poco pazzo

eaten here twice and both times thefoodwas excellent.


-----10 feb, 2014-----

great place that my friends recommended. the owner/chef came right to the table and was chatting with us (nice touch). the bread is homemade and to die for!! we ordered the mushroom bruschetta (very nice!) then had the pasta shells with veal and gorgonzola sauce. delicious. just wish they had cannoli for desert. wonderful place.

so so-so. have heard about poco pazzo for a few years now. the reviews for the one in stittsville were good. my husband and i tried the one in kanata last year and were very disappointed. i ordered my favourite italian restaurant go-to, veal gorgonzola. i could not taste the gorgonzola in the sauce which is unlikely given that it's such a strong cheese. i sent it back saying i thought they forgot to put the cheese in the sauce. they came back with the same plate and extra sauce on the side...the same sauce. i was not impressed. the service was good but thefoodmediocre at best.
last night my husband and i decided to give the stittsville one a chance. we were hopeful because the place was packed. we had the last table in the place. our waitress was prompt and very nice. we ordered one of the most expensive wines on their list and it was just ok. not worth the 80 dollar price tag. had the stuffed eggplant appetizer. not bad. the special, chicken parm...chicken a little overdone, sauce ok but bland and the fettuccine alfredo it came with was only ok as well but though it tasted like no alfredo i've ever had ( i cook for a living) it did have a pleasant butter flavour. i was left wondering why so many people were there and why there were such glowing reviews posted. to sum up. great service. so sofoodand overpriced.

stittsville's calling all foodies!. there is no better authentic italianfoodto be had in all of the ottawa valley region! the only thing that would make it more authentic is if the chef could be referred to as nonno emanuele!

thefoodis freshly made with as many local ingredients as possible - yet still rich and savoury and decadent! the appetizer list will indeed, whet your appetite and make you look forward to "i primi" and "i secondi piatti" (starters and mains). i admit to having tried every pasta dish at least once (strongly recommend the "gemelli alla gorgonzola" - although i think this dish may have been temporarily replaced by "agnolotti gorgonzola et pinoli" - pasta choice aside, the sauce itself is pure heaven!) the portion sizes are quite large, so be prepared to take some home with you if you plan on enjoying some dessert - and i strongly recommend trying the senator puck dessert if you're a chocolate lover or a hockey fan! you can't go wrong!

the wine list is not yet a sommelier's dream come true - but it features all of your known favourites and the servers and waitresses can provide knowledgeable recommendations to pair with your meal. the coffee - i usually have an "espresso" to finish off my meal - is just blissfully rich. this isn't your regular brew, friends - this is the perfect ending to a perfect meal.

i hope you enjoy your experience as much as i do mine - each and every time ;)

we have been going to pp in stittsville for the last two years, and its our family favourite.  thefoodis fabulous, i have tried several dishes and loved everyone. my spouse always orders the fruite de la mare pasta and its a hit every-time with the pasta tender, and the seafood is prepared to perfection. our daughter orders the pasta with a giant meatball and loves that it tastes "real - like home but in a restaurant". we have had michelle as our server on many occasions and she always makes us feel welcome and comfortable.  i frequently recommend this restaurant and encourage people it is worth the drive.

this was a great restaurant! it was my friends birthday and they gave her a wonderful desert and sang happy birthday to her. thefoodwas wonderful! definitely going back!

salty.foodwas creamy and salty, had to drink a 3 bottles of water after the meal. very nice looking spot, but thefoodis average at best.

poco pazzo - fantasticfoodand service. i have dined a poco pazzo many times and thefoodis always fantastic! the customer service and servers are some of the best in the business.

i will continue to eat and recommend poco pazzo !

best italian restaurant in ottawa. my family is italian and we come to this location for all family birthdays. yesterday we went and i ordered the principessa dish which is boneless chicken/ ham/ asparagus in a peppercorn sauce. it was to die for. i usually don't order something twice but when i go back i will be getting this again. this place has the friendliest staff and by far the best italianfoodi've ever had. the portions are so large that you really get what you pay for unlike other high end restaurants that charge you an arm and a leg for two bits of food.

a cozy little place with great food. when i visit poco pazzo, the word that immediately comes to mind is “gracious”. this not only describes its urban interior, which lends itself to comfort and luxury, but it also describes the staff, each one courteous and benevolent. during one saturday night visit, we arrived at their doors without a reservation and looking a little worse for wear: we had spent the day in the car and were looking rumpled, messy and ... can i admit how bad i looked on the internet? my sloppy hair was stuck back in a ponytail and actually using the word “pony” to describe any part of this hairstyle is an insult to all members of the equine family. i felt ill at ease arriving in such disarray, but the hostess made me feel at home immediately. since there wasn’t a table available, we were seated at the bar temporarily. while we waited, we enjoyed a drink (their house red is very good) and were never left neglected. the hostess checked in on us, offered us menus to peruse while we waited for a table and the bartender was attentive. once seated at our table, our waitress was gracious, available but never intrusive, and friendly. despite our wretched appearance, we were treated like royalty.

i have had the pleasure of dining at poco pazzo a number of times. thefoodis distinctive. every dish is a level above your average italian fare. i love to start with the tri-colore salad, a lovely dish with tomatoes, bocconcini, basil and olives, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. i make sure i leave some of the fresh bread on the table to soak up some of the oil and vinegar on this plate. my colleagues tell me that their eggplant appetizer is a delight and i intend to try it next time i visit. i like to order pasta when i visit and their pastas are rich, flavourful concoctions. their fettucine poco pazzo is a rich, indulgent bowl of pasta, chicken, prosciutto in a brandy cream sauce. it is out of this world delicious. both gnocchi dishes are wonderful and my daughter will normally order gnocchi when she visits. the linguine frutti mare is a pasta with seafood cooked to perfection. if you really want a treat, order one of the pastas with their gorgonzola sauce. it isn’t overpowering, just this wonderfully cheesy sauce that will leave you wanting to lick your plate clean.

i consider poco pazzo a perfect date-night restaurant. it is dark and intimate and what could be more romantic than italian food? it brings to mind the spaghetti scene from lady and the tramp. and thefoodhere is so good, it will put you in the mood for ....... dessert.

thefoodis heated up. the service was so so. i ordered a salad with extra chicken and they forgot to add chicken and i sent it back. minutes later the owner comes back and argues with me. i wasn't appetized at all after that. it's also too cramped up to have a conversation in there. thefoodwas gross, it tasted buttery. not recommending this spot to anyone.

one of ottawa's finest italian. been a couple of times, theirfoodis fantastic! the gnocchi is to die for!
very busy place and for a good reason, so make reservations. the owner is the chef and he is very friendly . cant wait to go back!

best italian in ottawa!. went for dinner on sunday night for the first time. i was wowed! cozy atmosphere, excellent service and dynamite food! had mushroon brushetta (forget the real name) was incredible and a large portion especially given the price. then had two of the chicken plates and substituted pasta for the potato/veg...absolutely delicious. thefoodis fresh, juicy and the the sauces to die for...i wish they would bottle them and sell for take home.
outdoor patio is also cute and the whole wheat pasta option is nice.
this is my new fave italian place in the city, can't wait to go back.

a delicious afternoon. i went to poco pazzo with a crew from work. we were on a tight schedule, and our waitress happily accomodated us - getting us in and out within an hour so we could get to our meetings!

the chef and owner emanuele was wonderful, and came by our table to make sure ourfoodwas tasty... and it was! i had the agnoli gorgonzola e pinotti, and i have to say it was the most delicious pasta dish i have had in ottawa. the sauce was impeccable - rich and creamy, salty from the gorgonzola, complementing the ricotta and spinach filling of the agnoli (ravioli) pasta.

i will definitely be bringing my italian friends and family to poco pazzo for another beautiful afternoon on their new patio!

sam

delicious italian in stittsville. we have been to this restaurant about 20 times since it opened a couple of years ago and i have had greatfoodand service 99% of the time. make a reservation as they are busy in the evening. it is nice that they have their entire menu available as take-out (sometimes you just want to eat someone else's cooking at home). my favourites are: the stuffed peppers, fried smelts, calamari, caesar salad. for entrees: lasagna (wow!), canneloni, the salmon and the steaks are always cooked to my liking. so glad to have good italian in the west.

amazing food, nice people. thefoodwas amazing.. i had the seafoodpasta, and it was amazing! we went in a group of 17 people, and they could handle it quite well.. nice, warm and friendly environment. good work!