Buona Sera Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Horsham Township

On Saturday 2/22/25, 16 of us went to Buona Sera in Horsham to celebrate birthdays. There were 11 adults and 5 children​ age of 2-8. They opened recently where Fountainside had been. Nothing was changed inside and it was old, dingy and dirty feeling. We had to ask for menus after being seated for about 15 minutes. When we arrived there was one table of 2 and while we were eating another small table of people came in so the restaurant was not busy at all. The food was very disappointing for all of us. Every meal was room temperature-lukewarm, and some even were chilled like they were just out of the refrigerator. My son's and my "Lobster Bisque" had no flavor, were room temperature and were "garnished" with only 1 shrimp cut into 3 bitesize pieces that were still refrigerator cold. I also ordered the "Cesar" salad which had a nice presentation in a crouton bowl but I know from having them all the time, it was exactly like a chopped salad kit you can buy at Aldi's or any food store. Some of the other entrees we ordered were 2 plates of Sacchetti Fromaggi which were cold and bland, Chicken Francese which looked like it had gooey scrambled egg on it, Braised Lamb shank which was flavorless and room temp., Lobster Ravioli which was slightly warm and bland, Chicken Buona Sera which was a chilly flavorless meal (and my husband likes bland but even he said it was too bland), New York Strip Steak which was supposed to have a demi glaze on it but did not and also did not have much flavor, and the kids Penne in Marinara Sauce was watery like a can of tomato sauce was opened and poured onto it. We were never offered parmesan cheese for any of the entrees. There is no way any of the food was made fresh from scratch at the restaurant. It all tasted like pre-made and/or unseasoned already prepared food. Not one item was hot.

Our meal was over $400 with tip and we all came out of there saying we would never go back because it was subpar.

I did reach out to the restaurant and spoke to the owner to let him know how we felt and that I would be posting a review. He said they use only fresh ingredients and nothing is pre-made, however the blue boxes of pasta could be seen from the dining room. He explained that he had a new chef because the last chef was serving food that was not hot, but we were there for the new chef so there was no difference there. He also said that the heat lamp had broken but again, that doesn't explain all of the food being the temperature they were and some still almost refrigerator cold. He said he wished something would have been said while we were there, but the kids had enough and we wanted to head home for the rest of our celebration. I also did not know what everyone else thought until we got home. He offered for me to come in and he would give me a certificate so we could come back but I told him that not one of the 11 adults would want to go back for a second time.

I know there are some good reviews for this restaurant, however their experience was nothing like what 16 different people eating many different...

Several years ago, my wife and I went to the Fountain Side Grill on Rt. 611 in Horsham. I know it was popular, but we just weren’t taken with it. Now the grill has closed, and Buona Sera has opened in its place. It’s been on our list for a few weeks, and we just got around to trying it this evening. And it’s good. I mean, really good.

Living in Warminster, my usual go-to for high dining is Augusto’s. They’ve been around forever, and while their seating is limited (note: Buona Sera has WAY more seating), they’ve always served reliably good food. Buona Sera is at least on par with Augusto’s. I suppose this shouldn’t surprise me, because shortly after we were seated, the owner stopped by our table. He had worked at Augusto’s for many years, and recognized us.

Buona Sera’s menu is more extensive than Augusto’s, with upwards of 8-10 entrees in each category. I gather that a few of the seafood items are holdovers from Fountain Side; the former owner provided the most popular recipes. I ordered the chicken marsala partly because I’m boring – and partly because it’s a decent litmus test for Italian restaurants. My wife got the Shrimp Imperial, which was jumbo shrimp stuffed with crabmeat in a light cream sauce.

Both dishes were excellent. It wasn’t until I was about four bites into my marsala that it occurred to me to take a picture, and then I decided against it because no one wants to see a partially eaten entrée; but the presentation was great. In general, I’ve seen two fundamental marsala preparations. One tends to be a darker sauce, with thinly sliced mushrooms. The other is a lighter, sweeter sauce, and the mushroom pieces are larger and thicker. Fancy restaurants tend to favor the lighter preparation, and Buona Sera nailed it perfectly. The chicken was tender, the sauce was flavorful, and some of the button mushroom pieces were large enough I had to cut them in half. It will be difficult to order something different next visit, knowing how good the chicken marsala was the first time.

When the dessert tray arrived, I relied on my self-control and my wife’s admonishing look to avoid ordering more than one item. I went with a chocolate cake-type dessert … I forget the name. But when our waitress said it had a hazelnut layer, I was sold. It was excellent – one of the best desserts I’ve had at any local restaurant.

If you haven’t been to Buona Sera, it’s absolutely worth visiting near the intersection of Route 611 and...

New BYOB Italian restaurant in Horsham, at the site of the former Fountainside Seafood & Grill. It is a very good choice in this area for Italian food. The dining room is large and can accommodate large parties. Menu choices are a mix of gourmet Italian and typical Italian American and American standards.

Service can be a little spotty. We had some long waits, for example when trying to pay the bill. Water glasses were kept full. Bread served is baked fresh, but it’s nothing special – soft and whitest white. Oil served with the bread is very nicely flavored with chopped hot peppers and garlic and herbs – much better than typical herb oils we’ve had at other local Italian places. We both enjoyed the soup of the day – a smooth, sweet potato soup. Salads were a bit below average, I think. My partner’s house salad was a bit vinegary. My Caesar salad was just lacking in flavor, as well as croutons.

Main courses were both very good and well-presented. I enjoyed the sacchetti fromaggie – “Pasta parcels filled with pear, ricotta, parmesan cheese, topped with shrimp. Served with Hazelnut cream sauce”. Shrimp was good quality and cooked perfectly. Pasta was wonderful. My partner enjoyed the Stuffed Shrimp Imperial – “jumbo shrimp stuffed with crab meat, served over lobster cream sauce”.

We each ordered dessert – a made-on-site Creme Brulee, and a pistachio cream cake. Both were quite tasty and a nice finish to our meal. Plenty of parking, and it is easy to get in and out...