Bertucci's - A bit pricey and lacking some 'wow' but not bad either
Written: May 07 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great fresh rolls with oil for dipping, Plenty of dinner selections
Cons: Hit or miss service, Food quality isn't outstanding
The Bottom Line: Bertucci’s isn’t a bad place to eat - it’s just that it’s a bit pricey considering the food quality and service
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| jps246's Full Review: Bertucci's |
Bertucci’s is one of those restaurants that I always think is going to be better than it actually is. It’s not so much that it has bad food, but their menu is fairly uninspiring and with the mediocre service most locations have, you wish they could just do a bit better.
That’s not to say I haven’t had good meals here, but on average if I’m going to Bertucci’s I expect to like their fresh rolls and the side Caesar salad I usually get, but beyond that, I don’t expect too much with my meals.
Where to find Bertucci’s
Bertucci’s is a chain restaurant and here in Massachusetts they seem to be fairly well established, especially in eastern Massachusetts. I’ve been to several different locations in the region and all are pretty much the same. Those locations include Holliston, Norwood, Framingham, Westborough and Canton to name just a few.
Bertucci’s offers both sit-down and take-out service, which is especially popular for their various pizzas that they have.
When can I go to Bertucci’s?
Bertucci’s is open for lunch and dinner. Their lunch menu includes some pasta dishes, sandwiches and paninis along with pizza and calzones. The dinner menu is more extensive with a lot more pasta dishes, along with seafood, beef and chicken entrees.
What should I expect at Bertucci’s?
I actually like the interior atmosphere of the restaurants. It’s fairly simple with dark woods and decent lighting (no squinting at the menu here). The food preparation area is open to the dining room so you can watch the pizzas being made and cooked in the wood fired brick ovens.
The restaurants do tend to be crowded and especially at busier times the distance between you and another table can be uncomfortably small.
Service is very hit or miss at Bertucci’s. Generally in my experience, especially over the last few years, it’s been more miss than it has been hits. I’ve been out with a friend and we have been seated and then proceeded to wait over 15 minutes for a waiter. We finally grabbed the manager to get served. This happened twice at the same restaurant within a period of about 6 months so it’s not like it was an isolated incident. While we haven’t been forgotten at other locations, the service tends to be spotty. It can be hard to get refills, more rolls, or just pay the bill.
That said, I have had some great waiters here too, but on average the not-so-great service probably happens more than the good service.
What can I eat at Bertucci’s?
Bertucci’s lunch menu isn’t all that expansive (unless you consider the pizzas), but the dinner menu does have quite a few choices.
I haven’t eaten at Bertucci’s for lunch very much, the one time that I can remember being there for a business lunch, I had a panini sandwich that contained grilled chicken. Just like for dinner, you get the fresh rolls with oil for dipping (or butter if you ask for it). It’s kind of funny – I have a Bertucci’s near my office, but I never think of it for lunch. That one time I remember wasn’t bad – the food was brought out quickly and we were all happy with what we were having.
As for dinner, the menu offers a lot more choices, though I usually find myself choosing between about 4 different dishes.
The appetizers at Bertucci’s just have never grabbed me. We have never ordered a single one out of all the times we’ve been there and I’ve never seen anyone else we’ve been with get one either.
That’s probably because of the fresh rolls with oil that you get with your meal. These rolls are good and it’s very easy to eat and eat and eat them, sometimes to the point where you get to dinner and you’re like “I’m not hungry anymore!” So I know that’s one reason I don’t even consider an appetizer.
Bertucci’s offers a number of different salads – from small house salads and Caesar salad to Tomato & Mozzarella Caprese Salad. Depending on your entrée, a small house salad or Caesar salad is either included or can be added to your meal for a reduced price. I almost always add the salad and usually get the Caesar salad. I used to really enjoy their house salad as it included shredded mozzarella cheese on it – however they switched to a covering of Romano cheese, which I don’t like.
If you want a salad for dinner, there are a couple of entrée salads including a Caesar salad with grilled chicken, a chop salad with grilled chicken and a salad with grilled steak on it. If I’m in the salad mood, I always go with the Caesar salad with grilled chicken – I like the flavor of the dressing and the grilled chicken is usually pretty good.
There are also soups available if you don’t want a salad. I’ve never seen anyone that’s been dining with me get one though.
The entrée portion of the menu is broken down into a couple of sections. First up are the pasta entrees. Then there are the grilled entrees, the fish, the veal and then the chicken dishes.
For me personally I’ve worked through the menu and found a couple of dishes that I enjoy, so that’s what I stick to. For the pasta dishes I usually go with the Rigatoni, Broccoli and Chicken in a white wine sauce. It isn’t the best broccoli, chicken and pasta I’ve had, but it isn’t bad. That’s about my only choice in the pasta section. My partner enjoys the Baked Tortellini and Chicken Gratinati and the Lobster Ravioli. The portion sizes on these pasta dishes tend to be somewhat oversized. Most average eaters won’t be able to finish and you can bring it home for another meal. The pasta entrees don’t include salads but you can add one for the discounted price.
I’ve been disappointed with the grilled entrée section. The servings seem to be on the small side and the price for what you get seems to be high (the salads are extra with these entrees). There is a mix of entrees available with grilled chicken, steak and salmon.
Since I’m not a seafood fan, I’ve never even considered the seafood entrees and neither has anyone else I’ve ever eaten with. These dishes come with a side (pasta or potato) and include a small salad or a cup of soup.
With the veal entrees I’ve gotten the Veal Saltimbocca, but I’ve had the veal replaced with chicken. The Saltimbocca isn’t bad, but it’s not like Saltimbocca that I’ve had at other restaurants. These entrees are also served with a pasta or potato side and include a soup or a salad. I go with the pasta personally and ask for the chicken to be placed on top of it (otherwise they are served separately) and the salad.
With regard to the chicken entrees I have a few more choices at Bertucci’s. I like the Chicken Piccata and the Chicken Parma. Out of the two, the Chicken Piccata is probably my favorite and is the dish I most often get when I am at Bertucci’s. Once again you can choose your side and the meal includes a soup or a salad.
If you aren’t feeling the need for any of this, Bertucci’s is also home to it’s wood fired, brick oven where they cook a number of different pizzas. They offer two pizza styles, a traditional brick oven pizza and a Neapolitan brick oven pizza. The traditional pizzas are more like what you’d find in any pizzeria here in the US, while the Neapolitan pizza is more reminiscent of Italian pizza. I tend to go for the traditional pizza. They offer it in an individual size or a large size, which is the size of a regular pizza you’d get elsewhere (8 slices). That’s enough to feed a couple of people. I usually just go for a cheese pizza, but they have plenty of different choices and you can make your own up from their various toppings if you don’t find what you like on the menu.
Beyond your meal, if you are still hungry, Bertucci’s does have a basic dessert menu. I’ve only had dessert here once and I wasn’t really impressed. We received the dessert sampler (basically a small sample of each dessert) the time we had to alert the manager so that we’d be served and after tasting all the desserts, there wasn’t one that I would have wanted to get.
Food Quality
The food isn’t bad at Bertucci’s but it isn’t great either. I think the biggest problem is that it seems to be industrialized. The food in the entrees just doesn’t seem that fresh. No matter what chicken dish you order, the chicken filets are all the breaded and look the same. The same goes with the grilled chicken – it seems like it all came from a big bag of grilled chicken that looks the same. The same goes with the veal filets. I just think that as they have expanded they have worked on reducing prep-times and stuff at their individual stores so they are relying more and more on prepared foods. Sure it’s cooked at the store but it all seems to come ready to go.
That leads to a lack of ‘wow’ to the food. It always tastes the same in my opinion and while consistency is good I think it shows there’s no real thought in their meals anymore – it’s just an assembly line back in the kitchen.
Do I still eat there? I do. For one, I love those rolls, they alone could get me into the restaurant.
I just don’t go in expecting knock me down great food, I just expect the same old thing.
The sad part is that I don’t remember Bertucci’s always being like this. When I first discovered Bertucci’s several years ago I remember the overall quality being a lot higher, the food was tastier and things just seemed a lot more natural and freshly made than they do now. I wish they would go back to that – as it was a really good thing.
Prices
I also find Bertucci’s to be one of the more pricey chain restaurants in the area. Their pasta dishes and entrees all run close to $15 each and while some of those include a soup or a salad, the pasta and grilled entrees don’t – so you have to tack another $2.50 on top of that. Then consider the cost of drinks and a dessert or an appetizer and you’re looking at a bill that’s close to $20 a person. That’s a bit high compared to other similar restaurants in my area. That’s one reason I tend to go with the Chicken Piccata, it’s one of the least expensive dishes and it includes the salad that I like.
Final Thoughts
It’s not that I don’t like Bertucci’s. I love their rolls and some of their entrees aren’t bad, I just don’t like the feeling that I’m paying all this money for what’s basically (or at least it seems to me) prepared foods that are more or less heated up. Not everything is like that, but the overall food quality is just blah to me – there’s nothing that makes it exciting. You know exactly what you’ll get every time – just like if you were going to McDonalds – a Big Mac here in Massachusetts will taste exactly the same over in California.
That just doesn’t make for a great meal in my mind.
Not only that, but the service you get at Bertucci’s can be hit or miss.
With all that in mind though, Bertucci’s isn’t a bad place to eat. It’s not like I still don’t go from time to time and enjoy myself. It’s just that it’s a bit pricey and considering the food quality and service, some people would probably best avoid it.
Recommended:
Yes
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