Collina’s Italian Cafe

Came here this past weekend and tried the spaghetti with meat sauce and boy was it good! It had just the right amount of flavor. They give you a lot that I was unable to finish and took the rest to go.

Collina’s is good food for when you’re in the mood for something low key and inexpensive. I often order out and occasionally dine in. The service is a bit peculiar as you never really know who your server is but they do a decent job taking care of you. Be careful as they sometimes don’t come back for awhile which is why I only rated them 3 stars. My favorite dishes are the baked spaghetti and the Z-​special pizza. I usually take a bottle of wine and enjoy a cup of minestrone soup before my meal.

Really love their pizzas, bread and casual atmosphere here. It’s BYOB which is awesome, but they will charge you a small cork fee. Doesn’t take reservations so you might have a little bit of a wait on a Friday/​Saturday, however, there is a great frozen yogurt place next door so there is somewhere good to go for dessert. :)
Bad stuff: Service isn’t great; one time a server was downright rude and tried to charge us for appetizers we didn’t order. We even went as far to have her pull up security footage showing that we didn’t order it (she offered to prove we got the food with the security footage and we took her up on it). Even when she couldn’t show it on the security tape, she still wanted to charge us. Finally we just paid it – $ 20 and didn’t leave a tip. It was pretty ridiculous, but I haven’t seen that waitress since then and never had a problem since.

Formerly a no hassle go-​to neighborhood pizza place — now a hot disorganized mess. Expect to wait for 30 minutes on any given weekend while incompetent staff leave tables open. Service is tragic, and acoustics of cackling drunk women will ruin any ambience you have walking in

The bf and I recently decided to give Collina’s Italian Café in Houston’s Heights neighborhood a try. Before we ordered food, our server popped open a bottle of wine that we brought since Collina’s is BYOB and has an insanely cheap corking fee, y’all (something like $ 3). I seriously love a good BYOB!
We also were presented with a basket of complimentary focaccia, which was a little on the dry side, but once dipped in some olive oil and vinegar, we were happy campers!
Before ordering our main dishes, we started off with the stuffed artichoke. This was phenomenal, and easily my favorite food item of the evening. The steamed artichoke half — which came out piping hot — was stuffed with artichoke hearts, Italian bread crumbs, and romano cheese, and was topped with garlic butter. All of the ingredients were then baked together to form a wonderfully fragrant and succulent dish. The artichoke was incredibly tender, the bread crumbs were soft, and the garlic butter was bursting with velvety flavor. A few squirts of lemon gave it a wonderful zippy ending!
For my main course of food, I ordered the linguini primavera. Even though the noodles were on the thicker side, the olive oil base gave this dish a surprising lightness. And the wide array of vegetables included in the dish (broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash, spinach, onions, mushrooms, and peppers + garlic) was well received by yours truly! After having just enjoyed the gloriously seasoned artichoke symphony though, I did feel this dish could have done well with the inclusion of more spices. But overall, the linguini primavera is a good choice for a light pasta dish, and one that I would certainly order again.
For the bf’s entrée, he ordered the tortellini. Stuffed with sausage and spinach, and tossed in an alfredo sauce, he definitely enjoyed his creamy, filling tortellini — comfort food at its finest!
Then we ordered the french vanilla cheesecake with a strawberry topping for dessert. This dense cheesecake was rich, creamy, and playfully textured. The strawberry topping added just the right hint of syrupy sweetness. This cheesecake tasted totally homemade, and we enjoyed every bite!
If you’re looking to enjoy an inexpensive, no frills Italian restaurant in Houston, look no further than Collina’s. The service is speedy and friendly, and while it’s a little brightly lit inside, you will no doubt enjoy the restaurant’s fun, checkered tablecloth-​lined tables. Plus, maybe (okay definitely) most importantly, it’s BYOB. In my book, that’s always worth a visit!

So update: called back after waiting 2 hours for pizza. Manager said that the delivery guy came and couldn’t get in the gate. Tried to call but had wrong number. I specifically told the guy taking the order to come to front door (not gated). The girl who answered the phone an hour, then an hour and a half after calling about our order flat out lied to me about «our order is on the way». We have been fairly loyal customers but not any more. Is there any way to give negative star ratings?

Not impressed, at all. The food is marginal, at best. Ordered the Tortellini which was not good. Will never go back. Complete waste of money, in my opinion.

I have eaten here and ordered delivery several times. My husband and I both enjoy the food very much. We’ve always been satisfied. The food is always hot when delivered. Fortunately is in the neighborhood so we can dine in or get delivery! Yay!

The people here are friendly but the food is no good. If you must eat here the only thing that is OK is the pizza

If you’re looking for a great pizza or calzone in The Heights, you’ve found it. I usually order the Z Special and a calzone. Both are delicious! Their delivery service is always quick and accurate with the time given when I call in my order.

My wife and I called in a pizza order at 8:15 Saturday night and was told by the lady on the phone it would be 1 hour. No problem we were good with that. I called back at 9:15 just to verify they had our order and the delivery address correct and the same lady told me the driver was just leaving he would be there in 4 minutes. Ok, I believe it as we live two streets over from Collina’s. Waiting… waiting,
My wife calls back at 9:45 and the same lady answers and we ask, what happened to the pizza delivery. This was her response, «I don’t know what to tell you, he must be lost». Really? That’s your response to a customer that’s now waited 1.5 hours for a pizza delivery that’s two streets over. Not, let me find out. I’ll call the delivery guy and call you right back. «I’m sorry», I guess is not in her vocabulary — Any of these would have worked.
So, when the delivery guy showed up I asked him if he got lost. He said no, I just got your pizza and headed over here. Interesting. I told him we had ordered this pizza at 8:15 and it’s now almost 10pm and the lady on the phone we spoke with threw you under the bus and said you were lost this whole time. The look on his face told the story, as I think he wanted to tell me the «real» story but he didn’t and just said, I’m sorry. I can just tell you I just got your order and came over.
Collina’s, get your staff organized over there! Maybe they need some customer service training refresher courses especially the lady working the phone Saturday night. That was unprofessional of the front desk lady for 1) lying to us about the delivery and 2) throwing the delivery guy under the bus 3) Not even apologizing for the wait/​mistake.
We are frequent fliers to Collina’s in the Heights, now I know why I always go and pick up the food/​pizza.

We’ve been coming here for several years now. Everything on the menu is really good, the pizzas are awesome. It’s BYOB! The service has always been really good & fast… except on ⁸⁄₁₄ when Ashley was our server… we pretty much had to follow up on our food. people arriving after us were getting their food before us. When she was questioned about it, she just turned her back. We never got silverware, we had to ask for bread, our salads never came out at all. Please go there, just don’t let Ashley be your server or you will remain hungry.

It’s okay

Great place for Italian food. I have the pizza and it was pretty fantastic. It’s busy and a family place.

We picked up a couple pizzas from here tonight. The staff wasn’t quick to greet us as they were helping another woman, but the order was ready on time.
Collina’s is home to my favorite pizza: the Hawaiian! So delicious. They are generous with the toppings. This was no surprise as we’ve gotten pizza for take out from here and we’ve dined in.
Overall, a great experience! I’ll hope to come back to Collina’s anytime I’m in Houston.

I like Collina’s. I have been coming here for years. The key for me here is to find the dishes I enjoy and stick with them. If we want pizza, this is where we come.
The Hawaiian pizza is by far the best and our usual.
If you live in the Heights, I’d recommend delivery. Order a salad, extra bread, Hawaiian pizza for a winning meal. They are prompt and friendly.
If eating at the restaurant, bring your own bottle of wine (if that’s your thing) and enjoy the fresh bread and side salad to start. The servers are friendly and quick to seat/​serve you! Eat the pizza, that’s what they are good at!

I would give them 4 stars but they have totally changed their recipe for the sautéed calamari. I’ve gone here for lunch, dinner and take out. All times I ordered the calamari to see if it was just a mistake the previous time, but it looks like they just over do it with the wine. It doesn’t get cooked down and the calamari still has a raw and milky texture.
Minus the calamari, everything else I have had there is really good. The fettuccine tetrazini comes with grilled chicken breast in a rich creamy sauce. I can never finish the portion. Chicken parmigiano may seem boring but they do it well here. The chicken breast is a moist cutlet with a nice crispy batter that holds well to the cheese and sauce. Even their house salad is simple yet so good.
I’ve had their pizzas… It’s better to eat it there than to do takeout on the pizza. It’s a great neighborhood joint. The hubs and I are regulars there.

If you go during lunch time, do yourself a favor and ask to be waited on by Nick. He is attentive, won’t bring out cold food and will actually engage with you to give you a great dining experience, even if the cook messed up your order. He has several people who only go when he is on the clock, so that means something.
The pizza is good most days, the oysters ernie are the only oysters I will ever eat (and the sauce is the bomb. even for just dipping your bread in. i could drink the stuff)
My go to is the chicken Primavera with extra sauce. Tons of veggies and saucy goodness.

First trip here and i think that i was expecting more, so I left a little disappointed. I had the Eggplant Parm, which was okay — nothing really special. It came with a side of rigatoni with red sauce, which was really bland and lukewarm. The Eggplant Parm itself was piping hot, as it should be and it was tastier. Had a glass of house red wine, which was not very good. On a bright note — the service was incredibly friendly and efficient. I would try this place again, but probably try the pizza next time.

We’ve lived in walking distance for about two years and this was our first visit. Let me start by saying I usually dont like going out for Italian, because i often end up getting something that I can make pretty easily at home. My wife had the Spaghetti Bolognase and it was just as expected, actually I could have done MUCH better at home. My linguini with marinara was pretty good, but again something I could do at home. And the bread is meh, as mentioned in a couple other reviews. The PIZZA was good! Crisp is still the best in the area, but this is probably second in the immediate area.
I dont think that it has an identity. It has an open kitchen, that shouldnt be open… nothing to see there. It looks more like a pizza shop. It has an informal dining room, and I feel like it should have TVs all around… that would suit the atmosphere better. It is nice because its BYOB and they only charge $ 1 a person for a glass.
Food: 2.5
Drinks: 5 (BYOB!)
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 4
Price: 3
Overall, will probably only come back for pizza take out, or to bring a bottle of wine to eat in, and then again, only pizza.