Yes, I do talk about Il Botanico quite a lot, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to have the chance to meet one of the owners and learn more about the café!
Not only did I get to experience making my current favourite thick hot chocolate, I also got a mini cannoli & bombolone workshop which was the perfect way to spend my Saturday morning! Seeing the hot chocolate turn from a simple powder and milk mixture into a thick decadent drink was great.
A bit of backstory, to set the scene…
Il Botanico opened in 2019 and is owned by Gianni and Gioia. Inspired by their love of coffee, they saw a gap in the Oxford market for an Italian coffee shop, hence the start of Il Botanico.
I sat down with Gianni who was such a delight and answered all of my questions (which also involved a tangent on how much I love Italy) to deep dive into this much loved independent venue.
What inspired you to set up Il Botanico? Take me back a bit…
I moved to Oxford in 2018 from Puglia. I studied Geometry and have always had a love for plants! This is how the idea of Il Botanico came to life given the plants across the coffee shop. We have some for sale too! My partner and I opened the branch in Headington in 2019 and the St Aldates branch opened last year, around summertime.
Tell me more about your thick Italian hot chocolate, that I love.
The hot chocolate is about 60% dark cocoa. A specific Italian chocolate powder is used and the key is to add this to the milk and get it to boiling point to get it nice and thick. The thick texture originates more from the Northern parts of Italy due to the colder temperatures and the need to stay warm!
How do you maintain the Italian authenticity?
We use an array of Italian products in both of our branches. This is our USP and helps maintain the standard across both venues. We ensure that we offer Italian products and do not start giving in to creating items such as brownies.
Over the years, we have had the chance to test out various products over time to see what works best for us to produce and sell various items.
Given you opened just before the pandemic hit, how did you guys manage to survive over this time?
This is when we set up the deli! Given the crisis across the UK with items such as pasta being cleared from supermarket shelves, we decided to start importing Italian products and selling these to support this crisis, which included various pasta types and sauces etc. We wanted to ensure that people could get the food they needed to help manage the panic that was taking place.
The Headington community were fantastic and really supported us. We were lucky to have this community support.
What are your favorite items on the menu?
Without a doubt, the cannoli which is freshly filled with Ricotta cheese, and the Pistachio lobster tail.
If you had you pick your favourite place in Italy, where would it be?
I am slightly biased but it has to be Puglia! However, I do really love Sicily. Such a great place for foodies.
Pick your go-to restaurant in Oxford…
I love Antep Kitchen! Their lamb is so delicious and it’s somewhere that is always consistent! Their style of cooking the meat is similar to what we do back in Italy.
Future plans for Il Botanico?
Settling down at the St Aldates branch is still our focus but maybe over time, we might look at opening one more branch elsewhere in Oxford.
We are not looking to expand too much as we want to maintain our standards and authenticity! Also, there is quite a shortage of staff.
Personally, I prefer to visit the Headington branch as there is more space for seating and the setting is lovely! Oh, and I love to have a look at the deli- so many good quality Italian products on offer!
Have you been to Il Botanico? What is your favourite thing, sweet or savoury, from their offering? Let us know in the comments!
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