poco pazzo

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 favouriteitalianrestaurant 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 the food mediocre 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 so food and overpriced.

stittsville's calling all foodies!. there is no better authenticitalianfood to 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!

the food is 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 ;)

everything there is frozen including pasta and seafood. rubber mussels, bland pasta.. fineitaliandining? not even close. try napoli or cabotto for the real thing

bestitalianrestaurant in ottawa. my family isitalianand 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 bestitalianfood i'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. the food is distinctive. every dish is a level above your averageitalianfare. 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 thanitalianfood? it brings to mind the spaghetti scene from lady and the tramp. and the food here is so good, it will put you in the mood for ....... dessert.

satisfying. we were satisfied with our pasta dishes at poco pazzo. it's a nice option for residents of kanata-stittsville-carp cravingitalianfood.

amazing!. my husband and i love this restaurant! we have been to italy eating the good for three straight weeks and coming home to what is available in ottawa just does not compare to the real deal unless you come to poco pazzo! this is trueitaliannot the americanized version of it...yummy! you have to order the pappardelle capesante e gamberi my fav

bestitalianin 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. the food is 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 faveitalianplace 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 our food was 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 myitalianfriends and family to poco pazzo for another beautiful afternoon on their new patio!

sam

amazing!!. if you appreciateitalianfood, this is the place for you. had the roasted tomatoes and gorgonzola pasta and the chicken dish, was so good we were stuffed and raving for days after! one of our favourites for sure!!

deliciousitalianin stittsville. we have been to this restaurant about 20 times since it opened a couple of years ago and i have had great food and 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 gooditalianin the west.

we had our first meal (and our last) and poco pazzo a couple of weeks ago. when anitalianrestaurant can't do a fantastic caprese salad in august (at the height if tomato season) then i don't feel they deserve my patronage. the tomatoes were lame (more like january tomatoes), the salad had no olive oil or balsamic, seemed unseasoned and was quite small for the price (delicious local tomatoes are inexpensive at this time of year). i told our server of my displeasure and got an "oh well" kind of response. the restaurant was very busy and we had waited quite awhile for our food so i was not inclined to insist in sending it back. the rest of the food we ordered was quite ordinary, nothing special at all. too bad as we could have walked to the new location but la cucina and fratellis will continue to get our business when we want italian

bestitalianrestaurant in kanata/stittsville. great family run restaurant. it's amazing how someone's passion of food can really come out in their cooking.
all the ingredients are fresh! and tastes like mama used to make.

great italian!. we have been looking for a greatitalianrestaurant around kanata/stittsville, and this was just the place! we loved the food, the service, and prices reflected both. the chef came out to our table and reassured us that the pasta had no egg, as my son is very allergic. the pasta was done perfectly, and the chicken as well. child-friendly, but not noisy, perfect. great italian!!

i met up with my good friend, p, last week for dinner at poco pazzo, anitalianrestaurant in west end ottawa. the head chef and owner, emanuele, was born and trained in sicily, so this 'crazy littleitalianeatery' is sure to bring you true tastes from i