Italian restaurants aren’t usually too bad for vegans. There’s always pasta and marinara, if nothing else. I would say Buca di Beppo is not quite as good as other Italian chains like Olive Garden—but there are still a few options here.
Vegan options at Buca di Beppo:
- Mixed Greens Salad (Without Cheese or Croutons)
- Apple Gorgonzola Salad (Without Cheese or Croutons)
- Spaghetti Marinara
- Green Beans
- Beverages
Below, I will share a few more options that you can likely custom-order to be vegan. I’ll also answer the questions everyone has about the bread at Bucca di Beppo! And I’ll end with a look at the whole-food plant-based options here, too.
This vegan menu was compiled with the help of the normal menu, online ordering features, and allergen menu on the Buca di Beppo website. I also consulted some posts by vegan bloggers.
Restaurant menus change and often vary by location. I recommend double checking any important information with staff at your local Buca di Beppo!
1. Salad
There are some salads you can get at Buca di Beppo, but you’ll want to customize them to ensure the orders are vegan. Here are the two good options I see:
- Mixed Greens (without cheese or croutons): Mixed lettuce, Roma tomatoes, pepperoncini, red onions, and black and green olives.
- Apple Gorgonzola (without cheese or croutons): Granny Smith apples, dried cranberries, spiced walnuts, and mixed lettuce.
What about vegan salad dressings? I struggled to find good information on their vegan dressing options. Typically, the vinaigrettes are most commonly vegan, but you may just want to ask what they have that is dairy-free.
2. Spaghetti Marinara
This is your basic spaghetti and red tomato sauce—good stuff. If you want a different kind of noodle, they should be able to substitute in something like linguini or rotini. That said, “Spaghetti Marinara” is what you will see on the menu.
You may be able to substitute in garlic and olive oil instead of marinara sauce if you wish. And you should be able to order some extra vegetables to be added to your dish.
3. Green Beans
The green beans are “lightly seasoned and sautéed with fresh squeezed lemon juice.” They are dairy-free and vegan in their standard preparation—no butter, and no need to special order these.
You may also be able to order broccoli or brussel sprouts to be made vegan. However, those come standard with dairy products, so you would have to custom order them.
4. Beverages
Plenty of standard vegan drink options:
- Sweet Tea
- Unsweetened Tea
- Lemonade
- Pepsi
- Diet Pepsi
- Sierra Mist
- Mountain Dew
- LaCroix (Seltzer Water)
- Bottled Water
More Possible Vegan Options
I couldn’t confirm if the following menu items are actually available to be made vegan at Buca di Beppo today… but it may be worth checking for them!
5. Minestrone Soup
Minestrone soup is not listed on the current Buca di Beppo menu I saw—but it was still on their website. It was listed as dairy- and egg-free. So if you see the Minestrone soup, it should be good to go.
Side note: Minestrone soup is an interesting menu item when it comes to whether it’s vegan. It varies by restaurant! It is vegan at Olive Garden and IHOP—but it’s not vegan at Pita Pit or Carrabba’s.
6. Tuscan Bean Soup
Same goes for the Tuscan Bean Soup as for the Minestrone Soup: I don’t see it on the current menu anymore—but if you do see it, it should be vegan.
7. Garlic Fries (Without Dairy)
Garlic fries come as a side for many of the entrees. From what I can tell, they would be dairy-free and vegan without the parmesan cheese.
If so, you may just be able to order them that way. However, I would double check with staff at your Buca di Beppo location.
8. Bruschetta (Without Dairy)
The Bruschetta does not come standard vegan—but you may be able to order it without any of the mozzarella or parmesan cheese. Check with staff at your location and see if you can safely get the bruschetta custom-made dairy-free.
9. Garlic Bread (Without Dairy)
The garlic bread typically contains dairy (yes, even the non-mozzarella version contains dairy). But again, you may be able to get these made vegan. Typically garlic bread and breadsticks can be prepared vegan if you ask. (Like, for example, at Pizza Hut!)
10. Veggie Pizza (No Cheese)
Most pizza places allow you to order a vegan pizza without cheese. And I’ve seen bloggers say the same is possible at Buca di Beppo. However, I have two concerns:
- 1. When I went to place my order online, there was no “Veggie Pizza” option. So you may have to really custom order this in person or over the phone.
- 2. When I looked at the allergen menu, the Veggie Pizza was listed as containing dairy and egg. I don’t know why pizza would contain egg—most pizza does not contain egg—but it’s possible that the dough contains egg for some reason.
Is the Bread at Buca di Beppo Vegan?
There is no vegan bread on the menu at Buca di Beppo. The garlic bread contains dairy, even if you don’t order the “mozzarella” version. That said, you may be able to custom-order vegan bread at your Buca di Beppo location.
Whole-Food Plant-Based Options
What if you’re not just vegan but also trying to avoid processed foods? Can you get a whole-food plant-based (WFPB) meal at Buca di Beppo? Well, it would be pretty limited, but it’s possible.
WFPB options at Buca di Beppo:
- Mixed Green (without cheese or croutons)
- Apple Gorgonzola (without cheese or croutons)
- Green Beans
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