Why we like it
If you've lived in SCV for more than a year and haven't had a slow Sunday dinner at Piccola Trattoria, you're behind.
Piccola Trattoria is the city's most-reviewed Italian sit-down for a reason. Nearly 1,200 Yelp reviews, a 4.5-star average, and a family-run kitchen on Sierra Highway that has been quietly cooking the kind of pasta that makes you forget you came in to eat in a strip-mall plaza. This is the place locals hand to out-of-town family when they want to prove SCV can do real Italian. It's a dinner-only room, white tablecloth without the white-tablecloth attitude, and reservations on a Friday or Saturday are not optional.
The story is straightforward: the same family that runs Piccola Osteria up in Saugus runs the Trattoria, and the kitchen leans Sicilian and Southern Italian. House-made pastas, slow-braised meats, the kind of red sauce that took six hours instead of two. Servers who will tell you which dish on the specials board the kitchen is most proud of that week, and they're usually right. Nothing about the room is showy. The plates are.
The vibe
Warm, dim, a little loud once the room fills, and family-run in the literal sense. The Sicilian and Southern Italian leanings show up in the menu and in the staff that has been there long enough to recognize the regulars. You can take a date here. You can take your parents. You can take a six-top of friends who care about food. What you do not do is treat it like a quick weeknight bite. Plan on two hours.
The dining room is a single warm space with banquette seating along the walls and tables tight enough to overhear your neighbor's wine recommendation. The bar is small and serviceable, not a destination on its own. The acoustics on a busy Saturday are real, so if you want a quiet conversation, ask for a corner.
What to order
- The pasta of the day. Whatever the kitchen pushed onto the specials board is almost always the move. Hand-cut, sauced lightly, and priced fairly for what shows up on the plate.
- Veal or chicken Marsala. The Italian-American classic done with the seriousness of an Italian-Italian kitchen. Gravy reduced down, mushrooms still with bite.
- Eggplant parmigiana. Layered, baked, not greasy. Better than the version most of LA serves at twice the price.
- Tiramisu, end of meal. Made in-house, espresso-forward, not too sweet.
Skip the Caesar salad if you're trying to save room. The bread basket is generous enough on its own.
When to go
Tuesday through Thursday is the move if you can swing it. The room is full but not slammed, the kitchen is calmer, and you'll get out the door in 90 minutes. Friday and Saturday between 6 and 8 is the rush; expect a wait even with a reservation. Sunday dinner, especially in the early seating, is the soft favorite of the regulars who know the kitchen runs the same level of care as a Saturday but with less pressure on the room.
Closed Monday. Reservations are taken by phone and OpenTable; book three to five days ahead for weekends.
Good to know
Parking: The plaza shares a lot with several other businesses on Sierra Highway. On weekends the lot fills up by 7pm; expect to walk a row or two. Street parking on the side roads is straightforward.
Reservations: Strongly recommended for Friday and Saturday. Book by phone (661-299-6952) or via OpenTable. The dining room is single-floor, fully accessible.
Dietary: The kitchen handles gluten-free pasta substitutions and a handful of vegetarian mains, including the eggplant parmigiana and a vegetable lasagna when it's on the menu. Vegan options are limited; ask the server about a built-from-sides plate. The bread basket is not gluten-free.
Kids: The room handles kids cleanly through the early seating (5pm-7pm). After that, the volume and the pacing tilt adult; bring kids early or save it for a date night.
Wine: The list is Italian-leaning with reasonable by-the-glass options and a handful of bottle splurges. Corkage available; ask when you book.
If you go
Piccola Trattoria
18302 Sierra Hwy, Unit 107, Santa Clarita, CA 91351
On Sierra Highway in Canyon Country, just north of Soledad Canyon Road
Open in Google Maps
Phone: (661) 299-6952
Website: piccolatrattoria.com
Hours: Tue-Thu 5pm-9pm, Fri-Sat 5pm-10pm, Sun 5pm-9pm. Closed Monday.
Price: $$$
Good for: anniversaries, slow Sunday dinners, parents in town
More in Canyon Country
Piccola Trattoria is the highest-profile sit-down in Canyon Country and the obvious anchor for a neighborhood that often gets overlooked in the SCV food conversation. For BBQ in the same neighborhood, see Our Place BBQ & Soul Food. For more on where to eat across the city, see our guide to where to eat in Santa Clarita.
The same family also runs Piccola Osteria, a smaller pizza-and-wine-bar concept up in Saugus on La Madrid. Different menu, different room, same kitchen sensibility. Worth knowing about if Piccola Trattoria is full.
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