11/09/06

Best Italian in Columbus

by tsunamigrande

I've been here about five times and this place gets better each time. The food is amazing. I love the pizza and the Lemon Butter Chicken is to die for. I've been to 6 different Bucca's and this one is the best!

• Pros: Amazing food, good service, fun atmosphere
• Cons: Parking, wait

02/28/09

Good thin crust pizza

by deejay11

The thin crust pizza is crispy and topped with mozzarella. The restaurant is too noisy, and the patrons compete to hear conversations at their own tables. Service is slow, and the restaurant is very crowded after a game. Drinks and food are overpriced.

02/11/09

great spot

by sullyfb

To my pals,

you will love Buca. Great atmosphere. The pasta is amazing. By the way, this is just a test.

• Pros: love the wine list
• Cons: loud

Get cozy with friends and family and enjoy an Italian feast at this loved-by-locals restaurant.

by Contributor

In Short
Homesick for your mother's Italian cooking? Grab your appetite and head to this restaurant, where the friendly wait staff will serve up portions of Colosseum-esque proportions, like spaghetti and meatballs loaded with savory tomato sauce and lots of pungent garlic. Dishes center on Southern Italian immigrant fare, and are meant to be shared family-style with a large goblet of wine-to enhance the taste, of course. The ornate décor with walls covered in vintage photos evokes a warm homey feel that welcomes customers to dine among the other families and loyal customers. Buon Appetito!

10/05/08

Starchfest

by Rubano88

Bucca di Beppo is just an over priced starchfest. Granted, many Americans just think of bread pasta and pizza when they think of italian food. Bucca's menu should be cheap like their ingredients, but I still wouldn't eat there..

• Cons: expensive starchfest

05/14/07

fun place

by katef23

fun place to go with large group or just for a romantic dinner for two, as long as you have similar eating habits as those u go with. i've only ever had macaroni rosa, which is sooo good! it has macaroni noodles with broccoli, mushrooms, peas, and chicken and a tomato cream sauce. i also HIGHLY recommend their tomato/mozzarella salad.

• Pros: lots to choose from, atmosphere
• Cons: sharing dinner recommended (pro or con, depending)

08/15/06

food posioning

by gladiator

4 nurses and myself ate here.All got sick within 24 hours and went to the hospital,where we all were told we had food posioning.We have been sick for over a week,with no reponse from the management after many calls.We reported this to the board of health,and now We hope some action willbe taken.This place should be closed,the food is not fit for the public to eat.The management just does not seem to care ,except to take your money and serve tainted food.Believe me there are BETTER places to eat Italian food and not worry that you will have adverse effects then this dump!

• Cons: bad food

08/04/06

MORE than memorable!

by amykaywat

Talk about crazy stuff on the walls. And mass quantities of food. And wine. The check for four of us ran around $170.

They start by giving you a quick tour of the kitchen. (We were surprised not only by the row of italian men seated at table and having their dinner, but also by the otherwise apparent lack of activity in the cooking areas), which brought many questions to mind about the sanitary conditions in the restaurant... I mean, what other restaurant allows its patrons to just go traipsing through the kitchen? But maybe the kitchen we saw wasn't the primary one. There were chefs cooking, but not near enough to handle that whole restaurant.

The bathrooms were something else. Ladies room had framed undergarments and advertisements for sanitary belts and padded & shaped girdles and bras (for use in trapping a man). My husband told me that the men's room was filled with 'unclothed' statuary -- small boys peeing, a greased-up gladiator, and Zeus holding his own... er... um... member.

We were treated to several rounds of happy birthday (fortunately never quite at our table) in which our waiter virtually shouted (screamed, more like) the lyrics rather than actually singing anything.

• Pros: food, atmosphere, memorable experience
• Cons: price

04/18/06

BLAND!!!!

by kksosu

I have experienced Buca about 5 times and it has been a consistent experience; BLAND food, overpriced food & drinks, and lack-luster service. Everytime someone in my family says "We're going to Buca di Beppo (they are from out of town so this place is cool to them) I either make up an excuse to get out of it or go knowing what a bad experience I'll be in for. I've tried numerous entrees of theirs but if you're looking for GOOD italian, go to Salvi's (Hilliard), Bravo or Moretti's. My boyfriend makes better italian and believe me folks, that's not saying much!!!!

• Cons: food, food, price

03/18/06

Chuckie Cheese for grownups

by lshipley

Loving Buca is like a dirty secret. There isn't one thing that makes the place appealing and there are dozens of reasons to hate it. Buca is a chain that seems bigger than life. Its noisy, crowded, serves huge portions of mediocre food with mostly indifferent service and yet I don't know anyone who will refuse to go if asked.

I doubt anywhere but Columbus would rate this as the numero uno Italian restaurant but it definitely fits into the local rating system where Taco Bell is the number 2 mexican

restaurant.

Call me if you need a sixth for the kitchen table.

• Pros: Decor, Good Value Food
• Cons: Chain/Formula, Expensive drinks, Noisy