My husband and I went to celebrate our anniversary, and since we made a last-minute decision, we didn’t have a reservation. When we walked in, it was already close to 8 PM, and the place was quite busy. A male server greeted us and told us there were no available tables. If we wanted to be seated immediately, we could sit at the bar; otherwise, we would need to wait at least 20 minutes for a table. Since it was our anniversary, I preferred to have a table, so I said we were willing to wait.
Twenty minutes later, he led us to a table that had been empty the entire time. I had seen the table when we walked in, but I assumed it was reserved for someone else, which is why he didn’t seat us there. However, after waiting 20 minutes, I realized no one else came in—if anything, more people had left. I didn’t quite understand that part.
As for the food, we ordered right after being seated, and a dish of green beans was brought out quickly. However, we hadn’t ordered it. I told the server that we had ordered eggplant, not green beans, but he pointed at the green beans and insisted it was eggplant. We took a picture and were about to start eating when he came back, took the dish away, and said they had made a mistake.
Despite these odd interactions, the dishes that were finally served were all very delicious. I just can’t figure out what was going on with those initial mix-ups!
This is my longest review ever, but this place truly deserves it. We initially planned to dine at another restaurant down the street, but choosing this spot turned out to be a delightful surprise.
The food was simply amazing—everything was flavorful and well-prepared. However, the standout feature was the service! Gus was our host, and although we had to wait a bit to be seated (we were a group of six without a reservation), he apologized and offered us focaccia as a courtesy for our patience.
We had a fantastic night; everything and everyone was wonderful. The icing on the cake was when I thought I left something behind at the restaurant. I called, and Gus personally checked for me, went to the restaurant and waited until I got there to try finding my personal belonging. He even sent photos from the security camera to ease my worries, all on a Sunday afternoon! Who does that? This clearly shows the care and dedication they have for their customers.
I want to ensure places like this thrive. With great food, reasonable prices, and genuinely kind staff, it’s a must-visit!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Danielle Posavad
Incredible venue, food and staff! We hosted a baby shower at Cucina Buca and the experience was amazing. Our guests are still raving about the food. I would highly recommend to anyone planning an event or a night out.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sean Nugent
I've been 4 times now, as I live in the neighbourhood. The food is great, but pricey compared to restaurants with the same quality. The service and atmosphere always fall flat for me. Staff are a bit cold and slow to check-in, which is mind boggling considering they always seem over staffed.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 2
Amir Obaied
Great Place an outstanding food and service ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Imshun “Jenx3989” Je
Beautiful restaurant with an airy and relaxed atmosphere. Service is excellent and very professional. The food is absolutely excellent at high gourmet level. Prices are reasonable considering how amazing the quality of the food is and service. It was surprisingly not busy on a Saturday night when I went there 2 weekends ago. Go there before people catch on how fabulous this place is!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Florian Fraguas Sanz
A superb experience! The server was attentive! The perfect cuisine and everything is good and fresh! An address to remember and go there if you are staying in Toronto.
Dietary restrictions: Allergies taken into account!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
William Shell
Food was completely different from when I was previously there about a month ago. Portions are incredibly small as we ordered about 4 dishes for 2 people costing 130 dollars and we still weren’t full. Overpriced, mediocre, and inconsistent. Won’t be visiting again.
M C
The manager did give the impression that he was annoyed of us but the rest of the service was good. The food was delicious, especially the tomato salad.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Tomato Salad
Jenn Dunstan
Our meal was fantastic, and the staff were very accommodating with our 11-month-old. We did find it odd that while they have two high chairs on-site, there is no change table nor children's menu. I'd highly recommend both, as the atmosphere gets a lot less admirable when you're changing a diaper on the restroom floor.
Kid-friendliness: Our meal was fantastic, and the staff were very accommodating with our 11-month-old. We did find it odd that while they have two high chairs on-site, there is no change table nor children's menu. I'd highly recommend both, as the atmosphere gets a lot less admirable when you're changing a diaper on the restroom floor.
An absolutely terrible experience . The staff and in particular the manager we're rude from the onset. We went for summerlicious and the manager condescendingly said oh, you're here summerlicious! He proceeded to seat us at a terrible table which we then changed. Our server was friendly at first but that changed when We commented about our espressos being under sized and arriving with sambuca added rather than being on the side. This is when everything turned. The waitress got defensive. The manager became rude, we spent over $500 and have been treated better in a McDonald's! . We were served an open bottle of wine and they claimed it was the last bottle . The manager brought two new bottles of our wine and put them up on the shelf without explanation. Upon pain and leaving the restaurant, the manager abruptly canceled our reservation on open table preventing me from writing a review on the site. We'd made the reservation! Three out of the four of us at the table have been in the industry, one restaurant owner, one general manager, and a server. We're at our table. We've never seen the level of rudeness and incompetence displayed by especially the manager at this restaurant. It's simply appalling and whoever owns Cucina buca should fire that manager immediately. I will never again dine at Cucina buca and recommend you make a reservation at a restaurant that welcomes your patronage instead of making you feel like it's a privilege being served! I've dined around the world and I will never go back to waste my money at this overpriced excuse for a restaurant!!! Ian Smith
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
Chris Donnelly
Everything is wonderful! From the delicious food, attentive and knowledgeable staff, to the nice relaxed atmosphere. There’s so many things to recommend, what’s listed below doesn’t cover it all! What a spot, will most definitely come back soon.
Special mention to Mario who’s both charming and professional. Food was excellent and patio is quite charming in busy area.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
alejandro figueroa
This place is a solid 4.5 stars!
Walking in, I felt like I was stepping into a minimalist designer's Pinterest board. Every detail screamed, "Get ready for some fancy service and culinary wizardry!" Our host was a bundle of joy—so friendly and respectful, you’d think they were auditioning for a role in a feel-good movie. And our waitress? They were on top of everything, with a placen genuine smile at all times.
We went all out and tried several dishes. The beets salad with burrata? Delicious! They even threw in a complimentary carpaccio —because why not? Then came the pizza, which you cut with scissors. Yes, scissors. It was a fun gimmick, but the pizza itself was just...very good. Next, we had the octopus, which looked like it belonged in a food magazine but was as tender as a tender as my date (thankfully lol) . The pasta was fantastic, but let's be real—I could whip up something just as good at home, if I was an Italian chef….but I’m not…..in other words it felt like Italian homemade pasta.
The wine our waiter suggested was a revelation. It was full-bodied, with just the right amount of acidity and low in sugar. And because they wanted to show off, they brought us three additional ice creams. Nice touch, especially for my daughter, who is a tiramisu fanatic. But oh boy, the tiramisu. They tried to reinvent the wheel here, and to be honest…..there is nothing better than a traditional tiramisu . so their version ended up looking and tasting more like a mousse. Definitely the weakest link, the good side of this is that it’s easy to fix this dish, get a Nona to make it for you.
Would I go back to this place? Absolutely! The highlight of the night was definitely the service. And my favorite dish? The carpaccio. If you go, just don’t bother with the tiramisu unless you’re in the mood for mouse.
This place is very eclectic in the range of occasions you can go for, first date ( if you’re looking to impress) girls night out, business meeting ( definitely yes), and the ultimate breakups dinner ( since the service will be there to pick up the pieces and it has several scape routes lol)
Mohammed Syed
Decent place with decent pricing! In the middle of Yonge and St. Clair hustle bustle with excellent service. We had a business lunch and were happy. I had the Branzino which tasted superb and would definitely have it again, maybe one point I noticed, unless I totally misheard, was expecting the Branzino to be boneless but got a few bones, which made the experience awkward but the taste trumped the overall experience. Would come again.
My husband and I went to celebrate our anniversary, and since we made a last-minute decision, we didn’t have a reservation. When we walked in, it was already close to 8 PM, and the place was quite busy. A male server greeted us and told us there were no available tables. If we wanted to be seated immediately, we could sit at the bar; otherwise, we would need to wait at least 20 minutes for a table. Since it was our anniversary, I preferred to have a table, so I said we were willing to wait.
Twenty minutes later, he led us to a table that had been empty the entire time. I had seen the table when we walked in, but I assumed it was reserved for someone else, which is why he didn’t seat us there. However, after waiting 20 minutes, I realized no one else came in—if anything, more people had left. I didn’t quite understand that part.
As for the food, we ordered right after being seated, and a dish of green beans was brought out quickly. However, we hadn’t ordered it. I told the server that we had ordered eggplant, not green beans, but he pointed at the green beans and insisted it was eggplant. We took a picture and were about to start eating when he came back, took the dish away, and said they had made a mistake.
Despite these odd interactions, the dishes that were finally served were all very delicious. I just can’t figure out what was going on with those initial mix-ups!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Cavatelli Ragu, Classic Tiramisu
This is my longest review ever, but this place truly deserves it. We initially planned to dine at another restaurant down the street, but choosing this spot turned out to be a delightful surprise.
The food was simply amazing—everything was flavorful and well-prepared. However, the standout feature was the service! Gus was our host, and although we had to wait a bit to be seated (we were a group of six without a reservation), he apologized and offered us focaccia as a courtesy for our patience.
We had a fantastic night; everything and everyone was wonderful. The icing on the cake was when I thought I left something behind at the restaurant. I called, and Gus personally checked for me, went to the restaurant and waited until I got there to try finding my personal belonging. He even sent photos from the security camera to ease my worries, all on a Sunday afternoon! Who does that? This clearly shows the care and dedication they have for their customers.
I want to ensure places like this thrive. With great food, reasonable prices, and genuinely kind staff, it’s a must-visit!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Incredible venue, food and staff! We hosted a baby shower at Cucina Buca and the experience was amazing. Our guests are still raving about the food. I would highly recommend to anyone planning an event or a night out.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I've been 4 times now, as I live in the neighbourhood. The food is great, but pricey compared to restaurants with the same quality. The service and atmosphere always fall flat for me. Staff are a bit cold and slow to check-in, which is mind boggling considering they always seem over staffed.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 2
Great Place an outstanding food and service ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Beautiful restaurant with an airy and relaxed atmosphere. Service is excellent and very professional. The food is absolutely excellent at high gourmet level. Prices are reasonable considering how amazing the quality of the food is and service. It was surprisingly not busy on a Saturday night when I went there 2 weekends ago. Go there before people catch on how fabulous this place is!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A superb experience! The server was attentive!
The perfect cuisine and everything is good and fresh! An address to remember and go there if you are staying in Toronto.
Dietary restrictions: Allergies taken into account!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was completely different from when I was previously there about a month ago. Portions are incredibly small as we ordered about 4 dishes for 2 people costing 130 dollars and we still weren’t full. Overpriced, mediocre, and inconsistent. Won’t be visiting again.
The manager did give the impression that he was annoyed of us but the rest of the service was good. The food was delicious, especially the tomato salad.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Tomato Salad
Our meal was fantastic, and the staff were very accommodating with our 11-month-old. We did find it odd that while they have two high chairs on-site, there is no change table nor children's menu. I'd highly recommend both, as the atmosphere gets a lot less admirable when you're changing a diaper on the restroom floor.
Kid-friendliness: Our meal was fantastic, and the staff were very accommodating with our 11-month-old. We did find it odd that while they have two high chairs on-site, there is no change table nor children's menu. I'd highly recommend both, as the atmosphere gets a lot less admirable when you're changing a diaper on the restroom floor.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Octopus, Classic Tiramisu
Restaurantji Recommends
An absolutely terrible experience .
The staff and in particular the manager we're rude from the onset. We went for summerlicious and the manager condescendingly said oh, you're here summerlicious! He proceeded to seat us at a terrible table which we then changed.
Our server was friendly at first but that changed when We commented about our espressos being under sized and arriving with sambuca added rather than being on the side. This is when everything turned. The waitress got defensive. The manager became rude, we spent over $500 and have been treated better in a McDonald's! . We were served an open bottle of wine and they claimed it was the last bottle . The manager brought two new bottles of our wine and put them up on the shelf without explanation. Upon pain and leaving the restaurant, the manager abruptly canceled our reservation on open table preventing me from writing a review on the site. We'd made the reservation!
Three out of the four of us at the table have been in the industry, one restaurant owner, one general manager, and a server. We're at our table. We've never seen the level of rudeness and incompetence displayed by especially the manager at this restaurant. It's simply appalling and whoever owns Cucina buca should fire that manager immediately.
I will never again dine at Cucina buca and recommend you make a reservation at a restaurant that welcomes your patronage instead of making you feel like it's a privilege being served!
I've dined around the world and I will never go back to waste my money at this overpriced excuse for a restaurant!!!
Ian Smith
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
Everything is wonderful! From the delicious food, attentive and knowledgeable staff, to the nice relaxed atmosphere. There’s so many things to recommend, what’s listed below doesn’t cover it all! What a spot, will most definitely come back soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Classic Tiramisu, Tomato Salad
Special mention to Mario who’s both charming and professional. Food was excellent and patio is quite charming in busy area.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place is a solid 4.5 stars!
Walking in, I felt like I was stepping into a minimalist designer's Pinterest board. Every detail screamed, "Get ready for some fancy service and culinary wizardry!" Our host was a bundle of joy—so friendly and respectful, you’d think they were auditioning for a role in a feel-good movie. And our waitress? They were on top of everything, with a placen genuine smile at all times.
We went all out and tried several dishes. The beets salad with burrata? Delicious! They even threw in a complimentary carpaccio —because why not? Then came the pizza, which you cut with scissors. Yes, scissors. It was a fun gimmick, but the pizza itself was just...very good. Next, we had the octopus, which looked like it belonged in a food magazine but was as tender as a tender as my date (thankfully lol) . The pasta was fantastic, but let's be real—I could whip up something just as good at home, if I was an Italian chef….but I’m not…..in other words it felt like Italian homemade pasta.
The wine our waiter suggested was a revelation. It was full-bodied, with just the right amount of acidity and low in sugar. And because they wanted to show off, they brought us three additional ice creams. Nice touch, especially for my daughter, who is a tiramisu fanatic. But oh boy, the tiramisu. They tried to reinvent the wheel here, and to be honest…..there is nothing better than a traditional tiramisu . so their version ended up looking and tasting more like a mousse. Definitely the weakest link, the good side of this is that it’s easy to fix this dish, get a Nona to make it for you.
Would I go back to this place? Absolutely! The highlight of the night was definitely the service. And my favorite dish? The carpaccio. If you go, just don’t bother with the tiramisu unless you’re in the mood for mouse.
This place is very eclectic in the range of occasions you can go for, first date ( if you’re looking to impress) girls night out, business meeting ( definitely yes), and the ultimate breakups dinner ( since the service will be there to pick up the pieces and it has several scape routes lol)
Decent place with decent pricing! In the middle of Yonge and St. Clair hustle bustle with excellent service. We had a business lunch and were happy. I had the Branzino which tasted superb and would definitely have it again, maybe one point I noticed, unless I totally misheard, was expecting the Branzino to be boneless but got a few bones, which made the experience awkward but the taste trumped the overall experience. Would come again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Loading...