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    Potente

    4.4 (506 reviews)
    PriceyItalian, Seafood
    Closed Closed
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Potente Photos

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    POTENTE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Intimate
    Romantic
    Classy
    Upscale

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    Recommended Reviews - Potente

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    Reviews With Photos

    Cacio e pepe
    Blair V.

    I came on a Friday during happy hour to celebrate my sister's birthday and it was very packed in the bar area because it was game day for the Astros. Because of its close proximity to one of the entry gates, it's a go to spot for pre gamers! Potente had a secret spring 3-course menu that most of our group opted to try. I paid extra for an added course- their famous spaghetti al tartufo Nero (Cacio Pepe with truffles). It was worth the extra +$20, very creamy and balanced. It was even a hit with my 1 year old daughter! Every course was delicious except for the dessert which was a sad ending. The double chocolate cake was on the drier side even with the chambord splash. Service was on the slower side because it was really busy and crowded in the bar area. I felt like we waited as long as 30 mins for our food in between courses. Maybe it would have been better if we sat in the main dining room? This is a go to spot for my sisters who live in Houston and I'm glad I was able to dine here! Check out their happy hour, they have a good list of delicious items.

    Spaghetti w/truffle
    Lakeisha W.

    Potente is a GEM! Every time I'm downtown I make it my duty to stop by! The bar manager Emily and the ENTIRE staff make me feel welcome and I enjoy the experience. The ambiance is great for a date night or if you want to chill after work for HH. The food is amazing! If you are in the area, I highly suggest!!

    Spaghetti al tartufo
    Cara P.

    Enjoyed a lovely dinner for one at the bar before an Astros game. Service was excellent. Bar is a cool space separated from the main dining room. They're known for the truffle pasta for a reason. Checks all of the flavor boxes! Love that they had a smaller portion on the happy hour menu.

    Creme brulee
    Tania M.

    What can I say... I think im in love with this fine dining restaurant. Originally I got to savor the delicacies of Potente because of my friends mini wedding reception. We came back for more the week after for my other friends birthday since it was just that darned fabulous. The Caccio a pepe with shaved white truffles just made me wanna empty out my pocket book. Honestly the simple things like the warm bread rolls and hummus dip just made me want to status there ALL night. Will and the manager made my bday girl friend feel extra special and the recently married bride feel like a queen. The restaurant is modern Lux cozy and well let's just say that I work for food. . And Potente will be taking a lot of my money!!! Im glad its a Stones throw into downtown. Definitely a gem that needs to be shown out!!! Im titilated by the thought of going back and trying more dishes!!!

    AJ H.

    I've passed by this place numerous times when walking to an Astros game, never did I expect when walking inside to see and experience something so high end when looking from the outside. Visited during Houston Restaurant Week. Excellent three course menu option, and had to get the truffle pasta (which they hand slice the truffles onto your place from their special box) Really enjoyed the food, service, and ambiance

    Butter cake
    Lisa M.

    My hubby planned this dinner to celebrate my milestone birthday. Food: Salad absolutely delicious, the filet tender, the butter cake tasty! Service: Our server was very attentive. Ambiance: great music, low light and beautiful granite table top (really uncommon) All together a great birthday celebration. I recommend Potente as a great spot for your special occasion.

    Truffle pasta full size
    Libby H.

    Came here for HRW and really loved it! The ambiance is beautiful and upscale! The menus light up nicely which is nice for easy reading. The standout dishes are for sure the truffle pasta and the pork chop. The steak is also great! The food is phenomenal and I love the fresh truffle being shaved onto the pasta. The service is on point and very good too!!!

    Whipped artichoke hummus
    Ayesha W.

    One of the best restaurants I have been to in a while. Everyone was so welcoming from the hostess, to the waitstaff, and the busboys. The restaurant is decorated so lovely and it's a great place for a romantic dinner date or a girls night out. I ordered off the HRW menu starting with polipetti arrostiti which was so flavorful, the octopus was a bit chewy but still loved the dish. For my entree the cacio Pepe with chicken 10/10. The dessert was the highlight of my night, the torta al formaggio was amazing. I had no idea pistachio cheesecake existed now I'm hooked!! I will definitely be returning to try other items

    Torta Di Marsala
    Vikki H.

    This is the only place I'm trying for HRW this year so had high hopes for it to be really good. It didn't disappoint. My husband and I usually order different things so we can try a variety of items. Here's everything we ordered: (1) Burrata - It seemed like a simple dish but the freshness of everything maked it so tasty. If you don't want to feel super full with everything else, this was a good starter dish. The burrata was AMAZING. (2) Polipetti Arrostiti - This was their Charred Octopus dish. It tasted good but not great. I think it's bc it was cut into small pieces. When we order this dish in other places, it's usually a chunk of octopus that's plated vs thinly sliced pieces. The octopus flavor was a bit lost for us. (3) Branzino - This is their European Sea Bass. It has a tomato flavor to it so fyi bc some folks like the tomato-y taste, some don't. The skin was clean and has a nice crisp to it. Good light main dish. (4) Spaghetti Al Tartufo Nero - This was THE STAR of the night. After our server told us all the awards and recognition it had, we both had to try it. WOW. We're not typically pasta folks and d*mn this was good. Pasta is definitely fresh and al dente. Sauce was perfect. They shaved the truffles onto the dish at the table. It didn't feel heavy either. (5) Torta di Marsala - The butter cake was delicious. Not rich and heavy. Good flavor. (6) Limone Pavlova - A burst of surprise! The sorbet was a good end to clean the palette. This was really light and refreshing too! Presentation was beautiful. We also had our toddler with us so was able to have him try our dishes too. This is typically not a restaurant where you see little ones running around so was appreciative of them going next door to grab a high chair for our little one and serving him water in a closed plastic container. There's also a place in the RR that we were able to use as a changing area. Overall, everything went great and we had a lovely dinner experience. For anyone wondering about parking, there is paid valet service and street parking available.

    Menu
    Judy C.

    DRESS UP!!! NO T-Shirts. Almost got sat in the bar/cocktail area because of dress code and was about get seated on a high boy, when we made reservations for the dining room area. They have a few different sections you could be seated in (bar/cocktail area & 2 diff dining rooms). Rodney was our server and was knowledgeable about the restaurant and menu. Checked on us in a timely manner. We also got served an Amuse bouche which was a small delish pastry item. Potente has a regular menu & a Secret Menu (3 set course for $75 - includes a bread/hummus, starter, main and dessert). I opted for the Secret Menu and ordered The Tonno (Yellowfin Tuna, dressed nicely and seared nicely on the outside and beautifully raw on the inside), Spaghetti Al Tartufo Nero (essentially truffle pasta, cooked al-dente, table side truffle shaving-kinda skimped on the amount of shaved truffles/Maybe got 6 shaved slices. and added shrimp (only gave 3 medium sized shrimps) and the Amaretto Creme Brûlée (best dessert here, big size and more bruleee than creme which i kinda liked, even had 2 macarons and fruit which was refreshing). For an additional starter, must get the POLIPETTI ARROSTITI (charred octopus). Another Main we ordered was the Pappardelle Al Coniglio (rabbit bolognese + wild boar meatballs, pappardelle was also cooked al-dente and seasoned nicely). Restrooms - Clean and had the fancy thick napkins Parking - Street Parking is free after 6pm at the meters. Meters is $1.40/hour or Valet $13 Just remember to dress up a bit.

    Jessica S.

    My husband and I came here for our anniversary. We enjoyed it so much, the staff was great, Maria did an amazing job explaining the dishes to us and so did Ronaldo. The food was great and had a distinct favorable taste! After our dinner we went to the bar section. I had the mango margarita and it was good as well. The restrooms are super clean and impecable.

    Hummus , very good
    Curtis T.

    The service was good, I was a little taken back when I was just offered tap and still water and had to asked if they sold sprinkling. Of course I wanted sprinkling. Ordered the octopus appetizer and the waiter asked how was it and I stated it was a little bacon heavy; I had tasted more burned bacon than octopus, he responded there wasn't bacon in it. I was shocked. The upgraded my pasta black truffle dish to the white truffle and it was good but nothing I would recommend or order again. Didn't really care for their take on oyster Rockefeller; they used artichoke but it wasn't a good substitute. But it all it was just ok; not in a rush to head back definitely won't recommend just because the price didn't live up to the food or the atmosphere.

    Menu
    Apryl M.

    Late Post HRW: We dined at this restaurant during Houston Restaurant Week and it was an amazing experience. We order off the HRW menu as it has a good variety of items for every palate. This restaurant is really FANCY and the service matches the price. In fact a young couple got engaged the night were there and everyone congratulated them. They are very accommodating for vegan and gluten fee options as well. The decor is very upscale including the bathroom very clean. Very good wine selection as well and they have a wine room for private dinner parties. Everything we order was prepared well and flavors were good; not over spiced. We were a party of 6 and all food items arrived in timely manner. I'm glad we came during HRW because pricing is up there as you're paying for the overall experience but the food overall was good. I wouldn't make this a regular place to dine as it's too far from home but if you're trying to impress a date or have a special celebration, private occasion this is a nice place for it. They do however have a happy hour special in the bar area and outdoor patio specials I may come back to try. Just plan to bring your AMEX as this is a pricy but very nice venue. I'll probably come back during the next HRW to try other items. Wait staff was excellent as well which says a lot about this place. It's a nice place to try if you're into the area. The Best Food review!

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    Potente Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Potente

    Is the pasta made fresh in house?

    Is there like chicken Alfredo? Cause it's not on the online menu

    Not that I’ve ever seen on the menu. They have great food though!

    Is a pasta plate pretty filling? Or do you need to multiple appetizers / dessert to feel full?

    Yes, very filling!

    Does this restaurant accommodate large groups?

    Yes there are various options depending on group size. The wine room is private and seats 8. The enclosed terrace can be semi private for smaller groups (I had 12) or up to 40 ish for the whole space I believe.

    Do you have to dress up, is it casual or business?

    Potente suggests business casual. Shorts, t-shirts, flip flops, hats are not permitted. However, the rules are more relaxed during the Astros home-game days.

    Gluten free pasta?

    Yes

    Do they take Discover card?

    Yes, we do!

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    La Lucha

    La Lucha

    4.4
    (1.1k reviews)
    4.5 mi
    $$

    Everything was so tasty. Definitely recommend making reservations. The staff were friendly and…read morecould recommend things to try. Will definitely be back!

    Usually there's a grace period; this time, as soon. As I sat down at my metaphorical and literal…read moredining table, the ceiling opened and our dinners started raining from the sky. Just kidding LOL that didn't happen! Anyway, back to the point, sorry.. I like to mess around a little. I wasn't that hungry because I had food yesterday I ordered a kids cheeseburger burger with fries, a kids meal chicken tender with fries, a farmhouse burger, and the half chicken with biscuits. I also had the his biscus lemonade. Needless to say--well actually, quite needing to say since this is a review after all--the food was pretty good. Prices were a little crazy but it's become all to normal in this day and age. As for the food, I ordered a kids cheeseburger burger with fries , a kids meal chicken tender.. don't feel like saying all this again. As for the food, the service was pretty good I guess. The girl servers were pretty smart. The boy servers were a little less smart. Every time the guys brought food, they either stood there looking around, or attempted to place the food on top of other plates or napkins that were on the tiny table. I suggest maybe a boot/concentration program for the guys so they can concentrate a lil more. Ok, it's time for me to go. I'm gonna go to sleep after all the food. I forgot to mention what I ordered. kids cheeseburger burger with fries, a kids meal chicken tender with fries, a farmhouse burger, and the half chicken with biscuits. I also had the his biscus lemonade. The half chicken was obviously what they tried the hardest in. There were 4 types of sauce with it. They were all pretty good, but I didn't eat the chicken. The chicken tasted incredible-- so much so that I finished it completely. But I don't like eating around bones, I find it primitive. I'm more of a chicken tender kinda guy if you know what I mean. Oh yeah and for the food, I had a his biscus lemonade. It was SO good. Alright. And that is the end of my review. I hope I did t forget to list my food items because I've gotten hate messages calling me weird. Anyway, I'm out chat. Thank you to my faithful followers. Continue to look forward to my honest reviews. P.S. the beginning part was not a joke it actually happened. I have a video but I won't put it because I'm tryna lay low it you know what I'm sa Tying to you yuui

    Photos
    Dining area
    Dining area
    Chocolate bread pudding
    Chocolate bread pudding
    Outside

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    Outside
    Josephine's Gulf Coast Tradition

    Josephine's Gulf Coast Tradition

    4.4
    (307 reviews)
    1.2 mi

    I love this restaurant! And it's favorite spot to visit when I'm in Houston…read more The food is always fabulous, and I enjoy the libation. My last dish was étouffée with gold tile filet - delicious! TV screens in the background don't interfere with the table conversations. There's street parking.

    *this review is only for crawfish, not their regular menu (which is amazing) *…read more We went here during crawfish season because they've been advertising their $8/lb crawfish, and we trusted that it would be great given the quality of their regular menu. We went on a Saturday for lunch. Hopefully this was just a one-off, but if you're looking for good Cajun boiled crawfish, this is not it. We started off with 6 lbs (group of 4) of their regular crawfish. First off, they put the Cajun seasoning on outside/shell (!!), which is a cardinal sin for Cajuns. They also minimally seasoned the boil, so the meat was lacking salt and flavor. We ordered 3 more lbs with the "wet sauce" (garlic butter), thinking the lack of flavor may be attributed to this being the first-ish batch of the day. Nope, the second batch was even less seasoned than the first. The sauce was good, but it didn't make up for the unseasoned meat. The crawfish were a good size, at least... Come on guys, I expect more from a Gulf Coast seafood restaurant!

    Photos
    Inside - back area seating
    Inside - back area seating
    Banana Pudding-$10. Would've loved more cookies! Rich and filling!
    Banana Pudding-$10. Would've loved more cookies! Rich and filling!
    Blue Crab Rice Bowl-$26. RICH!

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    Blue Crab Rice Bowl-$26. RICH!
    State of Grace

    State of Grace

    4.4
    (1.1k reviews)
    4.2 mi
    $$$

    We recently celebrated my mother-in-law's birthday at State of Grace, and it was truly an…read moreexceptional dining experience. From the moment we arrived, the service was out of this world. The front hostess, Annabella, was incredibly welcoming and helpful, making us feel valued from the start. Our waiter was equally amazing and attentive, knowledgeable, and genuinely dedicated to ensuring we had a wonderful evening. We started with the deviled eggs and crab beignets, both of which were absolutely delicious. Their French onion soup was hearty. Drinks were fabulous too. For our meal, we ordered the mashed potatoes, cacio e pepe, pork schnitzel, blackened fish, miso fish, and burger, and every dish was perfectly prepared and packed with flavor. The restaurant went above and beyond by surprising my mother-in-law with a birthday dessert (upon my request when I had originally booked it), which was such a thoughtful touch and made the celebration even more memorable. We also enjoyed the pecan ball and chocolate soufflé, and both were outstanding. Between the incredible food, impeccable service, and special attention to our celebration, State of Grace exceeded all expectations. Annabella, our waiter, and the entire staff made the evening feel truly special. Easily one of the best dining experiences we've had in Houston, and we can't wait to return! I will be planning a girls night there soon!

    The pickled shrimp was just ok. Not enough flavor to me, just a mix of some ingredients…read more The oysters and accompaniments were great. Presentation was nice. Hollywood, va voom and metagorda all similar in taste to each other. The maison salad was delicious. Butter lettuce with the toppings and sauce was just enjoyable. The butter burger sliders were good. Just would like it thicker as it's too much bun. The cookie on the way out was so awesome, I almost went back in to grab another. Gingerbread I think. Avery was a wonderful bartender and kept up with entertaining conversations and was attentive to all service needs. Tried the g4 tequila reposado and it was very easy drinking.

    Photos
    Beautiful bar area with great lighting for selfies
    Beautiful bar area with great lighting for selfies
    State of Grace
    Interior of restaurant

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    Interior of restaurant
    Traveler's Table

    Traveler's Table

    4.4
    (2.4k reviews)
    2.0 mi
    $$$

    I've been here countless times for brunch and always have amazing food and service. I enjoy sitting…read moreboth inside and outside. Inside has a small bar area, some booths, and tables. Outside has fans and is covered. They can get pretty full so it's best to have a reservation through open table. I've tried and enjoyed both the bubbly and margarita flights. Each time I go for brunch I either get the Huevas à la Mexicana or the French toast which could have different toppings with the season. The beans are also super flavorful and the French toast always done well and never soggy. I still haven't gone for dinner yet, but will try one day soon. Just a warning if you ever visit: please utilize valet! There are signs to remind you and some people still ignore it and end up getting towed from parking across the street.

    Everything was absolutely AMAZING. Complimentary valet, we had no reservation but walked in for…read moresunday brunch and were seated immediately, superb staff/service and delicious food!! Hugeee portions for the price too Our favorite was definitely the korean fried rice though. It was so, so flavorful and the meat was so tender 10/10 Huevos a la mexicana was solid but a little simple 7/10 We also got the japanese mushroom toast but i didnt get a pic. It was hugee and pretty good but again kinda simple 7/10 And the ube pancakes were sooooo good and fluffy but crispy on the bottom. Not too much ube flavor but it comes with a nice coconut cream sauce! Would get again 8.5/10 Overall ambiance was amazing too. Nice outdoor seating and good vibes all around. Loved it all, would come back!

    Photos
    Traveler's Table
    Traveler's Table
    Ube Pancakes

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    Ube Pancakes

    Potente - italian - Updated June 2026

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