Buca di Beppo is a fabulous group-oriented restaurant aimed at bringing authentic Italian cuisine to the table. Located across the street from Century Theater in Huntington Beach’s Bella Terra, Buca di Beppo is a lively two-story catering to groups of all ages.
My Saturday-night dining experience was an extremely pleasant one. My party of four was seated soon after our arrival, but not before we were allowed a quick walk-through of the kitchen, which turned out to be a pleasant deviation from the norm of dining experiences.
The restaurant staff was extremely friendly, chatting up patrons and greeting all as they passed by. It was perhaps one of the friendliest dining atmospheres which I have been a part of. Our server was especially friendly, answering all of our questions with a smile and as constantly checking to make sure that we were satisfied with our meal, and even whether I wanted to have some fresh coffee, without prompting.
Although the prices may seem a bit high at first, the arrival of the dishes quickly remedies that – ranging from $13 to about $25, each family-style dish serves anywhere from 4 to 8 people. The downside to this is that there is less variety at the table, due to the decreased need of needing to order more dishes.
The Linguine Frutti di Mare was a delicious seafood pasta, made with succulent mussels, shrimp, clams, and calamari. The dish was perfectly made, with the wonderful seafood flavor bursting in your mouth with a slight kick from the spicy clam sauce.
The Baked Ziti was well-made, mixing four cheeses with imported Italian ziti, fresh marinara sauce, and creamy Alfredo. The Mozzarella, Parmesan, provolone, and ricotta blended to form a rich, cheesey flavor, nicely topping the ziti.
For dessert was the house special, the Colossal Brownie Sundae, a dessert worthy of its name: 6 cool, sweet scoops of vanilla ice cream covered in caramel and chocolate sauces, sprinkles, and whipped cream, topping 12 warm, deliciously chocolate brownies.
Buca di Beppo is located at 7979 Center Avenue in Huntington Beach just off the 405 freeway at Beach Boulevard. Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays. Info: 714-891-4666.
