In Valbandon, nestled between the scent of sea salt and the greenery of Istria, behind stone walls that remember more than people do, you’ll find Konoba Alla Beccaccia. The name comes from the woodcock – Beccaccia in Italian – a prized game bird among hunters. It’s not a coincidence. Here, everything has its reason – and even more so, its soul.

Pino, the founder and a passionate woodcock hunter, built the heart of the house – a massive open fireplace. Its embers crackle day and night, fueling slow roasts and traditional clay-pot cooking. Though a new generation now gathers around it, the rhythm of the fire still sets the pace – for mornings, noons, and long evenings.

Today, the tavern is run by Ivor and Annamaria.
He is the host – calm, grounded, and a hunter like his predecessor.
She is the chef – a bold, creative soul with a clear vision. Her kitchen is her kingdom. Herbs and spices are her language. Every dish that passes through her hands must tell a story – with balance, emotion, and edge. Sweet, sour, bitter, salty – there’s a small revolution in every plate.

She doesn’t create dishes on demand – she plays, she experiments, she waits for inspiration. The team follows.

In the courtyard: stone, shade, and quiet greenery.
Inside: warmth from wood and flame.
Not luxury – but comfort, honesty, permanence. Just as they imagined it.

For 25 years, Alla Beccaccia has welcomed guests; this is Ivor and Annamaria’s third season at the helm.

Here, meat takes center stage. It’s not hidden or masked – it’s celebrated and elevated. Guests don’t come for “a bit of everything”, they come for the best of one thing. Annamaria and Ivor strive to be recognized for the way they prepare and present meat. The menu isn’t printed in advance – it listens to the seasons, the land, and local producers.

If peas and radishes are ripe today, they’re on the menu. Tomorrow, it might be cabbage or artichokes. Vegetables are both a challenge and a passion. They talk about how they’d love to see more variety in the market – there are yellow, white, even purple carrots, not just orange ones. There are over 15,000 types of potatoes in the world – and yet, “Everyone has their own potato guy,” they joke.

Annamaria grows her own herbs: calendula, borage, citrus thyme, tarragon. Wild garlic and its flower appear often on the plate. From nearby farmers, they source peas, cabbage, radishes – but she always wants more. More local. More fresh. More diversity. They currently rely on organic, local producers, but in peak season, supply can’t always meet demand. You need a “guy” for every fresh ingredient – eggs, chickens, herbs – and a spot on the waiting list.

In the kitchen, nothing is by chance. Inspiration comes from old notebooks, traditional recipes of Lukez and Orlić. Every day, three clay pots take their place in the fireplace – veal shank, shoulder, and young cockerels. Want lamb in a pot? You’ll get it – with a hint of cinnamon, familiar yet unpredictable.

They bake their own bread, daily – from traditional white loaves to walnut sourdough.
Pasta? Handmade. Corsetti with their own stamp, pasutice, pljukanci.
Sauces? Marjoram pesto, goat cheese and cabbage, mushrooms and asparagus.
Traditional, with a twist. A flower here. A wild herb there.

Desserts are a chapter of their own.
Simple doughs with unexpected textures – lemon sponge, white chocolate cream, paper-thin pastry chips. And yes, even desserts kissed with extra virgin olive oil.

Which brings us to their longtime partner and friend: Chiavalon olive oil. From artichokes to flour to friendships – everything blends like the perfect recipe.

Alla Beccaccia is not a tourist gimmick. Sure, a lot of tourists return year after year – but it’s the locals who carry the story forward. The ones who understand. The ones who come back.

Annamaria, who trained in South Tyrol, says people there are proud of their land and what it gives them. They live in true symbiosis. She wants that here. In Istria. In her tavern. That’s why you’ll often find a fig or olive leaf in her hands. That’s why she still turns the embers under her clay pots, every day.

So if you’re curious to hear the fire crackle, or searching for a shady corner to enjoy a perfect piece of meat with a glass of wine, we can only say – go find this tavern. You won’t be dissapionted.