Our family of four really enjoyed the intimate family atmosphere at la buca Italian restaurant. Felt like we were in Tuscany! The short ribs were tasty! So was the light salad! The desserts are amazing too!

The waiter was very attentive and helpful to make our experience lovely.

Love love love this Italian restaurant!
It never disappoints! Truly reminds me of Italy.
Came here with my team (6 ppl) and this is a good amount to enjoy the food that is homemade Italian.
Strongly recommend reservations, especially if it is towards end of the week bc they have very limited seating and best to call ahead. They aren't busy early in the week, Mon-Wednesday's.They have daily... more

Great little neighbourhood restaurant. It's small so make resos. The food choices are often interesting and tasty.

I came here for dine out Vancouver, therefore, I let the service slide a bit all things considering, however, it was still good none the less.

Firstly it is a very small place meaning that when there was a turn over for the evening seating, most were filed into the dining area which was awkward. Normally I would stand outside, however, it was a rain storm.

Porchetta - LOTS of fat on the salty... more

Dine Out Vancouver 2015

It's not listed on the Dine Out Vancouver website menu, but La Buca offers 3-course OR 4-course. There are four sections to the menu and you can choose from 3 or 4 sections for $38 or $48 respectively. Not sure how flexible this is (e.g., can you choose dessert 4 times?)
Also, for +$10 per person (min 2 persons) there is a Fiorentina Steak option. One helluva heaping... more

Took my wife here for her b day this past summer and thoroughly enjoyed our meal.

The cab ride from downtown to this small and unassuming location was definitely worth it! The room was small and intimate (reminded us of Pied a Terre and La Quercia), and was a located in semi-residential neighbourhood.

When we arrived (Wednesday) the room was literally empty, so the service had no excuse to be... more

I live only a few blocks away from the restaurant and it is has been on our 'must go to' for years. Finally went after hearing such rave reviews. Made a call on a Thursday night and was able to get in at 7:15pm with no wait at all. Sadly, we weren't blown away. Started out with a nightly special of a shredded duck on top of friend cheese appetizer. The cheese was yummy but duck under seasoned... more

Ricotta and truffle tortellini with smoked prosciutto and sage butter $13.5 3/5 - I could barely tasted any truffle in the pasta. much smaller than the risotto. It only came with 3 pieces in the half order.
Lobster, scallop & wild shrimp risotto, fresh corn, fava beans $13.5 (half order) 4.5/5 - A little salty but still acceptable. It had more scallops than the lobster and shrimps combined. The... more

This used to be one of my favourite restaurants until yesterday December 6, 2013 when I ordered pasta with wild game only to find out after I ate a few bites that the wild game was actually horse meat. I inquired when horse meat became wild game? Makes me question what other ingredients might be questionable at this establishment.

3 things about la buca:

1. great place for la famiglia style dinner.

2. fantastic service.

3. too much food. really. i hurt after and it doesn't make me happy. yes, i know it's my fault. but i'd take a little less food for a little lower prices.

I have been trying to find a great italian place for a while and this place was worthy of every star. The atmosphere was quite loud, however I'm rating the customer service and quality of food, only.

I will spare you the details what I ordered but to be honest I came here to try the panna cotta. That's it. I was watching the season finale of masterchef and they were doing a cook off with this... more

The physical restaurant and the high prices would make me take a pass on returning here. We were 5 women and the plain wood tables didn't even match height-wise. Cutlery was run of the mill. Temp was either very warm or freezing when the fan cut in. Noise level meant I couldn't hear my friend who sat 1 seat away.
As for the food, it was divine. Scallops appy was delicious and melt in your mouth... more

I had never heard of La Buca before we made a quick decision (there were 3 of us) to have dinner there last night.

We went to town, so while the food below may seem like a lot for 3 ... it was, and we absolutely destroyed everything it was so delicious.

Totally easy to drive past, an odd location to be sure, but convenient street parking, and a quaint, tiny little restaurant gives it a really... more

Had a lovely pre-Christmas dinner here with 2 friends. Ambience is cozy and warm. Food was very good and in the right sized portions - no loading the plates with too much food! Had their special Buca Fizz - lovely cocktail. Really lovely spot to visit and so nice it is in a quiet neighbourhood location. I would definitely recommend.

Seeing as Cafeteria is one of my all time faves, I knew I had to try La Buca. My mum, her BFF and I headed here after a yoga class in Dunbar a few weeks ago for a late supper. We weren't starving, so we just ordered a single course each.

I had the Pork Ragu with Papardelle (the special) and it was stunning delicious and comforting - reminding me of my grandfather's legendary spaghetti (3 days... more

Another great meal at La Buca. The winter menu is available for more rich and hearty options, but some of the classics are still available. The tuna starter had an unbelievable mixture of flavours that worked very well together. The bone-in veal chop was incredibly tender and was server with a few gnocchi, fresh vegetables in a red wine sauce. It was amazing. The only let down was the famous... more

One of my favourite Italian restaurants in the quiet hood of Arbutus and yay to free parking on the street!! The restaurant is intimate and cozy, err...it's small. I can listen to conversations from two tables down. Yet I still like it because the food and service is quite food. I always have a fabulous time when I'm there either with family, friends or on a date.

The pasta dishes were pretty... more

Ok...I know I said L'Abattoir is my new favourite restaurant. I guess I should rephrase that...L'Abattoir is my favourite french restaurant but La Buca is my new favourite Italian restaurant.

Now I usually lean towards french food but this restaurant is definitely forcing me to change my tune. Our friendly server explained the cocktail list and helped me pick the Negroni. I can't remember what... more

Very small room but big flavours!
One of my fav's in the city. Excellent every time.

Aesthetically La Buca is a very small, beautiful room. The proximity of the tables to each other are part of the charm - this is a trattoria not a ristorante after all. Unfortunately La Buca has to be recognized as having some of the worst acoustics of a restaurant in Vancouver and 32 patrons speaking in normal tones sound like the crowd at Rogers Arena during a freaking playoff game.

The good... more

La Buca is great! I had the seafood soup and beet and burrata salad. The burrata was, hands down, the best I ever had! The broth in the seafood soup was light, fragrant and delightful - full of clams, halibut and local prawns. Delicious.

My husband had the meat special - veal and beef cheeks with potatoes and other seasonable vegetables. Of course, I tried some of his and was blown away at the... more

Hmm... The great aphorism in life... things are never as good as the first time... maybe it's our memory playing tricks on us...

Still pretty good - but not 5 stars this time

Appy OK..
Osso Buco - not really classically done.. but marrow was awesome... quite a bit of meat but not really tender... and I've had better... Risotto was oily...
I was really primed for the canoli... but it was... more

I have a love/hate relationship with this place. I love the fact that everything, and I mean everything, is absolutely delicious. I hate the fact that every time I've been here I've been one step away from taking off my shirt. It's cramped, it's hot, and the airflow is, at best, comparable to a long haul AirTransat flight to Mexico. BUT, if it came down to melting like The Wicked Witch of the... more

This place is our favourite place to go on date nights. The pastas are always exquisite and the service is amazing. My favourite is their putanesca.

Some people have complained that the seating is too cramped for their liking. I actually like it! We check out what other people are eating, get recommendations, and then do the same when new people come in. Everyone's always really friendly.

La Buca is the the much smaller cousin of the space West of Denman down town. As other reviewers have indicated the room is small and you are very closely seated to other diners. The room can get noisy if it is full, but it has a nice look and pleasing ambience. .
The food choices were excellent, and expertly prepared. Everyone at the table raved about all appetisers and they were well prepared... more

Been meaning to try La Buca for ages, especially since I live so close. Called to book, but they had no space so I put my name down on the waiting list. Good move because they called back and voila, we had a table for two at 8pm on a Saturday. Arrived to find the room a fair bit smaller than I expected, but food smelled great. Yes, this is quite a squishy little place. If you are... more

Winner Winner Lamb Ragu Dinner! I wanted to take my out of town guests so somewhere they wouldn't go to themselves and the first thing I thought of was local, yet delicious...steering away from Japanese and anything traditional, I called up several restaurants (although all booked up)...before securing a dinner reservation here on a Wednesday night at 8pm.

Although a little out of the way and... more

So far my favourite Italian fare food. Portions are decent. Atmosphere and dining space is nice and cozy. Waiters are friendly and knowledgeable. Everything I've tried here was simply delicious. I never had a dish here that I didn't like. Every month they have a new fresh sheet. Would recommend making a reservation for this place as it is quite small. My friend had the grilled sole with prawns... more

Had a really great time here a couple weeks ago.
Service was great and the food wonderful. Great value for money!
I had the pumpkin ravioli and the halibut special. Was pleased with both dishes.
They didn't have the tuscan white bean and pancetta soup that we came for on the menu that night.
Our wine glasses were kept full and our server's suggestions were right on the mark.
Loved the food and... more

My wife and I were introduced to this Kits special at Macdonald and 24th before we moved to BC...it's no Terroni (for those of you who spend time in Toronto or LA) but it's a really nice Italian spot. Pastas are made in house and rise about the traditional. Meats are done inventively and appetizers (we have a great platter of antipastos) are exceptional.

A couple things: this spot fills up... more

Nestled on Macdonald Street at West 24th Ave is a bustling Italian restaurant that serves rich flavors and hearty dishes. From the outside, La Buca is non-descript (I drove past it a couple of times). However once you set foot inside and finally get a table, your mouths and stomachs will not be disappointed.

The pot roast lamb shank cooked in tomato, wine and herbs set with eggplant parmagiana... more

After hearing positive things about La Buca, my date and I went there one night on a whim with no reservations, and we were told that there was no way that we'd be seated that night.

So a few weeks later, we made reservations.

We shared the panfried alpine cheese as a starter, which was pretty salty and nothing very special. The tomato fonduta was also meh.

I had the Rigatoni Anatra with... more

Went in the sping of 2008 with some close friends for an early supper.

This is a small, simple and casual place - very nice for a quality Italian meal with friends (adults, not really a place to bringthe kids)

There was 4 of us, and we shared 2 appitizers, 4 main dishes and 2 desserts. Since it was a while ago, I cannot remember specifics, but how pleased we where that every dish was perfect... more

I had dinner last night for the second time in a year at this small, hole-in-the-wall place. Despite the deluge outside, inside it was full of people. The seats are very close together and it is truly a family-style experience, but it felt like people were a bit uncomfortable. We weren't, of course! I was with real Italian - who ended up loving the food. Surprisingly, not one person is or... more