TOGO not so good. Buca/Seattle WA - TOGO Sat 4/23/11: We love the family size dishes, specially the LINGUINE FRUTTI DI MARE. We had this dish as dine-ins and dine-outs, from the regular size menu. Great sauce seasoning, nicely tossed linguine texture (not too soft, not too chewy), the seafood was not overly cooked. SO, we thought we couldn’t go wrong if we order for a private party. We ordered the EXTRA LARGE PARTY PAN. Well, this is WHERE IT WENT WRONG, too much linguine and not enough seafood; only one layer on top of the deep pan linguine. They didn’t have party size fried calamari, so we got 2 orders from the regular menu as side dishes. There’s a reason why they don’t have this on the TOGO party size menu – it gets SOGGY quickly. DONOT GET EXTRA LARGE PARTY PAN!! = TWO STARS.

SERVICE gets ONE STAR. They didn’t follow through with their promises to our requests: red pepper - received 6 tiny pack and the PAN serves 20, NO utensils, 6 paper plates and the PAN serves 20, NO carry carton to help transport the hot dish. The fried calamari gotten soggy 10mins out, despite the waitress’ assurance. DONOT order fried calamari to go, for dine-in only. We had a wait a bit at pickup despite the advance-order from internet. DONOT use internet to order, call it in. Their website shopping cart is a bit out-dated, too dump sort of speak.

OVERALL – 2.5 STARS for this experience.…

they dumped our leftovers. The waiter said that he was going to box up our leftovers; he took them to get boxed up; after a very long wait, I went to find him and he told me he forgot. He went back to look for them and then came back to let me know the leftovers had been dumped. So much for lunch.

I have never had a waiter take food to be boxed, forgot them and then return empty handed.

I am not a happy camper. s.…

Do NOT Waste Your Time!. OK, I get that these chefs are pumping out large portions of a ton of dishes to multiple tables very quickly, but the food totally isn't worth the atmosphere. Everything is undercooked or overcooked or super greasy or super bland. I don't think anything on the menu is traditionally italian. Maybe the idea was, but not how it comes to your table, plus the place if full of prom-going teenagers most weekends.…

Get cozy with friends and family and enjoy an Italian feast at this loved-by-locals restaurant.. In Short
Homesick for your mother's Italian cooking? Grab your appetite and head to this restaurant, where the friendly wait staff will serve up portions of Colosseum-esque proportions, like spaghetti and meatballs loaded with savory tomato sauce and lots of pungent garlic. Dishes center on Southern Italian immigrant fare, and are meant to be shared family-style with a large goblet of wine-to enhance the taste, of course. The ornate décor with walls covered in vintage photos evokes a warm homey feel that welcomes customers to dine among the other families and loyal customers. Buon Appetito!…

Very disappointing. The food was terrible - We ordered the Salmon Pesto and it was well below my expectations. The side of broccoli was frozen and reheated in a microwave and had a strange taste to it. The Salmon was tough and had strong fish smell to it. The Fettuccine Alfredo Pasta was just bland and oily and the Chicken Parmesan was tough and salty. Also our service was just terrible. We felt rushed and forgotten. We didn't even get our bread and had to ask for it. When the food came we didn't even get our utensils! For 15.99 a plate I definitely expect good food - this place was a big waste of time and money.…

Best Itallian. I was in Seattle for a meeting and this place was with in walking distance to our hotel. It is the best I have ever had. I can never walk into a Olive Garden again. We have nothing like this in Spokane I hope some day you will expand. I had the Manicottie (sp) and Chicken Alfredo and oh my gosh don't skimp and buy the small bread you will want the large. I had so much left that I brought it on the Plane to Spokane to share with my family. Vety friendly and helpful staff also. The price was perfect for all the food you get.…

Fun time for the whole family. This is always a place that my family looks forward to going to. In addition to good food, the atmosphere is fun, and the waitstaff makes it all a good time. You definitely get lots of food, and lots to take home afterwards. The ambience and family-style atmosphere make it a great dinner experience for large groups! It's a place to bring your friends, where you can be loud and have a good time.…

mostly ups, a few slight downs. took a venture here for dinner with a gift card, and had a decent time. wasn't too worried about the menu or food. it's not purely authentic italian, but good enough. service was not as desirable however. while we waited for a table and read peculiar photos defaced with captions about enemas, the host didn't want to make eye--or voice--contact, and i'm not even that intimidating an italian guy. as we were led to our table, through a corridor tiled like a locker room shower and one odd table with a rowdy family who jeered at passersby, a woman who seemed to be the staff manager was scolding and bossing other servers around in a tone that caused an awkward tension. we waited as our table was prepared, which consisted of 6-8 placemats arranged over the tablecloth, mostly to hide the crispy breadcrumbs from whomever had the table previous. the complimentary bread is decent; a shame so much was left behind.

our actual server was very pleasant and helpful. a simple meal of Gnocchi el telephono and garlic mashed potatoes was excellent, with a bias toward the potatoes. dessert was a mixed bag; wanting a sweet dish of tiramisu, the server warned us that their 'rum soaked lady fingers' were indeed drenched in rum, enough so that people love it or hate it. after her personal guarantee that we would love it or have it nixed from the bill, we gave it a shot, and long story short had it removed from our bill. if you want to get tipsy with a high amount of superfluous calories and also love rum (more than espresso), you will enjoy the dessert.

having read the reviews here before venturing out, one person commented about enduring the Birthday Song routine every 15 minutes, and while we laughed then, it was hauntingly accurate. literally, every 15 minutes the staff huddled around a different table, interrupted everyone's meal, and sang a round of the birthday song with such lacklustre that only restaurant staff can perform.

worth a try if you have the time and appetite.…

Great deal - lots of fun!. I reccomend Buca for a younger set, I'm not italian so I have no problems with the food, infact I LOVE the stuffed pasta shells and the bella festa for dessert. I can understand that people would be frusturated that it's not real italian or whatever, but it's a chain restaurant and it's not like your getting screwed on portion sizes!!…