Steakhouse in Omaha, NE

Counting down to our 80th anniversary!

Our History

The Piccolo family of Piccolo Pete’s Restaurant has owned and operated a business in the same place for 90 years. In 1922, Joseph Piccolo bought the present day building. The building had been a saloon but Prohibition had forced it to close. Joseph, then, decided to open it as a grocery store. Tony Piccolo, the eldest son of Joseph’s children, was 17 at the time and looking for work. His father, Joseph hired him to run the grocery store.By 1933, on a hot night in August, with Prohibition over, Omaha’s newest Beer Garden opened. Piccolo Pete’s was the catchy name Joseph used. It came from a famous novelty song written by Phil Baxter. The lyrics say “Have you ever heard Pete for tweet tweet on his piccolo.” Piccolo Pete’s was on its way.

A year after opening, Joseph and Tony converted the business into a dance hall with live music and a hanging crystal ball, which remains in the front dining area.  Full dinners and liquor were added to a menu of beer and sandwiches. At that time you could buy a T-bone Steak for .75 cents or a Chili Dog for .10 cents and dance with your sweetheart to your favorite song. We know for a fact that many young couples became engaged or had a first date dancing under that crystal ball.

In the 1960’s Tony became the sole proprietor. Piccolo’s became a full-dining family restaurant without the live music. The crystal ball and piccolo player became and remain the restaurant’s iconic logos. The restaurant completed several major renovations and an expansion of the dining area. The restaurant seats up to 450 customers. Tony’s son, Tony Jr. helped his dad operate the business for 30 years and retired in 1999. Tony Sr. died in year 2000, leaving the business in the hands of his two daughters, Dee Graves and Donna Sheehan. Piccolo Pete’s Restaurant will celebrate its 80^th year of business this year!