Buca Di Bacco — Restaurant in Oakville

If you are NOT Italian like myself maybe this restaurant it’s not for you. I am sad to report that my friend and I had a very unpleasant evening at this restaurant. Our first order was a bruschetta, which was actually tasty (that is the only reason why I gave 2 stars). We then wanted to order a carpaccio. By the description on the menu, we decided to call the waitress to ask if it would come with mustard and capers. We also asked if any toasts were served with it. She said that toasts yes, but not capers and mustard. We asked if it would be possible to have those on a side, and she said that she thought so and would just confirm this for us. A couple of minutes later she comes back saying that was sorry but they didn’t have any capers and asked if we still wanted to order the dish only with the mustard and toasts. We agreed. Right after this guy comes to our table and says in an arrogant tune that’s not how they eat carpaccio in Italy. We were surprised by how he approached us and we even felt intimidated by his tone. As he standed by our table talking about how food is eaten in Italy, I briefly spoke with my friend and we agreed to place the order as we just wanted to end the discussion and have a conversation and enjoy ourselves. The carpaccio came and besides the fact that it didn’t feel very appealing, the server didn’t bring any toasts. So I kindly asked her for them, imagining that she was just going to bring them still - but no. She said that there were no toasts for the carpaccio. So I kindly reminded her that I had specifically asked for those and she had said yes. She then said that would see if she could get some for us. Well, if there were no capers, no mustard and not even toasts for the carpaccio, I would definitely refused to place the order. She then went inside and a few more minutes she comes back with them. Ok, we then proceeded to eat the carpaccio imagining that it would somehow taste amazing as the guy promised and despite the fact that it was basically just raw meat with salt and pepper. We were still eating when the guy comes back again. He then says something like “you see, this is how we eat carpaccio in Italy. Not with capers, mustard or anything else. It’s great right?!”. I then kept myself salient but my friend was too embarrassed and wanting to avoid any conflict and said timidly “yes, it’s good”. He then proceed to remove our glasses and I still had some wine there… When we asked for the bill, I asked the server who was that guy and she said that he was one of the owners. Shocking!

I am someone who eats at least one meal a day outside home. I always like to give good reviews for my friends and family. I know how restaurants have suffered due to the pandemic and I guess that eating out everyday and giving good recommendations it’s a good way to incentive the industry. However, I am not stupid or much less like to be treated like one just because I don’t have the same nationality of that person. That’s how I felt the situation was about. If I had a restaurant I would never treat a client in such a way just because they are asking for extra ingredients that are also very common to be used with a dish that I am serving. I don’t cook everyday, but in my house I always have mustard. Which restaurant doesn’t...

BUCA DI BACCO!!! 🇮🇹 🇮🇹 🇮🇹 (fingers to mouth-kiss and release it to the air like the Italians do!) Mama Mia! What Service we got on March 12th! . We reserved our table for 10 with Anthony -under the "HOT MAMAS"-Don't even ask...just go with it OKAY! . From the start of our reservation to the end of our meal-I was impressed and may I just add-This was everyone's first time at the restaurant. We had a DIY workshop just down the street and we figured Buca Di Bacco was so close by-with great reviews ...why not give them a try. . Well, I am so thankful we did. Jason was our host and also our entertainment for the night! -the guy was funny. Made us feel comfortable and also like Family-very easy going but also attentive to our table-Did an amazing job with ensuring we were taken care of. When we arrived the restaurant had maybe four other customers BUT no word of a lie 20 minutes later, the place was packed! . We started off with 3 different appetizers- the Meat Balls ( Tasted so fresh-as if Nona was in the kitchen-delicious), the Arancini Balls were killer good-with that cheesy filled center that just makes you want to scream from how good it is, and the Calamari was amazing! Perfectly cooked. . For my meal, I ordered the Chicken Marsala (which I was craving for all week) and let me just say how satisfying the meal was! The chicken was tender and just cooked perfectly- and the sauce was just perfection- not too much or too little- it was every bit of heaven for me. Im just salivating thinking of it. The portion size is Generous-I would be shocked if you had room for dessert. . I also had a Bocci Ball Cocktail. I found it refreshing and smooth. It's main ingredients are Amaretto with Orange -I recommend this drink if you do not enjoy the taste of actual alcohol! (as myself). . I included some dishes from this night which I also received good feedback about. I have to say I really enjoyed this restaurant. I will be back with new customers so they too can experience the Buca Familia food! Thank You for hosting my pre-birthday dinner and making our night a memorable...

Sadly I cannot comment on the quality of the fare as the service I received prompted me to leave before ordering. My family and I made reservations for 7:15 for a party of 6. 3 of the group arrived and were seated and provided with menus, so far so good right?

Well 5 minutes later, a gentleman came over and said I need to move you guys as someone who has a reservation after you needs to be at this table and I will get yelled at if she doesn’t get this table. So my group was moved.

Now while I feel for his plight, I am also a paying customer but apparently my $$ aren’t as valuable as whoever would come in and do the yelling.

Fast forward to the rest of my party joining, our new table is more cramped and we decided to leave.

When we left without ordering, no one queried why we were leaving, no one asked if there was a concern, NOT ONE QUESTION. Just a thank you for coming as we filed out.

Now while I know on the face of it - thank you for coming seems like a very gracious greeting, context is king. And in this context it was the equivalent of a southerner saying bless your heart and meaning quite opposite.

I can’t help but wonder if our updated seating arrangement, the lack of care about opting not to stay, if it has anything to do with the hue of my group.

Either way, I was so flabbergasted by the treatment for a reservation my family and I were so looking forward to in celebration of coming out of a very traumatic week - I needed...