Piccolo Italian Restaurant

Best Italian I’ve had in awhile. Staff was very friendly and the atmosphere was nice. While there aren’t that many seats, it leaves room for small conversation and the enjoyment of fresh food right to your table. This restaurant is a must to satisfy your wine and pasta craving!

My husband and I are from Chicago and very spoiled with good food, especially Italian food. We visit my father’s place in Punta Gorda often and had decided there wasn’t any good food in the area besides chain restaurants… Until we found Piccolo! Make sure to make a reservation, it is a very small place, maybe only 5 tables! T is so worth it though. Everything is made from scratch and it tastes like mama made it. The desserts are so decadent and the staff is incredibly warm and friendly.

The eggplant parm was the best I have had. The meatballs were excellent as was the veal parm. Serving sizes are large with plenty to take home. Service was great, talked with the owners and family. Recommend making a reservation. This just became our go to Italian restaurant.

Not a big place it’s small and cozy. The service was outstanding the food was great the owner is very hands-​on will go back again

We loved this place! I’m very critical of Italian restaurants and there’s nothing to criticize. There sauce is perfect — not too sweet, not too thin or thick. Rave reviews on the manicotti and chicken Marsala. The eggplant parmigiana was very good. Mom doesn’t like too much mozzarella, so she’d have been happier with a bit less. We shared Limoncello for dessert. Heavenly!

We had dinner here last night! The food was AMAZING again! Great prices as well. We had the caprese salad which might have been the best I have ever had! I had the chicken piccata over fettuccini (small portion, which I still took ½ home) which was out of this world! And my husband had the clams over fettuccini w/​a white sauce. Everything was excellent! The only feedback I would suggest would be to turn the lights down a little bit. It’s very bright inside w/​very limited seating. Reminded us of a place in the North end of Boston, although this is set on Hwy 17 in what seems like an old fast food establishment. We would HIGHLY recommend this restaurant for anyone that is looking for a high quality Italian meal!

This tiny place makes some terrific, fresh Italian food. We went early to avoid crowds and had terrific service. Had the Tuscan Salad, Grilled Salmon and homemade fettacini pasta with tomato sauce. The staff and owner were very friendly. Topped it off with the Limoncello Cake served with blueberries and strawberries. Really tasty and satisfying. We will definitely be going back to try some other dishes.

Who knew such great food lurked in such an unassuming place! The grilled chicken in the fettuccini alfredo was fantastic! Husband has tried almost everything on the menu with the same results. And don’t even get me started on the lemoncello dessert… so dang good. The wait staff is very attentive and the owner (and head chef I’m assuming) made sure to check on everyone. Only 8 tables so we make reservations. This area is very lucky to have such a great restaurant.

Went there with wife for first time, dining room is tiny maybe seven tables but don’t let that discourage you. started with calamari which was good but not great shortly after entrees arrived veal and eggplant parmesan both were outstanding some of the best we ever have had anywhere. waitress was very pleasant definitely our new place for Italian fix.

Excellent! !
I eat here once a week. Everything is extremely fresh, homemade and authentic. Never had a bad meal or experience. You may have to wait a little bit for your food when they are really busy. It’s worth it.

Okay, so at this point I have had pretty much everything on the menu at Piccolo and have gained five pounds and have to stop but I can’t. ;). The pasta is delicious and homemade, as are the sauces, as is everything and it is all too good to turn down!
The owners and chefs, Robert and Marcella are two of the kindest and most genuine people that you will ever meet and they clearly put all of that love into their cooking and the way they treat their guests.
I highly recommend the Marsala, the piccata, the lasagna… Umm well anything! ;). This is the best Italian food that I’ve had since I ate with my father in Little Italy as a kid, and it my opinion, kicks little Italy’s rear end! Definitely a must go if you’re ever in Punta Gorda!

Homemade pasta great, lemoncello dessert fabulous. Chocolate Bombe also great. All the dinners looked great and we had 25 people. Everyone enjoyed their meal.

We tried the new place. Quite small. Seated quickly, not too crowded but understand there can be long waiting times. Anyway, I had the chicken Parmesan, and my husband had the eggplant parm… Both were fabulous in both flavor & temperature. We went with the added cost for FRESH pasta. Best choice. Sauce was full of flavor and we will be going back.
We do think they should have some classic Italian music playing instead of the current hip-​hop. Would help minimize the smallness of the room and the table talk of next table.
Still an awesome meal.

After reading some prior reviews, we weren’t expecting much. Expected a long wait for service, an even longer wait for food prep. Well, what a pleasant surprise. Greeted immediately, our table was set & waiting for us. Young lady was very prompt in taking drink orders, followed by food orders when we were ready. She knew the menu well.
Food was delivered long before we were able to finish or wine & beer. Food was exactly as ordered, prep’d fabulously. Outstanding presentation & taste.
Very important to make reservations. Bön apetite.

The food was pretty good. The service was terrible. Walked in, greeted with «do you have a reservation?» Since we didn’t know they took reservations, or that we needed one, we said no and were seated. The place is small, the atmosphere is odd. There’s no background music, there’s a few pictures on the wall, very plain. The waitress finally came to the table after 10 minutes and asked «what can I get you guys?» Didn’t ask for drinks, or if we wanted appetizers. While waiting before this, a guy (who I assume was the owner) was walking to the other tables and talking to the other customers, avoiding ours. After ordering our food and drinks we recieved our drinks, canned sodas. The waitress went on to avoid our table the rest of the evening, was not attentive, and rude to other customers. Our main dishes came out about an hour after arriving. 3 dishes: veal parm: good, but cool; Eggplant: hot, pretty good; lasagna: not memorable; caprese salad: very good. We will not be going back, the food wasn’t bad, the service was horrible.

3.5 stars would be better. Very small and cramped. Family restaurant for sure. Servers are probably daughters or nieces. Waited for what seemed like 15 minutes after we were seated to be asked for a drink. The were walking in the back chatting and doing something. I wasn’t expecting super service, but it does start you off on the wrong foot.
Wine prices are very good. Had a nice bottle of montipulciano d’abruzo for only $ 18.
Very limited menu. Two options for salad, house and Caprese. The Caprese was $ 9, so I hoped it would be good. Avoid it. Four slices of tasteless supermarket tomatoes, decent mozzarella cheese, about one basil leaf worth of basil, about a tablespoon of Olive oil and a drop or two of something that might have been balsamic vinegar, it was garnished with canned water packed black olives and a few pimento stuffed green olives.
I had one of the specials, meat lasagna. It was excellent! The meat sauce tasted fresh and clean. There was just the right amount of meat and cheese. My wife had the manicotti. It had the same wonderful sauce and was stiffed with ricotta and spinach. My wife liked it, but I found the stuffing a little lacking, but the sauce made up for it.
It is a very small dining room. It seats about 24, but you feel like you are in a sardine can. Decent food (except for the Caprese salad).

I will start this review off on a good note. The food was good but, not great and the portions were huge. The owner was friendly but, the 2 servers were overwhelmed. They were overwhelmed due to the place being packed along with people standing around waiting for a table. It was extremely difficult for the staff to get around. Now for the bad stuff. This was my wife and I’s first (and last) visit. We had a
$ 10 certificate and were advised that they no longer participate. Okay, we can get credits for the 2 we bought. We ordered a bottle of wine. 15 minutes later, the owner came out to serve it. Again, he was very nice but since the 2 servers were under age, they could not serve alcohol. A few minutes later, our server returned to take our order. My wife got the Eggplant Parm special and I got the Veal Parm special. Neither included a soup or salad.
That was a bit strange to us. Well, we waited and waited and waited during which time I was blessed to have a male senior citizen’s butt right next me while he half-​sat on a stool at a counter next to our table while his party waited for a table. Almost exactly one hour from the time we arrived, the owner brought our food. Again the food was good, hot and generously proportioned. We finished our meal, requested a leftover box and our check. That took another 10 minutes. We generally leave a 20% tip. Not tonight. 15% was it. If I could offer some advice to the owner. Get a bigger place. You obviously serve good food but, the facility is way too small. Put salt and pepper on the table. Don’t make us ask for it. Hire some staff that can serve alcohol. We ended up being in that restaurant for 1 ¾ hours. Not a pleasant experience. We won’t be back.

Very simple and classic. The homemade pasta does make a difference. Light, thin and delicious. Their sauces are seasoned just enough with out being overpowering. Their pizza is tasty and crisp. A simple selection of toppings means you won’t have the chance to junk it all up and just enjoy the flavor that dough, cheese and sauce can make when baked to perfection.
Now when they say this place is small, they mean it. If you are claustrophobic, hate listening to other people’s conversations or having them listen to yours, this is not your place. But if you are willing to wait (and why wouldn’t you… what else is there to do in Punta Gorda) you’ll be rewarded with a great meal.

My wife and I have eaten at this delightful little restaurant three times within the past three months (one time we brought her parents along, to celebrate their anniversary). Each time we had a wonderful meal experience. The food is amazingly well-​prepared and tasty (their pizza is the best we’ve found in the Punta Gorda area). The staff is friendly and welcoming. The space is rather tiny and intimate — inside there are fewer than 10 tables and maybe 4 counter stools, and there are maybe 2 or 3 tables outside. To quote Hemingway, the place is clean and well-​lit, and you can carry on a conversation without having to shout. The restaurant is located on Hwy 17 just east of Winn-​Dixie (and on same side of road), a couple of miles east of I-​75 exit 164.

Piccolo is a small restaurant. The menu offers fresh ravioli, fettuccine and spaghetti with bolognese, marinara or pesto sauce. The spinach and ricotta ravioli is tasty and comes in a decently sized portion. Their pizza comes in a 14″ size with your choice of fresh toppings. The pizza I ordered had a nicely crisped crust and roasted peppers and fresh mushrooms. Their flan is velvety and came with freshly whipped cream (really…I watched it being whipped) and dulce du leche.
Piccolo is a newly opened restaurant which boasts freshly made food every day. A statement I must agree with. They do have a few kinks to work out; not enough menus as well as not enough wait staff. However, these are small things and will probably work themselves out. I would definitely say Piccolo is worth a try.