Italian food might seem simple, and it's that simplicity that makes it easy to mess up: this place does many things right and one of them is that it takes the apparent simplicity of Italian cuisine and elevates it with great cooking, excellent service and a nice ambiance. I came here with my parents that are visiting me for a bit and got treated to an amazing feast. Shoutout to Lugo: a great server and an amazing person. We placed our order but also got treated to some of the best bread I've tried in my almost 20 years of living in America: it is THAT good. The dishes themselves were excellent: I ordered Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, my dad got Creamy Penne Pesto, and my mom got the Chicken Limone. The portions are big enough that you can eat and have your fill for lunch then just take a to-go box and have dinner too. You can also share with others but even with sharing, the portions are big and generous enough where the price feels totally fair and justified. The ambiance takes you to Italy itself: it's amazing: the decor, the background music, the lighting. People like to say "well, when you go to Starbucks, you're not just paying for coffee, you're paying for the atmosphere too", and while that couldn't be further from the truth in the case of Starbucks, it actually does apply well with this place. I've been to another location back when I used to live in Florida and both that one and this have a unique and interesting atmosphere that helps you enjoy your time there more. All in all, a 10/10 from me. read more

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Interesting how I've passed this place for years and just never stopped in. We were a little hesitant when we first walked in because the place was so huge, but it was completely empty. The hostess was very nice and sat us toward the back in a booth. Shortly after, another gentleman came in and was seated, followed by another family, which made us feel a little better. I'm assuming lunchtime just has its windows when they get busy, especially since this is a chain restaurant that has been around for quite a few years. I really enjoyed the bruschetta appetizer. Just be prepared, the entrées are served family style, so it's probably better to come with a group if you plan on ordering from the regular menu. However, they do have a smaller lunch portion menu, which worked out perfectly for us since there were only two of us. I had the chicken piccata, and my boyfriend had the spicy rigatoni. Their Caesar salad and house salad were both really good. I enjoyed the chicken piccata, especially with the small side portion of pasta. I will say, though, the chicken in my boyfriend's spicy rigatoni was pretty dried out and tasted very processed. Other than that, everything else was really tasty. If you're looking for another place to try, this is a good option. It also looks like they have a pretty good happy hour with appetizers and drinks. I would definitely come back. I ended up ordering their spaghetti and meatballs to go and had it later that evening, and it was really good too! read more

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Food was good Service was excellent We were accommodated without a reservation although it was super busy read more

Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant - Meatballs entree Excellent choice Keto friendly - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

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It's hard to beat Buca di Beppo for group dining. The portions are huge, and everybody enjoys the food. We recently celebrated a graduation at this location, and got lucky enough to get the Pope room. Besides being a very unique place to eat, we really appreciated being at a round table in a quieter room where we could all see and hear each other. The Lazy Susan in the middle of the table made it very easy to share the food. My favorite was the salmon, which was very tasty. It was a perfect evening. read more

Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant - Bruschetta - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

Food was great and the service was amazing from our waitress Daniela and from the waiter Lugo. Daniela was constantly attentive to our need and we never went more than 7 minutes without being checked on. read more

Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant - Baked Ziti - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Great service , wonderful dinner , fantastic server Denise can't wait ti come back

That family style wow! That's Amore :) Buca di Beppo is a cool chain Italian Restaurant with locations all over the U.S. and more than several in SoCal alone. I've enjoy Buca in Encino, at Universal CityWalk Hollywood, Las Vegas and now in Old Pasadena. Located at the corner of De Lacey Avenue/Green Street BdB - Pasadena is in a great location with street (meter), paid lot or garage parking available. Also only a 10 minute walk from Memorial Park Station. I've strolled by this iconica Italian eatery many times over the years, but have yet to have a full sit down experience with incredible service until recently. We came to celebrate my friend Troy's birthday as a party of 7. We had a great server and some of the best Sangria I've ever had at a Buca. At Buca you can have your fill of Appetizers, Buca Specials, Desserts, Entrees, Lunch Combo (Specials), Pastas, Pizzas, Sides and all the good Beverages. Family friendly with a kids menu also. For eats on the night of Troyica table had the Lasagna, Garlic Bread and the Shrimp Scampi (Linguine). The birthday boy was very happy with the feast and my boyfriend loved all the food. This guy (myself) had a small Mixed Green Salad that was iconic and let me tell you the small is still a very big portion. With great Italian dressing and some of the best veggies. I did consider the Spaghetti Marinara, but with family style portions I wouldn't have been able to finish something meant for many people. Had our fellow veggie friend joined us, the two of us could've taken it on with a shared small salad. Food for next time for sure, more so with awesome bundle deals like their Buca Bundle - Lasagna or Pasta, Salad and Bread for only $40. What a deal!! It says you're only able to do the Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, which I'm sure is fine for people who can enjoy it. Not sure if the Spaghetti Marinara can be an option since it doesn't list it, but would love to do that if Buca would allow it like their Green Beans #ShareableSides Grateful for the few vegan friendly dishes they do have. Loads of vegetarian things by default. I believe they also have a Gluten-Friendly menu. Lots of great rooms, hallways, bar away and even the restrooms are well kept up. The did forget about my simple little awesome green salad initially so I had to wait after everyone was already eating for a good 15 to 20 minutes - I know it was an honest mistake. Our server apologized more than once to me - I just didn't want to keep sangria-ing without dinner lol. Love the Skeleton guy at their bar, great art, pictures and culture Buca brings. Very welcoming of everyone. read more

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The menu can seem a little intimidating and pricey at first, but once the waitress explains that everything is served family style, it makes a lot more sense. What you order is meant to serve about three to four people, and they really mean that. We ordered one main dish along with garlic bread and a couple appetizers.. it was honestly more than enough for the three of us. The vibe of this place feels very old-school. The food genuinely tastes amazing, and considering the portions, the price is actually pretty reasonable. Our waitress was just okay.. nothing bad, but nothing particularly warm/kind either. Overall this is a really cool place to visit. The inside is super fun and covered in photos and decorations. You'll constantly find yourself looking around at all the stuff on the walls. read more

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Daniela was amazing ! We loved her , thank youuuu! Lasagna was a littleeeè dry , but still yummy! read more

Thanks Amber for the great service!!!! Our first time to be in this location, and so happy to see this restaurant along other popular stalls along Green Street. Great food of course. Love the hospitality of the camera person- " The Queen"! She's excellent! Just one comment about the waitstaff that was cleaning the trash in the bathroom, I told her one of the stalls doesn't have tissue roll- totally ignored me. I told her again, but just left the bathroom with the trash she collected. No acknowledgement or anything, and you can tell she's annoyed. While others try to strive good customer service, there is one person that's not appreciative of her job. Lots of parking around. Great location. 2-1-2026 read more

Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Buca di Beppo is my favorite pasta spot in LA! They make the BEST spicy vodka penne (I usually add chicken to it)!! It's such a big portion since it's a family style restaurant. Enough to fill up both my boyfriend and me. They usually serve complimentary bread with vinegar and olive oil, too! Service is always wonderful. The workers are checking in on tables consistently and are very accommodating with requests. Reservations are available as well, which makes it convenient. Street parking and garage parking is available nearby. If I lived closer, I would go to Buca di Beppo once a week!! Highly recommend! read more

Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant - Penne alla Vodka with Chicken - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

I haven't been to a Buca in a long time. I was at an event over in Vromans and my friend and I got a little too comfortable at the wine bar. We naturally wanted to overload on carbs to balance us out. We walked the 20 ish minutes to Buca and were able to get a seat right at the bar. Our bartender was so sweet. He encouraged us to try these moscato can drinks and frankly they were not my favorite. He asked what I usually drank and next thing I know my favorite drink is sitting in front of me. I didn't ask nor did I realize but I was so grateful he cared! Usually I just cut my losses. The food was nostalgic and comforting and fed me for the next 2 days. Not bad for the price. It was bustling with birthdays so the ambiance was nice and busy. I'm planning to come back. You've got a repeat customer out of me! read more

This review is based on our October 3rd service. Shaunte is an excellent server. Very great personality and knowledgeable.

We love Victoria our server!!! She was so attentive and refilled our drinks without being asked, made sure the food was tasting good and continued to check up on us throughout the dinner! It was my birthday and she made the experience 100x better! LOVE U VICCC read more

Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

We came for my brothers birthday and got incredible service by Denice. Super friendly and attentive.

The time here was amazing. We felt at having a party in the middle of our home. Denise was amazing as a server. She was patient and giving us everything we needed. The food was so tasty and yummy!!! read more

Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant - It is the painting in the ceiling that reminds me of Rome. - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

Celebrated my 14yo's birthday dinner with 20 of our closest family and friends. Amber was the best waitress! She helped guide me with ordering just the right amount of food for my large party. Amber was very attentive our entire stay, never letting our water & drinks get too low, bringing our requests swiftly, etc. Food was delicious. Our favs: Meatballs, Chicken Carbonara, Eggplant Parmigiana, Chicken Marsala, and Shrimp Fra Diavola. Salads were yummy: Apple Gorgonzola & Caesar. Also ordered, but will probably skip next time, the Chicken Parmigiana. Request to be seated in Amber's section!!! read more

Thank you Carlos and staff for an enjoyable lunch experience. Even though there was a very very busy room with a very large party already seated, they made plenty of time to serve just myself on a solo lunch mission very well. Thanks again and I'll be back read more

Denise was a great server! Made my birthday that much more special. Food was amazing and overall experience was awesome.

Daniela was great! Good food, good service, good ambiance. Excellent restaurant overall read more

The restaurant was nice with good food, great atmosphere and decoration. the staff were friendly and the waitress Victoria was really great at making sure we were satisfied with the service and food. read more

L'Appetito vien mangiamdo! Translation, Appetite comes with eating. In Italy food is an experience, not just a meal, which is why dishes at Buca di Beppo are served family style. I've been to this location a few times in the past, mainly for drinks and appetizers at the bar. After my grandfather's burial in 2011 we came here to celebrate his life. The portions are huge and the prices are reasonable. It's a great spot for a large gathering. I love the funky décor and the old school Italian photos on the wall. For a chain restaurant, the food is pretty good. I'd pick it over Olive Garden any day. We've also ordered catering from here a few times for large family gatherings. A recent order consisted of: Eggplant Parmigiana, Ravioli al Pomodoro, Chopped Antipasti Salad, Caesar Salad, Mini Meatballs, and Cannolis, & Brownies for dessert. The entrées were hot, the salads were fresh, the desserts were delish, and they also gave us some bread to soak up the sauce. There was plenty left over for the next day, which made my nephews very happy. read more

Denise couldn't have done a better job if she tried! She was friendly and explained any food related questions we had.The station she was serving was full of large parties and she divided her time equally to accommodate all of the customers needs! If we lived here we would come back to have Denise serve us over again. Ciao read more

Amber and the photographer were absolutely fantastic! They took great care of our group and felt like part of the family

Had lunch specials. 5 Stars: salmon Zero Stars: fettucine too raw Salmon w Fettucine side instead of salad or soup option. Salmon was perfect, good size, tender and fresh tasting. asked for extra fettucine sauce but they forgot, Pasta was way too Al Dente, which means Hard AF, which means it was one degree from raw, so dry and raw, it soaked up all moisture from sauce and hardened into Pasty Hard mound of noodles. Zero Stars: Chicken Limonatta had Absolutely Zero Lemon taste, one super thin chicken breast, it was halved lengthwise and pounded flat, essentially Half a chicken breast. Big disappointment, Salmon had 4 times more meat than this chicken. I was going to complain and ask for Salmon instead, but short on time. came w side of fettucine which had same issues as above. 2 stars: Brownie Ice Cream Dessert -3 Stars for Stale Ass Dry Crunchy Brownie Chunks- we called them Brownie Croutons!!! impressive presentation. Could've been 5 stars. Enough for 4 people. 4 big scoops vanilla x2, chocolate x 2, brownie chunks and whip cream in a big martini glass. But Brownies were STALE & DRY AF!!! Too much for 2 of us, ate half, took rest home quickly to freezer. Would've been 5 stars total, But: 1. chicken totally pissed me off and ruined experience. Come on Buca, do better than That. Either give one whole chicken breast or two of the halved breasts. It was a total rip off and made us feel, "Really? You're going to try to pull this off as a full chicken breast?" -Salmon was only $1 more and totally way more worth it. 2. Brownies so stale & crunchy. If fresh and delicious dessert would've been 5 stars. Overall Olive Garden has better priced lunch specials and way better pasta texture to sauce ratios. read more

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Came here to celebrate my boyfriends birthday and everything was sooo tasty. It was also our first time here and we all had a great time the decorations inside are so cool! Our waitress Daniela was AMAZING!!!!! She was so kind and thoughtful and made us feel good about all of our choices! lol she deserves a raise and you should definitely ask for her when you visit. Overall lovely experience! read more

Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant - Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

We have really big serving sizes.So come in with a big appetite ! Haha! Servers are really nice & accommodating, they go over the menu for any questions you have - The environment offers many murals & eye-catching things to see indoors ! I wish I took more photos ! read more

Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

Honestly the experience was worth trying! Is it the best most authentic Italian food? No but it's better than Olive Garden lol Was fun for a family night out! Someone came by and took our pictures and we got a free keepsake and bought a few of the pictures! Very fun experience we loved the decorations read more

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I tried their new lemon chicken. The waitress told us it was for 3 people portion. Quite the lie, it's 3 pieces of breast , small size, in a tasteless lemon sauce. Chicken has absolutely no flavor. Portion it's only enough for one person. Chicken it's serve by itself, no pasta, no vegetables, nothing else. Price its 57 dollars, for 3 single, tasteless chicken breast. I complained to the manager that chicken had no flavor for 57 dollars. Asked me what else I wanted so I told him something with flavor and spicy. He suggested rigatoni. He took the chicken away with him. Lo and behold, minutes layered he came back with the same chicken pieces and a small bow of spaghetti. Stated I want you guys to be happy here is some pasta, and will charge 1/2 price of the chicken. He did not honored the rigatoni order. Can't believe this manager. No honor or ethics. We did not eat the chicken, marinera sauce was very sour on the spaghetti. So disappointed and in disbelief. Manager did end up removing the fee for the chicken. read more

Yesterday was an amazing experience! We had went in to celebrate for a surprise birthday dinner. Our server Amber did a great job at everything. As far as service she went above and beyond! Food quantity was also perfection and it was greatly much appreciated!! I definitely will be coming back for more meals and hopefully Amber will be there to attend to us once again. We loved her !! read more

It was my time here with a group of friends. I had high hopes for this location but the experience ended up being a 2/5 with food quality /price to quantity being 1/5. The service from the waiter and the ambience was really nice. However, the person who greeted us dropped a menu on the floor and handed it to us anyways. That's weird and disgusting for a first entrance. Moving fiestas when we were sat down, the waiter was kind and brought a lot of energy to the place which I appreciated. When the food was brought forward, the portions were extremely disappointing and undercooked. The chicken in alfredo costed an extra $10 and it was just boiled chicken that was undercooked. the ravioli portions were sad as well, only about 10 pieces for $35+? Also undercooked drowned in sauce that was barely hot. read more

Stephanie was a great server. The food is always tasty. The art hanging on the walls makes me laugh so hard.

Shantay made an effort to make this such a memorable birthday for our dad and loved grandpa. Food was delcious and service was quick and attentive. Thank you... thank you forever for the memories. read more

It was a rough start but they swapped out our original server. We were a party of 12 in the pope room it was semi private and nice. The food was good. Once I made a mention of the lack of service the manager he swapped out our server. His name was Lugo he was amazing and a special thank you to the manager he made a mends. Thank you read more

Pasadena location was OUTSTANDING with the bright happy welcome & OUTSTANDING SERVICE from Amber. So upbeat pretty smile and so attentative. We have been missing service like this - see you next week! We came in to use the restroom was so nicely welcomed & invited to try the brunch menu so we did! MONDAY Meatball special with spaghetti was DE LICK IOUS! Lasagna, warm fresh bread - great salads ..... then some how room for dessert and ALL UNDER $60!!!! AND enough to take home for next meal! Will be back for meatballs & more lunch specials great portion nice to relax listen to music and be waited on impeccably thanks for starting our week off GREAT! It was so good we lived in the moment ate and forgot the pictures!!!! Park on the street just south of Green Street lots of space & nice walk area. read more

Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant - Tasty take home left overs - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

Great service , food was perfect had the crispy calamari and a nice refreshing glass of sangria. Love it. The ambiance just what I need it

This location is h the best!! I called the day before to reserve for a party of 22 and they did not refer me to the Manager like cheesecake factory did. Shante was phenomenal. Best waitress ever!!! We will definitely!!! read more

Generous portions, great service by Lugo! The lunch special was a great deal. Parking was easy

Shaunte was great! Food was great and service was wonderful! Thank you for making my mom's birthday great!

I came in for lunch and food was great. The atmosphere is very unique and interesting! My server Carlos was very nice and helpful as well.