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.
To note per each of the entries below: 1) average total dinner cost per person, 2) "entrees: " price, and 3) average entree price. For example: $70, entrees: $16 to $31, $21 - the entrees are priced between $16 and $31, and the average of an entree is $21.
Slightly updated on May 19, 2019. More to be done.
The Best
Ristorante Cavour
Amalfi – Briargrove – $85, entrées: $18 to $35, $26 – 6100 Westheimer (between Fountain View and Voss), 77057, (713) 532-2201 – 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 Dover sole 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.
Da Marco – Montrose – $115, entrées: $18 to $40, $29 – 1520 Westheimer (between Waugh and Dunlavy), 77006, (713) 807-8857 – In a small house on Westheimer, Marco Wiles’ Da Marco serves truly excellent food that represents the best of many of the northern Italian regions. It is appealing and sometimes eclectic, 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. There are many tempting seasonal options for each course like a salad with frisee, taleggio and pears; sweet corn ravioli with lobster; freshly made pappardelle with rabbit; sea bass with grapefruit and vinegar; calf’s liver with polenta; and, cavolo nero (black cabbage). It’s all done expertly, and this is one of the best restaurants in the city. Along with the cooking, the top-notch wine list is strictly Italian. In 2006 Gourmet named among the top 50 restaurants (number 29) in the country and its standards have remained the same.
Tony’s – Greenway Plaza – $135, entrées: $24 to $95, $44 – 3755 Richmond (at Timmons), 77027, (713) 622-6778 – 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. 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. Flavorful, 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 finest 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, though very expensive; the average wine by the glass costs $25, for example.
The Best of the Rest
Giacomo’s – Greenway Plaza – $50, entrées: $12 to $16, $13 – 3215 Westheimer (between Kirby and Buffalo Speedway), 77098, (713) 522-1934 – 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.
Dolce Vita – Montrose – $55, entrées: $9 to $18, $14 – 500 Westheimer (between Taft and Montrose), 77006, (713) 520-8222 – The peerless pizzas at Dolce Vita are just part of the attractions at this appealing and popular outpost that doesn’t stray from the Italian peninsula with its ethos, cooking, and on-spot wine list. Salads, appetizers, pastas and the daily specials, a meat and fish, are all often excellent. To start, there is a unique and vast array of appetizers including roasted parsnips with wine must, shaved Brussels sprouts with pecorino cheese, preserved fried whitefish, fried croquettes of pumpkin and goat cheese, the deep-fried rice and cheese supplì, and several tasty Italian cheeses. The pastas are a pan-Italian collection of simple, amazingly flavorful dishes: shell-like orecchiette with escarole and sweet sausage; the spaghetti with grated cheese and black pepper; bucatini with octopus, chiles and tomatoes, and the hearty gnocchi with ragù. The nightly entrées might be braised pork served with polenta, braised lamb, grilled sausage with peppers, or sea bass.
divino – Montrose – $80, entrées: $18 to $30, $24 – Montrose – 1830 W. Alabama (west of Dunlavy), 77098, (713) 807-1123 – This quaint and enjoyable eatery would be termed an osteria or trattoria in Italy. The kitchen is not terribly ambitious, but it does a good job with a manageably sized menu featuring dishes mostly inspired from rich Emilia-Romagna and neighboring regions. Flavors are true, though not overly rich, and never cloying, and portions are more Italian in stature than Texan, both of which can make for a nice change of pace. Some specials include crostini with chicken livers; goat cheese ravioli; risotto with peas, mushrooms and prosciutto; Tuscan style pork tenderloin; and seared tuna. The eclectic wine list features a fair number of food- and wallet-friendly, mostly Italian wines, and there are often as many as thirty wines offered by the glass.
Damian’s – Italian-American – Midtown – $75, entrées: $13 to $39, $22 –3011 Smith (between Elgin and Alabama), 77006, (713) 522-0439 – This Midtown stalwart set in a stolid stand-alone building has been a well-worn stop for downtown diners since it opened in the 1980s. Owned by the extremely affable Frankie Mandola and Joe Butera, Damian’s does not quite excite as it once did, but it remains a fine-dining Houston favorite. The cooking here might be described as an upscale Gulf Coast version of the country’s beloved Southern Italian-American fare. Flavors and portions are generous. In dining rooms made cozy by low-ceilings and lights, you can enjoy specialties like filet mignon grilled and finished with the piquant Sicilian ammoghiu sauce, plump veal chops, Shrimp Damian, and Fra Diavolo Linguine, a medley of seafood including lobster and lump crabmeat in a piquant marinara sauce. The food is accompanied by one of the most attentive waitstaffs in the area.
To Also Keep in Mind
Poscol – Montrose – $55, entrées: $10 to $20, $13 – 608 Westheimer (a couple blocks east of Montrose), 77006, (713) 529-2797 – 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. The food has a strong northeastern Italian influence along with impeccably Italian sensibilities that have worked extremely well for Houston diners at Da Marco, which is a block away.
Carrabba’s – Italian-American – Upper Kirby, Galleria – $70, entrées: $12 to $39, $24 –3115 Kirby (between Richmond and West Alabama), 77098, (713) 522-3131, and 1399 South Voss (at Woodway), 77057, (713) 468-0868 – These two locations, still owned and operated by co-founder, cookbook author and PBS cooking show host Johnny Carrabba, are exceedingly popular after twenty five years by serving big, flavorful dishes in a casually upscale and festive environment. The original Carrabba’s helped define the exuberant Sicilian-rooted Gulf Coast cooking that is one of the well-loved staples of the Houston dining scene. In vibe, it is the almost perfect Italian-American trattoria. There are lively salads, hefty pizzas and pastas and robust easy-to-like dishes like crab cakes with a sweet red pepper sauce, Chicken Bryan, a grilled breast of chicken with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, basil and a lemon-butter sauce, and Stuffed Shrimp Mandola featuring a crab dressing. Not only is the original location on Kirby seemingly always packed, the bar is still crowded and lively many nights of the week.
Nino’s – Italian-American – Montrose – $80, entrées: $11 to $35, $20 –2817 W. Dallas (between Montrose and Waugh), 77019, (713) 522-5120 – Nino’s is the fine-dining option restaurant among the appealing small cluster of eateries on a block on W. Dallas that Vincent Mandola and family have assembled over the years. The menu has plenty of robust Italian-American choices with evident Sicilian roots among the appetizers, salads, soups, pizzas, meats and seafood entrées: and pastas, including those made with freshly made pasta more than is typical. Among the best dishes is their superb Veal Vincent, a tender veal scallop that is coated with Parmesan, pan-fried and topped with artichoke hearts and lemon-scented butter, which is a local classic. There is also their moist rotisserie chicken, eggplant stuffed with crabmeat, breadcrumbs and basil, filet mignon with a sauce of red wine, mushrooms and gorgonzola. Or, you can really indulge with the expensive, enormous marinated and grilled veal chop.
Antica Osteria – Upper Kirby – $60, entrées: $11 to $30, $18 –2311 Bissonnet (west of Greenbriar), 77005, (713) 521-1155 – This capable Italian eatery delights more than its Southampton neighbors in a rambling and comfy house. Its solicitous service is partly evidenced in that they will readily serve half-portions of the pasta entrées for an appetizer, or primo. It all makes for an easily likeable and fine-value restaurant with cooking that might not be adventurous, but is quite appealing. It’s more Italian than Italian-American. Some of the favorites found here are beef carpaccio, spaghetti alla carbonara, spaghetti alla puttanesca, fettucine alla crema, veal Milanese, and eggplant Parmesan, plus a number of less familiar dishes, too. A couple of the highlights are the braised lamb shank and sautéed chicken breast with prosciutto in a wine sauce. There are always a few nightly specials that are likely to entice. The wine list is not extensive, but there are many well-priced bottles. Service is usually attentive and proficient.
Perbacco – Downtown – $50, entrées: $13 to $24, $16 – 700 Milam (at Capitol, in the Pennzoil Building), 77002, (713) 224-2422, no website – 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 more refined than similar dishes elsewhere. Set in pleasantly utilitarian fashion in the ground floor of an office building, albeit Philip Johnson’s landmark Pennzoil Building, 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 grilled dishes. 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. The owner complains that Americans like their pasta overcooked, but even with that, the kitchen does a really good job.
Prego – Rice Village – $70, entrées: $12 to $28, $19 –2520 Amherst (just east of Kirby), 77005, (713) 529-2420 – This generally proficient Italian-American with modern and local sensibilities has a smart, attractive and comfortable setting among the small retail outlets in the pedestrian-friendly Rice Village that has helped make this a neighborhood favorite since the late 1980s. Cornmeal-crusted oysters with pancetta and chives; jalapeño fettuccine with grilled chicken, black beans, tomatoes, cilantro and avocado; risotto with roasted butternut squash, Gulf shrimp, pancetta and scallions; grilled red snapper; and a Berkshire heirloom pepper-crusted pork chop, with rapini and sweet potato gnocchi are few of the representative dishes. There are missteps, though, like grainy, below-par quality veal scallops and certain stuffed pastas that tastes like they arrive at the restaurant in a bag. But, a nicely chosen wine list with affordable options and a full bar.
To note per each of the entries below: 1) average total dinner cost per person, 2) "entrees: " price, and 3) average entree price. For example: $70, entrees: $16 to $31, $21 - the entrees are priced between $16 and $31, and the average of an entree is $21.
Slightly updated on May 19, 2019. More to be done.
The Best
Ristorante Cavour
Amalfi – Briargrove – $85, entrées: $18 to $35, $26 – 6100 Westheimer (between Fountain View and Voss), 77057, (713) 532-2201 – 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 Dover sole 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.
Da Marco – Montrose – $115, entrées: $18 to $40, $29 – 1520 Westheimer (between Waugh and Dunlavy), 77006, (713) 807-8857 – In a small house on Westheimer, Marco Wiles’ Da Marco serves truly excellent food that represents the best of many of the northern Italian regions. It is appealing and sometimes eclectic, 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. There are many tempting seasonal options for each course like a salad with frisee, taleggio and pears; sweet corn ravioli with lobster; freshly made pappardelle with rabbit; sea bass with grapefruit and vinegar; calf’s liver with polenta; and, cavolo nero (black cabbage). It’s all done expertly, and this is one of the best restaurants in the city. Along with the cooking, the top-notch wine list is strictly Italian. In 2006 Gourmet named among the top 50 restaurants (number 29) in the country and its standards have remained the same.
Tony’s – Greenway Plaza – $135, entrées: $24 to $95, $44 – 3755 Richmond (at Timmons), 77027, (713) 622-6778 – 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. 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. Flavorful, 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 finest 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, though very expensive; the average wine by the glass costs $25, for example.
The Best of the Rest
Giacomo’s – Greenway Plaza – $50, entrées: $12 to $16, $13 – 3215 Westheimer (between Kirby and Buffalo Speedway), 77098, (713) 522-1934 – 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.
Dolce Vita – Montrose – $55, entrées: $9 to $18, $14 – 500 Westheimer (between Taft and Montrose), 77006, (713) 520-8222 – The peerless pizzas at Dolce Vita are just part of the attractions at this appealing and popular outpost that doesn’t stray from the Italian peninsula with its ethos, cooking, and on-spot wine list. Salads, appetizers, pastas and the daily specials, a meat and fish, are all often excellent. To start, there is a unique and vast array of appetizers including roasted parsnips with wine must, shaved Brussels sprouts with pecorino cheese, preserved fried whitefish, fried croquettes of pumpkin and goat cheese, the deep-fried rice and cheese supplì, and several tasty Italian cheeses. The pastas are a pan-Italian collection of simple, amazingly flavorful dishes: shell-like orecchiette with escarole and sweet sausage; the spaghetti with grated cheese and black pepper; bucatini with octopus, chiles and tomatoes, and the hearty gnocchi with ragù. The nightly entrées might be braised pork served with polenta, braised lamb, grilled sausage with peppers, or sea bass.
divino – Montrose – $80, entrées: $18 to $30, $24 – Montrose – 1830 W. Alabama (west of Dunlavy), 77098, (713) 807-1123 – This quaint and enjoyable eatery would be termed an osteria or trattoria in Italy. The kitchen is not terribly ambitious, but it does a good job with a manageably sized menu featuring dishes mostly inspired from rich Emilia-Romagna and neighboring regions. Flavors are true, though not overly rich, and never cloying, and portions are more Italian in stature than Texan, both of which can make for a nice change of pace. Some specials include crostini with chicken livers; goat cheese ravioli; risotto with peas, mushrooms and prosciutto; Tuscan style pork tenderloin; and seared tuna. The eclectic wine list features a fair number of food- and wallet-friendly, mostly Italian wines, and there are often as many as thirty wines offered by the glass.
Damian’s – Italian-American – Midtown – $75, entrées: $13 to $39, $22 –3011 Smith (between Elgin and Alabama), 77006, (713) 522-0439 – This Midtown stalwart set in a stolid stand-alone building has been a well-worn stop for downtown diners since it opened in the 1980s. Owned by the extremely affable Frankie Mandola and Joe Butera, Damian’s does not quite excite as it once did, but it remains a fine-dining Houston favorite. The cooking here might be described as an upscale Gulf Coast version of the country’s beloved Southern Italian-American fare. Flavors and portions are generous. In dining rooms made cozy by low-ceilings and lights, you can enjoy specialties like filet mignon grilled and finished with the piquant Sicilian ammoghiu sauce, plump veal chops, Shrimp Damian, and Fra Diavolo Linguine, a medley of seafood including lobster and lump crabmeat in a piquant marinara sauce. The food is accompanied by one of the most attentive waitstaffs in the area.
To Also Keep in Mind
Poscol – Montrose – $55, entrées: $10 to $20, $13 – 608 Westheimer (a couple blocks east of Montrose), 77006, (713) 529-2797 – 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. The food has a strong northeastern Italian influence along with impeccably Italian sensibilities that have worked extremely well for Houston diners at Da Marco, which is a block away.
Carrabba’s – Italian-American – Upper Kirby, Galleria – $70, entrées: $12 to $39, $24 –3115 Kirby (between Richmond and West Alabama), 77098, (713) 522-3131, and 1399 South Voss (at Woodway), 77057, (713) 468-0868 – These two locations, still owned and operated by co-founder, cookbook author and PBS cooking show host Johnny Carrabba, are exceedingly popular after twenty five years by serving big, flavorful dishes in a casually upscale and festive environment. The original Carrabba’s helped define the exuberant Sicilian-rooted Gulf Coast cooking that is one of the well-loved staples of the Houston dining scene. In vibe, it is the almost perfect Italian-American trattoria. There are lively salads, hefty pizzas and pastas and robust easy-to-like dishes like crab cakes with a sweet red pepper sauce, Chicken Bryan, a grilled breast of chicken with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, basil and a lemon-butter sauce, and Stuffed Shrimp Mandola featuring a crab dressing. Not only is the original location on Kirby seemingly always packed, the bar is still crowded and lively many nights of the week.
Nino’s – Italian-American – Montrose – $80, entrées: $11 to $35, $20 –2817 W. Dallas (between Montrose and Waugh), 77019, (713) 522-5120 – Nino’s is the fine-dining option restaurant among the appealing small cluster of eateries on a block on W. Dallas that Vincent Mandola and family have assembled over the years. The menu has plenty of robust Italian-American choices with evident Sicilian roots among the appetizers, salads, soups, pizzas, meats and seafood entrées: and pastas, including those made with freshly made pasta more than is typical. Among the best dishes is their superb Veal Vincent, a tender veal scallop that is coated with Parmesan, pan-fried and topped with artichoke hearts and lemon-scented butter, which is a local classic. There is also their moist rotisserie chicken, eggplant stuffed with crabmeat, breadcrumbs and basil, filet mignon with a sauce of red wine, mushrooms and gorgonzola. Or, you can really indulge with the expensive, enormous marinated and grilled veal chop.
Antica Osteria – Upper Kirby – $60, entrées: $11 to $30, $18 –2311 Bissonnet (west of Greenbriar), 77005, (713) 521-1155 – This capable Italian eatery delights more than its Southampton neighbors in a rambling and comfy house. Its solicitous service is partly evidenced in that they will readily serve half-portions of the pasta entrées for an appetizer, or primo. It all makes for an easily likeable and fine-value restaurant with cooking that might not be adventurous, but is quite appealing. It’s more Italian than Italian-American. Some of the favorites found here are beef carpaccio, spaghetti alla carbonara, spaghetti alla puttanesca, fettucine alla crema, veal Milanese, and eggplant Parmesan, plus a number of less familiar dishes, too. A couple of the highlights are the braised lamb shank and sautéed chicken breast with prosciutto in a wine sauce. There are always a few nightly specials that are likely to entice. The wine list is not extensive, but there are many well-priced bottles. Service is usually attentive and proficient.
Perbacco – Downtown – $50, entrées: $13 to $24, $16 – 700 Milam (at Capitol, in the Pennzoil Building), 77002, (713) 224-2422, no website – 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 more refined than similar dishes elsewhere. Set in pleasantly utilitarian fashion in the ground floor of an office building, albeit Philip Johnson’s landmark Pennzoil Building, 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 grilled dishes. 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. The owner complains that Americans like their pasta overcooked, but even with that, the kitchen does a really good job.
Prego – Rice Village – $70, entrées: $12 to $28, $19 –2520 Amherst (just east of Kirby), 77005, (713) 529-2420 – This generally proficient Italian-American with modern and local sensibilities has a smart, attractive and comfortable setting among the small retail outlets in the pedestrian-friendly Rice Village that has helped make this a neighborhood favorite since the late 1980s. Cornmeal-crusted oysters with pancetta and chives; jalapeño fettuccine with grilled chicken, black beans, tomatoes, cilantro and avocado; risotto with roasted butternut squash, Gulf shrimp, pancetta and scallions; grilled red snapper; and a Berkshire heirloom pepper-crusted pork chop, with rapini and sweet potato gnocchi are few of the representative dishes. There are missteps, though, like grainy, below-par quality veal scallops and certain stuffed pastas that tastes like they arrive at the restaurant in a bag. But, a nicely chosen wine list with affordable options and a full bar.
