Piccolo Buco by Cooper’s Hawk
$$ • Restaurant
Most Recent Reviews
2024 Update: menu now has GF pizza & pasta. Pizza was cut at table with a fresh scissors. Pasta was confirmed to be cooked in fresh/separate water & pot. Pizza & pasta were excellent!
2022: A couple GF items in each menu category with the exception of pizza & pasta.
They don’t have any gluten free dessert or bread. And really limited options that weren’t very good. You’re better off skipping this place and going to Cooper’s Hawk.
Knowledgeable waiter who also brought in the manager because he could tell my daughter wanted extra reassurance. GF pizza is good but they reuse the pizza cutters. I’m sure you could ask for clean ones but we already knew they reused them so we brought our own scissors. Salmon GF was outstanding and the buttered GF pasta was good for a picky 5 year old. They said they do all the pasta in fresh water. Not mixed. Separate oven for GF pizza and GF salmon in own pan.
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The manager stopped by the table to let me know that all GF pizzas are cooked in a separate oven. They take celiac very seriously and have done third party testing to ensure it is safe. This place is absolutely safe for anyone with celiac.
I’ve eaten here several times. Pizza is great but last time it was cold and then they said they’d make another and it was also cold. ??
Have had the gluten-free pizza multiple times and it's been great.
The best GF pizza you’ll ever try!! They have GF pastas and mains as well.
I ordered pasta here and was told that the gf pasta was “managed separately.” I had eaten here previously and a manager had assured me that the pasta was cooked with separate kitchenware in a separate space- it seemed ok the first time I went here. This time around, it appeared that this is not the case, as I got severely glutened here. I will not be returning, as I agree with the other recent reviews that this facility seems to be under the impression that they manage gluten free food safely, when indeed they do not understand how to properly manage food for those with Celiac and severe gluten allergies.
Update 1/15/24 - the oven for gf pizzas is no longer dedicated GF, they are under the incorrect impression that gluten “burns off” at high temperatures. Will not be back.
Old Review:
I had the tomato soup and a gf pizza - everything was great, they have separate cutters for the pizza and it was even good reheated at home
I recommend avoiding if celiac - I saw great reviews for here and read that they have a separate oven for gf - before ordering tonight, I asked the restaurant about the oven to confirm & was told by a member of kitchen staff (not sure if she was the chef or a different role but came from the kitchen). She told me they do have a separate oven they use for gf pizzas but it’s not dedicated for gf and they sometimes use it for regular pizzas about 10% of the time. I asked if the pizzas are cooked on a pan or other means that would decrease cross contact or if they would be on the same surface and she said “it’s cooked on the same stone but the health department said we can still call it gluten free because the stone gets to be over 500 degrees so the gluten would cook off after a few seconds.” I asked if the stone is cleaned in any way between the pizzas and was told “the heat cleans it for us.” I thanked her for taking the time to speak with me and tried to politely share that heat unfortunately does not remove gluten and that the cross contact makes a difference for me I I was grateful she explained that the oven is used for both types of pizza. She was insistent that the heat is sufficient so I’m grateful I asked questions in advance of ordering & ultimately didn’t feel comfortable eating there given their misinformation - sadly I def do not recommend for someone celiacs or anyone who sensitive to cross contact!
So happy to have a Cooper’s Hawk restaurant at Oak Brook. Great food, knowledgeable staff! Feel very safe here.
this place was sooooo good. they make the gf pizza in a separate oven and the crust was honestly the best i’ve had in awhile! I felt very safe as the staff was very knowledgeable, and the food was delicious
One of the best restaurants I’ve been to in a long time!! Amazing experience! They are very strict with their protocols and cook GF dishes separately. They have many GF options on their menu. I got the pizza and it was so good!! Definitely will be returning!
I called ahead prior to eating here to ask about gf protocols, they said they cook gf food in a separate area and in separate pans and separate dishes.
When I got to restaurant I asked how they cooked the gluten free pizza if it was in a dedicated pan or oven. They do use dedicated gf pans but it is cooked in the same fire oven at the same time as other pizzas. The waitress told me there is a dedicated spot in the oven for them but unsure how far apart it is but that’s what I found out. Personally wasn’t super comfortable with the answer so I chose to go for the gluten free pasta. She went back to verify it was cooked in separate water from gluten pasta. The I got the short rib papadelle pasta and it was so so good. It didn’t come out on any different plates than the rest of my party so unsure what the person on the phone call referred to.
Great gluten free pizza. It’s not fluffy like the regular pizza there, but the gf crust was crispy and not chewy.
The gf pizza was very good but the service was absolutely horrible. We waited for over an hour and they only brought out one dish. They ended up remaking that dish so that we could eat together. The manager was very nice and comped our bill but it’s clear they have major staffing issues there.
Got seated right away and server was amazing. Pizza was fantastic best pizza in America. 100% recommend this place.
Great gluten free pizza - so savory and does not taste like cardboard. One of the best pizzas. Lots of variety- also has great salads and gluten free pasta dishes. They are so great with cross contamination
We made a reservation as we arrived
They said 30 min by the time we got a text it was an hour 20 min later.
We ended up eating at the bar & we were upset because there were plenty of dirty tables that simply needed to be cleaned so you can have your table turn around. But no tables were being left dirty for 5-8 minutes on end just left with the last customers dirty dishes, bar drinks 🍹 & napkins tossed there for everyone waiting for a table to see. Then we decide to eat at bar and took two seats available from a couple who had finished. The bartender ignored us for 7min straight for I was counting , as she was sipping a drink of water laughing & joking with her co-workers. She then saw us stare & smirk at her and then she came over, we asked for menus which she gave us but she did not even bother wiping down the area we were at knowing it was clearly dirty, with food stains the other couple left begins. So I asked her to please clean our area before she puts menus down.
The food came out it was great but the service was AWFUL & the atmosphere of the place just horrible. The culture felt like this restaurant cares more about pushing liberal politics down your throat than they care to clean tables, turn tables around quick, have a clean staff that cares & sit people in & have them enjoy a nice dinner.
Get new management that actually understand how to run a place properly.
Coopers Hawk atmosphere was not what this restaurant vibe is … complete polar opposite.
I work in the industry and let me tell you your GM should be fired they clearly don’t care about your sales, your culture & how this place runs.
My bf and I made a reservation after asking if they had a GF menu, they said yes and items could be modified. I ordered a pasta and asked for it to be GF and let our waitress know I was celiac and she gave my order a special yellow tag. Shortly after the chef came out and told me the option I had ordered used pasta water and could have cross contamination. He was kind to give me other options that were guaranteed GF. Pasta was absolutely delicious!
