When it comes to enjoying a roast dinner, I'm usually a home bird - there's nothing I love more than being at my parents with family on a Sunday afternoon but after hearing on the Southampton grapevine that Bacaro in Ocean Village was serving up the best roast dinners in the city, I had to try it for myself.
The girls and I put a date in the diary and headed down early March to try it for ourselves and we weren't disappointed. I cannot wait to head back with Arran and Joshua later in the year. I'm sharing this at this time as I'm hoping you add Bacaro to your 'to try list' once normal life resumes, supporting small businesses is so incredibly important right now.
Warning: you're going to be very hungry by the end of this post.
Bacaro is a friendly independent business in Southampton with the essence of a traditional Venetian Bacari with a modern twist. It's tucked away in Ocean Village under green foliage and with all-day sun, it's the perfect spot for a light lunch or drinks with friends. The menu is compromised of Italian small plates, wonderful wine and an extensive bar menu all of which is offered in a warm and friendly atmosphere.
But of course, what I'm here to tell you about is Sundays at Bacaro!
The roast dinners are probably the most talked about in Southampton, as I mentioned it's one place I've been meaning to try for some time after being recommended time and time again. The Sunday menu changes regularly with a fish option available and we found information regarding dietary requirements really helpful too.
But Sunday isn't just about the roast, they also serve a small selection of their Cicchetti and breadboards. The set up is the same every weekend with the dishes on the Sunday menu changing regularly so you could tuck into tender beef one weekend or go dotty over the chicken the next.
You have to book at Bacaro on a Sunday because it gets filled up quick! We actually booked three weeks in advance because we missed out the month before but it was totally worth the wait. Our table was booked for 1.30pm and the restaurant was full of happy diners laughing with friends and tucking into delicious food. The service was brilliant from start to finish, they were completely rushed off their feet but they didn't falter once - it was friendly, attentive and just made us love it even more.
Menus were deposited around the table while drinks orders were taken and once we had all settled on what we were having it was just a short wait until our food arrived at our table. I went with the beef which was so incredibly succulent I'd order it again in a heartbeat. Our table enjoyed a real mix of dishes from beef to chicken, the fish of the day and the mix plate with includes each meat on the menu that particular Sunday.
The vegetables are placed on a sharing board with more than enough for the six of us (although we did ask for more roast potatoes because they were to die for!). We had carrots, cabbage, honey roasted parsnips and the creamiest cauliflower cheese - it was all cooked beautifully, absolutely no complaints.
And did you see those Yorkshire puddings? One word - incredible.
We all expressed how much we loved it almost immediately, I can't believe we waited so long to try Bacaro. I bumped into someone I knew in the toilets who also said how delicious it was and how she couldn't believe I hadn't been before, safe to say I am very glad I have rectified that now.
If you want to book in something to look forward to once lockdown ends, Bacaro sells gift vouchers which would be a great way to support local businesses at the moment.
You can also find out more about what they offer, their menus and events that take place on bacarosouthampton.com
I honestly cannot wait to head back, it's somewhere I enjoy for coffee and now I can enjoy it for their fabulous food.
