Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant

Went here Sunday evening for dinner with my fiancé! Our sever and every person we interacted with was very friendly. The bread came out first with olive oil and balsamic. I liked it a lot! Next came the apple, walnut salad. Very fresh! Although the dressing was a bit bitter. For our main course we had baked ziti and a meatball. Both were delicious.
Viewing and smelling the bathroom was disappointing! I had to hold my breath! Gross! I can see how some people call this place «dirty». It’s sad because the food and people were great!

Mediocre, moderately over-​priced American Italian food coming in oversized portions, but a very fun atmosphere.

At 5pm on a Saturday, my visiting niece decided that she was really in the mood for Italian for dinner, so, after 15 phone calls to totally booked restaurants, we ended up at Bucca di Beppo at Station Square…
You all know the set up… family style, «Small» dishes serve 2 – 3, «Large» are for 4 – 5.
For 4 of us we ordered a pasta, a meat, and a salad to start, all smalls, and well enough food.
The bread is the «Italitan» equivalent of Wonder Bread… soft, flavorless, no crust to speak of, but at least they bring olive oil (with a little balsamic) to dip it in,
The Caesar salad was perfectly ok.
The «Famous» Spaghetti and Meatballs… OK, the meatballs are quite good… really nice texture, and a good, if not exciting flavor, and the pasta was correctly cooked. But the sauce… A few squashed canned tomatoes and at least a pint of tomatoey water. No real seasoning or flavor whatsoever. It might have helped if the grated cheese was, in fact, Parmesan or Peccorino Romano, but it tasted like it was all filler… which is to say that it really didn’t taste… at all.
But…
The Veal Saltimboca was, surprisingly, quite good… nicely cooked, the veal tender, the ham nicely done, and the artichokes grilled… very good, really.
I think, if I were to go there again, I would order a meat or two, and get a side order of fettuccini Alfredo, which is hard to screw up.

3.5
Pretty hearty big italian family meal. Liked the concept of this restaurant… alot actually, its presenting a nice family experience in Station Square. This was my first time in the square, and we didn’t get a reservation at our first choice restaurant, so we came here. Good experience… delicious italian food that everyone shared. Older establishment but nonetheless a good personal experience with family/​friends– WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT.
Pictures everywhere… not the fanciest eatery, little pricey– but you share. Deserves a better rating than a 2.5, perhaps a 3+.

Fantastic Service and Great atmosphere. It would be awesome though to expand on a non-​animal option on the menu.

Wow. Went for lunch and dropped 100… Because you can only order group dishes… Then at the end waitress mentioned a lunch menu… Haha on us. She had no tables that day so why not miss mentioning that so she gets some tips I guess?! Food classic Italian and slightly above average for that genre. Ambiance is great and the reason to go. Will never go back though after spending 100 for a 40 dollar lunch. So got us once but that is it forever…

Resturant was not very busy but the service was quite slow. My daughter and I wanted a pizza and surprised at the cost for a pizza. It was basically like flat bread with cheese. The bread they brought out was cold and seemed like could have been sitting there most of the day.
I did receive a call from their DM this morning about our experience at this location last night after a survey I filled out on line. Very impressed with their promptness in responding to complaints.

What I like is that all food is shareable! Large portions and great menu selection. Can’t go wrong!

Despite my negative first experience here, I found myself back recently and we actually enjoyed dining here. Service was much better and more professional (for both lunch and dinner), if only just a bit slow afterward for getting the check. Food was not half bad either. Meatballs were on the big side (then again, so was everything else), but very hearty, especially with the marinara sauce. We really liked the make-​your-​own combination pasta, which allowed us to customize everything from the pasta to the sauce to the meat and vegetables. With up to three veggies and a meat, it was a pretty filling meal, even with the small size for two people. The marinara was a bit watery when we got this, but that was the only negative that we found.

Wow. So much to say about the Thanksgiving 2015 experience. I realize the last time I reviewed Buca was in 2007, and my have things changed. It’s a chain, I get that, more on that later.
We arrived with a reservation for 6 but added two who were not eating. That threw them through a bit of a loop but they handled it well. If it weren’t for the staff being able to rework the reservation, they would have gotten 1 star.
What I remember most fondly about Buca was their garlic bread with cheese. It used to be served in this cast-​iron pie dish. Not anymore. Instead, this gummy, undercooked (COLD) garlic bread arrived at the table. I guess cold is the theme for the meal. The house salad did fine but was sort of not impressive enough to distract from the cold bread. Wine was served. And drank. And drank. Because it took our food FOREVER to come. We ordered the traditional Thanksgiving meal for 10 and a large side of pasta (when in Rome).
After our meal arrived, we dug in. Turkey Breast (so SO DRY) on top of stuffing (which most folks liked) both were COLD. Mashed potatoes (those were pretty good, but cold. If they weren’t cold, I would have had seconds). Green beans (cold). We told the waitress but she was empathatic. The manager came out and offered to give us more food but because we had waited SO LONG to begin with, we dug in and didn’t find it necessary to wait again for more food. Pasta dish was cold on the top and hot on the bottom.
I think a lot could improve on this visit. The restaurant wasn’t packed, so there was definitely some disconnect between the kitchen and the servers. I likely will not return to Buca. The empathetic management and poor quality of food is just not worth the expense.

I wish I could give this restaurant zero stars. It was the worst experience of my life. Never ever go there!!! Food was terrible. Service was horrible. My family used to go there at least once a month for years and years. But I can honestly say this location is a disgrace and should be shut down. We used to like it so much we chose this chain when we were on a family trip. Being that it was always consistent. The experience I had will force me never ever to go back. Frankly I’m appalled at how much it has gone downhill in the past few years. They offered to comp my garlic bread for my poor experience. I said I would pay for it. I wanted the manager to understand I’m not trying to get a discount. I was complaining so she would realize how many things went wrong with my experience.
1. Dirty table and booth
2. Not greeted timely by the waitress
3. Drinks were not refilled
4. Garlic bread did not come out with app as requested
5. Manager said ticket time for dinner was only over 30mins even though we put it in over an hour earlier. Claiming the food is put in after the app. Which is fine if the waitress courses it properly. However 20 mins after we ordered we were told that they were out of ravioli. And we’re treated as if we were inconveniencing them.
6. Manager talked to us and tried to be friendly but did nothing to speed up or improve our service
7. The kitchen staff was laughing and yelling so loud I could here it from the dining room
8. Bathrooms were a disgrace. Dirty and smelled
9. Table tents were dirty
I always patiently wait if I see my waitress is busy or I can tell the staff is overwhelmed. It was a Wednesday at 8. Maybe 3 tables were there and plenty of staff. I consider myself to be a reasonable person. I cannot fathom how this place is even open. The location is phenomenal. But everything else about this restaurant is gone. Save your money. The buca of the past with great family style American Italian food is now a dilapidated she’ll of what it was.

I am a food critic from Atlanta — here in Pittsburgh on business. Stopped into this place briefly. Hoping to find a bite before my next call. Simply put — this place is a rat-​hole. I was sitting at the bar where the gnats had more than 100 x the patronship. Somebody from“Corporate” was here training — and the one table they had was neglected. The mom found menus for her kids. I travel ALL the time and can relate to restaurants — this one — don’t bother. Instead go to Bar Louie which is across the street.

I do NOT even want to give this restaurant one star. This restaurant should be closed!!! I bought a groupon last month and went in to use it for a take out order. While I waited in the bar area off of the lobby, I noticed that there were these plug in floral air fresheners. It smelled horrible all around me. Apparently they are attempting to mask the dirty smell that was coming from the carpeted floor and walls around me. Next, I thought that I saw a mouse! I was not sure so I stood up and went into the well lit Lobby. It smelled in that area also. I decided to go upstairs to the ladies room. The entire way up the disgusting odor was all around. I passed the kitchen area into the filthy bathroom. I didn’t use it, I turned around and returned to the Lobby. I paid for my order, gathered it and left. I am not going to say what I did with the food. Do NOT eat here.
ATTENTION STATION SQUARE… YOU NEED QUALITY RESTAURANTS IN AN AREA THAT MANY TOURISTS VISIT! This city has an amazing culinary reputation! I can’t believe this place is open!

Don’t bother wasting your time or money going here. My boyfriend and I have been to various Bucas with no problems at all. We had just finished coming from a tour with Molly Trolleys.
We got seated in the area where the bar is at and waiter was nice. After placing our order which was a side order of spaghetti and fettuccine Alfredo with two meatballs, we asked and decided to move to a different booth due to cold air ventilation.
Our order came out fine and as we are eating I glanced up towards the bar and to my sighting I see what I thought to be a rat run across the floor. I took a double take as I couldn’t believe it and raised my voice to my boyfriend in disgust to see what actually happened to be a mouse run under the original booth we were previously sitting at.
I was so disgusted and my boyfriend and I were in shock that we stopped eating our food and didn’t even finish our dinner. We stood up and told the guy at the bar if we can get our check. I quote my boyfriend told him dude I believe and think you have rats in your restaurant as we just saw one run across the floor. The bartender said and I quote «no sir we don’t have rats we only have mice». My boyfriend and I looked at each other and at him to tell him we want our check and done.
As we are standing and waiting, the bartender came and told us that the manager would come to see us. During our waiting period to get our bill and have the manager see us, guess what!!! We see another mouse run across the floor. At this time we are totally disgusted and done and the guy who was our waiter came out to let us know our bill has been taken care of.
My boyfriend and I are disgusted and hope not to get sick from eating here. We are also in shock that an employee (bartender) would respond as if it’s normal and ok they have mice. I believe this is a serious health issue and sanitation concern. I hope others read this review before considering eating at this disgusting and horrible establishment

Shortly after my negative review here on Unilocal!,Buca corporate contacted me in Unilocal mail to get my contact info to discuss my experience.
Contact info was provided and no one has contacted me.
This is about as spot on as the dining experience… Fail…

I’ve been to several Buca di Beppo restaurants in Maryland before coming to this one. Each time, I’ve become less impressed with their food. Yes, they serve massive portions, intending to follow their mission of serving family-​style meals and thus contributing to the obesity epidemic in the United States. However, the quality of their food is mediocre at best. As the saying goes, «Quality over quantity (unless the quantity of your meal is the size of a golf ball).»
So, my friend and I came here for lunch. It was the middle of the week, so we did not expect there to be too much going on. We entered the restaurant and told the hostess that we’d like a table for two. To our surprise, she said there would be a 15-​minute wait. I looked around and there were quite a few empty booths. I thought maybe they were short-staffed…but my friend and I decided to look at the menu while we waited. There was another group who came in after us who had made reservations, so they were promptly led to their seats. I started thinking maybe we should have made reservations, but the hostess interrupted my train of thought by telling us that our table is ready. She led us to the third floor, past several empty booths and tables, and showed us to our booth.
Before ordering our food, we had use the restroom. Inside the men’s restroom, we discovered a number of very interesting pictures. Of children. Showing their naked butts.
…
So after a good laugh, we made it to our booth and perused the menu. My being a vegetarian, and my friend wanting to do everything he can to accommodate me, we took a bit longer than expected to decide what to order. Our waitress came by two or three times to ask if we decided. I felt so sorry for her because we kept being hesitant and making last minute changes, especially after realizing that pasta does NOT come with the eggplant parmigiana (honestly, who doesn’t eat _​_​_​_​_​parmigiana WITHOUT pasta?!). Eventually, we decided on the food. I ordered a white sangria and a large Pizza con Formaggio; my friend ordered the eggplant parmigiana with an extra side order of spaghetti marinara.
After 5 minutes, my white sangria came, which was very good! About 10 minutes later, our pizza came. Our waitress placed the pizza board on top of two «pizza cans» that serve to elevate the pizza to make room for the eggplant parmigiana and the spaghetti marinara. After attempting to slice the pizza, we banished the pizza cans to the side of the table and laid the pizza board on the table, which made it a lot easier to cut and serve.
The pizza was cheesy, saucy, and good. I felt it didn’t have much flavor besides the cheese and tomato sauce. I did my best to search for the «garlic-​infused oil» flavor that the menu clearly stated, but my tongue could not detect it.
The eggplant parmigiana was okay. There was more fried batter and cheese than eggplant, however. I felt like I was chewing into a thick and slightly wet cheesy tempura. I looked inside and found the thinnest slice of eggplant ever. I thought the eggplant was supposed to be the star of a dish called eggplant parmigiana???
Overall, the highlight of my meal was the white sangria (not that I’m an alcoholic, mind you). The food was not authentic, the portion sizes were a bit much (I’m sure some people may like that), and the quality of the food was mediocre at best. If you’re looking to gorge yourself on Americanized Italian food, this is the place to go! If you want to treat yourself to an authentic Italian meal, steer clear of this chain restaurant. While I haven’t been to many Italian restaurants in Pittsburgh, I know there are places that serve authentic Italian cuisine somewhere in the city.

As with all chains, I prefer to review this Buca compared to other locations and have that weigh heavily on the rating.
The service here is slow.
When I walked through the kitchen they seemed very confused and disorganized.
The carpets are old, worn, and dirty.
Restrooms are not terribly clean, and in need of a major update.
The food is OK — cookie cutter to all Bucas. Reasonably good. Too bad it took an hour for food to show up.
«Only if you have to.»

Delicious! We were looking for another restaurant and we couldn’t find it… Then this nice guy (older man) approached us and invited us to walk in to his restaurant. We absolutely liked everything we ordered. The waitress gave us salad for free with the menu. My husband ordered lamb; he said it was very taste. I ordered the classic fettuccini alfredo. I gave my pasta 9.5 out of 10.

Very disappointing, fun atmosphere but food wasn’t any better than a a fast food Italian restaurant. We started with the trio appetizer, the first time it came out everything was cold. Second time, the calamari was overcooked, the mushrooms had been warmed up in the microwave and were like hot lava and the fried cheese was still cold.
The salad was a big bowl of lettuce and red onions, eggplant parm was over cooked and could not be eaten, shrimp fra diavolo was so spicy we couldn’t eat and the pasta was undercooked.
All in all the food was not good, and will not visit again

No people of color on the wall.
The food is good american Italian food. Nice salad options, good pasta and sauce, well cooked meats. The service is good. The portions are very large and it’s a great place for groups. This restaurant is HUGE. The décor includes over 5000 pictures of white people. No people of color on the walls however you can see some celebrities on the «Wall of fame» in the lobby. Noticing this fact made me very uncomfortalbe. I wont be back.