An Italian lunch spot in Strasbourg: Abbiocco

Abbiocco specializes in artisanal focaccia in Strasbourg. Of the three cafés in the city center, we tried the one on quai des Bateliers.

Focaccia is a staple of Italian cuisine: fresh bread made with olive oil, both light, crunchy and soft. In Strasbourg, Abbiocco is the place that has made it its specialty, baking all manner of focaccia.

The dough is made from a local flour blend, water, Italian extra virgin olive oil, fresh yeast, and salt, before being left to rise for 24 to 48 hours. This resting period allows for all the flavors to develop and helps give the bread its incredible lightness.

The focaccias are made fresh daily in the bakery in la Krutenau, before they’re filled with fresh charcuterie or cold meats, cheese and toppings, either local or imported directly from Italy.

As soon as we step into the little shop on quai des Bateliers, we’re charmed by the decor, which gives us a feeling of having stepped out of Strasbourg and into a café somewhere in Italy.

It’s difficult to choose between the seven different focaccia sandwiches and pizzas. Every one of them seems tempting. The menu at the quai des Bateliers location changes every week – a great excuse to stop by regularly!

At the restaurant in la Krutenau (only 10 minutes’ walk away), you can also mix and match your focaccia fillings to your liking – one kind each of cold cuts and cheese, two kinds of vegetables, one sauce and one kind of topping.

There are three options to enjoy your meal: inside, on the terrace overlooking quai des Bateliers, or to take away. We grab a seat at the small table inside the shop. The atmosphere is rustic, with dark green tiles, terracotta walls, dried flowers, wooden furniture, green potted plants, and a mural of a pine forest that immediately transports us to the Adriatic coast.

The focaccias at Abbiocco are fresh, well-balanced and made with quality ingredients. The house-made basil pesto is full of flavor, and the meats and cheeses imported from Italy have been carefully selected. A special mention to the sandwich with Mortadella di Bologna IGP, stracciatella, pistachio cream and chopped pistachios, which was particularly delicious.

Abbiocco has three locations in central Strasbourg: a restaurant, near the University in the Krutenau quarter (5 rue du Maréchal Juin), one shop in the city center (19 rue des Francs Bourgeois), and one near the river Ill, on quai des Bateliers.

We particularly enjoyed

• The fresh, fragrant, soft and crunchy focaccias made with excellent olive oil
• The warm and friendly service
• The understated yet inspiring interior

Abbiocco
📍42 quai des Bateliers, Strasbourg