Buca di Beppo

Buca is a widely known restaurant in Indiana; known for its large portion and friendly staff, it has earned its wonderful reputation.

Recently I visited the downtown location to meet up with friends. I showed up early and told the seating staff my name and the number I was waiting for. For once I wasn’t seated in the back but instead in the bar area and the change in décor was refreshing.

Almost immediately after being seated my waitress came over, introduced herself and took my drink order. While waiting for my drink, I browsed the menu, surfed the web (they have wifi!). Seeing as I had a lecture to attend later on that day, my Sangria was promptly brought to me on my but it made lecture that much better! The strawberry tea was for sips in between.

While waiting for the rest of my party to arrive I decided to go ahead and order a side of Italian Wedding Soup (bell pepper, meatballs, parmesan, and peas) so that I wouldn’t be drinking alcohol on a completely empty stomach.

I love the staff. Seeing as I was sitting by myself and the staff knew I was waiting for others to arrive, I expected that I would be asked if I needed anything maybe once or twice and forgotten until the rest of my party arrived-after all, I’m not going to order until they show up and if they don’t I’m very unlikely to tip. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised that my waitress did not forget about me, but would ask how everything was or if I needed anything almost every time she passed me.

She was a very friendly and nice person and I desperately wish I remembered her name as she was an excellent waitress, alas, I don’t remember what I wore yesterday let alone her name!

But back to the food!

They of course serve you fresh bread with olive oil and vinegar dipping dish. The two flavors of bitter and smooth mix surprisingly well, giving it an extra zing.

My company finally arrived and I ordered my favorite dish there-Linguine Frutti di Mare. I love seafood and this particular dish is loaded with the sea! Shrimp, baby clams, mussels and calamari in a spicy red clam sauce over linguine.

 

I would lick the plate if I could! One time I should actually reserve enough room in my stomach to try desert. As it was, I manage to devour my meal and my companions took home leftovers. 

For those of you who don’t know Buca has two sizes-catering large and large. It’s done in ‘family’ sizes, where the regular is the size of a small sauce pan and the large is literally catering size. This makes it great for families and dates-you can share each others, or only order one and split it or order something you’ll want for a few days and live off of leftovers. 

It’s a very friendly atmosphere and good for any crowd, but if you plan on going on later in the evening, you’re going to want to make reservations as they fill up quickly even on weeknights. 

Pricing: Tip + meal + soup + alcoholic drink+ regular drink = ~$25

Website: http://bucadibeppo.com/locations/