Buca Di Beppo Moving Forward with New Downtown Site

After closing its location near East Village after 22 years, Buca di Beppo is officially relocating to San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter at 440 J Street .

The well-known family-style restaurant has been at 705 6th Avenue since 1999 but closed in 2022, leaving San Diego with locations in Mira Mesa and Carlsbad. Now, it appears the company is moving forward with its plans to relocate to the former home of Du-par’s Restaurant & Bakery, which closed in 2017 after only six months of operations. Buca di Beppo’s parent company, Earl Enterprises , is pending a submittal with the Department of Environmental Health and Quality to open the restaurant later this year .

Buca di Beppo, which translates to “Joe’s small place,” currently owns 76 corporate-owned locations in the United States and five franchise-owned sites in the UK. Phil Roberts founded Buca di Beppo in 1993 and opened the first location in the basement of a Minneapolis apartment building as Buca Little Italy. Five years later, it was renamed and is what it is today. In 2008, Planet Hollywood’s parent company, Planet Hollywood International, Inc. , agreed to purchase the Buca chain for $28.5 million, and the company eventually moved its headquarters to Orlando. Today, the restaurant chain is known for being one of the best places to celebrate any occasion, providing customers with a place to enjoy delicious Italian food in an intimate food-sharing setting.

“Like Little Italy in the ’50s, Buca di Beppo celebrates the hearty cooking of Southern Italy,” according to the company’s website. “It’s a place where you can smell the homemade marinara sauce before you reach the door. Here, you are surrounded by Kitchy entertaining decor that makes everyone feel at home. Where wine flows from the jug, and laughter often drowns out the music. Dishes go straight from the kitchen to the middle of your table – family-style. Share bountiful portions of classic classics like Chicken Parmesan, Lasagna, and Spaghetti with giant Meatballs.”

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