Bombetta use to be called Devinos before it moved to its new location on W. Alabama. My wife and I have been to this wonderful Italian restaurant many times before they moved and after as well, and have taken old and new friends there partially because of the food and service, but I have to admit that I also take people to impress them with my (foodie) knowledge of great places to go in Houston. Not only for the food and wine, but Bombetta's is one of the few restaurants that keeps their red wine chilled and served at 60 degrees...just like it's suppose to be. It's a very small and intimate restaurant with a great attentive staff. I strongly recommend you make a reservation. Call them direct and not use Open Table. read more

I had a pleasant and satisfying dinner here s couple of weeks ago. Bombetta is rather small inside with a larger covered outdoor patio available too. There are about5 parking spaces in front, After that your best parking option is the free shopping center parking lot next door. It is a very short walk away, Inside it's a charming and intimate feeling restaurant with a small bar sharing with the dining room. I ordered the winter salad to start for $10 followed by the seafood stew for $39. First to arrive was the complimentary bread basket with oil. The bread was warm and fresh tasting. Next the winter salad showed up with its romaine lettuce, walnuts and parmigiano mixed in a green apple vinaigrette that was delicious. It was a quality salad. About 15 minutes later my entree was delivered. In a bowl it had shrimp, chunks of snapper, calamari, scallops, mussels and octopus served with grilled french bread. All of that seafood was bathed in a delicious red broth and was scrumptious. I was pleased with the taste and seafood content and would gladly order this meal again. The table service provided by the waiter was prompt and professional. Bombetta is a charming restaurant that I would like to return to soon. Next time, I want to try some pasta. read more

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This is a TINY restaurant which normally isn't a problem, however they packed the place with a large party so it was a bit suffocating. Our favorite dishes were the Emily ravioli, the tagliatelle, and the apple cake. The bruschetta was fun to eat but wasn't a knockout and the rest of the dishes fell flat. All had the same flavor. They must really love that marinara sauce because it was on everything. The goulash was suffering from a lack of salt and the polenta cake was very dry. The Brussels were a real miss, underseasoned and slightly undercooked. Service was slow at the start, but overall solid. We decided to order every thing up front and have them course it out which proved to be a great decision. I don't really see myself coming back here unless I get invited to someone's 65th birthday. read more

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Patrick and team continue to impress. Food is always on spot with my favorites being: Starters: Misto Frito, Chicken Liver Bombetta Pasta: Emily's goat cheese ravioli (5/5), Merlin's pappardelle, Lasagna and Cacio e Pepe Mains: Lamb Chop, Osso Bucco when available and the Goulash, which despite the name is short rib on polenta (excellent, chef's kiss) And then there's the curated Italian wine list. They shine on food and service but here's one more star. Ask for help. This team is who introduced me to Aglianico wine. Just wow! Finally, the space is smallish, but appropriately sized for what Bombetta's doing. Do not hesitate to give this neighborhood gem a try. read more

yummy food so tasty!!!! waiter was so nice and not a bad dish we ordered. Love!! We also got these fried oysters that were so yummy. read more

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So many great things to say about this neighborhood trattoria!! The wine selection is outstanding- always difficult to choose. Food menu items (and off menu specials) are prepared with much care - great flavors, beautiful presentation. Just a fabulous local gem! read more

I went to the restaurant for the first time on December 12. It was a disappointing experience. There was only one waiter for the entire restaurant and so the service was extremely slow. I didn't like the pasta dish I got. It was some type of spinach Tagliatelle but it wasn't good. read more

Service, wine & ambiance is always excellent!! Highly recommend the lasagna! Wow! Delicious! I do wish there were a few more options on the menu to choose and I wish main entrees included a small side salad. This place is wonderful for a date or catching up with good friends. read more

Bombetta - Spinach Lasagna - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

Cute, local dining place with perfect music volume level. Love the quiet atmosphere where I can carry conversations. Service was also very good. Food was delicious- not too salty. Ingredients tasted fresh. We had chicken liver bombetta, Genovese, and NY strip. Also had glass of red wine and vermouth spiritz. Vermouth was a little sweet, but I love vermouth taste so was very yummy to me. Moderately priced- expected for Houston. Perfect for a date night read more

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Very small (some may say cramped), intimate spot. Food and service were good, parking is pretty limited but if you don't mind walking a little you can find spots. Wine menu is good, some cocktails would be nice though. read more

Great food and service at an affordable price. Perfect if you're looking for a quiet evening out.

Love this place. We have been at least 5 times and never disappointed. Food quality. Pricing. Staff friendliness. The only trick part is parking but patrons have access to parking next door. Will definitely return soon. read more

Every dish is delicious here, especially the pasta dishes. Tastes just like some of the best places we have been in Italy. Not a big menu but everything is cooked with lots of heart and talent. read more

Dont be deterred by all the construction around it. This restaurant is worth it. Our group of 4 came on a Saturday night and were seated in this cozy small restaurant. We had octopus and liver pate for apps and shared two pastas (mushroom ravioli and pappardelle). Everything was delicious especially the pastas. There's an extensive wine collection as well including our favorite orange wine. Service was impeccable. read more

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Best lamb chops I've ever had. The Octopus was delicious as well. Will definitely be returning.

Best Italian food in Houston. The pastas are all remarkable - delicate, delicious, homemade. The service is solid. And a good wine list. Great prices, too. This is my #1 for Italian in town. read more

Not impressed and won't be back. Service was very strange. Our waiter was attentive but never offered us bread service (we had to ask after we saw other tables with bread). Then, as we ordered, we asked about what something was at another table and he said it was the off the menu Branzino. He never told us about any specials or off the menu items. I ordered it and it was very tasty, but why did we have to ask for it? We ordered a side of spinach, listen on the menu. It didn't come with our food. When we inquired about it, he ran away and 5 minutes later came out with it when we were basically done with our meals. It was NOT the spinach listed on the menu. The menu says "Sautéed spinach with grape tomatoes, pine nuts & balsamic vinegar" and what we got was completely plain bitter spinach. We sent it back. Our waiter never apologized for forgetting the side item and never apologized for bringing out the wrong item. None of our food was something that would bring us back and the service was so poor that we will not ba back. read more

Bombetta - Branzino - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Such a great meal! We both got the special menu with wine pairing. They regularly have vintners visiting from Italy and creating a special menu with pairings. read more

Bombetta - Crostini Sampler - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

This place is amazing! Super small and intimate- great atmosphere. Definitely recommend making a reservation. My partner and I sat at the bar and were helped by Patrick who I believe is the manager and/or owner. He was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. There's a large wine selection and the food is incredible. I think the prices are extremely reasonable if not cheap considering the quality of the items offered. There's not much parking directly in front of the restaurant, but there is plenty on either side along West Alabama. This spot is now my new favorite!! read more

Bombetta - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

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The most lackluster experience I've ever had at a restaurant. 10/10 will NOT be coming here again. $70 for all of this?? My dish was incredibly subpar, wasn't even heated up enough, and I'm pretty certain that they thawed some frozen mushroom ravioli and stuck it in a bowl of "truffle broth". my partner's meal was also incredibly mediocre, we expected more since his dish was $38. I have no idea why this restaurant has such high ratings. If you want good pasta, DON'T COME HERE!! read more

Bombetta - mushroom ravioli and NY strip - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

Lovely small Italian restaurant good food and service can be noisy wine a little pricey but we had a lovely time

Great food! They provide pretty good service, although they are pretty busy. This was my second time back here, and we would come back again to this hidden gem. read more

Cute and small restaurant. Very intimate. There is a little parking out front. Most of my party used the parking lot next door with no issues. It seemed pretty empty for a Saturday night. Our service was good and friendly. We ordered: Charred octopus - 3.7/5. Good, charred, tender. The salad on the bottom was refreshing and good to put on bread. Tasted pretty fresh and have no complaints. Bruschetta trio - 3.5/5. Simple, trustworthy flavors. Had a creamy white cannellini purée, tomato jam, and olive pesto. The purée was the best and tasted buttery. The tomato jam was alright and the olive pesto was incredibly olive-y. Good when used sparingly. The bread was crunchy and plentiful. Lasagne Bolognese - 3/5. I was expecting more out of this dish. It just didn't taste all that flavorful. The pasta layers were so soft and overcooked my fork was shredding it. The sauce was a little tart and the beef inside was good. Needed some more salt or herbs. Wasn't incredibly satisfying and I didn't finish. Grilled polenta - 3/5. What I expected. Larger pieces and very filling. The grilled flavor added intrigue. Alto Adige Goulash - 4/5. Very flavorful, beef stew tasting but with wine. Comforting and rich. Presentation was not that impressive, though. Vanilla panna cotta 3/5 - good portion size. Wish it tasted more of vanilla. Maybe a little more sugar, as well. Affogato 2/5 - super standard. Ice cream wasn't soft. Very small portion. Good espresso, though. Guest ordered seafood stew(?) and said it was pretty good. No complaints there, but also no glowing reviews. The food here was acceptable for the price. Most of my party wasn't that impressed. A spider had also dropped onto one of my guests from the ceiling which made the start of dinner very interesting. I'm perplexed by the extremely high reviews because our experience was very uneventful and forgetful. read more

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Very small parking lot but there is parking in the mall next door which has ample space. When we arrived our table wasn't ready so we sat outside at a table to wait. It was nice weather so it was fine. Some other folks that came later with reservations as well were seated at the bar to wait. My wife had a glass of "Patrick's Pick" of red wine which was Amarone della Valpolicella that day. The crowd is mostly older folks. Well dressed. Probably because the prices aren't cheap. They're only open for dinner. We were the only ones with a kid. The waiter was nice. The owner (or maybe he was the manager) didn't stop by to check on us, but I did see him go to some other tables. I overheard our waiter offer free deserts to some regulars at the table next to us, so it's that type of a place, if you can come often enough. We ordered a couple of appetizers including the Bruchetta Bombetta and the Polpettine (pork meatballs). The bruchetta is an upgrade from what they used to serve which was previously a trio that didn't have the chicken liver spread. It was good. I could really feel my cholesterol rising. Their olive oil for the complimentary bread is from Sicily I heard the waiter tell another table. My palate isn't that refined. But it tasted Italian enough for me. For our main course we each had a pasta. The pesto one was the best (Genovese) followed by the Seafood Bucatini (it is spicy) and then the Merlin. The bill was hefty. I'm not going to lie. It hurt. But hey it was Valentine's Day and I think it was worth it. Tiny's Milk and Cookies is within walking distance if it's not too late after your meal and you want a cheaper and less sophisticated desert. Also helps to stretch the legs some after the meal. read more

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We thought this restaurant is drastically overrated. It's not at all bad, but the reviews we've seen make it sound like it Houston's first 3-star Michelin restaurant. In our opinion, it's slightly better than average, but nothing great. The appetizers and the pastas are limited. Prices are reasonable, but corkage is a bit high, so bring your better wine(s). Parking is VERY limited (5 -6 spaces). Dessert choices are also limited. I doubt that we'll return, and don't see what the fuss is all about. Sorry, not sorry. read more

What a quaint little restaurant tucked in the middle of the Galleria/River Oaks area. I must say the elderly locals fill the place as it's probably their go-to hideaway spot, but it's so charming and small, and the workers are friendly. I stuck out like a sore thumb but I love places like this where older folks gather- makes it feel more homey! read more

OK, I saw these fairly negative reviews on Yelp before we made a reservation here this week. We go by Bombetta's 3 or 4 times a week, and decided to give it a try. We had very early dinner reservations and were not expecting a lot of people there. I did not realize that the restaurant has people previously connected with DiVino's. Our waiter had worked at DiVino's and was very professional and knowledgeable about the menu. Very relaxed atmosphere and even though diners continued to come in, the restaurant was not loud. The waiter let us know that they had 2 orders of Osso Bucco from prior night when it was the special. I jumped at that, as it was one of my favorite dishes at DiVino's. My wife ordered the Goulash which included short ribs and polenta. The third member of our party ordered the lasagna. Our waiter recommended a wine, and those ordering it said that the wine was very good. One of us ordered the hot Caesar salad and I ordered the crunchy salad. My salad was very nice, and not overdressed. At $9, it was priced right. The hot Caesar salad was also nice and fresh. When the entrees arrived, none of us were disappointed. The short ribs in my wife's meal were as tender as they could be, and she raved about the Goulash. Our third person's Lasagna was amazing with layers of thin noodles and a very tasty filling. I cannot say enough about their Osso Bucco - fall off the bone tender and a very large portion. For desserts, we had the vanilla pannacotta and the Affogato. If there was a bit of disappointment, it was that the pannacotta did not have a lot of flavor. It was supposed to have a blood orange syrup over it, but I couldn't taste it. We were never rushed, with the service casual yet attentive. A very enjoyable dining experience. We will definitely return to Bombetta very soon. read more

we made a reservation but when we got there they said we had not and they could not accomodate us

One of the best prepared, presented and tasty Italian meals I have had recently in Houston...possibly the best ravioli dish I have ever had (including Italy!!!) I've tried a few of the new boutique Italian Bistros that have sprung onto the mid-city scene over the last year...Bombetta - by far, wins the best tasting award!! The pasta was smooth, light, perfectly al dente and freshly flavorful!! The menu lists a very nicely curated collection of traditional and creative Italian fare, offering a wide range of light to complete entrée sized dishes. The service was friendly, engaged and spot on! Highly recommended, I'll go back - can't wait to taste what's next!! read more

A friend and I had dinner at Bombetta last Friday and we both loved it. The service was fantastic, the food surpassed my expectations! I did not know what to expect but we both loved our dinner and both commented on being the best, of the particular dish we ordered, being the best we had ever had. The restaurant is a very quaint, quieter restaurant than most I dine at. The owner goes around visiting with everyone who is dining, nice touch! I wish I had taken pictures but I will I return. read more

I love this little Italian restaurant. Affordable bottles of wine. Excellent menu. Cozy seating. Nice atmosphere. Excellent service. Parking would be the only issue so check the website. There is amble parking in the street or in the shopping area behind the restaurant. The front only has room for about 5 cars. Don't let that discourage you - you'll love the place! I had the chicken livers pâté, the spinach pasta lasagna and shared the dessert of Tuscan style apple cake. My friend had the Policeman's Risotto. Thoroughly enjoyed our evening! read more

Bombetta - Tuscan style apple cake - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

We had a very good dinner and we're seated outdoors at our request. Food was excellent but it was a bit expensive for our liking. We had similar plates near by and better priced. Is very small restaurant with only few tables inside and out. Can be a romantic place as well as a group experience. read more

Wonderful little spot! The food was so fresh and flavorful! Wonderful staff, family owned (they own Vinology too). Wine was superb! We ordered the goulash and Merlin's special. Both we're excellent. For desert we ordered the apple cake yum!!! We can't wait to go back! read more

Bombetta - The Merlin - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I went to Bombetta for a girls night out, and it did not disappoint. The food is FANTASTIC! I started with a Caprese salad with the burrata and the roasted tomatoes. Delicious! Then I had the Merlin's pasta which I think is the most delicious thing I've had in years. I scrapped the plate clean. Their wine selection is great (the restauranteurs also own a wine shop). The dessert looked good too, but I was full. It is a small and intimate restaurant. Don't let the lack of direct parking deter you. I would recommend Bombetta to anyone. read more

Great Italian place with good food and wines. We enjoyed several interesting and tasty plates. Great service too

Live down the street from this restaurant and finally had a chance to check it out. Wow was I impressed. We ordered the octopus for starters and the veal saffron risotto for main course. Both dishes had so much flavor. I highly would recommend this hidden restaurant to my friends. Worth checking out this restaurant if you live in the city. Service was also great and owner was also very friendly. read more

Just lovely! Fabulous wine and food. I crave their pasta dishes. Outstanding service.

The menu eclectic and delicious. Haven't tasted anything there that I don't like. Atmosphere is intimate. Great date night spot and for small groups. read more

Amazing place ... owner and service is next level... food is 5 star... we had wine and the risotto

I went with my mom to this spot and it's a neighborhood gem. The food and service were superb. Great wine selection and a lovely dining experience. So happy this spot has opened up, it's exactly what the neighborhood needed. read more