BucaVino — Restaurant in Rome

I would give BucaVino and Massimo 10 stars if I could. Such an amazing meal, from start to finish. I found BucaVino by accident as I was just looking for restaurants near my hotel, and it stood out for the high reviews; naturally, I immediately set about to reserve my table (for one) as I was already hungry. Serendipity is maybe the better word. Massimo was the immaculate host from the start — he made me feel warm and welcome, found me a seat in the very cool back, and met me more than half way on the language barrier. The food. THE FOOD. 10/10. The fresh salad was well balanced, good mix of greens, fresh pears, and a drizzle of dressing. But the magnificence was the curried chickpea cream at the bottom. My god. I would have licked the plate if I could. Then came the pasta of the day, spaghetti with zucchini flower pesto. Listen to me. I eat a lot of pasta. I cook a lot of pasta. This dish was one of a kind, beyond anything I could have imagined, even imagined ordering at the highest end Italian restaurant in the West Village of Manhattan (where I live). It was DELICIOUS!!! There was a fried zucchini flower in the center and what I imagine were fried zucchini bits in the pasta, all of which gave it a savory, unctuous flavor, on top of the creaminess of the pesto and the al dente perfection of the spaghetti. Ironically, a soft radio version of “Killing Me Softly” was playing in the background and that’s exactly how I felt. This pasta was killing me softly with its deliciousness, texture, and novelty. Massimo, being the amazing host he is (along with the very attentive staff), recommended the tiramisu. How could I say no? Again, absolutely delicious. Lastly, a digestive of local amaro — recommend by the staff, perfectly chilled, and the exact size to end my delectable meal and what I can only describe as the perfect visit to the perfect restaurant in Rome. I will...

I returned here many times in the years for the atmosphere and the food. Waiters very kind, the service is good. This time the food was disappointing. The "pasta cacio e pepe", apparently very simple recipe but very difficult to cook it correctly. It is mostly based on temperature: but the plate was freezing cold and the pasta lost rapidly its temperature and its creamy texture and became cold and solid. The pasta cacio e pepe is boiled with very little salt because the pecorino cheese has a lot of salt on its own. Last night the pasta was cooked, I bet, in the same water where they cook pasta for other recipes. The result: the pasta was so salty you could taste the bitter taste of salt....

Our Airbnb host recommended this restaurant and we couldn’t have been more pleased. Hopefully you get served by Maximo (the manager) and his “assistant”. Maximo’s “banter” and personality made our evening that much more delightful.

Excellent service and attention to detail, lovely ambience and decor, and tasteful music (not the typical over-played top 40, but more Italian style tunes).

We had the panzanella and aubergine starters but ate them before we got the chance to take a photo - delicioso! The mains were also delicious and the tiramisu was the best we’ve had from Rome to...