Reviews for Piccolo South Pasadena in South Pasadena, CA

This was a swing and a miss on every dish we had at our table. My first red flag of the night was the dining room was lit so... dimly that you could not read the menu, much less see the food, without unabashedly whipping out your phone light. It wasn?t somuch that any of the food was especially bad, it was just all incredibly mediocre and made with poor technique. The flavors wereall just there and then gone, no dish really capturing your attention and making you stop and go wow, that bite was amazing, anddefinitely something I couldn?t do at home. The gnocchi were dry and crumbly, the beet lasagna side was overcooked and dry andultimately flavorless, the asparagus still had their tough fibrous bottoms, and the rest of our pastas just really not hittingany high notes on flavor or technique. It could have been a bad night with the technique being the problem with a lot of ourdishes (cook time, vegetable prep, etc), but even with that being fixed I think the underlying issue here would still remain,and that?s that none of the dishes just aren?t especially good. Read more

Enjoyed this place! Lovely ambience. We sat at the bar, which I initially thought was too dimly lit but it ended up being fine.... The server was very friendly and nice. Everything on the menu was delicious! They have an especially amazing selection of pastadishes and I miss it already. So good. Read more

Some of the best Italian I have had in southern California. Fantastic pasta, unbelievable pasta. Clearly made in house and the... calamari over greens is just ridiculous. Worth every penny. Read more

Great tasting food for its price. Service is really good. More of an upscale restaurant, higher quality dishes. The duck ragu... pasta was delicious. They have great desserts. The coffee was amazing in the affagato. Lovely little patio in the back. Thechefs know what they're doing. Overall highly recommend. Read more

Excellent wait staff, friendly and knowledgeable. Large wine list from Italy . Food was delicious. There are parking issues, be... prepared to walk a block but it's well worth it. We ate inside but there was a great back patio as well. They do not rush you! Read more

This place has some serious potential. Serious potential. The vibe and location is perfect, and the food is quite delicious.... However there needs to be better communication with staff. Specials are expensive compared to the menu, and service is lackingwhen needed, waited over a half an hour after ordering drinks to simply put in a food order. It?s a great place that feels about30% overpriced, and 50% slower than it should be with service. Hopefully it gets better as I would try it again and be willingto revise this review. On a side note, nice wine list. Read more

We shared the trout, culotte steak, Filet mignon, grilled calamari, watercress salad and pancetta. They we?re delicious. If I... were you I would definitely go for the pasta dishes! The trout was perfectly cooked and the steaks were well seasoned. We allloved the calamari. The cocktails could use some work but the wine was great. The deserts were delicious. Read more

This is a nice addition to South Pasadena?s dining scene. It occupies the space vacated by Crossings that closed a few years... ago. Kudos to Felix who normally tends bar but helped serve us last night. The veal scallopini with Pernod and blood orangesauce was amazing. The fillet mignon medallions with truffle and Barolo sauce was superb. The sea bass with cherry sauce wasmoist and well seasoned. The calamari grigliata was over cooked and came out gummy. The orata crudo was light and refreshing.The desserts were not very sweet and were the highlight of the meal. Read more