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Buca di Beppo
Category: Restaurants Italian Italian [Edit]
10915 Carolina Place PkwyPineville, NC 28134
(704) 542-5146
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
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
19 reviews for Buca di Beppo
19 reviews in English
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Review from Julia M.
12/2/2011
In my opinion, this place is only one star ahead of Olive Garden (which I don't care for ) in terms of the quality of the food... but it is pricier than OG. (Because of the price-point, I would acutally rate this place 2.5 stars instead of 3.)
It is your typical Italian-American corporate chain cuisine. If you are hungry and want to find something "nicer" than the Olive Garden but not on the level of gourmet authentic Italian dining, this is an ok choice... especially if you are a family with lots of hungry mouths to feed.
If it were totally left up to me, I would not choose to go here. Ever. However, we have a lot of good friends who really like this place (??!!), so on occasion, I will suck it up and take one for the team.
One problem from my perspective is the "family style" dining. Typically, I am much pickier than my dining companions and I feel like I have to settle for something that I would not order if it were just up to me. (And the same is true in the reverse, my dining companions try to find something to order that I'll actually eat).
But, they do have enough options that I can find a chicken or seafood option. There are also a couple of selections of baked pasta that do not include meat sauce.
When I eat "Italian" food, I typically like to enjoy a glass of wine or two. As expected for a place like this, the wine selection is not very good and is more overpriced than the typical restuarant wine mark-up.
Even with a coupon and not ordering the most expensive things on the menu, I generally end up paying more than I feel this place is worth. I'd prefer to take my business to a smaller locally owned restuarant any day - and especially when it comes to Italian food.
I have only been a few times, but on each visit the service was a-ok. The wait can be a little long depending on what time you get here, but the staff tries to make up for it by being super-friendly.Listed in: Lesser of two evils
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Review from George R.
Charlotte, NC
1/14/2012
Two and a half stars, neither A-ok nor real bad.
I was at Carolina Place around 1:30 pm and decided to give this restaurant a try -I was told it's the best Eyetalian in Charlotte.
First the good part: I ordered the baked rigatoni with meat sauce and hot Italian sausage. It was excellent -if like me you like strong flavors and spicy both- nothing I'd expect from a chain restaurant. The lunch portion was huge, too much in fact.
that's it for the good.
Service was absolutely dismal for no good reason. It was neither busy nor late a late hour for lunch. I think the dinner prices are very high for Southern Italian style pasta dishes, especially considering we're in Charlotte and I think their idea of "family dining" makes life easier for the cook but does nothing for the customer.
My idea of fun dining is exactly the opposite, I want to taste as many different things I can, not pig out on a mound of carbs. -
Review from Charlie F.
Raleigh, NC
12/26/2011
12/26/11 7:45pm.
I go to the hostess station and request seating for one. Hostess asks if i wish to be seated at the bar, and I politely declined. She then said "we are not taking any more walk in business tonight."
I have a suggestion on where this place can shove a few of their meatballs. -
Review from David P.
Rock Hill, SC
5/6/2012
I have been to Buca twice now and this time was even better than the last - good enough for me to write a review about!
We went on a Saturday around 2:00 p.m. to avoid the lunch rush. There was no wait and the two of us were immediately seated in a room with just two other patrons. The background music and the decor here are absolutely wonderful. While my friend (she is Italian) gawked at the wall pictures/memorabilia, we ordered a mixed green salad and the spaghetti and meatballs.
Within two minutes our server was back with the bread, olive oil, vinegar - a great, simple appetizer that I think is MUCH better than the olive garden breadsticks. The bread was fresh baked and delicious. Within five minutes the salad was brought - I thought at first that there were two many onions but the onion flavor works very well with the italian herbs and dressing. There were also both green and black olives - mmmmmm! Plus, they give you a TON - I had five plates and she had three before we finally were out of salad. The server also got us more bread, which went very well with the salad.
We were just finishing up the salad when the spaghetti and meatballs arrived. The spaghetti noodles were thick and almost cheesy tasting. The sauce was scrumptious and the meatballs were absolutely gargantuan. I had to cut them in half just to roll them on the plate! They were well cooked and very tender on the inside - a texture almost like Grandmas's meatloaf. We KILLED the spaghetti and meatballs, couldn't stop eating even though we were beyond full. Plus I got a doggie bag so I am eating the rest at the office tomorrow afternoon :-)
tl;dr - Buca is awesome, try the spaghetti and meatballs with mixed green salad. -
Review from Vanelle L.
Huntersville, NC
1/27/2012 Seated via OpenTable
I enjoyed the ambiance of Buca di Beppo at Universal City Walk in L.A. so I decided to book our Christmas Eve dinner at the more local to us Buca. The family had never been and I knew it would be fun. As you can imagine on Christmas Eve, they were running a little behind but not majorly. Our server was delightful. The food was good, nothing exciting, and the portions large, as they are known for family style dining. It is a great value and a lot of fun for large groups.
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Review from Taylor C.
Charlotte, NC
9/24/2011
Let me start by saying their food is top notch, my favorite is baked rigatoni with whole wheat penne and I have the italian sausage replaced with ground beef. I wish they offered a small salad with the order instead of an addon but you definitely get your moneys worth in quantity. ALSO, if you are on the lookout there are ALWAYS buca coupons in the sunday papers, in valpak, and if you search for google apps on android. So if this was based on food I would give Buca a 5.
I took my Italian gf to Buca on her bday at her request and I must say the dining experience was the WORST either of us have ever experienced. We went during the week and they had maybe 8 different "tables" or groups dining in...they put us all in the same room (with the other 4-5 rooms EMPTY) and bunched us together with everyone. I'm literally sitting side by side with another group on a bench inevitably hearing every word of their conversation. Ideally you take your gf out on her Bday you want a private personable dinner where you can talk without hearing every word of someone elses conversation....that alone was bad when they had so much room in the restaurant.
On top of that we had the worst waitress ever, Cassandra.....she harassed us literally every 2-3 minutes asking us if the food was okay, talking about the weather, etc...she was interrupting us CONSTANTLY. My gf and I began being short with her so she would let us enjoy our dinner and she just didn't take the clue. On top of that the host who worked at the front door kept coming back and doing the same, CONSTANTLY. It's nice that people care that your meal is okay, but theres no need to ask us how our meal is literally every few minutes when I'm eating the same thing. My gf and I could not talk without the constant interruption.
Horrible experience dine in but we have continued to go back for their TAKE OUT....We generally will call 20-30 mins in advance, then showup to get our orders and its still not ready often we'll have to sit there and wait another 10-20 mins like they didn't start it until we got there. The food is so good, and they give you SOOOOOO much (leftovers for days) it makes it worth it but the customer service is very low in my opinion. -
Review from Rob W.
5/26/2011 13 photos
Mama Mia that's some good cheese......
Stopped by the mall on the way home the other night, and somehow ended up at the end of the parking lot in a dead end right in front of Buca Di Beppo. Not sure what drove me into this location tonight, as I have only heard of the GINORMOUS portion sizes, and we were in the mood for something very light, and did not want anything real heavy. I know, this is Italian and everything is heavy, but we decided to give them a try since the parking lot was not nearly as full as normal. (That could be good, or that could be bad) Anyhooo...we felt like an adventure none the less.
Since this was our true "first visit" we felt in order to take the tour....through the maze, into the kitchen, (hey look someone is actually eating in the kitchen) and onto the myriad of other rooms, finally locating our table in a room, with just one other "festive" couple. Apparently a few servers had been cut, so there were a few questions as to who actually had our table. One would think that was bad, however we did have at least three servers attend to our needs at the very beginning.
Of course, by now, you know I drink water, and my better have always has sweet tea. The drinks were quickly presented and we placed our very huge order of just the Mozzarella Cheese. We had the complimentary basket of bread, with Olive Oil / Balsamic Vinegar, to help soak up the very tasty Marinara Sauce left over from the Cheese Sticks.
The portion sizes were reasonable for the price, and as expected, it was enough to feed both of us, especially the 2 sections of bread.
This will be on the list for us to visit later on, we when are hungry.
Service was fast and friendly.
NCFoodGuy -
Review from Laura W.
Indian Trail, NC
3/10/2012
WORST EXPERIENCE EVER!, called ahead and asked for one of the neat rooms since my son-in-law had never been there and they seated us in the bar!! It was loud and crowded. Our waiter Aaron, had a major chip on his shoulder, he was rude and even asked us if we had already paid for the drinks we had ordered at the bar, while waiting for our lovely table. We told him we had but he looked at us as though we were lying (really??). From there it only got worse, we had to remind them several times to sing happy birthday to my son-in-law and when they finally did, they brought out a candelabra for him to blow out (pretty chintzy). Food was mediocre at best! Never asked to take us through the kitchen, which they are known for and my son in law never really got to see the decor of any of the rooms(except the bar). I could go on and on about the rude service but the thing that really got me was when they brought the salad and plates out, the plates were so hot that the lettuce wilted and went limp and soggy, the minute it touched the plate! Please, don't waste your hard earned money at an establishment that doesn't give a rats *** about pleasing the customers but rather how many people they can heard in and out in an evening.
Needless to say...I will NEVER go there again!!
Laura
Disappointed diner' -
Review from S J.
Indian Trail, NC
3/13/2009
First visit: We ordered a pizza from the menu on the wall. The ingredients were olives and tomatoes. When pizza came it was covered in onions, and there were a smattering of small chopped olives and tomatoes..it looked like an onion tart. My kids refused...to eat this. We also had to go get our own tea and water, as our waitress forgot, she never refilled...we did that too.
Another visit: my daughter wanted to have her birthday dinner there with some friends. We made reservations months in advance and called day before to confirm. They were confused when we got there....didn't acknowledge we were waiting...and finally took us into the dining room. They tried to sit us at a too small booth that had a huge tear in the seat. NO. We finally got our seat at a table that was actually large enough for all of us...service was spotty.
on to the food. There is nothing spectacular about anything they serve. It tastes like chef boy rdee, or frozen dinners. Serving family style is nice, but it is akward to go with friends and do this.
Last visit 4 of us went....3 of us were sick for several days after...2 ended up at emergency room for IV...1 went to doctor for phenegren.....we will not be back after that experience for sure!!! -
Review from Dora B.
Charlotte, NC
7/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
I love this place. I live the kitsch, I love the family style food, I love the atmosphere!
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Review from Chad E.
Updated - 10/19/2009
It's been more than three years since my original review of Buca, so I figured it's time to write again.
Though we still like Buca, and the experience is one that you should really check out if you haven't already, I'm not sure that I'd suggest you do so as heartily as I did before.
For starters, the plates of food seem to have found their way to Dr. Evil's shrinking ray. It's not uncommon these days for portions to shrink, but for whatever reason - perhaps because Buca already had large prices to begin with - the difference just seems to be much more pronounced. We still love the shtick, but it's a bit harder to swallow is all.
When it comes to value, it's not there as much as it used to be. The flavors haven't changed, and they seem to have put a lot of money into a fancy new menu to get you to buy into their plan, rather than the relatively simple menu that they used to have. The servers even seem to be working on the hard-sell now, rather than the simple family style that used to work so well. It just isn't the same.Listed in: 2009-10, Fabulous Fifty-One Food, 2006-06, Charlotte: Italian
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/14/2006 First to Review
Though it is a chain, this is one of those places that you just have to visit to appreciate. It's… Read more »
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Review from Phil T.
Charlotte, NC
8/30/2011
We have been to Buca several times and generally have had a good experience. We had the spaghetti and meatballs and lasagna. It is family dining and the portions are large. A small spaghetti is enough for two people and the same goes for the appetizers. Good value. The food is good but nothing to rave about. It is a place to go with the kids and have a decent meal. However, the service was very good. We wanted to change our table and the manager handled it right away. The waiter checked on us frequently and took care of our requests quickly. It is advisable to call ahead since it gets crowded on weekends.
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Review from Joy S.
Charlotte, NC
10/21/2008 1 photo
I think this is one of the most fun places to eat in Charlotte, especially if you can snag the kitchen table. It's a kitschy, tacky, wild and funky place, and the food is huge, plentiful, and delicious. The prices aren't bad, either.
I like the family-style service, although it's easy to over-indulge because everything is so good and so in your face.
It can get a little busy, so sometimes the servers seem a little overwhelmed. The food can take a while to come out, so although the atmosphere would be great for kids, if your little kidlet is impatient, I would recommend finding somewhere else to go on busy evenings.
They also offer curbside service if you aren't feeling the atmosphere, so order ahead of time, and they'll bring it out to you. -
Review from Zia T.
Charlotte, NC
6/13/2010
I think this is a great place to go when you have a large number of people but it is expensive. We had chicken parm (very good), fettucine alfredo (very good) and ravioli (good). The waitress was personable but a little too slow to refill glasses, bring wine, etc.
The room we were in was surprisingly quiet which was nice - we could all hear each other speak! I would go back with a large party - when I save some money! -
Review from Kristen D.
Charlotte, NC
12/2/2010
My husband and I ate at Buca di Beppo for lunch today for the first time. Neither of us were impressed. The staff was slow and somewhat unresponsive (even though it wasn't busy in the least), the food was subpar and the prices were too high for what we received.
I would not return!Comment from Mama B. of Buca di Beppo 12/3/2010
Kristen, thank you for your review, though we are sorry to… More » -
Review from Dennis s.
Charlotte, NC
7/31/2011
We haven't been here in over a year and it was time to return and see if there was any changes. First, the decor is still cool...lots of pictures, statues, albums on the wall. We were greeted by everybody working there ---very nice. Ordered the apple Gorgonzola salad. It came out wrong and had to be reordered. This is a really wonderful salad....Unfortuately it took 15 Min's to get it the second time. Their bread used to be wonderful too.....hot and fresh full of flavor now it's just plain old french bread tasteless.
Our entree of lasagna came out on a very hot plate but was cold but burnt on the bottom. Manager came to the rescue and immediately took care of the problem. I liked the idea of having the chef bring out the correct entree since it was his fault and not the waiter.
Would I go back? Probably not, too many good Italian restaurants in the area that are better -
Review from Nick S.
Gastonia, NC
10/3/2008
If you're looking to grab some good Italian food for dinner, then this place is great. Whether you're going with your family or on a date, it doesn't matter because the atmosphere of this place is unlike any other place you'll go.
Walking in, heck, even the outside of the place, you'll be amazed at the tackiness. Being half Italian, this place brings back a lot of memories of my grandmother's place. It's just so amazingly tacky, from the different types of rooms you can eat in, to the stuff on the walls & ceilings.
Buca is unique because of how they separate the seating. There are different types of themes for each room & each is very unique. I've sat in the Wine Room twice & filled wine racks cover the entire ceiling. There's also a pope room, with a spinning pope head in the middle of the table...yes...very weird. Also, I believe you have to reserve the booth located in the kitchen, but this is where you can watch the workings of the kitchen from inside of it.
The food here is great as well, with your normal favorites with some other odd creations. They have giant meatballs which are great for more than one person. You can order individual portions, but they're specialty is family style dining. So bring some people with you that have hearty appetites because you get a lot of food here.
This place may be a chain, but it's definitely a must visit if you're an Italian food fan...which I have no idea who isn't. From the uniqueness & tackiness of the place, to the great food you'll get to feed your whole party, you'll enjoy yourself & look forward to coming back soon. -
Review from Nilay N.
Charlotte, NC
The Best Italian Restaurant in Charlotte, NC. They have lot of Italian American pictures/memorabilia decorate the walls, different seating area (rooms) have different theme. We went their for dinner and I would say their size is big compare to other restaurant. I ordered a draft beer and I got a King size beer glass. I ordered Eggplant Parmesan small portion and still I was not able to finish it. overall it was very good experience so I will definitely go back again.
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Review from Amanda D.
Marlborough, MA
2/19/2010
Family style with some coworkers, we had a very affordable dinner for the 3 of us with the small sized portions. Our waitress was attentive and our meal was quite tasty. I wouldnt give them 4 stars as our waitress did forget to bring us our bread and marinara sauce and needed to be reminded but other than that, the atmostphere was clever, the food was yummy and our drinks were decent.
