Prego

Amazing dishes & service which is not easy to come by these days /​/​their bread is fresh, delicious & incredible /​/​I ordered their mussels appetizer & they were the best I have ever had /​/​my mom did a classic spaghetti & meatballs (beef & veal) & she loved them /​/​a little more costly than a chain Italian yes, but worth it for the ambience, service, & food! /​/​was so happy we went here on our trip in Houston! & side-​note, our waiter came outside & helped us when he saw we were struggling outside with giving location directions to our über! So thankful! Thanks Prego -@mrsnutritionista

If you go ask for Jade. She is extrodinary/​a young «National Velvet.»
She is attentive, thoughtful and makes your meal a celebration. If you are not satisfied; she will correct it for your pleasure.
Houston has so many amazing spots to dine. Sometimes you just want that special spot where someone remembers your name and all the attention is on you.
Jade makes that all come true.
Ask for her whenever you book a table. You will not be disappointed.

Great place to go for brunch. The menu has a 3 course option for $ 25 or a few main course options less than $ 20 each. I had the Insalata Tricolore (which had a delicious dressing), the Torta di Granchio (very tasty) and finished with the fresh fruit cup. My husband had the Sausage Fritatta– which was enormous and looked amazing. They gave us a big basket a fresh bread and crisps as well. We were full by the end and loved all of it!

Prego’s is a cute restaurant with a bar. I found the place to noisy on a Wednesday evening. The staff were courteous and responsive. I was craving for eggplant Parmesan, so I ordered the melanzane parmigiana. The portion was smaller than what I expected. It came with a side of penne pasta. The eggplant was not roasted to perfection, but the pasta was flavorful. Overall an okay experience.

Prompt service, excellent foods, prices slightly higher than usual. Both the hubby and I loved so much and would highly recommend the crab fingers and mussels appetizers, as well as the Zucca risotto. The shrimp scampi was pretty good, too; shrimps were huge and the potato au gratin on the side was gooey and cheesy *nom nom nom* The littleneck clams spaghetti was not bad either, and felt like a lighter option than the other foods served in creamy sauces. The spinaci pizza was thin and crunchy, and tasted very garlicky; loved it. Lamb chop was flavorful but I was already stuffed full so had tried only a very small piece of it. Good job, Prego!

Originally, we were suppose to try out Luigi’s but they didn’t have a table and there was a wait. So, we called up Prego since we found it on Unilocal and they didn’t have a wait so we came here. The food is decent and the waiter was nice. The only complaint I have is that sometimes when I needed something, the waiter was busy running around. It would of been nice if he would of checked in on us more because I kept having to grab someone else to ask for items such as a knife/​fork.
Overall, the food was decent but I thought one of their Dinner special was a bit overpriced. I was a little shocked because I wasn’t expecting it to be $ 40. On the other hand, the bread pudding was awesome! The service was okay and the prices were a bit high for what you were getting. It was great trying out this place but I would probably go else where first.

I recently went to Prego for a dinner event. I’ve always wanted to go to this restaurant but had never had a real opportunity, so I was glad to have been invited to try it out.
The restaurant is located in Rice Village and is in one of the storefronts, so there are large windows typical of a restaurant in this area. The servers were very polite and helpful, no complaints.
I tried the following dishes:
Prego Salad (arugula /​radicchio /​portobello mushroom /​oranges /​goat cheese /​apple walnut vinaigrette) (⁴⁄₅): I love goat cheese salads, and this one was no different. Great mix of interesting flavors. I particularly enjoyed the tartness of the orange.
Salmone (grilled salmon /​citrus glaze /​shaved asparagus /​Texas mushrooms /​potato gnocchi) (3.5÷5): Very nice salmon dish. The salmon was not overcooked, and I really liked the gnocchi.
Tiramisu (3.5÷5): Tasty tiramisu. The cake was moist, and the cream wasn’t too rich.
I also tried the sangria, which was good as well.
Overall, I really enjoyed my experience at Prego. I will definitely return.

Prego is an unsuspecting restaurant hidden in rice village. Ive passed it many times, but came here on a whim when I was tried after a long trip of grocery shopping for thanksgiving dinner, was too tried to cook.
The place definitely has an ambiance to it — dark and soft lightening, but the noise volume doesnt match the environment. The table were way too close to each other.
I ordered the mushroom soup, a salad, and a few different pastas to share. We got the sweet potato gnocchi as an appetizer, we really enjoyed it. It was just right, I dont like my gnocci swimming in a heavy sauce. The mushroom soup was so velvety and flavorful. If I go back, that will be my go to. I opted for that as my entrée with the mushroom/​walnut salad. I didnt care for the HUGE mushrooms in the salad, they didnt have much flavor.
All the desserts looked really tantalizing, but we decided to keep it light and skip dessert.
We came in a on random weeknight and it was busy, so making a reservation on the weekends is highly recommended.

I decided to give them 3 stars because my meal ONLY out of 4 turned out to be good. I went here with couple of friends since we were craving Italian food. I ordered the special for that day which was red fish with spinach, it was good. 2 of the people that were with me ordered the ravioli, well that tasted like Boyardee beef ravioli, it was gross and tasted like freezer burn. The other friend got the lasagna and that was just as bad. Would I go here again? Definitely not!

We have been here 4 – 5 times and each time my meal has been absolutely delicious. Fantastic service and accommodating to my gluten free diet and love of finely crafted cocktails. We will continue to dine at this Houston gem.

The atmosphere is nice, but customers are mostly dressed very casual. The food was good, as expected. Seafood is definitely the specialty here. Extensive wine list. Unfortunately lacking craft beer selection. Service was attentive. Ambient noise level is reasonable, making conversation more enjoyable.

I’ve only ever discussed Prego as «that nice restaurant you have your parents take you to» or «that expensive date spot that means he actually likes you.» BUT today I came here for Restaurant Week with 10 girls from my team and fell in neither category. Luckily we had the choice of brunch OR lunch menus. We were seated in a private wine-​cellar room (you have to walk through the kitchen to get to it… it was weird). The room itself was great because we had no trouble hearing each other, while I could hear noise from the main room pour in every time the door opened.
For my 3 courses, I went with the caprese starter, gnocchi main dish, and bread pudding dessert.
Caprese ³⁄₅: This was the least impressive of the dishes. The tomatoes are «caramelized» here, which I think is unusual for caprese and I prefer raw tomatoes. As an aside, my friend got the tricolore salad and it looked beautiful, so if I could redo this I would absolutely start with that.
Gnocchi ⁴⁄₅: DIVINE. No idea what’s in the sauce, but the gnocchi was a great consistency and the chunks of wage beef were substantial and brought took the dish from appetizer to main meal. Of course, the addition of the fried egg pulled the whole meal into the brunch zone and was a welcome addition. I spent the end of this course mopping up the sauce with the delicious bread that our waiter kept refreshing for us (cross country team, we know how to put bread away).
Bread pudding ⁵⁄₅: Perfection. I didn’t think I had room after the other two courses but WOW this was amazing. Not dry like other bread puddings I’ve had and the flavors (cinnamon? dulce de leche??? idk) were a great note to end on.
Great first HRW experience. Probably won’t be back unless for the previously mentioned reasons.

1. Came here for HRW Brunch.
2. Love the décor! Extremely cute!
3. Was expecting a little more from the food — it was alright. Nothing to go crazy for.
4. Caprese salad was delicious, there was some kind of roasted tomato sauce on top that made it extra yummy.
5. The gluten free penne (which wasn’t on the online menu) was alright — the sauce was a bit acidic — I probably won’t get it again. For gluten free pasta itself, was cooked pretty well.
6. The grapefruit sorbet was sooo overly sweet — it was almost like eating melted starburst. Not a fan.
7. Service was come and go. Meh.

Came here recently for HWR with some friends and overall had a pretty decent lunch. Out of the 3 of us, only one person ordered from the HRW menu and in the end we all kind of just shared each other’s dishes.
One person ordered the lamb shank and no one at the table really enjoyed it or the sides that came with it. Everything was just a little bland and underwhelming. We also had the classic ravioli which just ok. I think the best dish in the table was the Pollo Martellato (parmesan crusted chicken breast).
We each finished the meal with a dessert as well. I got the crème brûlée which was the most enjoyable part of my meal, but I’ve never really had a crème brûlée that I didn’t enjoy. My friends said that the chocolate and Italian cream cakes were both great as well.
The service here was great. Our waiter had no problem going through the he menu with us and was very speedy with each request.
Overall it was a decent experience but for what we ordered I’m not too sure if it was worth the price. I’ll probably try this place again before I make up my mind.

We had lunch here during HRW and since it was a corporate event, we had the private wine room in the back. You have to walk past the kitchen to get to the wine room but it’s in the back and holds about 10 – 12 people.
The food. I had the HRW menu. The caprese salad was unique. It had a red sauce and olives. It definitely wasn’t my favorite caprese but it was different. For the main course, I had the Parmesan crusted chicken with sauté spinach and mash potatoes. Chicken was juicy and had a good flavor — definitely not a huge portion so I finished everything. The spinach was sauté and a little heavy on salt. The mash potatoes had olive oil and was nice and buttery. I also tried a colleagues soft shell crab (no on HRW menu) and it had wonderful flavors. A colleagues Caesar salad also looked really good with whole romaine leaves and anchovies on top. For desert, I had the panna cotta. Yum! Very creamy vanilla bean with berries. And a passion fruit sauce! I had a taste of the bread pudding and it had a run flavor and was dense but so delicious!

This place is fabulous! This is actually my second review because I went here last year for my birthday with the same friend! Once again, we went during Houston Restaurant Weeks on a Monday at 12:15. It wasn’t crowded at all which is surprising for Rice Village. There was also ample parking spots. And we were seated immediatedly. So far, so good.
First of all, I love love love their fresh sourdough bread. It’s the best bread ever! So warm and soft. It practically melts in your mouth! I love to dip it in the olive oil dipping sauce they bring out with it. There is a variety of other breads in the basket too but the sourdough is the only one I care about. Trust me, it’s spectacular!
I ordered off the Houston Restaurant Weeks menu. For the first course, I ordered the Zuppa Di Porcini (Cream of Mushroom Soup). It was rich and delicious. I liked that it didn’t have large chunks of mushrooms in it. It was smooth and very creamy as it should be. My only complaint was it wasn’t hot. I prefer my soups to be served HOT. But this soup was lukewarm. That was a little disappointing but it was still very good.
For my second course, I ordered the Insalata Di Pollo. This salad was a mixture of argula, other mixed greens, gorgonola, candied walnuts, poached pears and small pieces of grilled chicken. The dressing was some kind of Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette I believe which was tasty. I didn’t love the salad. It was OK but I wish I had ordered what my friend ordered! She got the Pollo Martellato. It was AMAZING! The parmesan crusted chicken was so juicy and flavorful. Yum yum yum! It was a large portion for lunch too. It was served with spinach and mashed potatoes.
We also ordered desserts. They have a large variety of decadent desserts! I ordered the Butterscotch Bread Pudding because I’m a HUGE fan of bread pudding. This was served VERY HOT (which was good) with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on top. And she ordered the Crème Brulee. It was incredible too. We both shared. It was the perfect end to a great meal!
Our server’s name was Jeremias. He was so friendly and courteous. And he was very attentive. He was very knowledgeable of the menu too which is very important. In my previous review for Pico’s, I was complaining about how unfriendly our server was. But Jeremias was the perfect waiter! He definitely made our experience even more pleasurable. Thanks Jeremias! :) I would definitely recommend Prego to my friends and family looking for a delicious Italian meal. Bravo!

I’m giving Prego three stars, but I was very disappointed. For the price of the experience, I really expect exceptional food and service. While the service was great, the food was fairly mediocre.
We went for my boyfriend’s birthday. We started with the calamari fritto — unexceptional. I think it was a bit under done actually, because the batter was still quite pale and not nearly enough crunch. Also, the calamari itself was chewy, not well prepared.
My boyfriend had the rabbit pappardelle, which he liked but didn’t love. I tried the salmon, which I found to be bland — the vegetables and gnocchi under the salmon were the highlight of the dish for me. For $ 24, I really expect a quality and well-​cooked fish. This was unexceptional.
We both had desserts as well. I had the vanilla panna cotta, which was light and beautiful. However, they poured way too much of a berry sauce around the panna cotta, which I thought really overpowered the very delicate panna cotta. I just avoided it. My boyfriend had some hazelnut/​chocolate dessert that he said was the highlight of his meal.
The interior is very upscale and nice. They have an extensive wine list, as well as cocktails and beer.
All in all, I found Prego to be very disappointing. While I love their sister restaurant Backstreet Café (and definitely plan on going back there), I don’t think I’ll make another trip to Prego. This city has too many great restaurants to return to places with okay food (especially if it’s pricey)!

Prego is listed as an Italian upscale restaurant in Rice Village.
It’s ironic, because I turn to Prego when I want phenomenal seafood!
I’ve been twice. The first visit was rather atypical, but my 7 college roommates/​friends and I hosted our graduation lunch here. There is a slightly elevated platform of the restaurant that we took over. Prego was so gracious and allowed us to even bring in a projector to show our families a cheesy college slideshow. We were all so happy with the venue, food and service.
Since then, I returned another time with my parents and boyfriend and once again, Prego delivered with fresh and elevated seafood dishes. I’ll post all the items we’ve ordered, but seriously, every single thing we ordered we loved! Except the Caesar salad, which is a sad pile of large lettuce wedges and the typical caesar toppings (note the picture). My favorite appetizer is the crab claws. TIP: They always have amazing daily specials, so don’t you order without hearing what they have to offer for the day!
All in all, Prego is a nice (though costly) place for a lovely meal/​date/​graduation lunch with rich food and fantastic seafood.

Huge fan of this place. I went here on a whim with my best friend, so we weren’t prepared for the fanciness of the restaurant. We began our dinner by splitting the burrata salad. I’m literally a burrata hunter – wherever I go in the world, I’ll try burrata if it’s on the menu because in my opinion, it’s the creamiest gourmet cheese out there. The salad also contained yellow beets, watercress, heirloom tomatoes and hazelnuts with arugula leaves. The combination was fantastic and everything had a distinct and nuanced flavor. Like I’ve said in earlier reviews, if you can make healthy taste delicious, you’ve done a fabulous job. For main course, I got the mushroom ravioli and my friend got the eggplant pasta. Both were divine. My friend’s didn’t look too appealing, but when I tasted it, the eggplant had a delicious smokey flavor. The mushrooms in my ravioli were on point and the tomato-​based gravy was light but still very flavorful. I’ve always believed that when restaurants don’t need to use excessive amounts of cream to make their pasta taste good, they’ve done a good job.
The service was fabulous. Our waiter made great recommendations and was very patient with us, because we definitely took a while to peruse through the menu.
The ambience was lovely. The dim lighting and old wooden style interior was very welcoming, especially because there was a storm raging outside.
In terms of the price, I paid $ 60 (with tip) for three dishes, which is expensive but also something I expected with the high food quality and great ambience. I had just received my paycheck, so maybe I wasn’t feeling the hit to my wallet quite as much. I think this place is a good treat, but not somewhere I’d go often.

Prego is an incredible upscale Italian restaurant in Rice Village. I am always impressed with what I order. In fact, because everything is SO good, it’s hard for me to try anything new! Oh, and the breads they bring out for starters are un-​be-​lievably good.
On to the menu… As said, while I have not had everything on their menu, I trust that all of their dishes are absolutely delectable. However, the following are my favorites:
Antipasti: gnocchi di patata
Entrée: Pescatore, Vitello Prego, or Gnocchi con Manzo
Dessert: There is never any room left.
You can expect amazing service, amazing food, and insanely good bread every time.