Piccolo — Restaurant in Monterey

We were in Monterey for a family trip, and just before heading to the airport wanted to squeeze in some last minute seal watching at San Carlos Beach (the very best place to do it, if you’re wondering). At the same time we also needed to grab lunch, so I had Yelped and found Picolo which looked promising with rave reviews and it is right by the beach. Those reviews do not lie — this was an AMAZING meal, and we had a group of 7 adults and a toddler, all with widely varied preferences (1 vegan, and the rest with a variety of other preferences). We kind of covered a lot of the menu with our orders (just the roast beef sandwich was ordered twice) and everyone was raving about their food. My husband said he wished we could have gone back again, which is high praise.

I arrived about 2:20 pm to place our order, with other guests there and some who came in after me, and told the owner that we needed it to go because we had to leave to catch a flight within 20 minutes. That’s a tall order for a larger group, and I didn’t even know their sandwiches are paninied and need to be grilled. But he said he could do it, grabbed employees, and they busted our sandwiches out, which were panini’d and absolutely fire. We ate them mostly on the drive to the airport and once we got there, but they were fantastic. I was the vegan who got the vegetariano with no cheese, and it was a flavor bomb. Everyone else raved about theirs as well. They also come with side salads which was a pleasant surprise (for vegan, request the salad with no blue cheese). If you don’t want sandwiches, I saw some delicious-looking (non-vegan) pizzas being cooked while I was there and they have soups, etc as well. If you’re on the fence, do not...

If you love delicious Italian panini sandwiches on homemade crusty sourdough bread, you're in for a terrific treat at Piccolo at the Coast Guard Pier. We loved the Chicken Pesto Sandwich which features oven roasted sliced chicken, yummy provolone cheese, hot peppers, crunchy house giardiniera and arugula. Every bite was bursting with flavor and simply excellent! We also enjoyed the amazing roast beef sandwich with roast beef of course, mozzarella, sundried tomato, sweet peppers, pesto and arugula. The sandwiches also are accompanied by a tasty green salad. These sandwiches are large so saving a half for the next day leaves a treat for tomorrow- and the sandwiches aren't really messy, making them perfect for picnics, road trips and more. The Minestrone soup was chock full of vegetables, potatoes and beans and really delicious. The tiramisu was fabulous and so was the cannoli. The only challenge will be to decide which sandwich to try next as there are so many great choices as well as salads that look very inviting. We'll probably dine al fresco on the deck with great views, perhaps overlooking some cavorting California Sea Lions if they're still visiting the Monterey Bay. This is the 12th (!) restaurant by owner Maurizio Cutrignelli from Bari, Italy and he is definitely a pro. Highly...

We hosted a baby shower for 30 people on the back deck at Piccolo, and the experience was absolutely perfect. The setting couldn’t have been more stunning—overlooking the Coast Guard pier in the Monterey Marina, with the sound of waves breaking and seals barking in the background. It was quintessential coastal California charm.

The food was spectacular. Every guest raved about the authentic Italian sandwiches and pizzas—flavorful, fresh, and clearly made with care. Piccolo truly brings the taste of Italy to the waterfront.

Mauricio and his staff went above and beyond to take care of our group. He thoughtfully assigned a lead server, Sam, who was attentive, kind, and incredibly helpful throughout the entire event.

From the setting to the food to the service, everything was seamless. We couldn’t have asked for a better venue to celebrate such a special occasion. Wholeheartedly recommend Piccolo for any...