Grotto Ristorante

Love love love this place! The food is fantastic. The place is beautiful. And service is superb. The meatball appetizer is definitely something you should get. Two huge meatballs covered in sauce with a pinch of Parmesan on top. The portions are generous and flavorful. Not your freezer to oven kind of meal. Much healthier, heartier and delicious. If you want Italian food this is the place to be! Make sure you call in ahead for reservations … This place gets packed !

Okay this place is SICK, and I mean sick fricken awesome. I have eaten at the one in Galveston and at the Nugget in Lake Charles and now at the Galleria and the food and service is impeccable. Try the entire menu if you can order something different ever time you visit, but ONE thing I can tell you is don’t order the lobster bisque first unless this is all you want to eat. Once you taste it you will forget about whatever else you may have been thinking about prior to the fist spoonful. I went into a good trance and forgot where I was at and who I was with… not sure how long I was in this extreme state of erogenous culinary bliss but when I came to I saw my wife sitting across the table from me and noticed all the tables around us were packed. This is my Saturday lunch experience at Grotto. Bön appetite my Unilocaler friends and get your butts down there whenever you can… 1 more thing, I ordered the shrimp scampi and they brought it with 2 small plates for us to share, just tell the waiter you won’t need a Rest stop for this dish and take the plates so the shrimp can find a a Final resting place, in Your mouth…

Very good Italian food, the shrimp penne was wonderful.

Service is always great here! From valet, to bartenders, and to servers! Very attentive! I’ve had their pepperoni pizza, and their meatball pizza both was good. I’ve had there pasta I forgot the name but with chicken it was alright, their salad was below average. The one with chicken and fruits.
Their tomato basil soup is good, I have yet to try the lobster bisque here but I heard it was good as well!
Will be back soon!

Overall good meal, wouldn’t order the roasted potato soup again but besides that everything else was great. Highlight of the dinner had to be the ricotta/​strawberry cake will have to get that every time I come back.

Decent food, used to love the old Grotto before it became a Landry-​owned restaurant. This is a good place for groups and families.

Unfortunately, the biggest waste of an evening meal I’ve had in years. We had eight people in our party and three of us were extremely disappointed in our meal. My meal literally tasted like it had been thawed out and put under a warmer for at least thirty minutes. I know that it was prepared upon order however the stale, bland taste was a big disappointment. The salad and the cocktails were the only part of dinner that didn’t receive universal complaints.
I have never written a negative review however after spending $ 160 at a restaurant and leaving disappointed merited a warning to others to try something else.

Frankly speaking, we realized that this restaurant was a bit expensive for us after we had sat down at a table and had a cursory glance at the menu. So, instead of having an entrée, we decided to have pizzas, and we were not disappointed! The pizzas were the best that we had anywhere in Houston before: thin crust, fresh and scrumptious. We specially loved the «Meatzza» pizza which was absolutely excellent. We will be back here again, if only for the pizza.

WOW! The Linguine Pescatore is spectacular! I’ve found my new favorite Italian restaurant in Houston! The ambiance in beautiful. Great place for date night. Our waiter was excellent and very friendly. Love this place. Definitely would recommend.

Grotto Ristorante is an excellent spot for lunch. Whether it is a business lunch, friends or family Grotto will not disappoint… they have a lunch menu along with their normal menu which I like because the lunch menu tends to be a little lighter and for lunch that works just fine for me. The wait staff here are extremely knowledgeable and are very attentive… but not to attentive if you know what I mean. The food is always spot on and very fresh and if you dont see something on the menu do not hesitate to ask your server because the chef most likely will make it for you :-)

For a Landry’s owned restaurant, this Italian inspired cuisine is surprisingly good considering their competition in not only the area of the Galleria, but in Houston. Grotto’s is one of those restaurants that Landry’s owns that doesn’t quite fit the mold in regards to the quality of the food, but the service is every bit the high standard that Landry’s is known for. Landry’s hasn’t built an empire on the most amazing food, they’ve built it on their impeccable service. I’m not typically a chain restaurant diner, but I really like this Italian restaurant.
The parking is a complete nightmare due to the restaurant being situated in a very small strip mall with half of the parking spaces being taken up by the «complimentary» valet service. After the other businesses close, the parking lot is a bit more open, but plan on having a few dollars cash for a valet tip in case there are no spaces available. Once you do get through the front door, the place is busting at the seams with busyness, loud talking, and the smell of some really good Italian food.
Hues of warm Italian Mediterranean colors are blanketed all over the floor, walls, and even the ceiling, but that’s where the color stops because the usual white linens dress the table tops. The tables are set close together and the big wide open dining room is very loud, making for either a very claustrophobic dining experience or it will make you feel like you’re truly dining Italian style. If dining inside is too loud, venture outside to their oversized outdoor dining area complete with a fountain in the center of the patio. This is a great place to brunch outside on a Sunday when the weather is cooperative because you will be able to see all the beautiful flowers and detail of the fountain in the daylight.
I’ve eaten at this location about a half a dozen times over the last 10 years and the quality, service and food haven’t really changed much. What has changed are the faces of the staff, but yet they consistently keep the same style of service. Not once have I had bad service here, so even though I don’t have an individual waiter I would recommend, shouldn’t stop you from finding a favorite of your own.
I’ve had a little bit of everything on the menu from appetizers and soups, to pasta, fish, steak, and desserts. The only item I would highly recommend not ordering is the breaded artichoke appetizer; it’s a complete fail on taste, preparation, and presentation. Otherwise, I have my favorites, like their grilled pesca of the day, but I’m a fan of their menu as a whole. The desserts are good, but very typical for most any other Italian restaurant. The dessert menu is one of the few things that I think they could stand to improve on as far as creativity and ingenuity of what they offer.
I’m really a fan of this Landry’s restaurant mostly because of the food and service, but the décor really helps to make it a really enjoyable dining experience. No matter if you’re coming for brunch, lunch, dinner, dessert, or just drinks at the bar, you won’t be disappointed by your experience here. Even writing this review has reminded me that it’s been a little too long since I last visited here and I need to do it again soon!

Sunday Brunch Date
We started off our sunday lunchdate with a drive into downtown Houston in hopes of finding an exeptional brunch spot. After touring downtown for a while with no luck in finding sustanance we ventured toward uptown and ended up at Baby Barnabee’s. Even though the food and atmosphere seemed appealing the wait was outrageous, so we ended up heading to the Grotto, one of our favorite spots. I called and reserved a table easily, they were very frenzy in the wake of early sunday.
Arriving at the Grotto, we were pleasantly surprised with a mostly empty restaurant. We arrived just as they opened. We ordered our very much craved and awaited Breakfast pizza. This simple masterpiece was bottmed with a thin and savory brick oven crust and topped with prosciutto, white crème sause, egg, and mysterious greens. I was taken back with how simple but amazingly delicious this pizza was, I didnt want it to end. The proscuitto with the crème sauce and egg mated so very well. This was paired with freshly squeezed orange juice. We then ended the meal with 2 pieces of strawberry crème wedding cake. We ended our Sunday brunch with full stomachs and happy minds.
Just a tip though for Sunday brunchers! The juice is not refillable, it’s charged per fill. Most of our meal was orange juice rather than food itself!

Went to Grotto during Houston Restaurant Week 2015. Tried the Shrimp Scampi Grotto (nice crispy texture outside), Lobster Tortellini (nice cognac reduction with pretty large pieces of lobster both in and out of the tortellini, and the Mezzanotte (moist dark chocolate cake with a semi sweet sauce). Portions were more than enough, could have stopped halfway through the tortellini, so you’re definitely getting your money’s worth.
Atmosphere was pretty busy for a Sunday night at 7:15 pm, but I was in and out in less than 45 mins. Eric was an excellent waiter with some great suggestions.
Looks like they have a lot of Italian variety. The free cheese bread that came complimentary is more than enough for me to come back for more. Great quality and value, worthy of a return visit.

One of the best meals I have had at an Italian restaurant.
As soon as you walk into the elegant dining room, they lead you past the antipasti bar, where you can eye the station where you pick your own sides platter. If you’re wanting to eat very lightly or like tiny appetizers, you might want to go with this option.
The server was very knowledgeable about the food and able to guide us in the right direction since it was our first time there. I ordered the Rigatoni della Sansoni. It consists of two hefty meatballs served over rigatoni pasta, and topped with a hearty tomato based meat sauce. If you’re a meatballs fan like I am, this is jackpot gold! The juicy, seasoned, meat pairs perfectly with the acidic tomatoes. This is definitely one of those home style dishes that takes you back to fond memories. It’s in my mind, the hearty adult spin of the beloved childhood classic spaghetti and meatballs. I enjoyed it fully. The complimentary bread was even tasty. Definitely a great date night restaurant.
They also offer salads, soups, pizzas, and non pasta entrees. Looking on their website, they do have a happy hour on drinks as well as a few appetizers. And oh yes, they do offer brunch!
I will definitely be back!

The first Italian restaurant which leftovers I bring home. Started coming here almost a decade ago. Food is always good. I never order anything from menu. I tell them what I feel like eating and the chef makes it for me.
The chef never disappoints. Highly recommended.

We were starving and looking for a quick place to have dinner and I’m so glad we found the Grotto Ristorante. Valet parking was available but not necessary since it’s a small parking lot.
Having been oblivious that they had several locations, I was familiar with the menu since we dined at the Woodlands Grotto. I knew exactly what I was going to order. This is a comfortable upscale but casual restaurant with a kids menu-​so it’s perfect for the family.
We were seated promptly and had a wonderful friendly super attentive waiter who was very charming and professional.
We had some Moscato to start and it was cold and sweet. Then some lobster bisque came out – OMG this was so creamy, light, tasty and you will literally want to lick the bowl. It was that good.
A beautiful fresh mozzarella, basil and tomato appetizer was brought out and we requested more syrupy balsamic vinegar and they were quick to bring it out. The olive oil, the herbs, the crisp tomato… this Caprese was a pop of Italy in every bite.
I am a creature of habit so of course I ordered the Mezzaluna spinach ravioli and so did my sister. It had a creamy sauce with sautéed mushrooms with diced tomato and freshly grated Parmesan cheese nestled on top. Every mouthful was heavenly.
We ordered a chocolate cake to go, and the deep dark devil’s food cake was out of this world, creamy frosting, sweet, rich and wonderful… aaah…what can I say? It’s CHOCOLATE!
At the end of your meal they bring you a few delicious biscotti cookies that are yummy so if you pass on dessert you have these to look forward to… they’re free!
Overall, service was outstanding, food was superb, parking convenient, dining room was beautiful and a five-​star rating is well-​deserved:)

For a great Italian meal and atmosphere, you can hardly go wrong here. The Valentine’s Day menu was very nice! The dessert cart will have you throwing your calorie counter away, because the offerings are just too tempting and delectable to pass up!
The staff is nice and attentive, so you can count on an enjoyable meal, from start to finito!

Small parking lot, shared with a few other places in a strip.
Came here for a friend’s birthday on a Friday. She made reservations for 10 people. It took us probably over 30 mins to get seated after our reservation time.
When we got to the table, they combined two huge circular tables for us… We could’ve easily fit in one with ample space, so we requested to remove the other table. I honestly don’t understand why it took so long to be seated because that dining room was half full with us in it… Pretty annoying.
I’ll just review on what I was able to taste.
Anyways, I ordered the half portion of Pappardelle Alla Campagnola. I honestly just picked any of them, but I did not enjoy it… The sauce was just creamy. Nothing special at all. Thick chunks of mozzarella on top. The size was really good for being just a half portion.
One of my friends ordered the linguine pescatore. It was a tomato based sauce. I tried a bit of the noodles and it was again, nothing special.
Would I come back? If I had a say, then not likely. The ambiance was nice though. A lot of gold. Service was good, minus our long wait time.

Went here on a Friday night recently with my bf.
We dine at some nice places, and were hoping this would be one of them.
I called am made reservations for dinner, but when we got there, they had a hard time pulling it up, and insisting that I didnt make any. Ultimately, they were able to pull it up and told us that we still would have to wait for a table to be ready; we waited a good 20 min (inlcuding a follow up from me which is what prompted the seating).
Atmosphere: From the outside the establishment appears to be really nice and inviting. The inside is a little dated for sure, it kinda reminds me of like a REALLY old cheese cake factory or something. The tables have scatches on them, makes the table look dirty. Inside doesnt match the exterior front.
So, like Ive mentioned in a tip on Unilocal,it’s much more of a place for groups, as it was SUPER loud. We were under the impression that it would be nice fine dining/​intimate. OPPOSITE. Might as well have gone to a bar where people are watching a football game.
Food: My bf ordered something along the lines of fetticini alfredo (whatever fancy name they call it there). He was majorly disappointed with the lack of sauce and freshness of the chicken. He actually had to ask the server for some more alfredo sauce. He feels that Olive Garden ACTUALLY serves a MUCH tastier and enjoyable dish of the same type thing. (btw, The sauce didnt even taste that great and he left all of his chicken in the dish behind bc it was super dry and flavourles, i actually had a bite and agreed 100%)
I ordered the Salmon «Becca». I didnt mind it at all. I thought that it had a really nice sauce over it and the seasame coating was a nice twist. I probably wouldnt have it again though, only bc I dont think the sides were anything to write home about and wasnt really worth $ 18.
Service: Waiter was pretty attentive for the time given. He had like 2 other tables that were being served their entrees and then closing out during when we got there. He gave it his all, but there was still a lack of service, which I cant blame him much for.
Price wise, it was ok for someone who is looking for avergage quality and doesnt care about atmosphere.
Dont make it a special occasion spot. There are far better resturants with WAY better food and atmosphere and service in town.
Aside from atmosphere, if the food was outstandin and on point, then this review would have gotten stars to awknowledge. Unfortunatley the food was REALLY lacking. Sadly, I will not be returning.

I got really lucky and found a parking spot as soon as I entered. They have both private lot and valet.
It was a party of 10 for my friend’s birthday dinner. Our reservations were at 8:30, but we didn’t get seated until 9.
The bread basket is served with garlic herb dipping oil. There were only two different kinds of bread. I only tried one, and it was alright. It was like thin garlic bread.
I ordered the Spaghetti Bolognese: Spaghetti with homemade meat sauce. The sauce was good but wasn’t amazing. I ordered a half portion, and it was just enough.
My friend ordered the Scampi Grotto: Shrimp, mushrooms, garlic, white wine, lemon. This was an appetizer. She ate it within 5 minutes (?!) because her plate was clean. I didn’t even get to try it, so it must’ve been really good!
You can share your plates, but it is an additional $ 3 charge. Otherwise, I recommend ordering half plates because they give huge portions. You should ask which plates can be ordered as half.
They have a gigantic dessert cart! I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. I tried a bite of the tiramisu, and the cocoa powder stood out in the beginning. I have no idea how I only took one bite and resisted the temptation to eat more!
We had good service. Matter of fact, I think we had two waiters because one of the guys was new if I remembered correctly. I’m not sure if I would come back though.