Piccolino Bristol — Restaurant in Bristol

WORST RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE EVER. Rude staff, long waits, cold, tasteless, expensive food. We emailed this to the Bristol branch and head office two weeks ago but have not received a reply (surprise surprise):

At 19:30 on Saturday the 12th November, my partner and I attended a 20-person dinner to celebrate our friends recently getting engaged. It was supposed to be a special event with amazing food, but we left feeling bitterly disappointed, starving and upset at the ridiculous price we had to pay for the worst service and food we have ever received at any restaurant.

Firstly, upon arrival we were told to go to the bar to order drinks - this is fine, but for a 20-person, £45 a head meal we expected to sit at the table and order drinks. Getting to the bar was horrendous, it was too busy, and the staff were absolutely useless and rude. The bartenders didn't seem to recognize when people were clearly waiting and were very rude, blunt and unhelpful when it came to buying a drink. We ended up waiting 15-20 minutes to order our first drink, and not one member of staff apologized for the wait. Two staff members continued to polish glasses next to us, even though it was clear that this task could have waited and customers should have been served instead. Based on this alone, if we had been alone and not part of a party, we would have left without even bothering with the food.

Moving on to the food, which was unbelievably awful. I chose the crab ravioli, which was undercooked (bear in mind I cook a lot in my spare time and can appreciate 'al dente' food - this was raw), bland, cold and just a wet mess slopped onto the plate with no care, garnish or attention. My partner had the prawn bruschetta, which was simply a piece of wet soggy bread, with 4 undercooked, cold prawns on the top with no seasoning. The lemon had a film on it, meaning it was cut some time ago and left out - this is what my lemons look like after about 1 week in the fridge at home! This was already disgusting, and for £30 total for these starters we were already horrified. We somehow, still, had high hopes for the main course.

However, the main course was by far the worst meal we have both ever had in our lives. It took an hour and 45 minutes to arrive at the table, but when it did arrive, my duck was lukewarm, slopped onto the plate with one strand of tender stem broccoli with bland sauce. Meanwhile, my partner ordered a well done steak, which arrived completely black, freezing cold but bright red and leaking blood inside. For someone who is an ex-vegetarian, she has now been put off meat again thanks to this experience. The bowls of vegetables were shocking, they were not cooked, freezing cold and inedible. The bowls of bottom-of-the-range frozen chips barely served enough people and were also cold, soggy, disappointing, and not seasoned in the slightest. I still cannot quite believe that for a £45 per head meal you have to serve your own chips and vegetables - it is, quite frankly, laughable. This was easily the worst meal we have ever eaten, and other guests also agreed with us.

The pudding was okay. My partner's tiramisu was too big, she would have rather had an edible main course and a smaller pudding (as is usually the case in a high-end restaurant). My panna cotta was tiny in comparison and was missing Chantilly cream and hazelnut biscotti - not what was advertised in the set meal menu! I paid £15 for a sloppy lump on a plate, which cost you about £2 to make. Abysmal.

We left the meal starving and got a McDonald's on the way home for 1/6 of the price, it was warm, tasted amazing and was served at a reasonable speed by a competent, smiling 16-year-old. We cannot get over how awful Piccolino Bristol is and how you can justify serving top of the range prices, with miserable, rude and stuck up staff in addition to completely inedible, nasty food. This is no exaggeration either, as other guests felt exactly how we did, so don't be surprised when you receive more emails from other individuals about this experience.

This restaurant is...

A generous 4 stars, this is based on the food that was very good and our waitress Alina. We had an early booking solely so we wouldn't be caught up in the evening rush. It the first time I've used the Bristol Piccolino. A table for 7 and we were sat for a fair while in a customer free restaurant before our drinks order was taken. We ordered food at the same time. There was no excuse for having to wait so long for food, kitchen back up? No, very few customers came in! Our waitress spoke to the kitchen several times. A family member went to the manager and told him it was totally unacceptable (this is a person who hates to complaint so shows it wasn't good!) , he agreed and spoke to the kitchen. More customers started to build up and then our order went to the wrong table that came in an hour after us and it was only 4 dishes, they eventually ended up coming to our table, we waited and waited for the other 3 which we asked for a few times. When the 3 arrived one was a half portion so went back immediately, another had to go back because it was cold so we finally ate. By then our drinks had finished! The food was lovely I had the chicken ceasar salad very nice, others had Calzone, tagliatelle, spaghetti everyone enjoyed it. We ordered desserts and ordered coffee for after, the wait began again our waitress chased them up and after a half hour wait they arrived. Tiramasu, pana cotta, choux cake, semifrodo all delicious again. Again we had to chase the coffee. Our waitress sorted it and was literally rushed off her feet, whether there was a staff shortage or what we don't know. The manager did deal with our 'concerns' very well but it was made clear that it was unacceptable. He has asked us to give Piccolinos Bristol another chance, we probably will because of the quality of the food . The choice of restaurant in Bristol was based on my previous visits to the Brighton venue, which I might add I've always found excellent. Bristol gets, a bit noisy but unfortunately that's down to guests that have probably been 'oiled' in advance of arriving hence us booking for an early sitting. Sort the kitchen delivery of dishes and it would have been spot on. Again thank you Alina for...

Piccolino, Bristol – A Hidden Italian Gem in the Heart of the City

We had a fantastic dining experience at Piccolino in Bristol, just a short walk from the Future Inn Hotel where we were staying. Tucked slightly off the main high street in the Cabot area—just beyond Cabot Circus—this restaurant really is a hidden gem. It offers both indoor and outdoor seating, with the outdoor tables facing the main road. We chose to sit outside and enjoy the evening atmosphere.

Upon arrival, we were warmly greeted by the staff, who were friendly, welcoming, and attentive throughout our visit. As we were early for our booking, we enjoyed a relaxed drink at the beautiful bar area before being shown to our table.

The restaurant itself was spotless and stylish, with an open view of the kitchen where we could see the chefs at work—always a nice touch. I had a wine recommended by the staff, which was excellent, while my sister had soft drinks. We were celebrating her early birthday and enjoying a night away before her baby arrives, so this evening was extra special for us.

To start, we had the Arancini al Funghi—hands down the best I’ve ever had—and a bowl of olives. For mains, we shared a classic Margherita pizza and Pasta all’Arrabbiata, both full of flavour and perfectly cooked. I had mentioned it was my sister’s birthday when booking, and the team surprised us by bringing out a birthday cake for her—a thoughtful and memorable gesture.

To finish, we shared a chocolate pudding and tiramisu—and I have to say, the tiramisu was absolutely incredible.

Every part of our meal, from drinks to dessert, was flawless. The service was genuinely 10/10. I highly recommend Piccolino for anyone visiting Bristol, and I’ll definitely be booking again next time I’m...