I'm truly impressed to find this level of authentic Italian cooking right off of Poinsett highway! My fiance and I go to Bocca fairly regularly, and I'm really surprised that I haven't reviewed before! It is hands down my favorite place to go for Italian food in the Greenville area. We took friends out to dinner yesterday, and I was excited to see that they had done renovations and updated their menu since we had been there last. It is such a quaint, homey feel with fresh flowers on the table, wine, lining the walls, and impeccable service. My favorite thing on their menu is the chicken parmesan, though. I tried the chicken piccata this time, and it was just as good! The chicken parm is always perfectly fried and crispy, though I always need to ask for extra sauce on the side. The breading on the chicken piccata was phenomenal, and the sauce was a beautiful buttery lemony flavor. I would have liked the beans just a little bit more cooked, but that's something that I'm sure I can request next time. My fiance favorite is the anything with the vodka sauce, but he's decided to try the Alfredo this time. I stole a bite, and it had such a unique, rich depth of flavor in the sauce. Very cheesy. I think my fiance would have liked it better if the shrimp had also been cooked in the sauce, but they do customize what protein you can add on, so it is understandable that they didn't. We had the a bottle of wine, their Sauvignon Blanc, which was delicious and paired really well with the chicken piccata. I highly recommend Bocca. The delicious food, the family feel, and the unparalleled service set it apart. . read more

See all

The best part about this experience was out server. He was so sweet and kind and patient with my first time visit. It's a very small place and gets busy fast. The bread was good the garlic oil was super strong but they toss it there. The meatballs were decent nothing my crazy. The sauce was good. The soup was okay. The salad was sad very basic thrown together salad. The pasta was not good very flavorless. The salmon was dry and flavorless. The best part was the veggies that came with it. The tiramisu was basic as well. I noticed many older groups coming in enjoying wine with their meal and having group gatherings, but for me, I don't know if I'd come back. I love the homey concept. read more

See all

Amazing experience. All staff was super cordial. The fod was delicious and plenty to take home for seconds. I had the veal marsala and cut cut it with my fork. My wife had the lasagna bolognese. We split their homemade tiramisu. It was also nice to dine without having to scream over noise. My only regret is that it took me so long to go here. read more

Food was amazing. Great Italian wine selection. Warm wonderful people. Cozy friendly bar. We'll be back for sure.

The pasta is flavorful, but it is not piping hot. Service is spotty, sometimes we don't get our bread till the end of the meal instead of getting it at the beginning of the meal. read more

See all

Enjoyed a delicious house-made pasta dish and a glass of vino at Bocca Pure last evening. Transported me to Italy! My food was hot and beautifully presented. Our server, Giuliano, was attentive and thoughtful & delightful. The room was an updated version of a 1970's steakhouse - which led to the charm and home-y feel. This is a true family-run business that serves quality food AND exceptional service here in Greenville. Can't wait to return! read more

If you're looking for a great homemade Italian meal, this is the place. The Veal Parmigiana, chicken picatta, and spaghetti and meatballs were all primo. The limoncello cake was fantastic. The service was exceptional. The decor was upscale Italian but the ambiance is casual. Great place for a special dinner. The entres could easily make two meals which makes the price reasonable. The sauces and some of the desserts are made in house. read more

See all

It was so delicious! We had the eggplant parmesan.. I would highly recommend!! The entree and the restaurant!! Even the garlic rolls were great!! I have eaten other entrees there and was always delicious!! I usually don't do reviews but for Bocca's I will!! read more

After calling various Italian restaurants throughout Greenville to celebrate my birthday, no one had my favorite dish mussels and pasta. When I called Bocca, they said they have mussels and can make that happen for your birthday. The staff had a note of my birthday when we arrived and the staff was so professional and really nice. The food was delicious, the mussels were great. We also really enjoyed the calamari and my husband's steak was perfect. They completed the dinner with a birthday dessert . Beautiful atmosphere, great parking and great value. Will be back soon. read more

Bocca Pure Italian - Italian Near Me - Greenville, South Carolina

We have been going to Bocca Pure Italian for 12 years now and besides loving their food, we love the family that runs it! The food and sauces are amazing, the presentation is beautiful, and they are a pleasure to dine with. My husband is in love with their Lamb Osso Bucco, and it is amazing, but so is everything else! Thank you for always making us feel like family and fitting us in at the last minute! Joe and Rachel read more

Bocca Pure Italian - Lasagna Osso Bucco - Italian Near Me - Greenville, South Carolina

See all

We went there a while back and we were both impressed with the food and service. The entire staff was extremely friendly and helpful when it came to ordering our meals. Definitely going back. read more

Authentic. We had egg plant parmigiana with pasta and marinara sauce. It was great. Not soggy, done just right. We were with a large group so I can't comment on wait staff. Good food, good wine though I found it a bit pricey. $10 for a split. read more

I was really looking forward to eating here to celebrate my husband and mother in laws birthdays. We got reservations and our table was ready for us on time. Service ran a bit slowly but nothing to raise eyebrows. We ordered drinks and all our food: caprese and mussels, steak, lasagne, a chicken and angel hair sub for penne, and a scallop baked pasta. The appetizers, steak, and lasagne were all delicious. The chicken dish didn't come with the requested penne and my scallop pasta had inedible pasta. The penne actually fell off my fork, a clear indicator of how overdone it was. I informed the server who proceeded to argue with me that pasta needed to be soft to chew it? I again emphasized it was well beyond overdone and had them take it, with no offer to re-fire the pasta or box a fresh entree to go. My bill arrives and I'm told "we discounted your meal bc the scallops were good right? Because that's the main part of the meal." And took $4 off for a $36 entree. If a pasta dish with 3 scallops only accounts for 11% of an entree then I'm not sure why I'd come to an Italian restaurant. My child was having a tough time so we paid and left but I won't be back. I wasn't asking for a comp. I'd have been happy with properly made pasta and sauce, I didn't need or request more scallops. I just find the lack of care on making something right really disappointing and I won't return. read more

Super Excellent Italian restaurant run by a local family, Horacio and his wife along with their 3 sons Roman, Juliani and Giovani. Wonderful family! Very friendly staff with the most delicious Italian entrees: chicken Marsala, lasagna and pizza with mushrooms in Alfredo Sauce. (The garlic rolls were so good!). We loved the intimate feel of its ambiance. Truly a fabulous Italian restaurant with generous portions and lovely interior!!! read more

See all

Wonderful restaurant for a nice, romantic and tasty meal. Great service... the blackened grouper, basa fish, pasta, appetizer salad, bread rolls and drinks were all delish!! I can't wait to go back and try more!! Family-owned restaurant and they really care about their patrons. read more

Bocca Pure Italian - Penne à la vodka - Italian Near Me - Greenville, South Carolina

See all

Lovely folks run this restaurant. But we go for the delicious food. I have a hard time not getting spaghetti bolognese every time. Obviously i need to go more often.... read more

The food is always wonderful. The owners make you feel like you are sitting in their dining room. Can't believe they don't have more stars. I have been going since they opened and food keeps getting better! read more

Excellent food. We didn't have a reservation so we ate at the bar. Great service and yummy drinks!

I have been many times. My parents love this restaurant as well. It is a nice family run Italian restaurant with reliably good food.

Amazing! Great food, environment and family!Excellent service as they work together! Truly , my favorite restaurant! read more

Small and cozy with a marvelous offering of delicious dishes. The wait staff is enthusiastic. The prices are reasonable even though the food is excellent. Goos spirits selections. read more

Bocca is a high quality, great tasting, friendly family-run place in a bistro atmosphere. My wife and I come here primarily for their custom entrees, as we have for nearly the past decade. I won't wax rhapsodic about this or that aspect of the experience, although I could. Theirs is simply a superior combination of menu, execution, service and atmosphere. read more

Excellent food Good atmosphere Great service Best Italian restaraunt in Greenville area. I travel 50 miles across town to get there and it's worth it read more

One star because people, with me, liked their swordfish. So, the one is for them. Later, there would be complaints about feeling sick to the stomach. Service was terrible. At one point, I went to find my waitress and asked, "Do you still work here?" She had been gone for 20 minutes. The place was not busy. Now, expediters Juliano and Giavanni were very attentive. Now to the food (great cocktails) --I'll just say this, "I had mussels and calamari." I have never seen such a presentation. You decide for yourself. Oh, and the food tasted awful. Oops, I forgot to get a pic of the half cooked pizza. Now, typically, I would make a formal complaint on spot. It was a business event and every disappointed customer chose to be chill about it. I have emailed the restaurant. read more

Bocca Pure Italian - Poorly cooked pizza, mussels, and calamari. - Italian Near Me - Greenville, South Carolina

Amazing food, amazing service, and attractive service!!! I had the spaghetti which was to die for!!

Ambiance like this is hard to find, especially near Travelers Rest. Very cozy with nice mood lighting. The wait staff is excellent! Also hard to find these days. Food was very good, but I would not say excellent. I think the garlic in the bread oil is burned. Osso-buco lasagna was very good . Some portions are too small: mashed potatoes, scallops, asparagus. I'll go again some day. read more

Terrific mom and pop Italian - the type of place that is yummy and filling. The service is terrific too.

Love the vibe of this small restaurant and the quality of the food is old style Italian cooked with perfection. Great sauces and pastas. Bar has plenty of good selections as well. Service is always solid. This is the neighborhood place you can just go to often and never tire. read more

Only had a pizza, but it was delicious. Service and atmosphere were great. Reservations are recommended but we arrived early and were seated. read more

The main courses were very good, and service very good. I've eaten food all over this world, and Italian can be hit or miss in the states. Usually pretty good in NJ/NY, and awesome in Italy. Bocca hits that mark, and the main dishes (we had specials) out did a lot of places. Only improvement I would recommend is a nice Italian bread for the bruschetta, though the cherry tomatoes etc were great. And replace the bread knots with a small Italian loaf. May be hard to source in Greenville, SC though. So bottom line is Id go back, I am not a resident in SC anymore, but this place is a gem. read more

I was in town to visit my son. Came to dinner on last saturday night alone. The pinot noir was great, the service was great, the ambiance was great, but I ordered veal marsala and recevied chicken instead! Will give you another shot on my next visit. The marsala sauce was on point . read more

Bocca Pure Italian - Italian Near Me - Greenville, South Carolina

I ate the osobucco and it was absolutely amazing. Loved the restaurant and the family too. The Horacio and Shauna are sweethearts.

We dined in for Valentines Day. The atmosphere was very nice, but the food and service was sub par. The rolls we received were hard. the salad was good, but for the money spent it was very plain, mixed greens with a HALF of a grape tomato. lol. the creamy balsamic dressing was excellent. I had one of the specials, halibut picatta, ($39) it seriously lacked in flavor and the halibut was over cooked. Of all the halibut dishes I have had, this would rank last. Wife had the chicken parmigiana. The portion was huge and she enjoyed it. Our server was just not good, especially for Valentine. We didn't get our drinks filled one time. We we're never asked how our food was. We had to ask for our check after watching him and the other serving talking and cleaning off tables together. I'm glad they enjoyed their time together! We asked for our drinks to go, but never got them. There are too many other fine dining options in Greenville to revisit Bocca again. read more

See all

This dinner was outstanding! My family has talked about Bocca for years, but I've never been because I live out of town. Took my dad to dinner tonight for his birthday, and youngest sister joined us. What a treat! Every part of our meal was phenomenal. The croissants had the best flavor. The salad (blue cheese dressing is the way to go) was great. And my chicken marsala hit the spot. The pasta bowl was the way to go. It was a cold rainy night, and the creamy sauce was perfect! The service is wonderful! What a nice family owned restaurant. I saw the owner and his wife interacting with each table, and their sons (the way they work hard and are so friendly) just made the whole experience better. I will definitely be visiting from Ohio more. read more

Bocca Pure Italian - My dad comes for the eggplant parm, every time! - Italian Near Me - Greenville, South Carolina

See all

Was our first time here. The bruschetta was fantastic. I got the Parmesan crusted scallops. It was delicious! I'll definitely be back to try more of the menu :) read more

This place is absolutely horrible. The service was bad, and the owner was very rude. The food was not good at all, I wouldn't waste my money or my time. There are so many better Italian restaurants in Greenville to enjoy. read more

I'm honestly super shocked as this place came so highly recommended. I can walk here from my house, so I'm sad they were so bad. I said I was a vegetarian and asked if I could order a dish with vegetables instead of chicken. The server said yes, she could throw some spinach on there. My boyfriend then said, "thank you, she's a vegetarian." They served the dish with chicken and spinach. I asked about it to the second server that came out and he said they would take care of it. The first server said "They didn't say anything about chicken." They brought it back out, and I could see my fork lines on the side from where I had the plate before. "Did you make a new dish, or did you just pull out the chicken?" my boyfriend asked. "It is an entirely new dish, I promise," the second server said. I moved the noodles around a little bit and found a few pieces of chicken they had neglected to takeout. Everyone had disappeared at that point... so I went towards the back until I found our first server and said," you all said this was a new plate... but this is clearly still chicken. I cannot eat chicken, this is the same plate." She took it away from me and went back in the kitchen. The owner brought the dish to me and said, maybe we got it right this time. The second server came back out and asked if everything was okay. Then he said," yeah, that happens a lot. And usually it's fine if we just fish the chicken out. But you never know why someone asked for no meat. Maybe it's diet or moral. But it's usually fine when we pull it out." My boyfriend said, "People should get what they order. It doesn't matter why." They lied to us. They absolutely lied to our faces that it was a new dish. And if you can't even be truthful to your customers, it's not worth going back. I really wouldn't have minded if they messed up the order. But they lied. read more

I'm going to be kind as this is a family run business, and they seem kind, and the atmosphere is nice...Very cute in fact. My biggest problem is the name...this is not Pure Italian. The chicken Marsala was tough and was overwhelmed by onion flavor. The prosciutto pizza had a soft floppy crust and so much garlic, I could not taste the prosciutto. I was told it was how they liked to make it. No Italian bread to be seen. We had a wonderful young server, but he appeared to have zero training. If you like American style Italian food, it is OK. I didn't see any Italians. The "Pure" Italian part is a misnomer. Maybe I'm asking too much, but this town needs a better effort. read more

My DH and I dined there for my birthday. We had reservations on a Wednesday night but we could have just dropped in. It's a small authentic restaurant and upon entering a table was pointed out for us. We were not really used to this but I watched as many entered and each had their table pointed out. I assume it was a local place and customers were used to this greeting. My DH ordered angel hair pasta with Alfredo sauce and a side of sausage and I ordered chicken Florentine. Warm bread was brought to the table with an olive oil and sun-dried tomato dip that was sweet but delicious. Our dinners came with salads that were also good. My chicken came with ravioli which I would have preferred another side but I was told by the waiter their were no substitutions from the menu. Both meals were good but i liked my chicken better than the angel hair pasta with Alfredo sauce - it was very rich in flavor. After ordering I spotted a sign with dinner specials that we were never informed of which was disappointing because my husband loves osso boco. We shared the tiramisu and it was light and delicious. The service was good but we did have to ask for a pasta spoon DH's silverware was not clean. We both agreed that we would return to try out their pizza. read more

See all

Great food, Roman was great and personable. Live around the corner and will Deff be back