by indianachris
I loved it. I was on the opening staff.
If you worked there at opening in 1999, HIT ME UP!
LibertyRightNow @ hotmail.com
- 4801 Westown Parkway, West Des Moines, IA 50266
- (515) 224-6342
- bucadibeppo.com
- Restaurant, Italian
-
Average Rating
(5 ratings)
by A-Rog
A good place to eat, but you will have to go to Omaha or the Twin Cities to try it because it closed! I might make the trip for the delicious thin crust pizza. The super large serving sizes are annoying for a party of two.
by capitalcityguy
Fun place, great for groups of people but there are many more places in the city that serve much tastier Italian. Go for the enjoyment of the staff and decor, but if you're after real good Italian food DSM offers so much more.
by NicoleK
To start off, love the décor! It’s eclectic, entertaining and funky. I have been to Buca di Beppo, twice. Once for lunch seated in the restaurant and the other for dinner, seated in the kitchen, by far the kitchen was my favorite.
Sitting in the kitchen is just entertaining. You get prime seats to watch the cooks, wait staff and customers. Each dish that is prepared is shown to you and explained in great detail what the dish is and what it is made of. So before you order you can preview what it will look like and what it is made with. With your designated waiter and the cooking staff and restaurant managers, there is no reason to complain about the service.
As for the food…you will be stuffed beyond belief and happy about it. The dishes are served family-style. Here are my favorites, the WARM TOMATO AND SPINACH SALAD (with balsamic dressing, goat cheese and spiced pecans), QUATTRO AL FORNO (sampling of all their baked pasta specialties), CHICKEN SALTIMBOCCA with prosciutto and artichokes, GREEN BEANS with olive oil and lemon and if you are going to have anything I strongly suggest the ESCAROLE sautéed with olive oil and garlic. They use fresh ingredients and the presentation radiates a home-style feel. You will forget this is a chain restaurant. After dinner don’t forget the limoncello, to help you digest the mountain of food in your stomach and if you can find room for dessert squeeze in the TIRAMISU!
Other great thing about Buca, RESERVATIONS! Either online or via phone, I love the options.
So, if you are thinking about going…just go! Call ahead and get reservations for the kitchen table, sit back and enjoy!
by anthony
Go here for good Italian food.
Check out the table called the kitchen table (which you have to reserve a couple weeks in advance) where, added on to your already great food, you get free small portions of entres that they just bring over to you, and you get to watch and talk to the chefs. It's a good time.
Buca di Beppo's: Where everything's giant, and has garlic in it. The dishes are all served family style, so you definitely get a lot; the small dish serves 2-3 people and the large serves 4-6. My recommendation is to get small dishes. That way you can try a few things. And always, always get the green beans. The serving isn't as big as everything else, but they're the best beans you'll have at a restaurant. Also get one of their meatballs - either with your spaghetti or by itself; they're 1/2 lb. a piece! As for appetizers, the bruschetta is excellent and so is the garlic bread. The desserts are also insane, some are gigantic - all are good.
So once you've finished your meal and had to unbutton your pants, get a shot of limoncello. It's an after dinner "digestivo" - very common in Italy. They take a grain alcohol and soak it in lemon peels for 3 weeks, which means, this shot is just as strong with lemon as it is with alcohol. And it does it's job in helping breakdown your food. You'll feel much better after 1 of these. Now button your pants back up.
If you're in the mood for pizza, don't expect your classic pizza pie. The pizza is square, thin, crisp, and excellent, ask your server about their favorite. Or better yet, just ask the pizza chef.
Another thing about Buca di Beppo is the staff. There are always a couple managers walking around taking care of people, everyone is having fun, and the wait staff always knows about the food they're serving.
The most important part of this place is the kitchen. Normally on the way to your table, you'll walk straight through it, and while you're there you'll probably notice a booth - this is the place to be. It seats 6 people, so reserve it in advance and you'll be in for a great time. The entire time you're there, the kitchen manager and all the staff takes care of you. They show and tell you all the food they make. Everytime you eat in the kitchen it's a little different, but if you like food, be ready to have fun. Sometimes you get included in the management process, sometimes you get free food, but you always have a ton of fun.
