Piccoli Piatti Pizzeria - Wildwood — Restaurant in Maryland

The Good: Mushroom Arancini - only two (2) pieces were given in a small skillet ($9.00), but the taste and sauce were excellent.

The Bad: The Spaghetti and Meatballs - noodles didn't seem thoroughly cooked; although the temperature of the food was not hot, the meatballs and sauce were decent - I didn't complain about the temperature nor about the incident below because I'm a super humble person.

The Ugly: From the start, the experience went downhill because of one waitress (not the entire team, just that one). I attempted to press down on the exterior door handle to enter, but the knob did not go down. I did not want to pull the knob since it didn't go down, so my girlfriend and I attempted to enter through the outdoor seating area. I saw a waitress (somewhat tall, young, fair skinned) and asked her could we enter through the outdoor seating area entrance/exit. The waitress looked me up and down, and said with a sarcastic attitude "you can enter through any door you like." I then responded, in the most calmest voice, "the door knob was locked at the main entrance." She said something and then went to the main entrance to check the door (I wish I knew her name, but she was definitely there on Sunday 21JUL25 at 15:00). Before reaching the front counter to place an order, my girlfriend was furious and wanted to leave. However, I told her this was our first time here and to stay positive. To be transparent, I am an older black male and was dressed comfortably with blue cargo pants and a plain non-logo t-shirt (Hint: reread previous statement about waitress looking me up & down).

We ordered and had a seat. The receipt says the Server, or better yet cashier, name was Jason C. He was a very cool guy and didn't discriminate on my apparel or appearance at all. The actual server (young, Caucasian lady) was super nice to us as well. However, my girlfriend felt my body language and kept apologizing about the earlier incident. I reminded her I'm from the south, not Maryland, so this typical behavior from others was nothing new. I also reminded her my nearly 80 year old parents (who are still in the south) and grandparents' experiences was 100x worse than anything I will ever go through. Therefore, I draw my humbleness from that.

Piccoli Piatti in Bethesda is located in an "uppity" high class area catering to high class Whites. So yes, I understand as a nearly 50 year old black male "improperly" dressed in an area like this may draw discriminatory attitudes from younger, fair skinned women who may be accustom to serving a particular clientele. It just hits a little harder as I get older. The only reason I went to this location was because it was an impromptu decision at the last minute simply because my girlfriend had a taste for pasta. I would still give them a chance if I was interested and reading this review as I wish nothing but success for everyone. Don't let one bad apple spoil the bunch. Take care.

P.S - I gave them an overall score of 2 because I just could not get comfortable after that encounter with the first waitress. I still gave the Service a score of 3 because everyone else seem nice, but the Bad Apple in the bunch really destroyed my vibe for the remainder of that day, plus today as...

Located in the wildwood shopping center, the outdoor patio is spacious, and the doors are kept open, its very welcoming. Looking at the menu it really sticks out as italian and youll find toppings that you wont normally find at other pizza places. This store has a modern appearance and you can see the stone oven turning in the back. I was happy with the time it took for the pizza to come out, it is not a huge pizza or slice and it is not like the personal sized small boxes, its a good medium. So about the food, i got a cheese pizza. the cheese is mozarella, it really sticks together it can be difficult to get just a bite out also it tastes not like cheddar and not like fresh mozarella but maybe some fresh mozarella dehydrated little bit salty, its a good layer. The sauce has a rustic liquid tomato sauce feel and taste, it doesnt have chunks of tomato, its very light. I think the sauce can extend more toward the crust. Then there is the dough, it looked stone oven cooked, but when i touched it, it was not crunchy but soft, full of air, fluffy. A bit weak. But its like a lip smacking kind of chunk of doughy bread. It appeared to be crunchy but a little bit deceived, the darker parts of the bread was also soft and tasted like coal so it wasnt worth cooking it that way to me. The smell is great, like fresh bread but you'll also smell the burnt spots.

Overall, if the cheese was easier to rip and tear, the crust was crispy, and the sauce was a bit more…lively? Then i could give 5 stars. (But knowing they serve this kind of sauce i know to order here when im in the mood for this more liquid smokey thin...

4.0 star rating8/15/2021 Great pizza, simpler is the way to go with the Margherita DOC! While the pizza isn't wood-fired, it has a nice pillow crust, sweet tomato sauce, and delicious fresh mozzarella cheese. It's just missing that churned smoky flavor of wood-fire, alas!

The Norma with diced roasted eggplant and ricotta cheese was fun to try, but I ended up picking off the chunks of eggplant and preferred the simple cheese pizza underneath. I was kicking myself for not getting 1/2 the pie without the eggplant and just try the cheese. Will be replicating hubby's order next time of the classic Margherita DOC - it hit the spot! It was a pleasant surprise to see hardly any grease at the bottom of the pizza box.

The Funghi Papperdelle pasta dish was a miss. The al dente noodles lost their chewy texture and became soggy swimming in oil in the carry-out container. The roasted herbed mushrooms were the best part and devoured every single one of them! After giving the greasy noodles the benefit of a doubt with more than a few bites, I threw in the towel 1/3 of the way leaving behind a mountain of noodles sitting atop a puddle of oil. Skip the pasta and save room for the pizza!

To go orders are pretty quick and take less than 10 minutes. There's plenty of indoor seating and nice long picnic benches in front of the restaurant.

If I'm in the area, will stop by for some...