The Baron and I have been fortunate enough to check out quite a few restaurants on our usual weekly dinner dates. One place we visited recently was Buca di Beppo. It's been ages since I last been to Buca di Beppo and after our recent dinner, I realize I should go more often! Upon enterting, we were warmly greeted and were given a tour of the various rooms of the Wheeling, IL location. The rooms were well laid out, each with a specific theme and overall, I love the kitschy vibe. The Baron and I describe it as if you were visiting the fun and eclectic Italian aunt who didn't know you have. Red and white checked tablecovers top each table. Frames of old Italian pictures and flags are up on the walls.


There are even some interesting tables to dine on including one set inside the kitchen so you can see how they create their delicious magic front and center! Another is the round Pope table, complete with the bust of the current Pope. Just the ambiance alone gives off a fun, laid back and informal vibe making it a great place to take family, friends or even host a party with the many different rooms available.

We had a wonderful server who was extremely knowledgeable of the menu and offered some great recommendations. One thing to note is that Buca di Beppo is a place where you're encouraged to share and come in big groups. Servings are family style with the options of small or large portions. Since it was just the Baron and I, we opted for small portions and even still, we had plenty of leftovers to take home.

Dinner kicked off with a Peach Bellini cocktail, which was delicious! For our appetizer course, we tried the calamari. That too, was very good and we've had our share of calamari. I could have popped those all night and would have been happy. And now for our large Italian meal...

Cheese Ravioli with meat sauce. These were nicely done and the meat sauce was great. I could taste a bit of wine in the sauce and sensed the long, slow simmer the sauce might have had since it just had the hint of sweetness.

Chicken Carbonara. Chicken breast, proscuitto, peas and garlic are tossed with spaghetti and a garlicky alfredo sauce. The Baron and I had to fight for the leftovers. It was that good!

Mozzarella Cheese Garlic Bread. Mozzarella cheese is melted on top of their Italian loaf bread and brushed with a garlic infused olive oil, Parmesan cheese and more fresh garlic. These were great and filling. We had plenty of buttery, cheesy garlic in every bite.

Lasagna Trio. The promotion at the time of our visit was a free individual slice of one of their special lasagnas. We were given a trio of their lasagnas to try - their traditional Baked Lasagna, Chicken Lasagna and Vegetable Lasagna. The Baked lasagna had towering layers of meat sauce, and a blend of cheeses including ricotta, mozzarella, provolone and Parmesan. The Chicken lasagna was just like the traditional only with shredded chicken meat sauce. Lastly the Vegetable lasagna had the same blend of cheeses with a hearty layer of vegetables such as squash, carrots, and zucchini.

Chocolate Chip Cannoli. The Baron knew right away that he had to save room for dessert. He caught eye of the dessert menu at the table and so we shared the cannoli. They were the perfect sweet ending to our meal!

Buca di Beppo is always running a delicious promotion. When we went, it was an individual slice of lasagna with any order. They have quite a few promotions available including:


Thank you to the wonderful folks of Buca di Beppo for welcoming us for a visit. The service, food and entire experience was lovely and I'll be sure to come back with a slew of friends to share the delicious offerings of your menu! Check out where your local Buca di Beppo location is near you, follow them on Facebook or even Twitter to keep updated with their specials and promotions.