I stumbled across La Buca one night when I had a serious craving for Italian food. I live in downtown Vancouver, so Portland spots pop up all the time when I'm searching. Usually I realize it too late, but by the time I noticed this one was across the river, I was already sold. I ordered the penne tossed with spicy Italian sausage in a Parmesan roasted garlic tomato sauce and added chicken because protein is non negotiable for me. When I say it was crazy good, I mean it. Rich, flavorful, perfectly spicy, and completely worth the drive. I have gone back several times since. The food is consistently delicious, the service is great, and even the bread is excellent. And yes, bad bread exists. This is not that. I usually grab takeout, but one day I plan to dine in. If you love bold, spicy Italian dishes, this place absolutely delivers. Highly recommend. read more

Affordable, delicious, chill vibes. Would recommend! We had their Arancini (amazing), Verdi salad (a must-have), pomodoro pasta (basic in a good way), and the pork with polenta that was a real standout! The service was very attentive and timely. Would recommend for a date night or small group of 3-4. The food is affordable for the quality they provide. It won't outdo the nicer pasta places in PDX but provides great quality and variety in a small menu. read more

I had never even heard of this restaurant before and by the end of the meal I said out loud "I'd come here again". It's a smaller neighborhood restaurant. They have indoor and outdoor seating. The drink menu had good options, although I didn't order one, I definitely would in the future. They had a great selection in every category; appetizers, salads, pastas and entrees. Even the dessert menu had a good selection. We opted to split a couple appetizers and a salad and each got our own main. They also give bread with olive oil & balsamic. The bruschetta was amazing! The Caesar salad wasn't anything special, but it was still good. The pasta I got was the star of the show. A good portion and great flavor. Our server was amazing. I believe she was an owner, but I may be wrong. She was so friendly and attentive. Don't sleep on La Buca! read more

La Buca - Abituale - Italian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Perfect for a causal date night! The staff is wonderful and the food was perfect! Delicious food and a chill environment without the pretentious vibe. What more could you ask for? read more

La Buca - Italian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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This is Italian-American food and it's some of the best I've had. I wasn't expecting a trip to Tuscany, I was looking for the Italian American favorites and this spot delivered. Great food. Caesar salad is underrated too Its great! read more

Enjoyed pasta and Bruschetta with a bottle of wine! The server was great and answered all our questions. Was very attentive and honestly some of the best service we have had in a while! We sat on the patio on a weekday and it was quiet and nice people watching! read more

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This was a 10/10 all around. Our server Lindsay was so sweet and it was only her first day. I made a few changes to a dish and they were super accommodating. The food was delicious. I subbed one the pastas for ravioli and it was fantastic. The ambiance was also great. Soft music, warm lighting, and an all around cozy feel. The highlight of the night was definitely Lindsay's warmth and friendly demeanor. If we weren't visiting from out of state we would definitely be regulars! read more

The food is ok. All our pasta dishes were fine. We ordered bruschetta and it was lack luster... it is January... if they can't source good tomatoes remove it from the menu. The bread is not worthy of an Italian restaurant. We ordered Sangiovese- mistake- it was overly sweet for Sangiovese. The service was good, the ambiance is fine... not date night more like family night. read more

Had a wonderful Valentine's Day dinner no reservations but got a table right away. Food was so yummy and i want to come back! read more

La Buca - Caprese Bruschetta - Italian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Jennifer and her husband owns this nice corner restaurant for over 25 years. And there is a good reason for it. And the reason is a very simple One: they serve good food. - You can have Italian food almost on every corner in the USA. - you will find nicer and more "Italien" feeling places But at Bucas you will find Italien inspired food with a personal touch in service and an experienced influence of good flavor. It's a great Neighboor restaurant you want to go to. We had Bruschetta with goat cheese and caramelized onions and bruschetta shows you if the chefs understands the concept of one bite. In Bucas they do and that bite is so good. And I learned through the years it's important to be risky sometimes and order items you normally would not and so I'll be ordering the soup of the moment: Soups toscana with spicy Italian sausage - and I don't like sausages that much especially Italians can have very strong spice profile. But this soup was an experience and one in every way a very good experience. Instead of the typical Italian soups that mostly are clear this one was cream based and so tasteful without overwhelming into any spice hikes. Just delicious. As main, there was the salmon pasta and the Chicken Marsala both made with fresh ingredients and the salmon made to perfection. Did we have dessert, yes - I could not resist and I ordered another bowl of soup - can you imagine? Yes, it was that delicious. The husband and wife owners deserve five stars even when the paper napkins would have been way cooler if they had been replaced with fabric ones. And a side note: they do not serve espresso. And there is a simple reason for it a Starbucks is just a couple of entrances away. And they have in their Corporate rental agreement that there are no espresso makers allowed in the same house/building or block. Tbh I can understand this from a Starbucks corporate viewpoint - with that brand I would want to have the same in my rental agreements. If you allow it you will have fastly others to follow and you want to be the only one in the block to protect the brand and revenue. But the thing is Starbucks at this location close at 4 pm and Buca doesn't even is open at that time. I wish there would be a way to find a solution for local situations like this to make an exemption. Cause what is an Italian restaurant without an espresso machine. read more

La Buca is our favorite neighborhood gem - you can't go wrong with anything on the regular menu, but don't miss out on the specials board with things like foraged chanterelle mushrooms and house made papparadelle! Family-owned with super friendly service and a casual, comfortable ambiance! Their Italian spin on a Sazerac (with Sambuca) is our fave. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do! read more

This is by far the best Italian restaurant in Portland I've been too. Amazing quality and delicious food. Kid -friendly and also perfect for a date night dinner. Very attentive and friendly servers. Love the atmosphere, beautiful and comfy. Defiantly will be coming here again. read more

CALLING Gordon Ramsey!!! This place needs a serious reality-check!! The pasta was cheap QFC quality boiled to a mush. The spaghetti and meatballs were in a bright orange sauce that was really sugary. Meatballs fresh out of the freezer. On top of being nasty garbage food, we paid 105.00 for two pasta dishes, one salad and a tiramisu- criminal!! They don't tell you about the automatic 20% gratuity.. so basically left a 40% tip lol. Sketchy!! Should've gone to a steakhouse for those prices. Sorry but never again. Don't be fooled! read more

Awful food. The pesto was black and stale. The bread was hard. The pasta was overcooked. We will never return.

They overcharged my card by $13. In the end they did credit it back, but it was a hassle to get it taken care of. I had to keep calling day after day to remind them to give me the credit, and I had to repeatedly provide the same information because I guess one employee didn't relay it to the owner the first time I provided it. I'm pretty sure the "mistake" was intentional. My handwriting very clearly wrote "65" for the total, which doesn't look anything like "78." I don't think it was a typo on their part either. read more

if I can go back in time, I would go back to the day where you guys sign the lease on the building and I will rip that paper so you guys wouldn't even have this dump of the restaurant in the first place. Manager tries to scam customers with forced tips and switches items on your bill. bread was disgusting and hard and the bathroom sink has mold. Food was not worth the money, go down the road for good pizza instead. read more

Soft yellow walls, candles on the tables, lights strewn across the ceiling, music playing in the background, La Buca offers a quiet, quaint, and intimate setting for those looking to enjoy a meal. My server brought over complimentary bread and went over the daily specials and his personal recommendations. He mentioned food I did not even have on my radar, so I decided to try his recommendations. I ordered the burrata which came with sliced tomatoes, the Abituale - penne pasta with spicy Italian sausage in a tomato cream sauce, and a slice of lemon cheesecake for dessert. The burrata was good, but I felt like it could have used another element of something to take it to the next level. I enjoyed the Abituale, and the spicy sausage balanced nicely with the tomato cream sauce. This was not what I originally had planned on ordering, so I was pleased with my server's guidance. The lemon cheesecake was perfectly creamy, but I wished it would have had a bit more lemon flavor, and there was also more crust than I would have liked. After my meal, my server packaged up my leftovers and put everything in a bag to go. Wonderful service in an intimate setting. I will be back for more pasta soon. read more

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Came here the night before my birthday and had some lovely food and drinks. The pasta was very tasty and the place was warmly casual and inviting. The arancini appetizer was particularly good. My biggest compliments are for the professional and very sweet waitstaff however. One of our friends had had way too much to drink and began making a scene and berating the staff over some petty issue with the order. We got her out of there and apologized profusely and the staff could not have been more understanding--they could have made us feel terrible but did the absolute opposite. (Even offered me a complimentary slice of birthday cake!) People of Portland, give these fine folks all your money. Highest recommendation. read more

We got the abituale pasta and the pancetta e funghi pasta. It was delicious! We got some wine, they brought us complimentary bread, and everything was fairly priced. Staff was very friendly. read more

La Buca - Funghi pasta - Italian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

We had a great meal here this weekend! I don't usually order lasagne, but I'm so glad that I did. It had crispy edges and lots of different textures rather than the same thing every bite. Service was great, too. Looking forward to another visit soon. read more

3.5/5 This place has been on my list for awhile, so I was excited to come here. Overall, I was disappointed in my customer service experience, but the food was good. It was about 6pm on a Sunday (dinner rush) and though there were seats available in the bar, we were quoted a 10 min wait because servers were busy. When we were finally seated, our bartender/server was not welcoming and we were not checked on during our meal. Had to flag down the host to get our stuff to go and to get the check. I was disappointed. Not sure if it makes a difference to be sitting in a bar area vs restaurant, but as someone who used to work in the food industry, I felt like that shouldn't have mattered. Ordered the Pomodoro Bruschetta, Caesar Salad, Putanesca (w/ Spicy Sausage), and my cousin ordered the Abituale (w/ Cheese Ravioli). Portions were decent. The bruschetta was bland in my opinion, not the garlic taste I was imagining. The salad was unique, I enjoyed the dressing. Most ceasars can be salty or overpowering sauce wise, but I liked the balance of the garlic, lemon, and parmesan aoili from here and also that the salad itself was not too dry and not too saucy. As for the main dishes. I ended up loving both (tried some of the Abituale too). Between the two, I would recommend ordering the Abituale sub Cheese Ravioli (instead of penne). The creaminess of the sauce, with the kick of the spicy sausage in combination with the cheesiness of ravioli was delicious. I really liked how all the flavors came together and just tasted buttery. I may come back for this dish alone, lol. The Putanesca would've been plain (imo) if I didn't add the spicy sausage, so I am glad that I did. I felt like it added a nice kick and flavor to the dish. This dish leaned more towards a light salty tomato flavor. Mo read more

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Omg this place is fire the food is amazing me and my family are obsessed with this restaurant really really recommend this place

The best part of our meal was the lovely service from Kate. She made us feel warm and welcome from the start. The second best part was the mediocre AC on the super hot day. The food however was not great. Cesar was way way over dressed. The salmon special was almost inedible as the salmon was over cooked and extremely fishy. The kids bowl of steamed chicken and broccoli was a bit spendy at $12. With all the great food in this neighborhood I will skip eating here in the future. read more

Delicious Italian food served in a cute, casual cafe nestled in amongst so many other restaurants on SE 28th and Burnside, that I often forget about La Buca. Not that the food is forgettable, it's just that I'm typically heading over that way with a destination already chosen. Enter Covid, a time when the rythem of restaurant openings and closings is constant, seeing the lights on at La Buca was like seeing an old friend, with the porch lights on welcoming you home! Even with the struggles of the Pandemic, they continually serve up delicious meals whether you order takeout, which is a super easy process, or dine in where they provide exceptional service and follow all safety protocols. We always enjoy the pasta puttanesca with spicy sausage which gives the dish some protein and a kick! When I'm craving lasagna and don't want to make an entire try, enjoying a slice here is the perfect option. The layers of fresh pasta, mozzarella cheese, with the classic combo of a rich bechamel sauce and bolognese, it arrives bubbling. With each bite I want to do a happy dance! While I am clearly a carb and pasta lover, I find eating protein with my pasta is best so I especially like that you can add chicken, sausage, meatballs or fresh mozzarella to any dish. They also have several "secondi" meat based dishes. The roasted pork over creamy, cheesy polenta is a stand out. Wine is totally affordable, a glass of Barbera just $7.50 and many other affordable glasses and bottles, some Italian, some local. Beer and hard cider also available, along with sparkling Italian sodas. When I lived in NE, I was a frequent dinner here because meals were consistently good, flavors hit all the required notes, and it's affordable. It reminds me of the simple, family style Italian restaurants on the east coast where you have incredibly tasting, scratch made dishes in a casual, comfortable setting. Been dining here for 20 years and I'm so happy they are making it work and still cooking with love and serving the neighborhood. read more

First Covid then snow then ice then power outages. How are restaurants opening and closing and opening and closing? I have to say it was an amusing drive around tonight trying to find a place that was open. As fate would have it we found a winner. I remember when this was a growing small chain that was popping up everywhere then shrunk back down to I believe it has two locations. This one was open so in we went. Outdoor seating and indoor seating available. At first we were the only one in the place but we are trend setters so it soon filled up indoors and out. Really I think everyone was looking for an open place. The bread was amazing. We went with the olive oil and vinegar rather than the butter. I am sure they limited the amount of bread because of supply. No matter we would have filled up on it otherwise. The meatball appetizer in bread was as advertised a little spicy of flavor not heat. Gobbled up by even my finiky daughter. We're we going to have room to eat the entree? Just as good the penne with Sausage and the kids alfredo. Just could not finish them. Although not for lack of trying. We were also saving room for dessert. I'm a sucker for bread pudding and when I see it well I have to give it a try. The Cherry Gelato was also a temptation too good to resist. The dessert was the only slight let down Probably because they have been closed for so long. The Gelato was a little icy and the bread pudding was lacking raisins which were advertised. Only a slight deduction. Lets call it a hop on the landing. Nothing major. Thank you for being open on powerless night for most of the city. read more

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People should shut up with their negative reviews. It's almost like some some people believe this wonderful neighborhood spot should be what it's not and has never been. Recall when they opened on NE 23rd back in the day. It's lovely, food is simple and fine, usually it's delicious, and if you're expecting Genoa or Genoa equivalent then go back in time and go there. This place is perfect, the people and the kitchen staff are wonderful, be nice and enjoy. read more

Stopped by here for dinner on a Friday early evening. Ordered artichokes, gorgonzola salad, eggplant parmesan, and some kind of pasta with sausage and a tomato cream sauce. We paid in advance so that we could leave right after the meal if we wanted. The artichokes and the gorgonzola salad were ok but great. After a bite or two of the entrees, we found them bland and decided to send them back and ask for them to be taken off the bill. The server took them away, and then came back and gave us a confusing story about why they wouldn't be taken off the bill. First it was that the POS system wouldn't allow the charges to be taken off, then she revealed that the manager could take the dishes off but had chosen not to. We asked to speak to the manager. We waited a while, watching him sit at the bar. After asking a second time, he arrived at the table to tell us that no, he wouldn't take the entrees off the bill. "If i gave away free food, i wouldn't be in business very long," he said. While of course he had no contractual obligation to do so, we were still kind of stunned--I'd never seen any manager refuse to comp a dissatisfying dish, and even more shocked by his defensive attitude. Needless to say, we won't be going back. read more

I was so disappointed in this meal. We arrived at 5pm on a Tuesday, we were the first and only customers in the restaurant. We ordered a caesar salad, chicken marsala and the al forno pasta. The bread was really cold and somewhat stale. It would have benefited from some time in the oven to refresh it. The salad was tasty, although there was a big core of romaine in the salad. Things went very wrong with my entree. The chicken was so overcooked and very stringy. I asked for polenta instead of mashed potato and was given that. It was so bland. So was the one bite of chicken I had. It needed salt. My wife didn't care for her pasta. it was just a blob of penne in a pool of mediocre sauce. My wife said the sauce reminded her of tomato soup. Not good. We're only here in Pdx for 3 dinners and I'm sorry I wasted one on this. The server was super sweet though. read more

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Pasta is delicious! My favorite mashed potato in Portland. Quality food, best eaten in person but delivers well on UEats.

I am so sad to be writing such a poor review, as I used to love this place (many) years ago. But my experience was so disappointing, and for the price I paid I feel I need to share my experience. I received my food through a delivery service, which I know can be tricky sometimes. But the packaging of the Chicken Marsala was so poor that by the time it made it to me, literally all of the sauce and most of the mushrooms had leaked and spilled into the bottom of the bag. I initially suspected the driver had spilled it, but when I opened the box it was all still neatly placed, and the box itself was soggy and seeping through. Without the sauce, taste was lacking. Then I opened the Pomodoro Penne (I had subbed GF penne for like $5 or $6 addition, what?!) and was shocked at how small the portion was (for $22!!!), and how little sauce was on the food, and without even a simple garnish! I took a few bites and was so disappointed. The sauce was super thin and the dish was ultimately flavorless and dry. I ended up adding some of my own toppings to it! What the heck is happening, friends? All in all, my $47+ meal (which I had decided to treat myself to) was so disappointing and underwhelming on so many levels. I truly hope there is some weird explanation for this and that it's not the norm. However, I just read a number of reviews on how bland the food is, so I'm sadly guessing this is not a one-off. read more

La Buca - Bag was so soggy from leaking items that it was ripping. - Italian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Food is really good, loved that they were really welcoming. Good customer service. went there with my friend and we shared a pasta plate together and the mash potato is so freaking good too! read more

Ordered ahead on a Tuesday night. Was weary about ordering due to other reviews saying the food wasn't seasoned well. When I arrived for my pick up order, there were multiple tables sat with their food and all were dumping the salt and pepper shakers on their plates. I knew I was in for no seasoning. I ordered the Alfredo for my partner and the vegan spaghetti pomodoro for myself. Both needed extra garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Noodles were slightly over cooked and slimy. The tiny, I mean TINY piece of bread that was served with each entree was cold, hard and only 2 bites each. Not sure if we will go back but glad we tried it for ourselves. read more

Cute place, pretty staff, pretty food. Unfortunately, the food was bland. Caesar salad was dressed with lemon aioli. Definitely would've been better with a real house made Caesar dressing. I missed the garlic. Fried calamari was the worst. Tasted like fishy rubber. We sent it back. The server was very nice about it. Finally, we got the Arancini as an appetizer and that was also very, very bland. It arrived the table and looked enticing, but once we dug into it we were so disappointed. read more

Great food and location on SE 28th. Lots of outdoor seating and the portions are fantastic.

Yummy food with a smile! A couple of cousins and I were visiting the area and had the best experience here. We loved the Al Forno* and Abituale so much we came back for seconds the next day! Service was great. I didn't get our server's name, but they were lovely. Hope we can come back one day. I encourage anyone reading this to give the place a try, you won't regret it! read more

Having eaten La Buca many many times per pandemic, we went back recently as a party of six. I have to think for a variety of reasons, it's changed hands or is under different management. The good bad ad ugly; By consensuses the food was ok, barely. Nothing like it was in the past, really less than average. It could have been dressed up with a bit of fresh basil for presentation and to enhance the taste of the red sauces. (That's the good) Although the server was polite and nice enough, the timing was way off. Entrée s coming when people were still on their salads, dessert menus coming when people still on the main course??? (That's the bad) The most unforgivable was a Gorgonzola Salad with a much less expensive feta with a blue cheese dressing. NO BUENO!!! (That's the ugly) To many other options in Portland to go back to this has been. read more

The cocktails were good and reasonably priced. And.... That's the only good thing I have to say about this place. We probably should have known better than to go into a restaurant in that area that was dead at 5om on the weekend Hopping on to give a review, I'm genuinely shocked at all the five star reviews. My pollo marsala was oddly sweet. It kind of reminded me of kettle corn. His beef was also on the sweet side. Both the beef and chicken had the texture of something left frozen for too long then reheated. TL;DR If you really enjoy reheated cafeteria food, this is the place for you. read more

I've been here a handful of times but not since before covid. It's nice to see that they're back up and on their feet. Large portions and fresh seafood was what I remembered and they didn't disappoint this time again coming back in. Looks like the prices have gone up a bit but don't let that knock the quality of the food. Highly recommend and service is still A1 here. read more

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Delicious food and some strong drinks. My husband and I went on a early day date here and all though the insides are humble, the service was wonderful and the food better. How can you argue with free bread and oil??! As for portion sizes, my husband and I were both satisfied but no leftovers were taken home. Usually I always have leftovers. Take that for what you will. Parking is in the neighborhood mainly and although we found parking, it was a couple blocks away. Give yourself time when going. read more

La Buca - Italian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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This is the first sit-down Italian food we've had since the COVID pandemic. We were seated right away, but unfortunately by the door. There was spot near the a distant window, but they didn't want to overload the server. I guess that reasonable, but not so much if they put somewhere there 15 minutes after us!!!! :( Other than that small snafu, very good food! I had the special which was a seafood white wine linguine. Very tasty and had that deep savory salty seafood taste strewn throughout, which is difficult to do! My partner had a pancetta e funghi noodle dish. I wanted to like it more, but it was too creamy and drying to the mucous membranes of my mouth. I'll come back to try more though! read more