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    Impero Italiano

    3.9 (460 reviews)
    ModeratePizza, Italian, Desserts
    Closed • 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

    Order Impero Italiano Takeout or Delivery

    Impero Italiano Photos

    Business Info

    IMPERO ITALIANO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Impero Italiano

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    Reviews With Photos

    Cindy B.

    One of my favorite places I've ever visited! The decor was absolutely amazing, the service was fantastic, and the food was delicious. Everything about this place was wonderful! It's honestly one of the cutest spots I've ever been to, and I truly enjoyed every moment of my dining experience. I will definitely be coming back! Highly recommend!

    Pepperoni & Mushrooms Pizza

    Impero Italiano: Thought I would support a local Italian restaurant however it turned out to be a major disappointment. I ordered a pepperoni and mushroom pizza - simple enough right. The pizza was terrible: the mushrooms were outdated (old) and the sauce was too sweet - they tried to cover-up the bad mushrooms and they failed miserably. At $30 for a medium pizza - I expected a lot better! When craving a pizza perhaps try North Italia but avoid Impero (no bueno) Italiano.

    James S.

    I have to say that I still love Impero. The restaurant is impossibly kitsch - but in the best way possible. It just makes me smile! The staff, from the kitchen to the front of the house, is Italian. To me, that makes a difference. I almost feel that I am on one of my trips to Torino or Tuscany and I have stumbled into a small family run restaurant. The menu is mostly pastas and pizza. Like a small trattoria, you will not see a lot of high end menu items. It is just not the kind of place. The food represents Italian sentiments rather than just the American idea of what Italian food is. The food is uniformly simple and well executed. While there, do try at least one of the appetizers, like the Arancini or the Montanare. All of the pastas are spot on and authentic to Italy. I am sure the desserts a very nice (they have a gelato bar) but I am always too full for desert.

    Allison K.

    Idk why some folks are hootin n hollerin about the rules page on the menu- everything written there isn't anything out of the ordinary and makes sense. Some of y'all are silly gooses Anyway, my friend and I came by on a Thursday night and it was pretty busy! The inside of the restaurant is decorated with so many Italian knick knacks which gives this place a cozy vibe. Instead of ordering an appetizer and an entree, my friend and I decided to order 3 things from the appetizer menu: Arancini Montanare Impepata Napoletana The arancini was delicious! The exterior/crust wasn't too thick and was fried nicely. As for the filling, it had cheese, beef, and tomato sauce- yum! I really enjoyed the montanare because it came with 3 different toppings. Not to mention, the bread was fantastic! All 3 were great but my favorite was the one with smoked provolone, anchovy, and the red chili on top (I believe that's what the red topping is). The Impepata Napoletana was another solid dish- loved the white wine sauce with garlic and pepper. Although it was a tad bit too salty for me, it paired nicely with the bread. For dessert, my friend got the pistachio gelato and I ordered the Tiramisu. Both were a great way to end dinner. Food was wonderful, our waiter was very friendly/welcoming, and the vibes were lovely. This spot is a gem!

    Maradona Fiat
    Adriana A.

    First time visit...beautiful decor! It's like you stepped into a place in Italy Mrs Rossi at the front counter is just the sweetest, we had the Fiat500 (calamari) the marinara sauce was AH-mazing! Then we ordered the meat pizza absolutely delicious! That brick oven brought over from Italy definitely makes a difference! He had the chicken parm and it was also to die for! Definitely must try for an epic date night! The customer service is great they go above & beyond! A definite must try! Such a fun experience ! If you're a soccer fan it doesn't disappoint

    Tekoah J.

    I had really been wanting to try this spot, so I was definitely a little disappointed with my experience. We started with the Caesar salad and honestly... it was meh. Nothing terrible, but nothing special either... For my entrée, I had the carbonara. It was decent, but a little on the bland side. It had the creamy texture you expect, but it just needed more flavor to really hit. What really sealed it for me was that they didn't have the cheese wheel available That was one of the main things I came for, so that was a letdown. Overall, it wasn't bad... just not memorable. I might give it another try, but this visit didn't quite live up to the hype.

    Gordon L.

    Great place tucked away in a center off Memorial parkway in Houston. The staff speaks English and Italian. Wife and walked in and was greeted with smiles and hello. We were seated promptly. Drink orders followed, while we were looking at the menu and art work inside the restaurant. Wife ordered the Margarita Pizza and Ingot the Carbonara. Both were great. The basil and mozzarella both tasted fresh. The crust was nice and toasty with a nice rise to it. The Carbonara was nicely flavored with a nice amount of Parmesan cheese. The bacon and pancetta was not over powering the flavor in the dish. Wife and I shared a Tiramisu. I think I just found the best Tiramisu in Houston. The Mascarpone was light, fluffy and perfectly blended. The lady fingers were soft and fresh with a nicely flavored espresso. You gotta try this, recommend getting your own though.

    Chicken milanese
    Jacob D.

    You can't help but love this spot when you walk in. There's just a love for Italian kitsch here that's unmatched anywhere else in Houston. We sat in a table made to look like a fiat, unrivaled. The pictures won't do it justice how much the decor is doing for the experience. I thought the strong parts of the menu were the pizzas, great crust, cheese like you expect and topping combinations of all authenticities level and backgrounds. We could have honestly just shared a bunch of them and been happy. We did try the rest of the menu to be spotty in outcome. The gnocchi was another highlight, super flavorful and creamy, excellent texture as well. The Caesar salad was a miss, the dressing was very low quality and not traditional Caesar. Tiramisu was a nice little dessert at the end. However my wife's chicken parm wasn't what she was looking for. Chicken was easy to chew and the Alfredo pasta wasn't up to par as well. It's a fun restaurant and the pizzas are fantastic, 100% worth a visit!

    Woo K.

    If you like Neopolitan style pizza this is a good place. Super thin pizza. Flimsy. But good sauce and mozz ratio. Sauce to the pizza was slightly sweet and flavorful. Good crust. Make sure your partner orders something saucy so you can dip your crust into their sauce. Calamari was good. Light crust. Lightly seasoned. Not too oily. Pasta was good. I would come back for the pizza

    Ye J.

    Family owned Italian restaurant located in a shopping plaza at the corner of Kirkwood and Memorial. While I've had take out from here before, this is the first time we came in with friends for dinner service. The menu was interesting -- included a full page of House Rules. While their gnocchi is excellent, overall the food was hit or miss. Their Neapolitan pizza has good flavors, but the crust is very thin, making them very floppy. The Cesar salad and focaccia were underwhelming. The Cotoletta Milanese and fettuccine Alfredo (very rich but no flavor) looked sadder than Olive Garden's. Service is pretty minimal, and then came the audacity. The waiter looked straight at our party of four* (one baby and one toddler clearly under 6 don't count based on their own house rule) and slapped on a 20% large party fee. I'm not anti-20% tips at all, but forcing it with zero effort put such a bad taste in my mouth. Pricing is definitely on the higher end for a small joint too. We dropped $280 with no alcohol, and honestly got nothing close to the food quality or service you'd expect at this price point. So yeah. Won't be back.

    The telephone booth table.
    Kim R.

    Impero Italiano is a cute little restaurant with consistently good food and a friendly staff. From the moment we walked in, we felt like we were part of the family. The menu isn't huge, which actually makes it easier to decide. I think the menu may be somewhat seasonal, but don't quote me on that because I'm not 100% sure. They've recently gotten social media famous, so they are now taking reservations. **I remember when they used to be just a humble, local, family owned restaurant.** But don't worry, they haven't let the fame go to their heads. I think taking reservations cut down on people standing around and crowding the entrance area. It's not a huge restaurant that has a lot of space for groups to stand up front and wait. Even though I've been a few times, I do like to change up my order each time. Everything that I've tried so far has been good and has tasted homemade. One thing that I do get every time is the meatballs. They are so good. I'm not a fan of "Italian seasoning," whatever that is, and these meatballs don't taste like that Americanized crap. They are meaty, a really good size, and the sauce (gravy) on them tastes like it's begging you to sop it up with some of their fresh bread. YUM!

    Jason Z.

    I used to really like this spot; especially their gnocchi and traditional style pizza pies and would talk about it all the time with friends who live in this area. However, we went to dinner service recently with some good friends and some details about our dinner service rubbed me the wrong way. I never noticed previously until mentioned today but their menu had a full page of restaurant rules ranging from dress code to behavior of children in the restaurant. Fine. Your spot, your rules. They have a detail saying automatic tip will be included for parties of 6 or more excluding children under 6. We literally had 4 adults and 2 children (one of whom is a baby and the other is a three year old) and these guys auto charged and proudly explained the mandatory 20% they slapped on there at the end of our dinner service. Now, there is a difference between giving them a 20% tip on my own volition and being coerced into not confronting them about this in front of a larger party. I really dislike whenever restaurants tack on random add-on fees. I'm fine with the larger party tip limit since it's usually mentioned beforehand. Shame on you Impero for not even being able to follow your own rules that you had printed out proudly on your menu; this is not the way to run a family style restaurant if you can't even follow the rules that you created. It's not a honest mistake either, as counting to 6 is something any child can do, surely? Matthew, you were right! No bueno!

    Exterior
    Linda T.

    The vibe is there with adequate parking spaces in a shared parking lot with many other small businesses. It's in the same lot as Dollar Tree. Friendly service for a weekday lunch. I only got a pepperoni pizza from their lunch menu. It was good but not great. Tasted clean and good, that thin slice that you may get from NY, without it being greasy and giant. One person can easily eat it by themselves, along with the side salad that it comes with during lunch special. We were trying to not have left overs sitting in the car for hours so just shared one to try. I'll probably be back to try other food when I'm not running around. Curious with their extensive pasta menu and Italian desserts. Seems authentic here. For now, it's the vibe that would bring me back and okay food. Again, this review is my first impression. I usually like to try a place a few times before giving an extensive review. Will be back.

    Dessert area

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    2 months ago

    Loved the spaghetti! The AI ordering system is a pain since it cannot connect you to a live human. But, the food was bomb.

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    2 months ago

    This place is AI run. You can't even call to add a special request to your pizza. I will never order from this place again!!!!

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    Best traditional Italian food in Houston. The owner Chinara, is from Italy everything is imported and handmade. Everything's delicious!

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    Business owner information

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    Impero Italiano Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Impero Italiano

    Do they have a pizza making school or class? Heard it on FB ad. Can't find it on website.

    Yes we do have Pizza making Sxhool. In our website www.imperoitaliano.com upper tabs School you will see all info. Next class starts Jan. 26 2026. If you would like to enroll please send an email. info@imperoitaliano.com

    Are you dog friendly?

    No, but they do encourage you to bring some take out home for your dog

    Tiene la Verdadero spaghetti alfredo el real? Italiano

    Si, el real italiano

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    Yaay for the funnel bar food truck finally being in my jurisdiction! Of course after you finish a…read morerun what do you need?? Funnel cake and ice cream! I walk over post workout and ordered the strawtella funnelcake. Yummy! Very very good and a large portion. I ordered the small but it had weight okay! Staff were friendly and the service was quick! You get a little buzzer that notifies you that your order is ready! They have so many varieties to choose from and shakes! I'm def checking them out again if they are on my side of town

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    Cookie Monster Funnel

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    Royal Roastery - Houston - Modest store front.... But larger than expected on the inside!

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    Royal Roastery - Houston - So cute!

    So cute!

    Royal Roastery - Houston - Biscoff kunafa, yummy!

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    milk + sugar - Yum cha

    Yum cha

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    Video cassettes for retro arcade cafe theme

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    11.0 mi•The Heights
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    The Baker's Son by Valerio's - Piaya Ube

    The Baker's Son by Valerio's

    4.6(196 reviews)
    11.9 mi•Medical Center
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    So my coworker would always bring ube bread for me to work and I finally got her to give up where…read moreshe goes. She told me to go to the bakers son and make sure I go early because they do sale out and people buy in bulk. I entered with intentions of only getting the ube bread but $40 and 5 items later I went slightly overboard. They have so many items and they all look delicious. The customer service was great and prices were really good. Now to the items, the ube bread is phenomenal, soft, sweet, flavorful 10/10. I also got a biscoff bread sandwich (I'm forget the name) which had the softest and most perfect bread I've ever indulged in. Now to what the employees recommended and the absolute star. The ube Swiss roll. Omg, it was phenomenal. 20 out of 10! It was perfect in every way. I live 30 mins away but will make sure to keep The Bakers Son on a must go place weekly!

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    Photos
    The Baker's Son by Valerio's - Front counter with lots of yummy food

    Front counter with lots of yummy food

    The Baker's Son by Valerio's - Halo halo

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    The Baker's Son by Valerio's - Inside

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    Inside

    Impero Italiano - pizza - Updated October 2026

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