Price Guide (average entree): $ bargain - $6 or less, $$ inexpensive - $6 - $12, $$$ moderate $12 - $19, $$$$ expensive - over $19.
Quality Rating: Superb is the highest, considered the very best possible. Notes are qualifiers allowing insight into the reviewer's rating. Disclaimer
| Restaurant: | Bucca di Beppo | Location: | I-35 & Santa Fe, Lenexa |
| Cuisine: | Italian | Price: | $$$$ expensive |
| Ambience: | * average | Notes: | Gambucci's wanna-be |
| Food: | * average | Notes: | No better than Olive Garden |
| Service: | poor | Notes: | Terrible wait despite reservation |
| Favorites: | Nil |
| Comments: | Parking was a nightmare. The valet's behavior was inexcusable because he physically and verbally threatened me for parking my new car in the wrong place. The manager did assure me that no damage would come to my person or vehicle if I remained and the valet was "reprimanded." (As far
as I know he still works there.) Despite this, I chose to stay since I was a member a large birthday party that had reservations. The following are fatal mistakes this restaurant makes: (Managers take heed!)
First, if customers wanted to squint at menus onf a wall, we'd go to McDonalds. Actually, McDonald's menus are easier to read...
Second, if the number of place settings exceeds the size of the table, the people won't fit either. Interesting theory...
Third, don't accept a reservation you cannot and do not intend keep. No, tips do not increase exponentially this way...
Fourth, pasta is merely flour, egg, and water and should not be as expensive as prime rib or salmon. I site nearly $20 for a bowl of spaghetti...
Finally, go eat at Gambucci's to see what a family restaurant is supposed to be like and don't forget to peek into the theme rooms while you are there!
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| Reviewer: | Jennifer |
Date: | 2/16/00 |
| Restaurant: | Bucca di Beppo | Location: | I-35 and 87th |
| Cuisine: | Italian | Price: | $$ inexpensive |
| Ambience: | *** excellent | Notes: | |
| Food: | *** excellent | Notes: | |
| Service: | *** excellent | Notes: | |
| Favorites: | Tiramisu |
| Comments: | The Pope Room is a must see! Big, family style dishes. |
| Reviewer: | Rick |
Date: | 11/3/00 |
| Restaurant: | Bucca di Beppo | Location: | 87th & I-35 |
| Cuisine: | Southern Italian | Price: | $$$ moderate |
| Ambience: | ** very good | Notes: | The decor is superb. |
| Food: | *** excellent | Notes: | Best calamari I've had in KC |
| Service: | **** superb | Notes: | Our server Jaysen was small but had a huge personality. |
| Favorites: | Calamari & Tiramisu |
| Comments: | The decor was just spectacular and the sassy staff was just super. |
| Reviewer: | Thad |
Date: | 11/22/00 |
| Restaurant: | Bucca di Beppo | Location: | 87th & I35, Lenexa |
| Cuisine: | Italian | Price: | $$$$ expensive |
| Ambience: | ** very good | Notes: | Makes you feel at home |
| Food: | ** very good | Notes: | |
| Service: | *** excellent | Notes: | |
| Favorites: | |
| Comments: | I totally disagree with the review on the previous page! I find it a very friendly place with great food. |
| Reviewer: | Howard |
Date: | 4/4/01 |
| Restaurant: | Bucca di Beppo | Location: | 87th & I35, Lenexa |
| Cuisine: | Italian | Price: | $$$$ expensive |
| Ambience: | * average | Notes: | Somewhat gimmicky |
| Food: | * average | Notes: | * |
| Service: | * average | Notes: | |
| Favorites: | none |
| Comments: | My husband had been wanting to try Bucca de Beppo's every since we moved to Kansas City, and we finally did in March, 2001. It immediately struck me as a "theme" restaurant--one where you pay a lot of money to eat in a "retro" Eye-talian restaurant of the 50s. If you order a couple bottles of the restaurant's house wine, then the atmosphere does start to grow on you, however.
HUGE portions seldom means quality, in my book. The spaghetti with marinara sauce was absolutely subpar: noodles were too soft; sauce had no fresh flavor or seasoning. As an earlier reviewer mentioned that it tasted like (canned) crushed tomatoes over noodles. I agree. The cheese ravioli (something like $22.00 for a plate of it) was better than what you find in a can at the supermarket, but hardly worth the price--even if it was enough for two.
I think many Americans love to discover real "mom and pop" Italian-American restaurants, and indeed, finding one that is good and noncommercialized or discovered is a lot of fun. But to pay this partciular restaurant to attempt to create that Mom and Pop atmosphere is a poor use of your money.
I never thought I would say it, but Olive Garden does a better job at service and cuisine than this pricy and gimmicy restaurant does, and you would be better served to go elsewhere. |
| Reviewer: | Andrea |
Date: | 4/6/01 |
| Restaurant: | Bucca di Beppo | Location: | Country Club Plaza |
| Cuisine: | Italian | Price: | $$$ moderate |
| Ambience: | *** excellent | Notes: | very good atmosphere |
| Food: | *** excellent | Notes: | family sized portions,excellent food |
| Service: | * average | Notes: | |
| Favorites: | torteloni,manicotti |
| Comments: | The food is excellent,they serve large portions to feed 3 to 4 people so you have to share. The price is very reasonable. I think this is the best Italian resturaunt in Kansas City, I highly reccomend it. |
| Reviewer: | Darrell |
Date: | 1/6/02 |
| Restaurant: | Bucca di Beppo | Location: | Country Club Plaza |
| Cuisine: | Italian | Price: | $$$ moderate |
| Ambience: | tacky | Notes: | |
| Food: | substandard | Notes: | |
| Service: | poor | Notes: | |
| Favorites: | |
| Comments: | When your claim to fame is meatballs as big as your head, be
affraid. |
| Reviewer: | Joy |
Date: | 11/19/02 |
| Restaurant: | Bucca de Beppo | Location: | I-35 @ 87th Street |
| Cuisine: | Italian... | Price: | $$$ moderate |
| Ambience: | tacky | Notes: | The deck of the Titanic would be calmer |
| Food: | substandard | Notes: | Chef Boyardee makes better sauce |
| Service: | poor | Notes: | Service? Was there service? I didn't see much. |
| Favorites: | Absolutely nothing |
| Comments: | This has to be one of the worst dining experiences I've had. The other reviewers have sited the issues: reservations that are not
kept, 1-2 hour waits w/reservations, poor service, unreadable menus, lousy
food, nasty service, and wine that did not have as much flavor as Welch's
grape juice. I fail to see the attraction here. Even the kitschy Pope
room isn't amusing enough to warrant suffering through this place. |
| Reviewer: | Meg |
Date: | 1/3/03 |
| Restaurant: | Bucca di Beppo | Location: | I-35 and 87th St. Pkwy, Lenexa |
| Cuisine: | Italian | Price: | $$$$ expensive |
| Ambience: | tacky | Notes: | Tacky in a GOOD way...Pure kitsch |
| Food: | * average | Notes: | You can eat it. You won't LOVE it, but it's okay. |
| Service: | * average | Notes: | Service seems to vary in quality |
| Favorites: | |
| Comments: | This is not fine dining, but it is fun dining. Super-kitschy decorating and a maze-like layout with multiple rooms. The food is not great, but it's good and there is plenty of it. The service quality has varied from night to night, in my experience (4 trips). Negative reviews above should be taken with a grain of salt. When you see Romanesque statues draped in Xmas tree lights and have a B&W photo of Sophia Loren's cleavage behind your table next to a room featuring a model of the Pope's head, you cannot legitimately be expecting haute cuisine. Go, eat a lot, drink a little and have fun. |
| Reviewer: | C.D. |
Date: | 4/13/03 |
| Restaurant: | Bucca Di Beppo | Location: | Plaza & 87th $ I-35 |
| Cuisine: | Italian | Price: | $$$ moderate |
| Ambience: | tacky | Notes: | |
| Food: | * average | Notes: | |
| Service: | poor | Notes: | Where the heck was my server? |
| Favorites: | |
| Comments: | I have tried both locations and they were busy, but after dining I couldn't figure out why! The food was edible but definetly not great. At both locations, my server must have been really new or really bad! I'd rather go to Gambucci's any day!! |
| Reviewer: | Amy |
Date: | 12/28/03 |
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