Updated Oct 31, 2022
During the pandemic, some restaurant owners took advantage of the downtime to create new concepts. Due to the staffing shortage, fast-casual restaurants became popular because they don’t require servers. One example in the South Bay was Piccini, a restaurant created by the owners of Gaetano’s in Torrance.
Piccini means young children in Italian, affectionally named after their young children. They opened initially exclusively takeout but now have two high-top tables outside. Piccini features Italian favorites such as pizza, sandwiches, salads, pasta, and handmade desserts.
Piccini is located in a mini-mall on the corner of Anza and Del Amo Blvd in Torrance. I drive by that intersection frequently because Waze routes me that way when I travel to LA. I like that they have plenty of free parking in this strip mall.
Pizzas are 14″ with eight slices. They have since added 12″ personal-sized pizzas in addition to the typical cheese, margherita, and the classic with pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, red peppers, olives, and marinara. A cheese pizza is $11.95 / $14.95, with the others ranging from $15.95 to $20.95.
The Sweet Diavolo Pizza ($17.95 / $20.95) is made with pepperoni, jalapenos, mozzarella, burrata, and marinara and drizzled with Mike’s Hot Honey. Other pizzas include The Classic with pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, red peppers, and olives, BBQ Chicken, and the Bianca, a white pizza with garlic, spinach, ricotta, and mozzarella.
The Piccini sandwich ($10.95) includes thinly sliced prosciutto di parma, mortadella, salami, provolone, pickled onions, tomato, and shredded lettuce. The red pepper spread nicely complements it and adds moisture. Piccini keeps it local by sourcing many items from their Uncle’s bakery, Giuliano’s, in Gardena.
Other sandwiches include Meatball (made with Grandma Dot’s meatballs), Grilled Chicken Pesto, Turkey Club, Spicy Italian Chicken, and an Italian Beef ($12.95) made with slow-braised beef, sauteed peppers and onions, parmesan, covered in a marinara sauce.
But that’s not all; they also feature freshly made salads, starters, and pasta dishes. The Pear and Pecan Salad ($11.95) is a mixed greens salad with chopped pears, taleggio cheese, roasted pecans, pickled red onions, and avocado with a balsamic vinaigrette served on the side.
If you have a sweet tooth, you will be delighted that they added handmade desserts. The Nutella Cheesecake ($7.95) has a delicious graham cracker crust.
While Piccini markets itself as an Italian Take Out restaurant, the food quality is superior to most take-out-only restaurants. Piccini uses ingredients like prosciutto di parma, burrata, and fried artichokes, typically found in dine-in establishments.
Piccini, 4642 Del Amo Blvd, Torrance; 310.620.8808; eatpiccini.com