Ristorante La Buca

This place is a low key, authentic haven. The staff was friendly and patient and gave stellar recommendations. Especially when dealing with our large group of 10 people. We were there for about 3 hours and they never rushed us or tried to hurry us out. The cocktails were delicious and strong and the pasta and seafood was fresh. The quality and flavors were second to none. Will absolutely be returning.

This was a cool spot! I loved the entrance and the decor; you literally feel like you’re stepping into Italy. The food was good, but nothing special. I had the veal saltimbocca and was pretty salty. Nothing was especially flavorful, it was all just good. I would compare it to an Olive Garden experience.

This place has some of the best Italian food I've ever eaten. The fried calamari is perfectly fried, and the basil aioli was such a beautiful compliment to the wonderfully acidic marinara. I got the risotto with veal sausage and was blown away by how tasty this dish was. Everything was balances and each ingredient perfectly seasoned and prepared. Finally we ended the night on the homemade tiramisu. This tiramisu was so well made and light, I was stunned. All of this, was hard to fully appreciate for the following reasons. The atmosphere in this space is DATED. I felt like I was in the late 80's and it wasn't the fun 80's. The interior is old and looks generally bizarre for the year 2023. The service was an experience within itself. We couldn't order lemon wedges and had a difficult time getting seated. The waiting room before the restaurant was barren and uncomfortable and the host had no idea we were waiting to be seated for like 15 minutes. The table service was also super bizarre as we had a hard time communicating to any of the 3 staff(all waiters/waitresses) that came to our table. I loved the food. I was surprised by how good the food was (the bread was also giving me store bought vibes- not sure it was fresh.) I don't know how a place like this isn't packed but im assuming it's the staffing and decor. If you have the patience this place is 100% worth a try.

We came here because we wanted authentic Italian food in a nice setting. Buca D'oro did not disappoint! The staff was incredibly friendly, made us laugh and made us feel incredibly comfortable. You can feel the family vibes. The food was amazing, good portions but when you're finished you don't feel so heavy. The food was so fresh, the pasta delicious with authentic flavors and the dessert (the tempation cake) was out of this world. I'll 100% be coming back when I'm back in Philly to this very nice place. Thank you to our servers who made our experience so wonderful! We are so happy we found it.