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Buca di Beppo
Category: Restaurants Italian Italian [Edit]
643 Emerson StPalo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 329-0665
Announcement
Holy Cannoli, You Graduated! Celebrate at Buca! http://www.bucadibeppo...
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
318 reviews for Buca di Beppo
Review Highlights
-
"Love the family style Italian food concept." In 62 reviews -
"This is a great place for large groups." In 24 reviews -
"Personal favorites: garlic bread and calamari." In 27 reviews
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318 reviews in English
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Review from Lauren R.
3/7/2012
I don't know how I missed reviewing this place. We go here often because of the great food. We even had our rehearsal dinner here!
Though this is a chain, the food is fresh and comes out hot. The portions are huge, so go with an appetite or a group of friends! They seems to add seasonal items to their menu, which is nice if you go here a few times a year.
There are coupons in the mail and if you sign up for their eclub, you'll get specials and promotions emailed to you (the leap year $29 dinner for 4 was a STEAL).
If you're going to hold a large party here and need a banquet reservation. Keep tabs on them, as the banquet manager seems a little overwhelmed. -
Review from Ziyan C.
5/16/2012 3 photos
PROS: Good for last minut reservations, good family style dishes for groups, always a fun and lively time to be had here. My office comes for a huge conference dinner every year and have kept coming back. The food is pretty good, always impressive in magnitude, and they handled our large group very well.
CONS: This year for our conference dinner we pre-ordered, and the restaurant never bothered to tell us that 1) we were getting enough food for at least 40 people (and they knew it was a table for 20. My co-worker had even asked if they thought this was enough food for 20 and they said it was fine - we had 4 bags filled with leftovers!!) and 2) our bill was grossly overbudget. To be fair, they didn't know our budget, but in previous years we've never spent more than $500 for 20 people, and this year it came to $888. Their online menu for the family style has no prices and they never gave us the total cost. True we could have asked, but also they should have confirmed the final cost. Not sure if we'll have it in our budget to go again =(.
* Mixed Green Salad - 2 stars
(Our fresh lettuce blend tossed with our signature Italian vinaigrette, red onions, pepperoncini peppers and black and green olives)
Simple, exactly what the description says. A giant bowl that serves 4 (but really serves like 8) comes with just two pepperoncini peppers on top.
* Chicken Parmigiana - 3 stars
(Large breaded and sautéed chicken breasts topped with marinara and mozzarella, then baked to golden perfection)
Not bad, not bad. The meat was a little tough but the breading had a good crunch and the marinara sauce was tangy and fresh.
* Eggplant Parmigiana - 3.5 stars
(Breaded and fried eggplant slices topped with marinara, fresh tomatoes, basil and mozzarella, then baked to golden perfection)
I actually really liked this one, especially since the eggplant was thinly sliced and you end up with several slices with breading in between. The chewy/crunchy/chew/crunchy layers are nice texture wise to bite into. Just like the chicken parm, the marinara was good.
* Spicy Chicken Rigatoni - 1.5 stars
(Awaken your taste buds with a new favorite - tender chicken breast sautéed with garlic and red pepper, tossed with peas, a spicy rosa sauce and imported Italian rigatoni pasta)
I usually like a good kick of spice, but this one was just way too much! It overpowered everything else to the point that I really didn't enjoy the dish. Plus the chicken was far, FAR from tender.
* Spaghetti with Meatballs - 3 stars
(Our famous half-pound, mouth-watering meatballs smothered in homemade marinara sauce on a bed of imported Italian spaghetti)
Solid, your standard spaghetti and meatballs. Love the GIANT meatballs, always fun to get this at the table.
* Ravioli al Pomodoro - 3 stars
(Ravioli stuffed with the classic combination of mozzarella, provolone, ricotta and Parmesan cheeses, served with our homemade marinara sauce)
Also a perfectly fine dish. The cheese stuffing was very flavorful and balanced well with the marinara sauce.
* Italian Broccoli Romano - 2 stars
(Broccoli with garlic and a light touch of crushed red pepper and Parmesan cheese)
Overcooked, soft, and overspiced. -
Review from Paola O.
Fremont, CA
4/21/2012
THEY RUINED OUR THANKSGIVING NIGHT!
I really like the one in Sacramento, so I thought this one was good too, but it wasn't the case.
We made a reservation for Thanksgiving' eve at 8 :30 pm. Around 4 pm, they called us to confirm our reservation which was at 8 30 p.m.
We drove from Santa Cruz to Palo Alto, cause a friend of us came from Pennsylvania to visit us and we were showing him around the area. So at 8: 20 p.m We were in Buca di Beppo and told them we had a reservation, they said they were sorry and they were closing at 9pm that night, we couldn't believe that!!!! they were so rude to us, We asked for an explanation but they said they are too busy and blah blah!!! so, why did they accept our reservation at 8:30 in the first place?
damn it!!!! we were soo upset, we didnt have a thanksgiving dinner cause it was too late to find a good restaurant at that time. It sooo frustrating!!!!!!
We will never go back to this place that doesn't take care of its customers!!!! -
Review from Jim D.
4/16/2012
Came to the Palo Alto Bucca di Beppo for an afternoon birthday party, approximately thirty or so attendees. I guess we came at a good time because it was not crowded the way other yelp reviewers described there visits of long waits.
The food was ordered in different sequences...appetizers, salad, pizza and pasta.
First served was the garlic bread and the cheese bread. Lots of bread, baked in the restaurant and the bread was good with lots of garlic and butter.
Second served was the chopped salad and the green mixed salad. The chopped salad was flavorful, not drowned out by the dressing, same with the green mixed salad.
Pizza was served afterwards, the pepperoni and the four cheese. The shape was squared, the crust was good but the four cheese pizza was too cheesy for me.
Finally the pastas were served... the spaghetti and meatballs, the meatballs were huge. I like the marinara sauce, not to tangy and the noodles were al dente. Also served was the penne noodles with pesto. The pesto was creamy and tasty.
Bucca di Beppo is a good place for a large party because of the lively and festive atmosphere. There are lots of black and white pictures. I like the picture of the lady holding the watermelons. -
Review from Allison M.
Palo Alto, CA
4/15/2012 1 Check-in Here
I really like Buca di Beppo! Usually.
This one is just too cramped, too loud. There were multiple hordes of tween girls the night we went; they were absolutely inescapable. And our waiter inexplicably switched after we ordered our drinks.
Love the food-- especially the rosa sauce. It's unbelievable. And the chef was kind enough to sub out the chicken for broccoli on the dish with the chicken, peas, and rosa sauce, since that used to be my favorite thing on the menu before I turned veggiesaurus. Oh, and it was delicious... and not just because we were breaking Passover.
Okay, but the weirdest part was that they seated us, got us our food, and got us out of there in under a half hour. I guess that's a good thing, that they're able to do that? But given the loudness of the restaurant, how busy it was, and our seating right by the walkway, we just felt pressured to finish our dinner and get out so they could assembly-line our table for the next guests. Very factory-feeling. -
Review from Christy Y.
Los Altos, CA
5/13/2012
food fresh and hot served quickly. like the new menu, but wish they had left the one on the wall. Kids love this place loud and crazy. went for Mother's day got a seat right away, first time ever. waiter was nice and everyone was in a good mood.
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Review from George B.
3/29/2012
Sat there for 15 minutes without service of any kind. Left to find a restaurant that served food and drinks.
No food=no stars
(actually one star since Yelp requires it) -
Review from Glenn S.
Palo Alto, CA
3/22/2012
Went there with my family for the first time in a bunch of years and we asked for bread. The waitress made no mention of complimentary bread but only gave us the option of garlic bread or cheese bread, we chose garlic thinking there was no other option (she offered cheese bread again after that). We see the next table stationed by another waiter getting fresh bread with oil and balsamic and we mention it to our waitress, saying we were not aware that they offered just bread and her only comment was: "you want regular bread too?"
The food was good but that kind of ruined the meal. I had hoped that she would have taken the garlic bread off the ticket but she didn't. I would have tipped her well if she had. -
Review from Mark M.
Mountain View, CA
5/10/2012
Had dinner last night at the Bar. The food was really good had the chicken pasta, great service at the bar and they had the Giants Game :( on last night. Food was great and the game sucked, come on Giants!!! Nate and Nathan were great full service bartenders, they really made the evening great. Thanks guys!!
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Review from Johnny R.
Menlo Park, CA
5/20/2012
Great place for family dinners! We had the best pizza last time since the waiter was very accommodating. He was able to make one for us that was not on the menu with chicken, kalamata olives and artichokes. The downsides are that it is always very noisy and most of the dishes are very average.
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Review from jason l.
Mountain View, CA
5/4/2012
I've been at this restaurant at least 6 or 7 times. While the food hasn't changed much the service has deteriorated dramatically. Our waiter Carlos was awful.
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Review from Analisa S.
Berkeley, CA
3/29/2012 1 Check-in Here
I will never understand the appeal of Buca di Beppo.
Went for a party so there was a lot to choose from. Sadly nothing actually satisfied any craving (and my taste buds were pissed too.)
Their house made italian bread is the same bread I get when I screw up my pizza dough. Its not complicated but for whatever reason everyone raves about it. I'll give them their Apple Gorganzola salad is good, but put any fruit and cheese over lettuce and its pretty hard to screw up. Then there's the Cheesy Bread Florentine described as "A flavorful mixture of Parmesan, mozzarella and provolone cheeses with spinach, tomatoes and lots of garlic, melted on top of our house-baked Italian bread." - Funny how they say its flavorful when its not, they make it sound good, but its not. The Ravioli al Pomodoro is a Ravioli stuffed with the classic combination of mozzarella, provolone, ricotta and Parmesan cheeses, served with our homemade marinara sauce, I will never understand how sauced dishes can come out bland. Shouldn't there have been flavor cooked into the sauce. The one I'll admit to enjoying is the Baked Ziti - Mozzarella, Parmesan, provolone and ricotta cheeses mixed with imported Italian ziti and freshly made marinara and creamy Alfredo sauces, baked with Italian breadcrumbs. I enjoy most things that are deep fried and this one had the most potential.
I won't give them only one star because I do like how you can take big parties there, but really, why is there such a rave about this place? Its not that good.. -
Review from Deva G.
Santa Clara, CA
Smelly while we enter. Not really great as olive garden. Sauce are good in taste but could have dipped better. Many of my friends compared Olive Garden with Buca Di... but i dont think it is right.. or atleast with this being my first visit to Buca di. Its a OK.
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Review from Ying F.
1/29/2012 1 Check-in Here
Hello Carb overload! I see this place as the TGIF/Olive garden of fast food pasta! It's another major chain restaurant. Affordable Italian comfort food. This place is perfect for team lunches and large group parties.
Definitely a family style restaurant. So when you order its pretty much for the whole table to try. The portions are huge!!
Things that I have enjoyed here:
-Fried Calamari- its just like any other fried calamari.
-Apple Gorgonzola Salad (the best out of three salads they offer) You have thin slices of apple and tons of walnuts. I like the balance between the sweet apples and tangy dressing. This salad can serve a table of 10 people! It's huge! one order is enough.
-Shrimp Fra Diavolo - I love this spicy rose sauce and shrimp! One of my favorites!
-Spaghetti with Meatball - very heavy and very basic. Huge meatballs!!
-Chicken Parmigiana - One order is like 7 pieces of chicken! generous portion!
-Baked Ziti - Extremely heavy. This dish is full of cream, butter, pasta and cheese! This dish will knock you out!
Pretty much at the end of lunch you are too sleepy to do anything. For dinner, its even worse because you really really want to sleep after this meal. The food here is pretty basic. Nothing really stood out and my experience was horrible. It was just ok. -
Review from Matt V.
Sunnyvale, CA
2/1/2012
As you walk into Buca di Beppo (really, any of them), you're stunned by the large number of tables and decor adorning the walls. Even in the bathrooms, there are pictures lining the walls (some of which are rather amusing).
Perhaps this busyness of decor is indicative of the culture you'll expect at Buca di Beppo. Very loud, busy environment, with plenty of tables and people conversing, and wait staff desperately buzzing about trying to keep up with all the orders.
Service is rather slow, and at times, just seems overworked.
As for the food, it's an unfortunate reality that the more locations a restaurant opens, the more the quality of food degrades. Such is the case with Buca di Beppo.
I've had many of their dishes, from pasta to meats to pizzas, and they all have left me really pretty underwhelmed. There's not a single dish that I can point to as being something that I'm really thrilled about.
The fried calamari is a decent enough start to the meal. The pastas come in large portions, and I haven't found one that I'm really thrilled for, which is especially problematic since the large portions almost always means you have to take it home with you. The pizza con formaggio is pretty good, and cheesy.
Overall, though, it is a rather "meh" restaurant. Meh service, meh food. Decent enough ambiance. -
Review from Anu M.
3/31/2012
Love this family style Italian restaurant. We have been to Buca di beppo several times and have always walked out satiated. This is a good place to go to, especially if you are in a big group. As this is a family style restaurant, the portions are pretty large; we almost always end up with a to-go box. Their tiramisu is absolutely mouth-watering, I have never had better tiramisu in any other place by far. A few of my favorites are Stuffed Mushrooms, Spicy Chicken Rigatoni and Ravioli with Meat Sauce.
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Review from Mike D.
San Francisco, CA
1/17/2012
This place is more offensive to Italian culture than The Jersey Shore.
They get one star for having Peroni on tap. -
Review from Danielle P.
Redwood City, CA
2/15/2012 1 Check-in Here
My husband and I decided at the last minute to go out for Valentine's Day dinner and arrived at around 7:30. We only waited about 5 minutes before we were seated and then had the most fantastic service from our waiter NATHAN.
Parking to go to this restaurant can be a total pain in the butt because it is in downtown Palo Alto, but if you can't find anything above ground, there is an underground garage by what I believe is City Hall. It always feels a little strange walking into the restaurant because you come in through the kitchen, immediately find yourself staring at a life-size magnet of Danny Devito, and then you see the podium. There are tons of strung lights and all sorts of entertaining pictures adorning all of the walls. I kind of wonder if they do this to entertain the kids since it is a family-oriented restaurant. Haha, either way, prepare to be amused. I notice something new every time I come here and get seated in a different area of the restaurant.
Since we're both vegetarians, sometimes we make obnoxious requests to tweak the menu and remove meat. Nathan totally got it and served all of our dishes as requested and since they are family style, we had a ton of leftovers. He was really polite and funny and always managed to keep our glasses full without ever hovering.
For vegetarians out there looking for suggestions, we really like the Chopped Antipasto Salad (they will make a version with no meat), the Eggplant Parmesan, and the Spicy (Chickenless) Rigatoni. I wasn't a huge fan of their cheesecake but I just didn't like the nuts that they put on them.
While it's better to bring a large group to Buca di Beppo, it works well for two if you don't mind having leftovers the next day. -
Review from Simon E.
Palo Alto, CA
1/13/2012 Seated via OpenTable 1 Check-in Here
Ate here last Friday, had a good night. Just two of us and like other reviewers have said, this place gets a lot of large groups. I'm not surprised either, as the food is good and the sharing sized portions are good value and ideally suited to group dining. Personally, it was too much for me and unless you are a Gannett you would find it hard to eat a portion of food by yourself.
However, to give credit where it is due, the serving staff mentioned this and they were super helpful. Indeed, the staff were great, very attentive despite being busy and they gave excellent service.
Overall, we had a great night, slightly spoiled by the REALLY noisy family group that were sat next to us. Although, that was probably just our bad luck. Would we go again...yes but only with a group of friends. -
Review from Naresh R.
San Francisco, CA
3/24/2012 1 Check-in Here
I went last night to Buca di Beppo and normally I am not a fan of them but the food was pretty good last night. The service on the other hand was terrible. I don't even think it was the waiters fault, he was trying but some how either the training wasn't there or he was just having a terrible day. They didn't come to get our drinks for 20 minutes, didn't bring bread after asking 3 times, didn't take our order for another 20 minutes after, we asked for crushed red pepper and that took until 3/4 of our meal was done. Then he spilled water on my mom, obviously by accident but I wasn't even upset about that because things happen and he apologized multiple times. The manager didn't even offer to take off a meal or give a free dessert. Then it took another 30 minutes for them to get us the bill.
-
Review from Richard G.
Fremont, CA
12/17/2011
Its Buca, a nice place to come for a big group. The place is packed. They always seem to be packed. You walk through the kitchen. into the dining area. Place is covered with pictures, and italian kisky nick nacks, wine bottles. But the tables are packed and packed tight. Be sure you like your frients.
We had calamari, mixed green. Everything is family style. The table is a little packed with the glasses and plates. Service is fair. Margherita pizza, side of broccoli, Linguini Frutti, basically mussles, calamari and clams, chicken carbonara was good. But the tiramisu was flat. Good basic food, not authentic, but good food. think a step up chain resturant.
food ****
decor***
service***
just a bit crowded and loud. -
Review from Di R.
9/13/2011
I met my friend's here for their mom's 82nd birthday. It was almost a four hour drive but worth it to see the look on her face when I walked in! She was surprised to see me and it was so fun to surprise her since I have known her since I was four and lets just say she was a young mom when we met so we have known each other for about a half a century! ***Ouch****
it was special to be able to celebrate with her and about nine other tables!!! Everytime we turned around, they were singing an Italian Happy Birthday song! Everyone must have been born on September 10th in that place, that night!
My friend complained about the noise but her mom seemed to enjoy herself and was not complaining and it was just a fun place to go and the food was great! The service was amazing considering how busy the place was.
The only reason I would not give it 5 stars is cuz I had to walk about four blocks and the parking sucks! I didn't mind, since I love to walk and don't mind the exercise. But I was thinking if someone wasn't wanting to work off the calories or if the weather was bad... they might want more convenient parking... -
Review from Carina R.
Fremont, CA
10/25/2011
I do like Buca di Peppo. The food and service has always been good for me. They also have good drinks. As for authenticity? I doubt this is hardcore Italian food, but it tastes good to me. The only drawback is seriously the amount of food they give you. I wish the sizes were smaller so you could try more things at one sitting. It doesn't matter how little you think you ordered, you ordered too much. I usually order family style and we go with a bunch of people. But every time I can only try one or two of the dishes, because after that I get full. Carb overload!
But I would recommend this place to someone. Especially for a group dinner/event/birthday. Also, do not eat at all that day! You will need all the room you can get! -
Review from Christina G.
Los Angeles, CA
10/30/2011
So nice!! Last time I came here was during high school graduation times ...
Looks like Christmas in here. Don't worry, you have to walk through the kitchen, but even then you will be greeted cheerfully.
So cozy in here. Wine bottles laced upon the ceiling... reminds me of the episode in Jersey Shore when they go to Italy...seriously. It's like a whole new world in here. Wonderful for celebrations...
I'm raving about the atmosphere and wonderful service here more than the food. SERIOUSLY. Like, this and Maggiano's---my favorite decor ever.
How much more can I say about this. Every location is an adventure. And this surpasses Olive Garden, ... but Olive Garden is still a 5-star location. (being nice).
And please--after dinner, walk along University Avenue where there are beautiful christmas lights on all the trees...seriously. So pretty. Lovee itt. -
Review from Vivian H.
9/6/2011 Seated via OpenTable 1 Check-in Here
It's buca di beppo!
Food won't make you think you're in Italy or anything, but we got what we expected and went home with full bellies of calamari and spicy chicken rigatoni. Fast sweet service too.
Only real negative -- they'd run out of wheat pasta womp womp. Okay and the menu is kinda boring. -
Review from Cathy C.
8/20/2011
Had dinner here with my boyfriend, my friend, and her husband a few weeks ago. I've had Buca a few times in the past, and this place is just about the same as my past experiences. The layout of the restaurant is quite confusing - when you first enters, you can see parts of the kitchen on both sides. The hallway leads you to the main dining area that is split into different parts - there are many twists & turns that I got lost on the way back from the bathroom.
We ended up ordering their new spicy chicken rigatoni & the shrimp fra diavolo. The pasta turned out to be very delicious; however, I would have appreciated it if the waiter had mentioned that both pasta have the same sauce! The 2 dishes basically tasted like they came from the same pot, except one has chicken and one has shrimp...that part was slightly disappointing.
As for dessert, we ordered the tiramisu as a lot of people ordered it (and my boyfriend said he's had it before & it's delicious!). Yes, it turned out to be quite delicious, but I would have liked it even more if they didn't use as much rum as they had. Some bites of the tiramisu was just bitter/nasty from the overpowering rum.
As for the service, I won't comment too much since it was just mediocre at best. They were really busy, so I didn't really expect much anyway...
Overall, Buca will always be a great place for family-style dining (most tables were large and they had quite a lot of birthdays on that night). I wouldn't say I would ever crave their food, but it's always an option when you have a large party & are craving Italian! -
Review from Janelle A.
Hayward, CA
8/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
This location is smaller than the others and u enter through the kitchen. Service was a little slow.
Best dishes:
+Linguine frutti di mare (mussels, shrimp, clams, calamari)
+lasagna
+spaghetti w/ meatballs -
Review from Sophia P.
Fremont, CA
2/6/2012
I love the chicken carbonara. Service is not always great, and for the past couple times my friends and I have been getting the same inattentive waiter. I also don't like how there are so many things on the table. Either get smaller condiments or taller/skinny bowls or get bigger tables! Kthx. I still come back, though...
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Review from Tatiana A.
Newark, CA
1/7/2012
Buca is the best ever! love it there so much, i have been there so many times last year to dine-in or for take-out and everything is always delicious. They are really busy some times so try to make reso's. So much great food to chose from and i love celebrating birthday's there =) Walk through the kitchen so u see all the food before u eat it =D Great drinks and tv at the bar!
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Review from Diane A.
It's hard to please my boys. They've got appetites for sure. Buca di Beppo has the right balance of menu choice, quantity, quality and affordability that works for my family. Plus those $10 off $30 (or $10 off $20 in the Stanford Unofficial Guide) coupons rock!
In our various visits, our favorites so far are the margherita pizza (mmm fresh mozzarella and basil - simply delicious!) and the baked rigatoni (sausage, mozzarella and ricotta baked with a tomato sauce - yum!). We've also had the Supreme pizza, linguine frutti di mare (seafood), calamari appetizer and the spinach mozzarella bread. Those were all good except the spinach mozzarella bread. I just don't think it was that good for $12.
Serving size can be confusing - it all depends on how much your party eats. We had calamari, a large pizza and a small pasta, as well as the house bread with balsamic and olive oil - that was enough for the 3 of us plus we brought some home. I think it would be more fun to come with a larger party of people - more choices to share! -
Review from Beth F.
8/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
I came to this Buca for a friend's rehearsal dinner. I'd had quite a time finding parking in the area, and thankfully I was offered some red wine once seated at the table, and that helped take the edge off my nerves. In any case, the servers seemed very attentive, happy to bring out more salads, bread, and further carafes of wine. (Their red wine was quite good, by the way). We enjoyed the following pre-ordered items, served family style:
--A salad with olives, red onions, lettuce, etc, all tossed with vinegar--tangy goodness, yum!
--A rigatoni with sausage, mozzarella, and a bit of a seasoning kick (also tasty)
--Chicken parmesan (nicely moist breaded chicken; good sauce)
--Spaghetti with marinara sauce (also tasty and not too sweet)
--Cannoli drizzled with chocolate sauce (good, but not as good as Grandma's)
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. The Buca I'd previously visited in San Jo had served up good salad, but their spaghetti sauce was far too sweet. This one provided the right balance of flavors and plenty of food for our generously sized party. I left very happy. -
Review from Victoria A.
Hayward, CA
1/25/2012
This is the first time that i have ever gave a bad review :( the food was good. we all enjoyed the food but the service sucked really bad. we went for my son's b day dinner a total of 8 of us i had made reservations. we arrived on time they made us wait then escorted us to a table only to say we were the wrong party and made us wait some more. when we were seated they seated us at the same table they took us to the first time. the waiter was in a rush rush mode and we had to flag him down everytime we seen him he would say "yes, ok" and rush off, the place wasnt even busy. At one point in time my dad actually had to tell him wait a minute we need you and you arent going to leave until we get everything we need. after all that when the bill came we ended up having to give him a $32 tip because we were a party of 8. :(
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Review from Kes D.
7/23/2011
This place fills a niche, that niche being: feed a lot of people conveniently.
Is it great Italian food? No. Maybe marginally better than Olive Garden. Why?:
*Lasagne was so mushy and soggy
*All the sauces taste the same and aren't that flavorful
*Salad was drenched in dressing
*Focus on quantity over quality
The ambiance was tacky and overdressed, like the salad, but vaguely charming in that.
....But it's a chain, so I wasn't surprised. It's aimed at feeding lots of people in a family style manner and does so effectively, but not terribly cheaply. Service was good until we needed to pay the bill.
3 1/2 stars for Bucca di Beppo-- it does what it does in an okay manner. -
Review from Connie C.
7/18/2011
Came here Saturday night for a friends bday party. I hadn't been to a Buca's for a long time since all remembered about this place was they jhad huge portions and the food was just mediocre.
Well this time I was pleasantly surprised with the food but felt that the service was really lacking- hence the 3 stars. Our group was huge, so five of us decided d family style and also our own tab. Five of us ordered 2 small entrees and 1 small appetizer-- it was just the perfect amount of food (3 boys and 2 girls eating).
Calamari was really good- nit heavily breaded and quite fresh-- however they delivered our portion to another table so it ended up coming with the rest of our food-- totally defeated the whole appetizer idea.
Our spicy chicken rigatoni was a big hit-- delicious with an extra kick of spiciness. The ravioli with meat sauce was also good but it came out warm-- which meant it got cold quick! Eating cold pasta is not fun.
Our bill for 5 came out to be $12 a person-- def worth it. But they really need to work on service-- we also had to ask numerous of times to get our water refilled. -
Review from Monica L.
Newark, CA
4/4/2011 4 photos
Celebrated a small birthday dinner here. I loved the decorations and the general ambiance around the restaurant. Our server was attentive at first, but once we received our food, he was no where to be found. Actually no, he was constantly checking up on the tables around us, but just not with our table. It took someone in our party to shout "excuse me" across the restaurant for him to notice us.
Our table shared the Calamari and Bruschetta which was nothing out of the ordinary. The family style portions weren't as big as I was expecting but it wasn't too big of a problem. I tried the Shrimp Fra Diavolo and the Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken. The shrimp pasta was spicier than I expected, but good nonetheless. The highlight of the meal was the prosciutto stuffed chicken. The chicken was cooked perfectly and had so much flavor to it. I would definitely come back and just order that. I also tried a friend's pasta dish, but did not find anything memorable about it. The restaurant gave us a free birthday brownie because we were there to celebrate a birthday.
Calamari - 3 stars
Bruschetta - 3 stars
Shrimp Fra Diavolo - 4 stars
Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken - 5 stars
Service - 2 stars
Overall - 3.5 stars -
Review from Michael C.
Redwood City, CA
1/6/2012
Its ok. But I remember the food tasting better then it did the other night. What Happened?? But, the service was 5 stars. Will I go back? Probably not. Especially with all the other restaurant choices in the area.
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Review from Ha N.
1/11/2011
My sister loves Buca di Beppo and is always raving about this place. After coming here on my sister's recommendation, I didn't like it at all. It's your average Italian chain food restaurant. The food here is mediocre at best.
We started out with the Buca trio platter which came with fried Calamari, fried mozzarella and stuffed mushrooms served with marinara and pesto cream sauce for dipping. Which I enjoyed, but come on now, how can you go wrong with anything deep fried?
For our entree we ordered the gnocchi al telefono and lasagna. The gnocchi was tossed with fresh mozzarella, in a roasted garlic marinara with a touch of cream. I usually love gnocchi and it's one of those dishes I order every time if it's on the menu. But the gnocchi was inedible here. The gnocchi had this weird taste, actually it had no taste. It was hard and had this weird texture where I felt as if I was eating rubber. After a few bites, my mouth was tired of chewing and I couldn't take the flavorless rubber anymore. The lasagna was meh, I've had better. I hated the fact that it was brought out to us cold. I rather have one of those Stouffer's lasagna any day. -
Review from Debra T.
5/13/2011
Chain restaurant.
This place used to be amazing considering it was a chain, but over the years the quality has seemed to diminish. If you've never been here before this Italian Restaurant is "family style" and the kitchen is in the front to give it a more home-y feeling. What I don't like about this place however, is the cluttered photo frames. I know it's Italian style but it gives me claustrophobia.
Two dishes that I enjoy are the Apple Gorgonzola Salad and the Penne Basilica. -
Review from Sandy M.
Newport Beach, CA
9/28/2011
Good alternative to stuffy Italian places. From what I can tell this location is no better or worse than any other Bucca I've been to. Killer caesar salads and gnocchi.
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Review from Adrienne H.
Palo Alto, CA
4/16/2011
This isn't a place we normally frequent, but we had a coupon for $10 off $20 or more, so we decided to come by tonight. Even though we showed up around 8:15, we still had to wait for about 30 minutes before getting seated. I've never seen it not packed, so definitely make a reservation if you can.
They're well known for their large portions, and they claim a small serves 3 and a large serves 6. I'd say it's a little less than that, maybe a small serves 2 and a large serves 4? I guess it depends on how hungry you are. It's still a reasonably good deal with most small pastas priced under $20, and small entrees priced in the $20-$25 range.
Decent, big loaf of soft bread to start the meal, although I wish they'd leave the olive oil at your table instead of just pouring a few spoonfuls onto a plate...its not enough olive oil if you plan on eating the whole loaf of bread. We split a small veal parm, and between the bread and the fact that we were not hungry to start with (I pregamed with some Haagen-Dazs), we brought one of the 3 decent-sized pieces of meat home. If we'd been hungrier, I think we could have finished it between the two of us. I was actually quite surprised at how tasty it was, and I recommend it over their pasta dishes, which have always been only ok to me. I did wish it came with a side of plain pasta or potatoes or something other than just slabs of meat.
Service was friendly but very slow.
With the coupon it came to about $8 each, including tip & tax. Definitely a great deal! I don't know that I'd be in a rush to come back here without a coupon or a group. I do really recommend the veal parm.
