The name might suggest an Italian trattoria, but Beccafico on Tuckton Road is in fact a small-plates restaurant with Spanish and Sicilian roots: tapas-style dishes for sharing, homemade specials and a menu that changes every month, served in an easy-going, independently run neighbourhood restaurant on the border of Southbourne and Tuckton, close to the river.
The food
Small plates that change each month form the heart of the menu, which gives regulars a reason to return and see what has arrived. The tapas is joined by fixed theme nights: Pizza Tuesdays and Tapas Thursdays each have their own menus, and on Sundays a roast is added. Spanish lager is on tap and the wine list tilts towards Sicily, in keeping with the Mediterranean character of the cooking. A small shop next door sells frozen ready meals to take home, useful when a dish you liked is wanted again midweek.
Good to know
There is seating indoors and outside, and walk-ins are accepted, but the restaurant is small and has a loyal local following, so it makes sense to book for evenings and theme nights. Mondays are closed; the rest of the week it opens from around midday, closing a little earlier on Sundays, and it is always worth confirming the current times before setting off. Bookings and menu queries can go by phone, email or through the website.
The restaurant is set slightly apart from the main Southbourne Grove shops, nearer to Tuckton Bridge and the river, so it is a convenient stop when you are exploring that end of the village; our Southbourne guide has more. The rest of our food & drink guide lists other places to eat in the area.