Il Buco

This was a very nice restaurant, something more similar to what we have come to expect in London. The place was well decorated and modern, the inside was vaulted and the outside away from the road and the crowds. The service was very good, we were immediately given a pre appetiser which was very nice, we then proceeded to the appetisers, I have lobster ricotta which was very nice, others in party had carpaccio, crispy veg on black lentils, we all enjoyed. The wine list was in an extensive book, perhaps a bit too extensive and some pretty expensive bottles. The sommelier helped us with the choice as we were unfamiliar with a lot of the names, he suggested wines at the reasonable end of the list in terms of price, we settled on a bottle for 28 euros, heavy but nice, red. The main dish I ordered was the pork and my friend had chicken, they were lovely. The other two in the party-​our husbands, ordered the pasta, which was a middle course (we have been having such big portions in Sorrento, that while tasty they were a true second course, small plates). I suspect they would have ordered a main if they had known. I then ordered a lemon ricotta cheesecake with while chocolate, only one other of the party also had a dessert, the chocolate dish, very nice. Before the desserts came up we received a tasting dessert. After we all received petit fours and limoncello. I would say that the food was very good, smaller type plates in general, extremely well presented (not at all like the typical restaurants in Sorrento). Service was very good. All of this came at a price but you have to think of it like being in London and then it would be more normal for the type of meal, expect to pay 70 – 100 per head with wine.

I will not write what guidebooks and other literature says about the history of this place. Only that it lacks the ambience that I expected. The bright lighting, and colourful interior draws it away from its cave-​esque origins (unfortunately). In a Michelin star restaurant, I expect more.
The dinner was good, the wine selection varied to the point of being overwhelming, and the service impeccable until they refused to honour an offer I had on a technicality. When you spend close to € 275, you expect they wouldn’t quibble over technicalities, but they did.
Some of our memorable dishes were the scallops and the lobster (starters), the linguini w/​scorpion fish and the smoked cheese pasta dish (not for me but for my girlfriend who loved it).
The fresh fish was great, but we realised we shouldn’t have ordered them. By the time they came, we were full and both sea bass and red snapper paled in comparison to the earlier dishes.
I think this place is amazing, but I just expect more from a place of this stature. I preferred Le Sirenuse in Positano and would pick that over this on most days.

Always wonderful and beautiful… Coming here for many years. 5 Stars & 2 snaps up for us!

This is truly a great restaurant. I hardly know where to start. The room is beautiful, the tables well spaced, the lighting adequate to read the menu yet there is a mellow feeling to the room, there is wonderful jazz music softly and unobtrusively playing. The room is quiet; we carried on a conversation throughout the meal, but we could hear nothing being said at near by tables. The wait staff is incredibly professional. The service is first rate and attentive. The waiters are knowledgeable about the menu and the food preparation and are anxious to explain as much about the food they are serving as you want to hear.
But the food is the star here. Everything that my wife and I ordered was absolutely first rate. We ordered a la carte. Her first course was a pasta with an amazing, deep, intense and flavorful ragu. She reluctantly shared some with me and we both agreed that it was the best sauce we’ve ever tasted. We both took advantage of the fact that we were so close to the sea, and ordered fish. I cook some, and I know that fish is about the hardest thing to grill properly. Left on the grill for two tenths of a second too long and fish dries out. Our fish was moist, flavorful, subtly seasoned with fresh herbs. It was served immediately after it came off the grill, and was delicious. We shared a dessert; it was light and not overwhelming.
il Buco has an extensive and impressive list of mostly local wines. The wines are fairly priced. Over all, however, il Buco is not an inexpensive night out. But it is worth every penny. Fabulous food, great wine, relaxing atmosphere, comfortable room, attentive staff. After a wonderful meal and dining experience, my wife and I walked back to our hotel, totally relaxed and at ease, holding hands and at ease. What more can one want from a restaurant?

Ugh Unilocal and Tripadvisor peeps really disappointed us on this one. We went last night on one of the last nights of our honeymoon for a special night out and what we hoped would be a romantic evening.
The ambiance of the restaurant is nice and it is modern, but intimate. Within minutes of sitting down we were treated to an amuse bouche which was a fried rice ball with a balsamic and green pea smear. Very good. I had heard about the table side martinis and the server made an excellent gin martini.
From there, it was downhill… We got the «I trust you» 8 courses with wine pairings. We were up in the air about what menu and the server said that the 8 course was a good mix of pastas, meats, and then a dessert course. Fine, the chef was at a few tables and had been discussing what was on the menu tonight. We overheard scallops, shrimp, lamb, etc. which all sounded good so we went for it.
We started with a scallop which was great. Then a shaved beef over fried mozzarella topped with a blue cheese cream. No flavor at all. Literally seemed like it had no seasoning. We asked for more of the blue cheese cream which made it better but still not good. Followed with 2 pasta dishes that were basically the same dish. When we are paying over $ 350 for dinner, each course should be spectacular. We then had a seabass and a pork terrine. They were okay the pork was a waste. I was disappointed in the repetition of the dishes and that there were not more meat options. Other tables with the same menu had ravioli or lamb. It just seemed odd that differently tables were getting different experiences.
I won’t be back and I will not recommend. We were between here and the Grand Hotel Excelsior restaurant and we made the wrong choice.

This place changed my life. Amazing. We showed up around 7:30 with no reservations and were able to get seated outside, which is not your typical European outdoor seating… It was actually quite private, rather than crammed in on top of the others around you. Very nice.
My husband and I did the «I trust you» 8 course option with wine paring. The server asked if there is anything that we would not eat so that the chef could take that into consideration. My husband ordered a dirty martini and asked if they had stuffed olives, which they did not. However, he was thrilled that they specially made six stuffed olives just for him and the Martini he was prepared table-​side. A nice touch. The server did a great job all night.
Each of the eight courses were incredible. The chef totally nailed it. Beautiful presentation. Unique dishes. Wonderful taste. Delicious wines.
We loved it so much that we went back again two nights later. We had a different server this time that we did not enjoy as much, but to give him the benefit of the doubt, he was running around like mad man the whole night and appeared to be stretched thin.

Chose the «I trust you» option. Was not disappointed. Of the 5 plates, 4 were home runs. The pasta was the weakest of the 3 (too salty) but the atmosphere, service and the other dishes more than made up for it. One of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had.

This place came highly recommended and didn’t disappoint.

My boyfriend and I were in Sorrento on vacation and decided to splurge one night and hit up the Michelin star rated — Il Buco. Having been recommended from feedback on lonely planet, plus the Michelin rep, we had high expectations.
Our seat was OK, to be fair we didn’t have a reservation and came on a Friday night. We were going to order the tasting menu but decided to just do our own thing and get a few dishes.
I don’t remember what he ordered but I got the astice appetizer which was very well presented and pretty. The tagliolini dish was nicely presented but honestly kind of lacking in flavor. When you eat at a Michelin rated restaurant you expect everything to be over the top good, I was a little underwhelmed. I had the catch of the day as my main which was also good but nothing to write home about.
The overall meal was 190E for 2 people, 3 courses, and a bottle of wine. Kind of pricey for the taste honestly but then again you’re in one of the most beautiful cities in Italy and I’m assuming that is factored into the price.
I probably wouldn’t come back but honestly I am not in Sorrento that often anyway. Good food, worth the Michelin star? Maybe only for the small portions and the presentation.

Absolutely fantastic food, lovely setting and great service!

Wonderful romantic evening. We sat outside and were served some very good food. We had the Chateubriand for 2 with great wine. Staff was exceptionally attentive and allowed us to eat at our own pace. Worthy of a 5 star in Italy is hard so a 4 is really good! This was the best we had of 3 nights in Sorrento!

This was our splurge night for a fine dining experience while we were in Sorrento and I was not disappointed. We sat outside on one of the terraces and the weather was perfect. Each course was beautifully plated and delicious. The food combined with the setting made for a magical evening.

This was our «last supper» in Sorrento on our Capri/​Amalfi Coast honeymoon and this place did not disappoint!
If you are looking for fine dining (Michelin Star restaurant), superb service with a romantic ambience, look no more! Yes, this place may not be the most typical, home cooked type of Italian restaurant (I.e. la tagliata in Positano) but don’t discount this place.
Their creative dishes are unique, fresh, full of flavor and their recommendations are on point. Go with their prix fixed wine pairings ($ 85+++) or the waiter’s recommendations. We opted for the chateaubriand for two and it was more like for 4 people! Also the amuse-​bouche and the antipasti were so delectable and fresh! I was a fan even before they brought out our main dish. Don’t forget to save room for their to-​die-​for desserts!
Tip, make reservations and opt to sit outside the «cave». Found it so romantic! This place is not for the frugal! $$$$$
Oh did I mention they concocted our martinis shaken table side — and the chef carved the chateaubriand table side as well! Beware, they have a heavy hand with the vodka! My kind of place!
One word – EPIC

As a result of self debating which of the menus I should go with; «I trust you» menu 5 course $ 75 wine pairing $ 35, or «Discovery» menu 3 course $ 60 coupled with wines, I took latter.
Started with a cheese fritter. Quite interesting.
First wine was Paladino. It was very fresh and very heavily fruity.
7 kinds of bread selection were nice. You’ll find your favorite. I liked the olive oil and it was so mild.
First course was a pasta with anchovy. Smelled wonderful. In the end, walnut gives a body to this pasta.
Second wine was Aglianico 2009. Very fruity, but has bold tannin. A hint of cilantro.
Second dish was sea bass. Cooked perfectly moist, but seasoning was a bit weak so I felt a ordinal fishy smell within it. However, I liked the cheesy potato mash, it went with the unseasoned fish very well. Lovely.
Third wine was Pantelleria. Aromas of pear, peach, apricot and honey.
Third dish was white chocolate and rum mousse. Fruits on side bring freshness, and mousse especially the colder rum mousse provides freshness mutuality. With Pantelleria, mousse got lightened sweetness each other or erased sugar attacks off.
Had a cup of macchiato. It came with limoncello. Wow! I can feel my veins beating. And, I am totally full and boozed. As you may figure out, I needed to order another bottle of water.
In total, I’d like to give Il Buco more than 2 stars on Michelin guide. In case Il Buco stops hiring very casual youngsters as servers, it may increase chances to gain 3 stars. As per Unilocal!,I would rather mark this Il Buco as 6 stars!

WOW! This is the upscale classiest restaurant in Sorrento. We purposely chose a Saturday night to go here to celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary and it was worth the splurge. This was the first menu that I read the entire story… it was like a book and so cool. Yes, it is expensive and yes the portions are super small, but the service, quality and experience are worth the money. It isn’t traditional Italian food, which was a nice switch after 2 weeks of Italian everyday. We closed the place and met the chef who loves pizza BTW. We had a beautiful table inside in he «basement» of the old monastery. Very romantic. It was worth the splurge. My husband loved the candy bar at the end.

An amazing meal. We were lucky enough to sit inside in their upstairs dining room which is simply beautiful.
We had a fabulous waiter, Lugi who was very personable. Il Buco has all the touches of a Michelin restaurant without being pretentious.
I had an amazing squash spaghetti dish (in season!) that I still vividly remember.
Bottom line, this is a solid option when dining in Sorrento and wanting quality Italian food and good service.
Tip: Be sure to make reservations in advance as they tend to book up quickly!

Tja, also eine kleine Warnung ob der Preise wäre schon nett gewesen. So waren wir dann doch etwas überrascht. ;-)
Wir sind dann aber doch geblieben und haben es auch nicht bereut, denn man bekommt etwas für sein Geld! Zuersteinmal der hervorragende Service. Zuvorkommend, freundlich und aufmerksam. Die Lage ist im doch manchmal etwas überlaufenen Sorrento etwas ruhiger. Das kann man besonders nach einem Tag auf dem noch volleren Capri gut gebrauchen. Die Weinempfehlung war ein absoluter Volltreffer, dabei vergleichbar auch noch ziemlich preiswert. Das Essen war dann tatsächlich ein absoluter Traum, die Portionen allerdings nicht sehr groß. Das muss dann wohl so sein. Hunrig bleibt man aber auch nicht, wenn man Primo und Secondo bestellt. So ist es mir dann auf jeden Fall lieber als in einer Touristenabzockklitsche mit schlechter Qualität und schlechtem Service, auch wenn man dort nur halb so viel bezahlen würde.
P. S.: Der Treffer in der Rampa Marina piccola 5 scheint auf der Karte etwas besser zu passen. Zugang ist wohl am Besten über die Via San Francesco. Da muss man nämlich nicht erstmal nach unten laufen. ;-)

Summary: Fantastic service and ambiance. Great food. Good value. Highly recommended!
Details: We are six friends, used to eating at top class restaurants around the world. From the moment we entered Il Buco we loved it.
The staff were incredibly friendly, welcoming and attentive throughout the evening, despite the restaurant being busy. They struct the perfect balance of classy yet unpretentious.
Out table of six couldn’t agree on a degustation we all wanted, but it wasn’t an issue because at Il Buco your whole party doesn’t need to have the same degustation. We chose several between us, and though they had different numbers of courses, it worked very well, with everyone still in sync by dessert. They even tailored dishes for two of our party with allergies.
The food was consistently excellent. The flavors weren’t as fancy as some other Michelin starred places. Rather they were simple, fresh, perfectly cooked and tasty.
I cannot rate this experience highly enough. Go to Il Buco. You won’t regret it!