Pizza Piccolo — Restaurant in London

I just returned from attempting to have a solo dinner at Pizza Piccolo. When I arrived at 8:30pm, I was told I could pick a two-top table anywhere in the restaurant. A two-top table in the back was specifically pointed out to me, so I pick that specific two-top table in the back. There were only two other parties of two dining in total in the restaurant. The server was nice. I ordered my pizza and a beverage within 5 minutes. My meal arrived within 15 minutes. I quietly ate my meal, answering how my meal was positively when asked by the server and another gentleman working there. I was being polite and just trying to eat my meal and said it was delicious despite it being just ok. Mid-meal, within 15 minutes of eating, I was asked by the gentleman who was maybe the manager if I could move to another table so they could join my table with the four top next to me. Not even an apology for such a rude ask. This is mid-meal. I’m mid-chewing. I was already trying to eat my dinner as fast as I could to get home after a long day despite the jaw workout of the particularly overworked and aggressive dough of the pizza that was even more difficult to cut with a dull knife and misshapen fork that had been provided by the restaurant. I had barely finished half of my beverage and was just trying to eat the pizza toppings and cheese. This is really bothersome and icky restaurant behaviour. I was annoyed because this request is rude during a meal and the customer service lacking. Let me give Pizza Piccolo an example of excellent customer service for this kind of situation for future use : “I’m so sorry to ask you this, but we have a large party that would like to be seated. We hate to even ask this as it’s so rude, but could we please move you to another table and we will happily comp your beverage and give you a discount on your meal. We are trying to accommodate all of our customers tonight. Of course, if it’s not ok, we understand and our large party will wait as they should for you to finish your meal. We want you to enjoy your meal. We normally don’t do this and are sorry to bother you during your meal.” A good manager would have a better handle on tables and not ask customers to move once they are eating. Move me before my order comes or ask the party of 6 to wait. They have somehow made this my problem. I have to be accommodating when the party of 6 and restaurant staff could be accommodating and wait 5 minutes for me to finish instead of the 5 minutes it would take to push and rush me to another table. It’s beyond inhospitable to have me play musical chairs. I told the gentleman that this was rude and I would rather just leave. I paid my bill despite my phone not wanting me to pay - thank you tired fingers and the white noise feature for continually coming on. No apologies given from the Pizza Piccolo staff, but I was asked if I wanted to take my food with me. No thank you. I would like Pizza Piccolo to reassess how they treat solo diners to accommodate larger parties mid-meal. Why didn’t they ask the party of two in the front of the restaurant taking up a six-top table to move? That seems way more efficient and effective than asking me. They could have just as easily moved or been encouraged to take a two-top like I was. Telling me to have a good evening as I was leaving is not an apology. It’s patronising and weird. It’s ok to actually apologise and not make your customers feel icky. Do better. Such a...

The Little French Restaurant (November 2019)

Not authentic and very disappointing!

Red house wine fine. Bread and butter very nice.

Starter: OK overcooked chicken liver and chanterelles. Not chanterelles but supermarket button mushrooms in soy-ish sauce. Tasted like an experiment.

Main course: Salmon Escollope? Salmon with mixed dried herbs on a bed of frozen mixed veg baked in tinfoil until dry with frozen 'French' fries. 1980's TV dinner style. Not restaurant quality.

Desert: Tiramisu was very nice and seemed home made.

I don't believe the chef was French or any of the staff. Faux-French perhaps...

The £16.50 plat du jour with limp frozen fries (uneaten) plus 1 red wine and service charge somehow became over £25.

Had some amazing food in Paris (Summer 2019) cooked perfectly from superb ingredients for little more money with great wines. Expertly simple cooking!

A message to the new proprietors "Pizza Piccolo Restaurant" who in Jan 2022 accused me of fabricating my review to hurt people. I updated my review to make it even more obvious that it was previously a "French" Restaurant I attended in November 2019. The food in my photos is not Pizza and the sign says "French Cuisine". 😳 They then idiotically accuse me of editing the review to change historical order. Your problem is with Google. You need to update that you are a new business. Not troll honest reviewers which makes you look stupid. Are you The same owner as "The Little French...

My girlfriend and I came here for the 3 course meal at £16.50 one Sunday lunch time. (The old price prior to September was £13.50)

The place is small and was totally empty , just us... therefore very little atmosphere.

The service was fine .

We didn’t wait long in between courses.

We only ever saw one member of staff and he wasn’t particularly friendly.

The food for me was just ok.

No wow factor.. mostly home cooking.

I had the salmon tartare, the chicken supreme and apple pie...

My girlfriend had the Mediterranean peppers , coq au vin and chocolate mousse.

All the courses were nice but again nothing wonderful .

Portion sizes if very hungry wern’t that large.

For £16.50 I would expect to be full at the end of lunch. (The old price at £13.50 was about right for the portion sizes)

Side dishes aren’t expensive at £1.50 but feel that a side dish should be included In the ‘meal’ itself otherwise , the 3 course ‘meal’ advertised isn’t really a meal but only part of a meal of which you have to spend more to complete.

1 soft drink and 1 side plus no sneaky discretionary charge would make the current price of £16.50 value for money.

Although it’s not a place I’d totally avoid, I wouldn’t necessarily rush back...