Piccolo Cafe
“It is the UWS version of a "hole in the wall," yet it continues to remain classy in the UWS fashion.”
“Indoor seating is a little tight; this is definitely a place for solo-dining or an intimate date.”
“Flavorful, moist and wonderfully seasoned meatballs with pasta cooked perfectly al dente.”
Piccolo Cafe
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Accepts Apple Pay: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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One of the highlights of my trip to NYC. Great food and service without the pretentious atmosphere you get at other places (especially for brunch). It's a small space with a lot of history, excellent experience there overall.
Stopped by after a morning at the Museum of Natural History for a quick lunch, and I felt like I was transported back to Europe and the quaint little eateries that line their streets. The decor is really intricate and everything felt very well thought-out.
Indoor seating is a little tight; this is definitely a place for solo-dining or an intimate date. I felt a little claustrophobic because I was sitting so close to the parties next to me, and the biggest table I saw could fit about 3 people comfortably. Definitely a good thing to keep in mind if you are planning on stopping by!
The lunch specials are a great deal, but a la carte items are also reasonably priced. After much hmming and haaing over the menu, I decided to go with the truffle, arugula, and ham focaccia panini. I didn't regret one bite!! Seriously, if you are ordering food, get something with the truffle!! You cannot go wrong!
Unfortunately, I live quite a distance from the UWS, so I rarely ever venture here, but if I'm back in the neighborhood, I'll definitely drop by! Plus, Levain Bakery is right around the corner, so if anything, that's a great excuse to kill two birds with one stone. 🙂
Loved my seafood pasta! The cutest ever sidewalk cafe with soo much charm. My coworker who is French says it reminds her of sitting at sidewalk cafes in Paris.. in the evenings…enjoying good wine, good food…company..and old world charm. Romantic setting. Small. Italian cafe that has been around for a very very long time in the neighborhood….has history. SOO cute. I saw some locals coming in "just for dessert." So next time I'm in NYC I'll be ordering dessert. Hopefully I'll be back someday.
Fan of their brunch! Great quality, reasonable pricing, and perfect portions!
Prosciutto & Avacado on Croissant with Mushroom Sauce and Poached egg (5) – It tasted way better than it looked. Going to be honest, when this dish was served to my table I was so scared to eat it. The mushroom sauce created this really ugly brownish gray sauce that was all over my food. However, i was AMAZED by how good the mushroom really tasted! I absolutely loved this dish and would highly recommend it.
Lobster & Avacado on Croissant with poached egg (4.5) – my boyfriend ordered this and he loved it. I personally wasn't a fan of lobster with avacado but other than that, it was really nicely cooked.
The main reason I'm giving Piccolo a 4 and not a 5 star was because both of our eggs were overcooked. When we got into the poached it, it was just this hardened yolk instead of a delicious runny yolk that would cover up our dish.
This time I had the signature sunny side up eggs with brussel sprouts and shaved parmesan and it was sooooooooooo good. The eggs and vegetable comes in a beurre blanc that makes the dish warm and hearty. I used the bread to soak up every last bit of the sauce.
Service is attentive and polite but food does take a while to come. Dining space is tight and so is the bathroom. In my opinion this joint still offers the most affordable yet most delicious brunch in this neighborhood.
Even though I only experienced Piccolo via the To-Go window, the place was so cute it deserves a review. Basically, it's a hole-in-the-wall smack in the middle of the UWS. A few seats inside, a few seats outside, and a very happy looking crowd. My friend and I went to the window and got tea and coffee and the man working the bar as well as the window was as Italian as it gets! A great touch to the overall experience. He was very friendly and crafts his coffee concoctions with a lot of care. Great concept, great location.
What took me so long to check out Piccolo!?!?
The menu was filled with tempting options so we ordered a bunch of food to share. We very much enjoyed the artichoke bruschetta, the roasted cauliflower, the zucchini pot, the mimosa risotto, and – the winner of the evening – Paccheri & eggplant alla Norma.
Looking forward to going back for more!
My friend wrote a blog post about this place, so I knew I had to try brunch here at some point! Piccolo is a cozy little place with rustic decor. There's not a lot seating inside, but there's more seating outside (when the weather is nice). My friend and I sat inside for brunch this particular visit.
Everything on the menu looked really good, but I had the Uova al Forno, which my other friend had talked about on her blog, and I'm so glad I got it! I loved the baked eggs with the runny yolks mixing with the tomato sauce. It tasted so yummy with the sourdough bread. I just wish I had more bread to sop up all the sauce! My friend had the artichoke egg sandwich – she definitely liked it since she ate every last bite!
The one thing that kept me from getting Piccolo 5 stars today was the service. It all seemed to take WAY too long. We felt like we were waiting for a really long time for everything from our waters to the food to the check. The waitstaff seemed friendly, but I think they just needed to pay a bit more attention to the customers. However, the slow service didn't ruin our experience today. Overall I had a great time! Whenever I'm in NYC again, I will definitely look to Piccolo and try some of their other dishes!