Looking for Buca di Beppo vegetarian options? The chain built its whole menu around family-style Italian classics. A real printed vegetarian menu backs that up with eggplant parmigiana, cheese manicotti, a Margherita pizza, and vegan options like the spaghetti marinara. If you want the full rundown on what about the vegetarians at other chains too, here’s what to order at Buca di Beppo and what to skip.
A Quick Look at Buca di Beppo
Phil Roberts opened the first Buca di Beppo in 1993, in the basement of a Minneapolis apartment building, under the name “Buca Little Italy.” The name is Tuscan dialect: buca means a hole or small room, and Beppo is a nickname for Giuseppe. Original operator Parasole Restaurant Holdings ran the concept family style from day one. Big shareable plates were meant for the whole table instead of individual entrees.
The chain went public in 1999 with 21 locations and grew to nearly 100 restaurants in the US and UK by the mid-2010s. Planet Hollywood International bought Buca di Beppo in 2008 for $28.5 million and later moved headquarters to Orlando. Sales slid through the early 2020s, and the company closed 13 underperforming restaurants in August 2024 before filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Main Street Capital Corporation acquired the chain that November for $27 million, and Jackmont Hospitality Inc. now oversees day-to-day operations. About 44 Buca di Beppo locations remain open across the US today.
Buca di Beppo Vegetarian Options: What to Order
Buca di Beppo keeps a separate printed vegetarian menu, so you don’t have to guess your way through the regular one. Ask your server for it when you sit down. Here’s what’s on it.
| Menu Item | Vegetarian | Vegan |
|---|---|---|
| Spaghetti Marinara | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Green Beans (sauteed, lemon) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Eggplant Parmigiana | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (egg, mozzarella) |
| Cheese Manicotti | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (egg, ricotta) |
| Baked Ziti | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (egg, mozzarella) |
| Fettuccine Alfredo | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (cream, cheese) |
| Margherita Pizza | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (fresh mozzarella) |
| Mozzarella Caprese | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (fresh mozzarella) |
| Garlic Bread | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (Parmesan) |
| Italian Broccoli Romano | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Check (Parmesan garnish, ask for none) |
| Mixed Green Salad | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Check (contains egg per official allergen key) |
| Fried Mozzarella | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (dairy, shared fryer) |
Pastas and Entrees
Pasta is where Buca di Beppo’s vegetarian menu is deepest. Spaghetti Marinara is the simplest and the only pasta that’s fully vegan, just noodles in the house tomato sauce, no cheese or egg in the ingredients. Eggplant Parmigiana comes topped with marinara, Roma tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella. Cheese Manicotti is stuffed with ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan under alfredo and marinara sauce, and Ravioli al Pomodoro is cheese-filled ravioli in the same marinara. Baked Ziti mixes mozzarella, provolone, and rosa sauce, topped with ricotta and breadcrumbs. Fettuccine Alfredo is the classic cream sauce version. Manicotti, ravioli, ziti, and eggplant parmigiana all carry Buca di Beppo’s official egg marker on the vegetarian menu, so skip those if you avoid eggs but still eat dairy.
Pizzas
Buca di Beppo’s pizzas come by the slice off a Buca Small, so you can order just a couple without committing to a whole pie. Pizza con Formaggio is mozzarella and garlic-infused olive oil on the house pizza sauce. Margherita adds fresh mozzarella and fresh basil. Both are vegetarian and both carry dairy, so neither is vegan.
Salads and Appetizers
Mozzarella Caprese is vine-ripened tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and basil-infused olive oil, a clean vegetarian starter with no cooked component to worry about. The Mixed Green salad, a mix of greens tossed with lettuce, Roma tomatoes, red onions, pepperoncini, and olives, comes in the house Italian vinaigrette. It’s flagged for egg on the official allergen key, so ask your server before you order it if you avoid eggs. Apple Gorgonzola is another salad worth ordering: Granny Smith apples, spiced walnuts, dried cranberries, and Gorgonzola over mixed lettuce. The Apple Gorgonzola salad is also marked for egg on the official menu. Bruschetta and Fried Mozzarella both work for vegetarians, but the mozzarella sticks come out of a shared fryer, so ask if it also fries meat.
Shareable Sides and Bread
Garlic Bread and Mozzarella Garlic Bread both use the house Italian loaf brushed with garlic-infused olive oil, and both carry Parmesan or mozzarella. Italian Broccoli Romano is broccoli with garlic and a light hit of crushed red pepper, finished with Parmesan, ask for it without the cheese if you want it vegan. Green Beans, sauteed with fresh lemon juice, is the other fully vegan side alongside the Spaghetti Marinara.
What’s Vegan at Buca di Beppo?
Vegan options at Buca di Beppo are thin. Spaghetti Marinara and the sauteed Green Beans are the two dishes Buca’s own guest relations team confirms as vegan, since the marinara sauce and the beans carry no dairy or egg. Everything else on the vegetarian menu leans on mozzarella, ricotta, Parmesan, or egg-based pasta. You can strip cheese or dressing off a salad to get closer to vegan, but check with your server first since recipes can change by location. Because Buca di Beppo serves everything family style off shared plates, ask for a fresh serving spoon if you’re dining vegan alongside a group ordering meat. That keeps your dish from touching a plate that held meat.
There’s no dedicated Buca di Beppo vegan menu the way there’s a printed vegetarian one. None of the listed ingredients point to a plant-based meat or cheese substitute anywhere on the menu. Want to order without dairy or egg? Stick to the two confirmed vegan items above, or ask your server which vegetarian menu items can come without cheese. A few other items, like the Mixed Green salad without cheese or croutons, can work too, so it’s worth a double check with your server rather than assuming.
Special Dietary Requirements and Allergies
Buca di Beppo’s printed vegetarian menu marks Eggplant Parmigiana, Cheese Manicotti, Baked Ziti, Ravioli al Pomodoro, Apple Gorgonzola, and the Mixed Green salad as containing egg. Tell your server about any food allergy before you order. Buca di Beppo’s own menu notice says the kitchens use shared preparation and cooking areas, so it can’t guarantee any dish is completely free of cross contact. That matters more here than at most chains, since food is plated family style and passed around the table. Gluten or dairy concerns beyond what’s marked here? Ask your server directly, since Buca di Beppo doesn’t publish a full allergen chart beyond the vegetarian menu’s egg key.
Tips for Vegetarians at Buca di Beppo
- Ask for the printed vegetarian menu when you sit down. It’s a separate document from the regular menu and lists everything in one place.
- Order a real spread instead of one dish. Since everything is family style, pull together Eggplant Parmigiana, a Margherita pizza, and Garlic Bread for the table instead of ordering a single solo entree.
- If you’re vegan, plan around Spaghetti Marinara and the sauteed Green Beans, and ask before ordering anything else.
- Watch for the egg marker on the vegetarian menu if you eat dairy but skip eggs. It rules out four of the six pasta and entree options. Double check with your server if a menu item’s ingredients have changed since your last visit.
- Following a strict vegetarian diet and worried about cross-contact with meat? Ask the kitchen how each item is prepared rather than assuming from the menu description alone.
- Request a fresh serving spoon for shared vegetarian dishes if your table also ordered meat, since Buca di Beppo’s plates get passed around.
- Call ahead or check the location finder before you go. The chain is down to about 44 US restaurants after the 2024 bankruptcy, and some markets lost their closest location.
Conclusion
Buca di Beppo’s vegetarian options run deeper than most Italian chains this size. Six real pasta and entree dishes, plus pizzas, salads, and sides, are backed by an actual printed vegetarian menu instead of guesswork. Vegan diners have a much thinner path, just Spaghetti Marinara and Green Beans, but the family-style format means you can build a real spread across a table instead of ordering one plate alone. For more on eating out without meat, see our guide to eating vegetarian and vegan at restaurants, browse the full restaurant guide list, or check what’s vegetarian at Olive Garden, Maggiano’s, and the Old Spaghetti Factory.
