Picco South End Something for Everyone

Picco Restaurant
513 Tremont Street
Boston, Ma 02116
617-927-0066

Menu: Pizza, Pasta, Salads, Sandwiches with a twist, full bar, and ICECREAM!
Kid Friendly: Absolutely
Atmosphere: Lively bright, laid back
Prices: Small Pizza and a cup of chili cost us $20 may seem like a lot but typical for Boston

Lou and I hit up Picco today for a little light lunch. Picco is in the South End of Boston towards the end of Tremont Street right before you drive over the Mass Pike. I had been to Picco before, but knowing I would write about it on my site, I took my surroundings in a bit more on this visit. What I decided was whoever is running/owns Picco is a genius.

I have only been to Picco during the day for lunch like today, so I always thought of it as pizza's, calzones, sandwiches, salads, and icecream, but what I paid a little more attention to today, was the bar.

During the day when Lou and I have been there, there is always an eclectic bunch. Families, couples, friends grabbing a bite, but what I realized was at night, this place must be a completely different crowd. Sure there were a couple people at the bar during the day, but there were a lot more people in the dining area having pizza and icecream.

The things I observed that make this place genius:


1. Two top tables which can be configured in any pattern to accomodate any size group.
2. Ice cream on the menu, making this place immediately kid friendly during the day


3. The menu items are typical but not plain. Pizza crust is light and toppings are original


4. This place can easily morph into a great place to hang at the bar at night


5. The dining area and bar are strategically separated by a long banquette with glass on top, giving the perception of complete separation.


6. There are those great curtains around the door for the winter to keep the cold out when people open the door.


7. The kitchen is wide open so you can see what the cooks are doing.

On this visit, Lou and I were greated at the door and sat within a couple minutes. There were a lot of kids in the dining room with their moms and most looked like they had just come from a ballet class. Lots of little girls with buns in their hair. A lot of the kids were coloring on plain white paper.

We stopped in to have just a small bite to tide us over until dinner, so we had decided to have pizza before we sat down, but once I looked at the menu, I had to get a cup of chili as well. In the end we ordered a small mushroom and sausage pizza and a cup of chili.

The chili was delivered first and it was a pleasant surprise. Instead of ground beef, the meat in the chili was tender pieces of steak. There were black beans and it came with a side of cornbread. The chili was great with a good hot spicy flavor. The cornbread was light and flakey. When the pizza came it was a perfect portion. 4 pieces in about an 8 inch round pie. The mushrooms were portabello and the cheese was ricotto. The toppings were perfectly balanced. The pizza crust was thin and crispy, and reminded me of a pita. When the pizza was served to us, it was placed on top of a large can instead of a fancy pizza platform. It was resourceful, and looked interesting. Picco gets green points for that one.

We didn't get desert this visit but a lot of kids were enjoying icecream. One of the more interesting flavors was honey. There isn't a huge selection, about 12-15 flavors, but definitely something for everyone.

I also noticed a great selection of beer behind the bar. Any bar which carries Lindeman's Framboise, definitely has an eclectic selection and knows their beer. Another interesting point about the bar is later in the evening we mentioned our visit to Picco to a friend. His reply was I love that place! They always have a great selection of beers! Proving my point.

If you want a light bite, afternoon snack, after work drink, or nightcap. Picco's got something for everyone.