While in Santa Monica for a conference, my wife and I visited Venice Beach to explore the shops on Abbott Kinney Blvd. It was here that we discovered Piccolo Ristorante and quickly decided that we would make a reservation for dinner. We were so glad that we did!!
The restaurant has a cool, open concept design. We were greeted with a happy “Bona Sera” by Emanuele, who we later learned was the owner. While it offered ample outside dining options, we decided to eat inside and were seated at a window table offering an outside view.
Our server, Kamile, was equally pleasant and extremely knowledgeable about their menu. My wife has a dairy allergy, and they were able to make recommendations. We settled on ordering homemade bread, grilled calamari, spinach and ricotta cheese gnocchi bolognese, and the fillet. The chef was able to substitute roasted vegetables for the mashed potatoes to accommodate my wife's dairy allergy. We also enjoyed a fantastic bottle of Amarone that Emanuele suggested. It was fantastic! You could tell that he took pride in his restaurant and wanted to make you feel like you were his only guest!
I would highly recommend placing Piccolo Venice on your bucket list when visiting the area. The food was fantastic. The staff were super welcoming and friendly. Emanuele made you feel like you were eating in his home! We felt like we were in Florence or Venice…it was a true Italian experience!
