Bucci — Restaurant in London

We celebrated my daughter’s First Holy Communion today, and I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect experience. From the moment we arrived, the staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. The decorations were beautifully prepared and added such a thoughtful, elegant touch to the day.

As an aperitif, we were welcomed with a lovely drink and a bowl of fresh olives for everyone—it instantly brought big smiles to our faces and set the tone for a warm, professional welcome.

From there, we were served a generous mix of starters—a delicious variety that delighted everyone. The antipasti and burrata with pesto were outstanding, and everything was so fresh and full of flavour.

Ahh, and when it came to the mains—wow, it was so gooooddd! There was a great range of choices, and every dish was heaven in our mouths. The lasagna was beautifully prepared—rich, comforting, and absolutely divine. The pasta was perfectly al dente, bursting with flavour, the pizza was fresh and delicious, the calamari light and crispy, the salmon soft and juicy, and the crab and seafood simply perfect. All our guests were truly happy, and the kids got to experience real, authentic Italian food—which made the day even more memorable for everyone.

And then came the perfect finale—dessert! The tiramisu was absolutely perfect, and the beautiful Communion cake was both stunning and delicious. Paired with a smooth Italian coffee, it was the sweetest end to a wonderful meal. And of course, the beautiful, tasty limoncello was the cherry on top—refreshing and full of that unmistakable Italian flair.

And finally, a big, heartfelt thank you to Giuseppe, who made our celebration extra special. He is just amazing—the kids absolutely loved him, and he had them laughing the entire time. His warmth, humour, and attention made such a difference and added even more joy to an already unforgettable day. Thank you, Giuseppe! 🤗🥰

Thank you so much to the entire team for making this day so memorable for our family. Every detail—from the service to the food—was done with care, love, and professionalism. You truly helped make this day incredibly special for my daughter. You definitely need to apply for a star—perhaps start with a Rosette! This is, without a doubt, my favourite Italian restaurant in London. Balham should be proud to have you in the area.

Grazie...

So in the ever improving Balham there is a bit competition for decent Italian’s with Ciullo’s just up the road (and reviewed earlier on this website also) and this throw of the dice from Bucci’s. With a fine atmosphere, a genuine sense of being in Italy and a brilliant cost basis to work from this is definitely worth a serious consideration.

The fiancé and I first attempted to get a table on a whim a few weeks before but due to not a chair being available were promptly turned away. The night we were turned away was a Sunday night – after wondering down Balham High Street, passing Lambert’s a few other venues and noting all were largely empty besides Bucci’s serenely rammed and no doubt making a killing. I always feel it is a much better bet to go somewhere people vote with their feet, so undeterred we returned – and it was very much worth it.

In complete contrast to my previous review at Goodman, where cost can spiral upwards faster than a cows’ methane, this is far more reasonable – an Italian where you can have generous sized pizzas and old Italian classics. Because of a staff shortage and another very busy night we were kept waiting a little; but when the staff realised they hadn’t seen to us in reasonable time and running around like blue-arsed-flies they deposited a fresh tomato pizza bread on our table on-the-house. Eventually getting to us we ordered starters, mains and some wine. With the starters arriving at a fair clip we got some more of the frankly fantastic tomato pizza bread and some garlic mushrooms – almost roasted with garlic, pepper and basil the mushrooms were succulent and moreish

With more wine on the go I went for the special of the day Lobster linguini, with Katie going for Veal escallops with aubergine, tomato and mozzarella. To say the Lobster linguini was an average plate of food is not doing it the remotest margin of justice – a massive platter centred with half a lobster, packed full of lobster meat, masses of linguini, sun dried tomatoes and a lovely sauce… all for £13 – an absurd bargain.

For everything it encapsulated a bill of about £55, with happy-go-lucky service and fresh well treated ingredients it is highly...

I went with a group to dine here last Friday. It was honestly impressive how quickly the head waiter was able to ruin our experience. We had not even managed to order drinks before becoming distracted by the cacophony he was making. This was an achievement in what was already a very bustling restaurant, but his voice projected loud and clear as he berated and gesticulated at his junior staff.

I can appreciate that he was busy, as he was clearly frazzled and overwhelmed. However, the demeaning and degrading nature of his behaviour was absolutely shocking to see, and we had a front row seat. One poor waitress almost lost her head when the aforementioned headwaiter wildly swung a plate of food as he passed through the tables. The environment was very stressful, to the point that we did not want to stay and eat. As we got up to leave, our night having been ruined by this spectacle, the head waiter questioned us as to why we were leaving. When I informed him that we were leaving because of the shocking yelling and maltreatment of staff that we witnessed, his response was along the lines of 'I'm Italian, this is how we do things'. He became confrontational, putting his face right up to mine and then continued to say that his behaviour clearly had no bearing on the high reviews this restaurant recieved. The junior staff here deserve better. I will not be returning and I would recommend management reconsider their decision to continue employing him as he is a liability to this...