Piccolino Ristorante — Restaurant in Mission Viejo

1/25/2025 What a wonderful evening at Piccolino Ristorante this evening. Normally I would have made a reservation but did not have one so we decided to try. We were greeted by Sal and the hospitality crew up front, the three hostesses. We were seated at a lovely table and we were quite happy to see Terry back at the restaurant as Manager, what an amazing person. Sal visited with us for a while and he is always a delight and blessing. The ambiance is always that of joy and romance with a hint of Italy 🇮🇹. Shelby stopped by an took our drink and appetizer order and she is always so wonderful as well. My wife decided on the Don Julio Blanco with club soda and three limes muddled with mint and I had a glass of Orin Swift's, 8 years in the desert. The eggplant souffle and dinner salad appetizers were fantastic. We also saw Jorge who is another wonderful person and met Greta, Jose Luis and Luis all wonderful staff members. The staff also is what makes Piccolino so special as they serve and care with love. For our entrees my wife had the Salmon entree special with roasted potatoes and mixed vegetables and I had the filet mignon with sautéed spinach and lobster ravioli. Both dishes were spectacular. We also ordered a pizza to take home for tomorrow. Half vegetarian and half pepperoni. Yummy. For dessert we had spumoni with raspberry sorbet and cannolis. To top that off I had a black coffee. What an amazing time we had and it was wonderful to see all of the staff and welcome Terry back. Thank you Sal, Terry and the entire Piccolino team for always making our dining experience special and making us feel like family. Highly recommended.

4/6/2024 What a wonderful evening at Piccolino. We were greeted by Aiden and McKenna and taken to a wonderful booth. Shelby was our amazing server. We also chatted with Sal, Jeff, and Devore. All wonderful people. We started with Patron Silver with three limes muddled and mint mixed with Pelligrino and the eggplant souffle. The drinks and appetizer were fantastic. We also had the bruscheta, which was quite tasty. Shelby stopped back by, and we ordered the main entrees. My wife ordered the Dover sole special, and I had the pasta wrapped lobster and crab. Juan Carlos delivered our entrees and de-boned the Dover sole tableside. The entrees were prepared and presented exquisitely and tasted amazing. We finished the evening with coffee and spumoni. Jeff stopped back by, and we had a wonderful conversation and appreciated his hospitality and kindness. We had a wonderful time and highly recommend this fine establishment.

2/14/2024 What an amazing Valentine's Day Dinner with my lovely wife at Piccolino Ristorante in Mission Viejo. We had reservations and were greeted by McKenna, Diana, and Paulina. These ladies are so amazing, kind, and gracious as they greet us upon entry. Their impact is greatly appreciated and recognized. We were seated at a lovely booth and greeted by Jorge, our amazing server. Jorge has 3 children, and he and his wife celebrated Valentine's Day yesterday after taking the kids to school. A wonderful man. Jorge took our drink order and came back with delicious Don Julio 70, club soda, three limes muddled and a touch of mint for each of us. We then ordered our appetizers from the pre-fix menus for Valentine's Day. My wife and I both ordered the crema D'Aragosta soup, which was fantastic. We also asked him to give a hug to Sal, the owner who we knew would be busy in the kitchen. What a surprise, Sal came out of the kitchen to wish us Happy Valentine's Day. Sal is a very special person and dear to our heart, besides being an amazing Ristorante proprietor and artist. We enjoyed seeing him. Then Jorge came by and took our order. My wife ordered the Salmone Amore, which she just loved. I ordered the 10 Oz. grilled lobster entree. Both dishes came with mashed potatoes and scrumptious vegetables. We also visited with Devor, the manager, who brightens up each table with his amazing customer service, kind demeanor, and professionalism. The meals were amazing. Highly...

Went for wife's birthday (on 5/3/12) via online reservation and stated the occasion in the reservation. Issues with the evening:

No mention of my wife's b-day, even though I mentioned it to the hostess while being seated and it was on our reservation that was made online a day or two in advance.

The waiter, Javier, didn't write down our order and got it wrong.

The appetizer and salads were served simultaneously, even though we asked for them to be served separately.

I ordered a beer and wasn't served until after I had paid the check, even though I reminded the waiter twice: when he served the salads and when my main course arrived. I don't drink and drive, so the beer was wasted.

The divina cesare's dressing tasted like lemon-mayo. It was returned to the kitchen.

I ordered the special NZ-lamb to be cooked medium rare to rare. It came out medium to done and it was chewy - judging from the char on the bones, it looks as if the lamb was put under the roaster / salamander for an extended period of time. The port reduction sauce was either made beforehand or the finished plate sat for a long time, causing the reduction to coagulate and look/taste like an onion-y brown betty gravy.

I was given the check while eating the main course. No request from the waiter for desserts, aperitifs, or coffee. No questions on how everything tasted, no mention of my wife's birthday, even though I also mentioned this to the waiter when he took our drink orders.

I would have asked to speak with a manager on-the-spot, but my wife didn't want to press the issue. I could see the disappointment in her eyes as she sheepishly grinned that everything was good and that she was enjoying herself.

We ended up going across the parking lot for dessert and the fondue restaurant. They seemed to enjoy our business infinitely more than Piccolino did.

We won't be returning to Piccolino and I can't recommend it to...

Piccolino's was recommended by a friend, whom we were visiting, and nearby was Piccolino's, located in Mussion Viejo, at the Mission Foothill Market Place. Fortunately, we arrived just before the real rush of people as the place filled quickly. This is a white table cloth restaurant, beautifully appointed place, but very friendily staffed. We were attended to by Alfredo (not pictured) but we also had the pleasure of meeting the chef, (pictured). My wife enjoyed a glass of Pinot Cab. and we had a calamari and leeks appetizer ( by the way, their online site has some great photos of their dishes). That green sauce with that bread was outstanding. I enjoyed the fettuccine piccolino... wonderful, outstanding!!... my wife had lobster ravioli, also most excellent, we had a side of sautéed spinach, and we took back to our hotel and order of canneloni's. In spite of the place being filled, the chef took his time greeting us, taking our questions and making is feel at home. Same with Alfredo, our server. Similarly, he was attending to a number of tables, but was engaging, polite and friendly, also answered our questions. This is a large restaurant yet we received very personal service. Ours was a wonderful experience, definitely at the top of our restaurant list! We are so grateful to our friend who recommended...