Monday, October 21, 2013

Piccolo Cafe- Midtown

I did not have a good photo of this so I have taken one from the internet

Just a cafe but it has its audience...good reviews


Piccolo Cafe

4.0 star rating
116 reviews Rating Details
238 Madison Ave
(between 38th St & 37th St)
New York, NY 10016
Neighborhood: Midtown East
(212) 447-4399
Nearest Transit Station:
Grand Central - 42 St. (S)
5 Ave. (7, 7X)
33 St. (4, 6, 6X)
Hours:
Mon-Fri 8 am - 10 pm
Sat-Sun 10 am - 8 pm
Attire:
Casual
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Parking:
Street
Price Range:
$
Good for Groups:
No
Good for Kids:
Yes
Takes Reservations:
No
Delivery:
Yes
Take-out:
Yes
Waiter Service:
Yes
Outdoor Seating:
No
Wi-Fi:
No
Good For:
Lunch
Alcohol:
Beer & Wine Only
Noise Level:
Average
Ambience:
Casual
Has TV:
No
Caters:
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes
Dogs Allowed:
No

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116 reviews in English

  • Review from

    • 8 friends
    • 15 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    9/25/2013
    I work around the corner of this place and I am IN LOVE with their VEGGIE PANINI. Seriously, every single other veggie panini that I've had pales in comparison, so much so that it's the only thing I ever order from here and I never get tired of chomping into its delectable melody of taste and texture: crispy (sometimes rosemary) focaccia, followed by perfectly roasted eggplant, zucchini, and onions, and the creamy goat cheese and light hit of olive oil spread throughout. It's simple, it's fresh, no seasonings or marinades required- just good ole amazing roasted veggies and cheese!

    The reason I give it 4 stars is that while I LOVE their panini, I am less in love with their pasta and salads. They are good, but not uber-special (like the VEGGIE PANINI). The chicken salad has a great pesto sauce but I find it a tad too salty (and I love my salt) and thick. There are some inconsistencies, such as my foccacia having rosemary sometimes, and sometimes not. But I do not care because there is no other lunch spot in midtown that can bring me this much satisfaction in one dish. The veggie panini remains my beacon of lunchtime bliss amidst the daily grind. Their 5 meals, 6th free stamp card is also a STEAL.
  • Review from

    • 6 friends
    • 6 reviews
    New York, NY
    9/15/2013 2 photos
    Call it a hole in the wall or call it quaint...

    I went to Piccolo one morning just before some museum hopping and enjoyed a croissant and mocha. The seating was a bit uncomfortable (tiny chair and I'm a tiny guy), and the walls decorated with peeling paint and newspaper articles might be better set in certain areas of Brooklyn. Overall it was a fine place to have a quick bite and go about the rest of my day, but I'm not certain I'd go back to try some of the main Italian dishes.
    • Table view at Piccolo Cafe
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 4 reviews
    New York, NY
    9/8/2013
    High quality food and great prices, with an excellent buy ten get one free discount card. The breads and produce are always very fresh, and the pastries are very tasty as well.

    One shortcoming: this place can be a bit inconsistent. It seems they get somewhat overwhelmed by lunchtime crowds and when I've gone with a group, often someone's order gets lost, and the food can sometimes decline in quality (a "prosciutto and spinach" salad with limp, overdressed greens and hard pancetta instead of prosciutto.)

    All in all, great little spot, but probably best to come during the quieter hours.
  • Review from

    • 17 friends
    • 24 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    10/13/2013 1 photo 1 check-in here
    Piccolo Cafe is only two blocks away from my apartment building and I tried it for the first time last weekend. I had the veggie focaccia with goat cheese and a side salad. I was a bit disappointed the veggies which in comparison to the rest of the sandwich, were very cold but all in all it was a yummy meal. I used their Yelp offer of 50% off any glass of wine so this made the experience more enjoyable. The decor is homie and it feels like a trendy place you would see downtown. Great for a quick bite!
  • Review from

    • 1 friend
    • 5 reviews
    Municipality of Monroeville, PA
    10/5/2013
    The wait was much longer than we were told. It's a VERY small hole in the wall, but the menu was impressive.

    I got the signature steak and my wife got the green foccacia sandwich with side of brussel sprouts. Everything was delicious. The sandwiches came out hot and my steak was fresh. And the John Legend music in the background was just perfect!

    Would highly recommend.
  • Review from

    Queens, NY
    8/10/2013 1 check-in here
    This is a pretty solid spot for lunch, prices are in line with almost every other overpriced place in midtown, but they don't charge tax so that's a bonus. The line can get pretty long and it was a bit of a wait (roughly 10 minutes) for our food to come out. For $10 I got a chicken schnitzel sandwich with a small side salad. The sandwich tasted a lot like...a high class and healthier mcchicken sandwich from McDonald's, which I'm more than alright with. The side salad had a light vinaigrette on it and tasted really fresh. My friend got the smoked salmon sandwich and it was even better than my luxury mcchicken; there was avocado and it was on this awesome crunchy bread (can't remember the type).

    The cafe is pretty small and probably only seats 20 people tops, and it'd be a tight fit. The chairs and tables also reflect the size of the space, I had some trouble maneuvering into my seat and I'm certainly not big. It's got a bit of that rustic, farmhouse feel to it that I see a lot of restaurants doing. I wouldn't mind coming here, but it didn't exactly stand out to me.
  • Review from

    • 2 friends
    • 6 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    9/30/2013
    Incredibly fast delivery and INCREDIBLE value for the price.  The pastas are extremely fresh and the arrabiata sauce in particular had incredible flavor!  Meatballs however were so-so
  • Review from

    • 59 friends
    • 264 reviews
    Bethesda, MD
    6/25/2013 2 check-ins here
    I'm amazed that they can execute such an extensive menu on a such a successful level. I mean, it's sandwiches, pastas, and salads, and all I got was a sandwich, but everything I saw on the tables looked great.

    My greens that came with my sandwich were only dressed lightly with oil. Maybe that's a purist thing, maybe that's the best way they can dress the salad without compromising the integrity of the leaf, but it needed some acid.

    Other than that, the order/register girl at the front let my sandwich sit in the window for like five minutes because she wasn't the one that took my order, and I believe the proprietor/manager that did, might not have followed the ticket protocol quite right. Whatever the case, I'm standing there. Ask me what I ordered, and give me my sandwich. She also gave some dude a bunch of attitude about something (I can't remember exactly) that seemed trivial to me. So get over yourself, and the greatness of Piccolo, and just be cool, man.
  • Review from

    • 2 friends
    • 5 reviews
    Montréal, Canada
    6/25/2013
    If you are expecting fine Italian cuisine and going here then you are in the wrong place, why? Well not because it's not good, it is good, but because its 10 bucks a plate for pasta and people giving this place a bad review should look at what other way over priced places in NYC charges for a similar dish.

    I absolutely loved this little place and would go here again. Food is great for the price and it's a cute atmosphere.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 2 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    9/13/2013
    Good food, good price. Portions aren't huge. Great deal for meal cards (buy 5, get 1 free) and coffee cards (buy 10 get 1 free). Very cute place to grab a quick bite. Overall, the decor, food and atmosphere make it feel like a slice of the west village in midtown.
  • Review from

    • 39 friends
    • 34 reviews
    Newark, NJ
    8/16/2013 1 check-in here
    Ordered this for lunch today w/ my intern. Not too bad. The establishment itself is very cute and would be wonderful for a date. I ordered the gnocchi alla sorrentina and my intern got the Bufalo Mozz w/prosciutto Panini. The ingredients were quite tasty and fresh but the portion sizes were pretty small. (Like Lean Cuisine small). Mine came w/ a small side salad with the tiniest bit of olive oil in a cup I've ever seen. Not sure what that was supposed to do for me. Ordered on Seamless and got a discount for $3 so the total came to $13. Personally I think I prefer the gnocchi at Gianni's Pizzarama in S. Plainfield, NJ which is prob not even close to authentic but it's friggin delicious and the portion size is huge.
  • Review from

    • 6 friends
    • 49 reviews
    Dallas, TX
    9/2/2013 1 check-in here
    A nice little hole in the wall.  Nothing fancy, but the food is pretty good.  I've always ordered the paninis and they are on a tasty bun with the right amount of olive oil and balsamic.  The service matches the decor - just ok.  Not bad if you just need something good quick and don't care about being comfortable.
  • Review from

    Manhattan, NY
    4/16/2013 1 check-in here
    I strolled into Piccolo Cafe looking for something different yet light to much on.

    It was a bright sunny day and there were a couple of people gathered by the bench outside of Piccolo. When I walked in there was a small line inside this cute little cafe. I looked over the menu and knew immediately what I wanted. When I went up to the register the friendly staff took my order of baby spinash, prosciutto, and parmigiano salad, which came with a side of olive oil bruschetta. The place was a bit packed so I decided to take my order to go since it was around 1PM.

    Service was quick, staff was friendly, and prices are affordable for what seems to me, especially since there aren't many authentic Italian cafes (and I'm not talking about Starbucks) in this neighborhood.

    I think I might go back and try out a panini from Piccolo, but after the lunch hour rush, so I can sit down and enjoy my meal.
  • Review from

    • 2 friends
    • 4 reviews
    Villiers-sur-Loir, France
    8/19/2013
    This location is amazing. The chef there makes really good food. I try a pasta and it was delightful.  I strongly recommend this place. Thanks chef Ruben...
  • Review from

    • 19 friends
    • 82 reviews
    Palatine, IL
    4/1/2013 2 check-ins here
    On our recent visit to NYC, this place was directly below the apartment we rented.
    I haunted the place each morning for coffee for the family and we enjoyed a breakfast and dinner take out there as well.

    The coffee drinks were adequate.  Nothing spectacular, just solid, and as expected.

    The breakfast sandwich we had was egg, procuitto, arugula and cheese and that was a killer combination.  Exotic, yes, but a really impressive mix of tastes.

    For dinner one night we also enjoyed their truffle toast panini with mozzarella, truffle pate and black pepper.  

    We will be back to Piccolo Cafe whether we stay at the same apartment or not.


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