Mostly Italian....
There actually is some pretty good Italian-themed food to be found in Houston. Though the scene took a serious hit when Piero Selvaggio’s Valentino – which had served the best and most ambitious Italian food that Houston had ever seen – shuttered a few years ago after being stuck in the restaurant-killing location that is the Hotel Derek. But, there is still tasty pasta, risotto and more if you visit the right restaurants.
Slightly updated on September 5, 2022.
The Best
Alba – The successor to Ristorante Cavour in the Hotel Granduca is still led by the estimable Maurizio Ferrarese, and now tends towards items from the area of northwestern Italy known for its rich cuisine, and not far from the chef's hometown. Ferrarese has the sensibility of a modern, top chef, but also does a wonderful job with more traditional pasta preparations and no one is better with risottos, as you might expect of a native of Vercelli, Europe's rice capital. He was somehow able to make a risotto with braised beef short ribs and fonduta taste bright and light while still being very flavorful. The setting is comfortable, attractive and usually quiet. Uptown Park
Nearly the Best
Amalfi – Focusing on the cuisine of his home region in southern Italy, Salerno native Chef Giancarlo Ferrara produces dishes that are generally familiar but brighter, lighter and more vibrant that what you will typically find. Having cooked in northeastern Italy and in a top French restaurant, dishes bearing those influences like risotto and a fish filleted tableside can also be terrific. The wine list offers an excellent selection of food-friendly, mostly from Italy, including a number of excellent whites from Friuli, which can be perfect with one of the kitchen’s seafood preparations. Briargrove
Da Marco – In a small house with gated parking on Westheimer, Marco Wiles’s Da Marco serves truly excellent food that represents the best of many of the northern Italian regions. It is appealing and sometimes eclectic, if seemingly less so these days, but always flavorful and sometimes sublime. Da Marco is much like a very proficient, upscale trattoria whose cooking is not tethered to a particular locale. True to form, here you are expected to dine in the Italian fashion with antipasti, a first course, a meat or fish entrée, and separate sides. It’s all done expertly here, and this has been one of the best restaurants in the city for years. Along with the cooking, the top-notch wine list is strictly Italian, and pricey. Among its accolades, back in 2006 Gourmet named among the top 50 restaurants (number 29) in the country and the restaurant might be better these days. Montrose
The Best of the Rest
Tony’s – Though the restaurant has not been advertised as Italian since its early days several decades ago, Tony’s serves some of the most delicious Italian dishes in town, usually infused with a rich American exuberance. That remains after namesake Tony Vallone passed away in September 2020. His widow carries on with Katie McLean manning the kitchen, and Tony's seems more approachable than ever. Roughly half of the menu at Tony’s is Italian, and these items shine through with pan-Italian sensibilities that present the best of Italy, the best of prosperous, gourmet Italy, at that. lavorful, thin, fresh stuffed pastas, tender veal and impeccable seafood are just some of the attractions, not to mention the often excellent service, wine selection and intriguing modern setting punctuated with dramatic works by Rauschenberg and Jesus Moroles. Tony’s procures the excellent ingredients and has a chef that can translate these into magnificent Italian creations that are properly accompanied in all facets. The wide-ranging wine list is excellent, generally expensive, but in there is a customer-friendly section up front, "75 Wines at $75 and Under." Greenway Plaza
Rosie Canonball – Italian preparations including well-done fresh pastas and pizzas plus a few dishes ranging to other southern European spots. The second of five concepts, four serving food, to open in a very smart and neat complex – March – is just above this is essentially an Italian restaurant with a more than a few nods to the Iberian peninsula on the short menu. There are some very well-crafted, if possible precious, fresh pasta preparations in the Emilian tradition, excellent pizzas, plus breads and greens and other vegetables, and a quartet of proteins including the requisite steak and seafood preparations. These crowd-pleasing dishes and stylish space have made it an attractive stop for the ladies who lunch and a busy spot at night. The wine list is expansive and mainly Old World and fun for almost any wine lover. Montrose
Potente – Americanized Italian with a luxurious bent, it has a top chef at the helm, Danny Trace formerly of Brennan's and Commander's Palace, and uses approachable preparations inspired from Italy with excellent ingredients to a welcome, if quite expensive result. Downtown
Giacomo’s – Affordably priced and well-rendered small plates of trattoria-style Italian dishes that often highly Rome and Tuscany, but also including items like mozzarella in carrozza and fine quality freshly made pastas – the best might be the tortelli di bietola, medium-sized ravioli filled with Swiss chard and soft goat cheese and topped with a fried leaves of sage and melted butter – are paired with a nicely assembled and interesting 75-bottle or so mostly Italian wine list that has many tempting choices between $25 and $40, and a setting that is comfortable and coolly retro. Casual, comfortable, proficient and well-suited for Houston, this is an easy restaurant to like. Greenway Plaza
Poscol – Poscol, which is the dialect name for the main thoroughfare in Udine (Via Poscolle), Wiles’ hometown in the northeastern Italian region of Friuli, might be described as an all-Italian wine bar supported with enticing small plate preparations, many meant to be shared. The roughly 50-item menu will be comprised of regional Italian specialties. There are risotto dishes, baked pastas, bruschetta, a well-chosen selection of Italian cheeses, and seafood including salmon, braised calamari and braised octopus. Its longtime Sunday special of porchetta, a roasted pork preparation, has even thrilled a native of Umbria, where the dish was born. The food has a strong northeastern Italian influence along with impeccably Italian sensibilities that have worked extremely well for Houston diners at Da Marco, not far down Westheimer. The pizzas do not, though. Montrose
Davanti – Building on the success of the counter-service Fresco on the Southwest Freeway, and the considerable publicity from an appearance on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in 2021, Fresco was essentially replicated as Davanti this summer, in nicer digs. Higher prices, too, but this is still casual Italian done well from the kitchen of Chef Roberto Crescini who hails from outside of Lake Garda and cooked professionally for years in Italy before coming to Houston. The main attractions are freshly crafted pastas made with at least a substantial portion of hard wheat flour for a toothsome texture, and the ability to be shaped. And shapes there are. If one of the tasty listed options don’t interest, in user-friendly American fashion, you can choose a shape from among “Bucatini, Linguine, Fettuccine, Pappardelle, Spaghetti, Conchiglie Rigatoni, Tagliolini, Rigatoni-Large, Fussili, Tagliatelle, Penne Gluten Free,” then top it with one of eight sauces, and even add a choice from a few proteins to that. A ravioli preparation, pasta with the braised lamb sauce or with an all-beef ragù bolognese – this is Texas, after all – and the thick Roman-style pizza al taglio are the highlights from an enticing menu. Also, Crescini is a certified Norcino, butcher, so be on the look out for any salumi specials. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Greenway Plaza
To Also Keep in Mind
Concura – Opened in 2021, this quaint, molto Italiano spot with in a dark contemporary setting specializes in the food of the Marche, the region on the Adriatic, which includes a crudo list, along with preparations from Tuscany and elsewhere in Italy. These can be little different, coniglio in porchetta, rabbit cooked liked pork, passetelli, a pasta-like dish, but not too much so for those who enjoy truly Italian tastes. Highland Village
Amore – From a former chef at Da Marco, this very late 2021 newcomer, the offerings here are much of a replication of that restaurant, which has resonated with many diners. Similar to Da Marco, the menu is the Italian that ignores the seasons with the exception of for truffles. More affordably, the pizzas, done in a truly Italian fashion, are excellent. Montrose
Perbacco – Featuring approachable Southern Italian cooking geared toward local sensibilities from a longtime restaurateur from Capri, off the coast of Naples, the fare is generally lighter and better prepared than similar dishes elsewhere. Set in pleasantly utilitarian fashion in the ground floor of an office building, albeit Philip Johnson and team’s landmark Pennzoil Plaza, the emphasis is on enjoyable eating rather than fine dining. There are several, somewhat hearty, baked pasta dishes such as lasagna and cannelloni, a dozen other pasta and sautéed items such as penne with Gulf shrimp, veal Marsala, and gnocchi with eggplant in a tomato sauce, and several straightforward grilled proteins. Their version of the traditional, simple linguine and clams is one of the best around. Entrées are served with a small salad, helping to make this an especially nice value for lunch. Downtown
Slightly updated on September 5, 2022.
The Best
Alba – The successor to Ristorante Cavour in the Hotel Granduca is still led by the estimable Maurizio Ferrarese, and now tends towards items from the area of northwestern Italy known for its rich cuisine, and not far from the chef's hometown. Ferrarese has the sensibility of a modern, top chef, but also does a wonderful job with more traditional pasta preparations and no one is better with risottos, as you might expect of a native of Vercelli, Europe's rice capital. He was somehow able to make a risotto with braised beef short ribs and fonduta taste bright and light while still being very flavorful. The setting is comfortable, attractive and usually quiet. Uptown Park
Nearly the Best
Amalfi – Focusing on the cuisine of his home region in southern Italy, Salerno native Chef Giancarlo Ferrara produces dishes that are generally familiar but brighter, lighter and more vibrant that what you will typically find. Having cooked in northeastern Italy and in a top French restaurant, dishes bearing those influences like risotto and a fish filleted tableside can also be terrific. The wine list offers an excellent selection of food-friendly, mostly from Italy, including a number of excellent whites from Friuli, which can be perfect with one of the kitchen’s seafood preparations. Briargrove
Da Marco – In a small house with gated parking on Westheimer, Marco Wiles’s Da Marco serves truly excellent food that represents the best of many of the northern Italian regions. It is appealing and sometimes eclectic, if seemingly less so these days, but always flavorful and sometimes sublime. Da Marco is much like a very proficient, upscale trattoria whose cooking is not tethered to a particular locale. True to form, here you are expected to dine in the Italian fashion with antipasti, a first course, a meat or fish entrée, and separate sides. It’s all done expertly here, and this has been one of the best restaurants in the city for years. Along with the cooking, the top-notch wine list is strictly Italian, and pricey. Among its accolades, back in 2006 Gourmet named among the top 50 restaurants (number 29) in the country and the restaurant might be better these days. Montrose
The Best of the Rest
Tony’s – Though the restaurant has not been advertised as Italian since its early days several decades ago, Tony’s serves some of the most delicious Italian dishes in town, usually infused with a rich American exuberance. That remains after namesake Tony Vallone passed away in September 2020. His widow carries on with Katie McLean manning the kitchen, and Tony's seems more approachable than ever. Roughly half of the menu at Tony’s is Italian, and these items shine through with pan-Italian sensibilities that present the best of Italy, the best of prosperous, gourmet Italy, at that. lavorful, thin, fresh stuffed pastas, tender veal and impeccable seafood are just some of the attractions, not to mention the often excellent service, wine selection and intriguing modern setting punctuated with dramatic works by Rauschenberg and Jesus Moroles. Tony’s procures the excellent ingredients and has a chef that can translate these into magnificent Italian creations that are properly accompanied in all facets. The wide-ranging wine list is excellent, generally expensive, but in there is a customer-friendly section up front, "75 Wines at $75 and Under." Greenway Plaza
Rosie Canonball – Italian preparations including well-done fresh pastas and pizzas plus a few dishes ranging to other southern European spots. The second of five concepts, four serving food, to open in a very smart and neat complex – March – is just above this is essentially an Italian restaurant with a more than a few nods to the Iberian peninsula on the short menu. There are some very well-crafted, if possible precious, fresh pasta preparations in the Emilian tradition, excellent pizzas, plus breads and greens and other vegetables, and a quartet of proteins including the requisite steak and seafood preparations. These crowd-pleasing dishes and stylish space have made it an attractive stop for the ladies who lunch and a busy spot at night. The wine list is expansive and mainly Old World and fun for almost any wine lover. Montrose
Potente – Americanized Italian with a luxurious bent, it has a top chef at the helm, Danny Trace formerly of Brennan's and Commander's Palace, and uses approachable preparations inspired from Italy with excellent ingredients to a welcome, if quite expensive result. Downtown
Giacomo’s – Affordably priced and well-rendered small plates of trattoria-style Italian dishes that often highly Rome and Tuscany, but also including items like mozzarella in carrozza and fine quality freshly made pastas – the best might be the tortelli di bietola, medium-sized ravioli filled with Swiss chard and soft goat cheese and topped with a fried leaves of sage and melted butter – are paired with a nicely assembled and interesting 75-bottle or so mostly Italian wine list that has many tempting choices between $25 and $40, and a setting that is comfortable and coolly retro. Casual, comfortable, proficient and well-suited for Houston, this is an easy restaurant to like. Greenway Plaza
Poscol – Poscol, which is the dialect name for the main thoroughfare in Udine (Via Poscolle), Wiles’ hometown in the northeastern Italian region of Friuli, might be described as an all-Italian wine bar supported with enticing small plate preparations, many meant to be shared. The roughly 50-item menu will be comprised of regional Italian specialties. There are risotto dishes, baked pastas, bruschetta, a well-chosen selection of Italian cheeses, and seafood including salmon, braised calamari and braised octopus. Its longtime Sunday special of porchetta, a roasted pork preparation, has even thrilled a native of Umbria, where the dish was born. The food has a strong northeastern Italian influence along with impeccably Italian sensibilities that have worked extremely well for Houston diners at Da Marco, not far down Westheimer. The pizzas do not, though. Montrose
Davanti – Building on the success of the counter-service Fresco on the Southwest Freeway, and the considerable publicity from an appearance on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in 2021, Fresco was essentially replicated as Davanti this summer, in nicer digs. Higher prices, too, but this is still casual Italian done well from the kitchen of Chef Roberto Crescini who hails from outside of Lake Garda and cooked professionally for years in Italy before coming to Houston. The main attractions are freshly crafted pastas made with at least a substantial portion of hard wheat flour for a toothsome texture, and the ability to be shaped. And shapes there are. If one of the tasty listed options don’t interest, in user-friendly American fashion, you can choose a shape from among “Bucatini, Linguine, Fettuccine, Pappardelle, Spaghetti, Conchiglie Rigatoni, Tagliolini, Rigatoni-Large, Fussili, Tagliatelle, Penne Gluten Free,” then top it with one of eight sauces, and even add a choice from a few proteins to that. A ravioli preparation, pasta with the braised lamb sauce or with an all-beef ragù bolognese – this is Texas, after all – and the thick Roman-style pizza al taglio are the highlights from an enticing menu. Also, Crescini is a certified Norcino, butcher, so be on the look out for any salumi specials. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Greenway Plaza
To Also Keep in Mind
Concura – Opened in 2021, this quaint, molto Italiano spot with in a dark contemporary setting specializes in the food of the Marche, the region on the Adriatic, which includes a crudo list, along with preparations from Tuscany and elsewhere in Italy. These can be little different, coniglio in porchetta, rabbit cooked liked pork, passetelli, a pasta-like dish, but not too much so for those who enjoy truly Italian tastes. Highland Village
Amore – From a former chef at Da Marco, this very late 2021 newcomer, the offerings here are much of a replication of that restaurant, which has resonated with many diners. Similar to Da Marco, the menu is the Italian that ignores the seasons with the exception of for truffles. More affordably, the pizzas, done in a truly Italian fashion, are excellent. Montrose
Perbacco – Featuring approachable Southern Italian cooking geared toward local sensibilities from a longtime restaurateur from Capri, off the coast of Naples, the fare is generally lighter and better prepared than similar dishes elsewhere. Set in pleasantly utilitarian fashion in the ground floor of an office building, albeit Philip Johnson and team’s landmark Pennzoil Plaza, the emphasis is on enjoyable eating rather than fine dining. There are several, somewhat hearty, baked pasta dishes such as lasagna and cannelloni, a dozen other pasta and sautéed items such as penne with Gulf shrimp, veal Marsala, and gnocchi with eggplant in a tomato sauce, and several straightforward grilled proteins. Their version of the traditional, simple linguine and clams is one of the best around. Entrées are served with a small salad, helping to make this an especially nice value for lunch. Downtown
