Il Buco

Doesn't Recommend

ShopGal

Joined 2 years ago

AWFUL EXPERIENCE- EMBARRASSING FIRST DATE!. Absolutely awful experience. Made a reservation for a first date at Il Buco for this past Saturday night, given all of the wonderful reviews I saw on here. The restaurant was absolutely stifling hot- all of the diners were complaining about the heat and the hostesses' only response was, "Oh, it must be the candles." Absolutely no apologies or show of concern. I don't know whether the air conditioner had broken, but the temperature was absolutely uncalled for and disgusting. Despite that, we went to sit down, only to find that all of the tables were communal and absolutely uncomfortably tight. After 5 minutes of sweat pouring off my date's poor face, we got up and left. I have never seen anything that bad. Would never return or recommend this place to my worst enemy.

Recommends

zensin

Joined 9 years ago

Sublime. A great restaurant.

Food, Service, Ambiance - this place has it all. The menu changes daily, so while the menu is quite small, you won't see the same thing on repeat visits.

In general, you can't go wrong with the pastas. The gnocchi is ridiculously good - so delicate.

I had a pork steak the last time I was in, and it was one of the best things I have eaten in a long time.

Wine list is extensive and expensive, but there are plenty of wines in the 30-40 dollar range (I'm super cheap when it comes to wine).

All in all, it is one of the city's dining treasures!

Doesn't Recommend

elmelm

Joined 5 years ago

Way to expensive for what it is. My boyfriend and I sampled the prosciutto croquettes, the octopus with yoghurt dressing and potatoes, and the fluke. All were tasty. However, the fluke was expensive and there was less fish than one single order of sashimi. It was really obscene that they would charge so much for so little. The octopus salad appeared to be a more generous portion than the fish, but what we thought was octopus was actually potatoes. They really filled the plate with potatoes (which looked like octopus with the yoghurt dressing) and there were only a few small pieces of octopus. The place was romantic, but totally not worth the prices. You'd have to spend a fortune to fill up here.

Recommends

sakumawiki

Joined 5 years ago

Sublime Food, Impeccable Service. I've been to Il Buco about a dozen times and it manages to impress and surprise me in a new way each time. My last visit was no exception. Though it was a busy Friday night, the staff was uber-pleasant and welcoming, unhurried and eager to make sure we were happy with our table and then well attended to throughout our meal. Unlike so many other lookalike Italian restaurants that serve taste-alike food, this restaurant seems to find a way to introduce something new every day. With market-fresh produce and the dishes that are inspired by them, you always feel like you're eating the best of each ingredient at its peak of flavor. Not sure what to order? No problem, the wait staff is helpful and knowledgeable.

The noise level is unfortunately pretty high, especially in the area near the entrance and bar (thought the bar crowd itself is pretty tame). If you want a quite(r) table, there are two two-tops that are set aside or you can always ask for the far ends of one of the several huge communal tables. You really have to request the two-tops or quite tables in advance or you'll be put in the middle of other diners already shouting to be heard. There is also a round table for four or more next to the bar that is pretty ideal if you want to see the street. The back-most room is very dark and can be warm in the summer because of it's proximity to the open kitchen. For the same reason, it's a perfect place to be seated in the fall or winter.

Highly recommended.

Recommends

foodie3462

Joined 4 years ago

probably my favorite restaurant in nyc. I have been coming here for years. The menu is authentic, house-made, charming. The service is amazing and always spot-on. I have never been disappointed; a great spot for a romantic evening.

Recommends

henrybcn

Joined 5 years ago

average. I think this place is good, but not for the price and size of dishes. It seems like a good place to bring someone from out of town if they have an expense account, but not for me these days. The food was mediocre, the service was good, I left feeling full yet not satisfied.

Recommends

emmonique

Joined 5 years ago

Great Dinning Expereince... I seriously heart Buco. What a great dining experience. Great food, reasonable prices considering the quality of the food (pretty straightforward dishes for an upscale restaurant, but executed masterfully), fast and correct service, fantastic interior (and exterior, for that matter), What more can you ask for?

I would recommend to anyone or everyone who want to a great dinning expereince.

Recommends

ryewit

Joined 5 years ago

Just a great place to eat. Ok, so it is a bit noisy, not much soft to absorb sound. Be that as it may, it is a wonderful place to dine. For what you get and where it is, it is not over priced. The food was fresh and soul satisfyingly good. I had the rabbit appetizer and it came hot and crisp and perfectly spiced. As the waitress noted, it is probably the best "fired chicken" around. The lasagna was delicious, although I found the top a bit too crusted, but my wife liked it. The Mushroom risotto was rich and full of fresh mushrooms. As for desert, the sleeper, is the Panna Cotta with aged Balsamic Vinegar. All the deserts we ordered were good, but that seem to be the unexpected favorite.

As for the wait staff, absolutely perfect. Our waitress could not have been more professional and friendly. She had a great smile, raven black hair and..well I'll leave it at that.

The wine list is quite extensive, and expensive, but there are a goodly number of reasonably priced wine. We had a Vino Nobile di Montepulciano '03 at about $60 and it was perfect for a warm summer night with the rustic food. Reminded me of the meal we had in that lovely Italian town.

Five of us around the table and not one of us was unhappy in our dining.

Doesn't Recommend

SebastianFlyte

Joined 5 years ago

Charming Spot But Very Loud. Il Buco is a very charming restaurant that almost feels like a quick trip to Tuscany. Sadly, the acoustics of the room are very poor and the noise is almost unbearable. Lots of loud single women at the ba still drinking Cosmos and minor celebrities wearing sunglasses inside at night. The food is lovely but perhaps over-priced for what it really is.

Doesn't Recommend

anonola

Joined 5 years ago

Good food, terrible service. My husband and I have been here many times but after a terrible experience this weekend, we will not be going back. Sigh...where to begin. Things started to go downhill when the waiter spilled our bottle of wine all over our table (and my husband's white shirt) and didn't return to clean it up. By that point, we had been waiting for some of our appetizers for almost 45 minutes. When my husband tried to discreetly complain to the manager about the wine and the wait, the manager came to our table and lectured us and our guests about "how restaurants work". Rather than apologizing and offering to provide us with a new bottle of wine (or even to pay for drycleaning), the manager was very defensive and argumentative tone with us and told us were were making things "complicated". When we asked the Sommelier to assist us with choosing a second bottle of wine, she made several recomendations, the first 5 of which turned out to be unavailable. We were open to suggestions from the Sommelier but every bottle she suggested that they actually had in stock was significantly over tour price range, which we informed her was around $100.00. When we explained were were not interested in spending $250 for a second bottle of wine, she basically told us that she gave up and she had nothing to suggest. It was completely condescending and we were embarrased in front of our guests. Truly, their attitude ruined the evening.