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Buca di Beppo
Category: Restaurants Italian Italian [Edit]
3355 S University DrDavie, FL 33328
(954) 577-3287
Announcement
Holy Cannoli, You Graduated! Celebrate at Buca! http://www.bucadibeppo...
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11 am - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am - 11 pm
Sun 11 am - 9 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Romantic, Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
31 reviews for Buca di Beppo
Review Highlights
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"They have great family-style entrees that are made for..." In 4 reviews -
"had the spicy chicken rigotoni and lasagna." In 3 reviews -
"The garlic bread and cheesy garlic bread is fabulous, very..." In 3 reviews
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31 reviews in English
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Review from G M.
Aventura, FL
5/21/2012
I really love coming here with my 3 friends. The best part about Buca is sharing the dishes. My favorites are the Chicken Saltimbocca & the Eggplant Parm. The pizza is really great. My fave is the veggie pizza.
Also, the staff is attentive. Usually one of the managers or the Chef makes a stop at the table. My favorite is the main manager....hottie & really friendly. He really knows his wines. Sadly, he's also married. sad times, very sad times -
Review from Crystal M.
Gainesville, FL
2/14/2012
I love Bucas. I used to go here at least a few times a year when in high school just for fun, but haven't been back in a long long time.
We went around 8 pm on a Saturday night. We were a party of four, and the wait was 1 hour and 15 minutes. I put our names down and wandered over to Walgreens. Came back in an hour, and we were seated right on time.
The thing about Bucas is you come here for the ambiance. There is alot o hustle and bustle, a lot of noise, birthdays, families, and crazy photos on the walls. It's fun to be here! But the food prices are very high, for what it is, so be prepared for that. Let the waitress know if it's your first time there, and they will fill you in on how the place goes. A fun thing they do is lead you through the actual kitchen where they work as part of a tour. There is even a table in there you can reserve.
The restaurant is separated into 7 or so mini rooms. The best is the pope room, right in the center, which is a large circle table you have to reserve with a big ol pope head smack dab in the center of your table.
This place is all family style, you order large or small portions of the food (small serves 2-3, large 4-6) and share with the table. We sat down and ordered a margharita pizza for an appetizer (large: 18.99), and split a small pesto prosciutto chicken ($22), small garlic mashed potatoes ($7), large past assortment ($30), and a small lasagna ($15). For dessert we got the italian lemon and raspberry cake.
The pizza is insanely good. Thin crust, sweet chunky sauce, fresh mozzerella. This is the only reason I even like margharita pizza. Worth it. HUGE too.
The main dishes were decent, nothing spectacular or worth what they charge. The pasta sampler is fun for groups so you can try a little of everything (canneloni, manicotti, stuffed shells, ravioli). The lasagna wasn't anything special. Mom really liked the chicken. It's cooked very well and the dish was beautiful.
The desserts are insanely large. They should be split. Worth it, in my opinion.
Overall, the bill, with tax and tip, was $140 for 4 people with 4 small take home boxes.
5 for ambiance and fun. 3.5 for food. 2 for value.
I'm coming back but maybe in another year. -
Review from Jesse V.
Pompano Beach, FL
5/16/2012 1 Check-in Here
I have been to plenty of buca's and this one has lost the flare. This location was VERY slow which was a good sign. Watier was not friendly and food was very bland. I cant belive im saying this about one of my favorite chains but you might wanna skip this location and head down the road to olive garden.
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Review from Jenelle D.
Miami, FL
2/26/2012
The antithesis of fine Italian dining. I don't enjoy giving bad reviews but I think people should know what kind of restaurant this is: minus 3 stars kind of restaurant. Truly sloppy American food.
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Review from Ron N.
Broward, FL
7/28/2011
I think we will be cutting back our visits to Buca and this one in particular. We had an unfortunate experience 7/14/11 that may have cost you a customer for a while.
One of our favorite experiences in your place is sitting in the kitchen table. My 7 year old son loves it so much that we often reserve it specifically when we dine. Such was the case on July 14th, so we delayed our dinner to accommodate the reservation. A mistake was made and they gave the table to other guests just before we arrived.
I can understand that mistakes happen and don't expect them to move other guests. However what REALLY UPSET us was the response from the reservation staff and the manager. The hostess was very blase about the mistake, and I had to request the manager come out to talk.
The manager Jack was equally unmoved by our disappointment and was magnanimous enough to offer us another table. I explained how we specifically drove down there an hour later just to sit at that table.
Jack said "sorry, what can I do". I asked his name, shook his hand, and told him I would let you guys know about it. We left the restaurant and won't be back for a long time, if at all.
It's too bad that 10 years of loyalty is rewarded with blank stares. -
Review from Wayne B.
Fort Lauderdale, FL
11/10/2011
This place is awful.
Was invited here for a birthday party.
If you like medicore Italian this place is for you ! -
Review from Stephanie R.
Hialeah, FL
12/25/2011
Food is awesome! One of the best Italian franchises there is. It's best to come here with a large group though, for portion and cost reasons.
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Review from Amy B.
11/23/2010 1 Check-in Here
You know, for a chain restaurant, they've sure nailed it.
The decor is a little over the top but it keeps you entertained as you're sitting there at your old school red and white checkered table cloth. The waiter was very friendly and was accommodating that we had a baby with us.
We ordered the cheesy garlic bread which is ooey-gooey-garlicky overload. I could eat boat loads of this stuff! We also ordered the prosciutto stuffed chicken that was a breaded breast of chicken stuffed with prosciutto and cheese on a bed of pesto crean topped with tomato sauce. It was cooked perfectly. The outside was crispy and the sauces really complimented the whole dish. We also had the rigatoni with sausage and ricotta. It was a very large portion and we brought a lot home. The sausage was sliced very thinly into the sauce and the rigatoni was perfectly al dente with giant balls of ricotta through out.
I would be back here whether it's with a large group or just a couple of us. This place would be great for either.
BTW.. their house chianti is quite good! -
Review from Brittany M.
Fort Lauderdale, FL
10/24/2011
Mamma mia! This is some awesome Italian cuisine. This is a family style restaurant where the dishes are prepared in 1-2 or 3-4 person serving options. You get a tour of the kitchen and a little background of the restaurant on the way to your table, and the walls are decorated with everything Italian. Awesome to look at while you are waiting for your food to arrive. The garlic bread and mozzarella sticks are awesome and the chicken parmesan is the bomb! This is definitely the place for a happy tummy!
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Review from Stan P.
Fort Lauderdale, FL
11/14/2011 Seated via OpenTable
The spicy chicken rigatoni is absolutely amazing
The atmosphere is very traditional & family oriented, very welcoming
Definitely coming back here to try every dish. -
Review from Lisa A.
12/30/2010 1 Check-in Here
What more can you ask for when you leave a restaurant stuffed and laughing? Not much! This place has got it down pat. From the kitchy decor to the warm, fried mozzarella.
I went here with a large group of (15) people. They did an excellent job of getting our food out in a timely manner and keeping our drinks full. The staff was amazing! We had a lot of fun here and will definitly return. -
Review from Boris B.
Boca Raton, FL
2/18/2012
Heard about it recently, decided to go today. They have a very unique menu in which you can have a typical appetizer followed by entree and desert, but they give you the option of each meal coming in either a small portion or a large portion. The small portions are actually big enough to feed 2-3 people (depending) while the large portions are actually big enough to serve 4-5 people. They actually suggested that we share portions....so me and my girlfriend shared a Baked Ziti small portion and not only was it so convenient, it tasted great! I tend to eat Baked Ziti at school events and it often comes up lacking enough cheese. Meanwhile the other two people in our party including my sister enjoyed a whole platter f calamari, fried mozzerella and more, and they were fully satisfied. I was so impressed with the way the portions are that yes, I'm a fan and will return with my gf to share a small portion of chicken parmiagiana and another small portion of speghetti. Message for my fellow Italian lovers, stop just setting for Maggianos and Olive Garden, check this place out! Get a large portion and take what you don't finish home! Now I will say that I went there during a very dead part of the day, so while the service was great and the atmosphere was event better, they offer a lot for parties and birthdays, so maybe at nights its a different story. O and I agree, make sure you tell them it's your first time, and walking through the kitchen is something special I've never experienced in any other restaurant ever. Yes, I'm a fan!
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Review from Gina B.
Fort Lauderdale, FL
5/30/2008
If you're never been to one of the Buca's then you are missing out. They have great family-style entrees that are made for sharing. Everything is filing, glutenous, and retardedly good. Their lemon chicken is delicious. Everything on the menu is good, it really doesn't matter what you order. Come in a large group and order a few things, the waitors will help you determine how much to order. This place is great for a kids birthday. They make a big deal and the place itself is just loud and tons of fun.
If you have a big group they will let you sit in the Pope's room which is a big room with a large table and a lazy susan in the middle with a pope's head on it. I didn't really get it at first but I think they are trying to recreat something cheesy like your grandma would have in her actual dining room. My grandma didn't have a pope's head but she did have lots of crusifixes in weird places and stuff like that so I guess that's what they are going for. Anyways, if you think the food is good wait until you get to the deserts. Yummmy. Also, take a trip to the bathroom even if you don't have to. Talk about weird and cheesy. That place is histerical. I can't even imagine what they have in the boys. Bottom line: good Italian food. -
Review from Laura G.
2/23/2010
Awww I love this place. Its fantastic for large groups if you can come to terms on what to share. My first experience with Buca is that of many other Miamians, we saw it somewhere out of state. For me, my first bite of Buca was in Washington D.C., I went with my school so had no choice on what to order, but they accommodated my tastes and brought me a small plate of pasta just for me! ^^
I've been a fan since.
Their food is consistently good and the staff is always friendly.
For my friend Vicky's birthday we went with a group of about 7 people and determining what to eat seemed almost impossible, however, we finally agreed. Everything was yummy and very affordable.
There was a group of Asian gals next to us, one of their birthdays as well, after they sang happy birthday to my friend they came to our table and offered us a piece of their cake. We were amazed.
I think it's safe to say only friendly people come into Buca, and I appreciate that.
Very recommended. It is not fine dining, but it is good with good company.Listed in: Mangia!
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Review from Ryan L.
5/20/2011
Mediocre, mostly edible food. A lot of it. Fun stuff to look at on the walls.
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Review from Beth E.
Atlanta, GA
2/23/2010
I have been to the Buca restaurant in Pittsburgh on several occasions and have always enjoyed my meal, so with wanting to stay close to my hotel, while also seeking out "comfort food," I headed to Carb Heaven.
This restaurant is large, almost maze-like. Upon being seated, my server took me through the kitchen area (there is a booth in the kitchen if you want to be THAT close to the action). At first, there were only a few patrons, but as I was leaving, the restaurant started to fill up.
Jason, my server, was fantastic! Very attentive and very friendly.
This is not necessarily the type of restaurant that a solo diner would come to, unless you have not eaten for days, where you can "have at it." The portions are large, marketed to be family-style, so this is a great place for large groups and families.
I had the ravilios ($13.95), and Jason was able to pursuade the kitchen to make me the "lunch" size portion of the Apple/Gorgonzola salad. Even still, there was plenty for 2+ people.
My raviolis were very good. Just what I was looking for...
A great place to spend time with family and friends! This also seems like a great location for a "date night." -
Review from Doreen R.
Miami, FL
8/31/2011
The place is really cute. The food was good and the service was great.
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Review from Arleen C.
Miramar, FL
Updated - 2/28/2010 1 photo
Went here last night with another couple and their son. When we arrived the place was pretty busy and the hostess greeted us with a huge smile and a great attitude. She said it would be about 10 mins. and she was just about right. They walked us thru the kitchen (awesome view of food!) to our booth in the back of the restaurant. We had TODD as our WONDERFUL waiter and he immediately took our drink order and our antipasto salad order. The portions, as previously mentioned, are HUGE and totally DELICIOUS!!! since our friends said we were eating there I had been craving the Antipasto Salad and, let me tell you, it was no disappointment. The salad has tons of ingredients with its lettuce, red onions, salami, olives, cheese and so many other ingredients it's just YUMMY!!! We shared the Lasagna that is was OMG DELISH and the chicken cacciatore which was good too.
We were extremely stuffed but Todd described the desserts so nicely and he said that the cheesecake was his favorite and the tiramisu his second favorite, that we had to order one of each and share. And he was so right....mmmmmmmm...awesome!!! The perfect place for an easy evening out with friends with great food and EXCELLENT SERVICE.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/26/2009
Haven't been there in a while but, the few times we have been it's been great. I think it's a… Read more »
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Review from John C.
Miami, FL
8/20/2011
Great place with really nice decorations and delicious italian food. had the spicy chicken rigotoni and lasagna. With very generous portions!
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Review from Sunny N.
Miami Beach, FL
8/31/2010
It was a really cool fun place. The decor was great a bunch of stuff all over the place. Definately destracts from the time u wait for your food. The pope room is a must see-I wanna go back just to bring my mom to eat with the pope's head in the middle of the table :)
I went with the bf and his bff and we had fun. It was loud as heck in there and the wait for food is a no no but the food was awesome. The pizza was thin as paper LITERALY paper. I'm from Chicago and we eat out pizza on dough not air, but I must say that sauce was soooooooo amazing-it was the best marinara sauce I had in my life-I swear! Mmmmmmm
Great place
Great decor
Great food
Great price
Even the bathrooms are greatly decorated! -
Review from Deja S.
4/16/2011
Glad we chose this place over another local Italian restaurant. Lots of fun decor all over, plus you can eat at a dining table in the kitchen. The portions are large for the price, very large. However, the Italian flag cake is more like eating a painted flag than a cake, and the ravioli and bread were just lame (the ravioli from Costco are much yummier).
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Review from Darrell B.
Pompano Beach, FL
12/10/2011
This is an Americanized Italian restaurant in the style of the old Mama Leones in New York City. While a few of the dishes I had there were good, the rest were definatively unimpressive. The marinara sauce was rather bland, as was the raviolli. The antipasto salad was iceburg lettuce and I did not notice any salamis in it. The spicy chicken rigatoni again lacked flavor and any sense of being spicy. On the plus side the calamari and the veal saltimbocca were quite food and nicely flavored, but they proved to be the exceptions in an otherwise bland meal overall.
The decoration follows that old theme and is rather kitchy trying to be cute. They even have a room decorated with pictures of the pope right down to a bad plaster bust of a pope under plastic in the center of the table. It was quite busy on the night I went, and finding parking was another challenge. There were several parties (being Christmas time) going on around us so the noise level at times was very very high, but that may have been the exception rather then the norm.
Service at the table was quite attentive and good. We did not have to wait for our server, she was attentive, checking in frequently and taking very good care of us. The greeter was not as good. I was part of a medium sized party and it took some discussion before she could figure out where I was supposed to be. She did not have a list with names and was trying to do it from memory and failing.
If you want chain style Americanized Italian that will not offend anyone, this is a place to go. If you want real Italian food, look elsewhere. -
Review from Athena L.
Palm Harbor, FL
11/17/2011 Seated via OpenTable
If I could give this place negative stars I would. We were in Sunrise/Plantation for a recent concert, before going I attempted to find somewhere fantastic via Yelp for dinner the only find which suited everyone's tastes was not open on Monday which happened to be the night we were in town. Someone in the group saw Buca and couldn't stop talking about their calamari so we figured what the heck it couldn't be terrible if he liked it. Well we were all wrong. The service was the worst and the food was not any better. To start we ordered a pitcher of Sangria, a beer, and a captain/coke (which the server had to go investigate if they even stocked rum in their bar let alone captain??!!) The server brought the sangria and the captain/coke and walked away. Awhile later as she was walking by to help another table we flagged her down to find the missing beer. She said she didn't hear him order it and went to the bar coming back with a coors light in place of the mich ultra ordered (if they don't carry the ultra at least ask what the person wanted in place of it) As anyone who has eaten there knows the portions are outrageous so we ordered an antipasto for the girls to share and the guys ordered a seafood trio and chicken parm. The seafood trio came out as calamari, stuffed mushrooms, and fried mozzerella; not a trio of seafood at all. When we told the server it was incorrect she proceeded to argue that it was the buca trio that we ordered which everyone at the table clearly heard him order seafood and he himself pointed at the image while ordering. She argued the point never offering to take it back as it was her mistake she didn't even apologize. At this point the chicken parm had not come up and we waited another 7 minutes before she walked by and had to ask where it was. Like I had mentioned previous we were on our way to a concert so the whole disaster just didn't allow us the time to speak to a manager we just placed the cash for the bill and left. But had it been a different situation we would have sent everything delivered to the table back to the kitchen. We ended up spending another 40$ at the hotel afterward b/c nobody enjoyed their 100$ dinner at Buca. In the land of chain restaurants steer clear of this one!!
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Review from carlos B.
Miami, FL
10/29/2011
Awesome family restaurant. Great fresh food. Love coming to this place. Best baked ziti ever.....just took the hubby there for his bday dinner w friends n family. All the food was great.
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Review from Mick M.
Miami, FL
1/16/2011
This is another classic Italian food chain, but I must admit it's a good one. They have all kind favorite dishes that the American people know as "classic Italian". The decoration is really nice as well.
We were a party of 15 people and since their portions a really big, we shared all. The pizza is really good, the fried calamari appetizer is a little oily but good and the pasta goos as well.
You must remember that portions are big, even the "small ones" so don't order what you're not going to eat, even when you will take the doggy bag home.
The only bad thing is that meat or chicken dishes (chicken parmigiana or the veal picatta) don't come with any side so you have to order it making the combination a little expensive. Also, service in busy days seems to be slow and disorganized, but for the quality of the food and the amount of the bill (really affordable since a dish is shared by 2 or 3 people) you may want to overlook that and with a little patience, enjoy this Italian "alla Americana" restaurant. -
Review from Lynn G.
Hollywood, FL
8/4/2011
Buca di Beppo is my new favorite Italian place. They've ruined me for Olive Garden. Anyway, we always have great service and great food. I joined their e-mail list and don't regret it for once, they send coupons frequently which is great and makes them more affordable. My favorite dish so far is the Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken. The bread is okay, not great- so I suggest asking for a small dish of Alfredo, Marinara or Pesto Cream Sauce to dip it in. For dessert, I love their double chocolate cake.
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Review from Mike B.
Santa Cruz, CA
1/24/2010
My wife and I dined here for the first time this weekend. We're huge fans now. Lively atmosphere, great food, and great service. An ALMOST flawless experience...
PROS:
- Prior to seating us, the Maître d' gave us a brief tour of the place including their kitchen. Awesome. I have an enormous respect for a place that is comfortable showing their kitchen; no tricks.
- Our waiter was friendly and attentive. He also scheduled our orders so that they came out at the perfect time.
- Large food portions. Items are divided in the small and large dishes; all of which are intended to be shared between guests.
- Absolutely delicious salads...
- Beers are huge -- smallest they come in is 14 OZ.
- Plenty of space (especially booths).
NEUTRAL:
- The place can get really noisy. it didn't really bother us but I can see how it could get annoying.
CONS:
- None.
TIPS:
- Get there early if you can. We arrived around 5:30 and had virtually no wait.
- Keep in mind that dishes are shared; dining parties may not necessarily agree on all things. -
Review from Michael S.
Fort Lauderdale, FL
8/10/2010
This place makes me so happy. Maybe it's the friendly service. Maybe it's sharing large portions with family and friends. Maybe is the great food and awesome decor. You can't go wrong here and you won't go home on an empty stomach. Everything I've had here, I've loved. I suggesr bringing a bunch of people and and coming hungry. Chicken parm is my favorite, along with, calamari and pizza. Make reservations, this place gets packed. Once you try it, you'll keep coming.
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Review from Janessa A.
Pembroke Pines, FL
7/27/2009
I love this place, besides olive garden, its a winner!! The setting has a bunch of frames on the wall of funny pics, it feels like your in the dining room of one big italian family. The food comes in either small or large sizes, small feeds two up to 3 depending on your appetite and large feeds four-5. The garlic bread and cheesy garlic bread is fabulous, very ooey,gooey, and yummy. The lasagna is fabulous very good and I am very picky with lasagna. The sauce is very sweet, you can taste the real tomatoes, not a store bought tomato sauce. The eggplant parm, is very good, also the chicken with lemon and capers is supposed to be excellent. Theyre dessert menu looks fantastic have to go back to try. Great atmosphere for party or get together.
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Review from Tati N.
Miami, FL
4/12/2011
I absolutely love this place, and like every Buca I've been to (this one, one in Orlando and one somewhere in Los Angeles, CA), the experience has been nothing short of wonderful. None of the pasta dishes have ever been bad to me, and I've tried plenty, but my favorites are the shrimp fra diavolo and the chicken canneloni. My parents love the chicken marsala. Everyone LOVES the tiramisu, which is completely soaked in rum and coffee, to the point of fighting for it - even though the dessert comes family sized like everything else on the menu. You can get individual portions if you want, but why would you if sharing the food is half the fun and allows you to pick and choose from a wider variety? Your table suddenly becomes your own family buffet table and the more people you bring, the better! I truly love this place and usually come here for special occasions when my family comes over to visit.
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Review from Krista L.
Fort Lauderdale, FL
3/1/2011
I enjoy the restaurant ambience.. Looove the decor and the food portions is plentiful. Bread is yummy and service is excellent! LOVE BUCA!
