Buca Osteria & Bar

Came here for a last minute get together with some friends and I was pretty surprised (in a good way)! We didn't have a reservation and just walked in, so that was nice. The food was delicious. Service was good; we arrived somewhat late and they were in the midst of closing the kitchen, however, we weren't rushed by our server nor did we feel rushed to leave the restaurant as there will still some patrons left inside. It's a great place to have dinner and catch up with friends, family or go on a date. I recommend coming here.

Beautiful Italian restaurant. It's definitely a splurge but all the pastas we ordered were delicious and well made. The lobster pasta suprisingly tasted very light and the urchin pasta was decadent and delicious. We also had this interesting appetizer that came with slices of fish and these hollow biscuits that you put the fish inside. It was quite unique and I never had anything like it. Very tasty! I had gone for an anniversary dinner and they gifted us with a pasta kit for 2 and that extra little touch made our experience that much more memorable. I enjoyed my dining experience here and would come back. Everything from the atmosphere, service, and food was top notch.

I went in expecting way too much I guess, given Buca’s reputation and location. Lets get down to details. When we got there, it was a cold Saturday night and had our winter coats on. Surprised that there is no coat check. Second, it took a while before our server handed the menu and offered any drinks, I wanna say 30 minutes? Next the food: food wasn’t bad dont get me wrong. But after having tried other upscale Italian osteria and bars in Toronto, I wasn’t totally impressed. It was okay — which I guess is my issue? The fried seafood platter was on the salty side. The lobster pasta, could use more salt. The funghi pizza was the greatest thing we ordered that night. I hope management pays attention to details like front of house customer service skills, wait time and overall ambiance

The lemon olive oil sauce perfectly matches with the fish. The garlic bread and lobster pasta is beyond my expectation. However the last one, the mushrooms on top are way too salty for me personally. The striploin underneath is covered by flour and with the sauce on top taste a little bit greasy to me. Service is perfect. Everyone is really nice and professional :))

It's hard to describe how good this place was. First off, the crudo entry with sea bass sliced just right at your table. Dip with sparkling wine and olive oil. That was just amazing. Then you get these incredible focaccia and we also got olives that were like giant. Very, very good. To top it off, we got as entrees some lobster. Service was crazy. Everything was good. Just go there.

Each meal was hit or miss - the octopus carpaccio was horrible while the lobster pasta was really good. I dine out every weekend and was celebrating the new year here - not surprised that they had tables as I booked last minute as my experience was bad. The waiter was nice but I can’t justify spending $400 on a 2 person dinner that tasted mid at best. The steak was truly horrible… Overall I am very disappointed and would not return.

So so good - we will definitely be coming back. I recommend getting the branzino along with the garlic knots. Ive never had anything like it - I was skeptical at first because the sea bass is raw with prosecco - it sounds like a strange combination but it’s absolutely delicious. The seabass tastes so fresh and goes so well with the prosecco lemon olive oil sauce. The taste was light and refreshing. The burrata pizza is so thin and crispy yet so flavourful. The lobster pasta was amazing.

We recently dined at Buca Osteria with high hopes, given its reputation, and while there were certainly some highlights, the overall experience fell a bit short for us. The service was genuinely lovely, attentive, and warm throughout the evening. Our server made excellent wine recommendations and ensured we were well looked after. However, the atmosphere was quite loud, making it difficult to hold a conversation. As for the food, it was good, but for the price point, it didn’t quite deliver the “wow” factor we expected. Beautifully presented dishes and quality ingredients were certainly there, but it missed the mark a little. We’re glad we tried it, and there are certainly elements to appreciate!

Toronto is renowned for its vibrant food scene, and our quest for an authentic Italian dining experience led us to Buca Osteria & Bar nestled in the upscale neighborhood of Yorkville. Offering a fusion of traditional Italian cuisine with a modern twist, Buca captivates diners with its sophisticated ambiance and welcoming atmosphere. Given the premium nature of Toronto's real estate, restaurants like Buca must optimize their seating arrangements, resulting in cozy dining spaces with minimal room between tables. Despite this, the restaurant manages to create an intimate and contemporary setting for patrons to indulge in a culinary journey through Italy. Buca's menu boasts a diverse selection of Italian delicacies, with a particular focus on seafood. From homemade pastas to wood-fired pizzas, each dish is crafted with care and precision, leaving a lasting impression on the palate. Personally, the fritto misto stood out as a highlight of our meal. To complement our dining experience, we savored some expertly crafted cocktails prepared by the skilled mixologists. Among them, the IL Bruciato left a lasting impression with its bold flavors and impeccable balance. In terms of service, we found the staff to be attentive and accommodating, further enhancing our overall enjoyment of the evening. Buca truly excels in providing an unforgettable dining experience, with every aspect--from atmosphere to cuisine--exceeding expectations. For those planning a visit to Buca, navigating downtown Toronto's bustling streets can be daunting. However, ample parking options, along with convenient transportation alternatives like Uber or the subway, ensure that getting there is a hassle-free experience. Saluti

I was quite disappointed about the new location at Vaughan. Maybe the area is more commercial and industrial, overall ambient feels more stressed when dining in. The sommelier not really knowledgeable and seems not feeling like to recommend/serve wine for us. I am not sure he is the sommelier or a waiter. The food overall is not good as the Yorkville location. Even the pasta was quite disappointing me. We ordered Salumi(selection of 3 salumi served with seasonal preserves), it was ok. BRANZINO (raw european sea bass from cyprus carved table side, finished with prosecco, lemon, novello olive oil - whole fish), it's ok but not as good when I had it at Yorkville location. SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA (morelli pasta from tuscany, guanciale, pecorino romano, black pepper, duck egg), the looks and taste were so so. SALUMI DI BUCA (preserved tomato, scamorza, roasted scallions, salumi di buca, peperoncino), it was ok. One more thing is parking is not easy at all. May be I should use the valet parking. With the price range. I definitely not recommend this location. Go Yorkville to enjoy the restaurant.

Phone did NOT eat first... One of the best meals I've ever had and the bartender was phenomenal. Great vibe but not too busy!

4/5 but bumping it to 4.5/5due to the great service. I came here for dinner to celebrate my partner's birthday on July 24th. Emily was our server. Emily did seem quite busy, but she did take her time going through the wine list to try and figure out what we liked with the food we were going to have. She was a great waitress along with others who attended our table as well. Now onto the dishes: Nodini (Garlioc knots with garlic, olive oil, and rosemary) 4/5 This dish came out hot, and the aroma filled the air. The outside was the right amount of hardness with a soft but chewy inside that went really well with the garlic and olive oil. Best bang for buck probably, but this should be eaten right away as it gets quite hard and chewy if you don't finish it before it cools down. It was great, but not mindblowing (like the other bread we tried which is listed below). Branzino (Raw european sea bass finished with prosecco, lemon, olive oil, and grated rock salt) 4.5/5 This comes out with the server showing us the fish they are going to cut, and they do it right infront of you. The ingredients went REALLY well with the fish, taking away it's fishy-ness and enhancing the delicate flavor of the fish. Carne Cruda (Raw beef, mushroom conserva, cured egg yolk, with brioche) 5.5/5 It truly was better than 5/5 lol This was hands down our favourite. It was REALLY good. Probably my favorite beef tartare. The cured egg yolk went perfectly with the raw beef and the brioche was so good! The brioche came nicely toasted, and was quite buttery. The pairing of the two was just incredible. Bigoli (Duck egg pasta with duck offal ragu, spices, mascarpone, and basil) 3/5 The pasta was a bit of a let down for us. I love al dente, but the pasta felt undercooked. The presentation was unappealing and the taste was just okay. Tagliatelle (Hen's egg pasta, Boston sea urchin, St. Bridig's butter, Siberian caviar, and lemon) 3/5 I love uni, and given the price ($65), I honestly thought there would be more uni flavor. The pasta felt a bit undercooked again, and we felt it lacked a bit in flavor. Brioche (extra) When we had it with Carne Cruda, I just had to get more. Emily asked the chef and they gave us 4 extra slices. But just a heads up: it was $15 for 4 slices so just keep that in mind when you do order it because I was quite surprised when I saw the bill. lol Tiramisu 4/5 This dish had a espresso soaked sponge in the middle that was covered in thin layer of dark chocolate in the shape of a dome, with a lot of mascarpone cream on top. The chocolate was pretty thin but it tasted amazing and went well with the dish. I do wish that the ratio of sponge and chocolate is a bit higher, as there were quite a few spoonfuls of cream we had without any of the inside content. Overall, the dishes were amazing except for the pasta dishes. We really didn't enjoy the pasta, but I would love to come back for the other dishes. Also, it was a nice touch for the chef to come out and give my partner a small birthday gift which was a DIY Cacio De Pepe to bring back home.

I heard so many good things about this place and finally decided to try it with my friends. The ambience is definitely great for dates. It is quiet and classy. Our server Alex was very attentive and gave us several recommendations. For food, we ordered a couple of dishes to share, the beef tartare, and the pizza was great; my friends and I loved them, especially the funghi pizza. I ordered the duck egg pasta for my main, and here is where I am taking out one star. It was too firm for my liking. Maybe it was meant to be firm for al dente? But I would like it to be slightly softer. Overall, it was a great dining experience. I would come back to try out their fish which we didn't have a chance to try this time.

Really great stuff. Pretty upscale restaurant overall. Ordered the Parmigiana Di Melanzane - eggplant dish (22), Reginette - wild boar pasta (42), Maccheroncini Di Campofilone - lobster pasta (45), along with some cocktail I don't recall the name of. I'm not typically a fan of eggplant but I thought the dish was made really well and was definitely a switch up from how I typically eat eggplant. Very nice! I preferred the lobster pasta over the wild boar pasta but both were very very tasty. I sort of expected both to be lacking in the boar and lobster respectively but there's a lot in there and to me warrants the relatively high price tag on those dishes. The cocktail was fabulous. I think it was called the Italian..? but can't confirm since I'm not able to find a drink menu on their site. Very easy to drink. Service was great and I thought this place executed everything very nicely.

I have great memories of this restaurant from years ago and it has been a long time since I visited. Nice ambiance and good wine selection. Oysters were very good. Different presentation and accompanying garnish but I enjoyed them. House smoked fish salumi was presented beautifully but unfortunately I didn't enjoy it. Couldn't really taste the smoke and it was quite fishy. Tomato and cucumber salad was very fresh but under-ripe and lacking in flavour. Maybe I ordered the wrong things. I saw beautiful flat bread pizzas going by! Service was friendly and attentive. Might give it another try on another trip to TO.

What a disappointment. We must've dined here a dozen times before the pandemic and before the departure of Chef Rob Gentile. it was always interesting, and the execution tended to be close to flawless. The only thing I can say after last night's visit is that the restaurant is a shadow of its former self. It is true that there was one stand out dish: gnocchi con ricce di mare. but everything else was a bit tired. The signature dish, polpo e vongole, was presented beautifully, but lacked sparkling spirit and the fregola wasnt toasted as in the past and was a bit overdone. The idea of adding a greasy fried artichoke to this dish was a poor one. A garnish? Part of the flavour mix? Unclear. The low points were a pizza bianca with a few pieces of octopus, some silly red chili, and a nondescript cheese, possibly a strachiatella, but it lacked in flavour was a bit insipid; a salad in which many of the greens were old and all were untrimmed. it was very sad to see the once spectacular wines by the glass reduced to six red and six white, and very little of interest in those selections. Our server, Alex, did his best and cannot be faulted for the kitchen failures and lack of executive imagination. it's time to move past the former talented, if now disgraced, executive chef, and do something new and exciting. It's not clear whether the King Street restaurant group is up for the challenge.

My favorite Italian Focusing on fresh seafood Must Try their Brandzino crudo Salami de Mare Burrata Pizza Some of my all-time favorites

Buca is my absolute favourite restaurant of all time. My husband and I went here on one of our early dates, and fondly celebrated various milestones here (engagement, anniversaries, moving, pregnancy...). We've since moved away from Toronto but make a point of visiting every time we're in the city, and it always becomes a trip highlight. Buca is warm, comfortable, and consistently delicious. The flavours are sophisticated and diverse. We've tried the majority of their menu at this point, but our absolute favourites are: nodini, branzino, polpo e vongole, scamorza pizze, polpo pizze, and funghi pizze. The staff has always been warm, attentive, and accommodating. We are looking forward to visiting Buca for many years to come, celebrating more milestones, and sharing it with our daughter. Nothing else comes close! Thank you for being such a special part of our lives.

Seriously underwhelmed I really didn't care if I ate here or not , but the BF wanted to so we went on Sat night Pleasant space but as with a lot of restaurants the noise level is quite high ... the couple next to us were speaking so loud that I now know more about them than needed Prices are very high , but we were aware of this before we went wine by the glass has limited selections , most are $20+ per glass for a 5 oz pour we shared a pear salad that was ok, but nothing special we also shared a frito misto... ugh ! all pieces were severely over cooked , dried out and tasteless the BF had angel hair with lobster ... $50., lobster a few diced pieces, very salty and too rich i had black cod ... undercooked , cold & so salty I couldn't eat it. I sent it back and didn't order anything else service was ok but for over $250 without tip there are a lot of other places to dine in Toronto

Premium feeling experience. Great for special occasions and business dinners when you want to make an impression. We were here for a work dinner. Anything done while you watch, gets people excited. Before I came here, I'd kept hearing about the fish that they carve up table-side. So, no surprise we got that. Though we were a little preoccupied with our conversation, the idea of having people working on our food right beside us, certainly made us feel like VIPs. That being said, I would feel a bit pompous doing this on a regular night, but who comes here to be humble and modest? The pasta was great. I got the duck bigoli and could hardly get through it all. Great texture on the pasta and rich flavour on the meat and sauce. The tiramisu was a really modern twist on it, and I can't say I was very impressed with it. This is one of those "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" situations. It was a great night out, and I think you can count on that being the case at Buca.

This place is a joke. We ordered cocktails that arrived with our entrees. The $10 fancy mocktails finally delivered when teens were almost done their meals. Focaccia was great as was the fried seafood app. My son and I both ordered the lobster angle hair each. It was very pedestrian with less than a claw worth of meat per dish for $55 each. I had to get up to ask for salt and pepper to favor it. Wife got the risotto which was thinly spread on a plate probably equally a half a cup. With 18% tip for a waiter who hardly visited our table, the total came to $363. Save your money and get a better Italian meal at Eataly a block down the street. The ambience was nice, but the rest is overpriced pretense for Olive Garden equivalent serving Yorkville. Such a disappointment.

Do come! For girls night, date night or business meal. Great ambiance, interior and decor. Staff is incredibly attentive and kind. They actually advised us on pairing our dishes with drinks. Of course, food was amazing and well portioned. Highly recommend the fresh branzino - would go back just for this. Honorable mentions is the octopus and dessert.

The entrance was a bit hard to find, since there was no door / entrance off of the main street (where the restaurant's address was). You need to go into the Four Seasons Hotel area, turn left, and it's the last door by the fence (it's right across from the side entrance of Four Seasons Hotel). There's no obvious sign indicating where the restaurant is, until you actually get to in front of the door. The food tastes good, but nothing too special. Portion sizes of the pasta are a bit on the small side. The vegetable sides are quite good and rightly portioned. Service is attentive and just like in any other higher-class restaurants.

Nice place for dinner but this store is a bit crowded. If you don't have a large group (over 4 people) the seats will be very tight and close to each other. The food were great. Yummy wagyu beef. Best pizza ever. The food were unique and fantastic.

I read a lot of good reviews about Buca and finally decided to give this top 10 restaurants in Canada a try. I came here with my girlfriend for dinner. The moment I came in, I felt like my voice was buried in the noisy environment immediately. It was as noisy as a sports bar and not a good place for chatting. My friend and I had to shout really loud at each other. I can't say I enjoyed the ambiance at all. We ordered the fish salami platter to share, which came with squid ink bread. The bread looked interesting but taste was just average. For the salami, we both liked the octopus. The spicy flavoured pork blood salami was interesting to me too. For main, I had the duck pasta and my friend had the lobster pasta. It took us an hour to wait for the main dish though. We saw people sitting next to us got their food first when they came in later. The duck pasta was very chewy and very tasty (though a little bit salty). The duck had a tuna salad texture which was quite interesting. My friend enjoyed the lobster pasta in general but she didn't like the fact that the noodle being too thin and soft (it's personal preference, though I agree with her). The portion of the food was small but good enough to feed two small eaters. In general, the food quality was good but missed the wow factor. Service was average and it was a bit pricy for the overall experience. A 3.5 star rounded down. I will not consider coming back any time soon.

Food was amazing ! Service was great as well ambiance was perfect Arctic Char Tartar Arugula SaladDuck BigoliBraised Octopus

The service was great and professional. Excellent food, although a bit salty. The atmosphere is nice, but the noise level is extremely high. We had to bend over the table to be able to talk and hear one another which was very annoying. It was also quite dark in the room. We went for a bday dinner and they gave us a little gift box which was very nice and considerate. Good collection of wines. I'd recommend it if you find it on a quiet night.

This is one of my favourite places in Toronto for sure. They do such an amazing job with EVERYTHING. Service is always flawless. Atmosphere is classy and cool. The menu has so many wonderful things to pick from. Beautiful,well balanced cocktails (they are 17 each mostly, so expensive but so nice). Getting a bunch of items to share is the way to do it. I've been twice now and everything I've ordered has been wonderful! Loves of lovely seafood, pasta (the carbonara), the pizza (we had to try truffle one and wow it was wonderful) even dessert is lovely. We had the small doughnuts filled with a Dulce de leche/cream cheese filling. Mmmm soooo good. Highly suggest for lunch or dinner.

The food was good. But nothing amazing. We ordered the branzino it was good showed us the fished carved it table side. Great presentation. Unfortunately it tasted like it was drowned in oil and lacked other flavours. We also ordered cured fish. Most of them tasted good some of them just tasted fishy. The service wasn't bad. Over it was good had to try pretty hard to get our server a few times. Also they have a fruit fly problem inside. Nov 2019. Half way through our meal we went from having one fly to 10. It wasn't pleasant. The server were kind enough to move us to a different table and comp us 2 glasses of wine. But still wasn't what I would expect in this type of establishment.

Very nice! Good food and good s ervice! But WHY WHY do they have such really bad reception staff? Would it really hurt to smile at customers and heh WHY not wear makeup too? Really bad reception staff. I forgot to mention they were badly dressed too Please please try harder

Got a seat at the bar on a chilly night during a busy dinner service. Was convenient as we were staying at the Four Seasons. Nice decor and really great service. Loved my cocktail and enjoyed the food. I ordered the squid ink dumplings and burrata pizza. So whatever comes to mind when you think squid ink dumplings, it's not that. But this is really unique and actually very tasty. It's like a puffy piece of bread that comes with ground meat. When it came out, I looked at the server like wtf how do I eat this? Basically, you slice the bread and put the meat filling inside and eat it like a sandwich. Give it a try, I think you'll like it! I absolutely love the Four Seasons Toronto so if you are staying there, this modern Italian restaurant is also worth visiting!

Debated long and hard on what rating to give; ultimately decided on a 3.5, but rounded downwards to a 3! Although I had a great time there with colleagues, it was really due to the company. The food was decent (neither spectacular nor amazing), but the service was, for the most part, non-existent. It took so long to flag someone down! We had reserved a table for 10 at 6:30PM, and were seated in a private area, slightly hidden from the rest of the restaurant. To start, we ordered a selection of three salumi di mare. Don't be fooled! While many things here at Buca Yorkville are seafood-related, the salumi does contain some pork options. With the server's recommendation, we got the Soppressata di Polipo (octopus salami which therefore includes pork), Opah (cured moonfish), and I believe the Salmone Affumicato (smoked salmon). Accompanying this spread were gnocco fritto, fried squid ink dumplngs made with pork fat, and two small pieces of pickled onion. The smoked fish was the best and absolutely stole the show! It had a very rich and smoky flavour, and the saltiness whet my appetite. However, the other salumi were just okay. A must order at Buca is the nodini - these small garlicky bread knots that are little bites of heaven! As my manager says, these are the "yesdini". We got two orders for the table, but as the knots disappeared in record time, we ordered another two portions. These nodini really stole the show! We then ordered our own mains; I got the Polipo e Vongole. A small whole octopus came placed on top of some clams and crispy artichokes, with these al dente small pasta balls (the fregola sarda, which resembles couscous) soaking up the delicious broth. However, the octopus truly fell flat. It was soft, but lacked all flavour - it was bland, unseasoned, and just didn't stand out. For a main that costs $50, I was expecting something a bit more. My colleague ordered the risotto, and was very disappointed as well. It came in an extremely small and shallow bowl / plate, and he devoured it all in the matter of minutes. For dessert, we ordered two pairs of three desserts (from the four on the menu) to share: Tiramisu - This dish barely resembled a tiramisu, and was more along the lines of a deconstructed dessert with a dark chocolate shell and mascarpone cream. It was interesting, but not what we were craving for and wanted. Pizelle - This dessert stole the show, and was the best! The peach preserve and whipped cream made it appear deceivingly light (although you're well aware it's not, given all the dairy and richness). The presentation was also lovely; when the server poured the ganache over the top, the dessert was just imploring me to take photos! Torta - I forgot the full name, but this chocolate hazelnut tart served with olive oil and squid ink just completely missed the mark. The olive oil imparted some savouriness to the dish, but the squid ink took it to a whole other level by adding some fishy essence. We left this largely untouched. The wine assortment here is good, but also pricey (we paid ~$250 for a bottle of red, I believe). If I were to go to Buca again, I'd likely go to the King location for more of the earthy and meaty pasta choices. While this location was decent, it simply didn't meet expectations.

This place is fancy and has decent service. Came on a Sunday for brunch and didn't have to wait too long for our table even though we made reservations. So it was my choice of giving this place a second chance. A few years back we hit up the king west location and were heavily disappointed with the service and food quantity. Put it this way, we had pizza next door after dinner. For brunch the ambience was quite cozy and there was a good view of outside. Our server was attentive and was willing to accommodate for my wife's cheese limitations. As a starter we got the black truffle cortini and they were willing to separate in to one without cheese. It was very delicious and heavy in the truffe. Reminds me a bit of France. It went quite well with my cortado. For the main I ordered the bison and wife had the duck egg pasta. The portions don't seem like a lot but for lunch it felt quite heavy. The duck pasta was creamy and had a distinct duck flavour to it. Pasta was just right with some chew as well. As for the bison , it felt like dinner. The rich and savory taste made every bite lasting in my mouth. In hindsight I should have paired it with some red wine. Both dishes are highly recommended. We left quite satisfied. One regret is we didn't order the famous little buns. Maybe next time

I have no idea how this place has 3.5 stars but I really enjoyed my dinner here. Service was super attentive and detailed, not to mention they kept filling my glass! Hands down. You have to get the duck pasta, the octopus, branzino and Italian waffles. All their signatures basically. The branzino was definitely something different!

They set the tone at Buca for a fine dining experience but I feel this place is more look than substance. The portions are impossibly small and the food is alright but you won't be blown away, especially not at the price that gets charged. I came here for lunch and it was not very busy. We got a selection of the salumi Di Mare (cured fish 3/5 - more for the novelty factor) and the Nodini (6/5 - very good) to share. I had the Agnolotti Dal Pin (3/5 - just okay) as my main.

The burrata pizza from Buca is AMAZING! It's so simple but so good. Perfectly chewy yet crispy crust, super flavourful (but not salty) sauce, and the most amazing cheese. I usually don't get such simple pizzas when I go out, but this one is fantastic and I highly highly highly recommend! I didn't love the salumi di mare - it's a salumi/charcuterie plate but instead of meat it is seafood. I just found that the textures weren't as satisfying, and the flavours weren't as strong as pork and beef meat platters. It is definitely interesting, and I think it is one of the most popular things to get at Buca Yorkville, since they are the seafood focused Buca restaurant.

Wow! Now I know Italian food doesn't get better than this. The burrata pizza with truffles was like tasting heaven and then coming back, just amazing... I would recommend it to share it with others and try their amazing duck pasta which is super rich in flavour :) also do not forget to leave some space for dessert!!

Amazing fiancé chose this restaurant- we love Italian. Welcomed and seated right away for our reservation last night. Excellent service. Never wanting. We split the beet salad. Outstanding. My angel hair lobster main dish was expertly prepared. Fiancé had the whole octopus with pearl pasta and charred artichoke hearts. Definitely great. Glad we could walk there. Doubly glad to experience this restaurant. Our only wish: with such a fine dining restaurant, the bread service should have been gratis. We did pay for the focaccia and it was excellent; however, very few restaurants in this price point charge for bread service.

We had the duck ragu made gluten free and it was superb. It was so good that we ordered a second plate and shared it between us. Normally I would have ordered it regular but wanted to see what the gluten free option tasted like - did not disappoint at all. Rich, flavourful and if we were not in a restaurant setting likely would have licked the plate clean. For drinks had a couple of Granatos. Vodka, fresh grapefruit, house made grenadine and bitters. Can't wait to have both again.

This was my first experience at Buca Yorkville and I was impressed. I don't get impressed easily as I have been to fancy restaurants since I was a teenager and I started to fly to Paris to -of course visit that beautiful city- but mostly to try some of the best restaurants in the world. I have always been obsessed. I made a casual reservation for a Saturday night at around 9pm after a recommendation from a friend. I'm glad I did. I admit that when our Uber driver left us behind the four season building it took us a whole 5 minutes to find the entrance, as it was raining and for whatever reason I walked up straight to the entrance of the four season instead lol luckily enough the door men there advise me it was just on the other side of the plaza. But let's get to the deeds of the place: The ambiance: Non pretentious but refined The hosts: Helpful and very attentive The service: Beyond impeccable The food: Sumptuously delicious The wine list: The most refined The bill: Outrageous :) Would I go back? Yes, but most likely if someone's else is paying for my bill please my birthday is coming up.

Bunch at Buca... has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?! Well, this place serves up a delicious spread for the most important meal of the weekend! Here's the low down: the carbonara (not my personal fav) was my friend's favorite! And she's a carbonara connoisseur! The Bombelone (eggs Benedict) was a little underwhelming. The Uni Pizza was the piece de resistance! Move over sushi, this a rich alternative. I couldn't help but steal a piece of my friend's pizza. I had the mushroom pizza, which paled in comparison to the uni. It was a great brunch, thanks Buca!

Loved my dinner experience at Buca! Came here on a Monday night for my mom's birthday, and everything was perfect from the service to the food. At the end of dinner, we were already planning when to come back again! Our waiter was very friendly and professional. He gave us good wine recommendations, and when my mom and I couldn't decide between two of the wines, he also gave us testers to help us choose. My husband had some questions about a few of the menu items, and he very patiently explained. He came to check on us throughout the meal at the right times, without being overly intrusive. In terms of the food, I thought everything we got was very good. However, the highlights was definitely the duck pasta and octopus. My mom got the duck pasta, and said it was one of the best pasta she's had. I tried some of it as well, and have to agree. I loved the texture of the home made pasta. I'm usually not a huge fan of octopus as a main, but I have to say Buca did a very good job with this dish. I loved how flavorful it was, and the texture was slightly crispy. At the end of dinner, because it was my mom's birthday, the restaurant gave her a box of pasta as a gift. It came with cooking instructions and ingredients. I thought this was a really nice and sweet touch.

I came here for brunch with my bestie and really enjoyed our time here. The restaurant is a little bit hard to find since the storefront is a bit hidden ** if you see four seasons, you're at the right place !! ** I made a reservation so i didn't have to wait for a seat, however, the restaurant was around 65-70% full at 130pm. Upon entering, we were greeted promptly and seated right away. They also offered to take our coats. Our server was patient and kind, he explained dishes that we were unfamiliar with. We ordered the Burrata pizza, Crostini al Tartufo Nero and the Tiramisu We also ordered a latte and some sencha tea to accompany our meal. BURRATA PIZZA 4/5 i'm not too crazy about pizza but this was pretty well put together, the burrata cheese and basil w/ olive oil paired well. The crust was also thin with the right amount of chew and crispiness. CROSTINI AL TARTUFO NERO 4.5/5 I personally really enjoyed this dish. It's a toasted ciabatta with black truffle, cured egg yolk and parmagiano. It is so decadent, creamy and so so so yummy. The truffle really made this dish over the top for me. I would recommend this if you enjoy dishes that are quite rich. TIRAMISU 3/5 unfortunately, the tiramisu was too sweet for my friend and I. However, the fancy cream on top (zabaglione cream) was amazing, this cream is made with egg yolks, sugar and sweet wine and was so good that I swear i could have just had a bowl of that. Overall, pretty good experience and had a server that was very attentive and polite. I'll be back to try the dinner menu for sure.

TL;DR Upscale delicious Italian seafood After trying the other Buca restaurants (which were fantastic), we were not disappointed by Buca Yorkville and can totally see why this place is rated in the top 5 for Canada's Top 100 Restaurants. Its quality and flavours are on par with other top-notch restaurants in Canada. Spot prawn crudo 5/5 - started with spot prawn freshly flown in just a few hours before. You can taste how fresh it is with its sweet notes and tender meat. It is absolutely divine. Nodini 5/5 - One of our favourite classic dishes from Buca. The bread knots are small spheres fried with light salt and garlic. Nnocco fritto (squid ink dumplings with tuna n'duja) 5/5 - this was our FAVOURITE dish of the night. We had no idea what it us and took Yelp's recommendation for it. It came with 6 little pockets of bread that you can stuff with spicy tuna and n'duja. The flavour and texture was incredible. Definitely give this a try. polipo e vongole 3/5 - this octopus dish is where things fell flat for us. The octopus was cooked with clams and bone marrow. Both the clamps, bone marrow, and stock were delicious and rich in flavour. However, the octopus itself lacked flavour and char. When you bite into the meat, there was no chew or tenderness, felt very mushy and bland. Bigoli 5/5 - our second time order the duck egg pasta. This is a must try when you come to the restaurant. The noodles are perfectly al dente and coated in duck offal ragu. If you're weirded out by innards, do not fret as you do not taste the gameyness at all. The sauce is rich and rounded.

I tried Buca in King West years ago and it was amazing. Fast forward a few years, Buca has now opened another restaurant in Yorkville. I was excited to try it out to see if it was just as good as the King West location. We started with a very interesting starter - squid ink dumplings. I had no idea what we were really ordering but what came out was ink-coloured pockets of bread accompanied with a filling made of tuna and pork fat. This was surprisingly good! I actually enjoyed the squid ink dumpling on its own, even without the filling. Between the 3 of us, we shared a pizza and two pastas. Their duck pasta, which is one of their signature dishes, was as delicious as I remembered. However, the other two dishes were not outstanding, in comparison. For a fancy restaurant, I thought the service was a little lacking. They had told us that we only had the table for 2 hours (which we were completely fine with). Given the time constraint, however, I was a little annoyed that we often had trouble getting our server's attention. I think as a whole, I enjoyed the meal but it lacked the wow factor that Buca King West had.

3.5 stars. We came to Buca Yorkville without a reservation at 5pm and got a seat at the bar. It was the only seats available! It was nice as the server/ bartenders were friendly and it was fun watching them make drinks and talk about what was in them. Nice ambience. It was different from the Buca on King West in the sense that it felt more like an older crowd. My drink was to die for! The highlight of my experience at Buca Yorkville. I got Il Fiorista - it was a heavenly foamy lavender drink. Not too sweet and very delicious! A+ My husband got a L'Esploratore - This was essentially an apple cider with 3oz of alcohol. It wasn't bad. On the sweeter side. I definitely liked my drink better. B+ We ordered: 1. Nodini - warm bread knots - a signature dish. Can't go wrong with this! A 2. Bigoli - little did I know that I've tried this dish before at Buca on King. I actually came here for the Maccheroncini di Campofilone because I wanted to try the red sea urchin, but the menu online was not updated because they didn't have it! It was replaced by lobster instead and I just wasn't feelin' like paying $42 for lobster today. The server suggested the Raviolo Al Tuorlo, which is one big ravioli filled wih cream cheese and black truffle. I wasn't feelin' like having a heavy meal with the cream cheese, but the people next to us got it and it looked AMAZING! The Bigoli was not bad. The flavours were good and you can taste the duck. The only feedback was the pasta was a bit too al dente for me. B 3. Scamorza Pizza - This was super spicy for me. The crust was thin and burnt. The toppings were good. The peperoncini and cheese created a nice flavour. I don't really like burnt things so I didn't enjoy this as much, but my husband liked it. For what it was worth, I give it a B- 4. Tiramisu - Not your traditional tiramisu. It had the flavours of Tiramisu with espresso, mascarpone cheese, but it was served on a dark chocolate ball with a cracker and some type of jelly. The tiramisu flavour was light, foamy, and delicious, but I didn't like the chocolate ball like cracker thing. It's not a cake so beware if you are expecting a traditional tiramisu. I am glad our server warned us before head or we would have been disappointed. Overall, not bad so I give it a B. The server told us the menu is updated every couple of weeks so don't trust the menu online! It really should be monitored! Next time, I want to go back and try the sea urchin and drinks! Loved my drink!

A+ experience!!! Amazing service, incredible food, definitely pricey ($$$), but worth it! So professional and an all around incredible experience. Keep in mind they change their menu weekly and seasonally - so the one on their website is a guide! Most of that is available + lots of specials weekly/daily. They stamp a new menu daily too. Came here on a Wednesday afternoon for a birthday lunch. It was pretty empty. The space is right in the Four Seasons area, Buca is the door close to the fence. The space is dimly lit, except if you're right beside the only 2 large windows they have. Lots of tables for groups and it's all on one main level/street level so it's wheelchair accessible too. Service was incredible!!! Our server knew just the right pairings, made great suggestions, quick, attentive, and so incredibly knowledgable. She definitely made the experience! We had (between the 2 of us): Apps: garlic rosemary knots, oysters Main: Bigoli - duck pasta, angel hair lobster pasta Dessert: pizzelle and affogato with coconut gelato + 1 red and 1 white wine based on our server's suggested pairings! It was about $165 for everything in total (I know!! $$$) I would highly recommend all of these items!!! Everything was flavoured and seasoned perfectly with a complex balance of flavours, especially balanced well with the wines we ordered. You can tell it was made fresh just from the ingredients. All the pasta is fresh too! It was light and by the end of the plate, you were filled. The portions are small-medium sized, you get a good amount and I'm sure you'll be full after finishing off your plate. They surprised us with a candle on our dessert and a box of fresh pasta to take home as a birthday gift--even though we didn't specifically mention it to our server, she was paying attention, which was super thoughtful. It helps the restaurant was mostly empty too. A wonderful experience, some of the best wine I've ever had, and I'll definitely be back to try brunch and dinner!

Came here because it was in the top 100 Restaurants in Canada. The place is a bit hard to find especially in the haze of the park in front of the entrance. Food is fairly tasty but a bit on the pricey and small side. Had various dishes here: fig salad, halibut fried zucchini blossoms, braised octopus, truffle corn pasta, and 2 desserts. No bread service offered here - if you want bread, you have to order the garlic knots. Fig salad was basically arugula and fig. I shouldn't be surprised that there wasn't more but I expected some kinda twist than literally just a fig and some arugula. The halibut zucchini blossoms were fine but nothing special. The pasta was pretty good and the octopus was not bad. Wish the octopus was a bit more tender. But overall dish was pretty good. We had a chocolate torta and pistachio cake for dessert and both were very good. Would recommend both. The food was good but did not live up to the hype or final bill. For $115 a person, it was not really worth it.

Overall really good. Oysters were a bit small but loved the toppings - prosciutto like cured yellowfin tuna, chianti, and olive oil. Had the Granato cocktail - vodka,lime, grapefruit and orange bitters. Very refreshing for a hot day in Toronto. Bread knots were okay. Too firm. I had the Burrata pizza. As good as the reviews mentioned! My bf had the octopus with couscous, marrow, and artichoke. Really yummy and well balanced.

I came here in April for dinner and wasn't overly impressed, but I came back for brunch last week and it was much better! Be warned, this place is pretty to find, I still had trouble finding the entrance the second time coming. Food (5/5): We started with the crostini burrata and it was probably my favorite thing. I love cheese and they load two slices of bread with burrata and a touch of fish roe and it is just delicious. I also tried one ostriche which is basically 1 oyster filled with cucumber juice and fennel and caviar. It was interesting and I'm glad i tried it but I probably wouldn't order it again. For my main I had the fregola which was kind of like a chicken noodle soup. The sauce is very liquidy and eggy and the noodles are very thin and soft. It's hard to describe but i enjoyed it. We finished off with the pizzelle which is very cute. I thought the little cream bits inbetween would be softer but they were actually quite firm and not overly sweet. It's the cream inglese that makes the dish and I was wishing they had given a bit more! Service (5/5): Our server was very nice and knowledgeable and there are bussers that are constantly clearing the tables and filling water glasses. Atmosphere (4/5): The decor is nice but in the daytime it wasn't really anything special. It might be more romantic at night?

LOUD diners & superb cuisine Be prepared for superb Italian seafood at Buca. Enjoyed the appetizers of nodini (garlic soaked mobs of bread) with smoked fish. Moved on the the mains of the octopus (a must) while the family enjoyed cod. Finished with "pizelle" a house favourite of thin wafers, rhubarb and white chocolate. Delicious. Servers were attentive & fast. What to change to get 5 stars ... the resto was extremely loud so much so that we had trouble hearing our conversation. There are ways to dampen the sound - Buca, give it a try!

I had really high expectations going in to Buca, based on a lot of online reviews. I'd heard from some colleagues that it was good, while others felt it was just ok. After eating there, I would have to say I'm with the "just ok" crowd. The food was good, don't get me wrong. But for the price point, the food should really be spectacular - not just ok. It was also incredibly loud in the restaurant - it was a bit uncomfortable having to strain to hear the people at my table. Not the place to go for a quiet conversation over dinner. I think if I go back, I'd want to go with people that are happy sharing food. Not everyone does, and in the group of four I was with, just two of us were happy to do so. We shared the branzino to start and then the whole grilled octopus with a side of asparagus for our main. The octopus was slightly overcooked and quite salty. I had to ask several times for water refills. I was really disappointed that Buca only offered two side dishes, given the variety of mains that come without one, such as the whole fish options. I was looking forward to some polenta, which was on a previous menu, but wasn't being served the night we were there. I love the tableside service - watching them carve up the fish and then the octopus is definitely part of the experience. However, the branzino is served on its own, when it would've been really nice to have some bread with it, or even a side salad. It is a beautiful plate of fish, there's no arguing that. It's just a bit weird eating that much fish on its own. In a restaurant like this, I would've expected the server to make a recommendation in that regard, but he didn't. I guess it just felt like the dish was lacking in some way - it needed something else to elevate it a bit more. Of the other two people in our group, one had oysters to start, followed by the octopus entrée while the other person had a selection of crudo. I think this would've been a great thing to share. The table beside us had the right idea - they ordered a bunch of dishes between the four of them and shared everything. Pizza, pasta, and a couple of appetizers. I really think this is the way to go if you're going to eat here. For a shared appetizer, shared main and one glass of wine (no dessert) my bill was about $115 after tax & tip. I really do expect to be happy and full at that price point, but I was just feeling so-so at the end of the meal. I have no problem spending money on a good meal, but my expectations go up relative to the cost of the meal. I've spent a lot more on a meal and been blown away by the food and the service, thinking it was worth every penny. At Buca Yorkville - not so much. Maybe next time will be better.

Literally one of the best meals in Toronto! We splurged with the crudo misto, followed by burrata and fungi pizzas, eggplant parmigiana, the octopus dish and pizelle desert. The crudo misto is expensive ($140) but the freshest most delicious tasting raw fish...its like eating the fish right out of the ocean The pizzas are crispy, simple and super flavorful The eggplant parm is rich crunchy eggplant with creamy burrata and anchovies.. just delish! The squid was beautifully cooked ...the only slight setback was the broth which was a bit salty The pizelle is a light and beautifully flavored lemony desert with the soft pear center Overall my fave...still salivating thinking about this meal and the service was on point...thanks Luca!

Had the tasting menu in November, overall it was excellent, delicious Italian food! Some dishes were too oily and had a very powerful olive oil taste, overpowering the rest of the ingredients. We also had the wine pairing with our meal and it was disappointing. Our food would come and had to be taken back because our wine glasses were not filled up, they also paired one wine with multiple courses and we ran out of wine quickly, having to track down the sommelier to fill up our glasses. Lastly, we sat right beside the food pick up station for waiters and it was unpleasant. All waiters seemed stressed and anxious, constantly bickering with the chefs. I would recommend requesting to be seated far away from that.

Lots of hype about this place but I have to say I much prefer the ambiance and the fare at the King Street location. I was a little disappointed in the quality of the food. Only one type of oyster available. Plus I should have read the menu more carefully. They came drowned in pale green celery foam. I'd call it a waste of good outers but couldn't really tell if they were good. The pasta with mint pesto was surprisingly bland. I was expecting more mint flavor. The halibut came cold. That was probably because we asked to have the pasta to share before bringing the fish. The waiter seemed to understand our request but the kitchen obviously prepared both dishes at once and had the halibut waiting. Our waiter was great and very attentive. He noticed we weren't absolutely enjoying our meal and offered to make it right but we decided to leave it be and chalk it up to one of those times you're just not feeling the place.

Great service and food! Dinner with a friend, shared the radicchio salad, fritto misto, maccheroncini di campofilone. All delicious! We loved the fritto misto and lobster pasta, very flavourful! We had a nectarine tart, it was really a great dessert to end the meal!

I met my friend here for a late lunch. We got there just as the kitchen was closing for lunch, but they accommodated us. The service was really friendly and was just attentive enough to allow my friend and I some time to catch up without making us feel rushed. We had asked for a white wine recommendation, and took the server's suggestion. I wish I could remember what it was because she described her recommendation as a glass of sunshine, and it really did taste like one! My friend and I shared the pear salad to start. It was delicious! The presentation was beautiful, and we loved the sweet delicious balls of pear. My friend had the clam linguine for her main. I'm not a fan of clams, but she said it was very tasty, and it looked like there were lots of clams. I had the buratta pizza. It was the perfect size. I loved that the buratta was added after, so it was a nice mix of cold and warm in my mouth. The pizza dough was cooked perfectly (not soggy on the bottom like some wood fired pizza can be) and it was not over sauced!