Piccola L'Originale in Köln

The service is incredibly friendly; you're greeted like a genuine friend. The food has always been exceptionally good.

What can I say? I first stumbled upon this place spontaneously in May of this year and have been there about 6 or 7 times since, and it's been fantastic every time. Great atmosphere, chill music, and excellent food.

Very nice except the music, it was like in a disco from the volume

A family-run business, which is immediately evident in the lovingly decorated interior and excellent service. The food is always freshly prepared, and the menu has an interesting selection – and what I liked about it: a "best of" selection – and these weren't the expensive dishes. And in terms of value for money: simply very fair and affordable – so it's also suitable for students...

The absolute favorite Italian restaurant 🥰

Absolutely excellent, cozy restaurant, great service.

An Italian restaurant with a nice terrace and limited indoor seating. Service and food were okay, but nothing outstanding. It was a lovely evening.

Authentic and warmly run restaurant. Super delicious food. Homemade pasta and pizzas are second to none. Be sure to try the green garlic sauce. Full marks, we'll be back!

The food was pretty good. The service was extremely unfriendly. Card payments aren't accepted. Visitors to Cologne aren't welcome. A shame.

Payment only in cash or PayPal. The employee did not warn about this and an incident occurred.

They didn't tell me I had to pay in cash, and I just wasted my time walking around looking for the nearest ATM.

Excellent pizza and lasagna Nice place, warm welcome.

Great food, I loved the pasta with spinach , and the pizza is very light and tasty 😋

Nowhere else can you find pasta as good as Piccola. And the people are incredibly friendly and make you feel right at home. Without exaggeration, it's my favorite restaurant.

Super delicious food and lovely service.

A must-read for anyone who wants to know how to ruin Italian food.

Very tasty buffalo pizza. The appetizer platter "variazione" was also very tasty, but it contained a lot of mushrooms, which I unfortunately don't like. The menu only listed grilled vegetables (and ham and salami), otherwise I would have ordered without the mushrooms. Payment was only possible in cash.

Best pizza in town 👌 The music was great. Small place but nice. 🍸 Very good. We'll definitely be back.

I will definitely be back. Very tasty pizza! Very friendly staff. The owner is very nice... I highly recommend it

Our favorite restaurant ♥️Great food, very professional and super nice staff 🥰

Unfortunately, my experience at this restaurant was disappointing. I ordered a carbonara and instead received oily penne with bacon and egg pieces, which has absolutely nothing to do with an authentic carbonara. When I pointed it out, I was told that they do it that way on purpose for takeaways, which I consider completely unprofessional. The cooking here is definitely not authentic, and I unfortunately cannot recommend it. To you * If you actually stick to the original recipe, like you in your answer, here is the original recipe: Step-by-step instructions 1. Prepare the guanciale Cut the guanciale into approximately 0.5 cm wide strips or cubes. Place it in a cold pan (without oil!) and cook it slowly over medium heat. The goal is crispy on the outside and still slightly soft on the inside. Don't throw away the fat that has rendered the pan – it will go into the sauce later. Important: Guanciale is irreplaceable – pancetta or bacon technically work, but they don't provide the typical carbonara texture or flavor. ⸻ 2. Make the egg yolk cream While the guanciale is cooking, whisk in a bowl: • 4 egg yolks • 60g finely grated Pecorino Romano • A generous amount of freshly ground black pepper Mix everything into a thick, creamy mixture – no water, no oil. This mixture will later be emulsified with the cooking water and guanciale fat. This is the "carbonara cream." It replaces any form of cream. ⸻ 3. Cook the pasta Cook the spaghetti in heavily salted water (about 1 tbsp salt per liter) until al dente – not too soft! Towards the end of the cooking time, reserve at least 150ml of the cooking water. You'll need this for the emulsion. ⸻ 4. The Emulsion – The Crucial Step Now comes the moment where many fail – either it's too runny or you end up with scrambled eggs. Here's how to do it correctly: 1. Remove the pan with the guanciale from the heat. 2. Add a small splash of the hot (!) pasta water (about 2-3 tablespoons) to the egg yolk mixture and stir vigorously – this will make it a little smoother. 3. Add the drained spaghetti and the guanciale, including the fat, to the pan (still off the heat!). 4. Immediately add the egg yolk mixture. 5. Stir immediately and continuously with tongs or two spoons until the sauce coats everything. 6. If necessary, add a little more pasta water to make the consistency nice and glossy, creamy, and smooth. If you use heat, do so with extreme caution – ideally not at all. The residual heat from the pan, pasta, and fat is usually enough. Please stop now, or I'll post photos of the pasta soaked in oil right away!!!!!

I had a vegetable salad. It was a beautiful plate. Delicious vegetables like peppers, corn, mushrooms, eggplant, Parmesan cheese, olives, onions, a green salad, a great cream/yogurt dressing, and small freshly baked rolls on top. If you like salads and are looking for vegetables and fiber, you'll leave with a happy smile. The staff is also very, very friendly. Thank you, and see you soon!

I was there for the first time yesterday and I'm thrilled 🤩 The bruschetta was really delicious and fresh. The truffle pasta was also very good. The menu had some really great dishes, not just the standard pasta dishes like at most Italian restaurants. I'll definitely be back 🤗

Extremely good pasta and very friendly service :-)

A fantastic restaurant. We were very satisfied with everything. The food and service were both 10/10. Definitely worth a visit. It's now my favorite restaurant.

The exquisite dishes are a culinary surprise, prepared with Italian love and perfectly accompanied by exquisite wines. The smile of the venerated Queen Josephine transports me to a country estate in the rolling landscapes of Tuscany, fringed by cedar trees and the spirited soundscape of the sea. Christoph/Koenigskuenstler ⚜️💎

It was very, very delicious! We ordered pasta and pizza, the portions were very large, we wanted to eat everything, but we couldn't, so we took the rest with us🫶

Great pizza’s and friendly service.

It's very good because the food was delicious and the service was very friendly. It's also a great place for lasagna and pizza lovers. They also have a good homemade tiramisu on site.

A wonderful place to hang out with friends or family and enjoy delicious food! It's also very child-friendly. That's why I give it 5 stars!

It was very good. The pizza was delicious. The service was very good. I think it's a cozy restaurant in Ehrenfeld, a diverse neighborhood with cool shops.

Wir wollten spontan eine gute Pizza essen und sind bei Piccola gelandet. Schon an der Tür wurden wir erfrischend freundlich begrüßt. Auf unsere Extrawünsche ist man perfekt eingegangen. Die Pizza, das Ambiente und die Bedienung waren für uns super. Wenn wir mal wiedernach Köln kommen gucken wir wieder vorbei. S🌞nnige Grüße die Jungs von der Ostsee.

No hyped Dutch prices, but excellent food at normal prices

We visit this place often—the vibe is great and the food can be fantastic. I was frustrated recently with the Luna Rossa pizza being inconsistent and felt let down, so I left a critical review. But the team really impressed me. They listened, followed up, and made a real effort to improve. When we returned, the food was much better, and the staff was attentive and professional. That kind of response makes a difference. I’m happy to update my review to 4 stars and glad to feel good about coming back.

The three of us ate here, the pizza was very tasty and we were treated nicely ☺️ Note only cash or PayPal possible

I know every pizza in Wiesbaden and I couldn't improve anything here. Really people. It's delicious. Are you in the mood for pizza? This is the pizza you want. Recommendation for real mundane people: garlic wild garlic oil 💖 hmmmm it's delicious. Have you not understood it yet? I'll say it again: delicious, delicious!

Ich war sehr enttäuscht von dem schlechten Essen! Hatte Pesto mit Walnüssen und Gorgonzola Sauce. Die Walnüsse haben alt und ranzig geschmeckt und in der Sauce war nicht einmal ein Hauch von Gorgonzola! Und das für 16 Euro. Nie wieder! Abzocker und Massenabfertigung.

Love the pizza here. Whenever I am in Cologne, I enjoy pizza or pasta. Last time, I had lasagna and it was also delicious. Lunch menu is an in budget option where you can get water / mineral water, salad and pizza or pasta. It is around 10.99€

Great shop & great atmosphere. Perhaps one less table would do the shop some good, as it's already quite cramped ✌🏼

Für uns war es ein absolut runder Abend. Die Bedienung/Kellnerin in bester Laune, handfest -wie wir es mögen. Wir hatten eine Vorspeise, Pasta und Pizza alles drei richtig gut. Wir kommen wieder!

I've been coming to the Piccola Originale for 18 years and I'm always fascinated how perfectly delicious their pizza is. Sonia and her team welcome everyone warmly and make their small restaurant a very cozy dining room. In summer their outside tables on the Venloer Str put you in the middle of the Ehrenfeld life.

And everything tasted good! The atmosphere is great, you can have a good chat.

I ate a really delicious pizza in this pizzeria today. The Pinola pizza with goat cheese, honey, pine nuts, Parma ham and rocket. It was a dream. In addition, a very nice atmosphere and very friendly staff. I'm thrilled. Keep it up. I'll definitely come back when I'm in Cologne again.

Noodles are super tasty and a good portion! Pizza also good. My favorite Italian in Cologne 😍

Cozy, relaxed and very pleasant. On a short visit and happened by chance, stopped in and absolutely fit. Delicious food too, gladly again

Best shop, best boss, lovely staff, very friendly and always delicious We always look forward to seeing our boss and sister 👍👍👍

The best restaurant The staff is exceptional You can order your own requirements I go with love and am most satisfied the coolest restaurant in Cologne I recommend with all confidence👏👏👏❤️❤️❤️🔝🔝🔝🔝🔝

The unusual dishes on the highlight menu were a special taste experience!! Overall we had a wonderful stay. Always my pleasure.

Wonderful location ! Delicious eat and best Service ! I prefer the Pizza Luna Rossa and the 5 Terre pasta ! I don’t have no problem with my payment and the cook was very cute .

Went here with work colleagues, ordered a lot of food and wine - but only cash payment was possible. The invoice that we need to submit expenses was only handed out after a tough discussion. An absolute no-go if you want to go out for something to eat in a larger group/business. Everyone can imagine why this is practiced this way.

Great children's corner, totally friendly staff. We came spontaneously and got a table of more than enough size for 7 people. Keep it up.

We came from Frankfurt, the service was simply unbelievably good, the food was very tasty and I would recommend it to everyone

Went there twice and were very impressed! Super nice service and delicious food! Happy to come back!!!

There were 5 of us. We enjoyed the food very much, so we would definitely recommend the restaurant. The ambience was very nice and there was also pleasant music playing.

We ate here for the first time today. We are thrilled. Will definitely come more often and will definitely recommend you to others.

Silvesterveranstaltung gebucht. Vom Essen kein Highlight erwartet, war somit o.k. Jedoch der Empfangstrunk war eine Zumutung. Eine stundenlange unverständliche Tombola ruinierte den Abend total. Alles in allem trotz nettem Publikum und Personal ein Reinfall.

GREAT PIZZERIA. FRIENDLY STAFF FAST SERVICE. VERY CHILD FRIENDLY. VERY GOOD DELIVERY SERVICE.

Very tasty, great atmosphere, it goes quite quickly. The service was friendly but also somehow a bit sober/reticent. What I thought was a shame that there was no oil or vinegar/oil with the bread. Definitely recommended overall.

When it's busy you can wait outside. The food is very nice. pizza pasta and risotto. Me and my husband are also chefs. everything is as it should be. I hope we see you again soon.

very cramped and small tables, but the service was very sweet! From the starters the best thing was bread, for free! My food was good but very heavy to be honest.

Pizza brandi...I can recommend it

We booked for a birthday a table at seven thirty and when we arrived there was not a table at all. they did not apologise and asked us to wait 20 mins outside in winter. The lady in charge is incompetent.

We had made a reservation for a birthday, but our reservation was forgotten. The staff was very unfriendly. We should wait outside for 20 minutes, otherwise it would be our problem. Not again, ruined the mood.

Unfortunately, we did not get to try the food due to the fact that the admin woman did not even bother to remember of our reservation. First, we did not get a table upon arrival despite a reservation. And that was only the start. We were told that there will soon be a table available, but we were six and the table was for max four people. After 5 minutes of waiting indoors, when the table was not seeming to free up, instead of making an effort to inform the people at the table, the admin woman asked us to wait outside because we are obstructing the way. When asked for how long, the answer was “I don’t know, maybe 10, maybe 20 minutes, not my problem”. It’s was 4 degrees outside. No apology, not even an acknowledgement that there is an issue with their own work organization. No effort to inform the people at the (reserved) table that they may need to leave soon. No any little gesture to soften the situation. If you book a table at this place, don’t expect to get it and be prepared for arrogant attitude as if it is your problem that they did not manage to make sure to consider your reservation. Would give ZERO STARS if there was such option. Though the food looked quite decent and the other staff members seemed to be nicer. The lady may consider repeating the basic 101 customer service course.

Cozy little restaurant, with a nice ambience a la viva l'Italia. Very tasty food with a changing menu. Thank you for the lovely evening 👍

Positive: If you don't know real Italian cuisine, you might be in good hands here. Disadvantage: However, if you appreciate them, you will unfortunately taste the inferior and over-seasoned ingredients, so that my actually very large appetite disappeared again while eating. Stars are only given for the nice ambience and the friendly service.

One of the best in town. Perfectly service

Very friendly service and very tasty and unusual pizza

Everything we have eaten so far pasta, pizza and starters has been very tasty. The service is very friendly and attentive. The only drawback is that it's a bit cramped and when it's full it gets very loud. I would recommend a reservation for the evening.

The offer on the window says: Gluten-free pizza. Unfortunately, if you order - there is no such pizza. You have to order in advance 🤪. Paying only in cash in 2024 is strange... but it's Germany.

The pasta dish with chanterelles was disappointing. Boring cream sauce that could have been tastier, what a shame.

Very nice restaurant, very good food and very nice and very nice waiters can only be recommended 🫶

Very cool atmosphere Enjoy your meal! Nice staff

Never got disappointed by Piccola (Original). Very good Italian, that I definitely added to my Dyli app for my friends to it in case they look for a reliable Italian! Be aware while pizza there is a very safe choice, lasagna or other pasta as well. The salad is a bit less “special” but I don’t usually go to italian restaurants for salad 😅

With all due respect, there were three of us eating and we have never been served so badly. A young woman who seemed like a boss was very unsympathetic. The pizzas were very hard and dry, and one of us was given the wrong drink and then we were asked if it was bad instead of replacing it. Unfortunately it is not what it once was. PS I've never seen caprese like this before

Nice shop, we really enjoyed the pizza. + very nice service 😉 would be happy to come back

Super nice atmosphere and very tasty. Only recommended

Very bad experience. Dinner with Italian friends, we came here to breathe a bit of Italy but the only thing we breathed was the rudeness and insolence of the owner. Never again. In Cologne it's much better

Extremely delicious Great service I would love to drive the 65 km back here to enjoy such a great meal.

Very friendly and nice service! The food was excellent! We would like to come again!

This restaurant seems to prioritize appearance over professionalism. When it comes to hygiene, there is much to be desired: the tables were sticky, the glass was dirty….. In terms of friendliness, the waitress was a bit rude to us until she discovered we also spoke Italian. The food was okay but could definitely be better. Overall, the combination of poor hygiene, initially unfriendly service, and average food leaves the impression that the restaurant values look over guest satisfaction.

Super delicious food. The waitress/owner Josephine was particularly in a good mood and gave us great advice about food and drink. Everything was delicious 👌 Always happy 😀 See you next time

Service inattentive, pizza very bland and interim billing - (bad for those who think evil, also only cash payment, tax office says hello) cannot be calculated apart...generally not a good result...

A beautiful, cozy restaurant with charm where you understand the craft and pamper your palate with lots of “AMORE”! The best fresh ingredients end up on the plate and the friendly service rounds off the visit. Gladly again.

Food was solid, but a bit expensive, service was nice. On the one hand it's a good location (central on Venloerstrasse) but on the other hand it's right on a busy street, so sitting outside isn't that comfortable. There are also tables, but in the summer you would of course want to sit outside!

PIZZA FOR 8 PM RESERVED UNTIL 10 PM BAD SERVICE DIRTY RESTAURANT

Super nice service. The food was good and the opportunity to watch the European Championships here was also great. The spaghetti was surprisingly prepared and my son devoured it to the last detail.

2024 and you can neither pay with a card nor get a glass of tap water when it's 30 degrees. We would have had another drink, but that's how we left. A pity.

Everything was fine, very good service, attentive staff and beautiful area ☺️🌸👍🏻

We come here very often and it is always delicious and beautiful

Food very tasty, but no card payment possible in 2024.

Really a nice little cozy restaurant, with very polite staff and delicious food. We go here for pizza and pasta more often now ☺️

Very nice, warm service. The whole staff room always enjoys meeting here. :-)

Super tasty and nice! Favorite at the moment: Pizza Simpatica.

The pizza is good!! A little expensive but definitely worth the price.

Very simple salad as a starter, could also be ready from Aldi. Pizza is actually okay, but there are better pizzas in Cologne for the price.

Mamma mia!! What power! As an Italian, it's always difficult to find something that meets your needs...just my shop! tanto amore e baci.. Frate peroni

Mega delicious food and great service. Love it, definitely come back :) thank you 🙏

Everything great! Gladly again!

The employees are all very nice and you feel completely welcome