This place is a gem in Rice Village. The food is amazing (we had the lobster ravioli, squid ink pasta, and lasagna), and the outdoor seating was beautiful on a warm Houston night. Friendly and attentive service just rounds out the experience. read more

We recently tried Roma again after a few years and it is MUCH improved!!! I am not sure if it is even the same management or owners but it is like a different restaurant. Years ago we tried it and the food and service was so bad we didn't go back. We're glad we tried it again. We will go back. read more

Wish I could give this place 4 stars, but giving it 3 due to the smoked gnocchi - we ordered it based on the reviews & that it looked delectable in pictures, but the saffron sauce was a big NO-GO & we had to send the dish back unfortunately. Would not try again. Our waitress was understanding. The spinach/ricotta ravioli was delicious with the truffle & the fettuccine bolognese was cooked perfectly. Ordered shrimp & calamari as an appetizer - the shrimp was good but we were only given 2 shrimp in a dish w a lot of calamari. The ambience was 5/5, nice outdoor patio. read more

Roma - Dinner Spinach and Ricotta Cheese Filled Ravioli Pasta - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

See all

Feels just like a place in Rome. Classic dishes done well. Good wine selection. House limoncello as well. Great service and romantic ambience. read more

This was our first time at Roma and all I can say is wow. The food was great and the service just as great. The patio was open, but we chose to sit inside. There is a back area with a party room but there was an event happening so we didn't see it. I would highly recommend as a date/anniversary night. read more

Roma - Scaloppine di Vitello Aragosta - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

Sad! Ordered the cacio e pepe pasta to go and was so disappointed. There is no pepper, flavor, and not likely cacio e pepe. Just disappointed I paid so much for a sad, basic meal. read more

Roma - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

Went last night for the first time. Absolutely wonderful dining experience !! Went on a Monday night close to closing time. Our server was wonderful and suggested the meatballs and burrata appetizers. They were both amazing. My man is Italian and a meatball snob and thought they were the best in town. The burrata was lovely and served with a blood orange. Light and delicious. The scallop and shrimp awesome. But the absolute best dish was the spinach truffle mushroom ravioli with Italian sausage. Oh my goodness- beyond phenomenal. Had a lovely bottle of super Tuscan and tiramisu. Don't miss this place- total hidden gem. read more

Roma - Scallop and shrimp - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

See all

What a delightful gem in West University! I recently had the opportunity to try Roma during Houston Restaurant Week. Valet parking was the way to go on this rainy Friday evening. It looked like storms were headed in so we opted to dine inside but the covered patio looked very inviting too. The interior is charming - main dining room, small room toward the back and a small bar area. The cocktails were very good. We sampled The Passione and The Seasonal Old Fashioned. It's good to bring a friend so sample everything! The appetizers were the Burrata and the Polpette (I could have made a meal out of the Polpette with its hearty red sauce). Our second course was pasta - Gnocchi which has an interesting red sauce (and different than that served with the Polpette) instead of the usual white sauce, and the rigatoni with shrimp - both were very tasty. On to the third course - salmon for one of us and veal for the other. Shanon kindly helped choose the wine, the Travaglino 2017 Barbera which went well with both the fish and veal. We finished with a glass of Shanon's homemade Limoncello which we enjoyed there and the Limoncello tart (which we had to bring home after that large dinner). The service was impeccable. We learned that the entire staff had many years experience in the restaurant business and it showed in the attention to detail and the unobtrusive service. It was a great find for restaurant weeks and perusing the menu revealed other dishes that look wonderful for a return visit. The food, wine and atmosphere reminded me of several wonderful trips to Italy. read more

Dined here for the first time on a Friday at 9 pm with a party of 4. We were seated immediately. We ordered: Calamari: so good, light batter and great sauces Roasted potatoes: just potatoes Carbonara: needs more flavor, cheese, and better pancetta Bolognese: good sauce Lasagna: good and so happy it did not have feta Mozzarella cheese: this was a mozzarella sandwich and it was super bitter. Must have been bad cheese. Our waiter took it off our bill. read more

Service was great, they refilled out water glasses and gave us a 2nd basket of bread. I ordered spaghetti carbonara substitute with chicken. I feel like a piece of grilled chicken would have been seasoned well. It seemed more like a steamed piece of chicken and had a odd after taste. It also needed to salt for extra flavor. But for an additional $6 for chicken I asked to be grilled, but did not taste like it was grilled I was pretty disappointed. I figured that would happen. A lot of places say it is grilled but give a non-grilled piece of diced chicken thinking you won't notice. And if that was their grilled then it was not too great. My sister ordered salmon which was pretty good. My bf ordered baked chicken. I felt like it needed some cheese or something to add to it so it wasn't as dry. So we asked for marinara sauce on side. We orderd tiramisu for my bday dessert and that was delicious. Overall I would not come to have a meal but maybe get their desserts. I like some flavor to my food, simple salt, maybe little more basil would have helped? Not really sure what could have helped my meal, but I was expecting a lot since a lot of people have hyped this place up. Also, they didn't have tuna or fettuccine pasta. Probably since it was a Monday night. For a Monday night bday dinner it was okay. I could have done take out somewhere nearby. Also, they don't have their own parking. So you would have to pay to park across in rice village or park in bank lot, but after hours only. For what we paid for I would not return, perhaps the other dishes were better? But to not have certain things on an already short menu, that was little off putting. read more

Roma - Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

See all

We have been here 5 times in 10 weeks. It's so reliable and the service and food is outstanding!

I think I'm in love! Obviously I love cheese and I love Italian food. I originally booked marked this place to try their pasta with the cheese wheel. But since it was Houston's (extended) Restaurant Week, I opted for that menu instead to try a variety of items. First, I adore the rustic, house turned restaurant setting. Their patio is very cute but at 5pm my friends and I opted for the AC inside . Inside is pretty small, especially a table for 4, but I'm a sucker for intimate settings with loved ones. We were the only ones there at 5pm so this was great. We were warmly greeted by the hostess and our server took great care of us. She gave great details about items of interest as well as great recommendations. She took our drink orders and we requested bread, per the reviews suggestions. We all thoroughly enjoyed our meals and experience. My friend tried their Squid-ink fettuccine and she shared some with me and it was delightful. Obviously it was to her too because absolutely nothing was left on that plate. From the HRW menu, I ordered (Great serving sizes btw): *1st Course: Meatballs (superior!!) the marinara and mozzarella were amazing. The seasoning and taste were perfect. Very delicious. *2nd Course: Smoked Gnocchi with Shrimp: OMG this was so good!!! My tastebuds were so happy to have this. The shrimp was banging! SN: It was at this point I became full. *3rd Course: Salmon with Cabbage: Yall I didn't make it . I took a few bites and boxed it togo. It was definitely good and the cabbage as well. But I decided to enjoy that later on at home and I did just that. I'm used to the HRW to have 2-3 meals and a dessert. The dessert wasn't included at this restaurant but it was ok with me. The full 3 course meal had me extremely satisfied. I shall return to try the pasta in the cheese wheel. read more

See all

One of my favorite restaurants in Houston! Really quaint and sweet restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating year long. Really appreciate the protocols they have put in place for the pandemic too. But back to what really matters, the food! On appetizers: we had the meatballs with mozzarella, basil and pecorino over marinara and the burrata cheese with blood orange fruit and prosciutto. The burrata was very fresh + they do not skimp on the prosciutto. Just as good as it was pretty. My go to is their seafood soup. It is nicely seasoned with a lot of seafood, and 3/4ths times will leave you with leftovers. I even order it in the middle of Houston summer. The owner is really so kind too. He surprised me with a gorgeous dessert platter when he heard I had graduated college. Even though I didn't get to celebrate the way we had initially planned, this was so special to be able to have an impromptu celebration dinner here. Oh, and the Tiramisu is killer! Lastly if Italian wines confuse you like they do me, do not hesitate to ask for a recommendation. Impressed every time! read more

See all

First time at Roma. The 2 entrees were superb: Cacio de Pepe & Spaghetti al Nero Seppia con Frutti di Mare. Caprese salad was mediocre - cherry tomatoes rather than beef steak or heirloom tomatoes. Excellent service, nice ambience. Will return. read more

The best Italian food I have had in a long time. We started with the octopus appetizer. It was delicious and plenty for two people to share. In fact I could make a light meal out of it with the bread and olive oil. I had the perfectly seared tuna and my husband ordered the lamb shank. We were both delighted. We are traveling, but come to Houston often and I doubt we'll miss many opportunities to eat at Roma. read more

Absolutely divine. This is a restaurant you don't want to miss. From the service to every single bite - amazing. This would be a wonderful place to take a date, celebrate, or to treat yourself to a delicious meal. The small plates really help - sometimes you just don't need that much to eat! They were the perfect portion. read more

Tried this place for first time New Year's Eve, cozy restaurant was busy as expected however service was great, Michael was amazing even with how busy he was!! Risotto balls for appetizer were good however the star of the meal was the Bolognese, absolutely DELICIOUS. Full of flavor and pasta cooked perfectly. Husband had the cacio e Pepe which was prepared tableside and was yummy as well. Finished off with chocolate cake and limoncello tart for dessert, both amazing. And a taste of the house made limoncello which is literally the best I've had! Highly recommend, looking forward to coming back for a date night and trying more things on the menu! read more

Roma was a wonderful experience. We had a group of 9. I had made reservations a few days prior and Shannon called to confirm and was friendly and accommodating to our group. The staff (Michael, Giorgio) were professional and friendly with great recommendations of wine and courses. Everyone's meals were delicious. Multiple comments of I've passed by but never stopped.... Will totally be back with this group. We look forward to sitting our on the patio when the weather is pleasant. read more

I love Roma so much. The arancini is so delicious and an amazing starter. I got the Cacio e pepe, it was outstanding. The service form our waiter was great. I am excited to come back to eat there again. read more

TLDR: Food was average and service was extremely inconsistent. Restaurant choice is good for a casual dinner but definitely not worth for a celebration. -- Came here last night for my boyfriend's birthday and the beginning of our experience was decent. The hostess was helpful and inviting and we were sat immediately for our dinner table at 6 pm. We received water and our glass of Pinot Grigio pretty quickly but then waited a long time before our server actually came to take our orders but we disregarded since it seemed like the restaurant was getting busier. We finally ordered and the server was very accommodating to our guests' request with their meals. The food came out at an average amount of time. We ordered the squid ink fettuccine, bolognese, shrimp gnocchi, Italian meatballs and calamari for appetizers. The appetizers were delicious but our entrees were average. Throughout the night, we noticed our service gotten worse especially after we requested straws three times and did not receive them at all. I asked our own server as well as a DIFFERENT server hoping he would alert our server that his table was in need but nope. Therefore, my friend went through the ENTIRE dinner without drinking water because she prefers to be safe and drink from a straw, rather than put her lips on the actual water glass which we had hoped the restaurant would've considered. He also rarely checked in on us after our meals arrived. At this point I was pretty frustrated because I saw other tables were pretty well tended to but of course they seemed to be older, maybe regulars, but it didn't feel fair to us regardless. At the end, our server sort of redeemed himself by remembering that it was a birthday celebration and offered a complimentary tiramisu which was appreciated. Overall, appetizers were good, entrees were nothing special at all, the service did not add any value to the experience. For the amount we spent there, we expected a better experience than just the bare minimum but that's just my opinion. read more

Roma - Squid Ink-Infused Fettuccine - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

I can't say enough about how much I enjoy dining outside at Roma. From the small, but cute setup with string lights to the pretty quick service overall, I haven't had a bad experience yet. It also doesn't hurt that they probably have the best bolognese I've had in town. Hard to even want to try other dishes when that one is so good, but the cacio e pepe, lasagne, and gnocchi are all solid choices as well. For starters, the meatballs and burrata are pretty good, with the salads being decent if you're trying to play it safe. All in all, it's the perfect place to go for a nice and quiet dinner in town. read more

See all

The food was phenomenal. Salmon was perfectly cooked! They have a nice patio area. The service was a little a slow and our server was not too attentive, but it was busy. I would definitely go back to try some other menu items. read more

See all

The lobster with shrimp risotto is the best thing I have ever put in my mouth. It's rich, buttery, has such an amazing light olive oil taste, and the mini pieces of garlic really pulls this dish together. The shrimp and the lobster were charred perfectly and had such an amazing flavor. You are missing out if you do not order this dish. The bolognese was very tomato and hearty and was such a delicious meal with very soft homemade noodles. This meal was a 10/10 and Roma never disappoints. read more

See all

Really cute place, very good service & a nice varied menu. I enjoyed the Osso Bucco over creamy polenta, very tasty. Husband has lasagna, also very good. Friends had spinach ravioli, and short ribs, no complaints from anyone. We'll be back! read more

Roma - Birthday get together, friends - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

See all

Service 5/5: awesome, attentive. Waters were always refilled and the staff was so understanding , welcoming and helpful. Honestly they were amazing. They were stellar and very attentive. Food 3/5: we came here for HRW, and the food was a hit and miss . We ordered the following: Starter : -rice balls with tomato sauce -caprese salad 2nd/Entree: -spaghetti carbonara 3rd: -Zuppa di pesce alla romana -salmon con cavolo Rossi brasato The rice balls with tomato sauce was delicious ! Wish I had more, for the 2nd course , my pasta was weirdly doughy? And overall it was dry/hard and hard to swallow. For the 3rd, I didn't really enjoy my 3rd - which was a seafood soup. It was very salty and the seafood didn't have room to shine. My friends salmon was dry and a bit overdone. We also ordered an Apple pie , but it tasted rather savory/meaty - I think it had star anise in it. And we both didn't enjoy it as much. Ambiance 4/5: we didn't get a chance to sit inside but we sat on the outside patio which was cute and felt very private. This is a great place to catch up with friends ,family or a date. Overall recommendation 3/5: I think it's worthwhile to revisit but I'd avoid the dishes I've ordered before . Service was great and the overall feel of the Roma felt nice. read more

See all

I had been to this spot a couple times when it was Sud Italia so I was excited to finally see the changes at Roma. They have a developed wine menu of Italian and Californian wines - free wine tastings on Tuesday nights too that I hope to take advantage of in the future! I tried the salmon and lamb shank mains. Salmon was awesome - buttery and melty and tasted great on the bed of red cabbage. The lamb shank I was just so so on... It tasted good and the meat was cooked perfectly, but I think my challenge with it was that it tasted so much like beef, not like lamb which I was craving. The star of the night were the homemade chocolate truffles. So. Incredible. Rich and creamy with a little crunch on the outside. I'm still dreaming about them now... A nice special night or date night out in Rice Village! Check it out! read more

Roma always delivers when we visit Houston as we have two daughters in college in H Town. When our Rice University grad was asked where she would like the family to celebrate...she said, "ROMA! Of course!" Roma is a gem. A little house where somehow they place all these tables as you wind through each room and discover quaint, romantic, lovely, homey, inviting decor and yet there is also an airy patio with lights as well. The food is always superb and incredible homemade pastas and "gravy" - I married into an Italian family so, this part of the Roma applause is especially important. We had family coming in also from out of town and at one point an uncle stopped and gave a, "Wow" at the first taste of his dessert. Our girls crave the meatballs and I absolutely love the creamy yet somehow light ravioli with shrimp. Goodness, it's so good! The staff is friendly and laid back, yet very attentive and informative. I can't imagine a better place to feel cozy, cared for, tended to and enjoy a fabulous meal. Well done Roma. Always so very well done! Thank you! read more

This was the best meal I have had in a LONG time. Made a reservation for 5 pm and was instantly seated in a completely empty restaurant. It was so lovely to have the place to ourselves before other groups flowed in. I had a glass of Sangiovese rosé which was crisp, cold, and delicious. Once we ordered, fresh bread and tasty olive oil dip were delivered to the table. Started with the burrata and had the bolognese as an entree. The bolognese was truly the best I have ever had. I ate the WHOLE plate. After dinner, we were given some limoncello. This meal was truly wonderful and I will crave the bolognese forever. Cannot wait to go back. Thanks for a great evening! Service, ambience, and food were 10/10! read more

See all

Assolutamente perfetto! From the moment I stepped in, I knew I was going to love this place. The ambiance is light and romantic transporting you out of the busy city. Massimo, Shanon, and the rest of the friendly, attentive staff created a delightful experience for my friends and me. And the food... buonissimo! The branzino with fresh vegetables was perfection, lobster was delicious, and cacio e pepe was cheesy goodness. A must-try! read more

We came for the tableside mixed fettuccini with pecorino cheese and pepper. It didn't disappoint! read more

Roma - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

So my boyfriend and I were craving pasta, we just wanted pasta. We decided to give this place a try because it's been on my bucket list. I can absolutely tell this is a mom and pop, when we arrived we were seated immediately but we're not given service until 15 to 20 minutes after. At this point, we've already seen Yelp photos and the menu and we wanted to order immediately, but we're not giving the option. Once our server finally arrived, we ordered all three pastas. One being the chocolate pasta in the cheese wheel, the other being the squid ink pasta with seafood, the other is the gnocchi. the pasta and the cheese wheel was a little disappointing. I expected the pasta to be more flavorful, the cheese was great, but this dish absolutely needed something. I've had pasta and cheese wheel before, and I've had it better. The squid ink pasta with seafood had a red sauce to go along with it. The pasta was great, but the squid ink lacked salt. It was just okay The gnocchi was very smokey, maybe too smokey for my taste. Texture was very mushy. Similar to mashed potatoes. It was definitely not your typical gnocchi. I will say that dessert was my favorite. Who doesn't like a traditional tirimisu? Okay place, would rather go to da marcos for better service and food read more

I do not know why it's so difficult to place an order over the phone. They kept transferring me between 2 hosts. Employees are not very knowledge about the menu. I called twice. Yes you are correct about the first time. Your menu has changed. No problem. I said let me look at menu and call you back. When I called back, the female hostess answered and as I was placing my order she goes " wait a minute" and transfers me to you. You were no better. At this point I just didn't want to order from you. There's an etiquette to transferring someone. read more

When the service and food are both just beyond excellent, it's hard to post a review that truly justifies the experience! Shanon and his team went above and beyond for my husbands birthday dinner. They let me come in a bit early to decorate the private room which made it extra special. Then food was INCREDIBLE. The new summer menu is over the top, don't miss out on the ravioli and the burrata! Highly highly recommend Roma for any occasion but ESPECIALLY when celebrating! read more

Roma - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

See all

What an amazing experience here!! All plates were left clean and haven't eaten this much in a long while. If you want a cute, authentic Italian restaurant--this is a place for you. Massimo was our waiter and he was so attentive and his recommendations were spot on. We got the burrata salad for starters, I got the bolognese, and my husband got the Cacio de pepe. For dessert we got the cappuccino and tiramisu. The quality of the food was amazing and we felt like we needed to be rolled out of the restaurant. Definitely will be coming back here! read more

Roma - Burrata - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

See all

When I heard Roma was replacing Sud Italia with a more casual, pizza/pasta concept, I was super excited--however, to be honest, Roma is just the same as Sud Italia (more upscale Italian, no pizza) with a few more Roman offerings on the menu. Still, it's a nice option in Rice Village for good Italian food. I tried the fettuccine alla bolognese, and it was good. I think that Sud Italia also had the squid ink seafood pasta on its menu (which I had tried), and I think I liked that also. read more

This was delicious from dip to dessert. Best calamari I have had in years, tender and seasoned perfectly. Preceeded by fresh baked rosemary bread and followed by tender, fall-apart lamb shank with polenta cakes, veal scallopini and the most amazing ravioli filled with spinach and ricotta topped with mushrooms and a potent, delicious truffle oil. Everything is hand made here with ingredients shipped straight from Italy. Service is lovely but don't expect to rush through here. It's a moment to savor, every bite. Huge selection of Italian wines too. read more

See all

The place itself is adorable - loved the patio. The service was great also. The food was OK. It was good, but just seemed lacking in flavor that gives meals that wow factor. We had the calamari - frito misto - appetizer and the caprese. Main courses were spaghetti and meatballs (meatballs were the star), carbonara, and panzanella salad. read more

UPDATE: Thank you Shanon, for proving me right with your distasteful response. Your response is extremely telling. Unfortunately part of being a business owner is learning how to take criticism. Clearly, that's something you haven't mastered. As a patron, why is the burden on me? It's your job to recognize when patrons aren't being serviced and when they're unsatisfied with their service. I believe you were too busy smoking outside.. another red flag. Considering your business has a violation for not having "no smoking" signs posted. Based on your response, regardless if I spoke with you, my opinion wouldn't change. The experience I had was too far gone to be reversible. Also, I see why you're short staffed.. nobody wants to work for someone that's awfully patronizing. Trust me, it didn't take much effort to write this.. my experience made it quite easy to write this "scathing" review. With your attitude and the way you handle business coupled with the attitude of your bartender and other staff members.. I wish you tremendous luck. I dodged a bullet eating here. Considering your most recent City of Houston inspection violation on 9/21/23, you need to worry about the cleanliness of your restaurant instead of getting snappy with patrons that didn't enjoy your restaurant. Have a great one, Shannon. I was really excited to try this place out. I have my go to Italian spots, but I wanted to try something new. Why not for my birthday? Unfortunately, my business was not welcomed at Roma. I didn't receive a greeting nor any type of acknowledgement when I sat at the bar. I sat at the bar without receiving service for about 10 minutes. I was the only person sitting at the bar. Eventually, the bartender (I assume?) proceeds to ask me.. "do you want to sit at a table?" No? If I took a seat at the bar, this is where I would like to sit. I couldn't sit at a table if I wanted to cause there was no host present to seat me at a table. The bartender was condescending and his service was horrible. He didn't offer me a drink, a menu, nothing. Then he ask, "are you familiar with Italian cuisine?" What does that even mean? The micro aggression was insane. It was almost laughable because I've worked at numerous Italian restaurants.. I'm VERY familiar with Italian cuisine. don't judge a book by its cover. The other staff members weren't the friendliest either.. I just didn't feel welcomed. Also, when I ask for the cocktail menu, please don't hand me the dirty, dusty cocktail menu that's specifically for the bartenders when they need to remind themselves of the menu. Clearly, the menu was not for patrons and if it was.. not only was the service lacking, the cleanliness was lacking as well. I don't stay where I'm not wanted, so I politely left. I did not order food. After the distasteful treatment I received, I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. Also, for a restaurant that's unbearably snooty, the parking situation doesn't match the vibe y'all are so badly aiming for. The valet situation is a nightmare and you would think the valet attendant would be more professional. When I pulled up, he had his feet cocked up, staring at his phone.. as if he was chilling at home. Then, had the nerve to charge me for parking when I quite literally walked in and out. I was in Roma for a total of 15 minutes tops. BUT hey, if you want the $5 THAT bad, take it. Don't go here. They have a target audience and I was NOT that. Read between the lines. Also, I'm entitled to how I feel.. don't get snarky with a reply like you do with the others that don't rate your business 4 and 5 stars, Shannon. read more

Roma was very intimate with a great dim lighted atmosphere. The service was great. We ordered multiple appetizers and entrees and did family style so that we could try more things off the menu for our group of 8. We had 2 bottles of red wine, and our waiter topped off our evening with limoncello shots. It was a pleasant experience and I'd recommend! read more

Roma - Veal, bucatini, Ricotta Cheese Filled Ravioli Pasta and mixed vegetables as a side - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

Good was excellent, service fantastic, ambiance perfection!! Such a great intimate evening with special friends