July 13 can’t come quickly enough.
That’s when Piccolo Buco, an upscale Roman pizzeria by Cooper’s Hawk, will make its highly anticipated Southwest Florida debut.
The Marketplace at Coconut Point location (22800 Via Villagio, Unit 101) will be just the fifth in the country.
“We’re excited to bring Piccolo Buco to Estero,” Tim McEnery, founder and CEO of Cooper’s Hawk, said in a news release.
“A few years ago, as I was traveling through Rome, I came across the original Piccolo Buco and knew I had discovered something very special.”
That restaurant, steps from the beloved Trevi Fountain in Rome, was founded in 1916.
It’s known for Neapolitan-style pizza with a heavenly and cloudlike, tall and substantial, crispy three-ingredient crust — Italian-imported flour, sea salt and extra virgin olive oil. Presented tableside, it’s cut with scissors instead of a traditional pizza cutter, which would ruin the crust’s integrity.
McEnery collaborated with Luca Issa, who worked beside his father before taking over the famed family restaurant in 2015, to bring Piccolo Buco to the U.S.
“The pizza was, of course, spectacular, but what struck me even more was the sense of community Luca had created around his family’s restaurant,” McEnery said in the news release. “This felt like a place that needed to be shared with as many people as possible.”
Elsewhere on Piccolo Buco’s menu …
And while pizza is the focus (as it should be), antipasti, pastas and desserts are also offered.
Toasted Sardinian sandwiches on house-made artisan bread will be featured at lunch (served until 3:30 p.m.). For dinner, think Roman classics, from Mama Luca’s meatballs and Cacio e Pepe to braised short ribs and Mama Luca’s tiramisu.
Like at Cooper’s Hawk (with local locations in Fort Myers and Naples), dishes will have intentional wine pairing recommendations.
The list will feature wines made exclusively for Piccolo Buco from Italian winemakers, along with signature selections from Cooper’s Hawk.
Once the 7,500-plus square-foot Coconut Point location opens, it will feature seating for nearly 200 inside and out, with a patio and open tasting bar. The dining room will have whitewashed brick, rich wood millwork, overhead trellises with cascading greenery and murals.
It will be the second Piccolo Buco location in Florida (Tampa was the first) and fifth overall, including Naperville, Oak Brook and Schaumburg (opening June 29), all in Illinois.
“A perfect spot to grab a bite after a day in the Florida sunshine, Piccolo Buco is unlike anything else,” McEnery concluded in the news release. “It’s a little slice of Rome to bring guests together around a table of great food and great wine. We can’t wait to open our doors and welcome the Estero community.”
Piccolo Buco, coming to 22800 Via Villagio, Unit 101, in Coconut Point, Estero, on July 13; hours will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; call (239) 396-4442 for reservations and information; piccolobuco.com or follow on Facebook and Instagram
Robyn George is a food and dining reporter for The News-Press. Connect at rhgeorge@fortmyer.gannett.com
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Piccolo Buco by Cooper’s Hawk to open in SW Florida very soon
Reporting by Robyn George, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Robyn George, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News | USA TODAY Network
