The Southeast London venue, which is located beneath the railway arches in Deptford Market Yard, is the creation of partners Fabio Forin and Gonçalo Albuquerque. The pair describe the concept as ‘an Italian and Portuguese affair’, reflecting their respective backgrounds in Rome and Lisbon and the food and wine traditions they grew up with.
The venue offers seasonal dishes, described as ‘moving between Italian and Portuguese dishes without trying to flatten them into a fusion’ and designed to accompany drinks rather than form a traditional restaurant menu.
Menu items include chouriço assado, bacalhao a braz, buffalo mozzarella on grilled aubergines, handmade wild boar tortelloni and Portuguese sardines.
Wines are available by the glass, carafe and bottle, with a focus on small producers and lesser-known regions, particularly from Portugal and Italy.
“We wanted the wine to feel generous and personal, not intimidating,” says Gonçalo Albuquerque.
“Portuguese wine is still underrepresented in London, especially beyond the obvious regions, and we wanted to show bottles that feel exciting without turning the whole thing into a lecture. The point is to drink well, eat well, and stay longer than you planned.”
With 16 seats and a compact kitchen, the space has been designed around a central deli counter where meats and cheeses are sliced to order for customers eating in or taking away.
“Working in retail, you start to notice the strange theatre around wanting things,” says Forin, who previously managed the Monocle shop in Chiltern Street and spent years working as a trader within Borough Market.
“People would come in, pick things up, admire them, and say, you have so many beautiful things here I don’t really need.”
“That line really stuck with me and, in a way, got things moving with Boccone.
“I didn’t want it to be another place built around desire without consequence.
“I wanted it to feel physical and necessary in a small way: food, wine, people, noise, something that doesn’t disappear the moment you leave.”
The founders said they chose Deptford after moving to the area in 2023, with the aim of creating a small, independently run neighbourhood venue. In addition to its day-to-day operation, Cantina Boccone plans to host a programme of events in the coming months.
Cantina Boccone is open Wednesday and Thursday from 5pm to 10pm, Friday from 1pm to 11pm, Saturday from midday to 11pm and Sunday from midday to 5pm.