BEVACCO, in Italian, means a simple gathering place. In Brooklyn Heights, Bevacco restaurant is exactly that. This pretty, and quite massive place is a sweet respite on an otherwise ordinary street, on a cursed corner (not since Su- Su’s Yum Yum Chinese in the 1980’s has any restaurant had success there) in an area of downtown Brooklyn that has been referred to as a ‘tony neighborhood.’ The restaurant is by the owners of Bar Toto in Park Slope and a couple of other Italian restaurants and has been open (they must be doing something right) since 2011.
They serve simple, tasty, classic Italian food and they serve it at any time of the day. Bevacco is a local haunt, based on the distinguishable faces at the bar or their images behind the smoky windows, on this taboo corner of Henry Street. The menu reads like an upscale pizza joint with just enough splashy named entrees to make it stand apart from the crowd of other Italian cafes in the area. They serve really nice fresh fish, varietal seasonal vegetables (brussel sprouts are especially good,) delicious crusty peasant bread, very nicely composed salads and a myriad of familiar pastas (no whole wheat, though) as well as a sampler of farm fresh bistro dishes. The personal pizzas are also really good. New York’s pizza scene has kicked up another wave of momentum, with Bevacco takes on the classic Neopolitan pizza pie. I think the the secret lies in simplicity and balance – the toppings on their pizzas include the basics – pepperoni, garlic, black olives and basil. The sweet list is decadent, perhaps a bit more upscale than necessary – the tiramisu being the overall winner.
Most fun though, is that the prices are affordable, and their service hours are continuous – a full menu is served throughout the day, and lucky for this pizza junkie, they serve dinner late. Bevacco is a darling urban escape, set in the very first suburb in America, Brooklyn Heights. The staff is friendly, the mood lighting is very seductive and the music is certainly chosen with care. On a recent visit, the Gipsy Kings were on fire.
I really like to support local businesses – to keep the mom and pop shops open (or in this case, the mamas and the papas!) and I think its great that the tricky little corner on Henry Street has been transformed into a really swell, great neighborhood gathering place. Molto Bene! Bevacco.
