Piccolo's Ristorante | Restaurant Bellmore NY

Our Story

Piccolo was founded in 1979 — the second successful business started by Thomas Valenti Sr. and his mother Teresa in Bellmore, Long Island. Tom Sr. had mastered the pizza pie venue through the opening of Tommy's Pizza in 1961, but wanted more of a restaurant atmosphere. In 1979 he developed the concept of Piccolo, which opened in conjunction with his son Tom’s high school graduation. Tom Sr. had recently married a very popular Bellmorite, Donna Tomasulo, who worked six or more days a week building the dining room business.

"Just celebrated our holiday gathering with my organization and the food was terrific. The staff was very friendly and attentive to the group. We have used Piccolo for other functions and they never disappoint!"

-Mary Grace Schmalenberger

"Dear Tommy and Staff,

Words can not express how much we appreciate all your hard work and dedication in making our wedding so special. We can not thank you enough for taking your time and meeting with to to make sure we had everything we wanted. You are truly wonderful at what you do. We sincerely appreciate you all!

Love always, Mitch and Helen"

"We have been coming here for over 5 years now and your staff always makes us feel super special and old school"

-Thomas Yannelli

"We go to the dentist in Bellmore so we always stop at Piccolo to eat. The food and service is always wonderful"

-Linda Curto

"Had our book club holiday dinner last night. Got a great pre-set menu with lots of choices. I highly recommend Piccolo for your next party!"

-Linda Rodi Ulanoff

"Piccolo never disappoints. Been a loyal customer for many years now and Piccolo will always be my first choice!"

-Rose McGovern

" We come here often and we are never disappointed. Like eating in Grandma's kitchen"

-Paul Lawrence

" We have been coming here for years and every time we come it is a wonderful delicious experience "

-Nora Zaba

"I have been a happy customer at Piccolo for many years. I absolutely love the staff and the food. Always a pleasure!"

-Richard Boyd

In 1983, Tom's eldest son, Tom Jr., decided to study Hotel and Restaurant management, following in the footsteps of Tom Sr.'s brother Nick of Compass / Restaurant Associates— another protégé of Teresa and Tom Sr's. Tom Jr. graduated and was fast tracked by Marriott's Management Program, and after about four years of National Marriott training, left as a Food and Beverage Executive to enable Tom Sr. to have some free time and establish some family roots for himself.

This initial expansion was a HUGE success. So much so, that in 1998 Piccolo expanded again both in the size of its main dining area and the size of its private dining room. This expansion, too, has been very successful, allowing the Piccolo team to provide their excellent food and service to an ever-increasing amount of satisfied customers.

Piccolo Ristorante looks forward to serving even more of the community for another 30 years.