Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant

I usually enjoy Buca. But this time was different. It took a very long time for someone to come and recognize I was seated.
The eggplant was cooked so hard it could not be cut.
The pasta I got with the eggplant needed salt.
The bread was not warm. The oil and vinegar to dip the bread in were not tasty as usual.
The apple Gorgonzola salad did not have any detectable dressing on it. It was still tasty but needed some more dressing.
The desert cheesecake was its usual delectable self.
Not sure if this is an off day or standard for this one establishment.

Yum! We ordered the spicy chicken rigatoni, a huge bottle of their house Rosso wine, garlic bread and calamari.
Everything was amazing!

Cannoli half filled, out of Grappa. Fine if you want American Italian food, but not great if you want the Italian food experience.

Had dinner with my family this evening. Waiter was VERY pushy, food was not fresh and overpriced, and menu and table were filthy. Bravo, Macaroni Grill, and Olive garden are all much better and less expensive.

I went a few years ago pretty consistently and it was awesome but I went back this weekend and it wasn’t at all what I remember. The food was mediocre at best. It tasted like it had been sitting and was reheated. We ordered the mini meatballs appetizer and I kept bitting on hard chunks that hurt my teeth. The place didn’t look clean. I was so disappointed.

Excellent food, great service, nice atmosphere. Joshua was our way door, and he was awesome!

The worst experience I’ve ever had. It was my birthday party and we made the reservation here a week in advance. When we got there we were seated late and at two separate tables instead of one. What’s the point of being a large party and having to sit separately??? Then we weren’t given water until late into our meals all the while it was 85 degrees or more in the restaurant. Our appetizers came out after our dinners and the bread came out after everything. It was terrible. I was embarrassed and felt awful for everyone I had invited to the dinner. This all came to a head when the waitress ran our debit cards twice. First for drinks then for our dinners. It was ridiculous. I had a few food service people in my party and they were all appalled by they way we were treated. I will never eat there again.

We had a party of 9 who went here for dinner on ¹⁰⁄₁₇. Ohio State had a home game, it was the night before the marathon and the Quarter Congress was in town. The managment team was ill perpared at best. Our reservation was at 7:30 and they were out of all cabernet and most beers. Extremely poor planning for an establishment of this size and planning for area events.
Our waitress took our drink orders and several minutes later brought 6 waters to the table and stated «she thinks she needs to bring more» 10 minutes after taking the drink orders she brought ½ of the drinks. After several requests for the remainder of the drinks they arrived over 20 minutes later after ½ our food was eaten. She never acknowledge the wait or apologized.
When our food arrived several of the dishes didn’t have serving spoons and we had to ask three servers before they finally brought some over.
The two stars are simply because the food is good. However I would not recommend this location no matter how good the food was. Not worth the aggrevation.

I just ate here this evening at the suggestion of my uncle who lives close by and eats here often. We ordered the red sangria, calamari to start, meatballs, and pasta a la vodka. The biggest disappointment was the vodka sauce. I order this at almost every Italian restaurant I eat at and sadly this version did not live up to its competitors. There was an over abundance of garlic and spicy pepper flakes. None of this was mentioned on the menu by the way. It would have not been an issue except the manager never came to the table, as requested by the waitress. That is extremely poor management in my book. We were told that they have new management so maybe they need to learn a thing or two. I’m also a bit surprised that they took away soup at dinner. Overall, this would not be my first choice for an Italian dinner.

Buca is near and dear to my heart. Everything about it makes me feel like I’m at my grandparents’ house, including the food. So much food. Everything is served family style, which can be kind of annoying when you go there as a party of 2 and you can only order one dish, but if you go with a big group it can be so much fun! They have many different Italian dishes to try, not just pasta, and everything from their salads to their appetizers to their desserts tastes great and comes in HUGE portions. There are some dishes which feel a little too Americanized, but overall, I love the food, I love the décor, and I love how the entire restaurant is like a maze of tiny hallways covered in old photos.
The parking for this specific location can be a little difficult, but if you’re going to Nationwide Arena for something anyway, I think it is one of your best food options!

Ordered a large calamari for the the table that was frankly quite small, especially given that the servings are supposed to be family size. The cake in the Mount Vesuvius dessert was a bit dry. And my sparkling red wine was not sparkling — zero carbonation. Plus, I was given the quartino size instead of the single glass, which was unnecessary and meant I had to pay more. Moreover, when I tried to order the wine the waitress expressed unease at our table’s level of tipsiness. Granted, we WERE loud and tipsy, but nothing crazy and certainly not enough to disturb the EMPTY TABLES AND EMPTY ROOM. Also seems paradoxical to be concerned about a group’s alcohol intake, then give someone in that party a larger than desired quantity of wine.

How I have gone so many years without eating here is rather crazy since I feel I am the only one of my friends who had never been.
The style was a little different to me but rather fun. We had gone for a friends birthday so a rather large group. Everyone picked out and agreed on the various meals to choose from. Server was always there, friendly and ready to get us anything we needed.
The food was darn tasty… and being my first time I had a chance to sample so many dishes. The desert we all shared was just so huge but it goes with their style of sharing. I really enjoyed this concept and will go back in the future for sure.
I must note how this location is a maze to get around. Not a bad thing just kinda fun. a new room everywhere you go.

I made Valentine’s Day reservations for a specific room. (So they didn’t stick us into the same room that we always seemed get thrown in.) Since they do cater to requests for their themed rooms for reservations. Since a larger group had already booked the room, they didn’t bother to tell me. (at the time I made my reservation.)
So when we got there, they told us sorry the room had a larger group and they were going to put us «somewhere» to accommodate all of the over-​flow. This area was where they put ALL the couples (parties of two). Who also trying to have a intimate and romantic dinner. We really didn’t like how close and squished in we were. Which didn’t feel like it was romantic or intimate at all.
We love this restaurant, the service and the food on ANY other day, just not on holidays on days with events anymore.

Poor quality of food! Dry chicken and soupy pasta. Garlic cheese bread was bland. Badly tattered, dirty table cloth. Good service by Holly though! We will not go back but hope to see her at another restaurant.

I feel like they need an extra star, because they get riffed for being a chain.
This place, I came with now now deceased mom many years ago — and it’s the same damn place now, as it was when I worked downtown.
It’s good. It’s simple. It’s fuckin’ Italian family style dining.
The most recent trip? Ten of us, for my friend’s birthday. We all ordered small plates, passed it around, tried a little of everything, the staff was good, friendly, attentive.
All in all, a great experience. And when you are in a large group, and want some good comfort food? This is a good place to go.

Buca, I have been waiting to review you for many a moon so I hope you’re listening up.
To begin, we have never come as less than a group of 10. And with our numbers having reached 20 plus, we follow the reservation route. Over the years you have clearly aspired to attract and more importantly accommodate such gatherings via the table arrangements, family style menu, and servers who do not run for the hills when there are similarly sized groups throughout the restaurant.
I’d like to start with what I’ve unfortunately seen decline. — Is it just me or has the overall Buca di Beppo experience been set aside? When we used to arrive, the host would explain why we were walking through the kitchen, point out the various themes, wave to tables, and explain the «history.» Cheesy? Yes. But it served to set a fun, more inviting mood. Most recently we were simply shepherded to our table and left to wait for our server to appear. Thought you all marketed a vibe?
So I know cooking large quantities of Italian dishes is a feat. And I used to love quite a few of those dishes (calamari, pizza, and ravioli). This leves me to dislike honestly feeling as if flavor has been set on your back burner. Sure our recent round of dishes were all good (yes, even the no-​cheese veggie pizza made for my vegan cousin) and no one left hungry… but nothing was memorable. Sauce, which should be your backbone, needs revamped.
Now onto the reasons we return. — The larger portions and their presentation encourage sharing and interaction.
Genial and efficient service that still manages to not feel rushed.
And of course the kitschy décor which ensures you will continuously find new things to discuss. Yeah, it’s a chain but this location feels unique.
To wrap this long winded review up, I’ll say food: 2.5 stars, service 4 stars, ambiance 5 stars. Shall see where you go, Buca.

Thursday night, empty dining areas. Should make for a cozy experience. It is 30 degrees outside. Why is the vent fans blowing cool air. Waiter was willing to move our table to one of the other empty ones in our section. Food was ok & took 40 minutes to come. Waiter was nice. It’s a bit pricey for the experience. $ 70 for two is a bit steep for quality and quanity. Could have been a little better.

Food — Tasty. I’m not sure it’s entirely worth the price though. Sometimes I feel like their prices are highway robbery considering it’s PASTA. But I’ve never ordered a bad thing here. Absolutely love the Apple Gorgonzola salad and the Antipasto salads. The spicy chicken rigatoni is also amazing. Dinner is family style, but lunch you can order individual portions. For lunch I’ve gotten the Chicken Parmesan and it’s always good.
Service was fine. I’ve heard it’s fun to sit at the round tables, but I’ve never had a chance to.
Good option for lunch downtown, but there are so many better local places around Arena District and downtown that are worth trying instead.

This restaurant is… massive.
Seriously, we walked and we walked and we walked and I genuinely wondered if the restaurant may ever end (spoiler: it does eventually stop). Everything about Buca was very, okay. The food was your standard pasta and sauce and the salad was your standard tossed salad; everything you would expect out of a chain Italian restaurant. But, let’s not focus on what was… okay, let’s focus on where they went above and beyond.
I was with a particularly large party (23) and we only had two servers. They were absolutely phenomenal. Just truly accommodating to a rather rowdy bunch of adults and super attentive to a person who went through — at minimum — 30 glasses of water with his meal (I wish I were exaggerating). The restaurant was very kitschy and the service was just, truly astounding.
Bottom line: the food was standard and probably wouldn’t have me running back through the door. The service? Just truly top of the line and was comparable to some of the bougiest of establishments.

There would have been a time when I would have told you that Buca was a really cool place to take your family or some friends to go eat. I’ve aged, and Buca hasn’t. There must have been 75 people waiting to get in when we arrived at around 5 yesterday. 75! Still, we got seated relatively quickly, and the dining room is great if you like crowded and loud.
With our group of 14, we had to have high level negotiations as to what food to order. We went with 2 orders of Florentine cheesy bread and two salads. The cheesy bread is great, and the apple gorgonzola salad was pretty good as well. For entrees, we got a pesto penne, spicy chicken something or other, and a baked ziti. The spicy chicken dish was by far the best! (I actually didn’t eat the chicken, but had some of the pasta, which was very flavorful). The other two entrees were just average. Three sides included a small serving of brocolli, garlic mashed potatoes, and meatballs. I only got to try the mashed potatoes. They were fine, but I remembered them being fantastic so I was a little disappointed.
Service was surprisingly good, and we were in and out in about 90 minutes. I deem that a success.
It turned out our meal cost $ 20 a head (no drinks), which you could get much better food for that price elsewhere. Overall, I doubt I’ll be visiting again anytime soon, but I do see the charm in what is a unique atmosphere.