We had my daughter's bridal shower at Piccolo Bistro. John was great to work with and everything went seamlessly. The food was amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Judy Quist
I booked the Bistro for a Sprinkle Party for my daughter . I enjoyed working with the owner in planning the party . He was accommodating and listened to my requests. We had 23 quests. The 4 tables were handled with prompt and friendly service …. Everyone enjoyed their meal . Yes, I would book another party . I also have discovered a nice restaurant to have lunch and dinner at; with family and friends .
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stephen Nelson
I am really surprised reading some of the positive reviews. I found this restaurant to have very poor service. The bread was served along with a very tiny dish with olive oil and pesto placed at the center of a large table of 6 to be shared by all of us. Not only was the portion unacceptable for 6 people, you couldn't even extend your arm and reach the dish to dip your bread. I had the veal parmesan entree with about two ounces of very dry veal paper thin with a burnt coating. The pasta served with it was so dry like paste and tasteless. I've had better tasting veal parmesan from a diner. Better pasta from a can. My brother received the wrong entree but did not have it in him to complain. There seemed to be a larger table that got all the attention that left no attention for the rest of us. If the owner is going to have a large party and neglected the other patrons, they probably should have closed the restaurant for the party if they could not handle it. I do not recommend this restaurant. On top of that , I felt like the owner was trying to push us out of the restaurant. There are so many other better options out there to dine for the price you pay at this restaurant.
Michelle J
We had a great time at Piccolo Bistro for our large party. The owner was very accommodating and the food and service were great. We had a wonderful time and will be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Steve N.
I am really surprised reading some of the positive reviews. I found this restaurant to have very poor service. The bread was served along with a very tiny dish with olive oil and pesto placed at the center of a large table of 6 to be shared by all of us. Not only was the portion unacceptable for 6 people, you couldn't even extend your arm and reach the dish to dip your bread. I had the veal parmesan entree with about two ounces of very dry veal paper thin with a burnt coating. The pasta served with it was so dry like paste and tasteless. I've had better tasting veal parmesan from a diner. Better pasta from a can. My brother received the wrong entree but did not have it in him to complain. There seemed to be a larger table that got all the attention that left no attention for the rest of us. If the owner is going to have a large party and neglected the other patrons, they probably should have closed the restaurant for the party if they could not handle it. I do not recommend this restaurant. On top of that , I felt like the owner was trying to push us out of the restaurant. There are so many other better options out there to dine for the price you pay at this restaurant.
Beth C.
We had a wonderful dinner with friends on a Thursday evening. Despite the rain, there were a good number of people enjoying their dinners. We found the food to be excellent and the menu quite varied and reasonable. We also enjoyed the fact that it is BYO. Our server/front of house was Sandra. She was just a delight! She was able to answer any questions that we had and offer suggestions. Although she was pretty busy, she never missed a beat, and there was never a lag in our meal. Although this was our first time at Piccolo, we will most certainly be back!
Geraldine Fernandez
terrrible food i left everything in my plate complete waste of
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 2
Bill L.
First time at this restaurant. It's in Ridgewood NJ. Food was ok, it's a byob which is a plus, service was good. The biggest drawback is the parking, found a spot 2 bocks away on a very cold night. The parking has been a huge negative for years thus the reason we don't frequent that town very often. Having said this, I would say give it a try and decide for yourself.
Billy
The food was ok, the calamari was chewy, the chicken francese was a bit tough. The other 3 said the food ok but nothing special. Service was very good, they were attentive and pleasant. Been to Ridgewood many times and found parking to be difficult All in all I would be fair and try it again as it's not fair to rule it out after one visit. I would say to give it a try.
Jena Vignola
I chose this restaurant to celebrate my mom's birthday because it had a lot of 5 star reviews and the plate photos looked great. It was such a disappointing experience.The restaurant is extremely small and we were packed into our table like sardines. It was a bit uncomfortable and every time the guy behind me moved, it felt like a kid kicking the back of my seat. Our table was also close to the front door, so every time someone arrived or left, we were hit with a burst of cold air. The table in front of us (closest to the front door) tried to move but no other tables were available, so the owner brought out a heater for them. So everyone at the heater end of our table was sweating and everyone at the door end of our table was freezing. It was so hot and stuffy at the heater end, between the heater and the body heat of the tables being so packed together, that my brother had to step out to get fresh air several times during our dinner.The restaurant seemed short staffed, as it took quite a while to get our drink order and to wait for our waitress to come back for our appetizer order. She was very nice and accommodating, but it seemed like she was working almost every table. One of their policies, which doesn't make a lot of sense to us, is that they will not take your appetizer order separate from your main course order. You have to be ready with both orders at the same time. We had several theories as to why this might be - one was to perfect the timing of the food but when we realized our main course had been seemingly sitting a while, waiting for us to finish our appetizers, we see it as more timing for the kitchen rather than for the customers.The other theory, now that we have eaten here, is that if anyone has the appetizers first, they would skip ordering the main course.We ordered frito misto, arancini de mare, and mozarella stuffed mushrooms for appetizers - it all tasted the same. Very bland, like something was missing from each recipe. We were a bit regretful that we chose this restaurant at that point, however our main course orders were already in. When the main course came, two out of the five orders were tastety. Thankfully, my mom's was one of them, since this was her birthday celebration and she ordered the $50 steak and jumbo shrimp combo (which did not include jumbo shrimp - just two regular sized shrimp, that looked quite whimpy). The roasted potatoes and Parmesan truffle fries were very dry. The salmon was tastey. And that was about it. Everyone else dumped salt on their food.My sister's order was incorrect and had to be sent back twice, so she actually wound up not eating. The owner was very apologetic and took the order off our bill, and then offered us free dessert. We definitely appreciated the offer, but we were very disappointed with the taste of our food, especially for the price, so we declined. We wound up going to another restaurant across the street to get my sister dinner and have dessert for my mom's birthday.After re-reviewing the reviews that made me choose this restaurant to begin with, it seems like a lot of the professional-looking photos were from 7 years ago and do not accurately represent the food today. Many people gave this restaurant 5 stars for food, and I can't understand how. If a simple ravioli dish tastes that bland, maybe those people have never had good Italian? I had high hopes for this restaurant but it, unfortunately, did not live up to it's review rating at all.TLDR: Atmosphere was terrible, food was very bland. Owner and waitress were attentive and personable. I definitely regret spending almost $300 on food here that no one enjoyed. :(Parking: Free parking lot after 6pm on Saturdays, but it's Ridgewood so it's always packed and tough to find a spot any day or time. Always come about 15 min earlier to make time for parking.
This place is terrible, food was not good, as for atmosphere if you want to be packed like sardines in a hall way with space heaters on the floor pumping the place up to 100 degrees!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 2
R K.
We were here a couple of weeks ago on a Thursday and absolutely loved everything! The food was SO GOOD. The owner was took care of our order and we were so excited to come back. We made a reservation for Valentine's Day and couldn't have been more disappointed. I ordered the gnocchi with the pappardelle sauce (short rib ragu) and my fiancé ordered the chicken parm, exactly what we got last time. The gnocchi was heavenly last time. On Valentine's Day I got pappardelle with cacio e Pepe sauce and I told the waitress that's not what I ordered, to which she responded "that's why I told you $5 surcharge". First off the portions on Valentine's Day were smaller and second of all the cacio e pepe was watered down and not the Ragu I ordered. I didn't even eat 1/2 the pasta and left hungry. We paid and left. We went to another bar/restaurant nearby so I could have something to eat. If I could go back and review our first visit it'd be a 5 star review, unfortunately the second visit is far from that.
Food was great. Service was very good, a little busy but we never felt neglected, if we flagged someone down they were helpful. This is quickly becoming our favorite restaurant to frequent.
JenaV
Restaurant is very small, we were packed at our table like sardines and chairs were bumping into each other at each table as people tried to shift or move. Temperature regulation is terrible at the tables near the front, between the extra hot space heater and the cold air from the front door. Food was very bland and underwhelming. Owner and waitstaff were nice but I definitely regret spending almost $300 on food that no one enjoyed.
RACS REMODEL
Had the sea bass. Hard to find really good Italian that can accommodate diary and gluten allergies. These guys nailed
We had my daughter's bridal shower at Piccolo Bistro. John was great to work with and everything went seamlessly. The food was amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I booked the Bistro for a Sprinkle Party for my daughter . I enjoyed working with the owner in planning the party . He was accommodating and listened to my requests. We had 23 quests. The 4 tables were handled with prompt and friendly service …. Everyone enjoyed their meal . Yes, I would book another party . I also have discovered a nice restaurant to have lunch and dinner at; with family and friends .
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I am really surprised reading some of the positive reviews. I found this restaurant to have very poor service. The bread was served along with a very tiny dish with olive oil and pesto placed at the center of a large table of 6 to be shared by all of us. Not only was the portion unacceptable for 6 people, you couldn't even extend your arm and reach the dish to dip your bread. I had the veal parmesan entree with about two ounces of very dry veal paper thin with a burnt coating. The pasta served with it was so dry like paste and tasteless. I've had better tasting veal parmesan from a diner. Better pasta from a can. My brother received the wrong entree but did not have it in him to complain. There seemed to be a larger table that got all the attention that left no attention for the rest of us. If the owner is going to have a large party and neglected the other patrons, they probably should have closed the restaurant for the party if they could not handle it. I do not recommend this restaurant. On top of that , I felt like the owner was trying to push us out of the restaurant. There are so many other better options out there to dine for the price you pay at this restaurant.
We had a great time at Piccolo Bistro for our large party. The owner was very accommodating and the food and service were great. We had a wonderful time and will be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I am really surprised reading some of the positive reviews. I found this restaurant to have very poor service. The bread was served along with a very tiny dish with olive oil and pesto placed at the center of a large table of 6 to be shared by all of us. Not only was the portion unacceptable for 6 people, you couldn't even extend your arm and reach the dish to dip your bread. I had the veal parmesan entree with about two ounces of very dry veal paper thin with a burnt coating. The pasta served with it was so dry like paste and tasteless. I've had better tasting veal parmesan from a diner. Better pasta from a can. My brother received the wrong entree but did not have it in him to complain. There seemed to be a larger table that got all the attention that left no attention for the rest of us. If the owner is going to have a large party and neglected the other patrons, they probably should have closed the restaurant for the party if they could not handle it. I do not recommend this restaurant. On top of that , I felt like the owner was trying to push us out of the restaurant. There are so many other better options out there to dine for the price you pay at this restaurant.
We had a wonderful dinner with friends on a Thursday evening. Despite the rain, there were a good number of people enjoying their dinners. We found the food to be excellent and the menu quite varied and reasonable. We also enjoyed the fact that it is BYO. Our server/front of house was Sandra. She was just a delight! She was able to answer any questions that we had and offer suggestions. Although she was pretty busy, she never missed a beat, and there was never a lag in our meal. Although this was our first time at Piccolo, we will most certainly be back!
terrrible food i left everything in my plate complete waste of
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 2
First time at this restaurant. It's in Ridgewood NJ. Food was ok, it's a byob which is a plus, service was good. The biggest drawback is the parking, found a spot 2 bocks away on a very cold night. The parking has been a huge negative for years thus the reason we don't frequent that town very often. Having said this, I would say give it a try and decide for yourself.
The food was ok, the calamari was chewy, the chicken francese was a bit tough. The other 3 said the food ok but nothing special. Service was very good, they were attentive and pleasant. Been to Ridgewood many times and found parking to be difficult All in all I would be fair and try it again as it's not fair to rule it out after one visit. I would say to give it a try.
I chose this restaurant to celebrate my mom's birthday because it had a lot of 5 star reviews and the plate photos looked great. It was such a disappointing experience.The restaurant is extremely small and we were packed into our table like sardines. It was a bit uncomfortable and every time the guy behind me moved, it felt like a kid kicking the back of my seat. Our table was also close to the front door, so every time someone arrived or left, we were hit with a burst of cold air. The table in front of us (closest to the front door) tried to move but no other tables were available, so the owner brought out a heater for them. So everyone at the heater end of our table was sweating and everyone at the door end of our table was freezing. It was so hot and stuffy at the heater end, between the heater and the body heat of the tables being so packed together, that my brother had to step out to get fresh air several times during our dinner.The restaurant seemed short staffed, as it took quite a while to get our drink order and to wait for our waitress to come back for our appetizer order. She was very nice and accommodating, but it seemed like she was working almost every table. One of their policies, which doesn't make a lot of sense to us, is that they will not take your appetizer order separate from your main course order. You have to be ready with both orders at the same time. We had several theories as to why this might be - one was to perfect the timing of the food but when we realized our main course had been seemingly sitting a while, waiting for us to finish our appetizers, we see it as more timing for the kitchen rather than for the customers.The other theory, now that we have eaten here, is that if anyone has the appetizers first, they would skip ordering the main course.We ordered frito misto, arancini de mare, and mozarella stuffed mushrooms for appetizers - it all tasted the same. Very bland, like something was missing from each recipe. We were a bit regretful that we chose this restaurant at that point, however our main course orders were already in. When the main course came, two out of the five orders were tastety. Thankfully, my mom's was one of them, since this was her birthday celebration and she ordered the $50 steak and jumbo shrimp combo (which did not include jumbo shrimp - just two regular sized shrimp, that looked quite whimpy). The roasted potatoes and Parmesan truffle fries were very dry. The salmon was tastey. And that was about it. Everyone else dumped salt on their food.My sister's order was incorrect and had to be sent back twice, so she actually wound up not eating. The owner was very apologetic and took the order off our bill, and then offered us free dessert. We definitely appreciated the offer, but we were very disappointed with the taste of our food, especially for the price, so we declined. We wound up going to another restaurant across the street to get my sister dinner and have dessert for my mom's birthday.After re-reviewing the reviews that made me choose this restaurant to begin with, it seems like a lot of the professional-looking photos were from 7 years ago and do not accurately represent the food today. Many people gave this restaurant 5 stars for food, and I can't understand how. If a simple ravioli dish tastes that bland, maybe those people have never had good Italian? I had high hopes for this restaurant but it, unfortunately, did not live up to it's review rating at all.TLDR: Atmosphere was terrible, food was very bland. Owner and waitress were attentive and personable. I definitely regret spending almost $300 on food here that no one enjoyed. :(Parking: Free parking lot after 6pm on Saturdays, but it's Ridgewood so it's always packed and tough to find a spot any day or time. Always come about 15 min earlier to make time for parking.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
This place is terrible, food was not good, as for atmosphere if you want to be packed like sardines in a hall way with space heaters on the floor pumping the place up to 100 degrees!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 2
We were here a couple of weeks ago on a Thursday and absolutely loved everything! The food was SO GOOD. The owner was took care of our order and we were so excited to come back. We made a reservation for Valentine's Day and couldn't have been more disappointed. I ordered the gnocchi with the pappardelle sauce (short rib ragu) and my fiancé ordered the chicken parm, exactly what we got last time. The gnocchi was heavenly last time. On Valentine's Day I got pappardelle with cacio e Pepe sauce and I told the waitress that's not what I ordered, to which she responded "that's why I told you $5 surcharge". First off the portions on Valentine's Day were smaller and second of all the cacio e pepe was watered down and not the Ragu I ordered. I didn't even eat 1/2 the pasta and left hungry. We paid and left. We went to another bar/restaurant nearby so I could have something to eat. If I could go back and review our first visit it'd be a 5 star review, unfortunately the second visit is far from that.
Food was great. Service was very good, a little busy but we never felt neglected, if we flagged someone down they were helpful. This is quickly becoming our favorite restaurant to frequent.
Restaurant is very small, we were packed at our table like sardines and chairs were bumping into each other at each table as people tried to shift or move. Temperature regulation is terrible at the tables near the front, between the extra hot space heater and the cold air from the front door. Food was very bland and underwhelming. Owner and waitstaff were nice but I definitely regret spending almost $300 on food that no one enjoyed.
Had the sea bass. Hard to find really good Italian that can accommodate diary and gluten allergies. These guys nailed
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5