poco pazzo

pricey, but their fettachini alfredo with chicken keeps me coming back. bestpastadish i've ever had!

eaten here twice and both times the food was 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 thepastashells with veal and gorgonzola sauce. delicious. just wish they had cannoli for desert. wonderful place.

stittsville's calling all foodies!. there is no better authentic italian food 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 everypastadish at least once (strongly recommend the "gemelli alla gorgonzola" - although i think this dish may have been temporarily replaced by "agnolotti gorgonzola et pinoli" -pastachoice 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 includingpastaand seafood. rubber mussels, bland pasta.. fine italian dining? not even close. try napoli or cabotto for the real thing

we have been going to pp in stittsville for the last two years, and its our family favourite.  the food is fabulous, i have tried several dishes and loved everyone. my spouse always orders the fruite de la marepastaand its a hit every-time with thepastatender, and the seafood is prepared to perfection. our daughter orders thepastawith 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.

crossed this one of the list!. i was in a large party at this restaurant last night, and there is no way i would ever return. having worked in a few fine-dining restaurants, i know good food, and this was not good food. not by a long stretch. the apps were the best part of - but then, it would take a lot of effort to mess up bruschetta, calamari and fried smelts.

the veal marsala was substandard, according to all three people who had it. i ordered the steak and 5 minutes before the apps came, was told that there was none. great communication there between kitchen and waitstaff...not. ordered the special instead, the veal-stuffed giantpastashells in gorgonzola sauce. absolutely awful. the so-called child-sized portion was far too much for the child vainly trying to make a dent in it.

the presentation was nonexistent. a few slivers of red pepper atop four bloatedpastashells the size of a baby's fist, stuffed with heavily sauced veal and drowning in gorgonzola sauce - ugh. neither i nor my bf finished our portions. everything was heavy and leaden. only the house red was any good.

but there was one less thing less inspiring and lacklustre than the food, and that was the server. she showed no interest whatsoever in us and was basically as indifferent and bored as could be - never mind that we were the biggest table there of the four occupied ones.

i also watched with horror as another server carried a glass of wine to another table. cradling the bowl of the glass, in her hand. wtf?! uh, trays are at a premium there?

all i know is that the only reason i didn't go off on the server and demand that our entrees be comped was because the dear old 91-year-old lady was treating us. it was her birthday, not that anyone bothered to ask if it was a special occasion.

ah yes, and my bf and in-laws are italian. they know their stuff.

huge thumbs down.

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 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 orderpastawhen 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 apastawith 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 the food here is so good, it will put you in the mood for ....... dessert.

bestpastain ottawa

satisfying. we were satisfied with ourpastadishes at poco pazzo. it's a nice option for residents of kanata-stittsville-carp craving italian food.

i recently picked up a take out order. thepastawas good but lukewarm at best. the bread that they gave to accompany it was also just thrown in the bag on top of thepastacontainer. i was early to pick up my meal and live two minutes away from the restaurant so there is no way that the meal could have cooled to that degree in a few minutes. dissaponting.

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 substitutedpastafor 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 wheatpastaoption 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 our food was tasty... and it was! i had the agnoli gorgonzola e pinotti, and i have to say it was the most deliciouspastadish 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

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

great italian!. we have been looking for a great italian restaurant 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 thepastahad no egg, as my son is very allergic. thepastawas done perfectly, and the chicken as well. child-friendly, but not noisy, perfect. great italian!!