Piazza Messina — Restaurant in Cottleville

I can't say enough great things about The Piazza Messina—it was absolutely perfect. From start to finish, everything went smoothly, and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Planning our wedding was a breeze, thanks to Avery and Mark. They were so responsive and made sure we felt comfortable every step of the way. We never felt overwhelmed or stressed, which is a huge win, especially while in the middle of our last year of college. The staff were incredible—quick, efficient, and super friendly. They took care of everything so seamlessly that we didn’t have to worry about a thing. Jeff met my parents when they visited the venue for a meeting and they mentioned how friendly and easy he was to talk to. They knew what we needed before we even asked. Since the venue is owned by Russo’s Catering, the food was fantastic. Our guests couldn’t stop talking about how delicious everything was. The bar service was equally impressive; drinks were served smoothly and they even included our signature drinks. The ceremony was stunning because the venue itself was gorgeous, and we even had the delightful surprise of deer peeking through in the background. It added a magical touch that our guests are still talking about. Even though we weren’t there to see it, we heard the cleanup was done in record time. The staff’s efficiency was clear, and it was great knowing they handled everything so well. I even got to talk to Justin who was overseeing our event and was ensuring every detail was how we wanted it. Overall, The Piazza Messina made our wedding day truly unforgettable. If you’re looking for a venue with fantastic service, amazing food, and a beautiful setting, this is the place. We’re so grateful for everything they did and couldn’t...

First off, this is a nice venue and the Russo family are nice hard working people. We liked the unique setting and décor. One of the main reasons I chose this venue was because they were flexible and I thought they really understood the vibe I was going for as we hosted an anniversary event here.

Unfortunately they seemed to over-extend themselves and book too many events on the same day. We knew SIPS was taking place since it was on a Sunday, but were told that would be the only event and ours was after that. When my guest arrived (131), nothing was set up or as we had agreed it would be. The food was not out, tables were frantically being set up and other people were in our reserved space. Our guest gladly pitched in to help, but they should not have had to do so, and honestly it was a bit embarrassing, not to mention that it gave our decorator a panic attack since the set up was not as planned. Our Piazza Messina event planner was not at the event or available and we were not told she would not be available. There was miscommunication between that person, and Mark Russo. Then they changed up several things without communicating it to us or our decorator.

However, once the event started and the guest of honor arrived, it turned out great. Mark and staff turned it into high gear to try and fix the issues and make it right. They continued to refill the food stations and made sure we were attended to. I met with them to talk about the issues with setting up and other things that took place, and Mark made sure to make it right. All in all, I would say I would suggest Piazza Messina if you are attending an event or visiting for SIPS on Sundays. If you are hosting an event, just make sure you over-communicate...

We were lucky enough to be the very first event at Piazza Messina in Cottleville. We had an issue with our original venue, and switched to Piazza Messina with less than 100 days until our wedding. We mainly worked with Mark and Katie, but met all the Russo brothers throughout the planning process and everyone was wonderful. Our wedding moved the venue's opening timeline up a week, but everything was completed on time and looked beautiful as promised. Katie and Mark were very accommodating, and we met with them several times during the build to see how everything was going. They were responsive to our many emails and calls. We received numerous compliments from guests on how great the food was (and it absolutely was delicious). No one had a clue it was the venue's very first event until we told them so. It may have been the first event at the venue, but the staff was very experienced and attentive. The whole evening flowed perfectly without us noticing a thing, and even the DJ commented on how impressed he was with the staff. The value was also outstanding. We had everything we could have wanted for our wedding and more at a beautiful venue, packaged at a price lower than virtually all the other venues...