Buca Di Beppo Family Dining Experience

With spring break here, NCU students can enjoy some free time off from classes. During the spring break, some students are heading for a vacation destination, some are sleeping the whole time, but some will be getting visited by friends and family. If you are likely to have family or friends from home coming to visit, deciding to go to Chick-Fil-A could be a great fill. But if you are in the mood for a nice family friendly sit down for a decent price, try Buca Di Beppo. This national Italian restaurant chain is located 5 mins from campus and serves pastas, pizza, bread, appetizers, and salad that any picky eater would love.  The Minneapolis location is open from 11 am-9:30 pm. Reservations are not required but recommended as the wait time could get lengthy during dinner time. You can check out their website to make reserving a table fast and simple. The menu items are served “family style,” which means it comes all in one large dish, so that you can share it with your family and friends. The menu displays what each item would cost per person, and how much each items serve, which is 3-5 people.

The menu photo is from their website. Click here to view the menu on their website.

As you approach Buca Di Beppo from the city sidewalks, you see the red glow of the Buca sign and smell the aroma of wonderful Italian herbs, yeasts, and fresh tomato sauce. Once you make it in, you see a modest space, with clean rustic brick walls almost claustrophobically covered in framed pictures. If you have to wait for your table you become entranced with the entertaining framed pictures. The pictures are old-fashioned, but you can see photos of stars who have visited the place.

The uniquely small place is typically filled with large groups of guests celebrating together, sports teams, families, and old friends catching up. The ambiance is low lighting but not shady or dark; it’s as if you are at home in the dining room with family. They have a full bar, slightly separated from the restaurant. The bar is hardly noticed, tucked back in the corner. The restaurant doesn’t reek of alcohol, keeping a classy, family friendly atmosphere.

The servers are quick and very busy, but once they get to you, they are charming, making an effort to smile and make you feel like you are the most important guest. The servers are very helpful and informative; they will answer any questions you have with sincere politeness. 

Every time I have eaten here, the pasta entrees have never been over cooked or over seasoned. However, I ordered the garlic bread and there was just too much garlic. This is coming from someone who eats garlic almost every day in my at-home-recipes. Also, the cheese on the garlic bread was not evenly spread to all slices. It felt like the cheese was just one big pile on the top center piece. I will not be ordering it again and would not recommend it to anyone. They have small single-serve portions for the kiddos. Their menu is very kid-friendly.

Once we were good and full, the best part was having leftovers to reheat the next day. They have convenient reheating tins to take home your leftovers. Overall, I felt Bucas delivered delicious and filling food for a great price, as well as a great family experience. I will be going back and I highly recommend this place to anyone to share a great dining experience with friends and family.