Las Vegas Dining: Buca di Beppo at the Excalibur

Two words, come hungry!  I must say that over the course of two months since I battled the dreaded flu and lost 10 pounds, the weight has happily found it’s way back to me and it started when we went to Las Vegas.  We ate well and I can’t complain since we dined on lots of Italian food, my favorite!  Buca di Beppo is a family style establishment that can be found a few locations in Vegas was a place we will be back to for sure.  A chain restaurant featuring large shareable portions in a fun and friendly atmosphere, we checked out the one in the Excalibur Hotel and Casino on the strip.

Decorated walls of Italian famiglia ancestry, checkered tablecloths, soccer jerseys, happy and loud (though not annoying) conversation, I loved it already.  We were seated next to a huge soccer team party and at first since we were sans children we thought, really? But, after a while, their excitement and fun rubbed off on us.  Or maybe it was the cocktails we started the meal off with!  White wine sangria (Moscato and passion fruit vodka) with so much fruit and so very good and a good ole standby beer for my husband!

So we perused the menu and as our placemat guided us, “small” portions were appropriate for two people, “large” portions for 4 or more.  Before we decided, warm bread and balsamic dipping oil came out and it was a nice way to soak up my sangria and that zing from the balsamic vinegar is like a drug to me!  Appetizers came up first on our mind and fried mozzarella is always a good place to start, and we opted for the  $13.99 “small” portion.  The price was high for a plate of 8 cheese triangles, it’s what we normally order for about 5 dollars less elsewhere, but nonetheless the cheese was hot and melty and really good!

Salad is separate from your meal, again a small portion was more than enough for the two of us.  We ordered the mixed greens with olives, both green and kalamata, red onion, and delicious plump pepperoncinis.  $14.99 for the salad alone, you see the tag is adding up quickly for two people.

Sticking with conservative, yet some of our favorite traditional choices, we opted to go the pizza route for our entree.  Also in two serving sizes, we went for the small Supremo Italiano with spicy Italian sausage, pepperoni, bell peppers, onions, mozzarella, provolone and meat sauce.  $20.99 and well worth it in flavor and size.  The veggies were fresh, the sausage had a nice kick to it, great crispy crust. This I was totally on board for because I knew we’d have leftovers.  Bread, more salad, and a few more cheese stick bites and we were content!

It’s sad that with such a hearty meal and drinks, we had no room for dessert.  The dessert menu is phenomenal and I’m looking forward to a Vegas trip where all we eat for 3 days is desserts, no real meals!  The party next to us enjoyed a Celebration cake and it’s red, white, and green layers looked so cool as well as delicious!

The service was impeccable, our waiter was so cool and he chatted with us and made us feel at home.  I’m so excited to go back to Buca! I’ve noticed it many places and primarily near shopping malls which will be a huge selling point for my kids when we can pair the two together!  The prices run a bit high for a couples’ night out (pushing $70 without dessert), but I’d love to do it with our whole family of 5 or even with more adding grandma and grandpa so we can order different dishes to try and share!  Find a Buca di Beppo near you, http://www.bucadibeppo.com/.

Our meal was hosted as part of our media visit, gratuity and opinions always our own.