Piccolino Italian Kitchen

We were craving delicious, authentic Italian food and stumbled upon this little gem for lunch — and wow, are we glad we did! Piccolino Italian Kitchen has the cutest, quaint, and romantic atmosphere that instantly makes you feel at home.
The owner, Meg, was so sweet and welcoming, and her warmth truly made our experience beyond pleasant. We started with the fried zucchini appetizer (absolutely delicious!), then I had the chicken with bruschetta, which was incredibly fresh and flavorful. For dessert, we couldn’t resist the strawberry cannoli cup — and it was to die for.
Everything from the food to the service to the cozy ambiance was perfection. We will definitely be back and are excited to make this one of our go-to spots!

The food was truly exceptional. This Italian restaurant in Toms River is a shining example of culinary excellence. Our server Marissa delivered outstanding service with a genuinely inspiring attitude.

We had an amazing experience at this Italian restaurant! The sauce was outstanding, the chicken parm and spicy rigatoni were absolutely phenomenal, and the Caesar salad was fresh and flavorful. The warm bread was the perfect start to our meal.

We came to celebrate our son’s second birthday, and the staff made us feel so welcome — they even gave him a little wand, which made the night extra special. We called just five minutes before arriving, and they had a table ready for us right away. The hospitality and kindness truly stood out.

We can’t wait to come back again — maybe even to celebrate our son’s next birthday in May!

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You need to make reservations. Small inside, but very cute, the tables aren't too close to each other. Food was excellent and the portions are very generous. Next time we might opt to share an entree instead of getting two.

I was very excited to try this place, having difficult reservations and highly rated across all platforms as the best Italian on the shore. Unfortunately, my experience was quite underwhelming then expect.
Small mini shopping mall storefront restaurant, old school inside with nothing pretentious, reminiscent of Nonna's living room in Queens. The staff was very friendly, accommodating, and attentive. Ashley was a wonderful waitress. I was looking at the Gemma or the Lucca entrees, both sounded delicious. Though the special was the lasagna bolognese, I couldn't resist. Opened up a 2018 Pio Cesare Barolo. The arugula and fennel salad was dressed appropriately and shared. Seafood was good, shrimp oreganata was good and the clams were fresh in the clam sauce. The red sauce was excellent. The chunky texture, thickness, and flavors of oregano, basil, and tomatoes were good. Created a delicious bolognese and spicy vodka sauce. Sautéed spinach was done right also.
This was going to be wonderful, but that's where it started to tumble. My lasagna was frozen in the middle still. I sent it back (which I never do) and was not going to order anything else. Ashley tried to do the right thing and brought it back out after the kitchen had fixed the lasagna. Well, it wasn't frozen but still refrigerator cold. I can lift the mozzarella from the lasagna as a solid piece of cheese, no strings, not melted. It was cold to the touch. Ashley tried to take the blame for the kitchen, which was honorable and a sign of good service. She brought me out a bucatini bolognese instead, knowing I loved the sauce, just not the frozen pasta. The linguini and clam sauce was bland without much flavor but the clams and pasta was good. Spicy rigs were done right with a thick vodka sauce and some heat at the end.
Overall, I'm not sure if I'd go back. The sauce and the seafood may be worth it but I'm not sure if the kitchen knows what it is doing. I feel like it's missing direction and not following procedures. Ashley and staff being so accommodating was a huge save in my experience. Would have had two stars if it weren't for Ashley. It could have been a one-off night or the chef had off and another line cook took the cook spot, I don't know. I would suggest trying it, but with fewer expectations than what I had.