« Ballard Restaurants

In the March issue of Seattle Metropolitan, they reviewed all the best pizza in the city. There were several Ballard contenders (Like Veraci and Delancey) and others in the Neapolitan category (the ones that are certified like Tutta Bella and Via Tribunali). No one said anything about Picolinos... Why didn't Picolinos make the cut?
It makes sense- I've tried all the pizzas in Ballard, and Picolino's is definitely the worst. Plus, the atmosphere is really weird. What's going on? I think something just smells bad. I would rather wait for an hour at Delancey's.

-Ballard Lock Lady

took my mom to lunch on her birthday. meal was unimpressive. she said she felt sick afterwards. i want to like this place, but we won't be back any time soon.

My wife and I ate there last week. I'm glad I didn't read the reviews (on another review site) beforehand because I wouldn't have gone. Nevertheless we went because it's nearby and is certainly a pretty place.

We liked it a lot. Was it the best Italian restaurant I've every eaten in? No, but it was excellent and we feel we got our money's worth.

We had the endive, fennel and date salad which they split for us. It was delicious. We then each had a special. I had the halibut (pricey) with olives and my wife had the breaded pork chop. Both were excellent - and for our lunches the next day as well. I had the spumoni for dessert which was disappointing.

Our waiter was Carlo, a former restaurant owner himself, who provided excellent service.

A couple of comments on other postings: I think it's very important to ALWAYS ask the price of the specials if they aren't given - which they should be. I too was burned by this once and never again. (As an aside, my wife taught me to ALWAYS check the bill for mistakes. You'd be surprised how many I've found over the years!) We didn't have the pizza. I'm not sure why someone would go to a restaurant like this for a pizza especially when here in Seattle it would take a long time to eat at all the "my favorite" pizza places.

I hate to say this but we will have to give Picolinos another try before we take friends there, not based on our experience which was fine but on what I've read. Perhaps we just hit it right or, perhaps they've got it right. My guess is the later is true.

My husband and I tried Picolino's a second time after waiting for almost a year for them to adjust. Instead of dining in, we decided to take out and enjoy a meal at home. Our choice was simple and classic - carbonara. How can you mess up this dish, people? Its just some eggs, light cheese, and bacon. A peasants dish shouldn't be too fancy. The Picolino's version was caked with cheese and monster pieces of pancetta that weren't fully cooked. The oil content separated even before the dish cooled. Oh, Asteroid Cafe, please come back and show them how its done. I, also, was in Italy recently on a food trip, and can confirm that this tastes just like Italy - bar food - served as a buffet to anyone who orders a drink after 4. We will make our own carbonara next time.

A friend and I went here for the first time about a week ago. My friend has lived overseas for nearly 30 years and has very sophisticated taste in food and exacting standards re service and atmosphere. He was very pleased with all aspects of this restaurant. We had an extremely good meal that was well prepared and served. The recommended wine was wonderful. The afternoon was relaxing and completely pleasant. I was surprised that I hadn't previously been aware of the restaurant's existence and am glad we stumbled upon it. I'll return.

The wife and I went here for the first time tonight and were VERY impressed. I’ll start right off by saying this is the best Italian food we have ever had in Seattle and it ranks right up there with the best anywhere else. We live in the hood and have been meaning to go since it opened but at first with all the mixed reviews we was in no hurry to go. However, we also heard about their great turnaround and many friends and family said it was a must go kind of place. They were right!

Everything was great here including the location (for us). We came in early and sat down by the fireplace right next to this nice older couple visiting from Italy who kept telling the waiter throughout the night that Picolinos was better than back home (somewhere in northern Italy but I couldn’t here what city/town). They said it enough times I know they weren't joking or just being nice.

Anyway, on to the food… we shared the prawns in a white wine sauce, with garlic, tomatoes and a little red chili flakes...perfection to start the meal. For our main course we shared the pasta with bolognaise, and the goat cheese ravioli with brown butter and sage. We found ourselves both saving how wonderful both dishes were and it's rare that everything we ordered was wonderful and better than we thought it could be. The difference for sure was how delicate and homemade the meal was. The pasta was the clear winner and you can tell it's made in the back of the house. It was cooked perfectly with a nice bite and it just tasted great in a way that’s hard to explain. We wanted dessert but didn’t have room for it or an espresso that I wanted to try. The Italian couple had two espressos after their meal….how Italian indeed!

The staff and service were wonderful and the decor was perfect with a nice holiday touch for this time of the year. Our meal total was $58 before tip. I'm very happily surprised to say this is going to be one of our favorite local spots to go from now on. We both were thinking how nice it will be to go in the summer when we can sit outside on the back patio and listen to music with dinner.

5 out of 5 stars for this hidden gem in Ballard!!! Please go if you haven't been yet, you won't be disappointed!

We have been frequenting Picolinos for about a year. They have made great progress and we love the place!
Our recent visitor from Milan ate there 3 or 4 times and always had the pizza. He insisted it was better than he could get at home.
Bravo Picolinos!

This is a wonderful, warm, welcoming place with great food and ambiance. In summer the courtyard is sublime and all year long, the restaurant provides authentic Italian pizze and other entrees served in a charming venue. The next door cafe serves the best caffe italiano in Ballard.

Top quality and was expecting to pay much more....
We had great dinner and great pasta, bit of wine some nice music and all for under $25.
Great atmosphere

I visited Picolinos in Ballard this past weekend. I went for dessert and end up in the beautiful patio. I can't complain, the day was wonderful, the sun shining, the cleanliness, décor, beautiful flowers, atmosphere, staff were all well mixed together. I asked for a soup to start. I still can remember the taste, just delicious, then later I got some shrimp risotto, which was the day's special. Prices were reasonable $$$$ worth the money .. and I had some glasses of champagne. I enjoyed the service and staff were courteous, I remember Gutty ,Carlo and Garret who speaks Italian. I don't have anything but good things to say about the service. The three of them were just fantastic and seem to be on top of their guests, which I highly appreciate. I love to go to restaurants and this one is now for sure my Ballard's favorite.
My advise, go to the restaurant and try it yourself.. or better yet take my advise and enjoy!!! Bon appetite!!! :-)

We tried Picolinos again. Good news! It was good.

This time we had pizza and soup. The pizza was very good. Crispy crust. Flavorful sauce. The soup was lentil and sausage. It was good too.

The service was very attentive. This time we didn't have to break out the semaphore flags to get our bill. We'll be back. Hopefully this is the going-forward pattern.

This is one of our favorite spots! We've eaten here numerous times and only once did we have rather slow service. Everyone, from the owner, to the bartender, to the wait staff has been overly helpful. The food...ahhhhh...delightful! The gnocci is like butter. The goat cheese stuffed ravioli is a favorite of many. And the truffles are a delightful, and not too heavy, way to end the meal.
I highly recommend this lovely spot in the neighborhood!

My wife and I tried Picolinos last night. This is our second attempt. Not sure if there will be a third try. And it is a real shame. We want it to be good. The corner of 65th and 32nd should be the anchor of the neighborhood.

The place is beautiful. We sat outside and the evening was just the right temperature. Our server was charming. Lots of shouting in Italian and friendly banter going on. So, atmosphere was perfect.

But. . .

The service was glacial when it came to actually getting food, drinks, or our bill. On the flip side, we were asked if we wanted more bread five times. And a little guy filled our water (from the carafe already on the table) several times.

The food was both bland and icky at the same time. I got the crab ravioli in lobster sauce ($22). For some reaon there were little tiny bay shrimp (previously frozen) that had been aging a little too long. The sauce had a sort of sharp-bad shrimp flavor and not a lot of other taste.

My wife's clam pasta was just bland.

My coffee was luke warm as if it had been sitting in an air pot too long.

Bill was about $100. Two mains, one appetizer, one glass of wine, and two beers.

Unfortunately, it just feels like a lack of pride and attention to detail. Which is odd, considering how intensively staffed the restaurant is.

So, $100 dinner for two that was a pretty big disappointment.

We'll probably try the pizza but maybe not.

Please, please, please fix it. The neighborhood wants you to succeed. But don't charge med-high prices and then give us poor food. It shows a lack of respect for us and for your craft.

Went yesterday to see what the fuss was about and yes, it was pricey but the Endive salad was cool crisp and crunchy and the pasta dishes were creamy and just the right side of al dente, my seafood pasta was spicy and fresh --> but $19 :-(

They had a pretty talented and non-obnoxious guitar player strumming in the background and, for a Thursday were plenty busy.

Service was a little random (at their prices I'd expect to have my water glass filled when empty) - I'll go again to try the pizza.

And there is ice cream across the street for dessert...

We went for dinner last week with friends. I thought to food was good. We all ordered something different and we were happy with our meals. Our friends ordered some simple pasta for their daughter and they brought it wrong. They did correct this and did not charge for her dinner. They also didn't seem to know which table should get the food. We ordered a bottle of wine to share so I can't speak to the wine pours.

Try It Again!

We went right when it opened and it was so so. We went again and it was AWFUL but then they redid the menu and got new chefs and WOW!!!

It's sooooo good.

Pricey, but sooooo good. Huge portions. Plan to take some home.

Kids menu is a little steep. It would be great to see them cut that by at least 1/3. Maybe they don't really, really want kids there. Who knows. Either works for us.

Fantastic live music.

Its so nice to have a restaurant with a Full Bar walking distance.

The bakery is amazing too. I can't wait for the last little piece, the deli on the corner piece, to open.

My parting words - try it again. You'll be pleased.

My family (2 young boys, hubby, and myself) went to dinner here Sunday night. The service was good and it was kid friendly. They brought both kids a small roll/pastry shaped like a mouse which was cute. The food, however, was not good. We ordered carpaccio for an appetizer and it had less taste than roast beef from Fred Meyers (but was priced around $11). I asked if they made their own pasta, and yes, they make some of them including the ravioli. Our server raved about the goat cheese ravioli so I ordered that. The dish was literally SWIMMING in oil- very unappetizing and the pasta for the ravioli was so tough I could barely cut it. My husband ordered the tuna, which I know is supposed to only be seared, but it was still cold in the middle. The best part of the meal was the wine (fairly priced), the basket of bread, and the kids macaroni and cheese was actually pretty good. I will not go back.

My husband and I went on a double date with our neighbors to Piccolino in early February. The food was so so. What really stood out was the service - atrocious. We waited for 45 minutes before there was even water served. That only happened because we flagged down a server. Flagging seems to be all the new rage as it was the only way we got service the entire night. My favorite moment was when the server started to remove my friend's plate while her fork was still in her hand. After she politely said she wasn't done yet, we couldn't get our server's attention for another 25 minutes. I would recommend you either train your staff or drop your food prices to match your service level.

The food is better than average but I find the wine pours a little short and the service sloppy. I put it down to being a new restaurant but every time I eat at Picolino's they get some part of the order wrong. I keep going back because the quality is good and the location is great (for me). I would love to see more vegetarian dishes on the menu too.

I guess this place suits the neighborhood. But, I'd like to go somewhere else for fancy Italian food. Nice try to everybody, and hope the coffee shop could uphold the Italian feel. The owner seems to gloat about his own fantastic 'baked goods'. Prices on pastry are ridiculously low, so that's good. But, I have mixed feelings on what's fresh and what isn't. Power to you.

After reading about the new pizza chef, we decided to try Picolino's again. Never again. Unless some big changes happen very soon, they will be out of business. First, they need to scrap the giant bowls that they serve the pizza in, it causes the moisture to collect and turns the pie to mush before it gets to the table. Boards or perforated metal are needed. Second, do not charge me nine dollars for a salad that is 1/4 of a bag of Trader Joe's arugula (50 cents) with a single slice of tomato and missing the shaved parmesan entirely. This is Ballard. We are all trying to hold onto our nickels. Give us a break. The wait staff is confused and poorly trained, and the service is slow. Everyone seemed to be running around with their hair on fire. That said, I found the sauce on the pizza to be authentic and the flavors good, only to be ruined by what someone thinks is a classy presentation. Please, Picolino's, hire a snappy manager and lower your prices on some of the lesser items. And would it kill you to add an extra few tablespoons of wine to the glass? When my wine was brought, I actually thought it was for a taste, the glass only 1/4 full. This is not the Italian spirit. Bounty and good cheer are absent from this place.

We went with our toddler back in November and the experience was disappointing. For the most part because we brought our toddler (this is a nice place for older kids, not 2 year olds). The food was also disappointing. I went a couple of weeks ago without my child and loved the atmosphere. The pasta was very good, but one of us got the pizza and one got a calzone and they still need work. The pizza was very limp and slightly bland and the calzone was way too doughy. I will go back though because I thought the service was great and I like their pasta.

Their pastries are out of this world!! The espresso bar is wonderful! They have an amazing baker who used to work on a cruise line, Four Season Olympic Hotel and has over 30 years experience..he is fabulous! I commend Tom for making constant improvements and staying focused in what is a tough economy and a tough business!

Had a good dinner last night--smoked salmon pasta, house salad, and a margarita pizza. It was not quite as good as it was when we last went a couple of weeks ago, but they were much busier this time. The wines by the glass are very good for the price and the bread (foccacia with sun dried tomato olive oil) was delicious. Loved the overall atmosphere and the friendly service, which has improved each time. And we are also loving the new espresso bar!

Had a nice dinner last night...spaghetti in clam
sauce that was wonderful(slightly smoky)
and a healthy sized "Insalata Stefano" that was
quite tastey
Staff was VERY attentive.
Nice that the wine selection is reasonable

As far as repeat business
goes...I'd be more inclined if there were a few more
mid range ($10-15) non-pizza options that included a
meat/fish ingredient...and in my opinion, $14 for a calzone is
about $4 too much (guess I'm picky but...)

Anyway..looking forward to the deli

Their euro style coffee shop is my new favorite place to get my morning cappuccino. The staff is friendly and down to earth- and the espresso is divine.

I gave this place 2 stars and pretty bad reviews when we ate there a couple of months ago, mostly for the mediocre food, and were so disappointed that we didn't go back. But after seeing the changes in chef and menu, we tried it again last night and loved it! We had the arugula salad, the penne with smoked salmon, and the pappardelle mushroom pasta, all of which were great. And we had a bite of the kids pizza too, which was a huge improvement from last time. Very similar to what you get at Tutta Bella. We will definitely be back!

I just went to Picolinos last Friday. They have gotten much better! The menus is more streamlined and the service seemed under control. But best of all the food was good. I will go back!

We gave Picolinos another try (after 2 so so experiences) and everything has greatly improved. The service was much better, the food was excellent (v. just okay before) and the overall vibe was not nearly as chaotic. The owner was on site and was obviously focused on making sure things ran smoothly and customers were happy.

Our first visit and a small group. Service was prompt, informative, efficient and caring. The
food was delicious in an atmosphere that is nicely appointed. An addition of a curtain or two would absorb the sound more lending to better ease in conversation if there are to be more full houses like what we experienced. Obviously a poular place!! A lovely slice of Italy to run off to on a rainy Seattle evening.

Went to Picolinos for the first time last week (mid-January) We had a great dinner: service was attentive and friendly, food was very good, overall, a good experience. I hope that's the rule rather than the exception because I want them to succeed!

The first time we went we were unimpressed. Pizza was bland, portions were skimpy and waiter was rushing us. Happy to report that we went back last night and had a spectacular meal! The food was all delicious -- rave reviews on the risotto and the steak. Wait staff was good -- we'll definitely be back!

I walked by Picolinos today and saw Tom Douglas (Etta's, Dalia Lounge, Lola, etc.) sitting in there. This is very confusing. Perhaps it means there is some hope for the place with the new chef...

Last night was the third -and by far the best -visit to the restaurant. Under the new chef, food has improved remarkably . The chicken dish was
superb and the salad Stefano was excellent !
The special bread served with the meal was cold, hence unattractive. This needs attention as well
as wait staff being a bit better informed about
drinks--different beers/ales, house liquors, etc.
All-in-all, a special and wonderful meal and experience.

Whatever, you get the picture (by clicking on the link).
I went there in November and was unimpressed with the bland food and the prices. I decided to not go back. My boss gave me a gift certificate for Christmas. I was blown away by the difference in taste and in service.
Googling Stefano's name, it looks like he moves around a lot. I hope he stays here till my anniversary in April.

Maybe this will work.

http://i40.tinypic.com/dcq3b5.jpg

Stefano Mazzi is the new chef

[IMG]http://i40.tinypic.com/dcq3b5.jpg[/IMG]

Good to hear that there's a new chef and menu. Went there before the holidays and left us wanting the desert across the street at Walters. Want them to succeed but they need to be more like restaurant people than accountants...

We've been to Picolino several times since it opened. We've loved the atmosphere and the food. Last night we returned and the food was excellent.

And we are SO looking forward to the opening of Espresso/Bakery :-)

I think it's great that they're responding to customer comments! Picolino is a beautiful space -- a great addition to the neighborhood. We plan to go tonight and try out the new menu.

In these tough economic times, let's skip the chain restaurants... think globally and eat locally.

New food is much better. Service better too. Still some significant room for improvement in service, and a slight price adjustment DOWN would make a big difference.

Keep at it Piccolinos! Thanks for being responsive to the community's requests.

Maybe a sign in the window saying "new chef" or "new improved service now available" Instead there is a sign for the espresso opening and a huge supply of antique silver coffee and t pots...would much rather they improve what they have already opened!!

I hope they make it as well but it sounds as though our negative experience wrt slow service is a shared one. I would not recommend this restaurant unless you want to sit for long periods of time without water, a passing glance from a waiter, a drink or appetizer for at least 10 minutes. We were there on Friday night and while it was busy, it wasn't packed and the staff seemed very confused and frazzled. When the waiter finally did make it to our table, he was great but we were already a bit grumpy. We ate there New Year's Eve as well and the pizza was good but I swear it had canned mushrooms on it. Not good.

tried the place again last night...even with the new menu...they still need some work. my kids are losing faith on the ever changing kids menu. we want this place to work but we are asking ourselves how many times can we spend $$$ for a dinner there and not be happy about it?

The word on the street....they have a new chef from Italy! New Menu which is specializing in Tuscan regional cuisine.....and Dino from Via Tribunali is the new Pizza Maestro.

I woudl be nice to know that the owner or the staff were reading this and letting us know of any improvements or changes so we do not lose faith all together....you have beautiful ambiance...please make it worth our while to come back! What aer you doing to keep us coming back or even venturing a return???

I've been here twice now and am seriously disappointed. For the price paid, the food is NOT good enough, and the service is awful. We never did get water one visit, and our wine orders were completely wrong - when we pointed this out they were not corrected or even apologized for, let alone removed from the bill. My date's salad had a LOT of grit in it one night (enough to make it inedible), and the other evening my pasta stuck together in one giant tough knot - obviously the pasta had not been stirred while cooking.

I really really REALLY wanted this place to be an actual neighborhood restaurant. For that to happen, the prices will have to come down, the service will have to improve *greatly*, and the food will have to be consistenly better. I won't be trying again for a few months, if ever, unless I see price reductions.

I see you just like to complain a lot. Good morning.

Have been to the place 3 times and the place is great but Tom the food needs work. We want you to well.

This place could not have been more anticipated and welcomed int he neighborhood. The critiques have been honest and upfront with a STRONG emphasis on the desire for them to do well, but to please improve. The disappointmentis..the place is gorgeous, the staff super polite and nice, the owner wonderful...but the food is subpar, the service slow (the servers can only move food out as fast as it is being cooked) and they are inconsistent in their decision to serve bread, when and how...Pizza, how can a place with a brick oven, so beautiful make such a ordinary, and unremarkable pizza? Tom is a great guy, but he needs to set a standard..bread and water served immediatley upon seating a customer. Drink orders taken quickly, and food orders moved through the kitchen in a more efficient manner. I do not know who the chef is, but he needs to come up with a consistent method that serves out the food quickly and each dish cooked exactly like the next..hopefully always good. The requests have come in about using fresh ingredients and not boxed crutons (you must have bread there you can make your own in the brick oven- not rocket science to accomplish) AS much as I love the look and the location of this place..it still rate a bare 2 star after going there 3 times

My girlfriend and I went here for the first time 12/27/08. We're excited to have a nice Italian restaurant walking distance from our home.

Negatives:
Service was somewhat slow, but polite. The food also came out slowly, but it was worth the wait. We were surprised that bread wasn't offered untili the main entrees were served.

Positives:

We both agreed that the atmosphere is very nice and the food tasty. We were given a quiet table where conversation was easy. We tried separate pasta dishes with a meat side, and both tasted great. The server gave us a nice, affordable wine selection . The crostini was a great appetizer.

Meal for two with bottle of wine totaled about $80 plus tip.