Diners' Choice: Italian restaurants in Houston

OpenTable

Updated January 05, 2025

Looking for restaurants with the best overall Italian cuisine in Houston? You’re in the right place. Each month OpenTable analyzes more than 400,000 new diner reviews. We sort the results by category to help you discover new favorites. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Brossa's Cibo-e-Vino

4.9

4.9 (198)

$30 and under

Italian

Brenham

About the restaurant

Fresh Italian bistro in beautiful Brenham, TX. House-made pastas, sandwiches, soups and salads set in a a quaint converted craftsman home. Pair a bottle from our incredible wine list with our Wild Boar Pappardelle, Eggplant Parm or fresh branzino.

Top review

Lynnette

Dined 1 day ago

Amazing food all around, best from scratch Italian I’ve had in a while

Trattoria la Vigna

4.8

4.8 (1532)

$30 and under

Italian

Galveston

About the restaurant

Trattoria La Vigna is your very own little slice of Italy in Downtown Galveston. We offer delicious lunch specials, fresh pasta made daily, homemade desserts, and much more!

Top review

DennisVIP

Dined 6 days ago

Excellent as always. Great food. Great service. Best calamari I have ever had.

Discover more

Piatto Ristorante (Galleria)

4.9

4.9 (1054)

$30 and under

Italian

Galleria / Uptown

About the restaurant

Piatto Ristorante is owned and operated by John Marion Carrabba of the famed Carrabba family, who created the menu from recipes passed down through four generations. The home-style Italian food found at Piatto Ristorante pleases the palate, as well as touches the heart. John personally oversees all details, making sure that his guests have a fantastic culinary experience. Piatto Ristorante offers full-service catering, private banquet rooms, box lunches and delivery.

Top review

SkipVIP

Dined 6 days ago

ALWAYS and AWESOME experience. Food, Service, Ambience is consistently excellent.

Amalfi Ristorante Italiano & Bar

4.9

4.9 (1496)

$31 to $50

Italian

Galleria / Uptown

About the restaurant

The western coast of Italy summons visions of gorgeous views, salty air, and the freshest seafood & produce imaginable. Leave your passport at the door – Executive Chef/Owner Giancarlo Ferrara invites you to experience the tastes, aromas, and passions of his homeland right here in Houston through a culinary experience years in the making. The inspired menu at Amalfi emphasizes fresh seafood, vivid citrus, and cozy olive oil in addition to fresh pastas, an assortment of meats, family-made cheeses, cleanly crafted cocktails, and an extensive, thoughtful wine list. Here at Amalfi we strive to offer a warm setting in which to celebrate and cherish both everyday moments and significant milestones. Please visit soon; we look forward to sharing our kitchen with you.

Top review

cathyVIP

Dined 1 day ago

We love dining at Amalfi. The food is consistently excellent and service is attentive. Houston is fortunate to have a great Italian restaurant. The baked Alaska is delicious with a superb presentation.

Discover more

4.8

4.8 (813)

$31 to $50

Italian

Galleria / Uptown

About the restaurant

This neighborhood eatery serves up an eclectic blend of Italian, Spanish and Latin cuisine not to be missed. Try unique tapas like the camarones henesy en hamaca, mussels tomatillo, ceviche and many more. The wood burning-oven puts out authentic thin crust pizzas, with favorites such as the carnitas pizza. We offer a flavorful selection of fresh seafood and steaks. Our home made desserts are a must, from wood oven baked apple pastry to Arturo’s famous crème brulee. The hand picked wine list offers a variety of boutique and exclusive wineries. We are very happy to accommodate any of your special requests.

Top review

LarryVIP

Dined 4 days ago

You have to try this restaurant! Beautiful, intimate space, an amazing menu full of of delicious surprises and flawless service. From the moment we entered we knew our night would be special. Our server, Luis, was eager to explain the menu, offered us tastes of three wines to choose our favorites, and timed the courses perfectly. Highly recommend the Camerons Henesy, Red Snapper Fresco, Mama Sofia’s Ravioli, and the apple tart for dessert. Every bite was a pleasure.

Discover more

Popular dish

Snapper Al Fresco

Magdalena's Trattoria Pizzeria

4.8

4.8 (174)

$31 to $50

Italian

Upper Kirby / Shepherd Corridor

About the restaurant

The passionate General Manager responsible for acclaimed Houston establishments DaMarco and Dolce Vita has embarked on a new culinary adventure that will transport patrons to the heart of Italy. This new journey led to the creation of Magdalena’s Pizza and Trattoria – a haven for the finest Italian pizza and pasta.

Magdalena’s is an inviting space where everyone can gather to experience the true essence of Italian cuisine. The secret to Magdalena’s success lies in our commitment to using only the highest quality ingredients imported directly from Italy. To compliment the cuisine, we offers an extensive wine list available for purchase by the case with the most competitive retail pricing.

The dedication to excellence in customer experience, the discipline required to produce elevated dishes, and loyalty to authenticity are all traits instilled in Chef Nicolas Nikic by his Italian mother. It is not surprising, therefore, that the restaurant bears her name in homag

Top review

KatherineVIP

Dined 1 day ago

Loved the food, great service. If you don’t like noisy go a bit later. Lots of fun.

Porta'Vino - The Woodlands

4.8

4.8 (599)

$30 and under

Italian

The Woodlands

About the restaurant

Discover delicious modern Italian & incredible wine prices at Porta'Vino in The Woodlands!

Porta'Vino offers an impressive wine list at prices competitive with local discount wine stores! In fact, many guests purchase cases of wine to go, so we consider Porta'Vino part wine store. You are also welcome to BYOB for a corkage fee.

Signature dishes include Calabrese Crispy Shrimp, Balloon Bread, Wild Boar Bolognese, Barramundi Sea Bass & our Double-Cut Smoked Pork Chop! Make sure to save room for our Coconut Cream Pie, Medium Rare Brownie, or Apple Crisp. You can't go wrong with our menu selections.

The restaurant has a welcoming dining room, a spacious patio, and private dining rooms for events. A free parking garage is located behind the restaurant. Park, Dine, then walk to the nearby Woodlands Pavilion.

Porta'Vino also hosts a Winemaker Dinner Series. To receive invitations to these special events, please email events@portavino.com.

Top review

SheriVIP

Dined 1 day ago

The food is always excellent in my opinion. The wine is also an exceptional value with a good selection. You must try the apple crisp, its wonderful.

Discover more

Palinuro Italian Cuisine

4.8

4.8 (335)

$30 and under

Italian

Katy

About the restaurant

Inspired by the warmth and comfort of the seaside town in Palinuro, located in the southern Italian region. Palinuro Italian Cusinie and Chef Paolo bring traditional and authentic Italian cuisine to Katy, Texas. Enjoy fresh house-made pastas, traditional risottos, salads with the highest quality ingredients, imported truffles, and entrees such as veal. An experience at Palinuro is one to remember.

Top review

Samantha

Dined 5 days ago

Wonderful food! Perfect for my birthday! Love the redo!

Mia Bella Trattoria - Greenway Plaza

4.8

4.8 (1022)

$30 and under

Italian

Upper Kirby / Shepherd Corridor

About the restaurant

Mia Bella Trattoria – which translates as “My Beautiful” Trattoria, is a delightful combination of Italian tradition and regional American twists. With multiple locations, the dining destinations are fun, intimate and moderately priced just like the traditional Trattorias where Italian families gathered for wine and delicious food. In a tradition of his own making, Owner/Chef Youssef Nafaa has created an exciting menu of familiar foods pushed to a new level with daring preparations and imaginative ingredients. Wine lovers will find a pleasingly extensive list of evenly priced wines while those seeking cocktails will find the same combination of classic recipes and creative mixings which set the menus apart.

Top review

MarkVIP

Dined 6 days ago

Great lunch with excellent service. Started with the Carpaccio. Amazing!

Discover more

Mia Bella Ceasar Salad

Porta'Vino