Bufala River District
3489 E Sawmill Cres, Vancouver
(604) 423-9594
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3489 E Sawmill Cres, Vancouver
(604) 423-9594
The food and the service was amazing. We very much enjoyed every bite of the pizza, pasta and especially the tiramisu. The espresso was also of really good quality. We are from Europe, so we can say this place really lives up to our expectations of an Italian restaurant. Speacial thanks to Raphael for making our anniversary a memorable oneβ₯οΈ
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Our waiter Rafael was absolutely fantastic! He was so much fun and really ran with us and our antics. Such a great sport. He is amazing!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot Honey Pepperoni Pizza, Meatballs
Great evening with friends, food was wonderful and the service was amazing
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Bread
Happy Hour the meatballs were amazing and my wife loved her Rigatoni. The cappuccino was also outstanding. Our server Chaya was extremely helpful and super informative of the menu. Definitely come back again for brunch
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had dinner here and it was incredible!
The food was delicious and the portion sizes were great, we were absolutely stuffed by the time we finished.
The four of us shared two of each of the salads, pastas, pizzas, and desserts.
The beet salad was fantastic, but the star of the show was definitely the pasta. The farfelle and boscaiola was my favourite.
The tiramisu was great, and huge - I'd recommend sharing that. We also had the sticky toffee pudding and it was okay, but I wouldn't order it again (surprisingly lacking in flavour).
Service was excellent, and the food came out quickly.
We will definitely go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I was disappointed by the food. The Cesar salad was lacking dressing.. the arranchini was also underwhelming. The meatball was alright, missing flavour and salt. Iβm glad we went during Happy Hour because it would have been even more disappointing to pay full price for these items. Itβs a great location and inside is very nice but food needs to be revalued.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Loved it here for brunch. Chaya was great!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We ordered the Rigatoni Bolognese π and Pepperoni & Honey Pizza π
π»ππ’π πππ¨π§π’ ππ¨π₯π¨π π§ππ¬π $ππ (Happy Hour $18)
Beef & Pork Bolognese, Parmigiano
The rigatoni was perfectly al dente, coated with a rich, thick sauce but not overly heavy on the palate. Every bite felt savory, meaty and warmly comforting. Enjoy while its hot. Personally addicted to it. π§‘
9.5/10 π
π»πππ©π©ππ«π¨π§π’ & ππ¨π§ππ² $ππ (Happy Hour $18)
Pepperoni, Radicchio, Mozzarella, Fermented Serrano Chili Honey, Bianco
These two flavors might sound clashing but it works. The perfect sweet-and-spicy combo hits each time. π€€The fermented serrano chili honey drizzled on the pepperoni elevates the saltiness; every bite is unstoppable. π
The crust was airy and just enough char underneath. Instead of traditional powder condiments, their parmesan, Italian herbs, and chili have turned into oil. I wished the flavors stood out a bit more π
9/10
We initially went for their Dine Out Vancouver lunch menu, but when we arrived at 12:30pm, we were informed that the lunch menu only starts at 2pm due to brunch service. I do wish that detail had been clearly stated on the Dine Out site to manage expectation better. π₯
That said, we decided to stay and we are glad we did. The food received high praise from our group and which is why we came back a second time just to order the exact same dishes. Iβve seen the mixed 1-star reviews, but in our experiences, the services have been friendly and welcoming throughout. π
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
The service was extremely disappointing. While the environment was nice, the overly heavy flavors and poor service really affected our overall experience.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 1
Service a food were excellent! Absolutely worth checking out!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
The chicken parm brunch option was honestly 10/10. Perfect size for a brunch, the spicy honey was delicious and the chicken was still so juicy!! I actually canβt stop thinking about it!
The 10am to 11am 50% off brunch deal is also unreal!!
They are also accommodating to children and have a very reasonably priced kids menu!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Unfortunately, our experience at Bufala River District was very disappointing, and itβs not somewhere we plan to return. We had a 6:15 Saturday reservation and arrived on time, but the restaurant appeared seriously understaffed β it seemed like one server was responsible for the entire restaurant, with the bartender also trying to help while managing the bar. As a result, everything took a long time: drinks, food, refills, cutlery, and basic service.
Service felt quite disorganized. For example, I ordered a specific wine and a few minutes later the server came back asking which wine I had requested, which was surprising. Throughout the evening we had to remind staff about drinks, shots that hadnβt arrived, and simple table needs.
There were also several menu shortages β including their chicken parmesan specialty, risotto, some ingredients, cucumbers for the burrata, and even specialty cocktails. For a busy Saturday night, that was unexpected, especially considering the pricing.
Food itself was mixed: the pizza, pasta, and drinks were good, and they did kindly remove the burrata when we mentioned it lacked flavor. However, the service challenges really overshadowed the meal.
Partway through the evening our original server disappeared without explanation, and the bartender took over without knowing our table details. Splitting the bill between five people became unnecessarily complicated β we even wrote everything out ourselves to help, yet the bill still needed multiple corrections.
When we spoke with the manager, we were told they βdidnβt anticipate it being this busy,β which felt surprising for a Saturday night. The interaction also became uncomfortable when we chose not to leave a tip given the experience. One of our family members still handed the manager $20 in cash because it was all she had, and it was accepted, which didnβt sit well after such a difficult evening.
Overall, while some of the food was enjoyable, the service, preparation, and overall organization made this a frustrating experience. Sharing this feedback respectfully in hopes improvements are made for future guestsβ¦.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 1
Our server gracious and pleasant.
Thank you. We had fun here at Bufala
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
My partner and I stopped by Bufala for a casual Valentine's dinner. The food was fantastic, and we were very impressed with the male host who greeted us and brought us to our table. He was positive and accommodating, which we appreciated. Unfortunately, we had a service issue that impacted the evening. After ordering appetizers, our waitress said she would leave the menus so we could order mains later. About 25 minutes later, we had finished our appetizers, stacked our plates, and placed my empty wine glass at the end of the table to clearly signal we were ready to order mains and fresh drinks. Our plates remained there for over 30 minutes without being cleared, while we watched our waitress sit on her phone for extended periods and intermittently tending to the bar without checking on us. This was frustrating given our 9 p.m. reservation and the 10 p.m. closing time. At 9:58, we asked another server if we could still order. She was wonderful, took care of us for the rest of the visit, and her service was 10 out of 10. Despite this, we felt rushed and uncomfortable staying past close, took our food to go, and left around 10:15. I still left a 22 percent tip. While the food and parts of the service were excellent, we would likely choose an establishment that values guests' time more consistently.
The food was good, it just felt like we were being rushed out of the restaurant even though it was not busy
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