Cute little place to hold a business meeting or a cute midday lunch date. The service is great and really fast. read more

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I hate that I didn't have a better experience at this location. Let's start with the beginning... I was warned about the Food Nazi... that hostess was absolutely rude and demanding. I did not feel welcomed at all. She was rude with the wait staff infront of us, complete bad taste in my mouth without trying the food yet. I am in disbelief that she is the "face" of the restaurant. The waitstaff was amazing! They were observant, courteous, and friendly. The food.... so first view looked amazing! What was absolutely disappointing.... I had the Crepes de pollo.... the sauce was bland.... the chicken tasted like canned chicken. Yuck! It disentigrated in my mouth and had no taste. I highly doubt ever going back. read more

Perbacco - Crepe de pollo - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

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This place specializes in fresh Italian seafood dishes. The cioppino is spectacular! That's generally what I order. I haven't found cioppino this good outside of San Francisco. Tonight I tried the seafood papardelle with a tomato cream sauce--it was delicious! The restaurant is located at an intersection downtown and has large picture windows on 2 sides. The tables by the windows have a great view. The restaurant is located in the theater district and can be quite busy between 5:00-7:30PM when theater patrons grab dinner before a performance. So, it would be wise to make a reservation if you want a table during that time. read more

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What a great listen spot! Dined there for the first time at lunch today ..what a great experience . Authentic carbonara lunch special was outstanding . I recommend dining here but be early read more

I can not believe this spot has gotten anything less than a 5 star rating. We had a magnificent experience. We were greeted and seated immediately. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful! We decided on an Italian wine after discussing it with the owner- perfection. My husband ordered the spicy seafood special: lobster, shrimp and scallops in a spicy red sauce served over linguine; I had mussels and clams in a spicy white sauce over linguine. The wine was divine and it paired remarkably well with both of our dishes. We finished our meal with the best cappuccinos ever and spilt the tiramisu. For me, this was experience was impeccable form start to finish. And you can't be the price! Under $100 for two meals, lobster and wine? We will be back for sure! Oh my gosh, and the bread! I had to restrain myself from drinking the delectable garlic infused olive oil- absolutely amazing! read more

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I stumbled upon this place with coworkers before COVID and just went back the other day. Both times the food was delicious. The lunch specials are cheap and come with a salad! It's your basic Italian food so the menu is easy to figure out. I love how the (Italian) server asked us if we wanted the Italian version if something (sorry I can't remember the name haha) or the American version! I'll be going back whenever I can! Also, I've seen them fill people's wine glasses up to the near top....so if you like wine I'd say get your fill here read more

Classic Italian food in the middle of Downtown Houston. This family has been in the Italian restaurant business Fo over 50 years!

Good food - VERY FRIENDLY SERVICE - very reasonable price. First time - ordered (Saturday evening - 5:45 reservations): GAMBERI AI FERRI GRILLED SHRIMP W OLIVE OIL BALSAMIC W FRESH MINT It was very good - It is a small restaurant - so go ahead and get a reservation! read more

Perbacco - Corner of Miliam & Capitol -across the street from "Personage and Birds" - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

This adorable restaurant was a 5 star experience. Such friendly employees. The service was excellent and the food omg the food was the best Italian I've ever tasted, ever. I felt like I was in Italy.... read more

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Wow! This food was amazing. Service was fantastic! My favorite pasta spot near downtown Houston. My top recommendation is the seafood ravioli!! Super delicious, and the place is pretty clean. My friend food was also delicious. read more

Wow! Incredible food and fantastic service! Reasonable pricing! This place has it all. It's a Mom and Pop Italian restaurant right downtown. I would call ahead for a reservation, although I took a chance and went in hoping that I could get a small table for two and lucked out. I was looking through the menu when I noticed a young lady seated next to me was eating something delicious. I asked her what she was having and she said it was as shrimp Alfredo. I told her that I didn't see it on the menu, and she said it isn't, but you can ask for anything and if they have ingredients they will make for you. This is was confirmed by our waiter, so I ordered it. It was perfectly prepared, with nice jumbo shrimp over linguini in Alfredo sauce. The pasta was perfect, the Alfredo sauce was perfect and the shrimp was as perfect! Highly recommended place. Do yourself a favor and dine here!! read more

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What a hidden gem located in an office tower in Downtown Houston. Had their lunch special, which was portobello mushroom ravioli with a shrimp cream sauce and the ravioli melted in your mouth. The shrimp cream sauce added the perfect accent. Served with a side salad with a feta vinaigrette dressing and house made bread was the best Italian food I've had in a while! Since it was lunchtime, no vino, but it looked like they have a pretty extensive wine list. Service was courteous, attentive and we were not rushed at all. Not sure if they take reservations, but the place is small, so next time, we'll call ahead. read more

We walked to Perbacco at the beginning of the lunch rush. The restaurant itself is clean and has great views of downtown. Like many other reviewers, I considered giving them less than 3 stars because of the owner/hostess. She was not hospitable at all. We walked in from the side walk and in the middle of sipping her wine says, "Menus there, order here, then sit." Typically, we like to study menus for a bit when we try a new place. Our party grabbed a menu and made its way to a table. Tables for parties larger than 2 say reserved. Apparently, at Perbacco reserved means something different than in the rest of the world. The hostess/owner walked over and asked us to move to a reserved table. In contrast, the service staff is phenomenal, both attentive and friendly to patrons. They made sure we had eating utensils and plenty of bread. The food at Perbacco is absolutely delicious. If this review was based on the food alone I would give it all 5 stars. We enjoyed: - House salad with the italian vinaigrette - Crispy bread (didnt know to order the oil and spices) - Fettucine Alfredo - Raviolle alla pescatora We will be back for sure because of its proximity to the office and the delicious food. I am not looking forward to engaging with the hostess again. read more

Stopped in since it was next door to Jones Hall and was not disappointed. Delicious food (the tiramisu was delightful) and service was quick but very friendly. Will definitely come again. read more

My fiancee and I had a good experience dining here on Friday evening! We walked in without a reservation at about ~6:00 PM and were seated promptly. Strangely, the table had a "Reserved" placard on it, but the waiter just removed it and we were good to go. Hopefully we didn't take someone else's table! We had a couple of different waiters throughout our dinner, as well as someone who just took away plates, refilled water, etc. The older (head?) waiter was a little matter-of-fact with how he spoke with us, but that was no big deal. We started off with olive oil and bread, and it was definitely delicious. They continued to bring us bread throughout the meal, which was really nice, since sometimes you just get one basket and it's game over. Next, I ordered an Italian beer, which was quite nice - my fiancee stuck to water. For our entrees, I ordered a ravioli in a lemon sauce with loose crab on top, while my fiancee ordered a shrimp pasta dish. I actually didn't love my dish, as I thought the lemon sauce was a little too strong and kind of overpowered the rest of my food. That being said, if I tried to ignore the lemon sauce, everything else was very good (the ravioli, the crab). I also get the sense that I just picked the wrong dish - my fiancee's shrimp dish was much better. After we finished our entrees, we wanted to get the check. The younger waiter asked us if we wanted dessert, and I said no (we were too full, etc.). I thought it was pretty clear that I just wanted the check, but he brought me the dessert menu anyway, which was a little strange. Even after I confirmed with him that we didn't want any dessert, it still took a while to get our check processed, and since the restaurant wasn't very busy, this was surprising. Still, at the end of the day, the food was fresh, I liked the ambiance, and everyone was generally nice. I'd definitely try it again (and my fiancee was a bigger fan than me - maybe I'll get the shrimp dish next time!). read more

Found this spot before a play one night and was glad we did. It was a nice change from the steakhouses downtown that are great as well. We were able to find a seat and the place was packed. We ordered and were taken care of very fast. Soft drinks come in a can here, just be aware. I had the crab raviolis and my wife had the lasagna. Both were excellent and perfect portioned. Overall a nice Italian restaurant in Houston. Will try and visit again read more

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First of all. This is the most authentic Italian food in Houston. Impeccable service. Small mom and pop hole in the heart of downtown. Service is quick....everyone is extremely kind and helpful. Busers and wait staff stay on top of everything. They serve wine and beer. Meals come w a salad. Huge lunch menu. Can't wait to come back for dinner. Kassie at the front took my order. She asked me what i was in the mood for and what she brought exceeded my expectations and HIT MY ITALIAN CRAVING PERFECT!!! Best Italian in Houston. read more

Trout with vegetables was a very light and healthy seeming meal. Having said that, it could really have used a bit more flavor, perhaps just some seasoning to keep it light. The atmosphere was very casual, almost cafeteria-like. OK for a weekday lunch. read more

This is the kind of Italian place I have been looking for in Houston!! The food was authentic and brought to memory some delicious meals I had in Italy. For starters, I love how they mixed balsamic vinegar with the oil and garlic dipping sauce. Yes, there are chunks of garlic and if you don't like that, you might be put off. If, however, you have a mother who always says "you can never have too much garlic" when it comes to cooking, you will love it. ;) Perusing the menu, I saw so many dishes that sounded good. Linguine frutti di mare sounded great...as well as a snapper dish with capers...manicotti. In the end, the gnocchi won out. It came either with tomatoes and basil (al pomodoro) or a gorgonzola sauce. I went for the al pomodoro ($13), even though I tend to shy away from red sauces b/c I usually dislike them unless they're my families' recipe. This, was a total winner. I doubt there was sugar in this sauce! It reminded me of my mom's gnocchi and pasta sauce. Yum!! My eating companions split a bottle of a Castello-somehing chianti (which I had a sip of, and it was delicious!!). One of my companions had the yelp-approved lasagna, which was delicious. Surpringly low on the tomato sauce and heavy on the cheese, noodles and meat. Really liked it! Our fellow dining companions had a risotto with squash and...I forget what else, and a seafood pesto pasta dish. A bowl of what I'm fairly certain was pecorino romano was brought out for all to share. Four nice-sized meals and a bottle of wine came to ~$100. This was the perfect place to come for a meal before heading to Alley Theater. The owner, Vittorio aka Vito, was a delight. He stopped by our table and joked about giving us 5 mins to order so we could make the play. We had plenty of time, but it was nice of him to be cognizant of our schedule. He told us that those gigantic pictures in there are from his childhood on Capri...aww! I saw on another website that they said you order at the counter...maybe at lunch time?? This was definitely a nice little sit down dinner. Nice big windows for viewing downtown, too. I would totally come back here (and I will) if I am going back to the theater. They take reservations and the food and atmosphere and prices are great! read more

I dined at Perbacco last night with my 2 girlfriends. We were all very pleased as it was our first time and we will definitely be returning. From the moment I stepped inside, the ambiance was very pleasant.  It is on the smaller side but the ceiling is very high and tables are well spread out so it feels spacious. The bread was absolutely delicious. All of our pastas came with a starter salad, which was a pleasant surprise. We all loved our mains - Lasagna, Penne Della Casa, etc. - yum! I also loved my Chardonnay because it didn't have that acid after-taste that some do. Something important, which we all were pleased to noticed - after eating, we felt full and satisfied, however, we did not experience that lethargic feeling you commonly get after eating pasta (and then regretting the meal because of it). The owner let us know he only uses simple and fresh ingredients so that makes sense (exactly what they do in Italy as he is from there)...it really makes ALL the difference. As a person who eats as clean as possible most of the time, I really notice how food makes me FEEL. I felt GREAT after dining at Perbacco. When I return I will be trying dessert as I was too full to order this time. read more

We had dinner here before the Symphony and I loved it! The service was great, and the owner came by a few times to check on us and chat. Dinner-I had the eggplant parm and loved it! I thought the cheese, sauce, eggplant ratio was good and everything tasty (loved the basil on top). Hubby got the lasagna and liked it a lot, although he wanted basil too. Our son had a shrimp pasta dish and also enjoyed it. The wine selection is limited, but I enjoyed my white and Hubby enjoyed his red. Truthfully, this was the best Italian food we have had in Houston and I would definitely eat here again. read more

Vittorio Preteroti, Owner 700 Milam @ Capitall Houston, TX 77002 (p) 713-224-2422 (f) 713-224-5024 The food is definitely wonderful. I ordered what I thought would be a plain pasta dish, tortillini with vologna (there was a choice of having a red sauce or white sauce with the clams and i picked white). The plate was big to fill me up for lunch. Clams were plentiful and so was the pasta. For approximately $10 as is most dishes in this location even during lunch time hours, I thought it would be too expensive for pasta, but the quality of the food (cooked even with fresh herbs instead of dried herbs), definitely made up for the price. My brother had another pasta dish that also looked good -- it had scallops and shrimps. The shrimp were very large, probably the largest I've seen in any pasta dish in town. Lunch meals include a side salad (which I had with feta dressing) and Italian campesino bread (country bread). It is definitely worth the trip for authentic yet simple Italian fare, Capri-style as the owner is from the island of Capri near Italy. The dessert is also wonderful. They don't always have the tiramisu, but when they do, it usually is good. The gelato here is also delicious -- it comes in four scoops and is served also with lady fingers (the cookies). :-) The decor of the place reminds me something that probably would fit well in Miami Beach. Pastel blue and white colors abound with black and white pictures and white futuristic lamps hanging from the high ceilings. Also... to make this trip a little more special, be sure to visit the Chase tower nearby as they have an observatory deck on the 60th floor. This is the tallest tower in Houston and they brag about it, saying it's the world's tallest 5-sided tower. Haha. But the view is wonderful and the deck is only open during working hours, Monday to Friday. read more

Top-notch Italian food experience in Houston's theater district! If you come to Perbacco, expect excellent service, food, atmosphere and value. Located right next to Jones Hall (Houston Symphony's venue), Perbacco is a perfect place for a stellar dinner before attending any nearby performance. Inside, the decor is fancy but also has a casual vibe so that it does not have the intimidating factor that is often the downside of a typical high-end restaurant. Perbacco's atmosphere is perfect to meet friends and especially host a date! Perbacco's food also does not pale in comparison to the restaurant's atmosphere. The menu has a decent-sized selection but you can actually ask for custom dishes! As a seafood fan, I ordered the marinara-style mussels and added pasta thanks to the owner's suggestion. The result was splendid! The marinara sauce, something that I previously was indifferent to, successfully made the dish a flavorful delight and the nearly two dozen mussels were one of the best I had. Unless you are against seafood, I highly recommend getting this dish! My meal ended with a good cup of mocha and the bill was only $20! Definitely a steal for this classy, delicious meal. Especially if you are planning to attend a symphony, ballet, opera, or play performance in the theater district, pregame with an excellent meal at Perbacco! read more

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I love the minimal and modern local. The" Linguine con frutti di mare" are the very best in town! My dear friend Lynda claims to have found "the" Lasagna that is rich and doesn't give her heartburn! I know the reason,It's all made fresh! Dinner is served Thursday - Saturday till 9pm ,if we all start going more often perhaps Mister Vittorio will change the Business hours! read more

I have been eating dinner at Perbacco for over 17 years. We have season tickets to the Houston Symphony POPS. Every season I call up and make reservations for the entire year we go and take friends. We have never had a bad meal. The dinner comes with a salad, great size portions (it is hot) and fresh. I am Italian and picky about where I eat, and this is the BEST gem in town. Friendly, family-owned business, clean and delicious food at a good price. Ciao! read more

FANTASTIC service - fantastic food. It's quite difficult to find right now because of construction, but when you do find it, man have you lucked out. The bread, the lattes, the pasta *chefs kiss*. The atmosphere is wonderful and it has a great history of serving the Houston Symphony musicians, so you'll probably run into them there. read more

Let me start with this - the food here is pretty good. We got here just before lunch on a Friday afternoon - when everyone seems to go out to eat during the week. As soon as you walk in you place your order and go find a table. The portions are decent. If your raging hungry then you may need something else. But the dishes taste pretty good. I had the crepes di pollo - crepes with roasted chicken in a creamy wine sauce. Pretty good and maybe a little more unique than the usual. People at the table beside us got the salmon and broccoli and it looked pretty fresh and good too. Most meals come with a side salad and there is bread and butter at the front that you can get as well. The waiters (two managing the whole restaurant) will come around and clear your plates and refill your water. They are busy and always moving but it's decent service. Just be prepared if you are there and it's busy to feel a little rushed while ordering. read more

Perbacco - Crepes di pollo (crepes with roasted chicken, creamy wine sauce) - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

I came here with my friend for Valentine's Day. This place is quaint and cute right in the middle of downtown Houston. Parking isn't that great, especially with the construction on nearby roads, but that didn't take away from the dining experience. We had a reservation since it was Valentine's day. We were seated immediately and our server took our drink orders very quickly. The owner was also there and he was super friendly! The decor is nice and welcoming. The tables are pretty close together, so if you aren't comfortable with intimate settings, I would not recommend this place. We both enjoyed our meals (I had some sort of chicken dish and it was fantastic). When we were done, the owner chatted with us for a bit even though it was getting busy. That was really nice. I have already recommended this place to a friend, especially if you are looking for a quaint place to go with a friend or significant other. read more

I came here with a cowork at noon for lunch. It was pack but don't let that scares you away. We gave our orders at the register and after 5 mins later we got seated. It's a cute small restaurant with glass window all around. I got the clams pasta with garlic and olive oil. The portion and price were reasonable. It was good for what it was and I would definitely come back. read more

Great service! The food is amazing! Haven't had anything I didn't like! Vito is old school and like fewer ingredients but packs so much flavor!! read more

The quiet nice little Italian was amazing. They sat us in a amazing little table alone near the window. Everyone was so nice and friendly why have i not found this place before. I will be back the food was delicious! read more

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Wonderful, reasonably priced Italian classics with fabulous staff. 32 years of serving the "arts" crowd. So many regulars you need to call a couple weeks in advance! read more

3.5 stars but rounding up... My friend and I came here for lunch today and it was decently busy for a rainy day during a weekday. I can't really imagine anyone wanting to drive downtown to this place on a weekend or weekday night. It seems like a lunch spot, but I could be wrong! I really liked how you walk up and get your food so it's quick and business-lunch-friendly. The service was a bit hurried, nothing too friendly or exceptional, but the food came out freshly and quickly. I ordered the fettuccine alfredo and my friend got the linguine with clams. Hers looked a bit oily and the clams were a bit small - perhaps not in season. I liked mine since the sauce was creamy and not too heavy, and the chicken was not overcooked. I think if I were to go again, I would try the tortellini. For a lunch at $14+tip for an entree, it is a bit on the pricier side, but definitely doable. I also liked how it comes with bread and a salad and it's fast casual Italian food. I've definitely had more authentic, delicious, Italian food, but from a logistics standpoint, it's in a great location for a lunch spot during the work week, service is fast and the food is tasty! I would definitely recommend it, but not sure if I'd be in a hurry to go back right away. read more

If only the food was as good as they thought it was. We were invited as part of a group, 8 of us. Had to have a reservation. My friend and I had looked at the menu ahead of time, and nothing really looked inspired, so we ate before we went. A good thing too. They had items on the menu listed with ingredients such as a "pink sauce" Have no idea what that is. I ordered eggplant parmegian which said it was "baked" I assumed they meant the breaded eggplant was baked not fried. I received a casserole dish of three eggplant strips, say 1/8" thick, rolled up around something and they were then stood up in the casserole. Uninspired sauce and cheese on it, and then, yes, baked. Was like lava. I will say the mozzarella on top was of good quality but the rest of the dish not very good. Bland, watery. A fried ordered the lasagane. It too arrived in a casserole. She said it was salty and was trying to eat around the sauce, but hat was impossible. I looked over and this pile of food looked - and I am not exaggerating - like a dog threw up in the dish. I didn't see anything that resembled lasagne, just a pile of ground beef in some sloppy sauce with cheese on top. It was uneaten. Not that the waiter cared or anyone came to check on our meals. The salad was really blah. Had some lettuce, some carrot shreds some cheese on top not even a tomato or some onion. Bread at table was ok. Never received a thank you at the table or any enthusiasm about us being there as customers. My friend and I laughed about it - sort of reminded us about the Sienfeld Soup N guy. Would never recommend. read more

Fresh and delicious food. The wait is long and there are limited seating which is very tight. But his restaurant will make whatever u want them to. read more

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The food was great! Unfortunately the hostess/waitress was terrible. She wasn't friendly at all. I debated giving 3 stars because of her. She seemed annoyed with us in general. She was drinking wine on the job and literally could not be bothered with us. I had family visiting town that wanted to try to this place. We came in the day before thanksgiving so it wasn't too busy. We had a toddler and couple older children. This place isn't really kid friendly, it's small with no high chairs or kids menus. However, the man running this joint was VERY accommodating. He said he would make whatever the kids wanted in small portions. My 2 year old son made a bit of a mess with the pasta. Our busser came out with a warm damp cloth and literally cleaned him up for us! My son was chowing down on the bread so they gave him extra bread to take home. I would rate the food itself, 5 stars! read more

Wonderful downtown Setting. We got the corner Table by the windows. Recommend on play nights to make reservations. Service is paced well, never rushed. Prices are very reasonable. My husband had the special with lobster, scallops and shrimp With angel hair pasta (special request) and cream sauce and I had tortellini. They are very willing to make any adjustments They can to the food you would like. It was a delightful dining experience. read more

Our favorite little Italian place in Houston. As authentic as can be, as should be expected when the owner and his family are from Capri and the family has been in the business for a long time. Only downside is the restaurant hours can be tricky depending on the time of year. Excellent dinner spot if you're hitting up Jones Hall or for date night. read more

Took my mom, sister and niece to dinner at this quaint Italian restaurant. Felt like we were in Italy as the waiter seemed like the owner in his attention to details and presence in the dining area. The dining area is tiny with high ceilings and glass on two sides. The view is astonishing if the surrounding buildings and the passing traffic and pedestrians adds interest. The bread and oil was delicious and my mom cautioned us to slow down but we couldn't as it was absolutely wonderful. Few vegetarian options but I had the eggplant. My sister had a chicken pasta dish which she enjoyed and my niece ordered spaghetti and meatballs off menu. Mom had the chicken crepes which were packed with chicken and heavenly! We ended the meal with the most delectable desserts. Tiramisu and chocolate cake with coffee. Total was right at $100 go there 4 of us. What a deal! read more

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This place is a gem.... they have great food and a very nice selection of Italian wines by the glass.... Cassie the hostess is very attentive and helpful in making recommendations... this place is very busy in the early evening due to patrons who will be going to the theaters near the restaurant... read more

Perbacco - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas