Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant

Unlike other fancy Italian restaurants Buca is inexpensive the menu is always changing. I visit this restaurant once every two or three months and I always find something new to try. I used to be a regular at this location when Kelly was the GM and since she left I have not been coming as often but I must recognize that both food and service remain among the best in Palo Alto. The most I try other restaurants the most I like Buca; for instance a few days ago I paid $ 50 for 4 pieces of ravioli and a salad at Il Fornaio and to be honest for that price I could have fed a family of 4 at Buca di Beppo.

Don’t do it! You may think to yourself… I’ve been there before, it’s not too bad. Well self, you are wrong. This was the worst service I’ve ever seen in a restaurant. From the moment of seating until when we finally got the bill it was a comedy of errors with only around 25% of our order eventually making it to our table. At one point our waitress was heard to exclaim «aww hell no» as at least one of our entrees was served to a different table before she pulled it from the hands of another patron and served it to us. We saw the manager rushing to hid in the back room and I was surprised he wasn’t fired for this evening’s performance. It’s Palo Alto, you can do much better. The décor and large plates don’t matter at all when it takes two hours to get a cheese pizza.

Shockingly bad. Darlene, our waitress, did the best she could with whatever there was happening in the kitchen. And the manager? We saw him– hiding? It would have been an excellent time for a manager to step in with a few words. So many things more I could say, but this dinner started at 5:15, and we are past the 2.5 hour mark.

Per my best memory, I think this was the first time for me at a Bucca di Peppo restaurant, I might have tried another location when I was younger, but I don’t quite remember it.
For this location, it is a bit weird since you have to enter through their kitchen. I don’t know how sanitary that is, but the kitchen seemed pretty clean. We stood at the doorway looking confused for a moment before someone told us to keep going in and then we saw the dining area. Also, do all the locations have the same décor? It looks old, grungy, and worn down. It is also dark and felt like there was a lot going on with the decorations. The bathroom was very worn down and old looking as well.
The food? It was decent. It does seem like a great deal with huge portions to be shared among everyone. It would be hard coming here with a small group since you can’t order too much. They gave us a large amount of bread in the beginning. My co-​workers and I ordered a small pasta (Spicy Chicken Rigatoni) to share. For 25.99, it wasn’t bad. We even had a little left over. The pasta was a tad but undercooked for me, but the flavor and sauce was nice.
Overall, I wished the place looked nicer and cleaner. But I had a nice time, and am thinking about trying a different location and see how it is.

We went to this location of Buca di Beppo on a Sunday evening with a reservation. When we walked in, the hostess was not there so we just waited while 2 individual waitresses walked by. No eye contact or a word telling us that the hostess will be with us shortly, which is was I would expect. The hostess finally came back in about 2 – 3 mins and walked us to our table. We had a party of 3, including my wife, myself, and our 2 year old son. No question was asked if we needed a booster or a high chair. No kids menu were offered. No crayons or drawing paper for the kid, which I am not upset about because I don’t expect that every time. We then asked for a high chair. Not once, but twice, until one was brought over.
Our waiter then came by and offered to take our beverage orders. We asked if they have a kids menu, and he promptly brought us one, along with the crayons. The drinks came, with one of the drinks spilling over the table, and he didn’t bring straws. He said he will be right back with the straws, but 5 mins later, no straws. We had to ask another waiter/​busser for the straws. I guess he just forgot.
Finally we ordered our appetizers and food. The appetizer, fried calamari, came rather quickly. But everything else came 30 minutes later.
In summary, the food was ok but the service was unattentive and slow, and made me felt like they didn’t need our business. I don’t think I will be coming back anytime soon.

I’ve been to several Buca Di Peppo and all of the locations I’ve been to, I felt claustrophobic. The tables are too close to each other. Most of the time, you’re seated against the wall. To get up and use the restroom, you have to go through all your seat mates. With all the décor, I felt like a hoarder!
The food here is average. Nothing really special. I guess you come here for the family style meal and the Italian ambiance. It is good for large group. They serve large plates of pasta for all to share. Plus the tight space, everyone can hear each other; plus or minus, it’s up to you.
To come back, maybe?

Their days in Palo Alto are limited. No gluten-​free pasta, still serving iceberg lettuce in their salads, etc. That can work in less expensive markets, but they’ll get outdone in Palo Alto.

I’ve been to this restaurant once awhile back in SF for a Christmas luncheon with my fellow co-​workers. Just this weekend, we celebrated our friend’s birthday for dinner. We had dinner reservation so waiting in line was no problem. We were seated upstairs for birthday celebrants. I felt the tables for each celebrants were a bit too close for comfort. Our waitress was very accommodating and was there when we needed refilled drinks, napkins, and utensils.
After getting our salad and dinner meals, it was odd that we had to ask for slice of bread afterwards. Their Apple Gorgonzola Salad with dried cranberries and spiced walnuts was mouth watering. We had calamari for appetizer. We ordered large dishes of pasta plates; shrimp florentine, linguini Frutti di Mare, and chicken marsala. The choice of pastas were great, but for some reason, we weren’t able to taste the flavor of the sauce. It needed more Parmesan cheese to add flavor to the taste. I felt as if the taste was a bit bland. Otherwise, our experience with the food would have been better.
A great place to celebrate birthdays with friends and families, but my expectation with great taste of pasta wasn’t all there that night.

Everything about this place is tacky. When you walk in, it’s confusing because you literally have to navigate the halls of the kitchen. Upon arriving at the hostess stand, you must crane your neck up because it’s several feet off the ground for no apparent reason.
Once seated, I had to look at the paper menu on a red checkered tablecloth. Our pasta dish arrived in about 5 minutes, which is far too fast for a sit down restaurant. I will give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they were going for al dente, but it was undercooked and not good. I found several different noodles in the dish, which solidifies my theory that it was rushed and thrown together.
At the end of the dinner, my date wanted me to Venmo him a $ 10 difference because I got wine and he didn’t. This was the kicker to an overall displeasing dining experience.
Will not be back.

I just want to give a BIG shout out to the servers and hostess at this location. While celebrating my birthday, we got blown off by the restaurant next door. So, we went to Buca and the hostess worked her magic to sit a party of 6 + baby. It was a Fri. night, 7pm (prime time). I was so impress and glad that she was able to help me celebrate my b-​day.
And our server was soooo attentive.
Thanks to Buca I ended having a fun birthday dinner, after all.

Buca is good for large groups, birthday parties, etc. The food is good but WAY overpriced in my opinion. The baked ziti is probably one of the best dishes there. Their alfredo is super bland though.

Good food best enjoyed with large company.
Buca di Beppo is a family style restaurant. So while dishes might cost $ 20-​$ 50, know that they are meant to feed 2 – 8 people each. The best strategy is to come with a group of four or more, order about one dish per two or three people, and enjoy. I can’t possibly go through all of the dishes I’ve had at Buca, but I can go over some of my «must have» favorites.
If you’re looking for a salad, look no further than the apple gorgonzola salad. It’s crisp and refreshing and a great opener for your meal. Need a vegetarian dish? The eggplant parm is made with thick cut eggplants and drenched in sauce and cheese. It’s very filling for a veggie dish. For a meat course, try out the Marsala with either chicken or veal. I prefer the chicken as it lends itself well to the sweet sauce and plentiful mushrooms, but the veal is also a great choice for people who want a more savory dish.
This particular Buca has a strange entrance, requiring customers to pass through part of the kitchen to get to seating hostess. This isn’t necessarily a mark down, but do be warned that you are going the right way when you go through the front doors and see a bus boy walk by.
Another nice touch about Buca is their setting, from the old Italian photos on the wall to classic Italian music played throughout your meal. It feels a bit artificial, but in a quant and fun way. The atmosphere makes me want to come with my friends and family, eating while talking the night away in loud conversations.
Buca di Beppo is your Italian restaurant for big portions, if you don’t mind a less than authentic Italian restaurant.

Ordered catering for a large corporate event today and the driver called me at the time they were supposed to be here to tell me he was running late. 20 minutes later he showed up and I had to help him cart everything in and set up while my 75 guests waited in line.
I know this is not the drivers fault… He really did try.
Called Buca’s to let them know what happened and they put me on hold listening to «Amore» on loop for 10 minutes while the manager was parking his car. Called back and was transferred to no one and no one has called me back. Never again! Bad customer service!

The Most Unfortunate Experience I have had a Bucca di Beppo… EVER
BAD AMBIANCE– You enter the restaurant through the kitchen, a little weird… I felt like we were eating underground, we were placed in a room with no windows, separated from another room by a dingy curtain. The music playing was way too loud, and these weird spotlights were shining right on our faces. I felt like we were trapped in a strange box.
OK SERVICE– Nicki my server was very attentive and amazing! Nicki the host was a little rude. And throughout the entire hour we dined, our neighboring tables were getting loudly cleared and set up constantly.
OK FOOD– It was so-​so, but didn’t taste as good as other locations, however that could be because the ambiance made me uncomfortable
I had such fond memories of family trips to Bucca di Beppo in SoCal. When I saw a Groupon I bought it and wanted to take my boyfriend since he had never been. I talked it up so much, but was mortified after our experience. I kept explaining that the ones in SoCal were so different. I don’t know how this location is still in business.

Wow, where do I begin… I didn’t expect a fabulous meal from the Buca chain here in Palo Alto, but tonight was a complete disappointment in terms of food and service (the only highlights were that I spent the evening with my family and I found a rockstar parking space right in front of the restaurant). Here’s the breakdown:
1. Fried calamari, which is one of my favorite appetizers, was overly deep fried and had a rubbery texture and chew (no tenderness whatsoever and I could tell it was frozen beforehand). The rings and tentacles were so small that I have no idea what species of squid it belongs to (definitely not the giant type from the deep).
2. The classic spaghetti and meatballs we ordered reminded me of the stuff I ate in high school or at a really bad buffet. The sauce was completely watery and extremely bland despite the good amount of chunky chopped tomatoes. Although the meatballs were very large and moist, they lacked any seasoning or flavor which further added to the bland-​ness of this dish. Surprisingly, the noodles were actually al dente and had a nice bite, but it didn’t make up for the lackluster sauce and meatballs. I would have enjoyed Prego or Ragu sauce and a big package of Aidells meatballs from Costco a lot more than this particular dud!
3. The spicy chicken rigatoni was rich and creamy and had a fair amount of sliced chicken breast, but the sauce lacked spiciness and I had to add black pepper from the pepper mill to give it any umph. What really brought this pasta dish down was the undercooked rigatoni which was very gummy on the exterior of the pasta and a bit hard on the inside. I suppose microwaving the remaining leftovers might make it better. We shall see…
4. The only decent parts of our menu this evening were the complimentary sourdough bread (soft and chewy and came with a plate of oil and vinegar) and our thin crust Supremo Italiano pizza (basically a combination pizza). The pizza was flavorful, but a bit salty from the pepperoni and sausage (it was the only entrée we actually finished).
5. Finally, the service here started out well, but then declined pretty quickly. Our server, Nicole, was very friendly and courteous; however, she was forgetful and inattentive (e.g., didn’t bring us what we asked for like extra napkins, never asked if we wanted drink refills or even brought any refills, etc.). When we asked for takeout boxes for our leftovers, she initially brought over 1 bottom container and 3 lids and we had to track her down again for more bottom containers. Lastly, she gave us the wrong check, which belonged to another table, and I had to ask another server to track her down so I could get the correct check which further delayed my departure. By the way, I should mention that it was frigid cold inside the restaurant which made the environment and ambiance even more miserable (ironically, Nicole said we would get used to it, LOL).
This was most likely my last visit to any Buca chain (unless invited to some party function or there’s a reported miraculous breakthrough of good servers and chefs), and I would have enjoyed a similar meal at Maggiano’s much more. Better yet, my own home cooked pastas and pizza would have even been better than the cafeteria-​grade food being prepared and served at this aging, rock-​bottom, and sub-​par restaurant. Farewell Buca…

I can count on one hand the number of times I have walked out of a restaurant without eating. The service here made us feel incredibly unwelcome from the get go. We entered at 8:15 and had to work to get the hostess’ attention. When we did we were told there were no tables available.
Call me old fashioned, but at that point I would have assumed any courteous hostess would tell me how long the wait is, or offer us some more information. After an awkward pause we asked, and the hostess replied. «I don’t know. The restaurant closes at 9. So…»
I’ve NEVER in my life encountered a hostess who didn’t know how to deal with arranging seating or providing information to patrons who arrive 45 minutes prior to closing. Sure, maybe your restaurant is full! But don’t you have a list for who gets next table?! There are established expectations on how often tables open up. And your restaurant does not close for 45 more minutes!
After standing awkwardly, expecting the hostess to be more helpful. We sheugged and gestures to leave. She then said «you could always just sit at the bar?»
I’ve been to Bucca several times at other locations and had never ordered food there. We asked, «is that even possible». She replied «I think so. Ask the bartender» well we went in and sat, and saw the bartender cleaning up. We asked, and he said he wasn’t sure. And that he was being sent home early so he wouldn’t be there to man the bar anyway.
At this point my date and I simply left. No one at this establishment cared whether we ate or not. They barely wanted to seat us, let alone serve us. It was my impression that everyone just wanted to go home as close to closing time as possible.
Congratulations, I’ll never attend this location again.

A very odd entrance to the restaurant one would feel even more awkward as it’s not clean at all. Yes unfortunately I felt a little unappetizing the moment I entered. Huge bowl of Icream Sunday and another dessert on display didn’t do it for me. Very huge portion of pasta rigatoni tasted good but didn’t get finished among 4 hungry eaters. The florentine bread was ok not upto my choice. I would give 3 stars for decent service and of course the birthday song they sing for every table celebrating which is a nice touch.
Not sure if I will be back anytime soon but folks please do something about the entrance!

I understand you get a lot of food. A lot. I get that. What I don’t get is why is there always a parade of patrons waiting to get seated like it’s some grand privilege to be served substandard food, because that’s EXACTLY what is going on here. Mind boggling.
First off, the bread and oil they serve you seems like what you would be served at an Italian prison. Low, low quality on both ends.
I’ve had several of the dishes on here, because I went to a B’nai Mitzvah that was catered by them and also the pastas we tried here the one time I dined in. It’s like they are cooking this dishes to be completely average and safe. Not my cup of tea, even though I love carbs and cheese like no other.
The best thing about this place is the service. Fantastic! The time we went, DeWann was an absolute superstar. One of the best waiters I’ve had in a while.
And, I’m assuming most use coupons when dining here (unless you are a stone cold moron… sorry, but you are if you pay full price here), so don’t forget to tip on the pre-​discounted amounts. And tip well.

For an Italian chain, the food is surprisingly good and it’s way, way better than Olive Garden. They have a good selection of Italian staples and more, and the food comes out piping hot. Downside is that everything is served family style, so it’s not really ideal for small parties because you can’t order much, unless you want a bunch of leftovers. The quattro al forno is really good and their colossal brownie is worth the indulgence, at least once.
Décor is festive and welcoming and servers are nice and friendly.

I was quite surprised to find out this chain was in Palo Alto. Location is easy to find and parking is on the streets. There is a parking garage close by but why pay?
The place is cramped like the restaurant in SF. For some reason, the temperature of this place had different levels like in SF. Down stairs was ok with a bar that was pretty small. They seated our group upstairs as it seemed to be for large groups. It was hot up there and explained the AC broke. It just was not our day as it was a very warm day that day.
The waiter was pretty cool and put an electric fan for us but he didn’t put it directly to us; to the whole room. Oh well. We ordered drinks, white sangria carafe and peach belleni were good! We ordered many family style dishes like trio appetizer plate, meatballs, cheesy garlic bread was good. We ordered gnocchi dish which I forgot the name. We ordered mashed potatoes and a Parmesan cheese stuffed chicken. I forgot what the name of it was. I have ordered lasagna before and clams seafood pasta. Everything is pretty rich and you need to balance this with light dishes or order plenty of drinks. I think this is not a restaurant I can go to often. It was ok experience for food as I have gone to better but the service was superb…