Buca di Beppo just look for the name it means “joe’s basement”
In The summer of 1993 the first Buca di Beppo opened in a Minneapolis basement, it was hard to find but impossible to forget. Now you can find them all over America.
We love to visit the one in the Florida mall usually on the day that we fly home as we visit the mall for our last minute shopping and then feast and savour our last couple of hours in Florida. They are open seven day’s a week and everything on the menu is available for take-out.
Upon entering the restaurant you are taken on a walk through the huge busy kitchen where the chef’s are hard at work, the atmosphere in there is electric and there is a huge table strategically placed which can be reserved in advance should you want to eat and observe …. They will even open early by special arrangement to accommodate group functions/parties. Further through you then have a variety of room’s and alcoves at which to sit, the walls are covered in pictures and photographs of movie stars from day’s gone by ,this and the background music makes you feel as though you are in the middle of Italy, in a small Italian bistro.
All of the food at Buca di Beppo is served family style and is meant to be shared, Buca small is for 2-3 people and large is for 4-6 people.
The menu is varied and I can definitely recommend the Bruschetta which is topped with fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic, we had the small as there were only two of us and it was more than enough , The Spaghetti meatballs is another favourite which I was slightly reluctant to try as I make these at home from a fabulous recipe made with fresh sage and whenever we have tried them before they haven’t come up to scratch. .NOT these though they are absolutely gorgeous…so tasty and very Moorish, Again they come on a plate to share which I must admit is great fun especially for children. there is a smaller menu for children and the atmosphere is great for them.
The menu is vast and varied and there is something to suit everyone’s palate ,the wine list is extensive And if you have any room left then the deserts are to die for especially the tiramisu again in a huge sharing bowl.
This is definitely not one to be missed and you can take a look at their web site at www.bucadibeppo.com