This Chain Italian Restaurant Is Wildly Overpriced, According To Customers

At the present moment, we may not all agree on topics that are part of the national discourse, but we can all come together on one sensitive subject: Buca di Beppo's prices do not match the quality of its food. This isn't exactly breaking news. The Takeout included the eatery among its list of the most overpriced Italian restaurant chains, according to customers, in 2025. What is surprising is the amount of agita that Buca di Beppo's prices inspire among customers. 

Two reviews on the Scottsdale, Arizona location (now closed) clarify what appears to be the main issue when it comes to Buca di Beppo. The juice, as it were, isn't worth the squeeze. "We paid about $30 per plate for bland, unimpressive pasta and chicken," wrote one reviewer. "The marinara was tasteless. The chicken parmesan was soggy, the chicken limone was bland ... We could have gone to a nice steak house for this price!" Another reviewer said of a San Diego location, "So overpriced for the worst food. Olive Garden is preferable and half the price ... I was legit shocked at how much food we got for the price."

Unfortunately, the list of negative reviews for Buca di Beppo's prices doesn't end here. A Redditor on r/Columbus (as in, Ohio) asked if the restaurant was a worthwhile destination for a group of six and was met with a chorus of disapproval: "Overrated and overpriced," wrote one comment. Subpar pasta is a clear sign of a bad Italian restaurant, but Bucca di Beppo worsens the deal by making customers pay top dollar for it.

Is Buca di Beppo really as expensive as online commenters have claimed? Most of Buca di Beppo's items are "family style," so they're meant to be shared between multiple diners. The online menu for its Thousand Oaks, California location lists its Buca Big chicken parmigiana (which the menu says feeds five to six people) at $56.99, but without sides. The family-sized version of chicken parmigiana at Olive Garden is $61.99, feeds four to six people, and comes with pans of marinara sauce and spaghetti. 

Buca di Beppo sells smaller portions of chicken parm as part of its Buca for One and lunch menus, and both offer bread and side options for $18.99 and $16.99, respectively, but are only available online or before 3 p.m. Olive Garden's single-serving chicken parm is $21.99 and also comes with sides, but it's available all day.

This price comparison only focuses on one popular dish, but it suggests that it can be a push when it comes to which chain actually delivers better value. It's worth mentioning that Olive Garden is also on The Takeout's list of overpriced Italian restaurant chains. So, why does Buca di Beppo earn so many brickbats? It seems customers perceive the quality of this nostalgic Italian chain has faded away. "I feel like when I went to Buca 10-15 years ago, I thought it was solid," wrote a Redditor on the same r/Columbus thread. "Everything feels like it came from a bag/box/Stouffers, etc." And there, it seems, is the rub: You don't want the equivalent of frozen Italian for restaurant prices.