07/04/09

Sublime Food, Impeccable Service

by sakumawiki

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.

• Pros: Food, Service, Decor, Location
• Cons: Noise

01/06/09

probably my favorite restaurant in nyc

by foodie3462

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.

11/29/08

average

by henrybcn

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.

11/03/08

Great Dinning Expereince..

by emmonique

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.

• Pros: food,service,ambiance
• Cons: none

08/18/08

Just a great place to eat

by ryewit

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.

• Pros: great food and service
• Cons: noise

07/31/08

Charming Spot But Very Loud

by SebastianFlyte

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.

• Pros: Charming decor
• Cons: Noise, cost

07/21/08

Good food, terrible service

by anonola

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.

05/30/08

Best Everything!

by ethelried

My boyfriend took me here for my birthday this past weekend and it was amazing! We had an early reservation (6:15 p.m.) on a Saturday and though they were not sure we could get a seat in the wine cellar, we wound up having the whole thing to ourselves! So romantic. We had the salted cod appetizer and I had the asparagus risotto with goat cheese and I can not stop thinking about how amazing it was! Stellar wine menu, perfect atmosphere, everything about this place was amazing. Will go back again for sure. FYI, the upstairs gets kindof noisy; as we were leaving, the place was pretty packed and not nearly as romantic as downstairs.

• Pros: Quiet Downstairs, Wine Menu, Incredible Food, Great Service
• Cons: Noisy Upstairs

05/15/08

PERFECT

by katiemac333

My fiance proposed to me down in Il Buco's wine cellar. It was perfect, and the staff were fantastic. It was the most romantic place.

02/07/08

Don't Bother-Overrated

by tmmrd

When I made the reservation, I specifically asked for a special table for two for a birthday. Instead, we were seated at a long COMMUNAL table that was basically a picnic bench. Located just outside the kitchen, the servers were knocking into our chairs every time they walked by. The waitress had real attitude. We literally said we needed "one minute" to order and she came back in 15, letting us know she was annoyed we were trying to get her attention while she stood around chatting to other staff members. The menu is limited with more pages devoted to items they sell (olive oil, salt, balsamic vinegar) than actual dishes. The place was loud which was good b/c it helped drown out the maddening bongo "music" that looped all night long. The food was overall delicious, but expensive with miniscule portions. They brought the wrong appetizer, but it was corrected quickly. For about $15/ea, Fluke - 3 paper thin pieces of fish and Calamari - 3 small tubes of squid. My $14 glass of wine was undrinkable. I have bought better bottles in the liquor store for <$10. There was an unusually long delay between courses even though it was late and most patrons had been served. My $47 steak was cooked as ordered but there were only 3 small pieces (apparently the chef likes to serve in 3's). My fiance's spanish mackeral was NOT fresh and had an ammoniated taste of fish that was past its prime. We did not bother with dessert. I was starving and wanted to get a burger somewhere. The best part was the Russian vodka. I am 100% Italian and have been all over Italy and don't agree that this is "authentic" Italian food. I have been in foodservice from waitressing to foodservice director for over 20 yrs and understand quality and customer service. Don't go unless you're really not hungry in the first place and insist upon getting ripped off.

• Pros: Hmmm....
• Cons: See Review