My friend and I sat at the bar and had such a great experience! Nick was our bartender and he was so nice and accommodating. He had some great suggestions for us too! We shared the calamari and Spicy Calabrian Shrimp Pasta, and both were delicious. We went for lunch and the dining room was definitely busier, but we ended up staying for a couple of hours and doing some wine tasting after our meal, which was so much fun. And I have to mention the slushies because I am OBSESSED!! Get the passionfruit flavor! I'll definitely be back, and next time I'm bringing my mom! read more

Piccolo Buco by Cooper's Hawk - Spicy Calabrian Shrimp - Wine Bars Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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The wait time was short, especially since we had reserved a table beforehand. The food was very tasty, and you could really taste all the different layers of flavors and spices in each dish. The restaurant itself was beautifully staged with an Italian/Roman-inspired ambiance, with dim lighting that really helped set the mood. Overall, the food was great, and the service from our server, Jordan, was good as well. Definitely a nice dining experience! read more

My friend suggested Piccolo Buco because she had been here before and really enjoyed it, so we decided to give it a try. I hadn't been back to anything associated with Cooper's Hawk in years. I was actually a Cooper's Hawk Winery member around 2016~2018, but eventually canceled because getting a reservation became consistently frustrating. There were definitely several things I liked about Piccolo Buco. Parking was easy, and the prices were very reasonable, especially by Tampa standards. My Sorrento Lemon Drop was only $13, which was a pleasant surprise. Of course, this is Carrollwood and not Water Street, so the pricing reflects the location, but overall I thought it offered good value. For appetizer we had arugula salad which was tasty. For dinner, I ordered the cacio e pepe with shrimp, which was pretty good. My friend ordered the truffle fondue cappellacci and added shrimp, and I tried hers ~ it was actually my favorite of the 2 dishes and was really good. We finished with espresso shots and the pound cake for dessert, which was also excellent. The highlight of our evening was definitely our server, Rafael. He was incredibly kind and accommodating and checked on us exactly the right amount ~ not too much and not too little. Great service makes such a difference, and he really elevated our experience. I also loved that they serve sparkling water at no additional charge ~ nice touch. My biggest complaint is the seating. The tables are extremely close together, and personally, I don't enjoy feeling like I'm part of the conversation at the table next to me. We were seated near the kitchen between 2 other tables, so I asked if we could move to a table in the corner. I was told they couldn't move us because that area was being reserved for a larger party coming in that evening. We arrived around 6:00 PM and left around 8:30 PM, and that large party never arrived, which was a little frustrating. We were moved a little further away by the barrel though. Piccolo Buco is about an hour from my house, so I probably wouldn't go out of my way to make the drive again. However, if I lived closer to Carrollwood, I could see stopping in for a reasonably priced meal. Good pasta, affordable cocktails, a delicious dessert, and especially wonderful service from Rafael made it an enjoyable evening overall. read more

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First time here and I am very impressed by the overall food and experience. I came here with my mom around 3 PM and it wasn't too busy. We were sat right away. Amber was a waitress and she was phenomenal! Very friendly knowledgeable, we loved her. For Food, we shared a margarita Pizza, yellow tomato bisque soup, Caesar salad, and these were great options. The Caesar dressing was so good! The pizza comes as a whole and as a server comes they cut it up and ask you how many slices, loved this. Overall love this new addition to the area highly recommend coming in! read more

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Cooper's hawk food never disappoints! Came for lunch and their prices are pretty good especially for the large portions. Had a good server and we love their wines. You can also do just a wine tasting too. read more

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First time here. Many times at CH. Did not know what to expect because of some of the reviews Started with a wine tasting with Tim as our server. Excellent wines and super friendly guy. We all enjoyed it. Have to say we were all super happy with the food. My wife and I had the Truffle Capellacci, friends had the Chicken Parm and Rigatoni alla Vodka All excellent tasty choices. Our server was on the ball but the kitchen was slow yet the dining room was only half full. Definitely a return visit. read more

Piccolo Buco by Cooper's Hawk - Truffle Cappellacci. - Wine Bars Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Came here with friends, did not know anything about this place, so glad I got to come here though. We got the Margherita and Fundo for pizza and the Truffle Fondue Pasta. My favorite was the Fundopizza, the mushrooms on it tasted amazing. Our server was amazing throughout, very grateful for her patience and service. I will certainly be back here sooner than later. read more

My husband and I were so excited to come to this restaurant since we both love Coopers Hawk, but this would be closer to us. We were surprised how quickly our friends were able to make reservations since this place is ALWAYS packed. The entryway if very small. It leads right into the wine tasting area, and that with the waiting area, it can get packed and overwhelming very quickly. This place is not as big as Cooper's Hawk so it can start feeling like a New York City train car pretty quickly. My friends and I were placed in a small booth. The space between the booths are pretty small, so if you are someone who throws your head back when laughing, there is a change you may hit the person behind you if they are sitting back. I think because of the small size, the noise level can get pretty loud at time, making it hard to carry conversations sometimes during the evening shifts. The food was very good, everything very tasty. I was super excited to try to blossoms especially and they didn't disappoint. They only come in fours, so we had one each, but I would next time order two plates because it's hard to just have one, if you plan on sharing. They do have outdoor seating, but it's difficult to sit there during the summer months of Florida. Not sure if they had fans, but the evening we were there a bad storm came through. They did lower the blinds, but not sure how much protection the people there received from the rain. Would for sure like to go again, perhaps an afternoon date. Was bummed risotto (my favorite) was not on the menu. read more

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Was anxiously awaiting the opening of this restaurant. As they are associated with Coopers Hawk, was expecting excellent food and service. I have driven by a few time and always looks busy, so thought it would be good. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed with the food. Sat at the bar and ordered one of the house old fashions, which was excellent. Since they are promoting their pizza so much, I thought it would be good as well. I was wrong. Ordered a Fungo pizza, one of the standards on the menu, which had wild mushrooms, black garlic, Parmesan fonduta, basil, and white truffle oil. Sounded great, but I got a pizza with 2 inches of crust and a tiny bit of toppings. (see pic) Taste was good but it was mostly dough. For the price of $18, I was extremely disappointed. My wife ordered the Calabrian Chili Shrimp Pasta and it was also disappointing. $25 for a small plate of undercooked boxed pasta with 6 med shrimp was not a good value. In addition, the time to get our food was longer than expected. I know the restaurant recently opened, but being a Coopers Hawk restaurant, they should have their act together. Low value, long wait times and mediocre food prevent me recommending this restaurant. Hopefully they work out the bugs soon. However, I do recommend going to the bar for an excellent cocktail. read more

Piccolo Buco by Cooper's Hawk - Fungo Pizza - Wine Bars Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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I ordered food to go and it was ready on time and easy process to pick up. The short rib was tender and flavorful. The polenta that came with it was also delicious. The portion is pretty small, even as someone with a small appetite I expected a little more. read more

Piccolo Buco by Cooper's Hawk - Braised Short Rib - Wine Bars Near Me - Tampa, Florida

This restaurant is in my book mark since they opened. Finally we got a chance to for a try. This is a Cooper Hawks branch. The serving Italian pasta and pizza supposed to be one of the best. We try dinner time and they are too busy so we change to weekday lunch. It was easy to find a table during that time. My wife got the Tre Carne Yellow Sauce pizza. There are three different type of toppings as pepperoni, Italian sausage and Calabrian Salami. I think the toppings is there but a bit salty. Not much of cheese on the pizza. Yellow sweet sauce is ok. I would not recommend it. I have Hand Rolled Three Finger Cavatelli pasta. This dish does have chicken on it but is not like what it advertised roasted chicken. I would prefer some chicken skin if roasted chicken to enhance the flavor. The sauce is ok and so do the mushrooms. Overall is an average dish compared to name chain restaurants. Service is good. Dinning area is comfortable. read more

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A sold Italian franchise with some hidden gems! Our party was impressed with the carbonara pizza and the Pizza alone was a 5 star!! If your dinning in make sure you snag a pie for the table. And DO NOT forget the Cesar salad! It was fresh, crispy and the dressing was delicious. As for the entrees the short rib on top creamy polenta was a great paring. Can never go wrong with a classic chicken parm and the portion was generous. If you love a savory sweet hit that truffle honey tortellini it was a notable dish. We were bummed by the Cacio Pepe unfortunately but the rest of the spread made up for it. Service was great and atmosphere was busy but didn't feel as loud as it would appear to have a nice conversation over dinner. Looking for and to coming back for more of that pie and salad combo! read more

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This is a beautiful restaurant with great food however service and food wait times need improvement. I came here with girlfriends so thankfully we had lots to talk about and catch up on- the food took well over an hour to come out. They did end up comping the entree that did NOT come out after the hour wait I ordered the salmon dish- it was delicious! Perfect acidity and combos of flavors! My friends ordered pasta dishes and enjoyed them. Our server was friendly. read more

Piccolo Buco by Cooper's Hawk - Outside - Wine Bars Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Ambiance is not conducive to nice evening out. The building is an overly expanded room, with tables so close together you can't have a conversation. The whole experience is nothing but noise read more

An Italian spin on Cooper's Hawk? Yes, please! The moment the sign went up on this building during construction, I eagerly anticipated this place because I knew it was owned by Cooper's Hawk. We're wine club members, and always enjoy our meals at their location near International Plaza, so the idea of having a Piccolo Buco opening up closer to us in Carrollwood was quite exciting! Let's start at the beginning. My husband and I were fortunate enough to visit Piccolo Buco for their soft opening preview event before they opened to the public, so we were able to try some of their items at no charge. We were limited to ordering from specific menus so their kitchen could get used to making a variety of dishes. Unfortunately for us, our menus were pretty much limited to pizza, pizza, and more pizza. Don't get me wrong, the pizzas were tasty... but since we could each order an appetizer and an entree, and the pizzas were in both of those sections, we didn't actually have a ton of choice. But you can't really complain about free food, so we had a lot of leftovers. During that meal, we had the yellow tomato bisque, the classic margherita pizza (with red tomato sauce), the charred pepperoni pizza (with red tomato sauce), and spicy pepperoni (with yellow tomato sauce). It was a little comical to see three pizzas on our table for two. And while these may LOOK like personal pizzas, don't let that fool you... these are filling. The pizzas were tasty, though I will say the yellow tomato sauce is a bit bland for a pizza. I'd recommend sticking to the red sauce, personally. However, the yellow tomato bisque was fantastic! A bit after they opened to the public, I returned on my own for lunch one day, and got to try their meatball sandwich, which comes with your choice of side (I chose the Caesar salad). FYI, their sandwiches are a lunch-only item, so they're only served until 3:30 pm. Both the sandwich and salad were pretty good, though I'd probably try the chicken parm sandwich next time. Most recently, my husband and I came here for a midday lunch, and split a lunch-only salad (I wish I could remember the name, but it had mixed greens, a vinaigrette dressing, croutons, shaved cheese, kalamata olives, red onion, mozzarella, and a pesto drizzle). This salad was phenomenal! We couldn't stop raving about it... that is, of course, until our entree arrived: the truffle fondue cappellacci. You guys, this honestly might be the best pasta I've ever eaten. My mouth is watering just remembering this dish. It's a cheese-stuffed pasta with black truffle brown butter, aged balsamic, toasted pistachios, and a light honey drizzle. We practically licked the plate clean. How much did we like that pasta? Enough to come back for dinner the very next day and order it again. This time, we split the cappellacci and the braised short ribs. Now, my go-to dish at Cooper's Hawk is the short rib, so I was interested to compare them. I think the flavoring of the Piccolo Buco version is better; however, I didn't love the polenta it's served with, whereas it comes with mashed potatoes at Cooper's Hawk. That being said, Piccolo Buco's salmon is served with roasted Yukon gold potatoes, so I might ask if I could swap the sides on my next visit. For dessert, we've tried both the chocolate hazelnut cake (I'm a sucker for anything Nutella-adjacent) and the crostada (this is always on the dessert menu, but the fruit it's served with is seasonal... as I write this, it's peach and blueberry, but when I visited, it was brown butter apple and chestnut). Both of these desserts are quite good, but the crostada is easily the better of the two. I'm hoping I can try the peach and blueberry version, because that sounds lovely! Oh, and just as Cooper's Hawk has their barrel reserve wine, Piccolo Buco has their Buca Riserva, a Super Tuscan-style blend. It's delicious, and you can always ask for a sample of any of their wines before you commit. read more

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Now I understand why reservations were impossible to get when this place first opened. Everything from the atmosphere to the food completely lives up to the hype. The space feels warm and lively without being overwhelming, and the service is attentive without being over the top. The pizza was incredible, perfectly crisp, light, and full of flavor and the pasta is just as impressive. You can tell there's real intention behind every dish. It's one of those spots where you leave already planning your next visit. Definitely worth the wait. read more

Piccolo Buco by Cooper's Hawk - Wine Bars Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Cute restaurant in the old Macaroni Grill location at the corner of N Dale Mabry and Erlich Rd. They have a little wine tasting area in the front like Coopers Hawk does. A nice bar/seating area too. The decor is very nice and the service is on point! We had a girls night out dinner with some wine tastings. Make sure to order one of their pizzas, this is what they are known for, very delicious! We will definitely be back! read more

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Brittany is a phenomenal server/wine tender!! Sausage pizza = yes please Shout out to Cesar for the amazing service in the tasting room! They don't want you eating in the tasting room so I did so at my own risk. The experience we had as a result of his service was divine. Calamari 8/10 (a little overfried), all red tasting 10/10. Club member bottle pick-up 10/10. Bar service 10/10. read more

First meal here since they took over the old Macaroni Grill location. Upgraded the building layout with an entrance facing the parking instead of the street. That was the highlight of the meal. We were seated at a table. The chairs had no padding and proceeded to punish my sit bones for the next 2 hours. While Cooper's Hawk promotes their wines, no bread was served at this location. No wine was consumed for this meal. Dark lighting and smartphone lights were needed to see the menus. We split the gorgonzola salad 3 ways as an appetizer. This was the same salad available at Cooper's Hawk, good dressing, but could use more cheese. My wife ordered the salmon. It was overcooked and dry. My mom ordered the short rib. Also dry, however I enjoyed the taste of the polenta side. I had the truffle pasta but fontina and balsamico flavors overpowered any hint of truffle. On the other hand, the service was welcoming, enthusiastic and helpful. read more

Ive gone to Coopers Hawk for years for lunch and dinners and the beautiful sophisticated atmosphere, food, and service was top notch The food and drinks i tried here were fresh, tasty, beautifully plated, and surprisingly delicious. This beautifully decorated, warm, inviting new Restaurant is 100 percent more food focused then its sister affilate and still has the same high quality of wine and drinks. The bartender sara was fabulous, kind,friendly, and so helpful. Im really excited to come back with friends and family! read more

Piccolo Buco by Cooper's Hawk - Sorrento lemon drop - Wine Bars Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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This location use to be Macaroni Grill and it was so grand upon entry. Piccolo Buco seems so much smaller. The service was fast and we got our appetizer (calamari and meat & cheese) and entrees pretty quickly. I would completely skip the appetizer. It's not worth it, especially the meat & cheese. Half the plate was bread, then 1/4 was the whipped ricotta and arugula and olives, so the rest was a small quantity of meat & cheese. I ordered Pappardelle with short rib bolognese. It's okay with very little rib and overcooked pasta. Honestly, for Italian food, down the road less than a mile is Esposito's, for similar price but with more food and better quality. read more

Piccolo Buco by Cooper's Hawk - Pappardelle with short ribs (not much meat and overcooked pasta) - Wine Bars Near Me - Tampa, Florida

The restaurant itself is beautiful! We sat outside, it was cold out but they had space heaters above which was sooo nice. The pasta sucked, honestly. I got the cacio e pepe and I know it's basically cheese and black pepper but what was received was cold noodles with butter, and a sprinkle of black pepper. If you like cacio e pepe, Olivia is where you need to go. My husband got the rigatoni pasta and it was also cold, the color of the sauce was off and there was no flavor. We were so disappointed with our pasta that we asked the waiter to order new food, which we got a pizza. The pizza we got was the white mushroom and that was good. It came out with a spicy sauce and that was delicious! The people next to us waited a whole house for their meal. They manager came over to apologize 30 minutes in and the got their food as we were leaving. I truly expected it to be better and more up to par with Cooper's hawk especially since all their "ingredients are imported from italy". Our waitress also came to the table maybe twice and it took forever to get refills on our drinks. She barely cared about us. read more

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Food is good and decent portions. The zucchini's blossoms are a favorite of mine since we went to Italy. However there's has a too heavy of a batter.. we've had pizzas and pastas and everything is good. The best deal is the wine club. You get 2 tastings a month and 2 bottles of wine which you can save the wine and pick it up whenever. read more

I will start by saying I came with a huge party so service wise it wasn't the best. Maybe since they are newer with time it will be more streamlined The food I order was good and I think everyone in the group enjoyed the food overall. Ambiance could be a little better. The actual Coopers Hawk restaurants are more elevated this feels more Casual read more

Piccolo Buco by Cooper's Hawk - Wine Bars Near Me - Tampa, Florida

The experience didn't live up to the hype for us. Cooper's Hawk first Piccolo Buco in Florida fell flat for us overall. Service was good and our waitress certainly tried but this felt like a restaurant still working out the kinks. Salad served after entrees, plates scalding hot from sitting under a heat lamp, and food runners taking food to the wrong tables are a few examples. The inside looks very familiar if you have visited Cooper's Hawk restaurants. You'll find the standard wine barrel for house wine, a tasting area up front, and plenty of wine choices to pair with your meal. We likely won't be back, it just felt average at best for causal Italian dining. read more

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There are so many great Italian restaurants in Tampa you can definitely skip this place. Slow service, food was just ok nothing special, and the table & chairs were so uncomfortable. It looked like a food court. If you want Cooper's Hawk go there and get the brussels! If you want Italian go to Rocca, Olivia's, Luigi 's kitchen or Bella's. read more

Been wanting to try this Cooper's Hawk restaurant and we were up this way so stopped in. Place is really nice and a chill vibe. Got a couple of seats at the bar and settled in. Menu is pizza forward and tilted Italian which is great! Grabbed the salad and some soup. Both were delicious. Bartender was amazing and drinks really good. We will try to get back over here. read more

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We had a great time! Couldn't get a reservation at a normal meal time so put our name in & did the wine tasting in the tasting room. So much fun & lots of wines!! Both our server there and in the dining room were fantastic and made the experience! The calamari was great, short rib & polenta too. The pizza for me had too large of crust (I prefer mostly toppings to crust) and I didn't love the one we ordered. The entrees did take a long time to come out but understand they are fairly new & very busy. read more

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Our first time eating here and we came for Mothers Day, it was great. I can't remember our waitress name but she was great!! Food was good, drinks were good. I would certainly suggest visiting if you haven't. read more

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I've been here multiple times during dinner, but this is the first time here during lunch and honestly their lunch menu does not disappoint. I had the chicken parm sandwich and it was the best I've ever had, I totally recommend coming here. read more

Piccolo Buco by Cooper's Hawk - Chicken Parm Sandwich - Wine Bars Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Came here with my family. We ordered several salads, pizzas and wine. The food was all excellent! We were a larger party and they have a rule about not pushing tables together, which was kind of off putting but we were right next to each other so it wasn't too bad. Our server messed up our wine order and put in only a glass instead of a bottle. The service started off slow but got better and was mostly fine. It is a little pricey for what it is, but the food was delicious. I will be back! read more

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If you want to do a wine tasting and have the same experience as Cooper's Hawk, this is the place to go. Love Cooper's Hawk but it's always packed and busy at the wine tasting bar. However, we went on a Saturday during lunch, ate, and then did a wine tasting with no wait time and all the space we needed at the bar. The setup is quite different from Cooper's Hawk, but that's a good thing. It feels a lot more cozy and bright. We decided to eat at the bar and glad we did because the bartenders were helpful with recommendations and very accommodating. We didn't feel rushed and they were pretty attentive. That's hard to do when the bar is packed with people. We ordered... a lot: Calamari: I'm not a huge fan of red peppers and pepperoncini's on calamari but it didn't overpower the dish. Italian sub & salad: delicious! The salad was a surprise bc I figured it would be a small side salad, but you could tell this was a freshly made salad that included chickpeas. Delicious! Hand-Rolled Three Finger Cavatelli: another delicious dish. Reminds me of Cooper's Hawk gnocchi, but better. The pasta is hand made... enough said! I also ordered the Chocolate Hazelnut Cake (which I forgot to take a pic of) because we ate it so quickly. And as a take-home order, we ordered a Classic Margherita. Reheated it at home, per the instructions on the box, and it was delicious as well. I'll probably order this as my main course next time we visit. If you haven't gone yet, make your way because you won't be disappointed! It's only 10min from Cooper's Hawk. read more

Piccolo Buco by Cooper's Hawk - Calamari - Wine Bars Near Me - Tampa, Florida

We split the charred pepperoni pizza, the yellow tomato bisque, and the pepperdelle short rib pasta. Everything from the excellent friendly service to the atmosphere to the wine (I had Cabernet to the flavorful menu selections was top notch. Can't wait to go back! read more

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My friends and I were so excited to try this new restaurant because we absolutely love going to Cooper's Hawk! When we drove up, we saw the nicely structured building. There is a nice outdoor seating area as well as decor before you enter the door. Once you enter, you will see the wine tasting room, which is nice. The aesthetics are definitely there! Make sure that you make a reservation. They are currently only taking up to four people per group. Once seated, we were asked for drink orders. We had the non-alcoholic wine as well as the mixed frozen sangria. The frozen sangria was awesome, and the non-alcoholic option was great. We went on to ordering our food. We had the calamari and Caesar salad as appetizers. The calamari was not really seasoned and didn't have much flavor. For our entrées, we had the yellow marg pizza, spicy pepperoni, pizza, the vegan pizza and the chicken Parmesan. The pizzas were okay. The vegan was the most flavorful. We were also given calabari oil which was delicious and helped with flavor. The chicken Parmesan noodles were good, but the chicken was a bit bland. We end up being there for over two hours. Our service was pretty slow at the time we went, although it was not packed. I would probably go back and get the vegan pizza to go and try out the wine tasting room, but I'm not sure if I would dine in again. They haven't been there for too long, so hopefully things will get improved. read more

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Came here for a late Saturday lunch. We had to make a reservation a few days in advance. The restaurant has absolutely beautiful ambience, very cozy, modern and beautiful. Service was wonderful. Anton was friendly and attentive. Food was pretty decent as well. Arugula salad was fresh and delicious. Portion was on a smaller size. Mushroom pizza was good but me personally didn't like the thick crust, it seemed to me like it didn't have enough toppings. I understand that's their idea but I don't want to just eat a bunch of plain bread. Chicken pasta cavatelli was decent but not amazing. It was pretty heavy. Hibiscus tea was wonderful. Lemonade was pretty good as well. Overall decent beautiful place and good location. read more

Piccolo Buco by Cooper's Hawk - Pizza and cavatelli pasta - Wine Bars Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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Copper's Hawk really outdid themselves with this place. As wine members, we got a reservation and got to try Piccolo Buco. Our server did inform us they are in reservations only and still haven't opened to the public yet. Service was amazing! For starters, they have all the classic CH wines and a few additional Buco specific wines. CH definitely shifted the focus of this restaurant to food vs normally centering the wine and they nailed it! Three styles of pizza: red, yellow and white. We started with a classic Charred Pepperoni that was fantastic (do not forget to add Mama Luca's house-made Calabrian oil!!!!). We also tried the Tre Carne yellow pizza that we really loved. The pizza is really a showstopper here! The entire menu looked good, but we chose to share two pastas for this visit. The Truffle Fondue Cappellacci was phenomenal! Unlike a pasta I've had before and delicious. The balsamic adds tang without being overly acidic. Our friends got the Mezzi Rigatoni Alla Vodka and also really loved it. This is a beautiful and well designed restaurant. We certainly be back and excited to have a new CH restaurant to add into our rotation!! read more

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Best place for date night! Atmosphere was great and cute/cozy inside. Would DEFINITELY recommend making reservations though because it is busy. Service was great and very attentive. Did some wine tasting and my waitress was helpful and gave good recommendations. Calamari was nice amazing with a little kick. I also got the short rib pasta which was to die for. If you want something hearty then definitely get the short rib pasta! Highly recommend and will be back! read more

Piccolo Buco by Cooper's Hawk - Braised Short Ribs - Wine Bars Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Michelin-Level Flavor Meets Pizza Scissor Olympics The food was phenomenal! Now... about the pizza scissors. Yes, scissors. Apparently, the restaurant has a sacred ritual where a "pizza professional" approaches your table and performs what can only be described as interpretive dance with a pair of scissors. I respect the art form, but by slice number two, it felt like watching someone defuse a bomb made of mozzarella. Ten out of ten for tension, two out of ten for efficiency. By the time the pizza was fully liberated, it was lukewarm, and so was my patience. Our server was kind, but tragically allergic to the phrase "another round?" We were sitting there, thirsty and ready to spend, but the opportunity passed like a sad bottle of still water. Several drink rounds were left unsold, and I'm sure somewhere there was a bar manager that wept. Would I come back? Absolutely. But next time, I'm bringing my own pizza cutter and a Post-it note that says "Keep the drinks coming." read more

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We had a great experience at Piccolo Buco. They've only been open a week and a half, but we experienced no issues during our first visit. Truth be told, I came for the squash blossoms. I haven't seen them on a menu since I left San Diego in 2011. They were lightly fried and the lemon sauce was amazing. 100% would order again. The Carbonara pizza was super heavy, but our waitress brought some calabrian pepper sauce that really made the pizza so much better. BF loved his eggplant parm and said he would have a hard time ordering anything else going forward. We redeemed our Cooper's Hawk wine membership tastings for a couple of glasses of wine here, so that was a nice bonus. The bar area was small, so I don't think I'd plan on a wine tasting before dinner. read more

Piccolo Buco by Cooper's Hawk - Fried squash blossoms - Wine Bars Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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Three years ago I stood in line for two hours in front of a little pizza café right around the corner from the Trevi fountain in Rome, Italy. Piccolo Buco was recommended as one of the must visit restaurants in Italy by not just one of my friends, but three. It was the best pizza I'd ever have in my life! (It's even on my profile as the last meal I'd have before dying!) Fast forward 3 years later and I'm talking to a server at Coopers Hawk about the best pizza I've ever had at a tiny café in Rome. He says to me, "Oh they're opening one up in Carrollwood. " What???? I kept an eye on the grand opening date and booked as soon as I could. The Tampa location did not disappoint. Anton made great recommendations outside of what we had at the Rome location. He also paired the dishes well with compatible wines. He even convinced us to renew our wine membership. We ordered the Carbonara pizza with the hard to find pork cheek or "guanciale" that adds that extra fat and saltiness to the pizza. The truffle pasta has depth of flavor with great texture added via the crushed pistachios. My only complaint is the diffulcty making a reservation for a party greater than 4 since we are a family of 5. Apparently they aren't taking reservations for parties bigger than 4 at this time. Hopefully they change that. Oh and please put Birra Moretti on the beer list. Then it'll be just like that little pizza café by the Trevi fountain. Thank you Anton for the great service and thank you Piccolo Buco for bringing the nostalgia back from Rome! read more

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