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    By the Bucket

    4.4 (42 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

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    The sauce wasn't even very good. But they definitely don't put enough on their pasta.
    Mark M.

    Hate to admit that we stopped here to pick up some pasta on our way home from a trip to Payson. The service was great the young man working behind the counter was super nice and did a great job. The restaurant was clean inside. The pasta was completely under sauced. Nowhere near enough sauce for the amount of pasta they gave you. The pasta noodles actually just had a little bit of a red tint to them because there was such a small amount of sauce on them. So disappointing. The garlic bread was chewy and under seasoned, nowhere near enough garlic. The salad was fair at best. I would definitely recommend that they look at a new vendor for their frozen meatballs because those meatballs they served were terrible. Way too much money for a below average serving of pasta in my opinion. I do not recommend going to this restaurant if you want Italian food.

    Alfredo
    Angie C.

    I've been looking to try this place when I got the chance! It's conveniently located near me, so we tried it out on a night we were not feeling like cooking. We ordered Alfredo bucket. For the price, it seemed like we got barely half the bucket when we opened it, which was very upsetting. However, we soon realized it was SO DENSE. The Alfredo sauce was very thick and creamy. Although it wasn't gourmet sauce with herbs and authentic flavors, it definitely hit the spot for being quick and accessible. If I was on the way home craving pasta with no time to cook it myself, then I would order again. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother or recommend it for treating yourself. The service was great though! The employees were very friendly, and our order was ready in 15 minutes. The ambiance was your typical takeout place (much like any pizza takeout store) but with some Italian flair.

    Monica O.

    By the Bucket has become a family favorite. I think its more for the fact that you can literally by spaghetti by the bucket, so niche. Our goto is bucket of spaghetti with meat sauce. Sometimes we are fancy and toss in some meatballs too. We also get a side of garlic bread too! The spaghetti is cooked perfectly, its not mushy or soft which is what I was worried about. The meat sauce is good, I just toss in some chili peppers to make it spicy. Also have picked up a side salad too. Every time I have gone service has friendly and great! If not in the mood to cook dinner and not interest in fast burgers or burritos, go give By The Bucket a try!

    Inside
    Mark M.

    I was skeptical at first for something so easily made at home. We had the middle bucket with garlic bread. Loaded up on some meatballs (Monday is 4 =5 meatballs). Also had some salad to top it off. Everything was incredibly amazing and we are glad to have stoped to give it a try. The meatballs were so tasty. We will be back as it's close to home.

    No extra sauce in the bottom of the bucket... luckily I had sauce in my fridge to warm up.

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    4 years ago

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    Gary B.

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    Review Highlights - By the Bucket

    My teens are super picky, but will eat a whole bucket themselves.

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    You know I love my Italian food, it always brings me back to growing up in Milano and the simple…read more(not simple, but unadulterated foods) that I grew up with and still cook. Fads like chili on everything only serve one purpose, to demolish traditional recipes to align with the now predominant "heat" in everything! We came to celebrate a birthday and have a nice dinner: mission accomplished! Started the evening with cocktails and S.pellegrino water as always. The "Knucklehead" cocktail is bourbon based with bitters and pear liqueur; I had to try the "I'll Guav Another" and Yes, I had another, it's very more-ish :) The service was excellent and our server was on point with descriptions of dishes and the continued service. The ambiance was very similar to restaurants back in Milano, noisy because people were chatting and having a good time. Thankfully there were no sports TV's close by making for a very pleasant evening out. I had the pasta alle vongole (clams) that was very tasty; I would have liked a bit less oil and fresh parsley on top, but I honestly ate the whole thing and even mopped up the lemon and white wine sauce with the crusty bread they served. We call it "fare la scarpetta" in Italian. The other diners had a chicken dish that looked good too but I didn't taste them, was too engulfed in my pasta... We had a really good meal, the company was great, and we left well sated. Will be back when on their side of town !

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    My husband and I live in Glendale, but were staying in Mesa for the Valentine's Day weekend to…read moreattend the marathon. We made reservations at Pizzicata in anticipation of both Valentine's Day and the need to re-carb after the event. We arrived at the host stand a few minutes before our reservation, but were told that there were no indoor tables available. If we wanted to be seated immediately, we'd have to accept an outdoor table, even though we had a reservation for indoor seating. We opted to wait because the weather was chilly by Arizona standards, and we were still recovering from the race. A couple of minutes later, another hostess approached us and asked whether we had reservations and were waiting. When we confirmed, she immediately left to find us a table, and we were seated very shortly afterwards. I thought very little of this until the owner came to our table and apologized for the issue. He was kind and sincere in his regret for the situation and was excited to tell us about the staff and the food. We were wildly appreciative of this attention to detail and service! We shared the potato croquettes, and they were everything I was hoping they'd be and more. (Light lore: I chose Pizzicata because I saw a picture of these croquettes on their online menu.) For dinner, my husband had the Travolta pizza, and I had the gnocchi gorgonzola. We both did that thing where we sat back in our chairs, breathed deeply, and declared, "oh dang, that's goooood." We were both so happy with our choices - I can't speak to the pizza, but that was some of the best gnocchi I've ever had. Pillowy soft in this perfectly nutty, cheesy, creamy sauce. *chef's kiss* For dessert, we shared the tiramisu, which was perfect in every way. If we weren't already walking funny because of the race, we'd have still waddled out of Pizzicata from happy fullness. The service, the food, the vibe - we're here for it and we'll be back the next time we're in Mesa.

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    By the Bucket - italian - Updated June 2026

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