Buca Di Beppo, San Francisco

I decided to give this place a try after reading the reviews on here. I was greatly disappointed. First off, it took 30 minutes for a waiter to even come to our table, and the restaurant wasn't even that crowded. When we finally did get waited on, I ordered the Lemon Basil Mojito and it was pretty gross. There is supposed to be sugar in a mojito! Next, we had to ask our waiter to bring some house bread and waters. Isn't that standard in most restaurants? Our food came fairly quick but mine was cold. The only reason I didn't give this place 1 star is because the food actually tasted pretty good. Anyways, I will not be going back to this place any time soon.

After hearing such excellent reviews about Buca di Beppo, I finally ate there for the first time a couple weeks ago... and IT WAS GREAT! I love how their restaurant serves their food Family Style and you can make the order Small or Large depending on the size of your group. I went with 8 people - so the wait for a table was about 45 minutes. I figure - Why Not? Everytime I go there, the wait is always about the same or longer, so I'll try it this time. And yes, it is loud there... but that's mainly because there are a lot of customers! We ordered A LOT of food, but I suggest the fried calamari, bruschetta, and the linguine frutti di mare. Another favorite (if you like something a little spicier...) is stuffed shells... YUM! Their desserts seem expensive, but you get a pretty huge slice. The one thing I didn't like was the wait for the bread with olive oil & vinegar that should come while you're ordering or while you wait for your order. We saw everyone around us getting theirs, but we never got ours until we asked. The parking is also hard during peak hours, but I guess that's how it is for a lot of places in San Francisco... thank goodness the 5th/Mission parking garage is up the street!

Love the Italian art deco (very festive and perfect way to entertain you while waiting to be seated)! Not only is the art impressive, the pasta and overall food serving is the WOW factor. You can come to this place as a big group and enjoy a family dinner size especially the Spaghetti with meatballs. Oh, did I mention that this awesome place serves GIGANTIC meatballs! I love their meatball recipe! Don't forget about the dessert! You don't want to miss eating their tiramisu.

Ample portions, friendly service, busy but pleasing decor. The food is abundant and tasty. I�ve eaten here four times now and have come away full of excellent home-style Italian food each time. We all order the Calamari right away. Hot, tender and delicious. Lunch $15-25 with a glass of wine.

To me, buca di beppo really epitomizes the ideal restaurant; The food is always fantastic (and plentiful I might add) and the atmosphere really enhances the entire experience. Their bar is also impressive, with an array of alcoholic beverages. My girlfriend and I always come to Buca for special occaisions, and we always walk away very happy. The staff is also great. The Pope room is amazing. I recommend making reservations on fri/sat night, as it can e a little hectic and crowded. All in all, Buca is a cullinary diamond in the rough of restaurant mediocrity.

We waited 1 1/2 hour for a table for three. The service was terrible, we waited 20 minutes for every dish, the food was mediocre to awful. The tiramisu tasted like wet sawdust. The portions were big, the prices high.

Food was outstanding and plentiful...glad I went with a group and was able to share. Enjoyed the family style servings and our server, Martin, was exceptional... Every need was attended to promptly and efficiently. The atmosphere is great although at times a bit noisy but that just indicates folks having a good time. Hope to return from Ohio soon to visit again. dave