoming you to their restaurant. Also, I really like their bread with balsamic vinaigrette and olive oil. Very good. Pretty affordable. $15 and up.
(5)Hungry G.
Wow great place. Came here with 4 co-workers straight from Italy. They said the food taste like home. 5 stars easy...have the sea food platter with the mussels( don't remember the name) Advice... The small feeds 2, the large will feed 4.
(5)Mysterious Z.
The food here is good but you need to come hungry. Most of the foods are served family style but its not always easy to get everyone to agree on the same thing. You can get single size portions which are still large. they have a gigantic meatball that you can get on the side which is pretty tasty. The food is pretty authentic as well.
(4)Christopher C.
So against my better judgment I was coerced into going back to Buca after the Mother's Day massacre of atrocious service and bland food that made me swear the place off forever. But this time I'll admit I was surprised. Our service from beginning to end by "E" was fantastic. She was attentive, prompt, courteous and even though the restaurant was not busy and she could have been lackadaisical she wasn't. For an appetizer we tried the Lobster Fonduta and it was good. Naturally there was not a whole lot of Lobster actually in it, but the flavor of what was there was good. For the main course we got the Chicken Carbonara and to our suprise, unlike in a prior visit, the chicken was actually warm like it should be as opposed to room temperature or almost cold like it has been in the past. Each table also got a quick visit or two to inquire about everything was going from the AGM KC and that was a nice touch from prior visits where management has been invisible. Overall the experience at Buca was definitely better than in the past. 5 stars better? No, because it still takes entirely too long for food even on a dead Monday but overall things were better from top to bottom and there may be a return visit in the near future.
(4)John G.
I love Buca. We took my daughter for her 21 birthday. We sat at the chief table. It could not have been better. The entire staff is glad your there and the food is fabulous. A great night out.
(5)Stephanie G.
I have eaten here many times and it has always been good. One of the few chain restaurants that gets it right.
(4)Ash K.
I've always been to the chain in Philadelphia, so I know what to expect food was from Buca, and the Allentown location was no different. Food was good, service was also good. But the smell of the restaurant was absolutely atrocious, especially in the bathrooms and long hallway leading to the bathrooms. I"m not sure if they're is a sewer problem there or the building just needs to be cleaned/ or is old. But the stench was absolutely disgusting and will prevent me from ever going back here.
(3)Tom D.
I've been there many times...never had a bad meal...never had bad service...always left WAY too full...and had food to take home. Even through bringing a recalcitrant guest...they served us with fun and style. AND...there a picture of my Mom on the wall in the Frank Sinatra shrine area there...how can you beat THAT? 2 thumbs up! Peace.
(5)Dave M.
Tried one of these for the first time and I was not impressed. The decor came down as tacky and creepy not true Italian. Portions were huge and frankly not that great quality of food.
(3)IL T.
I know, I know- Buca di Beppo serves family-style. I get it. But how many places do that? So it's hard to adjust when one is accustomed to getting a salad or a side with entrees that are priced over $15.00. So that's my first complaint. Most people I know like a salad with pasta. To have to pay $12.00 for a "small" salad is, I think, ridiculous. Being a party of 4 adults and two children, we ordered the "large" and shared it. Honestly, it tasted great. Didn't like seeing a few brownish pieces of lettuce, however. There's just no excuse for that. The wait time between our salad and the entrees was way too long, especially as we ordered our entrees before the salad arrived. It was our choice to bring young children, and they were well-behaved, but it still sucked having to wait about 20 minutes between for the entrees to be served after we had finished the salad. Entrees. I tasted 3 of the 4 entrees. Whatever my wife had, I thought it sucked. Penne pasta with chicken and artichoke hearts. Not my thing. Pasta was very plain unless coupled with a sun-dried tomato. My wife thought it was ok but wished she had ordered something else. Spaghetti with meatballs (2 giant ones). Again, very pedestrian, in my opinion. I make better spaghetti that what was served, and that's not what one goes out for. The sauce is terrible- way too sweet. Plus, the person who ordered it had to wait 10 minutes for some "extra" sauce, as the main dish had very little on it. (The person who ordered didn't detest the sauce as I did- he thought it was "ok".) My own entree was the stuffed shells. The biggest disappointment here was that it was supposed to be served with Italian sausage (stuffed in the shells). Well, after 10 minutes of searching for it, I figured out that the tiny crumble-like things in the sauce must have been the sausage. Great. The sauce was pretty good, as it had a bit of a bite to it (spicy) that I like, but the pasta shells were just so-so. If you are claustrophobic, stay away from this place. No windows and it looks like a kleptomaniac decorated the place. The hostesses seemed to determine to crowd everyone who walked in to the same room we were in, so it feels a bit tight and it gets loud. Men's bathroom? My feet stuck to the floor the whole time. Not pleasant. I took my little boy in there and felt like I needed to shower before returning to the table. Overall, not a good experience. Food is definitely not worth the price, in my opinion. Service? Our server was ok, nothing special. No real complaints about her, we just like friendlier and more pleasant servers. Next time we do Italian we'd take Taste of Italy, Roma Restaurant, or even Olive Garden over this place.
(2)Brian W.
Good was pretty good. We had the stuffed chicken, spaghetti marinara, calamari and mini meatballs. Overall the food was ok BUT The pictures all over the walls are distasteful and disgusting. Dining with my children was a challenge their as the pictures are not appropriate for kids especially in the men's room where you are stuck looking at butts and male parts. Really, I'm not joking, my 8 yr old was quite disgusted and they really should reconsider their decor. I get the idea, but some things just don't belong.
(2)Candi K.
My husband & I had our first date in a Buca's, so I used to be pretty partial to the place. The food is good. Tons of options. For the two of us, a Buca small is more than enough...we normally have lunch leftovers plus more. It's a great bet for groups because you can get several things and try them. This location has always struck me as slow and unfriendly. I've been here three times since we moved to the Valley, hoping to get better service, but they've always failed. I got flack from our waiter on my birthday when I used my free birthday dessert coupon. I've found that their servers aren't really trained to deal with big parties, which is sad since that's half the reason to go to Buca's. We went to a birthday party where we only had 1 waitress for all 22 of us. Needless to say, she was a bit overwhelmed. If they improved their service, I'd go back, but for now I save Buca's for trips out of town.
(2)Betty T.
Not everyone can enjoy an authentic Italian meal in Little Italy or Bensonhurst and for those who can't, Buca Di Beppo delivers what non-New Yorkers would imagine one of these family owned Italian restaurants to be like. When you first enter, the maitre d' will ask you if you have ever been there before. Say "no" and you will be given the kitchen tour. Even if you've been there before, tell them you'd like the tour again anyway. It's not long and I always find it fascinating. This tour reminds me of the scene from the movie "Goodfellas" where character Henry Hill takes his date, Karen, to the Copacabana club via a back entrance, weaves through the busy kitchen and then to the front of the club where a table is brought in for them. In the kitchen, there is a booth with a table that is reservable for meals for parties of (I think) 4-6 people. I want to eat at this kitchen table! The restaurant is divided into several large rooms -- each to mimic the size of a small family owned Italian restaurant -- and each one has wall-to-wall photos of vintage Italian actors, actresses, miscellaneous black and white photos, Italian flags, maps, Christmas lights, a naked Mona Lisa (this is in the bar), and a eclectic mix of 1950s kitsch. If you take a walk from room to room, you'll notice that some of the pictures repeat and appear in other rooms as well. There is also a constant rotation of Italian music over the speakers by singers like Julius La Rosa, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin or the songs "Tu vuo fa l'Americano". Coincidentally, it was the same song playing when I got there the last two times -- "Pizza Boy USA" by Lou Monte. Oh yeah, there is also the Pope room, named as such because there is a giant round table for larger sized parties and in the center of the table, is a bust of the Pope. The food is served "family style" meaning its large portions are meant for sharing. Each order is enough for three people and I'm glad because it means I always have leftovers to bring home. The food, for a chain, is very good and I've never had a bad meal there, although they were a little heavy handed with the salty capers on the chicken cacciatore the last time I was there. But my favorite meal is the Linguine Fruitti Di Mare -- shrimp, clams, mussles and calamari (no calamari for me though). They are generous with the seafood and the food tastes mmm mmm good. I would not have ordered the Apple Gorgonzola Salad on my own, but having tried that now, I have to say it is a strangely delicious combination of flavors that I would not have imagined would taste good mixed, but somehow it works! I need to go back and try this again. Their Tiramisu is much stronger than the ones I'm used to having and you can taste the rum. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it's not something I would offer a child. The friendly waitstaff will gladly accept coupons and upon receiving your bill, will also give you a coupon good for $10 off your next meal the following month. Do not be shy about using coupons at this place. They also have a website where if you sign up for their eClub mailing list, you will get coupons via e-mail that they will accept. Price-wise, this place is a little expensive (for Lehigh Valley), but when you consider that it covers three meals, it doesn't seem so bad. The only downside is if you're expecting your food to arrive on your table almost instantly. We went for a mid-afternoon meal when the restaurant was not too busy, yet it did take a while for our food to arrive. Depending on how you look at this, it could be a fault since we're all so used to meals served up quickly. But I take this as a sign that the food has not been sitting under a warming lamp or kept on the burner and that items are made fresh to order.
(5)Mrs. W.
I used to love this place. I recently went in because the new golden corral was so packed and all the restaurants in town were empty. I love Italian food and on night's I don't want to cook and go out for dinner I would at least expect my meal to.taste better then what I make at home for less then a quarter of the price. My salad had no dressing on it. When I told.my waitress she basically said I was lying and that "it looks like dressing is on it" LOL it seriously was just wet lettuce. So she brought us a separate bowl of dressing. It still wasn't great but whatever...my family was hungry. We piled on salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese and ate it. Minus the 9282928 onion slices in the bowl. We ordered shrimp fettuccine Alfredo and it was the worst I've ever had. Keep in mind this was my fav place to eat and fav. Dish to order. When the pasta came out it was sticky. In a giant heaping ball of unfresh fettuccine that has been sitting in a colander for god knows how long. With barley any Alfredo on it you couldn't even maneuver it out of the pasta ball to get it on a plate, let alone let the sauce penetrate the pasta. I payed $6 extra to get 4 pieces (four!!) of microwaved shrimp. Lmao not even jumbo or normal sized shrimp -salad shrimps!!! my waitress was a wreck with her fried long black frizzy hair and her drawled on eye brows. A total bitch. We were 1 family out of the 3 family's that were in the whole place so I took her rushing us to order as her just being bored bc nobody was there. The manager was useless. Even said he had his best cook on. Since nobody was in buca almost all day I'm guessing I just got old food that's been waiting to get ordered and some old sauce scraped from the bottom of the pot. So with all that said and all of the complaining and my kids not being satisfied we ended up just paying for 2 sodas, and 2 kids juices a small salad and bread and our total came out to 35$ it was a joke. Golden Corrals Italian food was better then that. We should have just sucked it up and stood in line. Bc for 35$ my whole family could have gone out for better tasting, more satisfying food that's all you can eat. In the end My husband, my 2 year old, my 5 year old and myself had the worst food poison for 3 days. Im guessing it was the "wet" salad that my waitress said "looks like it has dressing" I will never eat there again not even with a gift card. Poor customer service and awful food.
(1)Howie A.
This is a family entree concept so everyone in the group must agree on that specific food to order. We had the chicken parm and it was fatty. Not a good quality chicken. I enjoy Olive Garden across the street much better with more of a selection and better prices. This place is unique in the setup and walking tour past the kitchen but the quality of food I had with the prices on the higher side you can count on that I will not be back.
(2)Pauline T.
I love the family dinner style. We ordered three dishes. The salmon was really good, and I also liked the apple walnut salad. Our third dish was the chicken pasta, which wasn't too amazing, it was only okay. The only downside was that because the portion was large, even for the smaller size, the price was still a little high. I'd prefer smaller portions for a lesser price.
(3)Larissa B.
Delicious! Took my teen boys there for the 1st time. We got the chicken parm, fettuccine alfredo, and baked ziti, all small dinners. The kids eyes bulged out when they saw the proportions & agreed with me its pretty cool hows you can share the food like family style. I've been the many times & im so glad my boys like it too. Great service every time I've been there. Waitress came back just enough time to check on us but nit too much that it was annoying like some places. Id definitly recommend Buca to anyone, 2 people or the whole family, there is pkenty of room & food there. I've never ate anything bad there.
(5)John V.
One of the better Italian places I've eaten at their family style dinners are fairly priced and are very filling !!
(5)Jacob G.
At first glance it seems a bit pricy. When you get the meals you realize that this isn't your average sit down Italian meal. Family portions of 2 or 4 people can make for some great leftovers. The food itself is amazing and never fails to please. The atmosphere is set to be like eating in an Italian home but the decorations are a little outlandish. Great food, good service and a fun time.
(5)Kevin S.
My wife an I stop here the other day after a long day in the car, we should have stayed in the car. IMHO it was all over priced, the quality was poor. We had cheese & garlic bread, I have had better frozen microwave stuff at home. I think this was frozen stuff. The salad was ok nothing special though. Had the 1/2 pound meatball just a bland ball of hamburg. We also ordered eggplant parm, I use eggplant only because that's what they called it. It is unbelievable how thin the eggplant was !!!! It was like paper thin and over cooked. So this entrée was 20 buck for breading and sauce. I complained and had it removed from bill. The bill was still 45dollars, 1 beer 1 small glass of wine , cheese bread, small house salad and a meatball. Will never return!!
(1)Ron M.
Not a fan of this place at all. First off the decor is very garish, and way too much just thrown up on the walls. More is not always better. I don't consider the stained plywood flooring, I couldn't believe it, exactly nice or appropriate for the prices charged. Service the day we were there was dreadfully slow and the food tasted like microwaved. As another reviewer said, no wonder the Olive Garden nearby was busy and this place wasn't. I'll pass on this place.
(1)Kevin K.
Found this place quite by accident and never heard of it before but what a pleasant surprise. As you are led to your table they walk you THRU the kitchen and it looks really clean and well-managed. There's even a table you can reserve IN the kitchen. We were seated in back among hundreds of really interesting pictures and decor - right next to a room dedicated to the Pope! Hilarious! Some pics are quite sexy so keep the kids close. In fact, this would be a MUCH better experience if the families with little ones were in a seperate area but such is the world...Food served family style, their "small" serves two and everything was excellent. It is slightly pricey but you get a TON of food and it's all top-notch. Nothing bad to say here! And we will return!
(5)Mr. W.
I usually enjoy taking my wife Nd kids here. It's reasonably casual and I'm usually not to shocked when I get the bill. It's been a little while since I last was a patron of this establishment and since the new golden corral (which is awesome) was packed we decided to give bucas a shot. The first disappointment was that the prices went up about $2-$4 a plate. We ordered our salad which is my wife's favorite and it came out with no dressing on it. Only wet lettuce with maybe a little oil. Next we ordered our favorite shrimp Alfredo. How can you possibly screw that up you might ask? It's just Alfredo sauce dumped over pasta with some shrimp. You screw it up by not putting enough on so that you get some noodles with a tacky consistency. At around $20 for about $4 worth of ingredients I expect it to be better than what I can make at home. Don't get me wrong, After her initial bitchy attitude our waitress was Ok. The manager was apologetic and did accommodate us well but I expect better quality food at a restaurant with 20+ competitors within a mile or so. Boo hiss bucas you sucked hard tonight.
(1)Tim D.
Great food!!! A little pricey but worth it!!
(5)Adrienne W.
I personally can't stand this place. The decor and general mayhem of the place always give me a migraine, which I could tolerate if the food was amazing. But it's not -- it's actually pretty terrible. The portion sizes are huge, which I know is because they're meant for sharing, but it always tastes very institutionalized -- like how spaghetti tastes when you get it in your college dining hall. The service is also pretty lousy -- when the waiter/waitress actually takes the time to come by your table, you can't even hear what s/he is saying because it's so damn loud in there. A big thumbs-down to this place.
(1)Dan E.
Let me first start by saying that I wish I could give this place 2.5 stars. Buca is fine if you have the right expectations going in. This place is not homemade gourmet italian food, but I do think it is a step above the other italian chain restaurants. I kind of think the decor is a little cheesy with pictures covering every single square inch of wall space. I guess I could see how some people like it, but it just isn't for me. The food is decent. The chopped antipasto salad was very good and I thought the calamari was decent, too. I thought the lasagna was decent and I do like the chicken parm entree. Everything is served family style and the portions are pretty big. The desserts are decent. The service is pretty spotty, IMHO. I have had good service here and some pretty bad service. All in all, a half decent place.
(2)Gina K.
I am usually not very impressed with restaurant chain Italian food, but this, and one other chain actually do it right, and do it well. Normally I am not a huge fan of family style dining, but it is ok here, as they at least have the smaller option for people who are not in a huge party. The Bruchetta is fantastic, and could eat that for my meal its so good. I like another person who wrote a review, am not a fan of being paraded through the kitchen, and in my experience at this location, all of us had been to a Buca before and told them that when they asked, and still we went traipsing through the kitchen. But, the food is great and the prices are totally reasonable for the quality and quantity of food. If you haven't tried this place, give it a shot, I bet you'll like it.
(4)Vanessa W.
Love this family-style restaurant chain. I had my wedding rehearsal dinner there in the pope room, and we had a blast. Food is always good, and very traditional. Staff is friendly, and quick on their feet. Great place.
(4)Brian C.
Pretty good family style Italian place, reminds me of Carmines in NYC, only much more schmaltzy with photos, statues and the general decor. But it's a fun place and the food is pretty good.
(4)