Giacomo’s Cibo e Vino

Great! Dined here on a double-​date with my parents and husband before the Hitchcock feature at the Museum of Fine Arts a few weeks ago. We were a bit rushed, and our waiter made every effort to see to our time schedule. They do not take reservations.
The wheat-​free pasta was tasty and not over-​cooked. Nice, simple salad. Will definitely return to try other menu options… especially dessert.
Attentive wait staff. Nice dining room with a casual-​modern feel. Small, and it fills up quickly. Parking is a bit interesting. Love that they have an herb garden.
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Review on 1÷13÷15 great everything! Monse was our server and was attentive without being overly so. The fennel and mixed green salad was delicious and fresh — my husband said the dressing was amazing. Cozy spot for lunch.

This restaurant is small and quite cramped. But, it does have a nice homey vibe to it. They do make pasta from scratch, which is unique. However, I do find their portions smaller and their dishes pricier compared to other establishments. The only dish that was generous with their portions was the Pasta Giovanni. Nevertheless, all the pastas, including the herb and garlic bread, had good flavor. We did order their affogato dessert, which had good aromatic coffee flavor. I do think Cocohodo has them beat, and can make a better version of this dessert. All I all, not too bad. You should definitely check this place out if you want to try made from scratch pasta.

I’ve never had a bad dish from this place. I’m to the point where I just order the pasta special every time I go because I know that whatever they bring me, is going to be delicious! The appetizers are amazing too. My family loves getting the chicken wings, eggplant, and scallops. (They have fancier names for these dishes, but I can’t remember them lol). They also have yummy desserts and wine. I always get the prosecco or the Fellini. This is definitely a place you need to try if you love Italian food! You won’t regret it.

I’ve always wanted to try this place since I pass by it almost everyday. So I finally went there with couple of my friends. My first turn off is that they don’t take reservations and when we went we had to wait for quiet a while since their dining space is very limited. They have a lot on their menu to chose from, we ordered couple of apps, the stuffed eggplants were my favorite. The rest of the food was good but not the kind that made me want to come back every chance I get. However, if I did come back I would probably get the Gnochhi since its the best one I’ve tasted that night.

Hands down best gnocchi di funghi I’ve ever had. Soft, tender, loaded with mushroom and an amazing cream sauce! I would come back here just for this dish.
Came here on a Friday night after Thanksgiving. Got lucky cause it was a slow night and there wasn’t a wait. The restaurant itself isn’t huge but it’s not tiny — there’s maybe 10 tables indoor and another section outside in the patio. Service was great. Someone asked if I wanted water right when I sat down. There was an older gentleman that took over later in the night but he was very sweet. Seems like it was a family business, which I’ll always support.
The food. Mushroom gnocchi like I mentioned before was amazing! Flavors were so delicious and you can tell the pasta is fresh. The beef meatballs were soft and flavorful in a tomato broth. So delicious! I think this was two of my favorites that night. We also ordered the shrimp appetizer. Good flavors. The pork bruschetta. Which I wasn’t a huge fan of cause the bread was a bit soggy and it seemed like the flavors needed some more to it. It was pork slices and a onion sauce of some type. The tortellini stuffed with meat was also good and soft and fresh. But a little too salty for my liking (not overly salty but enough for someone who doesn’t like too much salt). I think both pastas were great though. I would recommend this place for the pastas alone. Homemade and wonderful.
I also got a sangria — which was tasty. Didn’t taste much wine in it and the Berry sorbetto. Nice sorbet with fresh flavors — just had a little bit of a hard time with all the seeds.
Loved this place and can say it might be one of the best Italian places I’ve been to in town. Loved it and will be back!

Don’t go here with too many people. They don’t take reservations and the wait can get pretty long during busy times. But their food is worth it so come try this place!
I started with Crostini with tomato basil, goat cheese, and a pâté spread. The tomato basil was really fresh and garlicky. The best of the spreads. The goat cheese was light and creamy. A little too salty. Pâté was heavy and salty. Didn’t like it.
Pappardelle al Telefono tasted really nice. The pasta is cooked passed al dente so if that’s what you were looking for you may need to mention that to them. But the freshness of the pasta and the simplicity of the sauce (basil, garlic, cherry tomatoes, and a little tomato sauce) is awesome. Only negative about this is the mozzarella doesn’t spread or melt too well so some bites has a huge chunk of mozzarella with it that will overpower the dish.
Tortellini stuffed with cheese and meat with a creamy tomato sauce. Sauce again was simple but great. I believe it was ricotta inside. The cheese was quite strong and I couldn’t taste any of the meat filling.
Slow roasted pork butt was seasoned with a great combo of herbs and was fall apart tender. It was sitting with stewed beans and tomato sauce. Nice play on pork and beans. Really tasty dish.
The service is hit and miss but it’s so busy that it is understandable.

Love doesn’t begin to describe how I feel about Giacomo’s. Probably been here 8 – 10 times and without fail I leave satisfied and happy I brought my family here for my 30^th birthday and everyone loved it. Very reasonable, delicious food.

Cute place, reservations recommended. We have been here twice, first time we thought it was great but second time just average.
We had the eggplant rolls, linguine giacomo and the gnocchi fungi. Of those we only recommend the eggplant rolls.
If you don’t eat pork this is not the place for you

Good food. Nice al dente pastas. Decent service. The Pork butt and the parpadelle were great. The appetizers were delicious (meatballs and bread with pork) but they were a little small.
Would recommend this to my friends.

Great atmosphere, small setting and the wine and food were great. I had the stuffed tortellini and it was divine… yes I typed divine lol.
Great place to take a date or the significant other for a quiet dinner either inside or on the patio. We really liked this place

This is the first review I’ve written. And I hope it’s the first review you’ve ever read. I hesitate on writing this after just one visit, because how can you truly judge a place without exploring a large chunk of the menu, multiple times? With giacomo’s, it’s easy. I wish to keep my reviews short and sweet, so I will rely on my best weapon: bullet points!
— has a style similar to what I’ve only seen so far at Giada’s in Las Vegas (although I’m sure more exist that I’m yet to discover). There is an extensive menu with lots of small cold and hot dishes meant to be shared. Bring a small group (I suggest 4 people), try a lot!
— No Substitutions or modifications allowed on their menu. Not even with dessert. Some consider this a con. I say it’s a huge pro. If a kitchen can be freed from modifying their own dishes for everyone who thinks they know better than the chefs, the quality can be maintained, and time saved.
— experienced excellent service, considering the place was full when I arrived. Despite being small dishes they did take a few minutes to come out, and not everything all at once. Again, not a con, it’s freshly made food. Instant gratification = bad.
Well, I failed at the short and sweet thing. Bottom line, The food was delicious. Go, take friends, try a lot & you’re never too full to share a few desserts.

I love this place! Not only because of the food, but also because if their love for animals. Purchase the Dolce de Stagione and the proceeds go to Recused Pets Movement, an organization supporting BARC.

Oh my, this place is terrible. They hate vegetarians and they hate when you ask for pasta with a sauce of your choice. The lady chef yelled at our server in front of us and said the gnocchi couldnt be made with any of. the sauces that they offer because she wanted it that way. Then the server came and told us the chef was pissed and doesnt like to make any modifications. I said I am ordering a pasta with a different sauce that you have on your menu. He said I told you the chef gets mad and doesnt like any modifications.
I would never come back here again and do not recommend this place to anyone who appreciates good food or service.

The customer service here is exceptional. They were able to accommodate my group for a work dinner, a group that expanded without me knowing. All in all, there were 10 of us and although they normally do not accommodate such large groups, they fit us in and provided exceptional service.
The food was very fresh and delicious. The wine list expansive. I will definitely be back (minus the large group).

OMG, I love you, Giacomo’s. Pastas and gnocchi made from scratch? Focus on locally sourced ingredients? Enormous wine list? Happy girl.
My friend and I arrived at 7:30. It’s summer in Houston, so we didn’t want to eat outside. Giacomo’s was busy enough that we had to put our name down for a table and order wine at the bar. We had such good service at the bar that we just decided to eat there!
There was so much I wanted to try that I had no idea what to order! I decided to start with the roasted beets salad (with toasted hazelnuts, tarragon, evoo, balsamic vinegar, and crumbled goat cheese). YUM. My friend started with eggplant involtini (roasted eggplant rolls stuffed with mozzarella, ricotta, basil, tomato cream sauce, and parmigiano reggiano). YUM.
I LOVE that Giacomo’s offers half order of their fresh pastas made in-​house. I tried the tortelli di bietola (half moon ravioli stuffed with swiss chard, ricotta, goat cheese, in a sage butter sauce). OMG. Not exaggerating when I say that the dish was among the BEST ravioli dishes I’ve ever had. I want it again right now. My friend got the gnocchi di funghi (potato gnocchi infused with dried porcini in a gorgonzola cream & cremini mushroom sauce). Wow. Best gnocchi I’ve ever had. So soft it almost melts on your tongue. I’m cautious of blue cheese (I like it, but I like A LITTLE of it), but this gorgonzola cream sauce was so subtle and delicious.
I wish we’d had room for dessert.
The wine we had was great as well!
Our service at the bar was amazing!
I can’t wait to go back to Giacomo’s. I hope I try new dishes when I go back next time, but the tortelli was SO GOOD I might have to order it again!
Two thumbs up for Giacomo’s for sure.

I swear I’m trying to lose weight. I’ve gone semi-​paleo, I’m laying off the carbs for real… Ah fook it, I’m at Giacomo’s.
There’s still a lot on the menu I’ve yet to try but so far so good. The brushetta con porchetta is a small portion but is a tasty dish of pork smothered in cheese on toast. I always order the tortelli di bietola: if you like goat’s cheese, this unassuming plate of ravioli heaven is for you. It’s very rich though, so I suggest sharing a half order between two. The tortellini al suga rosa is lighter but also delicious. I’m not too keen on the gnocchi though.
The staff is pleasant and the atmosphere is crowded but cheerful. We were able to get a table right away at around 6:15 on a Friday. I love that they serve their pasta in half orders, and the option of ordering wine by the quartino is awesome! I just wish they would serve fresh bread to start off with (more carrrbs, might as well).

Giacomo’s makes in house, hand made noodles that make me think of my grandma. My grandma isn’t Italian by any means, but she used to make noodles out of dough when I was a child, and I used to help her knead the dough and cut the noodles.
This is the kind of place that might have a wait staff older than my parents, and I love how kind and helpful they are. This is the kind of place that is four-​legged friendly, and the waiters bring out bowls of water for the dogs. It’s quite the quaint place and serves amazing food with great vegetarian options.
I ordered a bowl of the minestrone toscano soup as well as the pappardelle al telefono. I still struggle to pronounce anything on the menu, and definitely have to ask if there’s any meat in the dish. The soup just signaled quality: it had great body for a clear soup, yet each bite (or sip, if you will) was a bit different depending on the beans or vegetables in the spoon. The pappardelle al telfono was memorable. The noodles were superb, and biting through each cherry tomato was pleasing, despite my propensity to shy away from tomatoes.
Just walking distance from my apartment, I’m surprised I don’t go to Giacomo’s more. It has to do with my desire to eat everywhere in Houston, but if I’m ever retrenching to core Houston Italian offerings, Giacomo is up there with Coltivare’s and Damien’s.

My Grandmother love this little Italian restaurant, we come here at least once a week for lunch. Their portions are rather small but it is the perfect lunch size, we love getting their garlic bread (they offer two types of garlic bread) and their tagliatelle pasta with tomato cream sauce!!! The staff is very friendly, the only negative I can think of is that sometimes it can get very busy and since it is a small establishment very noisy, they are also close on Mondays and are going to start closing on Sundays too which limits the days you are able to go and eat

I don’t crave Italian often, but when I do, Giacomo’s will be my top choice. Atmosphere is cute & low-​key, service is friendly, and pastas are made in-​house. Stopped by on a Saturday night and there was a 40 minute wait which went by fairly quickly. This gave us plenty of time to decide our orders and get down to business by the time we were seated. Pasta orders come in half/​full size portions (would recommend the full portions since the half is apparently the size of a baby fist)
Fonduta– good, but nothing special
Gamber al diavolo– great flavor & delicious sauce for bread-​dipping at the end
Paccheri Puccini– loved the meatballs! Super moist & tender. I would order this again and again just for the meatballs!
Tagliatella alla bolognese– pretty simple dish but very well made

First timers at this restaurant. We came for lunch and tried their cured meats and cheeses boards. We also ordered a couple of appetizers and the beet salad.
Overall, the foods and prices are decent. We would come back to try other appetizers or pastas.
Service was also decent.