Bertucci's: Great Food - Most of the Time!
Written: Oct 06 '03 (Updated Mar 31 '07)
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Pros: Good food at a reasonable price, nice decor, very child friendly.
Cons: Pasta dishes are just average; sometimes there is a wait; service is inconsistent.
The Bottom Line: Bertucci's is a great value for the money.
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| modernmarvel's Full Review: Bertucci's Brick Oven Pizzeria |
Let's see: It is late Saturday afternoon. My husband and I are cleaning the house/working in the yard/recovering from driving carpools/finishing the errands/catching up on work brought home. We are in no mood to cook, much less clean up. We want dinner that is quick, easy and inexpensive. On those days, we turn to Bertucci's. I am a big fan of Bertucci's and have been eating at one location or another for about 15 years. Most recently, I have been eating at the Needham, West Roxbury and Chestnut Hill locations. We can be in and out of Bertucci's in less than an hour. There is good food for kids and adults. Best of all, it is generally reliable and the bill for our family of four, including tip, usually stays around $40, which is pretty good for this area.
FOOD
Bertucci's sells itself as a pizza joint. And, they do, in fact, have great pizza. There is a big brick oven inside the restaurant with a real fire visible inside where they cook the pizza. They also use fresh ingredients. The pizzas have a heavy crust and lots of sauce. Cooking next to a real fire gives them a slightly smoky taste and a little bit of charring on the bottom of the crust. They have designer pizzas but also a list of toppings you can add to design your own. The pizza is good all of the time. Pizzas range in price from around $9 to $16.
In addition to pizza, there a very broad selection of pasta dishes. These range in quality and taste but I would place most in the average to below average category. Most recently, I tried a pasta with cream sauce and lobster for $12. The lobster had previously been frozen and had a slightly fishy taste - although I somewhat expected that for the price. It was good nonetheless and made for an average meal. Some of the pasta dishes change with the seasons. Summer has a lot of seafood. Fall has some squash and spring brings fresh vegetables. I find the tried and true pasta selections on the menu are better than the specials.
There are a few salads and a couple of soups on the menu. There is also a limited selection of appetizers. There are also several desserts to choose from although I am usually too weighted down from the pasta to consider eating dessert.
DECOR
The decor vaires from location to location but is generally supposed to be Italian. I like the variety because the restaurants don't have a chain feel to them. Generally, the decor is dark, woody with some artistic touches such as art posters or black and white photography. Generally, they decor is pulled together well and is quite nice for this price range.
Most Bertucci's have both tables and booths. The restaurants are generally large and, occasionally, noisy.
A nice part of the decor is the open kitchen. My kids love open kitchens so they can see the food prepared and I like the fact that they are often spotless.
SERVICE
Service can be spotty. Usually the servers are college kids or otherwise fairly young. They generally try hard and are friendly however this is not a life vocation for most and not all of them are great at their jobs.
Here is my one strange story: I ordered my son a chicken dish. When it arrived and I started to cut it up, I noticed it was completely raw on the inside. When I called the waiter over, he seemed confused about what to do next. I suggested he bring it back to the kitchen and he did so, but to my son's dismay, he then disappeared for 20 minutes. I called the manager over and asked for my chicken back, this time cooked. The manager brought the chicken back but it was cut into pieces, to make sure it was cooked, he said. I thought it was strange that they couldn't cook a piece of chicken correctly without cutting it up. Maybe they were trying to make me feel bad about sending it back - but it was completely raw.
Other than this strange event, service has usually been at least well-intentioned and in many other visits, I have never gotten anything else raw.
KID FRIENDLINESS
Bertucci's is extremely child friendly. There are high chairs and booster seats. When children arrive, they get a piece of dough wrapped up to use like play dough. They also get crayons and can color on the children's menu. The children's menu generally includes pizza, macaroni and cheese, chicken strips and pasta. For $5.99, they get a drink, entree and hoodsie for dessert.
OTHER INFORMATION
Bertucci's has a liquor license and most locations have a full bar with separate seating and usually tv. It always seems a little odd to me to see a bar in a family restaurant but I suppose they are marketing to a variety of people.
All of the Bertucci's I have been to are handicapped accessible.
There are many vegetarian options since most of the menu is pizza and pasta.
The web site is www.bertuccis.com.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION
I really like Bertucci's. I find that the food is generally good, the service is okay and the decor is pleasant. Best of all, the whole family happily eats there for a reasonable price. I definitely recommend this restaurant.
HUNGRY FOR MORE IN THE BOSTON AREA? TRY THESE BOSTON-AREA RESTAURANTS:
BOSTON: Radius; Caffe Vitoria; Excelsior; Jacob Wirth; Cottonwood Cafe; Imperial Seafood House; Sibling Rivalry; Fleming’s; 29 Newbury; The No Name; Lala Rokh; Grill 23; Kingfish Hall.
BROOKLINE: Mr. Sushi; Fugakyu; Takeshima; Tsunami; Anna's Taqueria; Zaftigs Delicatessen; Bangkok Bistro; Golden Temple.
NEWTON: Appetito; India Paradise; Blue Ribbon Barbeque; Ice Cream Works; Baker's Best; Bill’s Pizzeria; Cafe Nicolas; Union Street; O’Hara’s; Yeradi’s; Johnny’s Lunchonette.
CAMBRIDGE: S&S Restaurant; The Japanese Mall; Jasper White’s Summer Shack; Dali .
WEST ROXBURY: Cafe Misono.
BRIGHTON: Tasca.
FRAMINGHAM: The Aegean.
ESSEX: Woodman’s.
SAUGUS: Kowloon; Hilltop Steakhouse.
CHAIN RESTAURANTS: Not Your Average Joe’s; Legal Sea Foods; Cheesecake Factory; Rainforest Cafe; Fire & Ice; Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse; Friendly’s; Ikea Cafeteria; Longhorn Steakhouse; TGI Fridays.
COFFEE, BAGELS AND DONUTS: Bruegger’s Bagels; Finagle a Bagel; Dunkin Donuts; Peet’s Coffee and Tea.
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations The pizza is great!
Best Suited For: Kids and Families
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modernmarvel
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