Hearty Appetites Welcome

You can’t say you haven’t been warned. Buca di Beppo in Irvine takes pride in describing itself as a family-style restaurant with heaping, healthy portions meant to be shared. But even that doesn’t prepare you for the abundance that arrives at your table.

This is the place to go with people who like to try a little bit--OK, a lot--of everything. The ample portions, reasonable prices, friendly atmosphere and Italian-themed decor make Buca di Beppo a popular brunch destination for a large group.

Buca’s menu is a melange of cultures, Southern Italian meets immigrant influences. One surprise was the homemade garlic bread. While at many Italian restaurants it can be an artificial-butter-soaked disappointment, Buca’s is more of a focaccia-style disc.

The mussels marinara and mozzarella caprese--fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, roasted red and yellow peppers, and basil--are other standouts on the antipasto menu, along with the fried calamari, which is wrapped in a light breaded batter and accompanied by slightly spicy marinara sauce.

For insalate, the restaurant’s signature 1893 salad is tossed with a vinaigrette. The plate is overflowing with so much lettuce, imported hams, cheeses, pepperoni, pepperoncinis and olives that the first person to dig in has no choice but to make a mess.

The garlic bread was such a treat, our party was eager to try the pizza, which might also come as a surprise to fans of traditional Italian food. Served as a rectangular slab, the crust is ultra thin. You might not mind that some toppings on a crust like this--the luscious sausage and mushroom version, for example--can result in a soggier bottom. Pizza lovers who insist on a crispy crust should alert their servers or stick with simple pepperoni pizza or the cheeseless marinara pizza.

For our entrees--yes, there was still more to come--we asked our server for his recommendation. Without hesitation, he suggested the chicken cacciatore and the pasta special of the day, which was a kicked-up version of the seafood linguine.

We were shocked by the mound of succulent, roasted chicken atop a bed of heavenly garlic mashed potatoes, and the linguine was laden with shrimp, calamari, scallops and mussels.

Our hungry party of six was too full for dessert but our waiter persuaded us to try anyway. We were soon digging into an Italian-style cheesecake and chocolate-drizzled cannolis with fresh ricotta cheese.

Although Buca is part of a growing chain, it does a good job of avoiding the feeling that touches are mass produced.

The restaurant is designed as a series of rooms to create a more intimate seating, and there is a special cardinal’s table and a room dedicated to all things papal. Frank Sinatra serves as background music. And it seems like every wall has at least one photograph of the stunningly photogenic Sophia Loren.

After your meal, saunter about and pause at the photographs that celebrate Italia. It’s a good excuse to start working off a meal that you won’t soon forget.

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Buca di Beppo, 13390 Jamboree Blvd. on the Irvine side of the Tustin Marketplace. Opens Monday-Friday, 5 p.m.; Saturday, 4 p.m.; Sunday, noon. Pizza, pasta and entrees from $7.95 to $19.95. Desserts, $5.95 to $8.95. Call (714) 665-0800.