The 6 Best Italian Restaurants in the Galleria Area

You already know you can find plenty of tasty barbecue or Tex-Mex options around H-town, but where can you fill up on delicious Italian plates around our city? Well, if you’re looking to spend some time around the Galleria, you’ll appreciate knowing that the area features some incredible Italian restaurants. Whether you work in the area and would like some midday pizza or you’re getting some shopping done this weekend and are on the hunt for the perfect plate of pasta to end the fun, these top six Italian restaurants in the Houston Galleria area are sure to satisfy. 

Barry’s Pizza and Italian Diner

This restaurant, situated right inside the uptown area, offers much more than just pizza and allows you to relax in an atmosphere that isn’t too stifling. Its many customers appreciate how cozy and charming it is. As you walk inside Barry’s Pizza and Italian Diner and are greeted by a welcoming team of staff, it feels like home, absolutely inviting in sights, sounds, and smells. 

Some of the favorite menu options are Detroit-style deep dish pizza and create-your own salad. The food comes out exactly in the way you expect, nothing trendy. Just good authentic pizza and other tasty Italian dishes. 

Corelli’s Italian Cafe

Corelli’s has been a part of the Galleria area since its opening in 1995. For years, the restaurant has been bringing traditional Italian recipes to Houston customers within an intimate space. Regulars continue to come back for the warm dining environment, fresh and filling dishes, and an overall restaurant experience that works for any type of gathering. 

Every customer’s experience here begins with bread sticks that are made fresh in house. You couldn’t go wrong starting with the house salad either. The delicious options at Corelli’s are numerous. With the traditional dishes you expect such as spaghetti and lasagna but also unique seafood or veal options, there’s something here for everyone to appreciate.  

Piatto Ristorante

A wonderful choice for both romantic dates or business lunches, Piatto is a huge hit with frequenters of the Galleria area. While this popularity can make the place quite crowded at certain times, you will usually not have to worry about getting a reservation in order to be welcomed in. If you’re willing to spend a bit more for higher quality food, you won’t regret coming here. 

Make sure to order the favorite appetizer, Asparagus Speciali. The unique dish consists of fried asparagus topped with crab meat and a lemon-butter sauce. Customers can’t get enough of it. You might even consider ordering it as your main course, but then you’d miss out on all the excellent entrees. Pizza, pasta, or seafood, they’re all worth a try. 

Maggiano’s Little Italy

Don’t discount this restaurant listing just because it’s a chain. Great Italian dishes that continue to not disappoint still make this one of the best Italian restaurants available in the Galleria area. You might come to Maggiano’s Little Italy for a satisfying experience with an individual entree or bring your whole family to enjoy family style service. 

However you choose to dine, you will find each dish, influenced by recipes passed down through Italian families and crafted with care, delightful. Some of the favorites are the Eggplant Parmesan, Maggiano’s Salad, Beef Tenderloin Medallions, and Lasagna. Can’t get enough of this incredible Italian cuisine? Several menu options are part of Maggiano’s special deal that lets you take an extra one home to enjoy again later. 

Grotto Ristorante

Within this restaurant, you’ll find yourself blown away by the elegant decor, only the first note made towards your impression of this restaurant. Now owned by Landry’s, Grotto still continues to provide spectacular dining experiences, with welcoming servers and authentic Italian cuisine. Every visit, whether on a date or with a casual gathering, provides a fine dining experience here. 

Some of the signature dishes are the veal kickerillo, the snapper siciliano, and the paglia e fieno con pollo. From pizza and pasta to outstanding meat and seafood dishes, each menu item deserves its place within the restaurant. After indulging in the cuisine, you’ll be eager to come back for another visit. 

North Italia

It didn’t take long after its opening in 2015 before North Italia had quickly taken over the Galleria area dining scene. The superior quality and attention to detail continues to keep people coming back, so much so that it’s recommended that you make a reservation to avoid the wait. There is definitely a good reason for this popularity: efficient servers deliver house-made dishes that you can watch be prepared in the kitchen through a glass wall and the prices that you pay for such an impressive experience are relatively reasonable. 

Delicious food items like pasta Bolognese, chicken Parmesan, and margherita pizza are no more than twenty dollars. The care than has been taken in making the meals can be tasted in both pastas and pizzas, likely due to all dough being made fresh in house, as you can see for yourself with the glass granting complete access to the kitchen. Without a doubt, this is one of the best Italian restaurants you could find around the Galleria in Houston, which is why it may be a surprise to many to learn that it’s a chain. Those in charge of the restaurant have such a dedication to quality that it simply doesn’t make a difference. 

Every single one of these restaurants will satisfy when you’re craving Italian in the Galleria area. If you’ve already tried some of these delightful options, let us know what dishes you enjoyed. We’d love to try them out ourselves and maybe put them on our Instagram! Tag us with #ReachHTX with pics of your favorite Italian cuisine and they may end up on our page.