Restaurant Picco — Restaurant in Larkspur

(2.5 stars) Overall, the food wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t good either- if you’re looking to go somewhere to celebrate & splurge a bit, I’d recommend somewhere else. We ordered many dishes to share between a big group and they were okay but definitely not up to the hype and not worth the price. The risotto was supposed to have eggplant, squash, and cherry tomatoes. Though I don’t remember tomatoes at all, I think it had the other two but they were cut so tiny, spread so few & far between, we were questioning if they were there at all! Someone ordered the rocket man salad, which was literally just a mound of arugula leaves with a barely-there dressing- nothing else. That, more than anything else, was a shock- how did a plate of plain, straight arugula make it onto the menu? The ahi tuna tartare was a smushed tater tot with a little bit of garnish & tiny tiny bits of tuna on top!! I was hoping for a bit more than that. The pizzas (we got margherita, specialized, and devinci) were good but unremarkable- certainly not better than other pizzas I could’ve gotten elsewhere for much cheaper. The group unanimously voted the best dish to be the pork belly sliders, which had crispy but melt-in-your-mouth meat with playfully complex flavors and a nicely grilled bun! We were recommended to try the soft serve… we tried both the salted caramel and the olive oil/salt and they were terribly salty! We were all wincing as we took bites and couldn’t finish it. The olive oil sounded intriguing like you could imagine it might taste good but it was simply an oil on ice cream that didn’t belong and pooled around the edges. The service was respectful but a bit pushy & impatient. Do not...

We dined here on 9/24 at 7 pm with a party of 4. Food was amazing. Ambiance too dark. Could barely see each other.

Service the worst I’ve had in a long time. The older woman who works there really shouldn’t work in a service industry. She splashed water on me without apologizing when first pouring us water. I thought something dropped on me from the ceiling and she cheerfully said “oh I must have splashed you”…..and throughout the meal, she almost knocked stuff over multiple times. Later she spilled beer and wine all over my partner’s father and barely apologized. His clothes were soaked and his phone and car key got wet.

Despite all these mishaps, not a single thing was comped even though they spilled all over the poor man and the table. It was also my partner’s stepmom’s birthday and again no free dessert, nothing. I’ve never eaten somewhere where there is such a huge mishap and nothing is comped. You should at least offer to cover dry cleaning!!!

More on the awful waitress: she talked my partner’s mom into not getting the risotto because it would take too long to come out. Then it took forever for them to bring out any entrees and she could have gotten it after all. I repeat: this woman really needs to not work in service. She also never repeated back any orders after we placed them. Her attitude sucked too. Maybe she had a bad day but holy hell. At these prices, service needs to be better.

It’s a shame that a place like this doesn’t have better service because it ruins...

We arrived at Picco shortly after opening, and despite our failure to make a reservation for our party of 7 they managed to seat us immediately (and tucked into our own private little corner of the restaurant at that!). The food was fantastic and the ambiance was amazing. All dishes are extremely sharable and I highly recommend coming with a group who doesn't mind a "family style" meal so that you can try a bit of everything.

That being said the true standout of Picco and our dinning experience was our server Kate. She was extremely knowledgeable about the menu, recommended drinks to all the folks in our bachelorette party, and made it a stand out experience for us. She was friendly, witty, and provided exceptional service. Our glasses were never empty and she recommended an array of sharable dishes to the table that were loved by all. She got our meals timed so that all of us were served at the same time despite the risotto only coming out every half hour. She was truly a cut above the rest, and by the end of the meal the entire party couldn't stop singing her praises. (We love you Kate!)

So while the food was great, with an amazingly crafted menu and incredibly talented chefs. I highly recommend going for the atmosphere and a chance to experience their incredible staff (and maybe even have the amazing experience of Kate as...