Ada L.
Yelp
Cucina Buca, located right at the intersection of St. Clair and Yonge, is part of the Buca group of restaurants. Prior to the pandemic, I've dined at Buca King multiple times since they opened in 2009 (where getting reservations were extremely difficult!). Buca Yorkville, as well as Bar Buca (which is sadly long gone). During the pandemic, I believe that this group of restaurants reopened under new management as well. This is my first time dining at Buca post pandemic and was interested to see how their food and service would compare to previously.
I dined at Cucina Buca with my family on Mother's Day this year (they typically do not open on Sundays but they made an exception for the special day). I made reservations in advance online where a credit card was needed to make the reservation via Opentable.
The entrance of Cucina Buca is to the side on St. Clair (not Yonge). Upon entering, the floor to ceiling windows of the space give off a light, clean, and airy feel to the interior. The restaurant consists of 2 levels where tables are spread throughout as well as at the bar (near the entrance). There is an open concept kitchen where you can watch the chefs cook your food. They also are accessible as well.
Upon arriving in the space we were promptly greeted and shown to our table. Our table was next to the window which had a lot of natural light. Our server greeted us and asked us if we had any questions regarding the menu.
These are the following items we ordered (mainly shared):
- Insalata di radicchio (late harvest chicory, blood orange, hazelnut, and balsamela)
- Insalata di barbabietole (roasted Ontario beets, stracciatella, honey, and pistachio)
- Spaghetti pomodoro (bronze die-extruded pasta, basil, preserved bianco di napoli tomato)
- Tagliatelle al ragu bianco (bronze die-extruded pasta, white ragu bolognese, aceto balsamico, and parmigiano reggiano)
- Pollo arrosto (grilled and smoked gianone half chicken, lemon)
- Burrata pizze (preserved tomato, stracciatella cheese, basil)
- Tiramisu di Buca (espresso soaked tapioca biscuits, zabaglione di mascarpone, chocolate mousse, cocoa nibs)
- Panna cotta (goat's yogurt custard, almond crumble, poached rhubarb, aceto balsamico, reggio emilia)
Food wise, the salads we ordered were tasty and all the components of each dished worked in harmony with the other components. The quality of the ingredients definitely shone through. The burrata pizza is definitely a classic dish we order every time. We've had it at Buca King as well as Buca Yorkville. The quality of the ingredients were excellent and the components all worked together. This is a simple pizza but when it is done well, it was amazing - this pizza was as good as I remember. The slightly crispy crust and the creamy stracciatella cheese is a wonderful combination. In regards to the pastas, they were cooked perfectly el dente. The desserts were great as well where we especially enjoyed the panna cotta. The texture of the panna cotta was silky and smooth where the tartness of the poached rhubarb gave the dessert some freshness to it. The almond crumble gave the entire panna cotta much needed texture. Lastly, the tiramisu is a classic, but the Buca tiramisu is creamy and delicious.
Overall, great service, food, and vibe! A great experience at Cucina Buca.