- My daughter and I are food lovers, and I always appreciate the opportunity to recognize great hospitality when I experience it. Our first visit started with a delay in service, but handled the situation with professionalism, empathy, and true leadership. She listened, apologized sincerely, and turned the moment into a coaching opportunity for her team. When we returned, the experience was completely different. The staff was attentive from the moment we walked in, and our server, Ajani M., was excellent -- quick, kind, knowledgeable, and very attentive throughout the meal. The food was a pleasant surprise. The spicy Calabrian shrimp dish, prepared without shrimp for our preference, was delicious, and the Fungo pizza was extraordinary alone with the good Mama Luca's Tiramisu. The passion fruit margarita was also excellent. The flavors felt light, fresh, and authentic -- more like being transported to Italy than eating at a typical heavy American-Italian restaurant. The restaurant was a little cold, and I personally prefer not to sit near the kitchen or restroom area, but overall, the food, service, and management response made this a place I would recommend. Special kudos to Isabella for turning an initial concern into a beautiful customer experience, and to . for providing excellent service. . , read more

Piccolo Buco by Cooper's Hawk - Spicy Calabrian Shrimp & Fungo. - Italian Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

Piccolo Buco is best at two things -- inconsistency and mediocrity. Dining at Piccolo Buco is much like going "trick-or-treating" -- you honestly never know if you'll have a decent experience (treat) or a very unpleasant one, usually due to the poor quality of service (trick). I've been to the Oakbrook location numerous times, but this was my first time visiting the (relatively) new location in Naperville. Compared to Oakbrook, expect a less noisy, more relaxed atmosphere with dimmer lighting. However, you can expect the same outrageous service. It appears that the Naperville location is almost entirely run by high school students. There's nothing inherently wrong with that -- but the level of professionalism is more comparable to a school hallway than a restaurant, with the employees gossiping among themselves, rushing around arm-in-arm, and paying more attention to each other than to the guests. The food during this visit was okay, but I've had better during other visits (hence the "inconsistency"). "Mama Luca's Meatballs" were tasty (there was a good combination of flavors), but I'd love to see more stracciatella in the dish. The "Meat and Cheese" pizza was a bit disappointing -- there wasn't much "meat" and the flavor was underwhelming. Their Chocolate Hazelnut Cake was delicious. Rich and delicious. Although it appears that they stopped serving the creme anglaise in a miniature pitcher, which is a bummer -- it gave me the impression that I got LESS of the sauce this way. Overall, nothing about this visit to the (new) Piccolo Buco location surprised me. I came expecting mediocrity, and that's exactly what I got (except for that tasty cake). read more

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ATTENTION!!! We had a WONDERFUL dining experience at piccolo buco. The atmosphere is beautiful, comfortable, and very relaxing The cocktail I had was well balanced and enjoyable. The service was amazing, our server Janet was very thoughtful and attentive. We ordered the chopped salad, and she kindly helped us split into two separate portions for me and myhusband, which was a really nice touch and deserves extra credit We also ordered pizza, and it was absolutely delicious. The hot sauce that came with it was amazing, 10/10. It was paired perfectly with the pizza and really elevated the flavor‍ Last, we had the tiramisuand it was so delicious and with dark chocolate filling that made it even better. Overall, great food, great service, and great atmosphere. We really enjoyed everything and will definitely come back again!! I will try the pasta next time read more

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We stopped in here while in the area on a Friday evening. We were able to snag a seat at the bar despite it being very busy. The service was friendly. The bar area was beautiful. We enjoyed the pizza, but that was it. We had carbonara and meatballs. They were just okay. I would return for the pizza. read more

Block 59 is full of new and great restaurants and Piccolo Buco is 1 of them. I prefer this location vs Oak Brook since parking is easier here haha. I dined in for dinner during restaurant week and I enjoyed it. The atmosphere is similar to the Oak Brook location, cozy and dark. Although it was a winter time dinner so that might be why I feel this way. It is very spacious inside and kept clean. A small con of mine was I didn't love how tables next to me were being sprayed while I was eating. Maybe spraying on the rag would be better, idk, it just felt like bc of how close the tables were my food could easier be sprayed in the process as well. Service throughout was good. AJ our original server was attentive and gave great recommendations. While I was there, there was a shift change so we had a different server for the later half of our meal. Unfortunately our 2nd server lacked when it came to checking in and taking our orders for the next course. The food was great! My favorites were the calamari (cooked perfectly, crispy yet juicy, and flavorful) and the Hand-Rolled Three Finger Cavatelli. The chicken in the pasta was way over cooked, other than that though it was great. I tried the cookies n cream gelato and it was a miss for me. Texture and flavor wise it was more of an ice cream in my opinion. I was also expecting an Oreo cookie vs idk what cookie they use is. Either way - Overall everything was great and I can see myself dining in again soon. read more

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I went for a wine tasting. I had Leslie, as my server. Everything was delicious and great. And the ambience is so fun. And cool.

The squash blossoms give enough of a reason to grab a bite here. They are stuffed full of cheese and the lemon aioli pairs perfect. We ordered both the classic margarita pizza as well as the yellow version. Both are delicious and the light airy crust is perfect. The yellow tomato pizza was a little sweeter than the classic. The chocolate cake was not too rich and had just the right amount of hazelnuts. The tiramisu though! WOW!! The orange mascarpone makes it like no other tiramisu I've had. 10/10 on this one. Our waitress was very knowledgeable and friendly. I don't have anything negative to say about this experience. read more

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1. Let's chat food first because that's the most important. We started with the arancini which was delicious. It came with 5 bite-sized balls which was perfect for sharing and the marinara sauce that it came with tasted so fresh. For the pizza, we tried the yellow margarita and the charred pepperoni. The yellow margarita was intriguing. It's made with yellow tomatoes (there is also a classic red margarita option if you prefer that). The charred pepperoni is a popular pick according to our waitress. It was good but a bit too oily for me. They also cut the pizza in front of you and you can choose between four slices or six. 2. Service was excellent! We sat at the bar and our waitress did a great job explaining the menu, giving recommendations, and checking up on us. 3. Time for the not so great: parking. It's in a new plaza area so the parking is shared with multiple restaurants and it was BUSY! Our dinner was a bit of a last minute decision and the wait was 1.5 hours for 2 people on a Saturday night. HOWEVER the bar is full service and first come first serve and we were lucky enough to snag a spot after waiting only a few minutes. read more

Piccolo Buco by Cooper's Hawk - Classic Margherita (Yellow) - Italian Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

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I had a fantastic dinner here last night. It was a party of three, my husband and I brought a friend who was visiting from out of town. We didn't have a reservation, but when I called the restaurant in the afternoon, they said there is a good chance we can get either bar or high top seating with a walk-in. She explained that Saturday nights are really jam packed, but we could probably swing it on a Friday night. And, she was right! We arrived around 5:45pm and the place was already packed. There is a large bar area right when you walk in (I assume for drinks only) and then after a short walk to the left, you'll find the hostess station. I was surprised to see that an entire wall in this dining room was also devoted to bar seating (likely full service) and there was a section of high tops directly across from the "inner" bar. The restaurant is beautiful! Moody and warm, and glasses are clinking and people are having a good time. Food/Drink: + Mama's Lucas Meatballs (to share) + Pizze Yellow; Spicy Pepperoni (to share) + Espresso Martinis (I did not try) + Mezzi Rigatoni Alla Vodka (my main) + Baked Eggplant Parm (my husband's main) + Pappardelle with Short Rib Bolognese (friend's main) The food and service were fantastic. If you order a pizza, a server will ask if you'd like 4 of 6 slices, and then cut the pizza accordingly, tableside, with these cool pizza shears. So thoughtful. I'm so glad we got to try this place out. It's a great place for friends, date night, or a special occasion. This was my first time at any Cooper's Hawk or sister restaurant and I was really impressed. They have gluten free pizza options too, for the GF folks. We will be back! read more

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Piccolo Buco continues to be a standout for both food quality and wine pairing. Every dish we ordered was well-executed, flavorful, and thoughtfully plated -- you can tell care goes into the kitchen here. The real highlight for me was pairing the meal with the Blanc de Blancs. Crisp, bright, and perfectly balanced, it complemented the food beautifully without overpowering it. A great example of how the right wine can elevate the entire dining experience. Service was attentive and paced well, making it an easy spot for a relaxed yet elevated meal. Definitely a go-to when you're looking for consistently good food with solid wine options. The menu is pretty small but beyond that great food! read more

Piccolo Buco by Cooper's Hawk - Italian Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

Ambiance - good Food- simple really good Italian food- nothing fancy Service - is great- we had reservations and didnt have to wait read more

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Walked in and was greeted and asked if I had reservations. My friends and I were suppose to attend an event but it got canceled, but we decided to get together and have dinner anyways! It was kind of loud, but we could still somewhat kind of hear each other talk. It took a bit for our waitress to come by our table and it also took her quite some time to come back as well throughout the night. We tried out a couple of wines before deciding on a bottle. The calamari was good, but wasn't really crispy. I was hoping for a nice little crunch. Our entrees took a little long to come out, and we found out that someone accidentally took one of our entrees so they had to remake it before bringing everything out. My one friend and I ordered cookies n cream gelato but....it tasted more like vanilla. Didn't have a cookies n cream taste to it. Overall, even though our waitress disappeared quite a bit, she was attentive to us when she came by. read more

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We absolutely loved our experience at Piccolo Buco! One of my favorite perks is being able to pick up my Cooper's Hawk membership wine here--it's such a fun and convenient bonus that makes the whole experience feel extra special. The space is beautiful, and I'm already looking forward to coming back when the weather warms up to enjoy the outdoor patio. It has such a great vibe for a relaxed lunch or dinner. Food-wise, everything hit the mark. The kids' meals were a win (always important!), and we really enjoyed the pasta, calamari, and salad. For a special touch, we ordered the luxe white wine, which paired perfectly with everything. Great atmosphere, great food, and just an all-around enjoyable experience. We can't wait to go back! read more

Squash blossom - this was good. It was light and crispy Spicy Calabrian sausage- my husband also enjoyed this as well. I would try something else next time 3 finger pasta- the mushrooms were good the pasta reminded me of gnocchi. My husband liked it read more

Piccolo Buco by Cooper's Hawk - Italian Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

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Always interested in trying new places and this was intriguing! Pizza crust was amazing. Topping was a bit too salty for me. It might be worth to try a veggie one and see if it would be better. Chopped Salad was one of the best I had! Love the pizza box! read more

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We went for a late lunch (3:30) and sat on the back patio. Decor was perfect, service was attentive and knowledgeable, and the food was delicious. We tried 3 different pizzas - 3 carne, margarita, and Italian sausage. The crust was perfection - the quality ingredients really shine. The meats weee flavorful and they had a spicy dipping oil that you should try if you like spice. We also ordered 3 different dessert - the seasonal brown butter apple and chestnut crostafa was to die for. Tiramisu and Almafi pound cake were also delicious. This place is an easy 5 stars. I'll be back to try the wine! read more

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I loved the squash blossoms and the tomato bisque. They were both creamy and silky: the squash had the perfect crunch. I didn't love how the Cesar was deconstructed and the salmon was on the side but overall it was pretty good. read more

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Came to this new location the other day and loved it! Only thing was they were out of the drink I wanted but our server did suggest something similar and loved it. Our food was great and had an awesome experience! read more

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The atmosphere and space are great, but the service left me with mixed feelings. While we weren't treated badly, the approach of some staff members was a bit rough. When we first arrived, the hostess--a young woman--was very welcoming, but then a male manager approached while we were waiting and didn't even greet us, which felt off. The server who handled us responded in a somewhat rude way--not outright rude, but not friendly either. He never smiled, even though we were with a small child, which felt unusual. For example, when I asked for my pizza to be well done, he said something like, "We use very expensive ovens here, this isn't Domino's," implying that the pizza can't be cooked twice without burning it. I understood the logistics, but the comparison and tone made me feel a bit dismissed, like he was implying my request was trivial. We also asked for bread, and he said "no" without a polite explanation. While I understand if they don't serve it, the way it was communicated could have been much nicer. Overall, the service at the beginning wasn't great. That said, there were highlights. I had ordered a pizza and wanted it gluten-free, but I forgot to mention it. When another server brought the pizza, she noticed and immediately offered to switch it with no extra charge. She was extremely kind and accommodating, and her attitude really made a positive impression. genuinely friendly--the best part of our experience service-wise. Pricing was fair, and by the end, the initially rough server became a little more pleasant. Still, overall, the service needs improvement. The food, however, was 10/10--pizzas, pastas, everything. The restaurant itself is beautiful and very well-decorated, another 10/10. So, overall: Food 10/10, Service 6/10, Place 10/10. read more

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Glad this new location opened up in Naperville. It's close by and close to alot of shopping and good eateries. Delicious food and great service. We had reservations and were sited right away upon arriving. The restaurant was clean and inviting. 3 finger pasta 10/10 a must try. That was excellent. The pizza dough was fluffy light and airy. Not to mention the wines paired so well with our entrees. I am looking forward to Piccolo Bucco during my next visit. read more

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First time lunch with friend seat for 20 minutes no waiter or waitress come check on us. I won't order the pizza again. The only thing I like there is calamari. The place is nice. read more

We went to the newly opened Piccolo Buco at Block 59 tonight. The restaurant has an indoor section and an outdoor covered section. Even though the temperature outside was warm, inside was freezing, and I was glad I brought a sweater. Our table froze all night in the covered outdoor area. Probably because of the concrete floor. This restaurant is also extremely noisy. It was hard to carry on a conversation across the table. The outdoor patio where we sat had no sound panels at all to help with the noise level. The restaurant in Oak Brook is much more comfortable and aesthetically more pleasing than this location. Our server was D'Angelo, who was extremely friendly and engaging. Unfortunately, he was split in so many different directions because of this location being short staffed. it definitely is not his fault for the service we experienced. I overheard that there were no cooks in the kitchen and the managers were on the line. D'Angelo greeted us promptly, but we sat for an hour until he came back. I asked a busboy for a bottle of water in our server's absence since we went through the one that D'Angelo brought Our table decided to order cocktails and our dinner at the same time because of this extended time delay. I split the delicious arugula salad with roasted grapes and thinly sliced apples with my friend. The restaurant was kind enough to split the salad onto two plates for us without asking. Nice! I had the margarita pizza for dinner and it was very good. The crust was the perfect Napoleon thin crust with puffy airy edges. Unfortunately, our dinners came out before the salad. It was a little backward and D'Angelo acknowledged that and said he would comp the salad, which he did. This restaurant has some glitches to work out. Mainly, time management as we waited for service and also delivery of food to the table.. Having said that, the manager Caroline came to our table to check on us and apologized for the mishaps. That's good customer service. I know this restaurant has good food because there's a sister restaurant in Oak Brook that I've been to so I'm confident that the dishes they make will be tasty. Like all new restaurants, it takes time to get on your feet especially with a skeleton staff. After relaying my experience to my husband who was going to dine there the next night with his executive team, he ended up canceling his business dinner at this restaurant. I'm sure this restaurant will work out the glitches in time, but in all honesty even though the food was good here, the comfort level and aesthetics of this restaurant aren't appealing to me and I'd rather travel to Oak Brook to that Piccolo Buco. read more

Piccolo Buco by Cooper's Hawk - Arugula & Vin Santo Grape Salad - Italian Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

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Ate here for the first time ever and wasn't disappointed in the least. Angelique was our server and she was amazing! Explained how the restaurant came to be, the menu, and gave her recommendations from starters to dessert. She engaged in conversation with us and kept checking in to make sure everything was great. We were there for lunch and plan on coming back real soon! read more

Ambience is great Service is awesome, smiling servers. Food menu could have mor choices. The pizza was their main item in the menu. read more

Piccolo Buco by Cooper's Hawk - Classic flight of wine - Italian Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

I was so excited to check this place out!! It's a really beautiful, romantic setting. The pizza was INCREDIBLE. I really appreciated the simplicity as it let the high quality ingredients really shine. The crust especially was chewy, crisp and so, so tasty. I think it's some of the best pizza in the area and def joins the ranks of Gia Mia and Calogero's. read more

Piccolo Buco by Cooper's Hawk - Arugula & Vin Santo Grape Salad - Italian Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

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Food...5 stars Service....5 stars Noise level....1 star Value....1 star Thursday night @ 6:30. Ordered two pizzas. Margherita was $18; sausage was $20. Both were delicious. $38 for two personal size pizzas...yikes. One soft drink @$5. With tip, it was a $55 dinner. Crazy! Noise level was unbearable. I mean LOUD LOUD LOUD. Very drafty as well. Our drink napkins were blowing around. Xavier provided excellent service. Probably won't return. read more

We had an excellent meal with fantastic service thanks to Iliana, I would recommend requesting her if you visit this restaurant. She allowed us to take our time and enjoy each course without rushing and was very helpful in suggesting wines for our tasting. As for the food, don't miss the Caesar salad. It is outstanding. The dressing is one of my favorites. And shareable. As were the Arancini. I had the pappardelle short rib that was fantastic. My friend had the chicken Parmesan which they said was delicious and a very ample portion. Plenty to take home. We will definitely be returning. Great Italian spot. read more

Piccolo Buco by Cooper's Hawk - Chicken Parm - Italian Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

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Very poor service. Had to ask twice over the course of 15 minutes to get water. Food took a very long time to arrive. Waitress must have had too many tables. I've not been to a decent Italian restaurant that did not offer bread (even to purchase) or that served dried shaker powdered Parmesan. Food would have been good fresh, but my spaghetti was a solid block of pasta like it had baked under a heat lamp for 20 minutes. Underwhelming. read more

An Italian restaurant with no bread service = 0 stars; nothing on the menu here that you can't get at Olive Garden and they serve salad AND bread, as well as the option to buy another meal to take home at a greatly reduced price. The space was cold - in decor and temp. On a Saturday night in Naperville, it was less than half full. That is a red flag. I will not go back. read more

I really love this place... the food, amazing! Been here only a few times but everything I've tried has been nothing but spectacular. Went today for lunch with family of 7.... Everyone was happy with the pizzas, the pastas, and the drinks...yum! The only reason I didn't give 5 stars was one pizza was missing mushrooms (not deal breaker but not right) and the pasta my mother ordered was supposed to have Alfredo but instead had some other sauce. They did remake it tho and it was perfect. Will be back again and again however!! The inside is so pretty as well. I do wish the chairs around the tables were more like the black leather cushiony chairs at Coopershawk. Piccolo chairs were hard and all our bums were hurting by time we left. read more

I met a small group for lunch and was disappointed by the scope of the menu. There was only one main course salad; a Tuscan chicken salad and it was rather skippy. I was trying to avoid a carb overload (pizzas) and for the same price, they would have been a better choice. The toasted sandwiches looked very good and came with a side salad, but once again, I was trying to avoid all the bread. The restaurant is attractive and the service was adequate, but I left hungry. read more

I recently dined at Piccolo Buco and was really looking forward to the experience because I've heard great things about the food and atmosphere. Unfortunately, my visit was disappointing. While the restaurant itself was nice and the food was good, my server Hayley had a very strong body odor that was noticeable every time they came to the table she would get super close to us and even have her body over our food. She made it so difficult to fully enjoy the meal and honestly she distracted from what could have been a great experience. I understand that everyone has off days, but in a restaurant setting where staff are interacting closely with guests, hygiene is really important. I hope management takes this as constructive feedback, because the restaurant has potential and I would consider coming back if this issue is addressed. read more

Wood fired pizza is truly delicious. So well done with the entire experience. I'm not a big fan of CH wines but they have some Italian inspired wines that I absolutely enjoyed and would get again. read more

Extremely disappointing experience with the front desk staff. We had an OpenTable reservation for 4, moved it to 8 PM (confirmed), then called to try moving it back to 7 PM but were told they were busy--which was fine. However, they canceled our 8 PM reservation without telling us. When we arrived at 8 PM, we were told our reservation was actually at 7 PM and that nothing existed for 8. The host mumbled something about getting a table ready and never followed up, while multiple parties were seated ahead of us. When I checked again, another staff member was rude and condescending, even lecturing me on how to make reservations because we had a 6-month-old infant who we did not need a high chair for (apparently we should have listed 5 people). Meanwhile, we could see several open tables. We were about to leave when they finally seated us. The food was good, but the disorganization and poor service at the front desk really ruined the experience. read more

When you enter the parking lot of the location, they do offer complimentary valet, but there was plenty of parking. Had a reservation for dinner at 4pm and we were greeted with a smile. When we sat, we were offered a sample of their reserved wine, and able to try others as we decided on a bottle to have for dinner. The pizza came out nice and hot. Table side thet offered to cut the pizza in 4 slices or 6 slices. The pasta was delicious. I am not the biggest mushroom person and this pasta was great. Everyone was extremely friendly from start to finish. The dinner shift had music playing, but to where you are still able to have a conversation. read more

If you have been to a Cooper's Hawk and liked it you would probably like this place. We have been to a Cooper's Hawk and didn't care for it but we decided to give this new place a try. The bartender told us that this place is modeled after the Piccolo Buco in Rome Italy. First off this place doesn't have bread. I'll bet my last Lira that the place in Rome has bread. They do have toast. If they have toast but not bread this tells me that the toast comes out of a bag and is reheated in a microwave before service. We started with a glass of white wine ($11) and a Montepulciano ($13.50). The white was awful. We told our server and got their "Lux" Chardonnay ($13) instead. No problem. This wine was much better. The red wine was fine. Next we ordered the meatball sandwich and an Italian sausage pizza. One reviewer said that the food was presented artfully. Well the sandwich and the "fries" that came with it were just thrown on the plate. The meatballs were just ok. The potatoes tasted like they came out of a bag. The crust on the pizza was good, thin and a little chewy. Not the cracker junk you get in other places. The problem was that there were very few ingredients on the pie. The pizza came uncut. Katie asked if I wanted 4 or 6 pieces. I said six. She started cutting the pizza with a pair of kitchen scissors. This was a very awkward operation at table side. The pizza was sliding all over the place. Katie was trying to keep it on the plate without actually touching it with her hands. When I saw all the trouble she was having I said "Make it four". Service from Katie was good. Note to the owners: PLEASE cut pizzas in the kitchen. read more

Atmosphere- 2 Seating-2 too close together Noise level-2 hear other tables conversation NO BREAD? -0 pasta fagiolo soup - 0. Terrible. Spicy greasy Entree-4 Price-2 Service-2 All over - will Not go there again But we like Coopers Hawk a lot!! read more

I had high hopes for this restaurant, but it was just okay. I have spent some time in Rome, (Mama Eats is my favorite all-time pizza) and while the pizza probably fit the Italian style more than most- I was disappointed. Very thin bottom crust with huge crust up the sides. Mostly bread with a little sauce, in my case a little pepperoni, and very little to no cheese. We also ordered the Rigatoni Alla Vodka. Again, it was ok. Honestly, the vodka sauce at Portillo's is better and a lot cheaper. Dessert menu was weak. I don't know- I just wasn't feeling it. read more

It was just brick oven pizza. Not the best I've had but not bad. I expected better Italian food options. Pasta was eh... ok. They do not offer complimentary rolls like Coopers Hawk, which helps after wine tasting, but if you like brick oven pizza you may enjoy it just a little pricey. Tiramisu was not the best I've had either. It was just OK. Calamari was a little chewy. Meatballs were really good though Personally, I prefer going to Cooper's Hawk any day over this for the money spent and quality of food and food options. Service was good. Ambience definitely more casual than Cooper Hawk. Also, some of the wines they have they do not offer tastings for. You have to buy the whole bottle. I found that to be very different from Cooper's Hawk, where you can taste anything they sell. read more

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First time at the new Piccolo Buco. The inside is very nice looking, cool decor and we got a warm welcome from the wine tasters as we walked in. Found 2 seats at the bar and off to a good start with a few wine samples. Food was very good, definitely a notch up from Cooper's Hawk (which is still very good). Then things went downhill. Never saw our bartender again as she went to the other end of the bad to make drink for 45 minutes straight. Not sure the other bartender knew that she was supposed to pick us up, but she was totally absent. Could have gotten us to get dessert or another cocktail, but we felt pretty ignored at that point so we paid and left. Hoping the service snafus clear up as they work out the early kinks. read more

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