April 2025 by Kay Bennett Stone
Booked a table in advance here for Sat 12th April at 4.30pm before we headed to the theatre for 7pm
Our server introduced himself brought us our wine. Our order was taken some time later after we caught his attention then apparently went on his break. No one took over, we sat for over 15 minutes before we got our starter. We had mentioned we planned to eat some of our shared tomato garlic bread starter with our main pasta dish but that was it. No one brought our food, no one came to our table.
We caught the attention of another server and queried our meals after waiting over 25 minutes.
Our meals eventually came.
Wished we hadn?t bothered? 2 seafood meals were ordered? they tasted like boiled water.Two of the shells in my meal hadn?t opened and there was bits of shell in my friends meal.
We were running late by this time as it was 6.40 and luckily we didn't want a sweet so we decided to just pay the bill including the added service charge and put it down to a bad experience.
Our server appeared to take our payment, he then bothered to ask how our meal was. I told him it wasn?t very nice and he said we should have told him before the bill came? well I would have if you had been around.
He then insisted on reporting our concerns to the manager. So we waited? the waiter returned and tried to present us with three small shots of goodness knows what (lemon chello) I guessed. How insulting!! We declined and left and will not be returning to that restaurant again.
April 2025 by soberu bukola
It was nice , good service, I won?t rate the drink because it was not nice but the food was okay.
April 2025 by Paul Kennedy
I?ll admit, I was suspiciously pleased when we managed to snag a last-minute reservation at Piccolino Caffè Grande on Mother?s Day, no less. Every other place in town was booked up tighter than my jeans after a roast dinner, yet somehow this elegant, always-inviting restaurant had a spot. Alarm bells? Slightly. Curiosity? Definitely.
So, off we went?my wife, our two daughters, and me?dressed for the occasion and quietly hopeful. First impressions were excellent: the venue looked sharp as ever, and the staff were warm, welcoming, and made a lovely fuss of our infant daughter, who, being a natural-born diva, soaked up the attention like a sponge.
Now, for the not-so-glamorous bit: the seating. Our table felt like an afterthought?squeezed in beside the hustle and clatter of the staff?s glassware-grabbing station. Between the crashing crockery and the waiters whizzing by, it was more chaotic than cosy. A bit like trying to enjoy a romantic dinner in a stockroom.
On to the food. The service was swift, and overall, the food was solid. My wife and daughter shared the sourdough with king prawns, garlic butter, chilli and parsley?and both insisted it was delicious and generously portioned. I went for the calamari, which was crispy, light, and nicely paired with a zesty mayo.
For mains, my daughter and I ordered the beef Sunday Roast (because, well, it was Sunday), and my wife went with the lasagne. The roast was? fine. Not bad, not mum?s, but fine. The beef was beautifully cooked, but the potatoes were bone-dry and seemed to have given up on life. The side of greens and cauliflower cheese tried their best to save the plate. My wife, thankfully, enjoyed her lasagne, so there was at least one empty plate at the table.
Then came the part of the evening that will stay with me forever?for all the wrong reasons.
I ventured down to the gents, which felt like a mildly dangerous mission via a steep spiral staircase (wasn?t sure if I needed a safety harness or a Sherpa). But the real peril awaited inside: a bathroom in such a state that even Bear Grylls might?ve turned back. The floors were grimy and clearly hadn?t been properly cleaned since the last World Cup. If I?d known, I would?ve packed my wellies, or at the very least some marigolds and a stiff brush.
In summary Piccolino Caffè Grande offers a polished first impression, friendly service, and decent food?but for a restaurant with such grand ambitions (and prices to match), there?s no excuse for slapdash seating and public toilets that look like they?ve been through the Blitz. Fix those two things, and it might just live up to its name. Until then, it?s a solid ?meh? with a side of ?please clean your loos.?
March 2025 by Steve Berry
Lovely place.
Pleasant staff.
Food was OK but a bit underwhelming.
March 2025 by Gareth Rose
Great location, well designed and really good staff. I was at a small corporate event, circa 20 people. The food served wasn?t really up to standard. It was more like a mass catered Christmas do type of food. Shame as it let the rest of the place down.
March 2025 by Matthias Tomaszewski
Relatively tasteless food for high price. Food is just a poor imitation of Italian cuisine, lacking any spices.
March 2025 by Maddie J
On arrival at 6:10 (for our 6:15 reservation) we were asked to wait in the bar area and order ourselves a drink, we didn?t fancy ordering a drink, only to be ferrying it to the table, so waited and we waited and we waited - it was nearly 20 minutes before a hostess came over to ask us if we had a reservation, despite us confirming the booking with one of her colleagues when we arrived, only for her to put us on a table that had been clear since we?d arrived at 6:10.
Service during our meal was poor and lacked the care we?d expect for a £100+ bill. Small requests such as the request for a spoon and table water had to be requested by waving down another waiter. The fried squid for starter was excellent and was the highlight of the meal really. The mains were average and we?ve had better in cheaper restaurants. No one offered another drink despite our glasses empty and a 20 minute wait for a dessert.
Our waiter during our meal was not to the standard people have ?advised? to us of Piccolino. Forgetting requests, clearly seen eating between tables/ walking across the restaurant with a mouth full of food and arguing with colleagues and management in the middle of the restaurant. Frustration was clearly shared between ourselves and other tables in our section to the point where it became a talking point.
Really poor experience for our first visit here, we won?t be returning.
March 2025 by Martyn Kenyon
Great meal, service a bit slow even though not really busy, and we needed to chase for some extra drinks. Didnt spoil the occasion though, just the difference between "ok" and "great".
March 2025 by kelly chung
This was my second visit to your restaurant. The first time, I came to celebrate my husband?s birthday, and the experience was brilliant. The service, especially from Hana, was excellent, making me feel like I had to return.
However, today?s service was very disappointing. I came to celebrate my third wedding anniversary with my husband, but the experience did not meet expectations. Our assigned server was busy, so we initially waited for him. Another server approached us and asked if we were ready to order. Since we were, we placed our order with him instead.
During the ordering process, the steak I originally wanted was sold out, so I had to choose another. However, the server did not ask how I wanted my steak cooked or which sauce I preferred?he simply made a decision himself and asked if it was okay, without giving me a chance to express my preference. Additionally, when we wanted to order an extra side dish, he stopped us, insisting that it would be too much food. While I can understand his concern about food waste, it should still be up to the customer to decide. We let it go, thinking we could order more later if needed.
The biggest issue came when our food was served. I had ordered clam pasta, but they brought prawn pasta instead. The staff member who delivered the food was kind and immediately helped correct the mistake. A few minutes later, the manager came over to apologize and assured us the correct pasta would be ready soon. However, what truly disappointed us was the server who took our order. Right in front of us, he told the manager that he had not made a mistake and that there was no need to apologize.
It was shocking to hear a staff member respond like that, showing no remorse. It made us feel extremely unsatisfied, so we addressed our concerns with the manager immediately. The manager seemed genuinely sorry and offered the pasta as a goodwill gesture. However, what we truly wanted was a sincere apology from the server?not a free dish.
This experience left a bad impression on what was supposed to be a special anniversary dinner. I strongly suggest retraining this particular staff member on proper table service, politeness, and professionalism. What we paid for was not a fast-food experience?and honestly, even fast-food staff often provide better service. If we visit again, we would prefer not to be served by this staff member until he apologises.
March 2025 by A Dhillon
Disappointing food, whilst the interior is stunning the food was disappointing.
Service was good. Cocktails were weak and far too sweet.
March 2025 by Beatriz Gargaro
Food was good, the chocolate dessert was especially good. The low point was a very unpolite waiter who was being really rude, urging us to order and kept interrupting the conversation. I was with a client on a business dinner so that was definitely a low point. For that reason, I would not recommend and don?t intend to come back. Other waiters saw our discomfort and jumped in to support the table, but this one really left a negative impression.
January 2025 by Andrew Procter
Early dinner with friends after a carol service. Good company, good service, excellent food. Loved the Ossobuco. Wine was on the expensive side but the recommended wines were decent.
January 2025 by E J
Slightly busy Sunday but non the less, Piccolino is a delight for light Italian cuisine. Slight slow service with a few details missing I.E. starter plates missing, drink order wrong.. waited 20 minutes for Bruschetta, glad I had my cocktail! Do recommend maybe at less peak times
January 2025 by Dale O'Connor
We chose Picolino for my daughter?s birthday, we travelled from Halifax due to the 5 star reviews, we were disappointed to say the least, the garlic pizza was average.
We all decided that the Lasagna looked great on the photo in the menu so we went ahead and all ordered the more expensive Lasagna, when it arrived it clearly didn?t look like the one in the photo, it was bland and smaller than expected, as for the Wagu meat we had a time actually finding any.
We paid a total of £140 for 3 meals with a portion of fries between us, a garlic bread to share and 5 drinks.
It?s over priced and poor food, also the toilets are dirty.
Not a good experience, we won?t return and don?t get the 5 star reviews.
January 2025 by Naty Orozco
It was disgusting food wasn?t nice at all!
