Picco Restaurant

Great restaurant, we had reservations for 2 on a Friday evening, although we got our table late the host was very kind and generous, served us with a nice drink and appetizer on the house, very classy.
The service and food was just as good, dishes are made to share which is fun when going with as a couple or a party. Main dishes were amazing.

Absolutely delicious! The oysters on the half shell were flavorful and the squash blossoms were firm on the outside and once you cut into them the luscious cheese was perfection! Then the risotto! Soft and yet not mushy with a nice taste of lemon. I could eat this every day. As well as the rabbit pappardelle. Homemade pasta with California raised rabbit. A hit in my culinary experience!
We shared the swordfish and the filet! Both were prepared perfectly.
Thank you Picco for a wonderful culinary experience.

Picco Restaurant is definitely a happening place. Fancy cars are parked outside, the bar is active and getting a reservation takes some doing. Picco is owned by the same folks that own Buckeye Roadhouse and Bungalow 44 in Mill Valley, and Picco and Pizzeria Picco in Larkspur. They have a recipe for success in all of these restaurants. People flock to them (me included), but every time I feel that I have spent too much money for what I got. Picco is no exception. This was the first time my two companions and I had ever eaten at Picco. Upon arrival we arranged to have our car parked. The street in front of the restaurant was loaded with high end vehicles. We really appreciated the service. It was well priced and one less thing to worry about.
We had reservations and we quickly were seated. The restaurant has a nice, but crowded layout. It was a warm night, and we were sat in a good place with a great view of bar activities. I don’t think the building has A/​C so it was hot (remember that for a warm evening). The restaurant has awful acoustics so don’t expect to carry a conversation on a busy night. If you are expecting to talk while being served a meal; give it up.
Looking at the interesting innovative menu, I picked a very simple choice which is one of my favorites. The prosciutto and melon! I believe it was priced around $ 15.95 which is pricy, but I felt at this price it must be extraordinary. This is the simplest of things to make. Grab a ripe cantaloupe melon and drape some prosciutto on it. The salty/​sweet combination if done correctly is exquisite. I questioned the wait staff to make sure that the melon was ripe otherwise it blows the appetizer. I was assured that many customers have enjoyed the prosciutto and melon. I took the plunge. The prosciutto and melon arrived and the melon was not ripe. Also, it was laid out as if I could not cut my own food. Little flat slices of melon with little slices of prosciutto were placed on top. It was not attractive. I waved the wait staff down and asked them to try again. They had a hard time finding a suitable melon, and after a bit returned for the second try. It was a bit sweeter, but I could have done better by going to my local breakfast joint in Sausalito (who knows how to pick a melon) and drape some prosciutto over it.
My companions decided to split the kampachi crudo for $ 17.95. It arrived looking very unimpressive. Small thin sliced pieces of fish (very few pieces) floating in unappetizing red sauce (it looked like red sweet and sour sauce.) The dish appeared as if the cook had not completed detailing the dish. It had a faint pepper flavor and my companions were not impressed and they felt that they had paid too much for what the dish provided.
We went on to our main meals. We ordered the kennebec fries, and they were tasty, hot and crispy. One of my companions ordered the farm egg pappardelle, devil’s gulch rabbit sugo. It was excellent and we all agreed it was the best meal on the table. The other two main plates were satisfactory.
All in all it was a noisy, hot, overpriced meal with hit and miss food. The place is trendy, but I was not impressed with the food. I will say the service was very good.
I am glad we brought our own wine even if the corkage fee was $ 25. The wine was perfect. It is really hard to screw up an A. Rafanelli Zinfandel.

4.5 STARS — Picco Restaurant (also known for Zero Zero and Picco Pizzeria) unfortunately does not serve pizza. This unassuming, casual neighborhood restaurant is nestled in the quiet town of Larkspur; but it’s obviously super popular based on the non-​stop flow of customers. I’m not surprised because the food is excellent and the service is impeccable — be sure to make reservations early!
TLDR: You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu, but you *must* order the squid ink pasta!
* Complimentary Bread — 3.5 stars: Good, standard.
* Avocado bruschetta — 4 stars: Good, standard. Have had better. Prefer a thicker, less-​hard toast.
* Ahi tuna crostini — 5 stars: I thought this would be overhyped because I’ve had plenty of ahi tuna crostinis, most of which are pretty standard. This was super good, make sure to order this — you can order them individually!
* Squid ink crab pasta with uni — 5 stars: Squid ink pasta is hard to do well, this one was incredibly delicious, perfect-​texture noodles, super fresh and flavorful, yet not overly seafoody. One of the best squid ink pastas I’ve had in the bay area!
* Beef short rib pasta — 4 stars: Good, surprisingly light!
* Ice cream with salted caramel — 4 stars: Great way to end, loved the salted caramel topping

We have been going to Picco since they opened and have always had fabulous dinners. It is our go to place in Marin for celebrations and for family dinners. We take people from out of town there to show them how good food in our neighborhood is. Their avocado bruschetta is outstanding, their special risotto is always great, their meatballs, sliders, kennebec fries, and gnocchi are all outstanding. If you haven’t been, it’s a must go. Worth a trip to Marin.

This is a lively place. But our server was excellent and so was everything we ordered. Likewise, drinks were perfect. Seating was comfortable and, all in all, we had an excellent meal. I’m knocking off one star simply because I thought the prices were kind of silly. I mean, if you can keep a full house every night with numbers like that printed on the menu, go for it, but that one aspect will keep us from returning for any but a special occasion.

Food wine, good food, the service is slow, the potion is small It is pricey. Restoration is better very busy and noisy.

I was a little skeptical when a friend recommended we head to Larkspur for dinner but now i’m pretty happy we did. All the food was on point and it was a plus that it could all be shared. We started with some wine (I was happy to see they had some healthy pours here). We shared some appetizers: ahi tuna tartare, burrata (wow soo good), and the avocado bruschetta. Next we hopped on the risotto train; they make fresh batches every 30 minutes. For our mains we each got the grilled lamb chops. The deserts here were dope, borderline illegal for how good they were. We had the crunchy chocolate mousse, and the dark chocolate & almond cookies, salted caramel & dark chocolate ganache, with coffee milkshakes…

Picco is pretty solid:
Great service
Delicious food
A beautiful atmosphere
You’ll love it.

Picco’s is definitely a Larkspur favorite with lines out the door. We requested a corner table in the back where we hoped it would be quieter, but, alas, the conversation noise from all the tables is deafening.
The beautifully executed food makes up for the difficulty in speaking. Come for the food including the ahi appetizer, the avocado brushetta, the beet salad, the pork dish, and the lamb chops. The quail was breaded and not a favorite. The rich chocolate dessert is perfect for everyone to have a taste of heaven. The pansy on top delighted us. Prices are steep with corkage at $ 25.00 and the lamb at $ 40. Street parking. Make a reservation and bring your credit card!

Wow, what a great neighborhood spot.
We were driving back to the city from Napa and decided to stop in to see what Larkspur is like (aka checking out where we want to migrate once we have kids). We had to make a reservation as this is quite the popular gem. Everything was perfect, from the service to the food, I can’t say enough great things about Picco. The hostess was hilarious and super friendly too (blonde, I forget her name!), the staff was filled with great attitudes and personalities.
We had:
— Hamachi Crudo
— Avocado Toast (yes, get the shaved Chorizo on it)
— Risotto is a must, fresh every 30 min
— Steak Dish
Can’t wait to return!

We were looking for restaraunt for one of my coworkers farewell dinner in Marin county. And some one remembered this place is on the recommendation list of top 30 restaraunt worth to try in Marin. So we decided to give it a shot. And it did not let us down, definitely meet our expectations.
About reservation, I want to remind you that they seem only take even numbers. we put 5 people there and couldn’t find anything on any dates. Then we realized it might be a bug, so we tried 4 instead and got one successfully. When we arrived they reserved a big round table for us, which is definitely enough for 5 people. So just remember that when you book table. And they ask for credit card info to hold seats, which might be a good sign.
And I loved the décor and ambiance, trendy/​modern, servers are all nice and friendly. Their menu is designed to share, which works perfectly for 5 authentic Chinese people. We Chinese always love sharing food other than eating on your own plate :). Menu is concise and looks more like Italian/​American fusion/​little bit Asian touch as well. So we ordered about 3 appetizer and 5.5 entry (bottom ones) to share. Which turned out perfect for us.
For food:
The avocado buchetta was excellent, perfectly toasted bread with thinly sliced avocado and little bit balsamic vinegar + thinly sliced chorizo on top. It had all the elements and worked very well with each other. We all enjoyed it.
Fish crudo, it was very refreshing and super citrusy !! it has some chips on top? gave you a texture contrast. I think it literally had few table spoon of freshly squeezed juice on the plate. It might be too much of citrus for some people, but I liked it.
Roasted squash with feta cheese, it was simple dish, but I loved it. I do not remember what kind of sauce they used, but it served the squash very well. It was very flavorful but not overpowering. The squash was roasted perfectly!
Risotto: we ordered one and half portion. And rice was little bit hard for me. Flavor was ok, but kind plain. I wish they have something there to lift it up. And it was more soupy than normal ones. I am ok with this one.
Wood grilled sea bass: looked beautiful, but the sea bass was overlooked. That was a big flaw. The purée was tasty, and the sauce on the side was little bit spicy, which its one of the few things liked about this dish. I just cannot get pass the fact that they made fish too hard.
Special bone in rib eye steak: we asked medium rare, and I feel that it was more on the medium side. But meat was still juicy and tender. I loved the side dish, mashed potato was very fluffy and airy. The mushroom gravy was superb! We were even thinking we should put the gravy on top of the risotto. it was very tasty.
Meatballs: disappointed, it was average meatball. Nothing special about it, and for me the tomato sauce was not reduced enough. I can still taste the raw flavor of tomatoes. Meatballs needed more fat to be more moist.
Desert:
Crème brûlée with Madeleine’s; One thing weird was that they did not torch the sugar evenly. You can see from the photo. one side was almost burnt, and the other side was barely caramalized.
Taste of the custard was standard. I liked the Madeline cake very much. I have never been a fan of this butter cake. Normally they do not have the fluffy and refined texture compared to other cakes. I hardly had any ones that have crusty outside and fluffy moist inside. This one was the best, had anything I hoped for Madeline.
Bread pudding: Bread pudding texture was very wet compare to normal ones. At first it made me feel little strange and suspicious. But after first few bites I started liking it very much. It felt more like raw cookie dough, I think they used some kind of caky bread to make this. I like the sauce too, very rich but not too sweet. it perfectly balanced the bread pudding and ice cream.
Most of the dishes were good, but they made mistake on the fish plus the bland risotto. So I think 4 star is the fair rating for my experience. I still highly recommend this place though, you will feel very statisfied.

Took my wife for our 1^st year wedding anniversary dinner. Service was attentive and not overbearing, prices high — but not egregious, and the food plain amazing.
The stand out, by far for the both of us, was the pork chop. It was absolutely delicious — tasted like bacon initially, combined with the apple sauce at the end — just amazing.
We also got complimentary champagne. My wife loved that extra touch. Will definitely make this our neighborhood ‘special occasion’ spot.

My boyfriend and I came here for our anniversary and we both had a great experience! The food was seasonal! The service was 5 stars!
The ambiance was quiet, relax and romantic!
We def recommend the Gnocchi… Totally worth the drive from SF:)
I’m a fan!

After a nice hike in the Muir Woods we needed some good food. My cousins secured reservations at Picco Restaurant. I would recommend getting a reservation since the wait without was pretty long.
We started off with the Avocado Bruschetta, fresh avocado lightly covered with balsamic vinegar and a dash of sea salt is to die for!
The other amazing dish was the Gnocchi (house made fennel sausage, chard, wild mushrooms & black truffle butter) was superb.
The Bucatini (prawns) and Broccoli do Ciccio were really good too. Didn’t leave enough room for dessert.
Our waiter Todd was very top notch. We even chatted a little about hockey. This place is great and I can’t wait to come back. Maybe I’ll try one of their pizzas from the Picco Pizzeria next door.

After celebrating my sister’s birthday here the other night, I’m prepared to officially declare that Picco is one of the best restaurants in Marin.
For those of you on a budget… this isn’t the cheapest place in town. So I’d reserve this restaurant for special occasions (birthdays, anniversaries, date night, etc.) when you don’t mind throwing down some extra bones for an amazing meal.
But what an AMAZING meal we had! I feel like our party of eight tried almost every dish on the menu (both small plates and entrees). Our favorites included:
— the wok roasted broccoli with toasted garlic & chili condiment, preserved lemon
— the avocado bruschetta topped with balsamic vinegar and sea salt
— the crispy, baby potato cakes served with spring trout and crushed avocado
— the house made radiatore pasta served with beef & pork bolognese, basil, parmesan
— the risotto special of the day (which had plenty of gooey cheese, corn, tomatoes, and other seasonal ingredients). * This dish was so good we ordered 5 bowls for the table.
— the wood grilled flannery beef bone-​in prime new york steak served with potato purée, broccoli, and black truffle sauce. * At $ 45, this is the most expensive dish on the menu.
But hands down, our favorite dish of the evening was the grilled pork chop served over creamy polenta, grilled zucchini, peach & frisée salad, and topped with aged balsamic. Everyone at the table was fighting over the last bite. This is the kind of dish you dream about and yearn for weeks later. Yes, it’s THAT good.
While the rest of my dining companions shared a few bottles of wine, I opted for a classic cocktail. And Erin’s Old Fashioned (a perfectly balanced mix of Rittenhouse rye whiskey, bitter girl bitters, turbinado syrup, and orange) certainly put a happy smile on this thirsty diner’s face.
Combine all this fabulous food with friendly, attentive service and a lively restaurant/​bar setting, and you have all the necessary ingredients for a wonderful night out.
This place rocks. And I can’t wait to come here soon for my own birthday dinner!

4.5 star if possible. Ordered the market fish dinner –king salmon, gnocchi with sausage and mushrooms, prawns with spaghettini, broccoli, French fries and the green beans. We were all very satisfied with our meals and agreed that the gnocchi was by far the best. Tender, flavorful and left you wanting more. Always a good sign. The salmon was fresh and came with green beans on a bed of mustard which added good flavor. The prawns were small in size and a bit on the fishy side– just OK. The fries were incredible — perfectly fried and salted accompanied with a garlic mayo and chipotle dip. Wowzy! The green beans were good and had a mint seasoning– not my favorite taste, but cooked well. The broccoli was delicious and should be ordered each time. This restaurant is worth the wait and the price you pay– always room for Pico.

First of all, Picco Restaurant is located in a very small little town Larkspur, the scenery with mountains and rivers was great, atmosphere of the town was so peaceful and they’ve got some cool buildings in the old downtown too. The town itself could be a revisit.
Went with a friend on a Sunday night, reservation made at 7:30pm and were seated promptly. The restaurant was completely full, mostly filled with families.
#Avocado Bruschetta: A.
Saw a lot of reviews mentioning this dish; I like avocado in general but was kind of doubtful on this dish because there’s SO much avocado and I didn’t want to get filled so quickly. But actually it’s the other way around — while there was indeed a lot of avocado, which was super fresh by the way, the addition of balsamic vinegar totally solved the problem of getting filled by it. The combination of avocado and balsamic was something I have never experienced and it was super nice. Plus the nice execution of how avocado was put on the bread… definitely a memorable dish.
#Gnocchi: A-​.
Honestly I didn’t know what gnocchi was until I tried this dish. This thick and soft bread-​dumplingish thing could be another very filling dish because of the carbs, but they stir-​fried with ground pork, mushroom and garlic (and some cheese I believe) which was a very nice combination; and the gnocchi itself was pan-​fried beforehand which brought a slight over-​cooked type of good smell to the dish. And it was perfect to be a dish after avocado bruschetta. Unstoppable.
#Risotto: B+.
Heard this is one of the most famous dishes in Picco — it was good but not to a point I would say excellent yet. It’s a lemon+asparagus based risotto, very refreshing especially after the salty gnocchi dish. Note: all risotto is freshly made every 30 mins so if you miss one window you will have to wait for next one; but don’t worry the waiter would kindly recommend how to mix risotto into your dishes order.
#Lamb chops: A-​.
Lamb was cooked perfectly to medium rare, super tender and juicy. The sauce was some sort of sweet vinegar I believe, and the addition of some green paste was kind of unnecessary in my opinion but oh well I had a great lamb chop!
#Blueberry Cobbler: A.
I have never tried this kind of dessert before but it was so so so good! The blueberry was cooked a bit so the sweetness naturally flew out. The bread/​biscuit was soft. The ice-​cream scoop at the top enhanced the blueberry’s taste more than ever. Sooo good and nicely executed again!
Price was not bad at all. Yea, this restaurant is far so it won’t be my regular go-​to Italian restaurant, but when I’m up in the north for sure I will try to visit this little restaurant again.

I recently returned to Picco for a holiday team dinner with coworkers and was very impressed. I had always held Picco in high regard, but it feels like the food has gone up a level since my last visit.
We started off with a spread of various appetizers including fries, oysters, avocado bruchetta, and green beans. Everything I tried was well executed and delicious.
Additionally I tried their house risotto which they make every 30 minutes. My risotto had winter chicory and leeks and had a wonderful hearty flavor. It was the highlight of my meal, a must try.
For my main course, I picked a fried chicken dish which was their special of the day. The batter of the fried chicken seemed to have a bit of either honey or maple syrup to give it an interesting sweetness that I didn’t expect. This came on a plate with mashed potatoes and gravy, and collard greens cooked with some kind of rendered cured pork.
I had a great experience, and for me, Picco gets a 5^th star.

Thank goodness my good friend Maggie has a cousin who runs the front of the house here because I would have never discovered this place on my own. Larkspur? Doesn’t a ferry dock there or something? Although Picco is a perennial on Bauer’s Top 100 list, I don’t think much about venturing north of the Golden Gate for fine dining. That’s why I was perplexed when she first suggested it as a place to take me and Jamie W. out for my birthday. Now who am I to sacrifice a free meal no matter how dubious the occasion, am I right? What a pleasant surprise to discover such a great place in a woodsy hamlet that feels as far away from SoMa as, well… Marin. It’s a popular place with an adjoining pizzeria that bustles even more.
Due to Maggie’s connection, we were seated at a prime table right next to the window with a bucolic view. We were surprised with a complimentary appetizer, the $ 11.95 Avocado Bruschetta, a really creative take on the traditional tomato treatment drizzled with Villa Manodori Balsamic Vinegar and Sea Salt (photo:
). How lovely that this was the same balsamic Jamie and I had on a wonderful food tour we took in Modena and Bologna (review:
). It was richly delicious and came with a little ramekin of smoky Chorizo de Leon). Next came the $ 17.95 Local Albacore Crudo, an artisanal plate that presented little tastes of Raw Tuna layered with Smoked Avocado, Cherry Tomatoes, Fennel, Black Olives, Padrón Peppers, Basil and Crispy Shallots (photo:
).
They were lovely bitefuls of joy as they sat in a glistening puddle of extra virgin olive oil. The hits kept on coming with the $ 15.95 Heirloom Tomatoes at the seasonal peak of flavor surrounded by Burrata, Black Olive Purée, Basil, Aged Balsamic, and Crispy Shallots (photo:
). That was probably the high point as I am a complete sucker for fresh heirloom tomatoes. A hearty delight came next, the $ 18.95 Wood Grilled Squid Panzanella Salad with Cherry Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Castelvetrano Olives, and Smoked Marcona Almonds ladled with a Pistachio Romesco Sauce (photo:
). It was an unexpected mix of textures and flavors as they nestled together quite well on the palate.
We couldn’t help ourselves when we saw a nearby table receive a $ 7.95 bowl of Kennebec Fries with Aioli, Marcona almonds and the same Pistachio Romesco Sauce (photo:
). The spuds were truly satisfying and honestly too abundant for the three of us to devour. After all that food, you would think we would be finished, but no, here come the shared entrees. First up was the $ 17.95 Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Ravioli with Black Garlic, Brown Butter and Wild Mushrooms (photo:
). Luscious and filling. Luckily there were six of them, so we could divide them equally. Surprisingly the last entrée turned out to be the only marginal disappointment, the $ 16.95 Roasted Pork and Beef Meatballs drowning in Stewed San Marzano Tomatoes and topped with Torn Basil Leaves and Parmesan (photo:
).
Just too saucy for my taste even though the San Marzano tomatoes were top-​drawer. No fear. The desserts more than compensated. The $ 10.95 Warm Apple Tart Tatine, an elaborate pastry creation with Salted Caramel Sauce, Candied Almond and a scoop of Black Pepper Ice Cream topped by my birthday candle (photo:
). Yummy but overshadowed by the $ 9.95 Toasted Coconut Pound Cake with Blackberry Ice Cream, Streusel and a variety of Market Berries (photo:
). That was masterful decadence. What a feast, and I shouldn’t be surprised that this restaurant comes from Bruce Hill who rejuvenated Bix and most recently, Fog City. Picco surpasses both, and chef Jared Rogers’ creative execution must be given due credit. The 2014 Picayune Pinot Noir from Sonoma provided lovely accompaniment throughout (photo:
).
FOOD — 5 stars… creative takes on Italian dishes that tickle the palate
AMBIANCE — 4 stars… warm and comfortable in a bucolic setting, noise level tends to increase as the evening progressed
SERVICE — 4.5…quite attentive without being intrusive
TOTAL — 5 stars… could be Marin’s best restaurant… but how the hell would I know?