Damian’s

Excellent food, professional waitstaff that can read your mind, great wine list at not over the top prices. One of my favorites!

Delicious! Get the bread bowl bisque! And ask for Frederick to be your server– he was absolutely wonderful. Definitely a restaurant I will go to again and again once I move to Houston!

The wife and I ate here a while back. They seem to cater — on a weekend evening, at least — to an older crowd, like everyone was in their 70’s and dressed up, it was white tablecloth. We were in evening casual and I think the waitstaff was a little discriminatory about that. They seem to know most of the customers, I am sure many of them have been going there for a long-​time, like decades. (None of that was of any bother to us, I just state this as an FYI). The food was pretty good, we had generally un-​memorable main courses with dessert and coffee, not bad at all, the food — I remember the bread above all — was good and the service very competent.
Not much else to say, really.

My favorite restaurant, I just love Damian’s. However, 80% of the time we get it to go. You have to get the lobster bisque and the snapper Nino Jr. Everything is great there. They hosted my baby shower as well, Anna the party coordinator was so nice and very helpful. For the menu my guest got to choose from One of my favorite dishes from there. Caesar salad or lobster bisque. Spaghetti with meatballs, pollo alla Gratella or the snapper Nino Jr. For dessert they made me an Italian cream cake. Everyone loved the food. I mean it is one of the best Italian restaurant :)
Will upload pics.

We love the old school charm here.
I am not sure if our waiter spoke English as every response was in italian.
The service is phenomenal, our drinks never got half empty and our food was delivered quickly.
We started with the Lobster bisque served in a bread bowl. Really good lobster flavor and nice chunks. Don’t let the picture fool you this is a huge bread bowl.
A person can easily make this a meal.
Entrees :
Lasagna — succelent and rich. The veal had a good flavor and everything was tender.
Straw and Hay — the pasta is tasty and so fresh. I like the spinach noodles and egg noodles with the cream sauce. The mushrooms were meaty and peas still kept their shape, not mushy either.
Definitely look forward to returning.

Damien’s is a little authentic Italian restaurant perfect for date night of family gatherings. The menu seems as authentic as it gets.
Their wine selection could be more extensive, but it has enough to keep non-​wine snobs happy. We started our dinner with the insalata Mona Lisa, a delicious salad consisting of mixed greens, almonds, feta, and a balsamic dressing. They have a wide selection of chicken, fish, and red meat entrees. I personally loved my pollo menichino — balsamic marinated grilled chicken topped with goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes, served with veggies (what up low-​carb options!).
We decided to splurge a little and share the Italian cream cake for dessert. My girlfriend also ordered some coffee that had a delectable taste to it.
The service was impeccable. Our waiter constantly checked on us, had great recommendations, and made sure our water cups were never empty.
If you love avoiding crowds, or prefer a more private ambience, visit during the weekend. Only about 6 tables were full on a Wednesday night.

Highly unsatisfied with our visit here. Started with being overcharged at the bar, which wasn’t corrected even when brought to the bartender’s attention. Service was slow, our water was never refilled, and we had to wait for an extended amount to of time just to get our check. Sad to pay $ 150 for a meal and leave so disappointed with the experience.

Damian’s food is fantastic, the service is exceptional, the atmosphere is cozy and intimate. The small bar is very cozy and inviting and also very intimate. The focaccia that is served complimentary before the meal with oil and herbs won’t disappoint. Veal is perfection, shrimp is cooked perfectly, fettucine is the best I have ever had. The wine list is extensive and there is a full bar with well made cocktails. Over the 30 years it has been opened, I have come here and never had food that was less than exceptional. Definite 5 stars on the food quality, service, and atmosphere. (Some tables, however, in high traffic zones and can make all the difference in your experience.)
The very minor negatives are that the side dishes can be unreasonably and unnecessarily smaller than they should be. (Look in the photos and see the tiny portion of fettucine that accompanies the six shrimp Damian.) Arriving for a 7:30 reservation for 2, a few minutes early, we didn’t mind waiting in the bar for our table that was «almost ready.» After two parties of four came after us and were promptly seated, however, it seemed a little odd. We were seated shortly thereafter at four top and a bit perplexed when there were many (not one or two, but many) empty tables.
Overall, Damian’s is my favorite Italian restaurant in Houston. It should probably get 4 ½ stars as most give 5’s way too freely on Unilocal.I wanted to give a thorough review because even the best restaurants have a few imperfections that may or may not matter to you. I would recommend Damian’s to anyone for an exceptional dining experience that is a bit higher end but it feels higher end, too. It’s great for lunch or dinner, for special occasions and not-​so-​special occasions.

Excellent Food! Extra Ordinary Service! A Houston institution continuing it’s legacy. I frequent at least six times a year and I’m yet to be disappointed.

My wife and I went for a late meal here on a Saturday night around 8:30pm. We had a nice glass of wine each and a very good Portobello Mushroom appetizer with lump crab covered with a lemon crime sauce. However, that’s where things crescendoed. The pork medallions my wife ordered were over cooked and dried out. Her sides were the best part of her meal (incredibly disappointing for the price.)
My linguine was not much better with a disappointing sauce and poor assortment of seafood. We won’t be going back. Far to many great restaurants in Houston, and it felt like a complete waste of $ 100 bucks.

Fantastic meal and service! I had the chicken Parmesan and it was executed perfectly! You’d be surprised how many places will mess it up!
We also had the gnocchi Verdi and it was delicious! My fiancé had the «straw and hay» pasta and it was on point!

I went out with the lunch bunch at work. We had about 15 people attending.
Now the Service was good: exemplary, even. Very attentive servers, and timely in their delivery.
We made reservations, so a large group table was set up for us, and accommodated us well.
I order a house Italian salad and a Shrimp Picatta with wine/​lemon/​butter sauce.
1) The salad was pretty good, but a little soggy.
2) The Shrimp Picatta needed more lemon in it. The sauce on the pasta was good, but there wasn’t enough sauce on the shrimp.
Overall, decent experience, but for the price, I would have liked the food to be a bit better.

I’ve had dinner at this restaurant twice, both times with smashing success. The first was at a wedding rehearsal dinner in their private room. It was a little dim for me, but otherwise great ambiance, and we received perfect service. I had a roasted chicken dish that was outstanding.
The second time, we came for a late dinner after the Symphony opening night concert. Even though we were some of the last people in the restaurant, we still received great service, and our waiter made excellent recommendations (like the lobster bisque) and still tried to offer us dessert despite the hour (crème brulée; we passed, but I now wish we hadn’t!) I enjoyed a glass of a very reasonably priced Sangiovese ($ 9), as well as their house salad and lasagne Bolognese. The lasagne is made with ground veal instead of ground beef and is to die for. The dimness and late hour made it a perfect location for a romantic date night. I have a feeling we’ll be back!

My company ordered lunch for pick up Wednesday. The valet guys were so courteous. They allowed me to pull right up to grab my order. I didn’t get pass the lobby area as my food was ready to go awaiting a cc signature, but the place looked nice and well put together for a soothing dinning experience.
One of my coworkers had raved about this place and I jumped on the opportunity to try their Veal Marsala dish. I also had their Caesar salad, but I must say I didn’t particularly care for neither. Maybe The grandiose taste was lost in the drive back to the office or perhaps I just don’t have the adequate palate for its 30years cuisine style.
The veal was tender as it should. There was simply nothing special about the mushroom sauce. I didn’t care for the fettuccine Alfredo either :(
If given a choice I would not choose to eat here again, but if I most I guess I would try a different dish.

was very disappointed when I tried out Damian’s. I had such high hopes for this place. It’s a nice upscale Italian restaurant. It was suggested by a friend to visit. My only pet-​peeve when it comes to food is serving me my food cold. That’s the one thing I cant tolerate. Anyways we get there the service is ok, not that fantastic. I ordered the chicken Parmesan, the most basic dish you can order and it’s really hard to mess up. This place served it to me cold. I took 2 bites and it was even colder on the inside which indicated to me that it was frozen and barely cooked. If I wanted frozen chicken parmasan I would have gotten it from the store and paid way less than $ 22. So would I go here again? That will be a negative!

Damian’s is an upscale Italian restaurant that you would feel out of place wearing shorts to. It offers a few vegetarian options, with pasta being the most obvious choice.
I ordered the caprese salad and the spaghetti broccoli. The caprese salad was delicious. High marks for tasty cheese and well picked tomatoes. The entrée, though, was relatively disappointing. It had broccoli, sun-​dried tomatoes, and mushrooms, but none of those felt like they belonged. I like Damian’s; this wasn’t my first time. The vegetables were just not very inspired, and felt mostly like an afterthought. Overall, the dish was quite lackluster, and probably something I could have whipped up at home without the guidance of Rachel Ray.
The service was attentive. The man taking care of us had this great accent, and constantly suggested different dishes in a fun manner. He actually poured the balsamic vinegar on the caprese salad in front of me, which was different. I’ll have to return to Damien’s and order something different: the eggplant parmigiana, or maybe a different pasta. This visit sits Damian solidly below a few Houston Italian options, but still above other Midtown yuppie spots.

Impeccable service and over the top accommodations by the Chef. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Not on the menu, customize entrée made just for me… Veal ravioli with Marsala wine mushroom sauce. Delicious, I hope they consider adding this to menu. I actually had the manager stop buy my table and say he was amazed when he saw the dish and put this in as his request for dinner tonight.

This is not your maggiano’s or new age italian joint, but instead when you walk into Damian’s you will get the feel of an old italian restaurant that makes you feel like there are some mobsters hanging out in the kitchen somewhere.
I’ve been here twice and the food is about average for an italian restaurant nothing mind blowing but if you need to get a fix and have money to spend go here.

I have never heard of this place until I came here. I learned that this place has been here for a very long time. I had date night with a friend here and I’m so glad that I was able to learn of this place. The service here is impeccable! Our waiter was so attentive. Maybe its because my friend has been coming there for 10+ years. Haha
As for our food, we had Portobello alla Granchio for appetizer, Tomatoes Caprese for our salad, I had Pollo alla Gratella which is marinated chicken with fresh rosemary and ammoghiu served with roasted potatoes and sautéed spinach and my friend had Veal Marsala with a additional side of angel hair pasta with tomato sauce. I was very stuffed but there is always room for desserts. We had got lemon tart and the Italian cream cake. Wow! We were definitely stuffed.
I learned that this place is great to come here to eat before going to a show or a play because they have their own shuttle to take you to and from there so you don’t have to pay for double parking. Great idea for next time.
I enjoyed everything about this place. On the outside, it looked like maybe it wasn’t a busy place or shabby but inside it was jam packed and the ambiance is very nice. A must for date night for Italian.

Two years in a row my family has come here for Christmas Eve dinner. It is an upscale Italian restaurant, white table cloths, highly trained waitstaff, etc. but there are always families here (grandparents, children, etc.) we’ve had a great experience both years we’ve come.
During my most recent visit, we tried the sweet potato ravioli as a table appetizer. They were delicious and good start to our dinner.
I tried their special lobster bisque, served in a bread bowl. It was amazing. Huge portion for an appetizer, so I shared, and everyone was jealous they didn’t order it themselves. Everyone else had either a soup or a salad, and enjoyed what they ordered. But we all sort of regretted it once the main course came because the portions are so large.
I ordered the Paglia e Fieno alla Ghiotta (Straw & Hay) for a main course. I had to take most of it home. Everyone enjoyed what they ordered, but I think we all had to have to go boxes.
This is a really nice dining experience. And with that you will pay, but at least the portions are so big you feel like you get your money’s worth.