How can you not love this place?

This review is long overdue, and I'm almost ashamed I didn't get to it until now. But I'm writing it right before we plan to go back, it was so memorable.

We visited the Cactus Rd location a couple of months ago and had a fantastic time! Our server, Kale, was one of the best servers we've had at ANY restaurant. And that's saying a lot - we're middle aged and we eat out a LOT. So we've got a lot of experience and not always that easy to please.

But we were certainly pleased with Picazzo's, not just because of the remarkably great service from Kale (more on that later) but also because of the food quality, particularly for gluten-free. I know, I know, when you eat gluten-free or gluten-friendly, you're always qualifying your opinion with "this was really good for a gluten-free version of X." But at Picazzo's the food really IS that good, and you don't need the qualifier. My friend has the gluten allergy, I don't, and I had no complaints whatsoever.

I specifically remember the cheese focaccia was really good. Didn't fall apart, didn't crumble, really tasted great. And the turkey meatballs were also excellent. We didn't even try the pizza, but it looked great.

I had the eggplant Parmesan and it was excellent. I mean, there are a TON of gf options at this place, and everything we did have was great. Since we're planning another visit to Phoenix, no way we're missing Picazzo's again. It was THAT good.

A significant part of our positive experience was the service delivered by Kale. He has a great personality, very friendly and approachable. He did all the mechanical things skillfully - acknowledged us quickly, got our drinks (and by the way he's a great bartender because I had one of the mixed drinks, the Prickly Pear Margarita), timed our meal perfectly by giving us enough time to enjoy the appetizers before ordering the main dish, checked on us to see how we were doing - but more than just the mechanics of serving, he brought an art to it. I'm serious, there is just something about this guy, Kale, that brings serving to another level. It was easy and pleasant to engage with him. He had great menu knowledge, and made good recommendations. He seemed to enjoy what he's doing, and it shows in the quality of service he delivers.

Picazzo's has a winning formula, that's all I know. This is a restaurant where you can not only enjoy great food, excellent service, and even have lots of great gluten-free options. How could you not like it?