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Grotto Ristorante

3.8 (538 reviews)
ModerateItalian, Pizza
Open • 11:30 am - 9:00 pm
Updated a few days ago

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Grotto Ristorante Photos

Business Info

GROTTO RISTORANTE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Classy
Moderate noise
Outdoor seating
Good for groups

Recommended Reviews - Grotto Ristorante

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Dining area
Kasey Y.

Went to Grotto tonight for a little date night, and it was a great choice. The ambiance is romantic and charming--definitely a solid spot if you're looking to impress or just enjoy a cozy night out. I've been a couple of times now, and the experience has been consistently good. From the moment you walk in, you're taken care of. The wait staff is super attentive, and there's always someone making sure you're good--whether it's refilling water, clearing plates, or checking in on how things are going. You can tell they work as a team, and it adds to the overall polished experience. They start you off with complimentary bread and olive oil, and honestly, that might be my favorite part. The olive oil is high quality, seasoned with Italian herbs, and the bread is always warm and fresh--simple but perfect. For appetizers, we tried the lobster bisque and the meatballs. The bisque was rich, flavorful, and comforting. The meatballs, on the other hand, were a bit of a letdown--they came out a little room temp, but the sauce on them was excellent. For our mains, we went with the Ravioli Alla Vodka and the Bucatini Amatriciana. The ravioli was creamy, rich, and full of flavor--definitely the standout dish of the night. The bucatini was just okay--not bad, but the pancetta didn't quite hit the mark for me. To end the meal, they bring out cookies, which is such a thoughtful touch and always appreciated. All in all, Grotto delivers a great experience. Some dishes shine more than others, but the atmosphere, service, and attention to detail make it a great pick--especially for a date night. Will definitely be back.

Tomato  basil  soup along
Barbara V.

Lunch menu has specials that are worthwhile . Delicious/nutritious tomato basil soup along with the home made bread followed by chef prepared eggplant Parmesan over capellini pasta is what I recommend. Edson provided excellent service and we will request him as our Waiter for sure. For lunch we did not require a reservation. Love the old style Italian Trattoria decor and music selections that add to this Houston Texas ambiance

Brenda A.

Hm the verdict is out on Grotto's. It left something to be desired but I'll give it another shot. Nice bread starter. I had the business lunch with a friend and I think it just fell short on flavor. Drinks were good, though.

Jordan W.

Stopped in for an early dinner. I've passed this place a million times and never noticed it tucked away. The lobster bisque and Rocco shrimp were amazing. I wasn't sure what to expect based on the description but it tasted even better than expected. My lobster bisque was good and had a nice amount of lobster in it. Most restaurants are skimpy on this for my drink I had their spin on a margarita I wasn't Big fan of it with the amaretto added. Service was meh he wasn't that attentive as we did have to flag him down a couple of times.

Italian Chopped salad
Elsa C.

Arrived at Grotto to have an Anniversary lunch. Free parking and valet parking available. We were greeted by a friendly smiling host who asked how we were doing, asked how many years we were married and really set the mood for a GREAT lunch experience. The waitress asked what type of water we wanted and another person bought us a basket of yummy bread and olive oil with roasted garlic. We started with the fried calamari which was delicious. We then split a beautiful Italian salad and split the lasagne plate for our entree. The waitress bought us an anniversary dessert of chocolate cake which was a treat of delicious chocolate. And then another waiter bought us a small plate with Italian biscotti. The whole lunch was a beautiful and delicious experience. Thank you Grotto restaurant!! I highly recommend this restaurant.

The lemoncello spritz was absolutely refreshing, so much so we had two! And I highly recommend the Eggplant Parmesan!
Marcel G.

The lemoncello spritz was absolutely refreshing, so much so we had two! And I highly recommend the Eggplant Parmesan!

Veal Kikerillo
Ashley G.

Visited for a business meeting and upon entrance the restaurant is lovely. For apps we had Meatballs, Mozzarella In Padella and Calamari Toto. Mozzarella was my favorite. I loved the Veal Kikerillo. Service was great, others were celebrating at a table nearby and the servers joined in which was nice to see. I'll definitely be returning personally.

spirits
Hue P.

Went for Happy Hour which starts at 2pm! HH is only at bar or patio. Ordered the very yummy peach bellini which crept up on me during the second one- so beware lol. If you want to be surprised, ask the bartender what spirits are in the bellini. Also ordered the calamari which happens to be half price during HH. I did point out to the bartender that some of the bigger pieces of calamari had raw breading/coating and to let the cook know. Sadly, it was not removed from the check. I won't be ordering calamari again, but will try their crab claws. Other than that the service was good at the bar, which has purse hooks for the ladies.

Brick oven near the bar
Stephanie M.

Happpppy Hour! Yum yum! In the mood for some yummy food!!! The Ambiance: This place is super cute inside. Great for date night or a meet up amongst friends. They even have a party room and of course happy hour. Location: Nestled in a shopping center, this restaurant is located at Westheimer and 610 across from Hotel Derek! Parking: This restaurant has valet, so quite a few spots are blocked off. If you are lucky and come early enough you can get a great spot. The Food-Canenoli: This dish was presented very well. It came with one roll, but it was fairly large, definitely a sharable. It was stuffed with chicken and spinach. It was very flavorful; however, I am a texture girl and overall this dish is not my style because of that. I was thinking chunks of chicken and sautéed spinach. Instead, it was more of a mush consistency. Everything was blended in a food processor or blender. I couldn't finish it, but my friend loved it. This is a great way to use leftover chicken, not that it is leftover chicken... but still a great way to repurpose food. The Food- Meatzza: This pizza was a classic meat lovers. I went super safe on this one! The only think I would change is the meatballs. I'm not a fan of meatballs because of the texture. This was no different with it being sliced and placed on a pizza. The Food- Cookies: We received the cutest complementary cookies. These cookies were more like tea cakes. The Service: The service was great. Our Table Host was so attentive and had some great recommendations. They have a pretty good happy hour, so I may be back to give it another try!

Calamari
Beth K.

The customer service here was top notch from the valet parking attendant to the wait staff. Let me just say, the bread that they give you to start with is off the chain amazing. You get some plain ones but the bread roast with the garlic taste on it, is phenomenal. Wow! We couldn't get enough. We the. Started with calamari. It was so good. Fresh and crunchy. You get more then enough for 4 people. It was so good. We loved it. Then two of us got the chicken Cesar salad and it was huge. I couldn't get over how pretty it was and it tasted as good as it looked. One of us got the meat flatbread pizza and it was so tasty and fresh. Then one of us got the lunch lasagna and wow! It looked so nice and handmade. It tasted so perfect and lots of cheese. Our waiter checked on us constantly and made sure we had plenty of drinks and refreshed the bread basket non stop. So dang good! I highly recommend this beautiful Italian gem. I really enjoyed everything and it was a great place for a nice lunch!!

Chocolate cake
Anna K.

I haven't been to the Galleria Grotto in years but had the pleasure of visiting for a work lunch. It was great! Nice welcome with valet opening doors, greeting and great service. We had two types of bread with the seasoned olive oil. The little salad was perfect with a light vinaigrette and a little cheese. The entrees were penne pasta and chicken Francese with veggies and potatoes. The chicken was pounded with an artichoke and mushroom topping. Everything was delicious and filling. The chocolate cake was worth the calories. And, unlike the new La Griglia, they provide the tasty tri-colored cookies and biscotti at the end at no charge. And there's plenty of free parking with a security guard watching the lot.

Pamela H.

Went for a cooking Social. It was a wonderful experience The food was magnificent The dessert chef came out and explained her dessert

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3 months ago

Great Food and service good ambience and would return. The Gnocchi appetizer was great and the Pollo Francesa as well.

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10 months ago

I was celebrating my friend's birthday, and we received fantastic service and reliable consistently good food.

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Grotto Ristorante Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Grotto Ristorante

Does Grotto still do their Happy Hour menu?

Hello Helene, please visit https://www.grottorestaurants.com/event/happy-hour/ for more information on Happy Hour.

Is this a good place to celebrate my 18th birthday?

Hi Karen, Absolutely! Please visit our website to view our menus: https://bit.ly/2QSMxKi. If you are inquiring about private dining, please email us at… 

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Magdalena's Trattoria & Pizzeria - Our outdoor spread -- two wood-fired pizzas, a Robiola cheese board, antipasto, and Italian wine. The patio at its best.

Magdalena's Trattoria & Pizzeria

4.5(154 reviews)
1.9 mi•West University

Magdalena's was such a great find! The pizza was absolutely delicious and made fresh, with a crust…read morethat was just right. The Bolognese was also excellent--rich and flavorful without being overly salty, which I really appreciated. What stood out to me most was how well-balanced everything tasted. You can tell there's a real focus on fresh ingredients and authentic Italian flavors. The food is flavorful and satisfying without feeling overly heavy or salty like many American Italian chains. I feel comfortable feeding my child the food from here. I'm so glad to have found a quality Italian restaurant in Houston that lets the ingredients and flavors speak for themselves. Even the panna cotta was delicious, and I'm usually not much of a dessert person! Definitely a 5-star experience. We'll be back!

Service was friendly and accommodating. Gave us the specials and answered all our questions…read more Good for families and date night. Located in a shared parking lot. There are lots of spaces. Spaghetti Bolognese- good presentation and made to order. For me the sauce was under seasoned. Pasta was just right. Pizza dough bread was nice and crispy. Too bad it does not come with herbed olive oil or olive oil and balsamic If you have an extra large party, there is a private room. BTW they have a lunch special which is offered Tuesday - Friday

Photos
Magdalena's Trattoria & Pizzeria - Center bar area

Center bar area

Magdalena's Trattoria & Pizzeria - Cheese tortellini in garlic butter sauce was delish! Such a perfect meal.

Cheese tortellini in garlic butter sauce was delish! Such a perfect meal.

Magdalena's Trattoria & Pizzeria - Every table at Magdalena's is set with care. Warm booths, candlelight, and fresh flowers perfect for date night or a special dinner.

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Every table at Magdalena's is set with care. Warm booths, candlelight, and fresh flowers perfect for date night or a special dinner.

Mimo - Risotto at the top and ragu penne at the bottom

Mimo

4.5(117 reviews)
7.6 mi•Eastwood

They are as slow as they warn on the menu, but still good and an enjoyable wait honestly! Waiter…read morewas sweet and was trying but did forget to write down and order one of our pastas. Perhaps overpriced pastas for the very tiny portions. Overall delicious and would return, it's a very authentic Italian experience if that's what you're looking for!

I celebrated my wedding anniversary and birthday at Mimo, and it was my first time visiting the…read morerestaurant. I've had Mimo on my radar for a couple of years, but somehow I never found the right occasion to finally give it a try. Well, celebrating both my birthday and wedding anniversary seemed like a pretty good reason! I must say, Mimo had to fight hard to earn those five stars. The experience was memorable, not necessarily because it was perfect, but because it wasn't. The imperfections, oddly enough, are what made it memorable. Let's start with the menu. There aren't many dishes, which is generally speaking a good sign these days. There's really no excuse not to use fresh ingredients when you're working with a smaller menu. At the same time, I wouldn't say the offerings were particularly adventurous. That said, the quality was definitely there. We started with the Fritter as an appetizer, and it was super delicious. The combination of fried zucchini, corn, and that touch of honey somehow really worked! Then we ordered a pasta dish each, under the common assumption that a pasta dish in most Italian restaurants (including the ones in Italy) is supposed to be filling. Well... no! These were pretty small. I ordered the spaghetti al limone, while my wife went for the gnocchi. Both were good, although the spaghetti were cooked somewhere on the borderline between al dente and chewy. The corn in the gnocchi also felt a little alien, like it didn't really belong there. Still, we couldn't deny that the flavors were good and the ingredients were fresh. Oddly enough, we were still hungry, so we ordered a second dish each: the Pork Milanese for me and the Pesce del Giorno for my wife. And this is where Mimo saved the day! The Pork Milanese, with mortadella and pecorino cheese on top, was delicious. And the polenta that came with my wife's dish was one of the best I've ever had. Interestingly, these dishes were disproportionately larger, more than making up for the minuscule portions of the pasta dishes. So, I guess it all worked out in the end! Another date saver was the service. It was outstanding. Attentive, friendly, and exactly what you would expect from a restaurant trying to create a special experience. Then came dessert: the Zeppole. It was good, but nothing particularly special. To me, it tasted like churros made with a dough that incorporated ricotta. Not bad at all, just not something I'll be dreaming about later. And that was our experience at Mimo! I think the review probably benefited from the fact that I was there celebrating a special occasion. It was a somewhat strange experience, with some ups and downs, but we genuinely enjoyed it. Would I be back? Possibly... Four stars stretched to five? Yeah... FIVE Stars!

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Mimo - Interior

Interior

Mimo - Appetizer

Appetizer

Mimo - Outdoor dining area

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Outdoor dining area

Fabio's Artisan Pasta - Outside

Fabio's Artisan Pasta

4.9(366 reviews)
2.7 mi•Upper Kirby
•$$

I will often drive right past it when I turn into the opposite direction to go to the pet store or…read moreTrador Joes. As soon as I see Fabio's little building I call my wife to ask if she wants me to pick up something from there. It's our number one place to buy excellent pasta in a variety of sizes. We also will get their different Raviolis as well. We mix and match the different sauces each time and are always happy with the decision. We have often changed our dinner plans to go with the pasta. A salad, and a nice bottle of wine from my cellar... It's the American plan. They also have a spot at the outdoor market on Buffalo Speedway every Saturday, and the first and third Sunday in Rice Village...the second and fourth Sunday in the Heights. It's good stuff so I give it ***** stars. Be there or be square

I really wanted to like this place. I first tried their pasta when a friend cooked it for me, and…read moreit was great, so I went there myself. I bought lobster ravioli, four-cheese ravioli, and pasta sauce. Lobster ravioli is $2.40 each so I paid $24 for the box. When I opened it to cook, I only found 9 ravioli inside. I wouldn't have written this review if it had been just one missing. Then, when I put the cheese ravioli in boiling water, I found a bug floating in it. Will I go back? I'm not sure. It's such a shame because their ravioli and sauce taste so good.

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Fabio's Artisan Pasta - Where the magic begins!

Where the magic begins!

Fabio's Artisan Pasta
Fabio's Artisan Pasta

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Aperitivo - The trio dip appetizer.

Aperitivo

3.6(77 reviews)
7.1 mi•Fifth Ward
•$$$

It was my first time at Aperitivo and I must say I'm still impressed. I've had some time to sit…read morewith my thoughts/experience so here's the review you've all been waiting for. We arrived on a Friday evening during Happy Hour (HH) around 5:30pm. Maurizio stopped by to introduce himself and let us know that he would ensure we were taken care of. As stated above, it was happy hour during our time there but we ordered from allllll the menus haha! Check out the eats below: -Fried Shrimp -Chicken Parm Sliders -Tuna Tartare -Brussels Sprouts -Aperitivo Sliders -Bottle of Wine + Pizza (x2) ~Pepperoni Pizza ~Chicken Alfredo Pizza Bottles of the Sparkling and Rose - these are the bottles we selected based on their Social Hour menu bottle of wine & pizza deal for 35 dollars! Great deal! The experience was great, there were many waiters and waitresses stopping by the table to check in on us. The food was fresh, flavorful, and piping hot! The views are lovely and the ambiance is a combination of chill, chic, and relaxing. Very vibey and spacious place. The restrooms are really nice as well and they were clean and stocked. Aperitivo is definitely on my list of places to return to, especially for happy hour. It's worth it to check this place out!

The place itself is gorgeous. The patio and view of downtown is amazing. The vibes alone are a…read more10/10. Now on to the food. I would say stick to the pizza. I have been twice and regret not ordering the pizza on my second visit. We had the Wellington bites, mozzerella sticks, steak frites, truffle fries (no truffle), caesar salad and pizza. We gave everything 2-3 stars and the pizza 4 stars. Definitely recommend taking advantage of pizza and a bottle of wine on Thursday nights for $40. The mix cocktails are on the sweeter side so either stick to wine or straight up tequila.

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Aperitivo - Gorgeous place

Gorgeous place

Aperitivo - Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts

Aperitivo - Aperitivo spritz

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Aperitivo spritz

Grotto Ristorante - italian - Updated October 2026

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