Il Buco — Restaurant in Barrie

This was an experience to remember.

I grew up in Barrie and felt like I’d been to almost every restaurant here, but somehow I hadn’t been to Il Buco, even though I’d planned to go for the last four years. Finally, I got the chance to visit with a friend a few days ago, and it was incredible. It didn’t just feel like dining—it felt like an experience. The atmosphere and design were beautiful, unique, and a perfect blend of classy and cozy. The service was efficient and friendly.

As for the meal, it was $45 for a three-course dinner. While there were hardly any vegetarian options, I wasn’t disappointed at all by the limited choices because each course was absolutely delicious.

The daily special was a chunky vegetable soup. I’ll confidently say that, even though I didn’t have high expectations for it, it was the best soup I’ve ever had (a grand but honest proclamation). It was aromatic and flavorful, with just the right amount of sweetness, and felt both Michelin-star-worthy and homemade—like a warm hug in a bowl.

For the second course, the only vegetarian option was risotto. The staff were friendly and kind, offering to accommodate my vegetarian preferences by preparing a different pasta dish not listed on the menu. However, I decided to stick with the risotto since it was already on the menu, and I didn’t want to cause extra effort for them, especially on what seemed like a busy night. The creamy mushroom risotto turned out to be incredibly filling, comforting, and rich—it also tasted like a hug.

While the first two courses perfectly balanced the comforting feel of homemade food with high-end restaurant quality, the dessert took a slightly more playful turn. The third course, a mixed-berry cheesecake, was a cute and delightful way to end the meal. Although it was my least favorite of the three courses, it was still delicious nonetheless.

I understand that the $45 three-course meal might seem a bit pricey, and I completely understand any hesitation. But if you have the opportunity to go, I highly recommend it. It was such an incredible experience that I felt compelled to leave this review (which I rarely do, despite dining out often).

(Side note: I believe that on other days, when the mandatory three-course menu isn’t in place, you can order single dishes from their regular menu.)

Thank...

I arrived early before my friends arrived. Waitress made me 2 drinks while I waited. Very well done. Friends arrive and we are seated for our 7:30 reservation. Great atmosphere, nice ambience and we ordered appetizers and I ordered the Lasagna. It came 5 minutes later after my friends were served which made it lukewarm. Taste was ok but I wasn't blown away. Price was reasonable at $18 and it tasted like an $18 Lasagna. Dessert was a taramasu, nice again, not incredible. When it was time for the bill the Waitress arrived with 1 bill and we were confused especially since I had even asked "can we get our bills please". She was miffed and bewildered that I had questioned "why is it on 1 bill when I asked for a separate bill". Even accused me of being angry about the situation which I wasn't, just confused by why she was giving me grief over something that can easily be fixed. When she stormed off to separate the bills even we looked at each other like "why did that have to be awkward?" It's disappointing because the same lady who served us was a great server up until the very end. She was also the one that made me my cocktails earlier. I left her a 15% tip but didn't feel comfortable about doing that as she single handedly put a damper on my evening. My overall impression is that it's a reasonably priced Italian restaurant with satisfactory food. Even my friend who ordered the steak said the steak didn't taste that good. The server staff need to be aware that it's not customary for the patrons to let the server know before they even order whether it'll be on 1 bill or separate. It's their job to ask when the bill is requested, how everyone would like to pay. We're not breaking out our calculators and saying who owes what and go through the hassle of dividing the bill up. It's her job. Overall this dining experience for me was underwhelming and my rating is more than fair. I wouldn't recommend this place. The drinks were the only...

We made a reservation for our anniversary dinner this past Tuesday and it was required. Il Buco is a busy restaurant from 5:30 on. The service was really good. As the restaurant became busier we did not receive as much attention because the server was very busy. She did continually stop by to fill our water. However, I would have likely ordered more alcohol if she had more time to check in with her natural engaging nature. The kitchen staff did an amazing job considering the amount of people they were preparing dishes for and the size of their kitchen. We ordered Garlic Shrimp, Roasted Garlic and Goat Cheese, Lasagna, Stuffed Ravioli, and Rib Eye Steak.

The garlic shrimp was good for a simple dish.

The garlic in the goatcheese dip was a little overcooked. Likely because they reheat it. It is best made fresh but requires 40 plus minutes to do so. I think the Roasted Garlic and Goat cheese would be more appetizing if they combined the roasted garlic with the goat cheese, parmesan, herbs and garnished with fresh roasted veggies instead of the current serving.

I found the Lasagna which is one of the few dishes they make the pasta from scratch in house nice. It was your average comfort food without any surprises or dramatic flavours.

The Stuffed Ravioli is not made in house was served luke warm which may be the intended temperature. We enjoyed it, but the sausage was similar to the lasagna. Comforting and simple

The Rib Eye was cooked to perfection. It was tender and melted in my mouth. The side roast vegetables were lovely and fresh. If I was looking for red meat and had to choose between the Keg and Il Buco the decision would be simple. The Keg no longer provides quality meat with flavour.

If you are looking for a meal that is comforting without any surpises with great service I would highly recommend I Buco.

We will likely return.

Unfortunately we left our leftover...