Buca di Beppo in San Francisco - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Were it not for the inflated prices, Buca di Beppo ("the stomach of Joe") would be a reasonably frequent go-to place, convenient to the downtown Yerba Buena area. But the prices are inflated, and that completely warps the experience from "adequate American-version-of Italian food" to "go only when you've got a big party of fussy people" or "too hungry to make it to the Westfield food court", which is a shame because I want to like Buca di Beppo, but they make it really, really hard. Like this week, when our visit fell into the "too hungry to wait" variety. Late in the afternoon, before the dinner rush, we arrived, were seated instantly, and then told "we've run out of bread". What? But, but, we're HUNGRY! The waitress blew off our desperate need, but then did dig up some olives to satiate us. A very nice gesture, but really, no bread at a huge eatery just before the rush? Sigh. Anyway, the meat of this review isn't based upon the lack of bread, but the lack of amazing in their food. It's adequately adequate, the pinnacle of mediocre, and too expensive for that, but it is near-by, and so seduces us every once in a long time. I always leave with a regretful feeling that I should have battled my hunger pangs for a few moments more... (And now that this Buca has closed I'll have to eat this kind of tourist Italian food at another location.)

I am sad that this location closed.

I loved it, the food is always exquisite and they serve enough to feed a horse, generosity is not an issue. I have been there many times and would recommend to others every time I have a visitor. The one thing that surprised me, was tbat they changed the napkins to paper napkins instead of fine cloth ones like they use to have burgundy ones as I recall. Tbat was a lot finer than now. Otherwise I still live it. Marina Furlan

The food is good, as always, however, I won't recommend this for a date or an intimate dinner, the noise is too much. The seating/table arrangement is too close to each other that when the other is a group of people talking, laughing at the same time, you and your friends or date on your table have difficulty hearing each other. We we're there for a birthday celebration and we got this coupon for a free cake. Thank you for the cake, not the tastiest/fanciest cake we've ever tasted, but still thank you.. it's free and nothing to complain about. Our server for the night is very good and very attentive. He make sure that me and my friends have the best dining experience at Buca.

My co workers and I made a rsvp for dinner 8:30 pm, it was my going away / goodbye dinner with my team. We were seated, and placed our order. We only received 2 small dishes, and waited close to an hour and and 45 minutes for the rest of the food. There were only 6 of us and we were waiting for the bulk of our food, 2 dishes. By that time it was about 10:30 pm, my co workers needed to head out to catch bart. We spoke to the waitress and she told us that the person who was supposed to bring out the food has left.. not sure what that meant. We spoke to the manager and let him know that we were unable to stay and wait any longer for the food, by that time the food miraculously came out. He was nice enough to cancel that order and let us keep the dish since it would have been a waste. He packed it up for all of us. Overall that night sucked, we were all tired from work, and hungry. I was looking forward to this dinner since I've had good experiences here in the past. But this time we were more focused on the lack of communication and extremely long wait time for our meal - instead of enjoying the time we had together before I leave the state... Overall it was ruined.

Came here with a 14 ppl party! They were great to us! Love the food options!

Always pleasant service and amazing food!!

Food was average. Some plates were decent others were overcooked

Waited about 40 minutes on a Friday around 9pm, that was no big deal. A wait should be expected in a big city. The problem occurs after we are seated. There was a big birthday party next to us, and they were incredibly loud (one really loud obnoxious one). Happy birthday was sung, yada yada, no big deal right. I have a one year old, I understand that kids are loud, and I get the happy birthday singing. The problem was the obnoxious man that kept yelling "wow", "awesome", "cool". It didn't make sense. The wait staff never greeted us after being seated for about 5 minutes. The couple next to us was also clearly displeased with the loudness of that one guest, you could tell by the look of their face. Well, we had enough, we got up and walked out. On the way out, my wife mentioned why we were leaving to the hostess. She apologized, but it was just to late at that point. We will not be back.

The one thing that I have about service is the waiter did not like us as black African-American people he did not want to try to service in the correct way that's why I gave him a five dollar tip his name was juna one. I never experienced that before and I will never experience that again next time this happens I'm going to ask for manager and then I'm just going to excuse myself

Fun atmosphere with excellent food. Food is served family style and the portions are very generous. I always leave happy and full.

We were disappointed that we were seated in a room next to a bunch of full tables when there were plenty of empty tables nearby. A few of the tables were extremely loud. In addition, we asked for two different glasses of wine, only to find out the restaurant was out of both of them. The waitress was OK, but not super attentive and it took a long time to get our food. When we finally did get it, it looked like it had been sitting out for a while. I've never had an issue at other Buca's in the past, but wasn't very impressed with this particular location.

I made a reservation through Open Table 30 minutes before we arrived. We arrived and were unapologetically told by the hostess that they didn't have our reservation, and that we would need to wait. This happened to another couple that came in while we were waiting too. The wait wasn't too long (10-15 min) before we were led down to a table. However, we were disappointed because no one talked to us for 15-20 min once we sat at the table. Then a table next to us was seated, and a waiter started to take their order (before us). Thankfully, a manager noticed pretty quickly and came over and apologized and started taking our order. Once he took our order, the rest of the night was reasonably-paced. Our waiter was also apologetic about the wait. It was a bad start that got better. The food was good, but I'm not a fan of the big portion/family style sizes. It makes ordering for people with different diets more difficult.

What did you expect? This is a chain Italian restaurant that serves pasta in bulk. It is literally the Costco of Italian restaurants. For a chain, its fine. I'd suggest Olive Garden instead, can't beat those breadsticks.

This is a delightful place to take a large group of people in San Francisco. Parking is hard to find. Worth the effort.

Delicious family Italian restaurant

Celebrated my brothers birthday here. His family was visiting from Cental America and they lived the place and the food. We stopped dining here due to the service. The service was just ok. The food took a long time as usual. Despite this we had a great time.

Food was good and it was near where we were staying. Nothing spectacular but nothing to complain about either.

Came here for a company dinner. The place was nice, but nothing special. Food and service were very good, especially since we had a large group of almost 20 people.

Service slow, food mediocre at best and not inexpensive. This used to be a fun spot for a big group, but now it's just a mess.

I wish I knew it was large family portions because it was wayyyy too expensive for two people to get a variety. Also, our sweet server had too many tables to handle.

Had a great time with my wife. Really enjoyed the Hawai'i location

The service there was outstanding. First time there, celebrated for a birthday and everyone was super friendly! Super cute and nice waiter.

Used to eat here in San Francisco but lastSunday it was a huge disappointment Invited one of my crew to eat lunch and it was a very never again for me Bread and food (spinach cannelloni) was cold and dry Way too expensive Maybe management has changed but I felt like being in a totally different restaurant

Food is good and even the service was pretty good but they charged my card more than twice what the meal cost. Called and they claimed they saw the mistake and fixed it but never received the refund and had to go through the credit card company to get it resolved

It's the special place for your special occasion. Got lots of history, just look at all those celebrities that swing by for a bite.

Amazing food. The atmosphere was warm and inviting definitely worth the price and drive.

Wonderful food server!! He was personable and professional.

Food was cold and took awhile to get drinks.

Lots of fun. Fantastic appetizers! Pretty good pasta dishes. The family style serving is really fun for groups. Look forward to trying other entrees in the future.

We especially love our waitress, she was very nice and accommodating. We just forgot to get her name tho.

Was sat at 5:50 pm. Was not seen by a waiter until 6:10, did not have drinks on the table until 6:30, didn't have appetizers (which were wrong, ordered bruschetta) until 6:50, which came the same time as entrees which half were also wrong and the other half was already cold. The prosciutto used on the chicken Saltimbucca tasted more like lunch meat ham than actual prosciutto.

Chegamos faltando 5 min. para fecharem mas mesmo depois de alguns argumentos coneguimos que no atendessem. Acabamos antes de outras mesas. Pedimos o prato grande que serve 5 pessoas e estava delicioso. A recomendação do vinho californiano foi perfeita. Foi tudo muito bom.Recomendo

We paid $21.99 for a tiny plate of frozen calamari. What a rip off.

Overall, we had a good experience. The food was great and the service was great. Unfortunately, we showed up 20 minutes early for our reservation and were told we would have to wait due to overbooking. The wait didn't bother us so much but when we were seated we got table that felt like we were in a dungeon. The air conditioning didn't reach the room that we were in, so durin GBP dinner we were extremely warm. The service and food did make up for a lot though.

I just love coming here for any occasion. Food is delicious my favorite dish is the lasagna! The atmosphere is very intimate, perfect for family dinner or a date night.

Such a wonderful place. The food was amazing and the service is wonderful. We didn't realize how crazy big the size large is, but we ended up with lots of food. Loved the decor and food service was really fast. We spent $230.00 but next time we know we can order the smalls and it will be just enough food and save our pocket some money lol. We went here for our 17 year Olds birthday and they really helped make it special. A+

The is the first time in years (over 10) since I've been to a Buca di Beppo. The reason I stopped going is because the food hadn't been good the last few times I ate there. We had a large party from work and picked Buca di Beppo because it could accommodate our party easily. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of food. OK, it isn't your gourmet Italian food but for a chain restaurant serving large portions family style, the food was great! Service was awesome! We spent a pleasant afternoon there.

Family style food. Great for a large family gathering.

Food is good but not great for what you pay for. Service is meh! The place could use a little more cleaning because it feels dingy. Family style eating is a plus if you're into that!

Fantastic Italian food with huge plates which are better to share

Our waiter was nice, however he had no support and the service was extremely slow (so slow, I had to get extra wine glasses from the bar!). The portions are plentiful, but the food is just ok. Search for better Italian places before settling on dining here.

アメリカンな内装のイタリアンです。店内は奥に広いので、大人数でピザを楽しみたいときに、良いです。

Great place for a date and for groups and family. The food is very good.

Our table was in a room with a low ceiling. It made the dining experience claustrophobic. The bathroom was dirty. The food seems expensive for what it is.

I usually order the salmon entrée. The food is consistently delicious.

Tasty Italian fare, good service.

This is a solid Buca and it being my second time at Buca and it being the 2nd restaurant I went to I can safely say between this location and the location in Scottsdale AZ they have their consistancy down. The food and service is great here and the layout and decor of the restaurant fits the theme well. The only really noticable difference I found with the SF location as compared to Scottsdale AZ is the price (SF was about double). The same items were ordered, now of course this is not surprising as everything is more expensive in the Bay area. Solid place definitely worth a visit!

Made a reservation for 6pm and we were early. They were able to seat us within five minutes. The salad and spaghetti were good. The pepperoni pizza was way too greasy. I will pass on that in the future. Service was attentive.

Our waiter today was very friendly and enjoyed talking with him :) i hope he's our waiter again next time :)

A fun location with decent food for a large group. Order family style and share.

Food is good, if a bit heavy. Lots of interesting decor things to look at. It's very loud.

Liked the cannoli, but a little disappointed in everything else. The decor is a hoot and it's not a bad place overall. Took some work to get servers over for refills, to get orders fixed, etc.

Very well set up for a 21st birthday party. Sebastian, our waiter, was exceptional and kept his sense of humor with a group of 8 giggling girls. We had a great time! Bellinis were the Bomb!

Great traditional Italian restaurant. The atmosphere is great. A little too pricey for what you get.

Good Italian food, big portions for sharing between 3-5 people

One of my favorite spots to eat at in San Francisco if I'm with a group of family members or friends. It will take some time to get your food at peak hours, but that's to be expected. Great portions for the price, guaranteed leftovers. #Combinations #PeanutButterMobb #PBMobb

nice facilities, food is pretty good

Great food but the service was not very good

We a,ways enjoy Bucca de Beppo. We absolutely love the chicken stuffed with prosciutto and cheese with a creamy pesto sauce - the absolute best. That and tha Apple Gorgonzola salad - what a feast. A little on the pricey side, and you have to like eating family style.

We were a group of 14 people attending the RSA Conference. The drinks and even water for the table took between 20 and 40 minutes (not all drinks came at the same time). Appetizers and main course took 45 mins to over 1 hr respectively, after placing the orders. I even had to get up to get spoons as we did not have silverware after the tiramisu was delivered to the table. Our waitress did all she could, but the restaurant was clearly understaffed and/or there was a huge back-up in the kitchen and at the bar. Net result: The worst group dining experience in recent memory.

Lovely Food And Environment And Waiters Are Friendly...

The server could have provided guidance on our ordering. We basically over ordered not knowing the portion we were getting.

Great place for our team to come to dinner, we had 13 and they had space and the food was great! Family style so easy to share.

Sebastian has fantastic customer service and waiting skills. He was extremely patient with our large family, that also included many kids. He made wonderful recommendations and always kept the table replenished with the food we ordered and made sure all water cups were full.

Lousy food, and horribly overpriced. Chicken was dry. Noodles overcooked. Everything else is fake. This place was much better in the past. The service is failing too. Friendly but incompetent. Multiple waiters, but nobody pays attention to the customers.

The building interior smelled like a dumpster.

The food here is amazing but do not come here if you're not hungry one plate can feed an army yes I said one plate the food portions here are huge

This place is geared towards big groups, which is great if you're going out together after a conference or meeting. They easily accommodate bookings of 15 people. Price level is not bad at all, given that the dishes are meant for sharing. However, the food is pretty average and the noise level a bit high.

It's always a fun & delicious experience at Bucca.

Food is family style. Consistently fresh and good. There are usually coupons in the Sunday newspaper so who doesn't want to save a few $.

Decent food. Heavily themed venue

Was so much fun! Just a spur of the moment night out with the girls.

Very good pasta to share. The mussels were excellent!

A family dinner should be an escape. Conversation and laughter should be in the air and nothing else should matter at that moment. Buca di Beppo is a tasty escape. The food is great and the service is excellent. This is the sort of place any family can enjoy. Check it out have a great time!

Took a little long to get service after seated. My spicy rigatoni felt a little bland. Lack of spice.

If you're in a large group they put you in a dining area downstairs but it is way too confined and cold.

Amazing place where you can find genuine pasta, Italian wines and beers! Waiters are nice and provide the Italian touch such as a small plate with olive oil and bread....simply! A must in San Francisco !

Generous portions of tasty pastas. Our group ordered several large plates, but the Spicy Chicken Rigatoni & the Apple Gorgonzola Salad are what stood out most.

Great night Great service right when we walked in and told them my name we was seated ...

We came on a busy Saturday. A lot of waiting period. 20 minutes wait for us to be seated. And another 20-30 minutes before our food was served.

Portions are good for sharing. They serve them family style. Food tastes good. Service is usually mediocre. I wasn't offered any bread nor did the waiter check to see if I needed anything else. Overall I rated it Very Good because the food was good. I'm simple so I didn't really need anything else so I can overlook the fact that the waiter never checked back with me to see if I needed anything.

Ate here on our arrival after a very long travel day. The restaurant is conveniently located by the Hampton Inn and Suites in Garden Grove. Family style Italian food. Friendly staff, very helpful as we had never eaten there before. Calamari were excellent. Meatballs were huge and pasta very tasty. We were super hungry and there was still food left...

We had 8 people celebrating a birthday. The lady from the bar started to take our order then appeared to be upset from her facial expression. She was a replaced by a male waiter who was great. The lady behind the bar should not have any public contact because we could read her feelings like a book. We did nothing to upset her.

Went for the First time very good enjoyed my birthday

I was commenting to my friend with whom I was dining that it is hard for an Italian restaurant to serve authentic Italian food due to the different regions and the influence of Italian-American variations. We agreed to share a pasta dish that was made with several ingredients with pasta called "cavatelli". However, when it was brought to us, the pasta that was used was not cavatelli but "fusilli rigati". I didn't want to send it back and my friend would have seen it as a minor detail so I said nothing. The dish was very good but I think that the pasta selection should have been accurate.

This location is across the street from the Intercontinental Hotel on Howard St. Always good food especially on a cold winter/fall San Francisco evening.

Great food, great atmosphere. Expensive, but well worth it. Only complaint was we were forgotten for about 10 mins until i flagged someone down to serve us. The hostess also seemed extremely tired of dealing with people that night, being very short with customers. However, can't blame her or the waiter. Was a very busy night.

Bucca used to be a favorite spot for family dining BUT times have changed. The food is okay, just okay, nothing special and definitely no longer worth the high prices. Our table ordered the small spaghetti and meatballs (the entire reason for the trip) and were terribly disappointed. The sauce was runny and did not have a lot of flavor. The sauce wasn't bland it was just nothing special. The meatballs!! Now those were BLAND! There was very little seasoning in the meatballs; for that matter, very little seasoning in the whole dish. One part that made no sense to me, why are there 2 meatballs on the small portion but only 3 on the large portion (priced at $42.99)???? On the other hand, the cocktails (Sparkling Solerno) which is a new cocktail, was absolutely delicious and the Cheesy Florentine Bread was perfection!!! Side note: if you order the Sparkling Solerno make sure the bartender cuts the syrupy sweetness with a little Club Soda. It's not part of the drink but our bartender (an absolute doll) made this change for us and it made our cocktails wonderful! Overall, I was disappointed with a place that used to be one of my favorites. Bucca - you need a lot of work in the kitchen!!!

Food is always good. A little cheesey. Friendly staff. Could use a better beer selection.

$48 for a large bowl of mediocre sugary pasta. $240 for a group of 4 adults and 4 kids and we didn't get a lot of food. Totally overpriced. Cheesy attempt to sell you pictures only adds to the feeling of a tourist trap.

The decor and atmosphere is as kitschy as it gets. Red check vinyl table cloths, vintage pictures of celebs that I doubt many have even stepped foot in the place and old 50's & 60's music. For the price I expect better than plastic water cups & cutlery wrapped in paper napkins. The menu with pictures of the meals kind of says it all and had we not been really limited in places to eat for Christmas dinner we may have just run out of the place. Overall the food was acceptable and we thought the calamari and chicken saltimboca were good. The stuffed mushrooms were much too rich for our liking. Their house white wine was not bad. Only outdated American Italian restaurants have veal parmigiana on the menu and this restaurant and menu badly needs an overhaul. As far as value for money I would say the price tag was a little rich! It is one of those places where they mistake quality for quantity as noted with the big doggy bag sacks people are taking home. Considering it was Christmas, the service was good and the wait staff were friendly. Would we go back? Absolutely not! However, the place was jammed so obviously there are people out there that go for what the Buck di Beppo offers.

First, we were made to wait for over 20 minutes with a reservation. Then we were told that the computer indicated our entire party was not yet present, even though all three Of is presented to the podium upon arrival. Once seated, service was poor. Table was dirty when we were seated and there was no salt and pepper on the table. We were told there was no calamari left, yet the tables seated after us received large calamari appetizers. The salad arrived while we were still waiting for the wine. Bread was not brought until multiple requests were made. After the meal, rather than the server offering to box the leftovers, boxes were broth to the table with no bag. Multiple requests for a bag were made. Terrible service.

Perfect destination with family on Christmas. Food hearty, filling, and tasty -- good for group of picky eaters. Server was incredibly sweet and checked on us often. Pleasant experience! Thanks!

They always overbook making us wait for a long while even if we reserve way in advance.

Had dinner on Christmas eve. Our waiter was very distracted and un-attentive. It took him over 30 minutes to even acknowledge our presence but was enjoying taking pictures with a group at another table. He ordered our salad and appetizer but forgot to put in the order for the rest of the food as it took over 45 minutes after the salad was served and came only after we got up and found another service person to go check on it. The food was mixed, the veal was tough and overcooked but the pasta made to order was very good. As the prices at this restaurant go up, the quality of service and food also needs to be elevated for us to consider returning.

Opted for a late lunch following the SF Nutcracker performance. Myself and my daughter arrived an hour early for our reservation and were seated within 5 minutes. We had tons of food leftover given this food was family style, but was fun nonetheless and since I didn't know of any other Italian establishments in the area it worked, but did come at a price tag of $100 for two people. Wouldn't visit again due to the portion sizes and being a single mother.

The wait staff were very accommodating to our boisterous group. Food was great and the waitress kept our wine glasses full.

As a party of 5 we were seated in a room with a large party of 30 ish people and the kids were running wild without adults caring. It was hard to hear at our table.

Not as good as the time before. Food was only ok. Very crowded as usual - glad we had reservations.