Can anyone tell me about an Italian rest. Bucca Di Beppo in phoenix/scottsdale.

It is a chain

It is a chain, but a pretty good one I think. We've got two here in the SF Bay Area. I particularly like their Frutti di Mare. You order big plates for the table, so don't go there with just one other person, you'll never finish your food! It can be loud and crowded.

We have one here in Omaha. I didn't like it at all. Too crowded, too loud. Food was okay, not exceptional. They did have a decent cannoli though.

They seated us (8) in a booth and an extra table on the end since it was a booth for 4 or 6. I was on the end and every time the servers would come around the corner with an ice bucket from the ice machine I got hit in the back of my head. (they would cut the corner too short, forgetting that there was an extra table) We asked to be moved, but they could not accomodate a group of 8 anywhere else. I left with a headache and a couple of apologies from the wait staff.

Not impressed. I can get better italian at Vivace's in the Old Market.

Sheli

I would second Monica's description and it is the right place to go if you want something very active and social. If you like a more buttoned-down dining experience, this would not be your choice. But with a group looking for a very good, filling meal and a couple of bottles of Chianti, it's a great pick. At some of these restaurants, you can even get a table right in the kitchen. What a hoot! I believe the original is in Minneapolis and they generally have a line outside.

Check out their website at bucadibeppo.com, it includes the menu.

You get the impression from BdP that the founders ate at an Olive Garden and said, "Geez, we can do better than this."

It is a chain, as mentioned. The food is in the "good" category. Enormous portions that encourage sharing, and a kinda festive, hectic atmosphere (especially if you sit in the kitchen) I wouldn't pay too much attention to the post about the lousy seating. That can happen anywhere once (though I can understand why that poster wouldn't go back). In general, I've found the service to be good and efficient.

Husband's family is Italian. We ate a Bucca di Beppo in LA because of niece's request for her graduation dinner. How awful!! So loud, they didn't honor reservations on time, the table was terribly crowded, service frantic, generally very unpleasant but the kids enjoyed it. That said, the food is not half bad. It's very Italian-American, a bit heavy handed but not Olive Garden which is downright awful! Might be fun for a noisy entertaining night out with kids but not for serious Italian dining.

We DETEST that place.
Have been to three different ones (usually because we were with a group).
Food is mediocre at best.
Place is loud and annoying.
We've vowed we will not return regardless of circumstances.

I read on another post that we're not supposed to comment on restaurants any more.
Mostly because none of us know what we're talking about and can't judge food correctly by Julia Child's criteria.
So I guess I'll just keep my misguided opinion to myself.

Calm down, Michael, and stop banging your spoon against your highchair. Julia was a troll.

My brother-in-law calls Bucca di Beppo Chuck E. Cheese for adults.

It's a great place if you're about 16 and out with your friends of the same age. Food quality is fair at bast, waitstaff is inconsistent in the two I've visited. Can be fun as a group, but there must be better alternatives.

As an Italian I can tell you the food is nasty. They try to copy the traditional Italian dinner with the menus written on a chalk board (which no one can see) and serve everything family stlye. They forget the most important menu item: sauce. Italians love sauce. It's like going to Taco Bell for real Mexican food.

Agree with most of the above - loud, crowded, bland food, over-priced, rude service. You can do a lot better in Phoenix/Scottsdale. Arizona Fodorites....???

Ara--if you're looking for romantic, don't go to Bucca. It is loud, and crowded, but it's great fun with a group. The food is good and you get a lot of it. I think people get a little too critical here about restaurants. Eighty percent of Americans probably open a jar of Prego or something like it for pasta sauce at home. So they just want to go out and have a nice meal and a good time with decent, friendly service. If you can find exceptional--terrific. But there's no sense trashing the good places and Bucca is good.

The food is great, but they use a LOT of oil so it's very fattening.

ara: I never ate at Bucca Di Beppo, but
a pretty decent Italian restaurant in the Phoenex/Scottsdale area is Maria's When in Naples. (on Shea Blvd, I believe)

Bucca Di Beppo is a chain found in almost evry single city in the US. Some people hate to eat at chains, others like them. It is as others have said an Italian restaurant with VERY large portions and food is served "family style". The food is not gourmet and don't expect a 5 star restaurant. I would rank their food higher than Fazzoli's and a little higher than Olive Garden (but really about the same level). It is a fun place to go with a group. I personally don't mind chains one bit and like to go to my neighborhood Applebees, Olive Garden, Bucca's. Outback Steakhouse or whatever for dinner. However, if going on vacation, I generally like to go to restaurants I can't go to at home and rarely go to chains while (doesn't mean I eat gourmet, means I eat local) If you have picky kids Bucca's or other chains may be the way to go while on vacation as the food is familar but otherwise, I would choose something else for a trip and eat at Bucca Di Beppa on a Friday night in my hometown!

Only been to Bucca Di Beppo in Seattle - love the atmospehere and it's tons of fun with a big group as it's all family style. I really do not care much for the food though. If you want a great meal I'd say skip it, if you want a fun place to hang out with a large group and food is not the priority it's really a great place.