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La Buca Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Italian Italian [Edit]
4025 MacDonald StVancouver, BC V6L 2N8
Neighbourhood: Arbutus Ridge
(604) 730-6988
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 5 pm - 9:30 pm
Fri-Sat 5 pm - 10 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
24 reviews for La Buca Restaurant
Review Highlights
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"But the panna cotta, oh the panna cotta, was beautiful." In 5 reviews -
"This place is our favourite place to go on date nights." In 5 reviews -
"Agnolotti Lamb Ragu with Mint and Peas." In 4 reviews
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24 reviews in English
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Review from Jessica O.
Vancouver, BC
2/24/2012
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 on the stovetop!) in the best way possible. I felt like the critic in Ratatouille - my heart was warmed with a childhood memory, and my heart grew three sizes that day.
My mum and her galpal had the spaghetti with rock shrimp, and while tasty it did not begin to compare to my wonderful meal. I am NEVER in this neighbourhood (I think you aren't normally allowed in with an East Van passport) but i definitely want to make the trip back out to try a full three courses and to hopefully add the fifth star. -
Review from Betty L.
7/23/2011
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 good and the server was nice enough to offer two half portions of pasta because my friend and I wanted to try both. I ordered the panseared calf liver as a starter. It was cooked medium rare and balsamic sauce really complimented the liver. The panna cotta was so good that my friend and I ordered another round of it.
La Buca is a staple on my list of Italian restaurants. -
Review from JY F.
Richmond, BC
7/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
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 was in it but it was a nice boozy start to a great meal. I began with the beef carpaccio which was sublime. The flavors and textures of the dish exploded in my mouth. My friend ordered the grilled asparagus with prosciutto served with a melon vinaigrette which was also a perfect blend of flavors. We exchanged plates several times so that we could enjoy both dishes.
I then ordered the veal chop with morel mushrooms and a pancetta sauce. It was served on a bed of gnocchi and oh-my-gawd it was amazing. The veal was cooked perfectly and the earthy morels were a great accompaniment, while the pancetta sauce brought out a rich smoky flavor that just married all the flavors together. It was heaven! I didn't exchange plates as often as I did the starters.
My friend ordered the spaghetti puttanesca, which I commandeered him to order. I loved puttanesca as a child and my nanny made it often in our home. I always got excited knowing how each bite could be different. You might get a caper and the tangy bitter flavor would explode in your mouth. I took one bite and was transported to my family kitchen and I was 10 years old again. The tangy and complex flavor of the puttanesca was perfect. If you're a puttanesca fan than you'll love this dish!
For dessert we ordered the apricot fritters and rhubarb panna cotta. First off, the warm apricot fritters were fluffy and not too sweet. The cold creamy vanilla bean ice cream served along side was a perfect match. But the panna cotta, oh the panna cotta, was beautiful! It was a perfect blend of creamy cool sweetness. It was a cup of silky happiness! With a nice cup of coffee afterwards to help keep us from going into a food coma, I left La Buca one satisfied and sublimely happy diner. I can't wait to go back for more! -
Review from Cathy S.
3/14/2011
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 news is that the food is so delicious that at any given time half of the people in the restaurant are busy shoveling food in their mouths as fast as they can so they are unable to speak, thus keeping the noise to a dull roar.
Our perfectly paced service started off with some spicy garlic chili prawns with arancini and a basket of their warm focaccia bread, both of which were outstanding. We followed it up with chicken cacciatore with brown butter and sage pappardele, tagliatelle bolognese and pumpkin and mascarpone ravioli with truffle, walnut, herb and parmesan salad. All were hearty and flavourful and exactly the Italian comfort food that we were looking for on this wet and dreary evening. -
Review from Dee B.
3/6/2011
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 tenderness and pure heaven of the sauces.
My complaints:
It's very small and the temperature fluctuates depending on how often the door is opened. Also, I had just finished a long day at work and wanted nothing more than Grey Goose and soda, but La Buca does not serve hard bar. Furthermore, our server droned on about the specials and given the long day I had just completed, I wasn't too happy about that.
You can't make everyone happy, right?! -
Review from Marlene L.
Valley, NS
3/5/2012
I love the idea of an intimate, up-scale neighbourhood restaurant, but I've been disappointed with La Buca almost every time. The noise level is insufferable, impossible to converse with the tables so jammed together. Also this last time we were seated near the kitchen, which, surprisingly, meant we were chilled to the bone by the draft. As for the food: I found the tortellini frankly boring though my partner's agnolotti was marvellous. As for desserts, pannacotta was wonderful, but the chocolate dessert was so-so. Although when the memory dims, I'm tempted to go back, I will resist the temptation in the future.
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Review from Waylon C.
Vancouver, BC
5/2/2011
Very small room but big flavours!
One of my fav's in the city. Excellent every time. -
Review from valerie v.
Black Creek, BC
11/13/2011
Sorry no stars. But had to put one to submit the review.
Used to be such a great neighbourhood restaurant.
Had the worst dining experience ever here just recently.
50% of the restaurant taken by one loud, obnoxious group.
It was like a frat house keg party.
Staff did nothing to keep the peace.
Many patrons leaving were furious, I was only one of them. -
Review from Rachael T.
Toronto, ON
3/27/2010
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 not very noticeable, the 22 Knight bus brought up one block south of the front door. I walked in to see approximately empty tables and thank goodness I made reservations. The restaurant is very similar to the overall layout and style of Parkside (no surprise).
I ordered:
VANCOUVER's 101 Best Eats:
Agnolotti Lamb Ragu with Mint and Peas. You can also get it at L'Atro Buca in the West End.
Advertised on the Vancouver Magazine website:
"The lush meatiness of the ragu is balanced by the refreshing delicacy of the mint and peas--a pasta dish for the ages"
It was meaty, but not overpowering the lamb was juicy and tender. The sauce was just right and not too salty like I thought it might have been (and would have disliked). I wish there were more peas but the hints of mint made up for it. The pasta had a nice filling to it and good textures. I believe that you can actually order all their pasta dishes in half portions so you can try many of their other delicious items.
I think the pork was ordered and so was the fish. My friend's a little girl and she ate up every last piece of the pork, it was that good!
I couldn't hold back from dessert, hearing such good things about their panna cotta.. so panna cotta it was! It came in a generous size portion - very worth your money. It was a citrus topping tonight and their slices of grape fruit were crisp and juicy, giving it a "crunch". Pleasantly surprised and very impressed. The panna cotta was super rich in a good way, like silky cream. I thought that dish was going to go on forever as I never seemed to be reaching the bottom. My friends thought there may have been alcohol in it, but I'm not sure whether that was true.
We sat there until everyone had left and caught up on the last 1.5 years I hadn't seen them and their wedding that I couldn't attend last year. The owners were super nice and didn't rush us to leave. This is definitely a place to try out and if you do not want to go out of down, they have the one downtown.
Parkside is on the other side of town, another restaurant of theirs. I tried it a while back and it was okay.... a little strong on the salt but my palette is definitely more bland so there's some food for thought.Listed in: Vancouver Magazine's 101 Best…
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Review from J K.
2/8/2009
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 braised duck sauce. It was fine, but nothing I'd ever consider ordering again. It too, was a bit too salty.
My date had the Tortellini all' aragosta (lobsters, scallops, asparagus in tomato cream). It was pretty blah. I mean it's not like we didn't finish it, but there was absolutely nothing special about it.
I'd like to return to try different dishes, but somehow I can't bring myself to do so.
Perhaps 2 stars is a bit unfair based on one visit. But this is Yelp, after all. Other yelpers have given a single star based on far less. -
Review from Bart E.
Vancouver, BC
8/17/2009 1 photo
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 fast! We came at 6:15 and were told we could have a table....if we were gone by 7:30! I was slightly perturbed but aside from this the service was exceptional. Another downside: no cappuccino or espresso machine!
Oh well, you can't have true perfection. -
Review from Stephen Y.
Vancouver, BC
Updated - 10/10/2010
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 "deconstructed" which really mean it was like deep fried wonton skin filled with some white goo... pretty yucky... maybe I was spoiled by years eating canoli (plural ? canolee ??) from Modern Pastry and Mike's...
Still - this is a fine neighbourhood restaurant and plan to come back again and again... maybe 3rd time lucky ?!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/19/2009
4.5 stars if I could - sat next to the door which was quite drafty but the place was full... good… Read more »
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Review from Reiko S.
Vancouver, BC
8/5/2010
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.Listed in: Date night
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Review from Joe B.
11/13/2008
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 and delicious ( I do remember we had a an appitizer with Carpaccio, and a few of the mains: a Seafood Risotto, braised short ribs, and I think even a veal shank dish)
Sevice was great, and the wine recommendations were spot on too.
I highly recommend La Buca; you just cannot beat the quality and taste for the price -
Review from Annie B.
Vancouver, BC
8/16/2011
I absolutely love La Buca and it's my all time favourite Italian restaurant. It's definitely a hidden gem tucked in a residential neighbourhood making it super easy to miss.
Every single person I have brought to La Buca always fall in love with the delicious food and non pretentious atmosphere.
I can not leave La Buca without ordering their Spaghetti alle vongole and panna cotta. They also serve family style group dinners where the Chef will create a multi-course dinner for your dinner party. I've had the pleasure of trying that twice and it was excellent everytime. -
Review from Sunny S.
Vancouver, BC
2/17/2009
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 ($23.50) is to die for. If you walk in with a party of 8 or more, they could suggest a set menu while the chef will surprise you with his special creations.
Fair warning, it's a cozy restaurant with 32 seats and I highly suggest you make a reservation. -
Review from David F.
Vancouver, BC
4/25/2010
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 claustrophobic, you might have an issue. Still, nice looking room. Pretty noisy too, given how many they manage to pack into this room.
Let me cut to the chase, the food here is fantastic. Lovingly prepared and carefully cooked and presented. This is no run of the mill Italian, but a place that really, really knows how to cook. The portions are pretty decent too. I saw so many wonderful looking dishes passing by. Even the minestrone soup, which never gets me too excited, looked really good.
Having said this, I had an issue with just one dish. I ordered the frito misto, which for you unilinguists, means 'fried mixture'. In this case, mixed seafood and veg. Sounded really good, but it was really greasy and not that nice. Lots of batter and kind of made me feel a bit sick from the grease. I tried to eat it, but ended up picking at it. And I say this as a guy who likes things like calamari and chicken wings (not together!). It has to be the only item on the menu which was a miss because everything else we ordered was wonderful and everything we saw passing by looked great too.
Don't rely on the online menu as it is really just a sample of what they do. The menu on the day is somewhat different, but equally good and they have lots of specials. I had the gnocchi with fava beans, lamb and ricotta cheese. It was heavenly. My wife had the beef tenderloin with mushroom risotto. So good. Perfectly prepared and great flavours.
Dessert was pannacota with grapefruit. It was simple, but so delicious.
The service was very good and very friendly. We ordered some more wine with dinner and they didn't get around to serving it until we were over half way done eating. That was annoying as the point is to have wine with the food, but our server recognized this mistake and said the wine was on him. Very nice touch.
In summation, La Buca is great, but cramped. I wish they would take over The Watermark. By the way, the next table was getting a special dinner where they are served a number of sharing plates. It looked amazing and costs $55 a head for starters, pasta, fish, meat and dessert. It looked like tons of food. I want it! -
Review from Bob H.
Vancouver, BC
1/6/2011
Good food -but painfully high decibel level.
I'd been wanting to try La Buca for a while, their sister restaurant Pied a Terre is one of my favourites, and I enjoyed the now closed L'altro Buca. Like Pied a Terre , La Buca is a small restaurant. Unfortunately unlike its sister, La Buca attracted a crowd more suitable to Earls or Moxie's. Adjoining tables were loud and seemed more interested in getting drunk than the food. As a result out table of 4 had to practically scream to hear each other. Its been a long time since I was so turned off a restaurant by volume!
Its a shame because the food is good. My Angus striploin was perfectly cooked. My fellow diners seemed happy with their meals, though the ravioli portion seemed a bit stingy. Service was attentive and friendly.
Despite the good food, I won't go back. There's too many other good restaurants in Vancouver where the decibel level isn't ear-splitting. -
Review from Alyssa T.
Chilliwack, BC
10/7/2009
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 the service, will definitely be back! -
Review from Patrick C.
Vancouver, BC
Updated - 11/26/2011
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 panna cotta. It is usually a hands down winner, but it seemed to lack the more liquidity texture of the past. Still good, but not the usual. Still the best Italian in the area...
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/6/2011
Always a favorite, especially with the lighter summer menu. We went last might and they had two… Read more »
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Review from Victoria R.
BC
11/12/2008 2 photos
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 speaks Italian there. We liked the free breadsticks and the loaf of foccaccia was superb! It wasn't free, but oh-well. It was drizzled with olive oil and baked with rosemary. Yum! We shared a saffron riosotto - the staff forgot to offer cheese -- to which my Italian rolled his eyes, but it was perfectly cooked. The Veal Piccata Lemone was tender, but reminded me more of a French inspired dish as opposed to Italian. The one bummer? No espresso or americano or lattes to finish our meals.
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Review from Ory O.
Vancouver, BC
9/8/2010
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 West and tasting their Pasta Vongole one last time, I would choose the latter.
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Review from Jay L.
Vancouver, BC
3/24/2010
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 special. I had the Manzo (beef tenderloin). The Carpaccio di capesante salad was delicious (fresh scallops with housemade duck prosciutto, citrus and radish salad, truffle vinaigrette ).
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Review from Bernie H.
Vancouver, BC
6/2/2010
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 and delcious. The table chose 2 pastas to share with the group as middle courses that were perfeclty cooked and executed. One was a stuffed pasta, and the other was a seafood tossed plain pastat.
]I had lamb as my main and every element from the sauce reduction, to the vegetables to the lamb itself was excellent. The dessert was fine, but limited, as they had sold out of a couple of items, so choices were sparce.
One gripe, is that the single glass wine offerings of wine are very limited and pricey. At our table we had a bottle, and two diners who wanted single glasses. The wine list was tough, as the lower priced ones were unfortunately out of stock so we were forced into a much more expensive bottle than we really wanted. At $15.00 per single glass this could really push up the cost of a meal. I attribute it to arriving later on a busy night and the risks of a really intimate small restaurant.
If you stick to Pasta and starters this restaurant can offer very good qualtiy and overall reasonable value. I have spent much more money and many other restaurants in Vancouver and been underwhelmed.
La Buca was excellent overall, and the food and service were excellent. .
