Buca Vaughan

The restaurant was difficult to find. There is only a small non illuminated sign by the front door which wasn't too helpful in the dark. I had to stop and call the restaurant which was unfortunate. There isn't any parking that I can see so I opted to use the valet service. Not sure if this was the only option but it didn't seem wise to drive around looking for spot in the dark. The service was excellent as our waiter was especially attentive. However, we found the food to only be fair. It was good but really nothing that we felt justified the prices. Also, the kids mentioned that the portion sizes were small. For around $100 per person, we expected the food to be amazing.

One of Toronto's finest is now in Vaughan. Have been coming here now for about a year since it opened. The food here is always really good. Between presentation and taste is one of the best Italian restaurants you'll find. Though you are paying the price as an average cost per head is well over $100 for a three-course meal and drinks. Service tends to be very good. Unfortunately at times when it's over busy it can be a little slow as this time my steak came out pretty cold. Overall, I still recommend this place for special occasions and finer experience. Will be looking forward to my next visit.

My husband and I go here every Friday for pizza night, and their pizzas are mouthwatering. The crust is so airy and fluffy, and the toppings are top-notch! We certainly love their service and how friendly they are. Their cocktails are amazing too, and worth the money unlike most other places.

The top highlight of the restaurant is the experience you get with the service which was great. They are just fabulous. The food is really good and the cod with basil and tomato sauce is unbelievable. Another fantastic dish is the lobster pasta.

Let me start off by saying food was 5 stars, but atmosphere was 2. First off, I have to say the food was fantastic! I’ve been to Buca on King a few times throughout the years and have always enjoyed my meals there so I had some expectations that Buca Vaughan would be the same. My favourite dish was the Maccheroncini di Campofilone. The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente and there was so much flavour in the sauce, which the pasta was able to absorb and retain. I’d 100% order that dish again. Everything else that we had was also full of flavour and very fresh, especially when it came to the branzino and polpo e vongole. The tiramisu was very rich which I’m not complaining about! It was amazing. For me, a five star dining experience at a restaurant doesn’t just involve the food. Yes it’s a huge part of it but the overall experience also includes elements like ambiance, comfort, service, decor and cleanliness. The first 45 mins of our experience there was distracted and damped by a baby that was pretty vocal it needed something. Of course this isn’t something the restaurant can control, but it definitely dampened my experience from the get-go, especially at an upscale restaurant. The other thing I was a bit baffled about was fruit flies. Every few minutes I was swatting these little flies away from our dishes. I understand given the weather these days flies are inevitable but there were 1 too many and just another thing to dampen the experience. How washrooms are maintained say a lot about a restaurant as well, and I was quite shocked to see that the buttons to flush the toilet on the wall were missing. This was definitely a first for me. Our tables were cleaned between courses and plates were changed which was great but I had to ask for more water a couple of times, as my glass sat empty on the table. I also had to ask twice for the dessert menu. The last thing which I wish I knew ahead of time was that valet parking was a complimentary service for patrons at the restaurant. Had I known I wouldn’t have parked in the lot, having to pay an extra $14 for a 2 hr meal. Having paid almost $400 for our meal this evening + parking, I expect the overall experience to be great, and not just the food. I wanted to share this feedback in person with their senior staff that evening but they were not around when we left. I really want to give Buca Vaughan another shot, but I’m hesitant as I may encounter a similar experience.

The food was excellent. The service a bit slow at first but they cleaned up the table after each course pretty fast -so they need to find a better balance. Their Branzino crudo is very unique- that’s the only reason I would go back. The rest you can find at a high-end italian restaurant. The dessert options were limited. The server forgot our drinks a few times but he was very apologetic, didn’t charge us for one, and at the end they gave us a pasta to go -appreciate the accountability they had.

We had a wonderful evening out with friends dining at this beautiful establishment. The food and drinks was excellent. The staff was amazing with the speed of service and attending our needs throughout the evening. Will come back again real soon.

Overall, Buca was a nice restaurant. The service was great, and the food was pretty good. I wish I had known valet was complimentary instead of parking across the street.