Buca's

Becky's employer held a company dinner at Bucca di Beppo's last night and I thought I'd peck out a few lines on the experience.

We arrived at 7pm and the place was t-totally slammed. As we made our way past the hostess stand we overheard people talking about waits in excess of an hour and a half. I'm sure our party of 40 had something to do with this but by the same token I'm betting they would have been full without our large party.

We sat with 6 of Becky's co-workers and the table ordered "family style"...The table enjoyed Bruschetta, Fried Calamari, a chopped salad, Lasagna, Chicken Saltimbocca, Linguine Frutti di Mare, Penne San Remo, Green Beans and Mashed Potatoes. Every one of the dishes were flavorful and very well prepared. The service was excellent, despite having to accommodate a group of 40 people. Our server in particular (Chistine) was absolutely top notch...always a step or two ahead of the game.

Not a "local" but it is a chain that does it right.

[Robin Garr]

Not a "local" but it is a chain that does it right.

Despite my preferential option for the local indie, I've always given Buca good reviews for what it is.

Yep. If it wasn't on the recent thread about good inexpensive Italian, it should have been. We've always had a good experience when we've gone with a group. Only problem is the portion sizes- it's meant for family dining and you really need a group for it to make sense.

Deb

From what I remember, they made a change and now offer smaller portions on most dishes; though I'm not sure the exact size of a "smaller" portion.

We get the "small" lasagna to-go quite a bit. It would feed two or three hearty eaters easily. Plus it's only $14.99. With one of their ginormous meatballs for $4.99 you can use one one of those dandy $10 off $20 coupons that Annmarie frequently posts on the deals forum.
That's a lot of darn good food for 10 bucks including tax.
I'd be hard pressed to make a pan of lasagna at home that cheap.

Some chains DO get it right, and I think Buca accomplishes that - good, basic Italian cuisine served in plentiful portions...and if your group is large enough, try to reserve the "Pope Room"...

I dined there once with my daughter. I agree with all the positive posts regarding food and services. I will say that it was a bit loud and not conducive to conversation. I think the place serves very well for large parties seeking a party atmosphere. (Which is good because large parties tend to disrupt other dinners in most other restaurants.)

Of that type of restaurant Buca's is my favorite. For a while they had Mio sizes which were dishes for one person. I'm the only one who likes the eggplant so I loved that but I think they have done away with that.

Buca has consistently been a good spot for us to go when we have larger groups. I love the family style service and the food has always been of consistently good quality. They are a chain that seems to get it right on a regular basis.