New Italian Eatery in Sanlitun abboCCa Now Has Delivery

Around a month ago Sanlitun Courtyard No.4 saw a new addition to its already impressive array of restaurants with Italian eatery abboCCa opening its doors. The new concept comes fro mthe same team behind Italian wine bar and restaurant Buona Bocca: it's owned by Fleur Xu and her Italian husband Alex Sanna, and managed by fellow Italian Alessia Dal Borgo.

abboCCa serves up their food with a twist: there is no menu in the traditional sense. Instead customers select what they want from their two fresh food counters in an alimentari style. Now, given the current in-house dining ban it isn’t possible to go to abboCCa but they’re offering their same great food selection on delivery apps, and they truly have some unique options. 

The most special thing about abboCCa, without a doubt, is that they make their own mozzarella in house. You can’t get fresher than that! They are the only restaurant in Beijing to be doing this and it took them months of hard work and practice to create the perfect formula. Why not try their Caprese Salad (RMB 68) to see just how good it is! 

Another signature dish is bomba, an Italian style donut that usually has a sweet filling like jam or cream, at abboCCa, although they serve the traditional sweet version, they have also created a savory version. Their savory bomba have fillings like Parma Ham and Mozzarella (RMB 78), Tuna and Onion (RMB 58) or more unusual fillings like Octopus (RMB 65).

Sanna tells me that at the heart of abboCCa is respect for the ingredients they use, opting for only fresh, high-quality ingredients. You can really see this with their extensive grill section, where they use the Italian barbecue style of cooking, only using olive oil and rosemary so that the focus is on the main ingredient rather than extra sauces. If customers want, they can of course request a sauce, but they wanted to offer the traditional way of cooking it. 

Some of their grill dishes to look out for are the Arrosticini (RMB 78) which you can think of as an Italian style chuanr, or their Lamb Chops (RMB 138). They have a fantastic range of fresh seafood too like Red King Prawns (RMB 128), Monkfish Chops (RMB 118) or Octopus (RMB 78). They also offer up a variety of grilled veggies which you can mix and match from options like Grilled Peppers (RMB 22) or Asparagus (RMB 48) or go all in for the Mixed Grilled Veggies (RMB 78), a perfect dish for sharing.

For carb lovers, they also make fresh pasta and gnocchi with a variety of classic sauces like Ragu Pappardelle (RMB 88) or Pesto Gnocchi (RMB 88). They also have an array of focaccia which can either be enjoyed on it’s own such as the Rosemary Focaccia (RMB 18) or as a sandwich with fillings like Chicken and Mayo (RMB 68) or Beef and Pickles (RMB 68).

If you’re looking for something to wash their delicious food offerings down with, they also have a number of Italian wines available, including some by the glass if you don’t want to commit to a whole bottle. Along with wine you can also get cocktails delivered including the classic Aperol Spritz (RMB 60) or for a bit of variation a Grapefruit Spritz (RMB 65). 

Now, although you can’t physically go to abboCCa in the current circumstances, it would be remiss to not mention their meticulously designed décor. Sanna and Xu worked with the same design company that created Buona Bocca and wanted to evoke some of the same themes, but with a more casual air. 

A bright orange covers the floor and runs up to the counters, with matching orange chairs which can’t help but make you think of Aperol and warm afternoons in the sun. The bright orange is balanced out by olive green and white to create an atmosphere that is both chic and playful. The use of white stone inside was chosen to call up images of the white stone buildings you see in Italian coastal villages, giving a distinctly Mediterranean vibe. With the outside terrace, this will certainly be a lovely place to enjoy some food and drink come summertime.   

It's truly a beautifully designed space and should be top of the list of places to visit once the in-house dining ban is lifted. However, for now why not show your support for this independent businesses by ordering some of their amazing food on Meituan!

Check out the video of abboCCa below:

abboCCa