Love this place, but why only two stars? It's the little things that they are BAD at. Greeting you at the door? A sigh, we do not visit often, so we don't warrant a hello, how are you? Ask for a cocktail on the rocks? There is an up charge. Really? It is served In a thimble. Bread is ok, not amazing. Portions for entrees are ok almost too large. Salad very good, just not very accommodating. Crowd is older. Love the chix piccata old school, but much of this place does not work for me. The tables by the windows are not good in the winter. Way better Italian around here read more

Tried Piccolo on a Tuesday evening and the place was very busy.Our server,Danielle,was very helpful and a joy to be with.The bread had no taste at all.The PEI Mussels were small and did not appear to be fresh. The seafood putanesca was a huge disappointment.(Burnt).The iced tea tasted like it was a week old.The place has only been opened for a short period of time,hopefully they pay more attention to the taste of the food. Arabiattas,Mario Fazios,Becky's and Gaetanos have nothing to worry about yet. read more

My wife and I had an early reservation this evening (only thing available) curious what we might find. A recent plain dealer review giving a rare 4 star rating had us anticipating an excellent Italian meal. Our first impression's were decent decor (a bit dated and typical Italian themes with some interesting photos of Cleveland but nice none the less.) Next observation was that this was certainly an older crowd. We are 50+ and felt we were the youngest in the place by at least 10 years. Service was very attentive. Started with house bread and olive oil dip. Bread was bland with little flavor. Oil could have used some pepper or some sort of flavor. Bread was burnt on the underside. Not horrible but lacking. I ordered the lamb bolognese. My wife ordered the chicken parm. Both came with a house salad. Salad was generic with chopped romaine some garbanzo beans and carrots. Rather pedestrian. Dressing was not so bad. My lamb bolognese was BLAND. Not taste what so ever. I tried adding salt. Not much help. I could taste no aromatics typically found in a bolognese. It certainly had not been slow cooked for several hours as is typical with the bolognese dishes i am familiar with. I tasted the sauce on my wife's parm and on her side of pasta. All tasted the same. Wife's dish was basically the same (I tasted it as we'll). No flavor what so ever. When we finished and I declined to take the half portion I didn't eat the server asked what was the problem. When I explained that the dish lacked taste and not very exciting she said "why don't you take it home and doctor it up?" I was flabbergasted. Why should I have to fix it? Should have been made more appealing the first time. The reaction of the guests around us seem to indicate they had died and gone to heaven. My wife and I unfortunately couldn't seem to have the same reactions. The prices were very reasonable but we both agreed we would rather spend a bit more a get food with much more flavor and creativity. There are many options in Cleveland that offer this. We both agree we will give it another chance for lunch on the hopes we hit them on a bad night but I am not holding out much hopes. read more

My family and I have been partaking in the Piccolo experience every Saturday evening since they opened. The food and service rival any well respected restaurant in the the Cleveland area. The ravioli stuffed with short rib are delicious, along with everything else on the menu. Be sure to make a reservation, as this has become a mayfield hot spot! read more

Great Italian restaurant, be prepared to take home leftovers as portions are huge! So far I've tried the panzanella salad, the eggplant parm, and the lasagna. All were very tasty! read more

Awful experience, maybe the worst I've ever had. From the pile of trash under our table, to slow service, to awful food that only tasted of salt and sugar, we've never had a more miserable experience. To make matters worse, the service is atrocious and unfriendly. Rating this place 1-star is too kind. read more

Ambiance and service is a B+. The food however is an A. The calamari with sweet peppers was very delicious for an appetizer. The gnocchi rosa had amazing Italian sausage. My party also gave great reviews to the linguini with clam sauce. read more

Owners and servers were very friendly. The place is very popular so we gave it a try, many of our friends said it was their favorite restaurant. The food and price were average, there are 3 or 4 other Italian Restaurants I prefer over Piccolo's. The place is very small and loud, the servers were very pleasant and efficient, I think the kitchen has a problem, after we had our drinks and salad served it took 1 hour and 15 minutes to get our main course. I would give them another chance just because of the effort put in by the owners and staff. read more

Group of 6 headed to Piccolo for the first time. Great food and atmosphere. Service was very good. Mussels were outstanding. Definitly heading back! read more

This place left me feeling salty.... Literally. We started by ordering calamari which I have had many places many ways but here it was salted so heavily it left me feeling like I was in the Sahara desert. Then we moved onto the risotto balls which while cooked good we're not at all seasoned. For our main dishes we ordered chicken Parmesan and a artichoke pizza. I'm fairly certain that whoever breaded our chicken mixed up the bread crumbs and the salt because this thing was more salty then a girl who runs into her ex at the mall with his much hotter, younger girlfriend on his arm. Our pizza was no better. Once more I think someone substituted the cheese for salt. I must of drank 30 glasses of water. I'm convinced they salt everything to the heavens so that you keep buying overpriced wine. If your blood pressure is at all elevated stay the heck away from this place! read more

Extremely tasty food at a reasonable price, great service and nice relaxed environment. Try the cannoli!

I love everything about this restaurant! The food is great and so are the drinks, the service, and the atmosphere. I've been here twice and both times I was equally satisfied. The do everything to make sure their customers are satisfied. I've noticed they are a little undermanned with the staff but they're still doing a great job with attending to customers in a timely manner. This is one of the best restaurants in this area in my opinion! read more

I really hate to give this restaurant 5 stars because it will make it even more popular than it is now. But I have comment on the best restaurant in the area. The happy hour is not to be believed. A huge plate of bow tie pasta with chicken for 6.00? Crazy! I think my Nona is in the kitchen. The best food ever at ridiculous prices. Plus Randy and Genise are the best bartenders in Northeast Ohio. Please don't come here. I love the quiet, intimate atmosphere. read more

What a gem! This is an excellent Italian restaurant on the east side of Cleveland where you will find some of the freshest, high quality food around. We went with a large group and were seated quickly. Service was outstanding as was everything we ordered. The eggplant parm was fantastic and one diner said it was the best she ever had. The chicken and pasta dishes were superior and the fried dough at the end of the meal was sublime! The food was authentic, delicious and excellent. The noise level is fairly high and the place was crowded with expectant diners waiting at the front of the restaurant. Here you will find outstanding food, great service and a professional and friendly atmosphere. read more

After a cleveland.com review, I added Piccolo to the list of places I'd like to visit. The Plain Dealer gave it 4 stars, and I'd agree it's worth a visit. I was able to call and get a reservation the same night (and was glad I did as the restaurant was packed when we arrived). Our server was very friendly and attentive and had no trouble keeping our drinks filled, even though we were seated in the back corner, hidden from view. The food: We ordered the calamari giovani as an appetizer. This huge portion of squid was perfectly cooked and very flavorful. The foccacia and oil that we munched while waiting was also delicious. For our meals, my partner had the veal picatta, which was deliciously light and nicely balanced. With the appetizer and bread he took about half of it home and didn't even touch the side of pasta. I had the short rib agnolotti. It was rich and flavorful, a strong contrast to my partner's meal. I ate about half and took the rest home for lunch the next day. Overall, it was a lovely dining experience. My partner and I both loved the industrial look of the open, painted ceiling and all the Cleveland photographs as art on the walls. The food was tasty and service was excellent. I would definitely recommend a trip. read more

I have always wanted to try this place and as I have two small twins I put my hazards on in front of the store walked in to the hostess and said "would it be possible that we could have a table for four with two booster seats". She looked at me with an upturned chin and downcast eyes and raised eyebrows and asked me "did you make a reservation?" I took a second to process her facial expressions and responded "I see how it is." We went next-door to five guys. I will never go back. Unless that lady is the owner, you guys need to get her out of there. read more

If I could give a lower (negative) number of stars, I would, like -5 stars. We made a reservation for 5:30pm, we were running late & called to inform them, no problems indicated at this point. We arrived & were promptly seated, water was promptly served, and the waitress stopped by to say she'd return with bread. In the interim, a guy stopped by, might have been an asst manager-not sure, no introduction given, & told us that he had a party coming @ 7:30pm & that we needed to be finished with dinner by then... Hmmm...I guess "1st come, 1st served" means nothing anymore or trying to find other seating for the later party. I've never had a "manager" tell me to hurry up & eat in my life. I will not recommend anyone eat there...ever. I've not had the food...I planned to get them to cater an event later on, but they managed to piss me off & pissed away any business I might have brought there way. So, do not eat here...ever! read more

Hands down, one of the best Italian meals my wife and I have had in years! That includes Giovanni's, where we were a few weeks ago. And the price point is much more manageable. read more

Great food, service, and atmosphere! This was my first time here and I'm so glad we decided to try the place. First off, the place is beautiful and we were seated promptly even though the place was packed. I ordered the spaghetti in clam sauce and calamari appetizer. Both were excellent! read more

Terrific from start to finish Lora and Randi treat you as an old friend. Thanks! Food was exceptional from the OO and parm dip... and on and on. Keep up the great work... Jeff read more

I don't know if they changed chefs or what. We have eaten there several times and it's been fine. The latest take out order was inedible. Veal Marsala was drenched and the veal wasn't good quality. Lasagna was not even recognizable. Won't be back. read more

Ok this was my first time here and it was like 10:30 pm close to closing time we was the only people in there and it was a Friday the service was great bread and water was brought to the table immediately the lady was very nice the restaurant looks great walking in and in the dining room we chose the calamari and its was great we ordered it plane but it comes in sautéed peppers, I ordered the vel parmigiana and my wife ordered the chicken parmigiana with a side of spaghetti and I really hate to say that both of our dinners was unbearable unfortunately but I keep telling myself that maybe it was so close to closing that's why it was bad but I'm never going back to find out. All in all good service good appetizer bad dinner. read more

Gave Piccolo's another chance after several mediocre experiences hopeful it would be different. Disappointed once again, service was ok but the food was unacceptable. The server agreed to comp the meal but in the end it was still charged on my check, wont return. read more

Super staff. Fantastic food. Wonderful atmosphere. If you can't tell we really loved this place. Don't miss out. Be sure to visit!

Well, we went in a Friday before 6 pm. It was quite crowded. I asked how long a wait for two and the woman at the host stand just looked at me and said "we will only have the bar." She wouldn't tell me how long the wait was. Since we had orchestra tickets we didn't hang around. My husband has been there for lunch and really liked it and didn't realize they took reservations. This would have been my first time there. Too bad the hostess was so....um...abrupt. read more

We stumbled into the place after going to another business in the plaza. At first glimpse we thought it was a chain but entering the place I saw the review in the local paper that I had read. The raves in the review were correct. The bar is a long granite or marble setting with comfortable chairs. Although stuck in a boring plaza the atmosphere is hushed, dim lights, Italian setting but not cheesy Italian. The artwork partly consists of photos of the Carnegie Bridge, an icon of Cleveland architecture. We stayed for happy hour, a rare treat for a Saturday. Great selection of food and wine, pleasant and attentive bar help, thank you Randi! I really liked the place and will be back. Highly recommended. read more

I'm really sad to write this. I have been to this restaurant SO many times and every time before this it has been great food and great service. But tonight was terrible. Chris M., a young blonde kid with an attitude and no manners was our server. He was very short, rude and forgot that he is in the business of customer service. I ordered the Italian Cobb salad. I assumed this was a dinner salad and that it would be brought out with the rest of my friend's dinners...but no. I was brought my giant dinner salad (without the chicken) when everyone else was getting their side salads. Then 10 minutes later I was handed a plate of chicken. And guess what? It was cold and salty! I told my waiter and he gave a confused look and did not apologize. I then asked for salmon instead and 20 minutes later after everyone was don't eating I got a small burnt piece of salmon. Icing on the cake? They didn't take anything off the bill, no apology and when I told the female manager about what happened she proceeded to argue with me and ask me to hand her the box of my food that I barely touched. Not sure what has happened to Picollos but it went to being one of my favorite Italian restaurants to being one of the worst. read more

Any plate or app has been fantastic, portions will leave you with leftovers. Make a reservation or you will have a wait. Seems to be many regulars, so be prepared to see some focus there, but I am OK with that as I would hope for the same. Sit at the bar during happy hour as some better deals and service is pretty decent. read more

We came in on a whim because we where hungry and we had been driving by this unassuming place for months. We split the calamari Giovani I had the Short ribs and my wife had the Bowtie Pasta and we where pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food and staff. We are definitely going to put this on our return dining list. read more

Sauce on my side of pasta way to sweet Ordered breaded shrimp appetizer breading overpowered shrimp My wife's spaghetti & clam sauce not many clams Bread was good I've had better Italian food read more

I still like this restaurant, and go often for dinner. The food is great, the restaurant is attractive and clean, it always smells good, and the staff is friendly and attentive. However, I've had the occasion to go at lunch and it is often really slow. Even if you order right away, it seems like the food comes out slowly. If you want to go for lunch, or if you are in a rush, you need to let them know you have to go. read more

Wonderful setting. Great food. Good service. All-in-all we enjoyed the ambiance, meal and conversation... A modern romantic evening for two.

Some ups and downs on our first visit. Here's the list: Two top tables too small. Delicious oil needs more hearty bread choice. Calamari app needs lots of rework. Maybe consult with Lockkeepers chef for example. More focus on good service. Caring staff, managers good. Beautiful dining area. Entrees were good. Cannoli delish! read more

Love the bread they serve in the beginning of the meal. Well-made meals. The one thing I do NOT like is that their red sauce is too sweet so I steer clear of the pizzas and pasta. read more

Always had good pizza here - last night I ordered a large pepperoni and bit into RAW dough! I couldn't even eat the pizza. Sauce was different too. Way too sweet. It was terrible. May be awhile before I go back and try it again. read more

What treasure this restaurant is! For business, for pleasure; the works. The meals are authentically flavorful with a hint of modern Italian flair. As a former Clevelander, my time travelling home is limited; so when I can dine local, I want an exceptional experience. Even with Little Italy within 30 minutes, I would rather sit at Piccolo. I am a fan for life. read more

Good food, but terrible customer service. I made a reservation via telephone and was assured that it was in for 5:30. When I arrived I was told that my name was down, but there were no seats available. I was not seated. I ate at the bar, but had wanted a table. My complaints were completely ignored with no acknowledgement. No apology, no offer of a minor comp. Just pretended I did not exist. Non-Italians running an Italian restaurant might get the food right, but in this case they got the customer service all wrong, and never made a gesture to do the right thing. read more

Chicken masala was great! Terrific sauce. My wife had chicken parm which she enjoyed. We will be back.

Good food. Good ambiance. Great price. Kristy was a fantastic waitress and y'all should request her when you go there.

We have been to this restaurant 4-5 times previously with good results. Last evening, we waited for over 1 hour for our entrees after our appetizer. Went to the manager/owner and things started to happen, two dinners came out tepid (lobster ravioli under cooked) and we waited another 5 minutes for the salmon salad. Owner removed the entrees from our bill but I was so upset and disgusted I left my meal on the table. Was a fan until yesterday, never, ever will return to this restaurant. read more