This is not like the Grotto Galleria. This one is lower end, smaller menu that caters to out of towners or those going to a downtown event.

I pleasantly surprised with Grotto. It's an easy casual walk in place, good for small groups. The food was really good. The skewers and short rib gnocchi had me sold instantly. There are TVs and a bar to watch sports. Servers were friendly and available as needed. I will be back. read more

Grotto Downtown - Strawberry Cheesecake - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

Bar Review! Ventured into Grotto's Downtown location for a late lunch quick snack. The inside is beautifully designed! Their menu features pastas, pizzas, salads, and entrees all with Italian flare. We decided to sit at the bar as we weren't going to stay long. We loved seeing staff work on making pizzas to serve as we waited for our food. We ended up ordering the Arancini which came with 5 balls within the dish. The flavor was alright: balls were fried a bit too long, should be served with a spoon for the bottom sauce, and I didn't get much of the truffle flavor. The bar service when we visited was very slow. At times, no one was back there to check in on us or refill waters. I will say, other dishes served to guests around us looked great! The pizzas seem to be the highlight/specialty of this spot! Lastly, the pricing felt a bit high for portions. I understand its Downtown Houston but quality or portions needed to be a bit better to have it make sense. read more

See all

Had such a good night at Grotto. The spot could not be more convenient if you're staying by the Marriott or hitting the Convention Center. The food was on point but those short ribs stole the show, hands down the best I've ever had. Mussels in tomato sauce were Perfect. Meatball small plates were Just the right size for sharing. Desserts were excellent. And shoutout to Keisha, our server, who kept the whole vibe fun, easy, and flawless. She's the reason the night went from great to five-star. read more

See all

Beautiful restaurant. Great ambiance. Superb service. Food was great EXCEPT for the Grouper. Whatever you order, DO NOT ORDER THE GROUPER. Either they fried it too hard or I was given an old piece of fish. I tried and tried to eat it but finally had to send it back. However, the corn risotto was amazing, and the lobster bisque was out of this world. Again, stay away from the Grouper. read more

Unfortunately this was the worst service. The hostess, wait staff, bartender and managers were grumpy and rude. We had 6 tables and all experienced the same thing. It's a shame. Customer service training might go a long way. read more

The worst run restaurant/ bar I have ever been to. Was in Houston for NCA cheer comp. They couldn't have been more in unprepared for the amount of people attending event! Only 2 bartenders working. Waited 30 minutes for drinks on Saturday. Came back Sunday for a quick drink and sat on patio with 20 other Cheer parents and was refused service. They said they were closing the patio in 40 minutes for a party and would serve us. This was the stupidest thing I have ever heard. They just lost a lot of revenue and we would have moved when they needed us to. You're in the service industry you morons! Not the refuse service industry. read more

Food was great...we shared apps and small plates. Each one was done well and carefully. Nice roomy interior with rustic deco. Friendly and attentive service. Fine Pilsner draft and delicious desserts. read more

Grotto Downtown - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

See all

Family dinner delicious food and good customer service one the best peach Bellini excellent choice in the downtown area read more

Grotto Downtown - SPIEDINI and Peach Bellini - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

Went to Grottos for an friends birthday and I have zero complaints. That's it that's the post. lol Service was excellent, food was excellent, everything was great. I don't say that much about restaurants but I literally have nothing to say. When we arrived, we were immediately seated. We also beat the lunch rush so that helped. Our waiters were efficient, attentive and knowledgeable about their menu. As a shareable item we had the bruschetta trio which were 3 different types of bruschetta. Loved it. I probably would come back just for that. I could go on and on but this is a place I would come back to over and over and highly recommend! read more

See all

Rigo was fantastic - super attentive and on top of our large party. Incredible service during a busy night! read more

The food was fantastic. The service was phenomenal. We love the atmosphere. It did get a little noisy as it got busier, but that was fine too. We really enjoyed our evening here. read more

The service was so slow. My entire came 40 minutes after we ordered. Multiple entrees had clearly been sitting under the heat lamp for a long while. Every dish had a lot of spice and garlic and was dried out from heat lamps. Very expensive for such low quality. read more

See all

Great food, great customer service, everything went well. My only concern and obviously this isn't the restaurants fault in any shape or form but man was I at Grottos or at Chuck E. Cheese this past Saturday? Children everywhere bumping around you as you eat and being obnoxious. Wish the parents did something about it but oh well. Uncontrollable and not grottos fault thank you for the great experience and dish nonetheless read more

Delicious food. Very attentive service from Rigo. Fun and lively atmosphere! I will be back! read more

Shannon was so amazing handling a large volleyball team and parents... Separate checks!! Food was perfect after a long tournament..

As a downtown resident I've tried 4 times at this place. More than I should have. The food is mediocre. We sat outside and it took forever and a day to get a water while it's 100 degrees outside. Their "meatballs" came out burnt... not sure how that happened there. Basic food. Basic service. read more

We walked in on a Saturday night with no reservations and although they were busy, we were still able to get a table right away. The restaurant is very pretty and they have a nice outdoor area with fire pits, but it was still a little too cold outside for that. To start I ordered the meatballs. While the presentation was nice, I was a little disappointed by how small they were. My boyfriend got the tomato basil soup and it was deliciousss. For my entree I had the eggplant parmigiana with a the black pepper pasta (I forget the name of the dish). Everything was tasty and the service was good. read more

Grotto Downtown - Eggplant Parmigiana - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

See all

Just WOW!!!! Again, another restaurant where I would eat every single day. The meatballs were some of the best meatballs I've ever had, small, crispy with a fantastic tomato sauce. The focaccia was perfectly leavened, light, crispy and soft. The short rib gnocchi were great, even if I wasn't a huge fan of the lemon hint in it. The pasta dish was absolutely perfect, it came originally with just shrimp, but I asked to add angel hair pasta to it and the crème brûlée absolute perfection read more

See all

Pricey, but that's to be expected since you're downtown and right across from the baseball stadium. Food was good and the Italian margaritas was tasty. read more

Grotto Downtown - Capra - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

The food, the service and the atmosphere all matched this great vibe, which is rare. Outstanding service by Alex!

Ohhhh baby! This food was good and different. We walked in and were immediately seated. Tried drinks and a few appetizers. The food is different, refreshing and comes in small shareable portions. Would definitely return read more

We didnt actually get to eat here. Myself, my husband, and our two kids (ages 6 and 8) came here to celebrate a special evening. We arrived at 5pm, the restaraunt was pretty empty. We asked at the hostess stand if they had a kid's menu. The three people there gave us a smirk and said they had kids items, but no kids menu. We were then seated in the corner. 15 minutes later, no server ever came to our table. We left and ate a wonderful dinner at Federal Grill instead. Do yourself a favor and walk the extra 6 blocks. read more

The food and service were great! We stopped in for a small bite before a concert and they got us in and out in perfect time. The restaurant had a comfortable feel and we enjoyed sitting next to the window. read more

Honestly, I'm back and forth on how to rate this place. The ambiance is super cool, industrial is my vibe, and the whole ordeal was pretty dope. I came here on a date with my husband on a Monday or Tuesday, and this place was packed as heck! I was hoping because it was earlier in the week it would be not as busy but that was my misconception. We sat in an intimate corner in the back where it wasn't super loud. I enjoyed that. The waitress was chill and nice. We ordered cheese balls, margherita pizza, and lobster bisque. The lobster bisque was phenomenal. As far as bisques go lobster bisque is definitely on the top of my list. And so I came in with low expectations, but it superseded my expectations. The margherita pizza was really good too, I added goat cheese because I love goat cheese. It was good, I was hoping for less bread and more toppings but it came out the other way around. Flavors wise it was pretty good. The cheese ball things were good too. But all in all, for the price we paid, I don't thing it was worth it. It was good good, really good for the bisque, but each of these things you can get elsewhere at a fairer price. I know it's inflated probably due to it being literally connected to George R Brown. Essentially, I saw the bill and thought to myself, " I could have gotten more food at a cheaper price." It's cool to visit but my wallet hurt a little bit too much after that, without a full stomach. read more

Love the ambiance, beautiful setting. $30 for two small Caesar salads like this seemed excessive. Skewers and pizza were excellent. Waiter seemed preoccupied and didn't check on us much. read more

Grotto Downtown - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

See all

Wonderful spot for great food and amazing staff! My group dined at the Grotto Downtown recently and I have to rave to everyone I know about this place. The food was delicious and the service was awesome. We had the Bucatini, Ravioli, Rigatoni, skewers and a chicken dish and they were all totally tasty. The Meatzza pizza was a highlight. The lobster bisque was delightful and the Caesar salad was perfectly dressed (with anchovies, too). Rigo and his colleagues were quite welcoming and attentive and everyone in my group overwhelmingly praised my choice of restaurants. And it has a nice ambiance and is in a great location, just a short walk from the Astros' ballpark and it's part of the George R. Brown Convention Center. Next time I'm downtown Houston I'm definitely returning to this awesome restaurant. read more

We were in town for a volleyball tournament at the convention center attached to the Grotto so it was super easy yo get to. The Astros were also playing that weekend so it was super busy; I suggest getting a reservation if you can or the wait could be long. The food us decedent and will not disappoint. We ordered so much stuff from meatballs, and fried cheese, to mango Gelato and strawberry almond cake. The portions are not "Texas" size but are just enough to fill you without that uncomfortable feeling. read more

See all

This place was great and easy to get to! I had the cauliflower pizza and it was amazing!!!! I absolutely loved it. The appetizers were great, the service was great and the food was great. read more

Very good small bites pasta and tenderloin skewers. Plenty of food in the small plates for the two of us who don't eat much. Service was a bit slow not because it was busy, but our server was not efficient in coming to table for refills or checking on us. Took a long time to get through service. read more

Grotto Downtown - Skewers - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

I stopped at Grotto Downtown while visiting Houston for a conference with two colleagues and had an enjoyable meal. I ordered salmon with grappa pea risotto. The salmon was delightful. Cooked properly, and seasoned well (I asked for medium, highly recommended). The risotto was cooked perfectly and had some amazing sauce with it. I had a cappuccino too- while it was Lavazza, it was decent enough and came with a cookie, so that was a win. My co-workers ordered pizzas, which were large enough that they both had leftovers. A pizza could definitely be split by two people, especially with an app or two. Service was pleasant and professional, and the atmosphere was fine, if a bit generically corporate. If you're staying at a downtown Houston hotel and are in walking distance, this is a solid place to stop for dinner. read more

Food was good and reasonably priced. Our server was very attentive to our table. More of a casual vibe inside. Right downtown so of course there is metered street parking and parking garages. For our appetizer we ordered the focaccia that comes with honey ricotta and it was so delicious! read more

Grotto Downtown - Gamberoni entree - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

See all

Excellent service and delicious entries. Alos, great prices. The place is very cozy and very cafe stiletto. read more

See all

I want to leave some honest feedback about an incredible interaction with Kate, the hostess from Grotto. She was so upbeat, and was extremely personable, even though a massive convention was consuming a lot of her time.. She was attentive and extremely accommodating. I will 100% be returning!! read more

Great location, convenient parking, and a great promo with lsc led us here for a late week lunch date. Your best option is to park in the Avenida north garage, Grotto will validate your parking for up to 3 hours. We conveniently parked by the elevators and went down to the first floor and out the door toward GRB. Grotto is right there. Secured a reservation with open table and was able to enter my lsc # on the reservation for points. The interior is a narrow dining room that is very intimate. The promo for Feb is any specialty pizza and a bottle of wine for $25. The wine is a house selection, and we chose the Cabernet Sauvignon. I also managed to sneak in their signature Peach Bellini with this along with our appetizer of Calamari. The dipping sauce for it was a black pepper aoli, and I must say it was delicious, so good my wife requested some to go! Our entree of the Meatzza was wood fired and it was the perfect portioning for the two of us. Overall, we really enjoyed ourselves here and will definitely be back to experience a full dinner! read more

See all

Loved how everything was presented. The flavors were balanced perfectly, and you could tell the ingredients were high quality

I really enjoyed my first visit to Grotto. The atmosphere was chill but still alive with a diverse selection of music playing. The staff greeted me with a smile and I was quickly seated and then greeted by Guiseppe who has such a lovely aura. She anticipated my needs, gave me great recommendations, and was quick without missing any details. I had the Chicken Marsala- tender chicken, a rich Marsala wine sauce served with mushrooms. Green beans were delicious and still had a nice firmness to them. The pasta had a yummy light cream sauce. I finished with the STRAWBERRY CASSATA- oh my it is so good and is definitely enough to share! You have to try it. I will definitely be back to more items on the menu. My only suggestion would be for the staff by the entrance to open doors for guest coming in and leaving. read more

Grotto Downtown - Strawberry Cassata - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

Great atmosphere and service.The food is really good and a good wine list as well. I recommend this restaurant .

rude staff and management. never even got to eat the food. that's ok. we went to the real grottos.

I met my family here for happy hour. Located right next to the convention center. There's a parking garage right across the street, but they do have $11 valet parking as well We started off with their Bellinis. I thought they were too sweet, so I gave mine to my mom and ordered a glass of Cabarnet. The wine was way better, but my mom did like the Bellinis. We ordered a few dishes and shared them. tomato bruschetta.:This was deceiving. We expected a savory dish, but it was sweet. We all agreed that we would have preferred a savory style of bruschetta. Roasted cauliflower salad: great flavor. Everyone loved it. Chicken Marsala: good portion size. Came with delicious pasta. It had a little kick to it from the red pepper. Wild mushroom pizza: yum! Who doesn't love pizza. This was great. Thin. Good amount of toppings. Big enough to share for two, but can shade with more people if you share different dishes. They have inside and outside seating. Make reservations as they do get busy. Happy hour is M-F 3-7 read more

See all