Piccolino Gives Clitheroe A Taste Of La Dolce Vita

If you have the patience to navigate the one way system around Clitheroe then the reward at the end is a visit to Piccolino, the Italian restaurant that has just had a refurbishment.

Hopefully there are enough summer days and nights left to enjoy eating outside at this buzzing restaurant. What it has in abundance is atmosphere as the majority of the staff are Italian which makes a huge difference. Their charm, wit and service besides the good food is what makes Piccolino different. Without them you would be getting only half the experience. Their smart suits and attire makes you feel you are back in Italy.

Social distancing was observed during our visit, with staff wearing masks, sanitiser was on each table, which were set apart from other dining tables. My sister who has not dined out for over 5 months due to shielding felt comfortable in the surroundings at the Clitheroe restaurant.



The outdoor terrace is east facing so gets the sun for most of the day, though when we visited at 6pm the sun was in the west, but it was still warm enough to dine outside. If you sit at the bottom of the terrace you even can look out on to Pendle Hill.

On Fridays and weekends there is a DJ playing music on the terrace from 8pm.

The restaurant seems to attract a mixed crowd of older couples through to younger friends meeting up. I got the impression that it was one of the in places to dine in Clitheroe, most seemed to dress up casually for the occasion. With customers coming from Manchester, Preston, Bolton and Bury, besides Clitheroe it has attracted a loyal following.

There is a very extensive menu that ranges from shellfish through to pizzas, pasta and steaks, though most diners I observed were having Italian dishes.



My starter of Ciabatta bread, garlic and rosemary focaccia, Sardinian flatbread with grissini and basil pesto is baked at their in house bakery. A great start to the meal with not too much to fill you up completely. At £5.95 it might be best shared.

My sister chose the Pane All’aglio - hand stretched garlic bread that was topped with tomato and fresh basil. Really it is a meal in itself. With plenty of taste on a base that was not too doughy it tasted fresh and fullsome.

My main of Lasagne was very rich though it did need the extra cheese on top which they will add if you wish. It is served in a shallow dish though there was ample enough for me.

My sister chose from the extensive vegetarian menu, the Gnocchi Al Forno - a mixture of baked potato dumplings, grilled red pepper, tomato, chilli and fresh basil. Everything seemed to go so well together.

My dessert of Torta Caprese - dark chocolate and almond tart served with vanilla ice cream and in my case a scoop of Nutella ice cream was sublime. The ice cream is made from milk and cream from Gornall’s dairy, Goosnargh in the Ribble Valley.

The restaurant is taking part in the Eat Out To Help Out scheme which will make the prices more palatable to a wider audience and if the sun shines, with Pendle as your backdrop, good food and attentive service, it really is La Dolce Vita.

Piccolino, Moor Lane, Lower Gate, Clitheroe BB7 1BE
Telephone 01200 423111
http://individualrestaurants.com/piccolino/clitheroe/