Piccino
801 22nd St
(between Minnesota St & Tennessee St)
San Francisco, CA 94107 (415) 824-4224
- Hours:
Tue-Fri 7:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
Sat 8:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
Sun 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Lunch
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
46 reviews
Neighborhood: SOMA
"Dinner here tonight was almost an erotic experience. We sat on the lovely warm patio. The waiter and bus boys seemed like they actually…" read more »
162 Reviews for Piccino
This is a great place to go on a warm day/evening because you can sit outside and enjoy the weather. The food is quite yummy, especially the specials (I've found). The pizzas are simple, thin-crust (good for us carb watchers) with limited toppings. They are very excellent. Salads are a bit minimal for the price. The olives for an appetizer are really good. And, of course, get a bottle of wine. Service is friendly and efficient.
Piccino is an out of the way pizza place that is worth going out of the way for. This small corner restaurant in the Dogpatch has a simple menu, a handful of pizzas, a handful of appetizers/salads, and desserts. When you have affordable pizza with quality flavors and ingredients, you don't need more items on the menu to confuse people. Having worked several years at a pizza place during High School, I can respect a well made pizza pie and Piccino knows what they are doing. The crust is thin and crispy. Most importantly, its not burnt. They top their pizzas with the appropriate amount of ingredients that ensures most bites will have a taste of everything that is supposed to be on the pie. Definitely check out their new create the "Mushroom Pesto" Pizza, it is simply amazing!
Blue Bottle Coffee and in house baked desserts/cookies are offered that keeps locals coming in daily. On weekend brunches, you have the option to slap on two Farmer's Market Fresh Eggs to any pizza. Now aren't these enough reasons to get over here? Like now!
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I haven't spent much time in Dogpatch but found myself in the area yesterday and made a point of stopping at Piccino for some breakfast. The spot is tiny, on a tree lined street with tables spilling out onto the street. First impression = cute place!
I place my order at the register and grabbed a table outside. $9 for a soy latte and slice of fritatta seemed a bit steep plus I waited a good 10 minutes for my fritatta to be warmed (meaning I was almost finished with my coffee by the time I got my food) Also the tables outside were pretty dirty and could have used a good wipe down.
I'll probably give Piccino another shot (I've heard great things about the pizza) if in the neighborhood but don't know that I'd go out of my way to dine there.
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You're tiny, cute and adorable! Your food is clean, honest and delicious. Your coffee makes even a non-coffee drinker get down on her knees and weep. I want to hold you in my arms and stroke your silky hair. Thank you for being you.
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Very cute, little place to enjoy a relaxing dinner.
Food and service are great!!
I wanted to like Piccino so much. I mean I REALLY wanted to like it. On paper, much like an internet date, it exceeded all of my requirements:
1. Out of my neighborhood -- check
2. Patio dining -- check
3. Urban, hip, cool and small -- check
4. Fresh, local and innovative food -- check
But like many internet dates, things are sometimes better on paper...Piccino does have a small menu, letting them focus doing a few things really well. But when you're out of 2 of 5 starters and it's only 7.30, you have a problem. 1 option as a main is totally acceptable in my book...but not when your other choices are pizzas which literally swim, yes swim, in butter and oil.
Service really could have made up for my lack of culinary enthusiasm, but they really fell flat on this one too. We realized there was a problem when our server (or should I say one of 4 who kept seeming puzzled that we were there) stopped coming to us. 45 minutes passed. No flatbread. FINALLY it arrives. And by flatbread I mean pre-baked flat breads and dips. 45 minutes really was a bit excessive when you only have 6 tables.
Rather than owning up to having lost our ticket, the server just said "sorry it took so long, here's some free olives" and dropped the food off. Which they then cleared and brought us our check...without our salads or entrees.
The upside: if you sit outside you can see the folks entering Serpentine down the street and know with smug satisfaction that they are, in fact, having a much better dining experience.
You're in my hood so I wanted to love you. I admit, the very first time we tried you was overspill from Just For You Cafe's super long wait. We came back on our own to give a second try. Three things going for you so two stars:
- Bread pudding is f'n delish
- Blue Bottle Coffee
- Our kitschy milk-bottle water carafe (our own for the table, thanks!)
Other than that, long waits, being out of items on your already piccino menu, millenial gaps between your server checking on you, and prices that I think are just a wee bit too high for what your servin up...makes it hard to love. So, if you aren't starving and have all the time in the world (you know like European 3 hour cups of coffee) you might enjoy.
I haven't been yelping in awhile for a few reasons which range from the usual "I'm too busy" to the legitimate "I haven't found anything yelp-worthy enough to cause my face to light up." Luckily, the spell has been broken. I came here yesterday for their Rose and Pizza special and boy did they knock my socks off!
I've come here before for breakfast and while their coffee was fabulous and their fritatta delish, their pizzas really put them over the top. You know when restaurants try to overcompensate lack of flavor by piling on the grease and the kitchen sink on their pizzas? This place was DEFINITELY not that kind of place. While certainly sometimes that's all I need to make me happy - occasionally, I'm in the mood for a pizza that should be a culinary feat, not just a vomitting of ingredients. Their pizzas here were really simple but really tasty. I had the Bianca which was amazing! Dare I say, I liked it better than Pizzeria Delfina.
Definitely extra points for not having a 1 hour wait, for being within walking distance of my apartment but still having tons of parking if I feel too lazy to walk down, and last but not least - for having outdoor seating areas and HEAT LAMPS which makes it feel like it's an 80 degree day - never mind that you can't see any blue in the sky!
Oh... it's ayight. I mean, I like the thin crust pizzas on the flat wooden serving board, the glass milk bottle water carafes, and the handcrafted/thrown/fired platters... all very fartsy. But besides the pizzas and a couple of saladsand soup, there's not much there, there. I've never gone to dinner there because there are usually just two entrees and if neither one of them is appearing fetching to me, I'm not going to settle for a pizza for dinner out.
Don't get me wrong... I've been about four or five times now and I enjoy the pizza but that's mainly why I go. It's nice to enjoy a well made thin crust pizza. a glass of wine and maybe a salad, to make you feel like you're in Italy somewhere. A cool hour or so getaway vacation on a sunny day, sitting at the sidewalk tables and people-watching the Dogpatch denizens.
I enjoy that specific type of experience quite a bit so I do return to Piccino regularly... but just for that. There's not much else on the menu, the wine list is limited, the parkig is challenging to say the least, and the serving staff is a little too cavalier for my taste. They're not great on the follow-up side of things and seem a little novice in terms of rounding out a satisfying dining experience.
The cute, little, freshly made and seemingly authentic Italian looking pizzas were good. Very good. Probably more aesthetically pleasing than rich in flavor, but still fun. I remember not being too thrilled with the desserts.
It's a cute spot, a nice little cafe to hit up. a tad on the expensive side, but kind of understandable when you peer into the window and see the owner creating your beautiful little pizza completely from scratch. i say sure, give it a go.
I head about Piccino and their Rosé and Pizza Festival from the tablehopper email. Normally, I would not be in Dogpatch, lovely as it is, so we made a special trip. What a delight!
Piccino had a wide variety of rosés, available in tastes, glasses and bottles for this special event. We ended up tasting 6 types and ordered two pizzas. The pizzas were very tasty - not my favorite of all time, but still very good. One was a standard margherita and the other was a special white pizza with salt cod, green tomato and lemon basil. The second was divine! I really loved the tomato sauce on the margherita and fish on pizza is still new for me, but I LOVE it!
It was also fabulous to sit outside and enjoy the brisk day under the warmth of the heat lamps. Love to sit outside - next time I'd love to bring my pooch!
So, I'm sure we'll go back to Piccino, maybe not regularly as it's quite far from home, but it's worth the trip to be sure.
This place is great. A little pricey, but you get what you pay for = Blue Bottle coffee, prepared perfectly, nice staff, light, yet decedent pizzas, tantalizing treats, and indoor and outdoor seating. I wish the sun would hit more of the outdoor seats, as it gets chilly, but that's what the coffee is for!
A must try!
Coming out from the East Coast to San Francisco, my standards for pizza were understandably of the higher magnitude. This spot was recommended to me by a friend from New York, so I knew I wasn't going to be let down. However, this pizza isn't New York style. It's more of the homemade Italian variety, and that's not a necessarily bad thing. Apparently, Piccino changes it's menu almost weekly but still leave some of the main staples. Go for an early light lunch or stay for coffee and the like.
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Did I eat at the same place as all of these other people? I would definitely say that my experience here has left a gnarly taste in my mouth...literally.
Yes, it's totally cyuuute. No, the food did not taste good.
You could call this a leisurely dining experience because we got our salads after about 45 minutes after ordering. And after waiting...and waiting...and waiting, one of the three random people waiting on us had no other choice than to give us a free bottle of wine. And finally...the main, and very disappointing, course. By this time we were inching onto hour 2. I can only speak for four out of five of us at the table because only four of us actually got our food. After about 15 minutes we were finally able to get someone's attention, and all they could say was that the entree had been ready and they just forgot to bring it out.
At this point I was about to eat the Ikea silverware that sat before me, so I ate the pathetic excuse for a Margarita Pizza that was served to me. It had some lukewarm tomato paste and a few pieces of half melted cheddar. Totally not worth the 14 bones I had to throw down.
Let's just say, that if I had to choose between Piccino and Pizza Hut, I'd go for the stuffed crust any day.
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First off - if you're going to serve me wine for $9.50 per glass, I'd appreciate nice, big wine glasses. Not little water cups.
Second - if you're going to serve me salad - - I'd appreciate non-wilted greens.
Third - I don't like pizza. That said, yours was decent, but didn't bring me even one step closer to liking pizza. It was OK, though. Your Pancetta Pizza was pretty good - the sausage was pretty good, but your Margherita was really mediocre.
Fourth - I don't like Lemon Tart, but since that was the only dessert we ordered, and I have to say that was the best lemon tart I have had to date.
Fifth - wow, I can't believe how small this place is - - only some 4 tables inside, but then kudos for having ample seating OUTSIDE with some mega-powerful heat lamps. We hung out there for a bit after dinner and I felt FRIED.
Sixth - and most definitely not the least - - you serve Blue Bottle Coffee. And it was good. But you don't' stock Equal. What a cruel joke....
Seventh - Service was really nice, especially by one girl. The other - not so much, but the first lady made up for it.
Finally - - the final total. For mere pizza, salad, and alcohol - - I thought it was entirely too expensive. It wasn't the cost of the pizza actually - it was the cost of the wine, bringing me back to point #1 - - you know, the one they serve in itty bitty water cups?
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For me, this is a more convenient, easier to park next to, not quite as good, Pizzetta 211. With better coffee.
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You know you are living in San Francisco when you just paid $10 for 3 cups of coffee and a small cookie that you had to wait 10 minutes for.
WOW... I looked at all the other reviews and all I can think is...Is this really the same restaurant? I counted 13 tables and three wait staff. Service was scattered as hell. Like it was everyones first night on the job. We had three appetizers and a pizza... er...I should say that is what we ORDERED. The wine came right away (though the waitress knew nothing about it).
Then the appetizers rolled in one by one. The flat breads with spreads were nice but basically flavorless. We also had a so so salad of white nectarines and pistachios and lettuce. Nothing was terribly exciting. Oh...to be fair... the bottle of Rose we had was nice. Then one of the wait staff came by to check to see if we needed anything else. But we never got the pizza. he assured us it would be right out and went to check only to return with a poor mouthed face saying...oops...must have been lost in translation. Silence. Silence. Silence. I finally said, never mind, we'll be OK without it. He agreed and came back with the bill. Again to be fair, he also comped one of the appetizers for our trouble and of course sliced the pizza off the bill.
But, jeez... 13 tables and three wait staff. Pull it together people!
The atmosphere was awesome. Like a dinner in the village in Manhattan in summer. Sidewalk tables on a quaint corner that was very quiet. We only found the place because we happened to drive by and stopped and took a table.
Oh....and I cant leave without mentioning the guy at the next table who was wearing a Lance Armstrong "live strong" bracelet on his right wrist and also smoking with his right hand. Nice.
I remember long ago when Piccino first opened. That great guy with the crazy grey hair worked the espresso bar and the atmosphere was soft, casual, languid. I used to run around those nearby warehouses, free and a little crazy. I used to think of piccino simply as blue bottle in the dogpatch and that vision is imprinted on my brain. Food? I guess they have some there. Now piccino is more popular, more people, more frustrating to park (better to follow that T Line), but the outdoor tables with those shady trees make for a leisurely spent afternoon. Fresh pizzas combined with fresh coffee makes me happy.
Piccino can be summed up by their business card. Their 'artisan' intent is obvious and admirable but ultimately poorly executed. The cheese they used on the Margherita ($9.50) was tasty, but sparse, the crust a bit too crispy, the sauce had too much vinegar and sugar, and what little basil adorned the pizza in the first place nearly blew off in the wind. I'm also wondering when the term "tables on the sidewalk" was magically transformed into "nice outdoor seating"
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Hope you are not in a hurry! I love this place- the food is excellent and simple. Portions are small, but the flavors are fresh and delicious. Service is slow and friendly. Make sure that you have time for a leisurely lunch because I have never been able to get out of there within an hour.
We've been back about 8 times and I still have the same opinion!!!
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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06/07/2008
Antonio, who works the bar is amazing! My girlfriend and I have been in 3 times in the last week!… Read more »
I am starting with a 3 star review but I will give them a second chance so that maybe I can up them to 4 stars after having a better experience. We went on a night when they weren't serving pizza because it was too hot out (something about the yeast and the dough being messed up). Which sucks because I really wanted pizza. But it gave us the chance to try some other dishes that were quite tasty - little gem salad (awesome dressing) and the antipasti platter. The wine was eh and the waiter, well he was confused. Maybe you could blame that on the heat like they did for the pizza? He was scattered and then lingered a bit too long at our table. The outdoor seating is nice and they let our dog chill next to our table. I will go back and hopefully try their pizza so stay tuned!
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Great Pizzas and great service!
Oh the salad and lemon tart are good too.
Sunny day, scooter lessons and pizza! Yum. We rode over, got a prime outside seat and were in heaven. I love the vide of this place. The salad with strawberries and goat cheese was tasty even though we ordered a different one. Haha. We saw it as a sign to try something other than a spinach salad with bacon which we've had a million times. The pepperone pizza was small (bigger than Pizzette 211 though!) but hit the spot. The only tiny bummer of the meal was the itsy bisty lemon pelligrino that was like $3 or something. It was 4 oz big.
I can't tell you how lucky I feel to have Piccino in the same neighborhood as my offices. In fact, it is only a short block away for me to go and enjoy one of the best lattes in the city. Deliciously brewed Blue Bottle coffee convinces me again and again that yes...it is that good. Piccino is tiny and ridiculously charming and they back all of that up with their tasty food and perfect coffee. I am a big fan of the salads and pizzas and this morning I became a believer in their morning frittatas. It has definitely gotten me through some long days in the office and is a great standard for the newest and most favorite up and coming neighborhood in the city.
Rarely do I give 5 stars. Was pretty easy here.
Great atmosphere - quaint little neighborhood spot gets dark as you're eating.
Awesome service - just a few tables, so you would expect that.
Very tasty food - had 2 salads - both were great especially a duck confit salad. Great summer vegetable pizza with squash.
Couple of drinks + a dessert + another app (risotto cake - pretty good, not as good as the other dishes) = around $60. Pretty good value.
Had delicious pizza and salad here while back. Looking forward to taking a friend there real soon.
I lived within site of this gem since before it opened. I didn't know a single person in the neighborhood until it did. Best coffee in the city. Pizza is great and I sure do miss these folks. Love it. I am an addict.
Hipsters beware - Keep going to Ritual Coffee your not cool enough for Piccino.
Bright, fresh salads. My panzanella salad was so good with artichokes, radish, arugula and tuna confit, yum. Thats my idea of a salad. The pizza was very good and even better than Delfina- gasp! This place is tiny and if its chilly outside you might have to wait for a table, but we loved our lunch and will be back soon.
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one of my favorite brunch destinations, especially on a lazy sunday when you want honest, soulful, rustic food, coffee, and pastries. charming neighborhood vibe, excellent pizzas, and some non-pizza menu items that have never disappointed. small and cozy. whomever is the mastermind behind the pizza oven is incredibly talented.
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Now you have a reason to visit the Dogpatch. We accidentally hit it on a super busy night and it took a long time for the pizza but all was forgiven.
I compare pizza places by the standard plain pizza and this place is very tasty. Thin crust, delicious. They also serve a Bianca (white) pizza that is hands down the best white pizza I have ever had.
Worth the trip. Great salads, friendly staff. Relatively small if it isn't nice enough to sit outside.
I develop inappropriate crushes. Not inappropriate in the sense that they're wrong - I just develop instant unrequited love for the one thing/person nobody thinks is crushworthy.
The adorable (but old) science teacher in high school with the habit of talking to frogs.
My neighbor's ugly-as-sin, half-dead, bald, bitchy, rescued and NOT grateful pomeranian.
Piccino's tarts.
I know, I know, I should have fallen for their delicious flatbread pizzas, that's what everyone else raves about. That's what they're known for.
But no - I fell into complete, passionate, headlong love with the most decadently delicious tarts. And I'm so weak...I love both the lemon and the orange-glazed chocolate. *sigh*
My one consolation...I'm pretty sure the chocolate tart loves me back just a little bit.
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Piccino was the perfect place to end a girls' night out. We unwound at Yield, and then sauntered over to probably the tiniest restaurant I've seen. There were tables aplenty at the moment, so we sat right down and ordered up some delicious treats from a super-friendly waitstaff.
The thin-crust pizza was indeed "wafer thin," and had a nice sauce and composition. I approve. But oh, the tarts... tender, buttery crusts, vivid fillings. You could tell they'd been baked by someone passionate about dessert.
If you want to stalk me, start here. Because this is my new favorite restaurant. If I'm not there, grab a table and call me -- I'll be there in a jiffy.
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Went for dinner for the first time. We had a great time. Place is tiny and the seating was cramped. I would sit outside next time. The panzella salad w. Tuna was excellent. We had the sausage pizza which was also good and finished with a olive oil cake. That was the first time I have ever had an olive oil cake and I would definitely order it again. We will be back for sure. Get there early if you don't want to wait.
too pretentious for me, but kick ass pizzetas, I love the bianca one.
been going there for over a year on and off.
Honestly was highly turned off when the owner or manager, or whoever it was with those fancy wooden sandals ($200-300 seen them at Gimme shoes) was talking mean to his gal staff and spraying AHEM! WD-40 on the door, trying to show her how to close the door, er properly etc.) while a bunch of us were still eating... hello manners...
BEANS: blue bottle (yay!)
Perfect breakfast before Caltrain =
1. Hand made ceramic drip cup of piccino blend coffee (crack cocaine in a cup) ... occasional lump of brown sugar
2. House made yogurt and granola
3. Dogpatch sunrise coming thru trees surrounding the cafe
Best pre-work morning in town! ... Now they just need to be open on Monday mornings!
Brian is San Francisco's espresso slinging Guru. Coming up in Seattle made me a coffee snob early on. Fine espresso is god's gift to attention deficit, seasonally affected depressives like me.
Hands down no one comes close. This is the best barista in town. Don't take my word for it. Get in line, and tip well!
He'll even gives private lessons, if you ask nice.
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Sorry, but the pizzas here ain't what they sound like. I had a tomato and pine nut and broccoli pizza that was so awfully bland... Totally lame, tasted like ketchup on a cracker. The non-alcoholic drink selection needs some help, and the service was just OK.
It was overpriced.
Great little spot otherwise.
I am going to give this venue a tentative four-star, on the promise of returning for a slightly better experience.
This is truly the tiniest restaurant on the planet. I am talking Pizzetta 211 tiny, only even smaller.
I guess you have to chill and be patient while you wait for a table. But it was kinda frustrating as there is really nowhere to stand while you wait and they seemed to have given away the spot at the bar to a party of three waiting ahead of us, and all I could think was "toss them out into the cold - we will eat at the bar!".
I am not kidding - this place is so small that when we finally got a table for two it was literally not big enough to put two pies on!
Any ways - the pizza was pretty good after all the waiting (though not as good as 211) and the Steelhead stout was tasty and strong enough to take the edge off. The salad with beets, grapefruits, and nuts was right fresh and tasty and I would have the potato soup again.
The cookie plate was quite scrumptious and the espressos to go-with were perfect.
I will have to return when the weather improves and we can sit outside - at least that will be a more roomy and the wait ill not be so long and uncomfortable. I am looking forward to trying it again.
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