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Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
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WARNING WARNING WARNING! I do not recommend eating here if you have only 2 people! This place should be for a group of at least 3 or more or you'll end up spending a fortune if you want any type of variety.
That being said. I have gone to Bucca plenty of times. I took my boyfriend there because he was leaving town and I was craving some raviolis with meat sauce, (yummm).
There was a 30 minute wait so we walked around then sat at the bar and had a glass of wine and a soda. ($12).
Then we sat down and we ordered the brushetta and the antipasto salad. The bruchetta was a large piece of bread doused in tomatoes. I've had much better. But the salad was amazing! We got a small of course and we couldn't finish it!
Then, we ordered a small cheese ravioli with meat sauce but we were sooo full! It was huge as well. We wanted to have some kind of meat side dish but out bill was already about 60$. So we had to skip it unfortunately. If we had 2 other people, it would have been perfect.
Next time we go there it will be on a double date.
The service was great and they got new menus...seems pretty cool to me! bon apetito!
This Caca Di Crappo is located in Campbell, adding another bland ingredient to an already overly bland town.
All the slop they call food comes in super large portions. Please do not come here with less than 4 people, all of which must be really hungry and have had their tongues removed, possibly "Old Boy" style, to truly enjoy their experience here.
I am awarding an extra star because the servers here actually work really hard and they get the job done.
Too bad the food doesn't.
good lord, why didn't someone warn me about this place? i'm baffled at all the love this place gets.
it's like eating chinese food in a garage sale museum. i was pretty horrified at the decor, and i LOVE kitsch. i don't really enjoy eating next to walls crammed with photos of asian children smoking cigarettes, naked obese old men, or orange statues of naked cherubs wearing floral slouch hats. the head of the last pope in a plexiglass box placed in the middle of one table was the trippiest thing in a building of trippy shit. i'd hate to end up in this place on acid. nightmare-ville.
the whole experience was pretty unpleasant. we were led to our table through the kitchen, which has one little table cut into the wall, weird. on the wall in that room was posted some employee advice, the kind of thing that normally isn't exposed to the general dining public. the list included tips to save money, like encouraging diners to not use extra utensils and napkins. wtf?
my laminated book menu pages were stuck together, as if someone had spilled soda on it. i was visibly annoyed, and pulled each page apart, and wiped at it with my napkin dipped in my water while the waiter was standing next to us. i mentioned it to the waiter, who offered to "send it through the conveyor belt". um, no. being as the book was already soaked, it would likely not help to send it through the machine again. he was a pretty awful server, but i did notice that the girl helping the table next to us was much better, she gave lots of advice and was very perky.
the waiter also poured our oil and vinegar for us. maybe some people like having that done for them. but personally i prefer just a tiny bit of oil, since it sits on top of the vinegar, and i don't like having to sop up tons of oil to get to the vinegar. we ran out of oil and vinegar halfway through our bread, and the server had not left the bottles with us, but had instead placed them on the counter about 25 feet from us. the dining room was nearly empty, so i'm not really sure why he would feel the need to ration the bottles. he could have just been absent-minded. he seemed to not know a lot of basics about serving, such as having a friendly attitude, he had no suggestions when we asked for them.
the menu book was filled with advertisements for places like united airways, which was another turn-off. i don't even read magazines for fun, so why would i want to pay to dine at a place with ads snuck into my menu? even the parts that weren't blatant ads had advertising language. stuff like "we use quality ingredients from brands like heinz" etc. Um, ok, that authentic italian company heinz.
there is a large poster on the front of the place that says "meals for 2 starting at $9.95". however, almost all meals start at $20. the only menu item for less than $15 is the plain caeser salad.
granted, their portion sizes are sposed to feed two people. however, the dishes didn't look that large to me at all. my dining companion wanted to order the beef short ribs, but there are only 2 ribs in the small portion (serves 2-3 people?) and 3 ribs in the large serving, which is supposed to serve 4-6 people. how 6 people can dine on 3 short ribs is beyond me. the small portion of the ribs is $25, the large is $35.
we ended up ordering the chicken marsala. it was $17 for 3 pieces of chicken, they weren't even full breasts. it was doused in a sticky, sweet brown sauce. the sauce tasted pretty much like chinese sweet and sour sauce. there were 8 mushroom halves on the plate as well. the chicken was breaded, but didn't seem to really have any seasoning on it, other than the sauce. it was tender, so i'm not sure why they felt the need to present the plate with a giant bbq-sized skewer and steak knife.
with lemonade and tax, the total was around $24.
we left hungry, and ate something else at home.
I've been here twice so far and both times have been pretty good. The first time, my husband and I came with some friends of ours. We all shared the stuffed mushrooms (big and juicy), stuffed shells (nice amount of stuffing, texture of stuffing was smooth, yet chunky enough to taste the sausage), and Penne San Ramon (sadly, not enough chicken, artichokes, or sun dried tomatoes...it was mostly just pasta with sauce). The service was prompt and friendly.
The second time, my husband and I came for dinner during the week. Again, the service was friendly and prompt. We ordered the calamari (tasted a little too prepackaged...coating looked too "perfect" like the way Burger King's Onion Rings look, except you expect more because this is a sit down restaurant), and Margherita Pizza (very nice, super thin crust, splotches of melted mozzarella, perfect amount of sauce and basil).
The only warning I have is to be careful when reading the stuff on the wall. I made the mistake of reading the story about the girl who played accordion. She died a tragic and disturbing death. I had just finished my meal and reading it made me feel a little ill (because of how she died), sad, and somewhat creeped out. It's not really the way I wanted to end my meal. They should move that story to another part of the restaurant where people aren't eating. Other than that, I thought it was a fun place for a casual meal.
I really don't feel sorry for all the haters here. This Buca Di Beppo is very popular. It's also a little small, and seating is limited. As a result, it's best to go with a few other people only, not in a large group (in general, I think people should be smarter about where and when they go out to eat). Even if you make a reservation, you may find yourself waiting awhile to be seated. That's just how it is (aside from The Pope Room, there are only two other areas inside the restaurant that can accommodate large groups of people).
My 30th birthday was celebrated here, and I think there were sixteen of us. We were seated in The Pope Room, and our wait was minimal. The staff really do their best to seat people, but eating at Buca usually takes an hour or two. In other words, it's hard for the staff to predict exactly when the large areas are going to be available, and they're certainly not going to rush people out of the restaurant just because others are waiting. Anyway, if you want to eat at Buca with a large group, you are less likely to wait around if you go to the San Francisco location. It features an upper and a lower level, and so it's more accommodating for large groups of people.
Okay, on with this review.
The service here is generally very good. For me and my family, it's always been great, partly because of how friendly my dad is (his personality inspires the servers to go the extra mile for us- last time, our server accepted a $10-off coupon even though it had expired).
In case you haven't been to Buca Di Beppo before, they serve family-style food in two portion sizes. Buca Small feeds up to three and Buca Large feeds up to six.
Mozzarella Garlic Bread: 9.5/10.
Very good and easy to eat. I peel the fresh garlic off (my mom ate my slices of garlic last time), but most people will have no problem with it.
The normal Garlic Bread only deserves an 8/10. It's pretty good, but it's taken to another level with the mozzarella cheese.
Spicy Arrabbiata Pizza: 8.5/10.
Pretty good, but it's not for everyone (it features spicy Italian sausage and pepperoni with red onions, Gorgonzola, provolone and mozzarella).
Pepperoni Pizza: 9/10.
A little greasy, but quite good.
Unless you don't want them (I never do), it comes with pepperoncini peppers.
I'm not a fan of tomato chunks, and so I put mine to the side. The sauce, however, is good, and so is the cheese.
The Margherita Pizza is also supposed to be good (it features mozzarella cheese, pizza sauce, and aromatic basil).
Baked Ravioli: 8.5/10.
Pretty good, but the marinara sauce is just okay. In general, if an item features marinara sauce, I advise you to ask for it on the side. Otherwise, the sauce will overpower the item.
Lasagna: 9/10.
You really can't go wrong ordering it. It's very good and will fill you up.
Fettuccine Alfredo: 7.5/10.
I normally like fettuccine, but the Alfredo sauce here doesn't taste very good.
Chianti Braised Short Ribs: 9/10.
Don't let the name fool you. If you order this, you're going to get some glorified pot roast. You're also going to pay a lot. A Small costs $25, while a Large costs $35.
Despite this, the short ribs are very good. The Chianti sauce adds flavor, and is not too strong. Be a little careful while eating, though, as the sauce is so dark and thick that it hides the fatty pieces of the meat.
The menu here has changed recently, and I find the short ribs to be a very welcome addition.
Chicken Parmigiana: 8.5/10.
Pretty good, but ask for the marinara on the side.
The chicken is soft and juicy. Most people will like it.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes: 9.5/10.
Very tasty. Easily one of the best items on the menu.
Meatball: 9/10.
The marinara sauce aside, it's worth trying a meatball. They weigh half a pound and are made with 100% premium ground beef. I like my meatballs a little dark, but it's hard to overcook meatballs that are so large. Anyway, the meatballs are cooked well and are pretty tasty and filling.
Italian Sausage: 9/10.
Very good sausage, and not too spicy. A perfect complement to most of the entrées.
If you're a fan of eggplant, the Eggplant Parmigiana is supposed to be good. The salads at Buca are also good, and they're fairly large. I recommend the Green Beans as well.
There are many other items on the menu as well. There's even a kid's menu and some dessert items. Of course, there's also an assortment of wines to choose from.
The decor isn't for everyone, but I like a lot of the pictures on the walls and the art pieces. Anyway, if you don't like something, it's hard to notice it while you're eating.
Whether you have to wait to be seated or not, you're sure to like the food here (the reviews by Mozza R. and Anna S. are ridiculous and dramatic).
Price Range: $20-$30 a person.
The qualty of this food is terrible. You would have a better mean buying your own frozen pasta and a bottle of spagetti sauce. Also, everyone that ate thier spicy shrimp pasta dish in our party got diareah. I will never go back to this place. What a waste of money and toilet paper.
i came here and had a decent experience. i came back later with my 10 for 20 coupon and regretted it big time.
both times the service was slow and terrible. servers seemed very disgruntled about refilling drinks and bread bsasket...you know, basically DOING THEIR JOB. on multiple occasions i had to get up and flag my server down from a corner where he was standing idle, avoiding work.
during my second visit i ordered the salmon lunch special and literally received a sliver of fish and a couple pieces of microwaved broccoli. what the fuck? my disappointment of course fell on deaf ears. deaf ears i had to track down, that is
if you need to come here, don't get the lunch specials. they're a rip off. esp in comparison to the family style specials. if you don't need to come here, don't
Buca Di Beppo reminds me a lot like the Spaghetti Factory. It's an Americanize Italian restaurant that's great for a group of friends and you'll get your money's worth.
The menu listings were abundant, the quantity of the dishes were large and the food was flavorful. Not great, but it taste good enough for the amount & price that you pay for. I came here with a party of 14 on a Saturday with a reservation, and I was pleasantly surprised that we were seated immediately. The waiters were constantly attending our table and they were very generous. As for an oddity, some of the pictures on the walls are sort of questionable; but then again, maybe that's the point.
Wait, are you feeding the entire mafia here?
I came here Friday evening for a friend's birthday and there were 30 of us. Even with reservations, the waitress sat us down in two tables in their private room 30 minutes late. Some of us were waiting in the front lobby and some near their little bar area. When we finally got into the room, we were squished like sardines, but it was okay since everyone acted like family. Food came out fast; two of each item on each of the two tables of 15 people. There were heaping portions of Caesar Salad, Fried Calamari, Chicken Fettuccine, Lasagna, a big bowl of Tiramisu, and Raspberry Cheesecake. The sodas were bottomless too, but very watered down. I tried a little bit of everything and made sure I wasn't too full that I went into a food coma. There were plenty of leftovers and I think it would've been wise to order one of each, but hey this is family style. So, it's always to have more than less I suppose. After the grand meal, everyone headed to the bar for some drinks. I got a Kamikaze, my standard drink of choice. It was a bit watered down I must say. I also ordered a Purple Hooter and the bill came to $14.50 I've drank better, much better at Old Pro in Palo Alto. I'm thinking I should've gone to Rock Bottom Restaurant next door for some drinks since they were happening and lively there.
All in all, the bill came to $25 a person. For the amount of food ordered it may have been worth it, but for the amount of food I ate, it sure wasn't. I'm justifying it as a wash since I was helping to celebrate someone's birthday with good friends.
Interior Design: Stylish
Parking time: The lot does get full, find more spaces towards the back of the office buildings. A walk might be nice after you eat @ Bucca.
Waiting time: 5-20 Minutes
Food: Comes in buckets, good for groups
My co-workers and I have been here 3 times now. The food portion is large, drinks are strong enough, deserts are to die for (although I dont eat deserts for the most part and I just watch)
PS: There also a table inside the kitchen, it'd be cool to sit with family and watch them cook while dining
Reminder 2-stars on Yelp = "Meh. I've experienced better"
Pretty much the same thing everyone else is saying:
I came here for my 29th birthday and made my reservation for one full month prior to the night of the dinner. We waited 45 minutes for our table! OMFG, I thought a reservation meant that we would RESERVE a table for my party. . I didn't even get an apology for the wait nor were we offered a free appetizer, bread and butter or anything! It was incredibly awkward having 20+ of my friends in the waiting area of the restaurant for 45 minutes. Not only did I feel like a fool but my friends' feet hurt after awhile, and we couldn't even go do anything else after dinner because we didn't finish until approximately midnight. The wait was incredibly frustrating, the only thing that made up for it was that we got the Pope Room.
Service was good, the wine was plentiful, and the food was alright. When we inquired about a Vegetarian entree the server suggested we order a pasta dish that has sausage in it and she would have the meat served on the side. For some reason, we did this and nobody ate the pasta or the side of sausage. Complete waste.
The atmosphere and family style menu is why I chose Buca for my b'day celebration but the 45minute wait for a reservation made a month in advance was absolutely absurd.
We had our rehearsal dinner a couple weeks ago, and it was the perfect location to accommodate everyone's tastes. This location beats the PA one in that they could seat us all together (34 people or so), in a semi-private room. We could still peer into the other room, but it was good enough for our purposes. My only complaint was that the tables were not arranged in the most conversation friendly manner, but we just stuck the fam at one table, and everyone else spread out.
The food was reliable, as usual, and even my super Chinese relatives liked it. Good options for meat lovers and veggies alike. Very affordable for rehearsal dinner, and servers were great, fast, and efficient. I called several times, and the banquet manager/s were very friendly and helpful, UNLIKE the Palo Alto location. We ended up with a lot of leftover chianti and food, which was perfect for a quick bite before the big day. So, if you are looking for a place to have a casual rehearsal dinner, this place is good (parking is annoying though).
We've been here three times; it's a great place for parties, but a little much for couples. The food is hit and occasionally miss; the pasta dishes can be a bit bland, but the lasagna and pizza are good, and prices are quite low, especially if you bring a crowd and order large dishes.
Okay food, old photos on walls entertaining.
came here last night with a group of 10.
we ordered the prosciutto stuffed mushrooms, calamari, shrimp fra diavolo, penne san remo, and an order of mashed potatoes.
the stuffed mushrooms were amazing! the pest cream sauce was so so yummy and we used the bread to take care the leftover sauce. i believe 5 come in an order..
the calamari was very ordinary. i would not order this again. the marinara sauce was more like salsa.. and i dont like when a restaurant lists their item as spicy when it means "we add crushed red pepper" .. i coulda done that myself!=
shrimp fra diavolo was okay... again crushed red pepper should not be used to be able to label your item as spicy...
the penne san remo was good. i prefer cream sauces over marinara so this of course was better than the shrimp dish..
i could make a meal out of their mashed potatoes. love the red skin potatoes... and i love it when the skin is left in.. yumm!
coming back next week to try to stuffed shells.. and of course will order the mashed potatoes and mushrooms again.
we sat at the pope's head table. the host said if we prefer we could have it removed. it really freaked out one of our friends and the servers refused to remove it. i wasnt there when they were seated and our friend that was bothered by it came last so it was just bad timing.
service was ok. nothing great.
Good place to eat! Huge portions and friendly staff!
One time there was a girl working the pick-up booth that was singing (horribly) at the top of her lungs.
Also, parking is a pain in the pruneyard!
Another cool old school vibed Italian place. Been coming here a while, huge portions, everything is family style so bring friends or a big appetite. I dont really care for the lack of hand held menus....Ive had to use the large board on one side of the restaurant, which means you stand next to a strangers table and stare above them. They have a pretty good house chianti if you dont want to splurge on wines.
I would suggest reservations. Most any night after 5 it ghets a bit crowded.
Chicken Parmesian!!! ooohhh man forget about it!! one of the best.
Well, if you like weird photos and pictures surrounding you when you eat, this is the place. I sat under the 300 lb. female wrestler. Just a lovely companion for my mediocre meal.
Like this is bulk Italian food served family style. We got tortellini, chicken parmisana and eggplant parmisana. All had the same tasteless red sauce on them. Nothing to describe that was really good.
The servers were nice.
If you like bulk, routine food, head to Buca.
I had heard a lot about this place when I lived in Indiana but never got around to going. I love family style meals because I always want to eat off of other people's plates, so it gives me the opportunity to try other things and not feel bad.
We started with Peach Bellini's which were very good. Lately I find myself on a champagne kick so the bellini was a really nice twist. For our meal we ordered the Penne San Remo with a side of mashed potatoes. The penne was amazing, the sundried tomatoes, chicken, and peas were a perfect mix and the cream sauce was addictive. I was so involved in the pasta that I forgot about the mashed potatoes (and we know how much I love potatoes). The small was more than enough for the two of us and definitely attempted to put a dent in things. The meal was great and I was satisfied, big smile.
This was one of the worst large-party meals I've ever had.
We had a double baptism on a Sunday, and were looking for a place that would serve a late lunch / early dinner (3:30pm) for a party of 25 - including 8 children - in a private / separated room. We called Buca 2 months prior to the event, and they said they could accommodate us. We reconfirmed twice, including one time in person at the restaurant.
The big day came, and we showed up at Buca - and everything completely fell apart. Despite the re-confirmations, they weren't ready for us, so we had to wait over 20 minutes to finally be seated - 25 people in their lobby. And as they led us to the tables, it was clear we were just in the main dining room - not the separate room they'd requested. Apparently the manager had a party seated in there at this time. And that was only the beginning.
Once we were seated, it took over 15 minutes to have anyone take a drink / appetizer order, and we were in the restaurant for an hour and 10 minutes before the first basket of bread showed up. And this was 3:30 (well, by then it was after 4:30) on a Sunday! 20 minutes later, they told us they were "out" of calamari and we had to re-order our appetizers.
After some words with the manager, the salad and pasta showed up (we had to get some plain noodles for the kids who were going crazy waiting), and everyone was so hungry they just ate that. When the entrees finally showed up, they tasted OK, but the whole event was such a wreck by that point that no one really ate much.
Finally, despite the manager's apparent embarrassment over the handling of the situation, they really did nothing special to make us feel as though they really wanted our business or wanted us to feel better about the situation that we'd just endured.
I've had decent meals at other Buca's in the past, but this was such a horrific experience I can guarantee I'll never go back to one again.
3.5 is my rating.
Been here many times, and has never gone wrong. It is located in a very nice mall, Pruneyard, Need to come here with a group of people since the orders are huge!!
We normally order Frutti di Mare (small -$20.99), and/ or pizza. Two orders will be enough, and for the next meal.
The entrance is big enough and has waiting seats as well. Decor is interesting with difference eras listed on the wall. The seats are normally clean, and service are pretty good as well. The place is pretty big, but it is crowded during the week. We have waited for 40mins before, therefore make sure you have a reservation for special occasions. Men's room is a let down as it is always dirty and wet. Never been to women's restroom, therefore not able to comment on it.
Try it and I am positive you'll love it. Please go with a bunch of people though!!
Buca's is fun, plain and simple. The decor is over the top and amazing. You'll never run out of things to talk about here. Just point at any of the pictures on the wall and take it from there. I want the pic of that guy smoothly removing a spaghetti noodle from his date's boob. That's awesome.
The service is usually good, as far as my memory recalls. The food is good, served family style. Just keep ordering and the server will let you know when you have enough for your party size. No, don't do that - that'll get expensive, as this place can be pricey.
You have up to seven days to celebrate your b-day here and get a free cake. Not just for the birthday girl/boy, but for EVERYONE in the group!!!!!! Woo-hoo!!! And it's darn good too! Go try it.
They have this new plate, a baked rigatoni. It's delish. Meaty and oven hot. Amazing.
I'm partially blaming/thanking Buca di Peppos for my recent breakup. We had way too much time to talk. It was bad enough that reservations mean nothing here. Then it took 10 minutes to receive our martinis once we were seated. 20 minutes into the night and the bread arrived; I could have spread the tension on it. ...where the hell was our order? I had my heart set on the Chicken Marsala but the waitress informed me it doesn't come with pasta!?!? Ummm, that's what I came for so I guess we'll have the Penne San Remo. I lost track of the time by this point and we were only a few bites into our meal when he had enough and asked me to leave. I shoved a last bite of the giant and wonderful side-order meatball into my mouth. I'm crushed he took my leftovers.
Unfortunately, I had to go back. He had my car keys. After another confrontation, my birthday cake lay in the mud outside. I bet it was delicious.
Safe choice for a large group, especially for birthdays... there were two other birthdays here while we were eating. If you've never been here as part of a larger group then my advice is to be sure you bring at least two other people with you, the portions are meant for two plus. Two people is barely cutting it for finishing the portions they offer, unless your a beast.
We ordered:
Garlic Mashed Potatos - Someone in the group touted these were awesome, I thought they were okay at best.
Lasagna - Very standard, too plain and nothing special.
Linguine Frutti di Mare - Mediocre shrimp dish
Quattro al Forno (4 baked pastas) - Different tastes for each side, recommended.
Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken - Best entree by far, sauce is great!
Varied food selection, large portions, good service, what's there not to like? Hit or miss dishes but overall a good chain restaurant.
The pope's head is staring at me from the middle of our round table. The ceiling is closing on us, we're looking around dizzy at the small, colorful, wrinkling Christmastimes lights that hangs around us. Plastic grapes and green leaves - we're in Buca di beppo.
All they missed is a fake plastic grass to cover the floors or did they?
Horrible, horrible decoration. I still have nightmares.
I don't see any reason coming back here but the need to feed a big group of people who won't mind sharing huge average Italian food dishes, served with not that great servers, after LONG, LONG wait.
Went here for a birthday party despite the fact that I didn't want to! I dislike chains, and I especially dislike chain Italian joints since I grew up on authentic Italian food. But alas we tried Buca in the Pruneyard, and I figured, if nothing else it's a first for me and at least I could Yelp about it.
Well, I will start by saying the service is horrible. We had our order in beforehand and told them we had a child with us so we didn't want to be there all night. Turns out we were there all night. Our server Jacob was really slow and forgetful. I understand if we weren't in his section (since we were tucked away in a back room) and I know we brought our own booze and cake so his sales for the night weren't as high as they could be, but still did he have to shaft us so hard?? I had to ask for things 2 or 3 times, and I'm definitely not a needy customer. And then he took a good 5 even 10 minutes sometimes to bring simple things, like drink refills.
The food itself is nothing great either. Like another Yelp'er mentioned, it's definitely better than Olive Garden, but that's not saying much. I did really enjoy the Penne Basilica, and yeah the spaghetti & meatballs were good, but I would not return for that.
I guess if you crave large portions this is the place. And if you're with a group and concerned more about sitting and chatting instead of having good food and good service, go here and waste yours and their time. I certainly won't be returning, though. Boo!
Oh, another ridiculous mention on the service - Someone from our party got there early and started setting up the table, and when we got there and told them our name, the hostess said "oh yeah, you have a table, just go around the corner and turn left and you'll see them." didn't even walk us to the table or anything. kind of ridiculous for such a large restaurant.
I went here for a double birthday celebration. I didn't set it up, so I don't know how the customer service was with that, but in the end it seemed pretty good.
For some reason, I only go to Buca Di Beppo for birthdays...
I wasn't very hungry, but I knew this place was 'family-style.' My BF and I decided to split some salad and a pizza. I clearly saw it advertised that a bucca small is PERFECT for two! PERFECT for TWO?! We're two!!!
Yeah, I guess they meant perfect for two elephants.
The portions were huge! We felt obligated to eat it all and kept asking if anyone wanted any. Regrets? No. But we could've saved money by just ordering either/or.
They gave red velvet cake to the celebrants (no Sprinkles here) as well as gift cards I believe.
Oh, we also ordered the 3 dollar Limoncello which is served in a shot glass and is meant to be sipped. HELLA STRONG.
All in all, good for you!
ok first of all this place creeps me out; the pictures, the color bulbs, the fact that sun ain't never shine in here and it smells. Buuut I go here from time to time because i work close by. I have only gotten the Lemon Chicken, Salmon Pesto, Pasta Supremo (huge lunch portion). For the most part the quality of the food I have been getting is good, sometimes service is spotty.
But this one time they sucked both in service and food. the chicken was dry, the pasta was stuck together. i got my appetizer after lunch item, and had to ask for bread and oil/vinegar a couple of times. So i did what i always do when they give you a receipt and ask you to do an online survey for them. you get 10 dollars off your next purchase of 30 or more. so because my review was so bad I actually got a call from the manager who wanted to know why, apologized, and gave me a gift card. pretty nice...
There's flavour in their cooking. Not much, but it's there.
They make up for it in service.
They make up for it in the mound of food they give. Truely family style.
They reserve the right to take Olive Garden's saying...When you're there, you really are family. haha...they're VERY GENEROUS!!!
I would usually throw a small get together (once every blue moon) because this place is so useful. I would probably have to thank my family for introducing me to Buca Di Beppo.
I love their family style servings, I love their ravioli and their BREAD. I'll admit their pasta is really filling, so it's best to go with a hungry party. The seating is pretty close, and it's meant to be that way since it's family oriented.
Another thing that makes this place awesome is... their bathrooms! You have guys speaking in Italian while you're in there. What makes this place so interesting is the decoration, you have a lot of family portraits hanging all over the place.
Now.. PARKING isn't that great. It's a pain in the tush. If you're planning to have dinner I suggest leaving at least 2 hours before hand to find parking.
Over the years I think either this place has gotten worse or other places have gotten better. We had to wait 45 min for a table, thankfully they had a full bar so I was able to get a martini which made the wait less painful.
We ordered the salad with gorgonzola, pachetta and onions, that was pretty good, then we got this pasta with peas, sun dried tomatoes, chicken and onion that was also pretty good. The chicken parmaseana was NOT good at all. It had zero flavor. Honestly it tasted like a frozen meal. I would not order it again. =(
Service was average, drinks good, food ...hmm not very Italian or tasty. It was a nice change of scenery because i hadn't been there in a long time, but it wasn't great.
The Pruneyard in Campbell does not have the cachet that Santana Row has, but I think that it has more down-to-earth charm that seems to be missing at its cousin on Stevens Creek. This seems to be the case for the restaurants that are located in the shopping center, as well. Enter Buca Di Beppo.
I recently had my birthday party here. I'm not one to take myself too seriously, so I decided to have my party at Beppo's, and make it real special since it was a milestone birthday, and had it a room of holiness: the Buca di Beppo Pope Room. The Pope Room, for those of you who have never been to a Beppo's is a private room that seats 18 adults at a circular table with various kitschy pictures of the Holy Father, and in the center of the table's lazy susan is a bust of his eminence.
Since we were a large party, they offered a predefined banquet menu, but with the option of making our own order. I decided to go with the latter, and came in a day earlier with my selections (on an Excel spreadsheet, cause I'm a nerd), and passed it off to the hostess. Thankfully, the day of the event, our server told me that I may have ordered too much and cut my order down my 1 order for nearly everything I ordered--thankfully, too, because the food was in definite abundance!
Service for our table was great. The server came back consistently to fill our sodas, check how things were going, and to make sure that we had everything we needed.
While Maggiano's is basically the same-type of restaurant, if I had to choose, I would go to Buca. There does not seem to be as much pretense and overall is a more festive restaurant to enjoy some good times with friends.
Also, note that one large family plates can feed the following:
- for chicken and other proteins will feed 10
- for pastas they say 10, but I say nearly 15 cause I'm still eating the leftovers!
Sorry to hear that a lot of people bitch about this place, but everytime I've came here, I've always had a good time and service was never an issue. Even with a party of 25.
What I like about this place is their interesting decorations. Especially the woman's bathroom. There were all kinds of old fashion framed arts displayed all over that room. The funniest was a 1950's framed art about what types of etiquettes to practice when someone lets out a big one in the room! 1) Say something and leave the room 2) Hold a hankerchief politely to your face. 3) Fan your face and avert your eyes 4) Just grin and bear it 5) etc, 6) etc... hilarious shit! lol...
The place is a great venue to host a HUGE party and the dishes have gigantic portions, so it's nice way to share family style. A small dish can practically have two people struggling to finish it. And the prices are more than reasonable. We ordered the stuffed mushroom, ground sausage and cheese as appetizers. The huge mushroom caps were laid out on a bed of pesto sauce and there were plenty to share but I thought it was a little too salty on the toppings. The Frutti de Mare was good and had a few lemon wedges tossed in along with PLENTY of clams, squids, shrimps and mussels mixed with the linguine. The Quattro al Forno was pretty interesting. The dish had 4 different types of pasta and fillings. My favorite was the stuffed shells with ground spicy sausage. All this for $45.00 for two people!! And there was so much to eat the next day!
So if I happened to host a huge ass party and everyone was craving Italian food, I'll definitely choose this place as party central.
I don't know why my friends all seem to think this place is great but I think they are terrible and highly over-rated. Because of my wife and family I've been there about 4 times (3 to Campbell and 1 at the one in Oakridge mall on blossom hill) in the last 2 years so my review is not based on just one visit. The first time I tried the chicken cannelloni and it was very bland, no taste at all. The next time I got the linguine frutti di mare and again it was just plain. Next I tried the lasagna, the taste was just regular, like they forgot to add any spices to the sauce. The last time I decided to try a very basic Italian dish and got the spaghetti with meat sauce and even that was bland my taste buds were bored.
But I think this last time helped me discover the issue I have with Buca - their basic sauce that is used across so many dishes just doesn't have the right spices and flavors. Now some people may be fine with this but being raised in an Italian family where my grandma made the best sauce that made your taste buds sing I expected something similar from a place that claims to use real Italian recipes.
If you want to try something more authentic with great sauces and pastas you should try ristorante da mario in saratoga. Heck, even By the Bucket in Santa Clara is better than Buca Di Beppo IMO.
-Robb
http://twitter.com/rob...
Got spaghetti and meatballs to go with their green salad. Their pasta itself wasn't that spectacular but the sauce and the meat was absolutely perfect!
You HAVE to try their signature italian vinagrette. I had some with my green salad. It was so good I have decided to go back and just order a bunch of their vinagrette to keep in my fridge. It's really that good!!!
I used to go here a long time ago...when my palate wasn't accustomed to good italian food. Not that this place is bad but it is not great. I have brought a number of people here for their sheer ability to accommodate families of foodies. I always hated waiting for our tables....large groups usually take longer than most to finish their food. And I'm guilty of the same thing. Karma sucks. In that respect the food, ambiance (tho campy), and bar makes it all the worth while. I used to find their tirimisu to be too strong....
I took care of that problem now.
;D
I usually use the TOGO service as parking is a PITA at pruneyard.
I'm a picky eater and the menu doesn't offer much of a selection. I usually get the Large Linguine Fruti de Mare. When I order seafood items at most other restaurants they would only provide a tiny portion of the seafood but Buca includes tons of shrimp, clams, mussels and squid and other things.
Of the times that i have dined in, on one occasion we went at odd-hours say 3pm, I was told to WAIT for 5 min to get a seat, that pissed me off. I am an impatient person so i seeked help from another person who ultimately got me my table; the service provided by the waiter was also superior.
Buca has been giving out receipts w/ survey requests in exchange for 10/30 coupon on future visits. When i commented on my wait on the way in, the manager of the place called and offered me a $10 gc for the trouble. I was really impressed by this.
Buca di beppo is definitely an excellent bite for your buck. The prices are inexpensive, and you can order bucca small or bucca large depending on how many people are in your party. Everything is served family style, which is good because you can try more food.
I've tried the pasta sampler, fruitti de mar, the ravioli, spaghetti, and more. They are all very good, although the marinara sauce tastes the same for everything that they use. The pasta sampler tasted good, however it only seemed like we had one kind of filed pasta in different shapes. I believe there were 4-5 different stuffed pastas, and the only difference I could tell between them other than the shape is one had all cheese, and one had spicy meat in it. Other than that, they all came in the same plate with the same sauce around it.
The seafood pastas are very good, offering a hearty heap of seafood, cooked delicately. The only downside that I could find was that in many of their pasta dishes, they put in chili flakes, kind of like what you shake on a pizza. As I mention, I'm not very fond of spicy food, and throughout my dinner, I thought that my food was too spicy and I had to drink more water than usual, and I felt bloated after my meal from drinking too much instead of full of food coma.
Other than that, the environment is nice. The restaurant (i've been to several locations) have good decoration, the waitstaff is friendly and helpful, they make good suggestions and help you figure out what sizes you need for your food.
Downsides are that many of the items taste the same. Chili flakes sprinkled in the food, and not specified on the menu, so you can't ask for them not to add it in. Their garlic bread (cheese bread?) was a big grease sponge. It was not soft, and it came in this big round lump and it was shaped like a bread pie, and if you didn't eat it immediately it got cold and hard. I had trouble cutting it, and I didn't want a big wedge of it. When I was finishing off the leftovers, this bread was very gross.
Nevertheless, I would still go eat with a big group of people as it's good for big parties, and inexpensive dining in what feels like what ought to be an expensive restaurant.
Average food
Very big portions
good prices
I went out with my buddies here on a tuesday night
It took a while for us to get our food and the service was on the slow side
I wouldn't recomnd this place to anyone
you can get way better service and way better food for just a few bucks more down the street in Santana Row
I've been here prior to my mom's birthday this evening, and my opinion hasn't changed since i last visited three or four years ago.
Service is mediocre. The majority of the clientele arrive in large parties, and to my attention, only receive 1 server no matter what the size of the party.
Even though the entrees are typically served family-style, it still takes a while for them to come out. Also takes a while for refills on beverages.
One thing i have noticed is that course order is well-followed.
Food is okay, menu contains a lot of basic pasta dishes with few dazzling entrees.
If you are seeking a venue to accommodate a large dinner party, this is the place. Otherwise, check out other Italian restaurants in the area.
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