Bucci

I took my fiancee for dinner on our second anniversary on a Wednesday night. The place was packed but stil...it took them almost 20 minutes to take our order and this happened only AFTER the waiter had cleaned the table next to ours after the customers had left. I would have thought it was more important to take our order, especially given that there weren't any customers waiting to be seated...

I ordered a pasta which was good but not amazing and my fiancee had a fish. We asked if the sauce was cooked with wine as she can't have any alcohol and upon being told it did have it, the manager said he could ask the kitchen to make it without the wine. The solution? Bringing the fish simply grilled without any sauce. I would have accepted it if we had been told before but we weren't.

This wasn't the worst part of all though...The fish came with some vegetables and potatoes. The potatoes had been clearly re-heated after having spent some time in the fridge. This is one of the most obvious things to detect in a restaurant and one of the most horrible things to experience too.

By this time, the restaurant wasn't busy any more but still, not the waiter nor the manager bothered asking if our food was ok until they cleared the plates.

Can't say the whole experience was too bad but I wouldn't recommend it either.
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Anis
5 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 5
Wednesday, October 19, 2011

My girlfriend and I just moved to the area and when walking past Bucci noticed how bustling it was every night of the week. We were excited to try it and tonight it delivered! I had the linguine al frutti di mare; a heaping portion of pasta, muscles, clams, calamari, langoustines, and prawns in a light sauce of tomato and white wine, all for under a tenner! My girlfriend had rigatoni with mushrooms in a gorgonzola sauce. The flavourful cheese was the main event in the dish. The staff were jovial and accommodating and the meal ended with 3 complimentary shots, each, of limoncello and a plate of biscotti. I am elated that we are within a 5 minute's walk to Bucci and recommend that everyone try it!
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Trevor
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, October 13, 2011

We visited Bucci's on a Wednesday night and were surprised how busy it was.

After our visit, it became apparent why - this place is the best Italian we have found in years!!

The head waiter (possible owner) Davide brings a touch of genuine Italian to the surroundings and his service. The food was generous in portions and tasted great; we recommend the breaded Veal or the Salmon Tagliatelle.

Great extras: such as olives (which were topped up!) and post-dinner lemoncello helped make the evening and were not included in the bill (neither is service).

We tipped liberally and can't wait to go back!
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Andy Lewis
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, August 25, 2011

We went to Bucci for the first time ever on Sunday and we absolutly loved it :) great staff, great food, great drinks... absolutely love it!! thank you Bucci!!
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nika
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, August 08, 2011

Bucci was very busy on Saturday night - they had to turn people away - but our table of six was well looked after. The food was delicious. We tried their new red wine, a Primitivo, which was very good and I hope it will be added to their wine list . This is a very good unpretentious restaurant.
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maryan
10 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Sunday, July 10, 2011

Went to Bucci's last night, and had a wonderful evening. Even though they were a bit short staffed, the food was wonderful. We always start with a garlic pizza breat to start, and it was delicious, thin and crispy. Mains of Pasta, Pizza, Lamb cutlets and liver were all enjoyed. A great restaurant for Balham.
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Kate Gordon
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Havnt not been to Bucci for a few years, we visited with friends at the weekend, and whether our standards have increased or their's have dropped, it didn't quite match up to previous experiences.

We ordered a selection of starters - the aubergine parmigana was lovely, but the bruschetta was quite dry as was goats cheese with a tomato salsa.

Pizzas were fine but quite doughy and the Caprina with tomatoes,rocket and goats cheese was quite disappointing.

The staff weren't impolite but weren't particularly friendly - though they did serenade another table with Happy Birthday which was a nice touch.

Overall - a pretty mediocre experience, and a lot better Italian restaurants can be found in the area.
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Katie
7 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Bucci's is under new management as of 2 weeks ago.

This cosy italian restaurant was supurb, I had a lovely dinner last week. The food was great, the atmosphere was fabulous. The staff are friendly and accommodating. They have a great choice of food and wines plus value for money.

I recommend the calamari and any pasta! The pizza's were huge and according to my other half - AMAZING!

I certainly recommend going - I have booked a friends birthday dinner here in a few weeks time too - will keep you posted.
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Lisa-Marie
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, November 17, 2010

I had dinner at Bucci on thursday with three other friends, we were very impressed with the excellent level of food, service and hospitality.

We eat very often in Balham and Bucci is one of the best, as a local Italian restaurant it's really top of our list from now on.
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saverio
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, July 07, 2010

I visited Bucci’s last week with my boyfriend. We used to go fairly regularly when he lived in Balham and always had a good experience. I glanced at the other reviews on this page before going and was nervous about going back as it sounded like its service and standards had slipped. Definitely not! Food was superb, service really personal and beyond expectations, reasonably priced for the standard and will certainly be going back. The owner/manager served us and gave his opinion on wine and food selection and really made an effort. Not sure if other reviewers went on a bad day but I’d encourage others to give it a go if you haven’t already as it’s one of the best restaurants in South London.
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Emily
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Monday, February 15, 2010