Piccolo Forno

Not sure why there are so many positive reviews. The food is horrible. I got the gnocchi semolina. Giant under cooked piles of mush cornmeal or something. The braised beef short ribs on top of it was slimy and had an awful taste to it. Two bites & I was done. Luckily, the server was kind enough to take it off our bill. But from his comment, they must have a problem with these «gnocchi» being under cooked. Husband had the lasagna. 2 thin slabs of lasagna which he ate, but wasn’t impressed with. He cut off a small piece for me and it ran all over the plate. Not very good. Most Italian restaurants that we’ve been to give you a nice thick, meaty piece of lasagna.
Place is very small and extremely noisy. All you keep hearing is the clanging of plates.
Stay away!

I feel like I wouldn’t be doing anybody any favors if I didn’t lead this review off with some down and dirty facts. Fact number one, our server was wonderful, but the greeter at the front door had the personality of a senior employee at the DMV. Show up with your entire party at one time, or wait for them in your car. Speaking of cars, fact number two, there is off street parking available for patrons, free of charge. Third fact, most important fact, BYOB… they do charge for a cork service, so bring your own chilled wine and they’ll gladly serve it to you.
You may be wondering how this little joint, full of so much difficulty, is deserving of a 5 star rating. It’s simple, I can say beyond a reasonable doubt, that I may not have know what real food tasted like, until I tasted the food they serve at Piccolo Forno! That is not even close to an exaggeration! From foods that I can barely pronounce, to the gelato crafted in house, anything you get here is guaranteed to please! I will certainly jump through the hoops to return to this classy little hole in the wall every opportunity I get! Oh yeah, the prices are actually quite reasonable. Be sure and grab an appetizer as the portions are well controlled.

We were so lucky to come here during a time there was no wait, considering that seems to be the consensus of the reviews. If you know me, I’m constantly on the hunt for delicious wood fired pizza. Some friends told me their favorite pizza of all time was from Piccolo Forno so I had to see what it was all about. My husband and I ordered the Quattro Stagioni pizza, Pappardelle con Coniglio alla Garfagnana (braised spiced rabbit with pappardelle pasta), tiramisu and… Gosh for the life of me, I cannot remember the name of the dessert I ordered. It was a cappuccino gelato ball, really.
Anyway, the pizza had four toppings on four different areas of the pie, making it a nice sampling. The pizza was pretty good. Not too salty and pretty well balanced. My favorite topping was the prosciutto and my husband’s favorite was the roasted red pepper. The mushrooms were my least favorite as they had a very strong smokey flavor, which I’m sure many might enjoy. Although the pizza was good, I liked the pasta more. All their pastas are made in-​house which is really impressive. The braised rabbit and sauce of our pasta dish had a comforting, curry-​like flavor which was perfect for a cold day.
Now. Onto the star of the show. The dessert! My cappuccino gelato ball (I wish I could remember the name of this!) was AMAZING. As if plain gelato wasn’t rich enough, the ball had a filling and was drizzled with caramel and chocolate syrup. I may come back just for this! The tiramisu was nice and light with an orange flavor. The entrees were good but the desserts were great!

Nice. Food was fantastic, and the place itself, it very cool.

For my money — and you’ll have to spend some — best in the city. House made pastas, scratch sauces, brick oven pizzas (creative ones too — pistachio pesto, romano cheese, basil, mortadella, burrata — wow).
I know people b*tch about about the waiting and limited reservations — ok, so if that’s a problem, don’t choose to go to one of the best restaurants in the city on a Friday or Saturday, prime time dinner rush. They are open 10am — 11pm Tues– Thurs, too.
In terms of actual pasta and pizza — probably the best I’ve had. Stacks up with anything you’ll find in the North End.

I just love Piccolo Forno so much, it warms my soul.
I’ve been here quite a few times over the years and have never had a bad experience whether it was just 2 people or large groups. Yes there will be a wait, yes it will be long on weekends, but that is why you have 2+ great pre-​dinner drinks options across the street and around the corner. Just be prepared for the wait, get a drink at Cantina, take a deep breath it will all be ok and you will soon be drunk off a margarita and in lasagna heaven.
The food. I always start with a Pizza. The pizza is the best authentic Italian style in the city. My mother lived in Italy for years and I’ve been a few times and this is the closest I have had to the streets of Italy. My favorites: Prosciutto E Rucola or the Speck E Marscarpone. Prosciutto and arugla is my life go to pizza, but the Speck and Marscarpone is a unique change. Sweet from the cheese, salty from the speck, my mouth is watering.
Pasta. Oh sweet homemade pasta. I’ve had the rotolo which is very good. The spinach ravioli with sage is also good. Tortelli is good, but not my favorite. Where my heart starts to race with excitement is the lasagna. Many have said it before, but this lasagna is just IT. Sidenote, I would like them to bring back the maccheroni with eggplant. That was always my dining partners choice for ideal sharing. Regardless of your party size, what people are ordering, one person must get the lasagna.

This place was worth the wait. It took about 45 minutes to get a table which was understandable. (We went on a Saturday.) We grabbed a drink across the street and they called us when our table was ready which First of all, I would prefer rather than waiting around and secondly, there is no where to wait.
All of the staff we spoke to were really friendly and helpful. I debated between two dishes and was glad I let out server help me choose, it was delicious! She highly recommended the Tortelli and we got a meat and cheese plate to start. Everything was filling and so good.
It was BYOB so make sure to take a nice bottle of wine with you.
I will say they cram as many tables in as possible. It is a small place and you don’t get much room.
But other than that, this is a new favorite of mine.

I had dinner with three friends at Piccolo Forno this past weekend. Since it was a Friday night, we had to wait about 45 minutes for a seat, and finally got one at a small 4 top near the front door. Since it is BYOB we could get right to business on our wine while we debated over the rather large menu.
We shared two large, fresh salads and the bruschetta for appetizers. The bruschetta toppings were extremely pungent! If you are into the featured flavors, load up!
My friend and I decided to share the Quattro Stagioni (Crushed tomatoes and fresh mozzarella with four separate sections of prosciutto, roasted red peppers, mushrooms, and artichokes) and the Cannelloni di Cinghiale (baked, boar and apple filled cannelloni with a pumpkin cream sauce, fontina, and sage pesto). I thoroughly enjoyed the pizza, it was fresh, thin crust and the veggie toppings were roasted wonderfully. I did not have the same feelings about the Cannelloni. The sage pesto completely over-​powered the dish to the point where I couldn’t even finish my half. I am not one to be turned off by herb flavors but something just did not work in this dish.
Stick to ordering the pizzas, that seems to be Piccolo Forno’s strong suit.

I really enjoyed this place. I went on a Tuesday and got in around 6. There were plenty of tables and it was a gorgeous atmosphere with beautiful lighting.
I had the Ravioli con Burro E Salvia. I thought it was absolutely delicous and the portion was perfect.
I would put them as priced right for what they offered. It’s a nice place to meet with friends or to go on a date, not breaking the bank but with class.
I only gave them four stars because I felt like I was being rushed out at the end. There were people waiting at the door, but I wasn’t quite finished and my waitress was grabbing to wrap my plate. She was very nice and helpful with options, I don’t think I had bad service at all. I think it’s just best to keep in mind that if you plan on going during rush hour you will wait. If you don’t want to wait, go earlier or later.
Overall, enjoyed Piccolo Forno!

We had a great experience here last weekend! It’s been on my radar, but always seem to have forgotten about it until now. We went at around 5:30 thinking we could beat a dinner rush since they don’t make reservations. Boy were we off on that assumption it was a full house. We were told there was about a 70 minute wait, but they offered to hold our wine (BYOB) and would call when ready. This was made ok by Gapperia.
It was our time to eat at the time we were told our wait would be. We ordered a prosciutto rucola pizza and the butternut squash tortellini. The crust to sauce to cheese ratio was perfect! The homemade noddles I am still daydreaming about. Everything was full of flavor and fresh. We finished our meal by splitting a peanut butter chocolate gelato that was rotating in the menu which was amazing.
Our waiter was very nice and attentive. The décor is simple and tho it is very small inside you don’t feel like you’re on top of the table next to you. We will be back!

I do not normally like pasta and a friend convinced me to try here. They make all their pasta home made and you can defiantly tell. The food was amazing and we got to sit outside in November. Wait staff was exceptional and on point even though they were very busy. I will definitely add to my available options for dinning.

Dishonest hostess; terrible attitude.
Rule #1: customer is always right.
Something is off here. They create seating availability and duration out of thin air and won’t take reservations for parties less than 5 or more we came to find out. Having disgruntled customers due to dishonesty isn’t worth squeezing few more servings out per night. Very greedy and short sighted.
Wife was hungry and craving Italian. Doing the sensible thing on a Friday night, we called to see if they could seat two. The host says no problem, we can. Great, we walk there. We walk there and ask for indoor seating and are told 15 – 20 minute wait. Hmm bit disgruntled, but you said 10 minutes ago you could seat us. Oh these things happen, it’s tough to tell when there will be seating. Lie #1.
No waiting area, we stand out on the stoop for 20 minutes. No call, nothing. I go in to make sure they haven’t forgotten about us. Hostess says we got tables outside, give us some more time to clean it up. Thought we told you we would like indoor seating. Oh, the tables inside are chatty and difficult to tell when they’ll leave. Lie #2.
Frustrated, I confront her about lying twice and that had she been honest my pregnant wife would be eating now instead of waiting on the stoop. Again, I get the same snarky attitude and run around. Having lived all over, you’d swear this is the only restaurant and only incompetent hostess in the country incapable of managing customers for a dinner.
Now desperate to eat a piece of bread or anything my wife agrees to outdoor seating. A kind waitress comes out and asks us how we are doing. Frustrated and on edge, hopefully the food will make us forget this. Instead of easing the tension, she decides to regurgitate the same defense as the hostess.
We order and wife eats a bread slice or two. Wife too hormonal and in tears, I throw a few bucks for the bread, and we go elsewhere. Fortunately, we were able to go elsewhere nearby and salvage the night.
The competency of the hostess should be reconsidered.

I really have mixed feelings about this place. Maybe a 3.5, but there were some negatives that can’t push it above that.
On one hand…
— I would totally go back for the mortadella and pistachio pizza. That was by far the winning dish. The risotto was good, but way too heavy for me to really crave again. The lemon cavatelli was great and fresh, though slightly too lemony for my taste.
— The portions were large. Most of us could only finish half of what we ordered — hello leftovers!
— The service was good overall.
— l like the BYOB concept (though see below for a caveat here).
On the other…
— It was SOOOOO hot and stuffy in there. We were all sweating all the way through our meal.
— They don’t take reservations except for large parties. I just hate that in general. It is compounded here by the fact that if you have to wait, there’s no place to do it. You have to stand outside or go somewhere else.
— Their corkage fees are ridiculous. $ 5 per bottle no matter how many bottles you bring. Charge me a buck for the wine glass and call it a day. So annoying.
— The ground boar ragu was not my favorite. If I’d ordered that, I’ve have been disappointed by the very gamey taste of the dish.
— Our party of 8 was sat at a table really meant for 6 — another peeve of mine. It was pretty crowded overall and the people that sat along the aisle kept getting bumped by people headed to the bathroom.
Overall, we had fun and everyone enjoyed the meal. But the negatives are kick this out of my go-​to category.

A coworker and I went here for lunch when I was in down on business. the inside is small and can get quite packed. We sat by the fire burning oven that they put their pizzas in so we knew this place was legit. not a huge fan of their «no substitutions» rule, but I found tow items on the menu to try.
I tried their soup of the day which was like an Italian chicken noddle soup – ravioli instead of noodles and dark meat chicken in a broth with carrots and other veggies. the ravioli was a little bland and the chicken was overcooked. I also got the pear salad, which was delicious. The ingredients were fresh and the pears were slightly cooked so they were soft and sweet as opposed to crunchy. my coworker got a pizza, which was generous in size. It was some sort of veggie pizza. I thought it was interesting that different parts of the pizza had different types of vegetables sliced on the large side (instead of lots of veggies finely chopped and spread out on the top of the pizza). It made the presentation look awesome, but I’m not sure if I would have liked that taste wise.
Service was good but we also came when it wasn’t too crowded so that was nice.

Ambiance: Overall on the small side, with a few outdoor tables on the front sidewalk and seating for about 30 inside. There is a open cooking area with a wood-​fired pizza oven in the back though I believe the main kitchen is in the basement. The seating area is modern and a nice balance of casual but classy.
Drinks: BYOB! Yay!!!
Food: I love the food here. They have a plethora of fresh, seasonally inspired, pasta dishes. I have tried several, usually an option with seafood, and have never been disappointed. Also, their pizzas are amazing. I have usually gone with one of the prosciutto pizzas put also recently enjoyed the pistachio and mortadella pizza.
Service: During each visit we have always had attentive, knowledgeable service.
Overall: Piccolo Forno is my favorite Italian restaurant in Pittsburgh as it offers a wonderful combination of great ambiance, delicious food, good service, and reasonable prices.
Tip: I like stopping by Arsenal Cider right up the hill on 39^th street to get a growler of cider to bring to dinner. Also, they typically have a long wait on Friday or Saturday nights so be sure to have someone put your name in early or be prepared for a wait. Fortunately there are several good bars to sit at nearby including Piccolo Forno’s new offering «Grapperia» located right around the side on 38^th street.

SETTING:
Simple and intimate ambiance with a warm and inviting atmosphere. I really like the dark red tones, brick walls, and hardwood floors.
FOOD:
Garfield would love this place because Piccolo Forno does lasagna like no other. I love lasagna and have had a wide spectrum of quality. I’ve had frozen dinner lasagna (regretfully), Olive Garden lasagna (pretty okay), and also lasagna from other nice Italian restaurants (not bad). BUT, Piccolo Forno’s lasagna (have mercy!) is the clear winner here.
What makes this lasagana so incredible? No question, it’s the beschamel cream sauce instead of the heavy ricotta cheese. The lasagna just melts in your mouth! Furthermore, the size of the dish is generous. It’s always a struggle deciding if I should take the rest home and enjoy it for another meal, or enjoy it longer and finish the dish!
SERVICE:
Professional. However, PF always gets very busy, so sometimes it does get a bit difficult to flag down staff.
IMPRESSIONS:
I’ve had lasagna here for a few times, and I could never order anything else. That’s how good it is. I just can’t muster up the courage to try something new when I already know the lasagna is heavenly!

Piccolo Forno is a lovely venue with great food. The atmosphere is warm and inviting. It would be an ultimate date night location if only the wait wasn’t so long. I kid you not… nearly 2-​hour wait. If you want good food, you have to be willing to work for it! If possible, try to make a reservation, but I think there’s a group minimum.
The food though was great! There’s something on the menu for everyone. For those seeking something simple and light, I recommend the Margherita Pizza with extra basil on top. The crust was thin, almost like flat bread, but the freshness of the sauce and cheese was divine – probably the healthiest pizza I’ve ever devoured. It was decent size and can easily be shared between 2 people. For those seeking a little crunch, I highly recommend the Lucchese Panini, which comes with prosciutto, roasted peppers, mozzarella, pesto sauce and a side of beans. The combination of flavors and crunchy texture of the panini was on point. For those more adventurous, the Spaghetti Neri con Gamberi (spaghetti with squid ink) might be an option. It’s definitely interesting with a hint of fishy and reminded me of the ocean – something Queen Ursula would whip up in her kitchen. I enjoyed the first bite of the squid ink pasta, but it’s not something I’ll be able to finish. End dinner with some tiramisu, meant to be shared because it’s huge!
Overall, I really enjoyed my meal at Piccolo Forno. I am willing to return again in the future for another dining adventure here. The wait was pretty bad, but totally worth it for the experience!

I want to say first that my girlfriends and I had a lovely dinner here, but there are many elements that, if changed, would bring this place up to five stars, in my opinion.
First, the noise level is very loud. We were screaming at each other to be heard.
Second, the food was good, not great. I wasn’t extremely impressed with the tagliolini. I also tried my friend’s pizza, and the crust was soggy. Wood fired pizza soggy?
Third, where was the bread? I’m not a carb crazed person, but this was the first Italian restaurant I’ve been to that didn’t serve bread.
The prices were very reasonable, and for that, I am grateful. The more BYOB restaurants in town, the better I say.
Service was to the point.

We went here the day before Valentine’s Day. It was a long wait, but we went across the street to Cantina while we waited, so it wasn’t bad. The place is super small, but the food is amazing. We had:
Bruschette– this was really tasty and filling
Crostini di Polenta– I don’t really like polenta, but this wasn’t bad
Rotolo Trecolori– Loved this. It had great pesto flavor, but also you could taste the spinach, carrot, and roasted peppers. Great dish.

At last, Unilocalers! I’ve finally had the pleasure to experience Piccolo Forno! I should get a badge just for that! ;)
We arrived on a Saturday night and only had to wait about 20 minutes for a table. I was amazed by how awesome the customer service was as the hostess was extremely friendly and offered to hold our wine for us since it’s BYOB (My fav! $ 5/​bottle). They call you when you’re table is ready.
The place is relatively small, but it gives you a very intimate and cozy feeling. At times it seems a little crazy, but you can still hear the person across from you without having to yell. Tables are far enough away as well so you’re not hearing conversation from the couple next to you.
Our server was very polite and made us feel very welcomed. She explained the menu to us and was super cool about everything. She suggested some good items as well.
The food was incredible. We were undecided on what to do for an appetizer and after seeing all of the amazing pizzas come out we went with that. We ordered the Bianca which was just a plain cheese and tomato pizza. I don’t know how something that is «plain» can taste so good! It literally melted in your mouth! Not something you hear too often about pizza. We devoured it. Next up, I ordered the Rigatoni con Pesto as my entrée. Heaven! What I thought was so interesting was the fact that there wasn’t too much sauce on the pasta, yet it was so flavorful! A little truly goes a long way here. It was the perfect blend of not too dry and not an overkill with the sauce. The pesto taste wasn’t overwhelming either. Bravo!
My only complaint is that the portions (specifically with the entrees) are a little small so I do recommend ordering an appetizer. Four slices of pizza and my meal (… and of course a bottle of wine!!) was plenty to fill me.
I can’t wait to return and hopefully bring some new people along with me! I love showing people awesome gems like PN!