Ciao Bello

Absolutely loved the pizza! So thin and so fresh. The sauce was perfect– yummy! The ambiance of the restaurant was nice and the staff was very pleasant. Thank you Alvaro! Great service. Only down side– try not to sit in the last booth– there was a strong fish-​smell.

The dinner portion was very pricey for the size but tasty none the less. I would definitely stick to lunch here. I also ordered an Old Fashioned cocktail which was again pricey but subpar although very strong.

Met up with a group of friends for our annual Holiday Dinner at Ciao Bello. The place is pretty & really loved the bar area. It took a bit for the very distracted bartenders to get to our order: there was an empty beer in front of us & the bartender asked if we wanted another. Nope. Not ours. I asked what kind of vodka & the bartender replied «We have all sorts». I looked at H & he took over ordering our martinis before I could come up with a snarky reply.
We were shown to a large round table which made it easy to converse with our large group. We ordered a couple of bottles of wine while we perused the menu. The wine arrived, was uncorked & sampled. What happened next really freakin’ surprised me. The waiter put the bottle on the table & walked off. WTF? Oh holy hell, it’s gonna be one of those evenings. We placed our orders & that’s when I noticed the bread basket. One helluva variety was artfully arranged in the basket. Our salads arrived and well they looked a bit sad & the dressing lacked flavor. Back to the bread basket…
I ordered the Red Snapper Ravello which was really delicious! Parmesan crusted with a bit of crab meat, tomatoes with a bianco sauce. I shared most of my portion (portions here are small) with a friend as her Jumbo Shrimp dinner had only 2 or 3 pieces (told you the portions were small).
So the service sucked, the salad unimaginative, & the main course good but hard to find on the plate. And like Daniel L stated in his review the bread basket is responsible for all three stars in this review.

Great food and welcoming classy people that are there help you. Came in and got to try different wines until we found the right one! Awesome service!

Hubs and I had an extremely enjoyable lunch here!
For starters, the bread basket they bring out is full of goodies that you can munch on while you wait.
I ordered a cup of the Italian Wedding Soup … OMG is was mouthgasmic! Chicken meatballs, noodles and a clear broth that wasn’t too salty … I wish I had ordered a bowl of this. I could see this being perfect on a cold, winter’s day!
I also got the salmon salad with dressing on the side. The salmon piece is HUGE and very tasty. The salad is full of different kinds of lettuce, which I prefer since I am not a fan of iceberg lettuce at all.
Great lunch spot and the wait wasn’t too long for our food!

We have a couple of friends that came from Alaska and they wanted some Italian food, so we decided to give this place a try. I would get a 4 star for their services because our waiter was awesome. They also get a 2 star for food, so that’s why I decided to give them a 3 star. I had the chicken francese, it wasnt as good as I had hoped. I had high hopes for this place and I was let down. Would I ever go back again? Probably not, but I might give them another try or maybe not since there are other Italian restaurants in the area.

Very nice decoration and tasty food. we ordered the seafood soup and I was looking for a vegetarian pasta so the chief made me something from their summer menu. it was penned with asparagus, squash, tomatoes, artichokes, zucchini and marinara sauce… I loved how they served the pasta hard and marinara sauce was fresh so I enjoyed the dish a lot… The service was excellent they even got us a lemonade refill without asking… Worth going

I have had lunch and dinner at Ciao Bello many times and I was never disappointed. This, I say to explain my complete confusion at the snarly, sarcastic and over the top review of Daniel L. I have never replied to a reviewer before, but his assessment is way off base.
First, it is NOT a snooty or pretentious place unless eating on a table with a white tablecloth and properly placed flatware scares you. Service IS flawless, and even kind. I recall that once after I raved about their pumpkin bread, the waiter sent me home with extra servings of it. No-​one has ever done that, either before or afterward.
Second, the food is impeccable. Yesterday, we took our twenty-​something daughter who was visiting from out of town for lunch. We had fish entrees all of us. We were as usual delighted and amazed by their treatment of trout, snapper and salmon. Nothing was «average». Nothing was Sysco-​ish, or whatever he says.
Nor, is it prohibitively expensive, unless all you can afford is $ 1.50 tacos. Now, I have dined all over the country and many places overseas, and I think I can recognize and honestly good meal when I see one. And Ciao Bello is that rare spot where you get very good food at really reasonable prices. As far as all that talk about Euro-​Metro trash, I think the reviewer has emotional problems that need solving outside of writing a Unilocal review. And though NYC has a very special place in his heart, allow me to suggest that Houston has excellent therapists more than able to help him deal with what clearly troubles him.

Best Italian in Houston. Great, quiet place for business lunch and first class service.

Super classy and upscale Italian restaurant in the Galleria area that you don’t have to dress up for! We were in jeans!
The great:
Service. It’s pretty much awesome. Everyone that served us was extremely nice and helpful!
Interior: nice, classy, but not over the top! It also want too crowded or too loud, which I appreciate!
Great wine. They have an extensive wine list.
The food. I had a special: tuna limone. Omg. Seriously might be the best fish I’ve ever eaten in a restaurant. So simple. So delicious.
The bad: nothing. It’s not cheap, but it’s not overpriced — the food is worth it!
Can’t wait to go back and get a huge plate of pasta!

This is a gentlesir’s formal business lunch sort of place. It’s in Uptown so traffic on San Felipe of course is a thing and sets the mood. Every fella in the restaurant was in business casual or better; most like me were in full suits even though it was 300 degrees outside today. This ain’t a place to bring the side chick.
It’s a Vallone place so you’re paying for his name that resonates among the sheeple, and the appearance of exclusivity for «successful» business professionals. If someone else like daddy is paying for you then go wild. But on your own dime do not expect a culinary experience that will make you need to find a hooker at the nearest bus stop that will slap you in the face and then spit on you, like so many other (ahem, cheaper) fabulous lunch options available in our fine town. I know that feel brah, it’s happened so many times since Dolce Vita’s melanzane I should probably get a frequent flyer card from Upgrayedd.
Giving cred to where street cred is due, the free bread basket they set out on the table once you are seated is responsible for all three of the stars in this Unilocal review. The bread basket is smart. Having scoured the Unilocal reviews beforehand I had heard of this bread basket but only in the dinner context as Matthew C. (usually my concurrence-​Yelper) addressed in his review — thin breadsticks, crispy flatbreads, and thick slices of multigrain bread. The thick slices of multigrain bread were fantastic; definitely the stand out favorite in the bread basket and the first component our table made disappear. Were this review solely limited to the free bread basket we would be at five stars fam. But there was a disappointing $ 17 entrée in play so let’s rap about that.
The chicken paillard entrée ($ 17) is roasted zucchini, asparagus, and grilled mushroom vinaigrette. Paillard means pounded flat [looks at smudged writing on hand] like your mohair.
The chicken slab is a thinly hammered flat (check) but dull tasting and otherwise unremarkable stab in the general direction of flavorless chicken. A brother that likes chickens and all the possibilities about how another brother can prepare said chicken would be completely uninspired at this — potentially the most lazy and unimaginative preparation of chicken in the history of everything in the A universe (referring to the Berenstain Bears multiverse crossover theory that has once again been making the rounds on tumblr and elsewhere.)
The zucchini slices piled in on the flat chicken slab as the first line are all different shapes and thickness, which was chaotic to say the least. The slicing on the asparagus circlets on the second line (insert Tremé trumpet blast here) was more uniform though there was much less asparagus than zucchini. While I love my boomers, the mushrooms were there so sparsely it must be a new prison commodity now that they have gone smoke free and metrosexuality has entered in such prevalence that no longer is just any man a sight for sore eyes but now you need to look like a Eurotrash twink to even get a catcall out in the yard or have the chance of being called some other guy’s property. It’s hard out there for guys that look like Dirty Santa. But I digress.
$ 17 was more than a bit over the top for food quality — college cafeterias at (gasp) state schools routinely do better work than this, and they have Sysco suppliers so u think ’bout that.
When I worked in New York City I was familiar with the peccadilloes of the super-​rich to go to ridiculously expensive places for lunch. Not that the food was necessarily good, but it was the appearance of exclusivity that literally nobody in the lower classes could afford to eat there so they would only be dining with «their» kind. This reminded me of that quite a bit. Same as that, I walked out really just wanting a $ 1.50 street taco from Tacos Tierra Caliente (or my NYC equivalent, a nice khlav kalash with crab juice) but alas, I had to get back to work struggling existentially with how many stars to deduct for the entrée, keeping in mind an appropriate offset of the beautimous bread basket from earlier on.
Score card:
Exclusive factor, check.
Business casual dress code, check.
Free bread basket, fuck yeah.
Quality of entrée? [pats your knee affectionately] Well, at least you tried, hon. I hardly ever leave behind food but I had plenty of chicken left on the plate that the frightened and confused waitress had to shuttle away hurriedly into the rubbish bin.
To be just a stone’s throw from Masraff’s and to not be able to compete with them at any level in upper middle class 20ish dollar entrée dining, this is why tiny violins are a thing.
However. Your mileage may vary with a casual pizza dinner, as Matthew gave them foursies on that.

Food was great! I had the mussles as an apetizer they are served with a great tomato sauce that is addition as can be! I then had the stracci as my main course. it was good, but a bit small for a plate. The portion size is typical in actual ITALY, but not so much in Italian restuarants here in the states. I don’t complain, but could see how the typical person could view it as a downside.
Staff was nice and very receptive to our needs, the GM did a great job at making sure we were taken care of and came and checked on us several times himself.

Had late dinner there last night. The service was impeccable. Our waiter was wine savvy and very personable. Jaime, the maitre’de was so funny and cool. Alas, the food was a major disappointment. Risotto was crunchy and bland. Pizza overcooked and lobster ravioli had strong fishy taste. Our waiter made it up with gratis bottle of secco. Ambiance was awesome, just expected more from a Tony Vallone joint.

Food was great but portions were tiny. I am serious here! Nasty bar (would be a great bar, if the clutter was put away so guests sitting at the bar weren’t able to see the mess), liked having a tv at the bar so we could eat and watch the Rockets play, wait staff is great. Way over priced on food since you get no side pasta and no side salad, you get your entrée and that is it. $ 20 and up. Other guests were given a bread basket but we were skipped over for some reason. By the time we got our bartenders attention we decided not to bother with bread. Wine starts at $ 8 and go up per glass, mixed drinks are in the same price range and their specialty cocktails cost $ 13 each. I will go back but most likely for lunch or brunch, not for dinner. Food flavors were amazing!

I was hoping based on the Houston Chronicle’s review of this place that it would be the Italian place we were looking for. Alas, it was not. My first hint was the breadbasket which was good but not great. I did like the addicting crunchy bread thing they had though. Then we tried:
1) the calamari (³⁄₅) — it was good, but it was expensive for the portion. The sauce also already came on it, which I thought was odd and didn’t really like.
2) butternut squash ravioli (³⁄₅) — good but not amazing. I felt like for the price I should’ve gotten something more, but it was still fine. I’ll admit it was also a bit heavy for me.
3) chicken parm (³⁄₅ — boyfriend’s opinion) — while well-​priced, It was a medium sized chicken breast with some pasta. He thought it was okay and enjoyable but he said he didn’t have a need to go back just for that.
The ambiance, like others have described, is also a bit odd. The ceilings are super high and the host was dressed more casually than I was, and it was a bit strange to see. All in all we wouldn’t be upset going back, but the meal felt pretty mediocre as a whole.

Came here on a whim the other day with a friend and ended up really enjoying it. All their pasta is homemade, which you can tell. They immediately give you this basket of bread when you sit down and it’s filled with all kinds of deliciousness. It even had this sweet zucchini walnut bread. yum! I ended up getting the cappeletti, which was amazing! It was pasta pillows stuffed with mushrooms… I’m salivating thinking about it as I write this! My friend did not care for the stracci that she ordered that much. Thought there was too much cream in it. Would have loved to try dessert, however we were too stuffed! Also really liked the fact that there is a huge parking lot to park in and am not hunting for parking! Can be a bit on the pricey side given the size of the portions. Would love to come here for brunch next time.

First of all, the ambiance of this place is like an old McDonalds. The place has really tall ceilings and terrible Walmart-​style lighting which makes the whole experience uncomfortable without even considering food or beverage.
Beyond that, the food was edible. If you’re not from Houston and considering going here — don’t. If you’re from Houston and curious as to whether Tony can have another good restaurant, you’re partner is insistent on going, and you have exhausted all other options on your list, MAYBE go to Ciao Bello. You will not experience anything worthwhile outside of some decent service. Even the hostess was not dressed appropriately for any eatery other than ones that are infamous for serving wings.

With so many great reviews from friends, my wife and I were really looking forward to trying Ciao Bello and liking it on our first visit. We thought why not pick a HRW Sunday, try their HRW Brunch menu, do some good for the Houston Food Bank, and get to know this raved about local gem.
The service from our waitress April is exceptional. The restaurant should be very grateful to a sweet and nice lady like her. We appreciate her professional service.
The food, however, is quiet subpar in our opinion. Maybe it’s a matter of taste and preference, but the restaurant doesn’t give us the experience of even dining at an above average Italian restaurant. I feel ike the food is on par with run of the mill Olive Garden type.
The coffee cake, while baked nicely, is too sweet for our taste; but no big deal, I guess the general customers prefer that level of sweetness. A few bites and the rest left untouched.
Out came our first courses. The Polpette meatball my wife ordered is the best thing we’ve sampled at brunch. Tasty like any good Italian meatball.
My Vallone Salad is very disappointing (see attached picture). The lettuce are brownish on the edges (like throw away part), and the whole plate is like leftover salad that someone just throw together. It’s quiet a disgrace to put your name Vallone on a simple thing like salad and come out so lame and unappetizing.
Then come the main courses. My wife’s Cannelloni with chicken, spanish, and reggiano tasted mainly cheesy without any other flavors. My Classic Egg Benedict is OK, but the Canadian Bacon is quiet salty.
We hardly even touch the desserts. My Cannoli has a dirty or old greasy taste. I took a bite and left the rest. The carrot cake is just a normal Kroger type sweet carrot cake.
We also got a Cappucinno to share that is at least not disappointing, but the biscotti tasted stale.
Because of this neglect of their HRW Brunch offering, I choose not to come back to this restaurant again. They are so many great restaurants in Houston that are doing an exceptional job with their HRW menu, Ciao Bello seem to me like a relunctant participant who is half assing in their effort and presentation.

Eating lunch (or brunch) at Ciao Bello this Sunday afternoon was a totally spontaneous occurrence. After stopping by Adair Kitchen and finding it ridiculously full and busy, my hungry posse and I walked over to the other restaurant in the shopping strip: Ciao Bello. We’re glad Adair was too full!
The interior of the restaurant is just gorgeous. High ceilings, glossy wooden walls, and an ambience of romance greets patrons as they walk in. We were excited to eat!
My brother ordered french toast, which he highly enjoyed and quickly devoured, and my boyfriend ordered a chicken sandwich which he said was «pretty good.» I ordered a classic Caesar salad with chicken that was okay – nothing out of this world because the lettuce didn’t strike me as fresh, but the chicken tasted fantastic!
What really makes me want to return to Ciao Bello is the friendly, warm service and the FAN-​fudging-​TASTIC complimentary basket of pumpkin bread and coffee cake that the cooks bake themselves. I assume they only serve this type of bread automatically at brunch, so I plan on returning again on a Sunday just to have an excuse to eat cake before my meal! I’m telling you that Ciao Bello’s coffee cake is the best coffee cake I’ve eaten. It’s sensually sweet, moist, and spongy with the most perfect streusel topping. Want to experience a mouthgasm before you even order your entrée from your very polite server? Come to Ciao Bello and indulge in some coffee cake. Eat some of the pumpkin bread between bites. It’s excellent as well.

Met up a couple friends for a long overdue GNO (well, girl’s early dinner and drinks anyway). The interior of the restaurant is nice and classy, the staff pleasant and attentive. Since it was around 6pm on a Friday, it wasn’t busy yet. By the time we left it had filled up considerably. The clientele was indicative of the area — older and a little frou frou. A bottle of bubbly got us started. As usual we went with an assortment of apps and dishes to try as many things as possible.
Crispy baby fried artichokes w/​basil aioli — crispy and tender
Osso bucco ravioli — nice savory filling, good pasta texture (all pastas made in house!)
Daily special raviolo — one giant raviolo with creamy cheese (ricotta I think) filling, topped with pine nuts, tomatoes, and mushrooms
Gnocchi al forno — soft and creamy with gorgonzola and Bolognese
Sausage and peppers pizza — fresh ingredients, nice crust
All the food was tasty and we had a lovely time. We sat and caught up some more after eating and never felt rushed. Good times!