Bbuona Pinsa Bar on Gloucester Green is always busy, whatever time of day or night; a haven for passers by, tourists, market-goers and locals alike. But if you venture in, you realise that they are all in on the secret.
Because despite its casual, easy-come-easy-go kind of vibe, there is a reason everyone congregates there.
And yes, the family-run business has a transient, casual vibe, the pinsas laid out behind the counter, the chefs hard at work creating more, waitressing staff whirling around, but the Bbouna offering is anything but complacent.
Start with a good strong Italian coffee or a cocktail – the Sarti Spritz Sarti for example – pink Italian aperitif liqueur served with Prosecco, soda water and fresh lime, and so refreshing, or the Hugo Spritz with Elderflower syrup, Prosecco, soda water, fresh mint leaves and fresh lemon, providing the perfect antidote to the cold, grey weather outside.
if there was any doubt about the authenticity of Bbuona’s Italian credentials, they speak to you from the plate
But to be honest we were already distracted by the food whisking past, and as our waitress recommended the aptly named BBUONA FANTASY – a selection of Italian cured meat, served with burrata cheese, olives and pinsa bread (£17.50), we dived in.
Resplendent on the plate; the meat selection of salamis, Mortadella and prosciutto fresh, pink and enticing, framing a bouncy, fluffy ball of mozzarella, rocket, juicy olives, tiny baby tomatoes, and pinsa dough strips, a generous portion even between four of us.
But it was more than that, it was the ingredients that did the talking, and if there was any doubt about the authenticity of Bbuona’s Italian credentials, they speak to you from the plate, the mortadella delectable, the salami pungent, the mozzarella delicious. We couldn’t believe our luck.
Then the pinsas – we shared two between four, the interesting sounding LAZIALE – made with 48 hour raised dough, artichoke cream, fior di latte mozzarella, gorgonzola, salame milano, grilled artichokes and pecorino cream (£15.50), which sounded a lot, but was actually really delicate, the individual ingredients able to be deciphered, the salame milano thin, crispy, and smoky, the artichoke cream light but rich, the blue cheese subtle rather than overpowering.
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And the new BUFALA E PISTACCHIO (£14.95) – another suggestion from our waitress – whom we now trusted with our lives – 48h raised dough, Sicilian pistacchio pesto, fresh buffalo mozzarella from Campania and fresh basil sounding intriguing. And boy did it pay off – succulent, bounteous, piquant, creamy, rich, we couldn’t eat it fast enough.
The desserts were too tempting to resist, opting eventually for some little glasses of affogato with an ice cream of our choice, in our case hazelnut, the hot coffee as strong as expected, melting the gelato underneath.
So you see, what appears to be just a casual pizza joint, has much more to offer. So pop in, grab a coffee, order a cocktail, enjoy the Bbuono fantasy board, but whatever you do, don’t miss out on the pinsa.
A neighbourhood restaurant to be proud of.
Bbuona Pinsa Bar is at 102 Gloucester Grn, Oxford OX1 2DF
