Cocco Bello Cafe

Reviews

• Jeffrey S.

  star star star star star_border 23 July 2026

  Like my old friend Michelle L said, Cocco Bello Cafe is a casual gem in a town that desperately needs more flavor in their dining scene. What amazes me is that I waited so long to discover it. Really visually appealing decor, reminiscent of an early 20th century bar complete with woodwork and copper ceilings. Interestingly, there's a bar area although they don't have a liquor license. I guess it's more of a coffee and soda bar, both okay in my book. Love a really good BYOB. Livingston has plenty of good places to drink but very little in the way of really good food.
  
  Had a delicious lunch consisting of a tuna, brie and pancetta panini with a side of what may very well be the best french fries I've ever had, served well done and dirty. Yumm. Service was attentive and friendly and prices were more than reasonable.
  
  Like I've mentioned before, it's unusual for me to visit a restaurant and almost immediately insert them in my regular dining rotation. I eat out a minimum of 10x/week (true) and can't remember the last time I cooked anything besides a protein shake. Last place in Livingston I did that was Sweet Basil's and I've hit them up just about every week since I first ate there. Same with Cocco Bello. Great little place. See you again very soon!

• Sue S.

  star star star star_border star_border 14 July 2026

  Came here to grab dinner with my friends from high school. One of them recommended this place to me and honestly was shocked that it was here in Livingston. It's a cozy cafe that does meals. There's parking in the back and an entrance in the back and you can seat yourselves. I was the last one to come but my friends were just sitting at a table (good amount available) and the servers came to take our order and bring it out. The quality of the food wasn't bad and it wasn't expensive-overall, decent food, not bad but not amazing either. Definitely can see this place getting full during the lunch time; apparently you can order ahead of time and pick it up too. Dont' know if i will be back but i wouldn't mind if i need to

• Steve A.

  star star star star_border star_border 11 July 2026

  I see the word "casual" all over, and that is fitting here. This is a nice casual Italian spot in a town full of formal Italian of high quality. And this is no knock on the quality here, but I paid a formal price for a casual meal and that is not going to fly.
  
  Check my photos - they brought out 3 olives to start. One olive per person. With more than one garlic clove per person. I'm pretty sure that is quite far from most people's ideal olive to garlic to person ratio. Not to mention the plate was drowning in olive oil that required more than the two thin slices of bread per person to sop up. Breadsticks don't soak up oil very well, though they're tasty. At these prices, you can afford to bring out a normal plate of about 12-15 olives like other restaurants. Or, you know, price according to your casual atmosphere.
  
  On to the meal. Check my photo. It was a nice meal, although a few parts of it were odd. Carrot slices don't really belong in Italian food. The one random zucchini wedge was a bit out of place. Finally, broccoli is definitely a part of Italian cuisine, but not in a giant steamed tree on the side of the plate. It's supposed to be in pieces mixed into the dish. So I have some presentation and ingredient issues there. The other issue is the portion. If I'm ordering a basic dish of basic chicken and vegetables, I expect more than a single small potato cut in half. Two flattened chicken breasts is okay, but not tiny ones like this (they basically equalled one normal one). The vegetables were also more of a "one of this, one of that" instead of a good, healthy mix.
  
  For $22, either feed me really high quality food, or really large quantities of good food. This place is not doing these things. It's trying to get by on hoping Livingston is conditioned to pay more without getting more. Maybe that'll work, but I would rather add to the atmosphere for that kind of money. Food's fine, wallet beware.

• Sarah H.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 10 July 2026

  Sat down at 12pm and left at 3:30pm. We were there THREE AND A HALF HOURS chasing down the waitresses so we could ORDER, so we could ORDER DESSERT, so we could freaking PAY.
  
  It was literally one of the worst customer service experiences I have ever had. The food wasn't even that good and portions are tinyyyy. The majority of the time was spent waiting, not eating. They never came back after we ordered. I don't care if they don't want to check up on their customers, but could you at least refill waters??? I understand why Sweet Basil's is so much more popular, even if prices are a bit higher.

• Anthony M.

  star star star star star 10 July 2026

  Nice place Good food. Owners are top shelf!!!
  Clean and food is fresh. Apps are fantastic. Great lunch also.