Buca di Beppo is my favorite chain Italian Restaurant. I am not a big fan of chains, but there is something about Buca di Beppo that makes me come back for more. Typically, you want to go with a big group because the portion sizes are huge. Buca di Beppo has done a good job creating smaller entrees for even a serving size of 2 people.
My favorite dish is the eggplant parmigiana, but they had a recent scare of Salmonella in the Eggplants. I wish I knew this earlier because I was really excited for it. This is why I am not giving my experience a 5 star, lol.
We ended up getting a lemon chicken dish, baked ziti, and green beans. The lemon chicken had a light butter, olive oil, and capers. It went well with the green beans that was cooked in olive oil. The baked ziti is a new item, and we got it for free because March was a trial run to see how people liked the item. The baked ziti kind of made up for the lack of the eggplant dish I crave for.
I am surprised by the lower ratings for this restaurant, but it may be due to the several Italian options in Scottsdale and Mesa.