Beccofino Italian Bistro — Restaurant in Tampa

My friend and I, based on reviews and social media buzz, thought this place would be a hidden gem. We called to check availability and were told there was an opening for a table of two and that we needed to go online to reserve it. When we arrived, there were only two tables with two people each—and the rest of the restaurant was empty.

The atmosphere was not welcoming. It smelled like mold and looked run down. We decided to stick it out, hoping this might be one of those “hole-in-the-wall” surprises. Boy, were we wrong—and not in a good way.

We ordered the Cacio e Pepe, as reviews had raved about it. It was extremely overpriced at $53, but we were ready to be impressed. We also ordered the filet. When we asked for it medium rare, the server and the owner (the only two people working in the entire restaurant, by the way) told us, “We only serve it one way—the right way.” When we asked what that meant, they kept repeating, “The right way.”

Both entrées were prepared tableside. The owner, who was also cooking, smelled like he had been smoking and drinking while preparing the food. Oh—and they brought out a “first bite” to “wake up our taste buds” but wouldn’t tell us what it was, despite repeated questions. When we insisted, they responded with, “Oh, I don’t speak English.” It looked like tan mush, was watery, and tasted terrible.

As for the filet, it was brought out partially cooked and cold, as if it had been premade. The owner “seared” it in a pan for 30 seconds, then made a sauce with heavy cream. The steak was still cold and had an odd flavor. We tried cutting it with a butter knife—it wouldn’t cut. When we asked for a steak knife, they said, “No! We cook it so you don’t need a knife,” while watching us struggle to cut it. The steak was full of gristle, and we had to keep spitting pieces out. I’m not even sure it was a filet—it was inedible.

Now for the Cacio e Pepe: it was the worst thing I have ever eaten. I couldn’t force myself to eat any of it. First of all, the owner kept saying, “I only make authentic Italian—the way it’s supposed to be,” but it tasted like flour and cream and was swimming in sauce.

When he saw we weren’t eating, he said, “I know what the problem is,” then put his hands on my shoulders and physically pushed me back into my chair “to relax.” Again, they wouldn’t tell us what was in any of the dishes. It was all “a secret.” By that point, we stopped asking, because we had already been told multiple times how “amazing” everything was and how they “do it the right way.”

We honestly thought we were being punked—it felt like a joke. They brought out two tiny chocolate things for dessert but refused to say what they were. Then they brought out two tiny after-dinner drinks—again, wouldn’t tell us what they were.

When we asked for the check, the waiter said, “You’ve been cordially invited to a secret location for an adventure,” but still wouldn’t give us a straight answer on anything.

By then, my friend and I felt like we were trapped in an episode of The Twilight Zone. We were seated outside, in the back of the restaurant at a makeshift bar, surrounded by ashtrays and dirt. The whole bizarre experience was apparently just to get us to “vote” for them as the best Italian restaurant in Florida—a huge joke.

Then, just when the night couldn’t get any weirder, the owner came out with roses in his mouth and tried to get us to take one from his mouth with our mouths. It was beyond uncomfortable.

This was the most awkward, unsettling dining experience I’ve ever had. The food matched the experience: awful all around. I don’t understand how anyone can rave about this place. It was a huge letdown—and honestly, creepy.

As an Italian raised in a very Italian family, I can confidently say this place is a scam and a joke. Nothing about it...

A fine dining restaurant imposter. Do not go, no matter what, just don’t.

The exterior aesthetic isn’t appealing, but sometimes the best food comes from unexpected places (I was wrong to have this thought). The interior was actually cute, we sat outside the wine cellar, however the entire interior does have a musty basement smell. Again, willing to look past this if the the food/service was great (but it wasn’t).

Liz, our waitress, was super nice and attentive. The Italian owner was not. There were five ladies in my group and one of my friends eats vegetarian when possible. She nicely asked the Italian owner if he could make a vegetarian pasta dish. He was quite rude in his reply and stated that he cannot guarantee the quality/taste of his entrees by altering the ingredients (first no). We looked pretty shocked by this reply, so we persisted. He then proceeded to say that it takes 45min to cook vegetables and that it wouldn’t be time permissive to include veggies in a pasta dish (ummm pretty sure vegetables do not take 45min to cook). We all looked even more baffled. Like just throw whatever vegetables you have in with the pasta! The last straw was when he rudely said “We have 55 items on the menu!!” (His third no/excuse) - yes this is true, but only 1 of the pastas/entrees was truly vegetarian, so it’s not like there were plenty of options and we were just choosing to be difficult.

His attitude was very pompous and condescending (like we were ignorant American women that couldn’t possibly appreciate his fine Italian cuisine).

We at first ordered a couple appetizers (mozzarella caprese and a special cacio e pere). Both cost around $17 and neither was anything great. For my entree, I ordered the ribeye and it was served room temperature and nothing special. My sister had the seafood black ink pasta and wasn’t thrilled and my vegetarian friend was just over the whole experience before she even picked up her fork. We did share the mushroom pasta and it was delicious, but not redeeming enough to made up for the other lackluster apps/entrees.

The Italian owner kept trying to bring out free bites of food and shots, perhaps as an attempt to redeem himself, but his “I’m know more about food than you because in Italian” attitude persisted. We weren’t swayed/fooled by the sudden acts of kindness.

We often dine at Osteria Natalina which is a far superior experience all around. At Osteria, the main Italian waiter is extremely accommodating and will whip up ANY dish you ask for (and everything is fresh and delicious). Beccofino isn’t remotely close but somehow charges a very similar price. I left feeling robbed.

Oh and we saw some type of animal scurry in the ceiling beams above our heads. Likely a mouse/rat, but not sure...

UPDATE AFTER ITALIAN OWNER RESPONSE: any restaurant owner who tries to belittle/bully customers is bound to fail. His response actually supports my review/opinion more than it helps his. How about a, “how can I remedy this?” He also tried “proving” that we tipped $0 which is ridiculous. Our bill was ~$450 for the 5 of us and we split the checks a few different ways (which they totally screwed up). One of the ladies left a $30 tip on her credit card and the other $40 in cash (so $70 tip total, which I know isn’t 20% but as noted above the overall experience didn’t warrant 20%...). Now on to calling the health department about that...

We just had a sad and disappointing experience at this restaurant. We heard the hype, read Google reviews but not Yelp reviews. Yelp reviews are more accurate.

First impression from outside - shabby, dirty and underwhelming. Inside - damp, warm and musty smelling. Points for service which was good. The food however was a big disappointment. We - a table of 4 - shared a bottle of prosecco to start and a gorganzola stuffed pear on a bed of arugula drizzled with balsamic glaze and candied pecans. Unique but simple and nothing to rave about - $18. We asked for bread and were served a canister of sliced bread (good), two stale breadsticks and a small bowl of dipping olive oil with oregano and a lot of salt - $10. For dinner we had eggplant parm, cacio & pepe, pappardelle al tartufo and tagliata alla florentina. Reviews of each dish by each diner: Eggplant parm (which was a side portion) was quite basic. Grilled eggplant slices stacked with mozz between each slice and sauce poured over. Nothing special - $14. Cacio & pepe - supposed to be made table side - was not. Thin watery sauce - nothing special $51. Pappardelle - tasty sauce, modest amount of mushrooms, did not see or taste any truffles $43. And finally, the tagliata alla florentina - almost inedible! About 5 slices of meat, full of fat & gristle, extremely undercooked (virtually raw) $48. One of our party asked for grated parm and were told in no uncertain terms BY THE OWNER “NO - it was done perfectly and any additional cheese would ruin the taste”. We each had one glass of wine. The entire meal, with tip, was over $300. One of our party visited the bathroom and reported it was filthier than a truck stop! This was not a pleasant experience. There are absolutely no substitutions, changes or variations allowed of any kind. There is a shared dish fee of $10, a corkage fee of $45 and no separate checks. We would not return nor recommend this place. Go to Cafe Paradiso for an authentic Italian experience with wonderful hospitality and terrific food. I’m sorry we wasted our money here. PS - the owner was grungy and dirty looking in jeans and a wrinkled shirt with greasy looking long stringy hair. He came off as pretentious with an over inflated ego and smelled...