Bar Buca

Great for Italian small plates. Nice wine by the glass options. Fun vibe. Outdoor patio in a happening area. A favorite of many friends and coworkers.

This place has the best coffee in Toronto. I hate writing that, because I hate King Street Foods (who own Jacobs, The Saint, Buca chain, Jamie Oliver…) and the way they run their businesses… but the coffee is good. And damn, fine, I’ll admit it. The food is good too. I only think of this place as a brunch place (probably because I only drink coffees on weekends in the morning!) so I can’t comment on their dinner. But the brunch food is good. I had a porchetta sandwich and it was WAY too much for one person, which is odd, because normally I find their food not very filling, juuuust enough to satiate.
Go with a friend, each get a coffee and a brunch cocktail, share the sandwich and the vegetarian egg skillet, and if you sit on the patio, wear sunscreen (there’s no shade!)

The food & selection (⁴⁄₅): Nice and wide brunch selections.

–Uova Rossa (duck egg yolk, bay scallop, pine nuts, crisp prosciutto and scallion with bread): We started with this egg skillet. It’s almost like an omelette and it wasn’t too heavy even though it was mostly egg yolk. The scallops, prosciutto and scallions all worked really well with the eggs.
–Tigelle (bolognese skillet bun, pistachio mortadella, guanciale and agliata): It’s like a little English muffin but better! The crispy exterior worked really well with the moist centre, especially with that runny egg yolk. It was just heavenly!
–Porchetta Schiacciata (roast tuscan pork, eggs, mascarpone, apple mostarda and agliata on focaccia bread): It’s an incredibly greasy dish but it was absolutely tasty. The focaccia was crispy which was perfect with the eggs and the juicy porchetta. Packed half of it to go since we ordered a tad bit too much, and it still tasted really good after reheating it in the oven.
Cost (3.5÷5): Around $ 40 for two. Considering we were really full and had to pack up some of our food to go, it wasn’t bad.
Service (⁴⁄₅): Staffs were friendly when we were looking for food suggestions. We had a much better sense of what to get in terms of the portions and the different choices after their explanation, and we were certainly not disappointed with what we ended up getting.
Ambience (⁴⁄₅): The interior is nice and spacious, and wasn’t too loud. It’s certainly a great place to hang out with friends on a lazy Sunday. They also have a nice little patio outside for the summer.

Heard so many good reviews about this spot. The coffee was awesome! The food was a bit overpriced and disappointing. Glad I tried this place though. Probably won’t get food from here again. As I have felt most items were quite dry, stale and lacking flavour.

Bar Buca has a nice selection of appetizers and tapas. Almost everything we ordered was pretty good and yummi (except for the Brussels Sprouts). If you want to try all appetizers, get the sampler, it comes in a nice plate tower and it’s pretty good! The waiters are pretty knowledgeable with the menu and are very friendly.
We sat on the patio. It’s not a busy street, but it’s still in a hip area of town. Inside looked pretty good as well and view on the kitchen.
Would definitely come back for an occasion.

Thank You Unilocalers! This place lives up to every bit if the HYPE! I came here for brunch the friendly waiter spotted me right as I entered and seated me to a communal style table and at that moment my eyes went into a spiral. On my left and right were delicious entrées! I ordered the Uova Strappazete (farm eggs, truffles etc) and a Latte Zenzero (zing of ginger, Cinamon etc) along with Bombolone (pastery stuffed with the most decadents cream ever).
This place is trendy, friendly, and yummy! I can’t wait to come back here again and explore their menu further!

I will say the coffee and the in house, espresso foam sugar thing was fantastic. That is a 5 star coffee. I was quite thrilled by the java experience .*****
I came there for the food. Surprisingly, let me down on several levels. To begin with, they brought me the wrong order. The waiter apologized for it but the wait for the correction was excessive for both items. I was disappointed because although I had been occupied with working on something while I waited even then I felt like they must have forgotten about me. I don’t think two oven baked dishes should arrive before I get an americano. That was a bit ridiculous regardless of how good a brew is. Even the gentleman beside me, who came after received his stuff before me.
When my Uva Pomodoro finally arrived. The toast it came with was charred. I could smell it. You know, when you have burnt toast and scraped it off? The crust was black. (the bread on the original dish they brought was just fine so this char is not the norm). I pulled off what I could but by then I had no patience and lost my appetite. The dish itself was mediocre in comparison to the variety of baked eggs I’ve eaten. This fell far flat on flavour, expectation and execution.

The place is very chill. I ordered stuffed focaccia (vegetable one, with roasted peppers, mushroom etc). It’s very tasty! A little bit oily, but I’m totally fine with that. Also, the fluffy crispy bun absorbed the juice and oil, so perfect!
I heard their coffee is really good, too! I didn’t try this time.
Our waitress might have a bad day today, coz she was not happy at all. But that didn’t affect us too much…

Good services quality food amazing opened kitchen fabulous wine selection and unique cocktail

Fancy little brunch place that my friend and I discovered. The food is very delicious, and the atmosphere is cozy.
But this isn’t a place for those who are seeking a large and filling meal! It’s an upscale brunch place, and my friend was severely disappointed by her breakfast sandwich. Sure it was tasty, but the price + size just didn’t seem to be worth it. We were still left hungry after such an expensive meal, so we went to Banh Mi Boys afterwards. lol
So would I come back again? Probably not… it’s just my preference to eat filing breakfast/​brunch food, and if I want that, I wouldn’t come here for it.

I went there for winterlicous lunch with coworkers.
For $ 18 I got 5 plates.
Food (4 stars):
Appetizers:
I got Testa (crisp pig’s head with a few spices): 5 stars — very delicious
I also got Nodini (bread knots with rosemary and garlic): 3 stars — nothing special
Main Course:
Nero Di Seppia (Quaid in ink with king mushrooms): 4 stars — it was good, I chose it since it was the only option with some meat.
Desert:
Cannoli Siciliani (5 stars) — amazing tasty
Torta Cioccolatino (4 stars) — good, but cannot compare to Cannoli
Service (5+ stars):
Very friendly and proper staff. Very polite and knowledge about the food. One of the people I was with was vegetarian, and the waiter came back after the order to let us know that Cannoli Siciliani is baked in pork fat, and asked if he wanted to switch the order.
The staff was always present and was refilling our water glasses on regular basis.
Atmosphere (5 stars):
Very cozy. The place is not very large, so it is not great for large groups, but great for a few people to talk over small bites.
I would recommend it for a place to catch up with people.

Great service and the food was delicious!
Tried the Winterlicious menu which are also items on the regular menu. The Porchetta was delicious! The beets salad and tests were definitely amazing and I would love to come back for them! Would recommend to anyone.

I’ve been wanting to try Bar Buca since it opened, but King St. Douchebaggery has kept me away. After our experience here today I can say that I ought not to have been so quick to jump to conclusions. While douches lurk everywhere, we had a douche free brunch. It was quite delightful.
We sat at the bar and ordered two delicious fresh ginger cocktails. I commented to our server, Marco, that I appreciated how the decorative wine bottles were actually stored properly and he was nice enough to give me a squirt of a delicious Barbera. Had I been in the mood for a boozy brunch, I would have downed my cocktail and moved on to a glass of that lovely wine. But, as usual with wine… I digress…
We had the Porchetta Focaccia, which is served with a runny egg at brunch-​time. The garlicky, soft meat layered between crackling and egg on soft fresh baked bread was both delicious and comforting. I had the egg dish with scallops, Pine nut and crispy prosciutto. This was staggeringly delicate and simple, but all the ingredients were in perfect harmony.
Marco was really informative and very passionate about the food. A complete pro and not only great at his job, but genuinely seems to love what he does. This makes all the difference for me because as a server, myself I understand the love that goes into not only how the food is made, but great service as well.
My boyfriend and I walked away scratching our heads ‘How have we not been here before??’.
Good Question.
We’ll be back.

It’s a very modern and minimal space which is nice but not my kind of atmosphere. It’s a little too chic for me. Doesn’t have a lot of soul.
The food was tasty and it’s obvious there is a passion for making interesting food. The portions were quiet small but I get the impression this place is more of a spot for cocktails and snacks. I was hungover and hungry so I think this place was lost on me.

*the restaurant opens as early as 7AM and as late as 2AM (!), thus there will always be something here for everybody at any time of the day.
*I have been here twice at different times and the service has always been impeccable — very attentive and professional.
*Though the portions were quite small, the food was incredibly fresh and the prices were appropriate for the quality and richness of the food.
–Caffee Bombon (Espresso, dulce de leche) — $ 5.50
If there’s anyone who likes sweet coffee, this caffee bombon is for you. Normally the bombon is made with condensed milk but the barista at Bar Buca used dulce de leche instead.
–Uova Rossa (duck egg yolk, bay scallop, pine nuts, crisp prosciutto, scallion) — $ 13
The egg here is a bit more «wet» and runny than your normal omelette. Gently mix the egg with some scallop, then tops it all off with some crunchy prosciutto and pine nuts. Accompanied with 2 slices of grilled bread, this dish was one of my favorites at Bar Buca. Everything was perfectly seasoned and went well together, there was an explosion of flavors in my mouth.
–stuffed focaccia porchetta -$ 12
It’s quite a heavy dish and I would suggest sharing it as the sandwich would’ve been too filling for one person! Though it was quite oily, the sandwich had a perfect balance between savoury and sweetness. There was moist, delicious roast pork between crispy, fluffy focaccia with a tangy apple mostarda to balance the savoury meet. I am drooling just thinking about it…
–Cannoli — $ 2.95
The cannoli was also another reason why I felt in love with Bar Buca. It had a delicate, crispy shell with light yet creamy filling. There was also a lovely citrus hints from the candied orange and pistachio within the ricotta. It was the perfect way to end the meal!

I am going with 3.5 stars.
Since this Buca doesn’t take reservations I was a bit concerned. Thankfully, there was ample seating, probably because it was 6:30 pm on a Monday night!
It’s quite a dark space, and the menus are printed in a tiny grey font on quite a flimsy piece of paper. My colleague and I squinted hard to read!
We ordered the stuffed focaccia, grilled cauliflower and brussel sprout skewers. The brussel sprout skewers were my favorite. The sprouts were slightly charred and crispy with what I thought were cushy mushroom bits in between but in fact was actually lard (I believe)! I enjoyed the smoky flavors and the contrasting textures. The cauliflower was a bit bland. My colleague and I are both suckers for spice, and were impressed by the hot sauce that our server brought to our table. The stuffed focaccia with peppers, onions, zucchini etc. was very filling.
I had two glasses of Chianti. They were out of my original choice.
Service was friendly and attentive.
Bar Buca has a fun atmosphere. It’s a neat place for a casual meal.

One of my fav spot in downtown Toronto for a late brunch (until 4pm!), early dinner, or any time of day! Small sharing plates is my favorite type of dining style. Love the space — simple, modern, cozy and perfect for dates!
For brunch, I shared the Uova Rossa — Duck egg yolks, Bay scallops, pine nuts, scallions, crisp Proscuitto and Italian pancakes (Crispelle) — crispy pancakes with cream, pistachio, maple syrup, chocolate, candied orange.
From the dinner menu, I tried the baby octopus, a sausage dish, and my favorite — the Crudo (Arctic Char).
Love how every dish is so complex; delicate layers of different, distinct flavors & ingredients that work together.

I went for dinner and loved the atmosphere. The place was bustling but it was not overwhelming. I went there early on a Friday night and had no problems finding a seat. They do not take reservations!
As for the food, you HAVE TO get the Porchetta. If you go here and do not get this, you are missing out on life. It was the perfect balance. There was crisp from the roasted pork, the apple mostarda gave it a bit of tang and sweetness. I am drooling just thinking about it! It is a MUST.
Besides that, I got the beef short ribs shower which was also a hit! I got their sausage dish (I forgot the name), it definitely had the potential to be delicious; it had crispy kale, king oyster mushrooms and a perfectly cooked egg but the sausage was way way way way way too salty. I couldn’t handle it.
I would definitely come back just for the porchetta stuffed focaccia and to try their other items!

The porchetta sandwich is handsdown a 5 especially with the crackling. Got the 5 things in the fritti and it was okay. The best is the pork face, everything else is just okay. The beef short rib skewer was pretty good as well. Apparently it gets braised for 12 hours before it gets grilled up.
Maybe it was just cause it was 6pm. But its a weird sitch where you kinda just grab your own table like at a bar. And if you want dessert, you go up to the coffee/​bar counter at the front and check out what they have instead of looking at a menu. Not sure why that is, but it makes for spotty service.

Bar Buca has an exotic menu, carrying items like pig cheeks, ewe skewers and rabbit loins. The interior is chic and simple, I love the open concept!
After seating ourselves, we ordered quickly as I was starving! The pacing of their dishes was extremely SLOW. I was still waiting for my entrée when my boyfriend already finished his own dish.
When my black cod did arrive, it was severely undercooked — I couldn’t even cut through the fish. Typically, black cod would easily fall apart because of how tender it is. Also, for $ 16 the black cod is small in portion, I’m definitely not consuming it raw. Our server checked with the chef and came back letting us know that the chef «agreed» that it was undercooked and if I’d like to order anything else.
I decided to try the prosciutto focaccia — and waited another 20 minutes for it. It was delicious, except the bread ripped the roof of my mouth and it was very oily.
The service after I sent the raw fish back, was noticeably different. Staff treated us in a cold yet polite manner. We waited for a long time for our bill as well — at this point I just wanted to get out of this place.
Aside from their unique menu, the chefs here need proper training and the staff could be friendlier… Not to mention service was the slowest I’ve ever endured! I will not be back.