I went to Coltivare with my girlfriends on a Saturday night, and I'm really glad we made a reservation because the place was packed. The parking situation wasn't great -- mostly street parking, and it felt pretty hectic. The restaurant itself is quaint but small, so it gets crowded and loud inside. We had a patio reservation and were seated in the covered patio, which ended up being perfect since it was freezing outside and much quieter than the main dining room. For food and drinks, I ordered a nonalcoholic spritz, which was really refreshing. We shared a pizza that was pretty good, and I ordered the black pepper and parmesan spaghetti. It was okay -- not bad, but nothing too memorable. Overall, we enjoyed our food, and our waiter was very nice and attentive. I'd recommend trying it out and definitely making a reservation. read more

Coltivare - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

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We tried our first meal at Coltivare at their dinner service. Parking is located mainly streetside on White Oak. The interior is dimly lit and fairly packed. The service was... alright. Considering the casual upscale nature of the restaurant, we expected a bit more attention to the table in terms of checking in order additional dishes / drinks. The tables were also quite small and our table in particular was a bit uncomfortable to dine at. Food wise, we were impressed with everything but their pizza's. Their appetizers were solid, both pasta dishes were delicious, and flavor and portions were solid. Their pizza style is a thicker crust style and we weren't a fan of the duck pizza at all, and their pepperoni based pizza was fine. Not the biggest fan of their dough or crust. Their cavatelli was delicious! read more

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Came in on a Monday night after some drinks and seated immediately in their indoor heated patio. Dress code: smart casual, seems to be a wide variety Food 5/5: we got the duck pizza and meatballs. Both were very tasty although the duck pizza was perhaps a bit too experimental for me. Will have to come back and try their pepperoni. Service 5/5: very friendly and prompt. Gave us good recommendations for food options and water was filled very promptly x Ambiance 4/5: the indoor patio was fairly rustic, but was clean and surprisingly warm with the heaters on Value 4/5: good food for a pretty good price Overall 4.5/5: will be back to try other things on the menu. Didn't get to try drinks either Parking: small parking lot to the side but not a lot of parking read more

Coltivare - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

Sitting on the patio near the garden is such a beautiful experience. However the food itself was quite mediocre especially for the price point. The focaccia was oily and not very foccacia like. I did like the veggie plate but it was pricy. The flatbreads and drinks were pretty good but left I little disappointed overall and not sure I would need to go back again. Service and views were excellent but want to be pulled in again by the food. read more

I love the lightly dark and rustic ambiance of this restaurant, but unfortunately the food was extremely disappointing. We ordered the focaccia anchovies with herbs appetizer that was very salty and floppy. We also got the chicken and prosciutto pizza which didn't include the cheese so we added it for $6 extra. I feel like a typical component of a pizza would include the cheese, so that was interesting. Additionally, the pizza was extremely drenched in oil. It was very floppy and mainly consisted of prosciutto and very little chicken. I couldn't finish a slice because it was truly making me sick. We also got the crab ravioli was extremely disappointing. The meal was undercooked and super dry at the same time. However , I greatly appreciated our sever-she was super nice and attentive. Overall, I think the other items on their menu might be better, so I will try those out next time. read more

Coltivare - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

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This was an enjoyable restaurant with a new twist on Italian dishes. We were seated in the patio on beautiful early evening. We were able to see in house garden - vegetables and herbs. The presentation of the dishes is beautiful, the focaccias divine, the cocktails were fun and top notch / just an enjoyable evening, and our server Angel guided us to the menu. This is definitely a place. I will return to when next in Houston. read more

I have eaten at Coltivare a few times in the past and I have always left satisfied. The service is great, the food good, and the atmosphere is pretty loud if dining indoors but still fun. I would suggest doing the patio when it's not as swelteringly hot outside. Parking can be a bit annoying when it's busy but there's plenty of options around the street and it's quite easy to walk from there. I highly recommend getting a reservation; that is what we did and we had zero wait although we came a few minutes early for our 8 PM slot on Wednesday. You really can't go wrong with any of the things on their menu. You can always count on the vegetables/fruit at Coltivare being fresh and executed well. The bread is also excellent. We split everything - I would definitely recommend that style of ordering as portions are perfect for sharing. The dishes we ordered went perfectly with the white and rosé wine we ordered. We got the Local Sungold Tomatoes with the Whipped Goat Cheese, Local Watermelon and Candied Pecan Salad, and Roasted Corn Ribs for our apps. Everything was on point. The sourdough bread that comes with the tomatoes is from Magnol and I strongly suggest saving a piece for the rest of the dishes! The melon in the salad was crisp, juicy, and paired well with the candied pecans. The corn ribs were one of my favorites of the night, but it does get messy. Thankfully, disposable towelettes were provided beforehand. For our entrée we got the Rainbow Trout with Gooseberries. The tartness of the berries brought a lively note to the perfectly-cooked fish and the charred vegetables. Finally, for dessert, we got the Corn Cake with Cream and Blueberries. The cake was light, fluffy, and did not taste strongly of corn. It felt a bit like a Texan-style shortcake. I would recommend trying it out! Coltivare is a great spot to have a special dinner. I've never been let down by the experience here. Would love to come back to try the Crostata too! read more

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Service: waiter correc ted the food etror right away when there was a mistake. Ambiance was very nice on the outside patio. The arugula salad had little to NO arugula, terrible! If you name a salad arugula it should have arugula. The fish was a bit dry but sauce was good. Aspargus was cold on warm fish a bit weird. The rum cake for desert had NO rum flavor , again if you name it "rum" it should taste like rum. read more

Loved this place! My friend took us here as it's one of their favorite Houston restaurants, and it lived up to its reputation. We sat outside in the garden which was very cute and comfortable. Foccacia is a must. I had the black pepper spaghetti with chicken added which was simple yet delicious. My friends got the pizza which they also enjoyed. Espresso Martinis were also delicious! There was a little mix up on the reservation number/location but they were still able to accommodate us on time. read more

Coltivare - Espresso Martini - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Tried this restaurant recently and really loved the ambience and quality of food that was served. When we arrived, the restaurant was busy so we did have to wait about 30 minutes before we could be seated. We decided to do first available and ended up being seated at the bar. Inside the restaurant is pretty small so it can be very loud and difficult to have conversations at times. They have an outdoor patio and garden as well that you can choose to sit at. What we ordered: Focaccia & burrata was 10/10 oh my gosh. My friend and I quite literally ate the entire thing and were too full to even eat our entrees. The focaccia was so incredibly delicious, fluffy and paired with the burrata took it to another level. Please order this if you try this place out! read more

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Wow. Just wow. That fricaccia bread and bur was like being reborn with each bite. Thanks to that one girl at the bar for the recommendation; I hope you too felt reborn with bread. read more

Coltivare is one of my absolute favorites in Houston. And quite frankly, I'm shocked I haven't shown 'em some love on Yelp! Ever since my first visit in 2016 - and throughout my dozens upon dozens of dining experiences there ever since, it never failed to wow me, consistently proving itself to be one of the top restaurants in Houston. The cacio e pepe - can't be beat. Anywhere. The pizzias - the perfectly warm and chewy crusts sprinkled with bee pollen? Kills me (in a good way) every time. Most recently, I had their squash pizza. It ended up being the table's favorite! The G&Ts, the burrata, the salads... you can't go wrong with ANYTHING from their menu. Hoping one day they'll expand to the East End. Yes, there was Miss Carousel and I was there on a weekly basis for their carrots. But Coltivare is a vibe. Whether you're seated at the bar, in the herb garden or patio, or snuggled up to an SO in the dining room... enjoy the rustic Italian comfort food paired with H-town hospitality. read more

Came here after an event later at night - I was glad they open til 10am compared to some other restaurants in the area. Food wise I enjoyed their appetizer a lot. The burrata and the focaccia was super yummy. The goat cheese salad was good too-and I used the cheese salad as another dipping for my. my focaccia bread from burrata appetizer. Olives were ok - they were just olives. But I like olives, so I can't complain. The pizza was pretty good. Super fluffy crust but the middle was pretty thin. Very Italian although I can't say it's my favorite pizza. It's just a common, pepperoni pizza. read more

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Coltivare is marketed as a high-end pizza and Italian food spot. However, there were a lot of things in my dining experience that did not quite measure up to the "fine dining" experience. First of all, the food wasn't great. I got the focaccia and burrata, which was probably my best dish of the evening. It was a basic starter plate, some cheese and bread. The cheese fell was nice and soft, but the bread was a little burnt and dry. The oil was a nice touch though. My next dish was the fried oyster mushrooms. This dish did not have a lot of substance to it and the aioli was a bit too mustardy for my taste. Not a terrible dish, but I was expecting more out of it. My entree was the capellini. This was pretty disappointing. The lemon was extremely overpowering. It was like pasta with a sour warhead sauce. The lobster also added very minimal flavor to the dish due to the overpowering sauce. I will say, the cocktails were great. I got an espresso martini, which tasted great and had a great presentation. I also tried both Old Fashioned cocktails, which weren't extremely different, but were both great. The service was another point of controversy. It was a little crowded when we arrived, but I couldn't really get a hold of the waiter the entire dinner. He was in and out very quickly and it was almost impossible to get his attention. I also asked for a starter with my cocktail, and he told me he wasn't going to bring appetizers out before the entree. I thought the point of an appetizer was to come before the entree. I will say, the water guy was very attentive, filling my cup every time it got about halfway empty. My waiter just must have had too many tables to deal with at once. The ambience was the best part of this restaurant. The lighting was very elegant and the outdoor area was amazing, like a little garden in the park. Each table also had little silverware drawers, which I thought was an amazing touch. Overall, Coltivare is more of a looker than a place with real substance. Due to my poor experience with food and service, this establishment earned 7/20 Freys. FREY OUT! read more

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All was well! Made reservations ahead of time and got seated right away. For drinks, ordered something off of the cocktail menu which was an Amaretto Sour (refreshing and made nicely). Light bites, we got the Cauliflower (smell was so good/kinda sweet and savory and had a good crunch from the pine nuts) and also ordered the focaccia with burrata (great pairing + the balsamic as well). For the mains, it was deff both shareable entrees and got the Bolognese with additions of meatballs (tender, not dry at all and the pasta was cooked al dente) and the Pepperoni Pizza (huge portion and had everything you needed to be topped on a pizza - arugula, cheese, pepperoni). For dessert, we got the Roasted local strawberries & hibiscus crostata, cream + topped with a vanilla icecream. It was that yummy pairing of an al a mode. I liked the strawberry idea as well. Good amount of seating indoors and outdoors. The waitress was attentive and made good menu suggestions. Parking - Street Parking. read more

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After 8 years, I thought it was time to go back to Coltivare and update my review! Came by sporadically on a Sunday evening with a girlfriend! Came a bit earlier, at like 5:45pm and it was still fairly empty so we got seated right away! Lots of things on the menu peaked my interest, as always, so we ordered several dishes to share! - Salad with Duck Confit A little on the vinegary side. Didn't like the choice of croutons - some multigrain cracker like crouton. The flavors were alright. Duck tender though the dressing overwhelmed the flavors of anything else! Not my favorite salad 3/5 -Mussels They were tiny tiny, but you get quite a few of them. The sauce was delicious and we thanked the waitress for telling us to add bread cause you want to soak up all the sauce! Maybe on of my favorite things on the menu tonight! 5/5 -Local Mushroom Pizza The crust was light. Crispy where it needed to be and soft at the same time! I enjoyed the texture of the dough, though it wasn't the most flavorful dough. The local mushrooms were alright, the white mushrooms were a bit pickled but sweet. Pizza needed a bit more flavor and cheese cause parts of it were dry. We did enjoy it though. 4/5 -Black Pepper Spaghetti Super spicy cause of all the black pepper! Tonight the pasta was cooked perfectly al dente and there was lots of cheese! I enjoyed the dish tonight. 4/5 -Rigatoni Mmmm.. perfectly cooked noodles with a lemony ricotta and meat sauce! This was delicious! 5/5 Drinks again were underwhelming.. I think they were just light on liquor. Garden had fresh veggies and herbs growing.. though I was eaten by mosquitoes! However, it was a delightful evening - perfect fall evening and I left content and full! Parking can be a pain but there's ample space on the neighborhood - be careful for neighbors putting up do not park signs. read more

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I now understand why Coltivare has a 3.9 rating. Meanwhile the area that it is in is nice and the restaurant itself is cute with great outdoor seating the food is...well....underwhelming. I tried the calamari and HOLY UNSALTED! No flavor, just thrown onto the grill with nothing on it and served (cooked well tho). I ordered the crab & scallop ravioli with a balsamic reduction of sort. The ravioli itself was cooked al dente n the filling had good flavor. But it just lacked that "mmm" it was just, ok. Honestly I was disappointed with my meal, nothing stood out to me, which sucks given that Italian food is my fav!! I don't play about it. ANYWAYS...My sister ordered that tagliatelle bolognese and according to her is was SUPER GOOD. Ordered a side of Crispy Potatoes and man they sure were crispy, such a nice crunch to them yet soft on the inside but once again UNSALTED. If you're an olive lover PLEASE order those olives they were delicious!! My brother ordered a classic margarita pizza. It was very dry . Crust was good but it had more basil than mozzarella n sauce, mind you you're paying about $20 for a plain pizza. There's plenty of other pizzas in Houston that are much better and in the same price point! The dessert...we ordered 2. The chocolate rum cake and the rhubarb pavlova. The chocolate rum cake is a texture DREAM!! Super good but the presentation was not very good. It was served in a plastic cup? Which kinda gave like La Madeline vibes...but aside from that it was VERY GOOD. The pavlova was cooked well like any other merengue n the the whipped topping it had tasted like a whipped Greek yogurt. The service was like any other. Our server was very kind but it was obvious he was busy. He was waiting about 4-5 tables. For an Italian restaurant all I can say is that someone's Nonna would be very disappointed in terms of flavor. I genuinely never felt the need to write a review until today. read more

Super rude hostess. I called to see if there was a wait and her obnoxious reply was that "you have to be in the building". I was 5 minutes away, but she was so rude, that we decided not to go at all. She can shove her rude attitude! read more

Coltivare is the best place ever. Great bar, seasonal menu with limitless changes based on what is fresh today. The service is outstanding. I absolutely love this place! read more

Coltivare - Coltivare Classic Gin + Tonic. - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

How can you not love Coltivare. A true Houston classic. I've been coming here for years, and it's always been a favorite of mine. I love their outdoor seating so much that I've never not sat out there. I love the garden and seeing all the fresh herbs and vegetables! Coltivare has some of the best espresso martinis! I love coming here to split a pasta and pizza with a friend. The burrata and focaccia is a must and has a generous amount of focaccia. I've also had the wood grilled chicken which was insane. You cannot go wrong with any of their pizzas, and the cacio e pepe never misses here. read more

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Such a great place. Great food. Great service staff. Great hostess. We asked our server about moving to the bar after our meal to watch the Rockets game have dessert, etc. No problem, as expected. But the bartender had this weird attitude and pretty much refused to acknowledge us or help us in any way. Kind of 'it's not my job' attitude. This was a really different experience relative to the wait staff which seemed to be all about teamwork. I guess she was just trying to finish up and leave but yeah...it made us feel a bit unwelcome. read more

This is a great little Italian spot in the Heights. Parking is a little tough as it is mostly street parking, but overall a safe area to park and walk a few blocks. Reservations are easy to get, with plenty of seatings inside and a nice patio. The ambiance is darkened but made for friends to stay a bit for company. One of the most commendable part of the experience is the friendly staff, everybody there is so kind and pleasant. A quick shout of to our waiter Joshua. As for the food, the main aspect of the night, all the options were delectable. The pana cotta and cauliflower made for scrumptious apps. We did the tomato basil with pepperoni and sausage addition along with the spaghetti which is more a lemon pasta. The crispy potato (side) can be skipped, being super thick and not as flavorful as the other dishes. The specialty drinks are great; I appreciated the nod to ACOTAR in one of the drinks. Overall, we would be happy to visit again! read more

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can you give 6 stars? favorite place in houston, easy! so many gluten free options, ingredients are fresh & menu is constantly rotating. the patio is absolutely so lovely & staff is so attentive! read more

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RAVE REVIEW: Coltivare in the Heights I'm still dreaming about the meal we had at Coltivare! Hands down, the best salads of my life--vibrant, bursting with flavor, and made with locally grown fruits and vegetables that go straight from the garden to your plate. The pasta? Overwhelmingly delicious. Every bite was rich, perfectly cooked, and deeply satisfying. And the pizza... don't even get me started. Crispy, chewy, fresh, and quite possibly one of the best I've ever had. The wine selection was superb and thoughtfully curated, and the bar menu was just exquisite--creative, well-balanced, and endlessly sippable. Service was beyond five stars. David welcomed us like old friends and made us feel completely at home. Leonora, the GM, absolutely spoiled us with her personal favorites--each one a knockout. And Obi, our server, was incredibly attentive--my glass was never empty, and my belly never happier. Make sure to check out the garden- indoor or outdoor you are in for a special tre Bravo, Coltivare! You've earned a permanent spot on my "must return again and again" list. read more

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I was honestly really looking forward to dining at this establishment. I will say that the staff was friendly, and I did like the ambiance/vibe. The exterior doesn't have much in the way of signage. There is some signage on the exterior windows, but you could easily miss it. Also, there isn't much of a parking lot, but you can find street parking near the restaurant. The interior is relatively dim, and the intimate vibe makes it seem like an ideal setting for a date night. I will say that this is one of the loudest restaurants I have been in. I don't know what it was about the acoustics, but I could hear everyone talking as just a massive cloud of noise. The bar, front of house decor, and even facilities were trendy and inviting. There is a patio and garden area that looks lovely and inviting if only the weather and temperatures made for a more enjoyable outdoor experience The menu offers a variety of Italian delicacies. I'm a sucker for pizza, and when I inquired about some of the more fun and unique pizza offerings I was told that the Pepperoni and the Margherita pizzas were their popular items, which was somewhat of a disappointment We inquired about their house favorite spaghetti dish that is essentially spaghetti noodles, olive oil, Parmesan, and pepper. Our server talked us into an off menu item which was their house carbonara. I love carbonara, and this had prosciutto, which was bound to be delicious. It was good, but unfortunately, this was one of the saltiest dishes I've ever had. I usually finish my entire meal, and I don't think I could get more than 1/3 of the way through this dish. Beyond that, when the check came I noticed that this dish was far more expensive than the other pasta dishes that were actually on menu Our drinks were kept filled which was great, because the carbonara made us incredibly thirsty, and an inattentive staff would have made that experience absolutely miserable Some tips: Order some small plates and maybe a pizza to share. I guess the pepperoni and Margherita pizzas are a good option. Check out their extensive, beer, wine, and cocktail menu. Or if you have room, order a dessert to share Cheers!! read more

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showed up for my reservation and my table was ready. ordered a nice bottle of wine. split a salad, and had the spaghetti and the meatballs. all of the food was delicious and presented nicely small accident by server with a wine glass, but they quickly came up with a Tide stick to get the stains out of my shirt. they offered to dry clean my clothes, but it wasn't necessary. their level of service was outstanding and we will definitely be coming back. ask for Brook's section read more

We came here during Houston Restaurant Weeks after living in Houston for 2 years and continuously hearing great things about this restaurant. It was worth the wait! The service was great, our waitress was so friendly, took time to talk us through the menu, and gave great suggestions. My favorite dish we had was the cauliflower. So well seasoned and cooked really well. We didn't enjoy the dip we had as our second appetizer and the server was so nice to replace it with something else for us. Our server suggested making the pasta into a carbonara style and it was the perfect choice. Plus, the portion was huge so we had plenty of leftovers to keep us satisfied. read more

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One of our absolute favorite date night places. Our go to is the chicken prosciutto pizza (we add mozzarella to it) and black pepper pasta. Seating either inside or outside in the garden is nice. Parking isn't usually difficult either. The only con is that we have occasionally felt rushed as it can get very busy at night. Additionally, they have great desserts and cocktails and they frequently will switch items based off what they grow in the garden. It is definitely a Houston highlight. read more

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What a great experience. This establishment has been in Houston and has stood the test of time. Their garden of fresh ingredients is unmet and surrounds the restaurant adding to the ambience. All of our food was great. My fiancé also tried a Zero Proof cocktail and seemed to enjoy that as well. The biggest highlight was service from staff. We arrived for our reservation at 6:15 and after ordering, our food came out back to back without any delay. I was actually surprised by how quickly the service was. read more

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Cacio e Pepe was a bit underwhelming for the price and hype behind it. Pizza was above average. I expected better but still good quality food and really great ambiance. read more

Great food, service, and ambience. We sat at the chefs counter since we didn't have a reservation and wouldn't change our spots for anything. Our waited Obi was fantastic and has so many recommendations for us. They can do gluten free pasta and pizza for all of their dishes except the ravioli. It's not celiac friendly though due to the shared pizza oven. The gf dishes were great. We really liked the pizza crust. For a starter, definitely get the potatoes they are amazing. read more

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We were in town for a date night and decided to try out Coltivare for dinner. We had reservations for a Friday night and I'm glad we did as many people were walking in with a wait time over an hour. Service was a little slow but attentive. Food was disappointing. We had the garlic dip with veggies. You really needed some bread to soak up the dip and it was a little too salty for our tasting. A mention of anchovies in the description would have definitely had us picking something else. The arugula salad was the highlight of our dinner and enough to share. None of the pastas jumped out to me so I opted for a margarita pizza and added the Italian sausage and onions. While the crust was amazing, the pizza lacked sauce, toppings and cheese. It was just overall flat in taste. Hubby ordered the lamb which was a little overdone and unfortunately came out 10-15 min after my pizza. I waited as long as I could but knew it would be cold by the time he got his. We skipped dessert and didn't order any cocktails so no comment on those. I guess it's a cool little place but too many restaurants in Houston for it to be a repeat for us. Maybe we went in on an off night. read more

The cocktails and vibe of the restaurant is amazing. Mussels and focaccia are my go-tos with a beer. Honestly, I think of this place as a tapas bar with pizza and pasta. I wouldnt rave about the food but is a great spot to meet and talk with others. Service by Joshua was immaculate, as were the other times I've gone read more

Coltivare - Mussels and Focaccia - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

Best in Houston! My husband and I love this place! Everything is good! Pizza is amazing! My fave is spaghetti with sausage! You will not be disappointed! read more

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It had been far too long since we last dined at Coltivare. Everything we had was delicious--main items were wood-fired chicken (entree), corn ribs (appetizer) and little gems salad. We also had spaghetti and for dessert the blackberry crostata. Even though the temp was in the 90's, the patio felt ok at 5:30pm but we dressed for the heat. The fans kept it pleasant out there. Kristopher M was our server and took great care of us. read more

6/10 Pretty disappointed given the years of hype. It's simply mediocre. We ordered the peach salad (which had a lot of salt and black pepper), The octopus (came with like 6 small pieces of octopus), and the pepperoni pizza (which was a pretty average pizza). The service was fine, but unfortunately the food was not worth $70. Idk, just not that great the whole thing. The garden is cute but a lot of places are cute ‍ Probably won't be coming back. read more

I was SO excited to try Coltivare and have been looking forward to it. I ordered a gluten free margerita pizza tonight for dinner and picked it up to-go. Once I got home I found a dry and hard pizza with little sauce, basically no cheese, and a cracker like crust. Definitely not worth the $8.50 up charge to make it gluten free and the recipe definitely needs to be changed because it was actually horrible. What a let down. I have a gluten allergy so I wasn't able to eat a normal crust. Their normal crusted pizza looks divine though! My husband loved him pepperoni pizza! read more

Possibly my favourite restaurant in town! My family comes here for most birthday celebrations. We LOVE the trout, mussels, and spaghetti. There was a seasonal passionfruit pavlova that was the best dessert I have had in my entire life back in June (and I LOVE desserts). I almost cried when it wasnt on the menu the next time I came but that is also the beauty of Coltivare, an interesting rotating menu to try out new things! A MUST visit read more

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Coltivare has been exceptional in the times that we've visited. Outstanding service and the food is incredible. We had the chicken, prosciutto pizza and it was so flavorful. No tomato sauce, but it has a really nice flavor. The last time we went the reservation didn't go through, but the hostess took care of us right away. The restaurant is beautiful and it's a great place to dine in H-town. read more

Great spot for a intimate dinner. Dim lighting, the warmth of the other dinners, and watching the pizza oven roar. I also admired their wine selection. Honorable mention to the staff: Andrea (waitress) Leonora (GM) David (Manager) read more

Coltivare - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas