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Antica Osteria Restaurant
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: West University
2311 Bissonnet St
Houston, TX 77005
(713) 521-1155
2311 Bissonnet St
Houston, TX 77005
(713) 521-1155
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Valet
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
13 reviews for Antica Osteria Restaurant
A beautiful quaint restaurant on Bissonnet and Greenbriar. It is a converted house and it's easy to miss. Walking into Antica Osteria you would think you were walking into someones home. I love it. I wouldn't try to find parking, they offer complimentary valet I highly recommend using it.
As you walk up the stairs you can't help but notice the patio. It's bigger than it appears from the street. The wife and I walked in on a Saturday night without a reservation and were seated within a few minutes. Unfortunately it was at a two top next to the entrance and the kitchen door. High traffic area, not good.
Despite the bad spot, our service and food I thought was good. We started out with a glass of the house pinot grigio. The wife ordered eggplant Parmesan and I had the Red Snapper fillet lightly breaded and sauteed with purple potatoes and asparagus. The eggplant was not that great. I figured it would be a pretty standard dish that was easy to execute. The eggplant was not completely cooked, I know, crazy isn't it. Now the Red Snapper on the other hand was outstanding. A good size fillet of fish breaded then sauteed and a garlic, caper, butter sauce poured all over the fish. It was delicious, everything on the plate was eaten by my wife and I. towards the end of the meal she had pushed her eggplant Parmesan to the side and forced me to move my plate to the center of the table. We had also ordered a small bowl of homemade fettuccine with Alfredo Sauce. This small bowl of pasta was the high light of the meal. It probably was because we didn't expect much from it, but it turned out to be the best fettuccine in cream sauce we've ever had in Houston. For dessert the wife and I split an order of strawberry cheesecake, which I found good. I was surprised that the dessert menu seriously lacking.
I would definitely be back for the fish and the fettuccine Alfredo, I just wish they would work on their dessert selection. Good service along with really good food and great ambiance has put this restaurant on the top of our dining list.
Pretty solid Italian restaurant. The menu has a lot variety and good wine list. I loved the "PETTO D'ANATRA AL PEPE NERO" (Duck Breast) - ordered it medium based on the recommendation of a buddy who works there. It was scumptious and mouth watering. Also, give the dessert vine Pascena moscato a shot - hands down one of the best dessert vines I have ever tasted.
Some tables feel crampy and it might take some time to get to your "reserved" table when it gets busy. Hey it's an Italian restaurant - what did you expect?
Antica Osteria must be Italian for "slowest service EVER".
The BF and I had never had Italian together and I found Antica Osteria on Yelp. We called for a reservation but it was last minute and they told us there's no wait to sit on the patio. So we proceeded to drive there. FYI, you have to valet. Thank goodness my boyfriend drove because I would have been a little embarrassed rolling up to the valet in my non-European made car.
We were seated right away. The patio is very quaint and faces out to Bissonet. Most of the people dining there were an "old money" or "country club" type crowd. It sort of reminded me of Backstreet Cafe. I felt a little under dressed in jeans and a fitted tee. Maybe that would explain the mediocre service...
The waitress came and took our drink orders. We just asked for water since we were still looking at the wine menu. She said she would be back to give us the food menu. 10 minutes later, she comes back. She gives us our food menu. We ordered a glass of house wine. 10 minutes later, she comes back with the bottle of wine and lets us sample the house wine before pouring us a whole glass (very nice of her). The wine tasted like the bottle had been open for a few days though. She poured our glasses and then left for ANOTHER 10 minutes. By this time, we were really ready to order our food already. In total, we waited 40 minutes before we could even order our food.
The only saving grace was that the food was pretty good and came out timely. I had a chicken breast stuffed with cheese in a wine sauce. My boyfriend had a veal with a tomato mushroom sauce. Both were served with mixed grilled veggies. The prices for the dishes were both very reasonable too (under $20). The food was very fresh and the meats were tender.
So maybe it was an off night? I don't know if the atmosphere is quite right for me. A lot of older rich people. So I'd recommend the place if you want a nice Italian meal in West U, but I think I'll continue my hunt for a better Italian place in Houston.
I think that by standards of quality Italian food, Osteria Antica does a very good job of main tining the authenticity of its food. I can only comment on the Petti de Pollo which I thought was good but not awesome. If there would have been a less cream cheese flavor and more of a wine saute' then perhaps i would give the food another star. The restaurant was nice and the general ambiance was welcoming. I would recommend this restaurant for a nice quiet couples dinner.
Sadly, I haven't been to Antica since November. But, it seems just like yesterday that I was there.
The service staff is divine. Very attentive without being intrusive. The design and decor is lovely. I came dressed in a cotton cocktail style dress and felt comfortable, but there were people in jeans as well (likely armani jeans, but who's counting) The food was delectable. The daily specials were brought to the table on a large blackboard and recited to us with great detail by our waiter.
I was with a large party that turned out to be not so large. They sat us even though we did not meet our full reservation (which was a pleasant surprise).
I know I said it before, but the food was wonderful. This place would be great for a date. Too bad my husband never takes me anywhere. There were kids there when I first arrived, but that was pretty early.
You must valet. parking is at a minimum in the area.
Best surprise for me were the prices. Very affordable for such high end food. I think it is comparable in pricing to Pappsitos.
So I was looking for a nice romantic restaurant in the Rice Village area before going to the theatre in downtown. The restaurant itself is unassuming on the outside but don't be fooled, the food here is good but be warned that the crowd definitely seems like the old boy's country club. Everyone was dressed pretty casual but in that country club casual style if you know what I'm talking about.
Decor: We came pretty early, around 6P, so the restaurant itself was still pretty empty with only one other table occupied. It was definitely nice to have the restaurant to ourselves although the restaurant got pretty crowded around 7P when we left. The restaurant is definitely nice and gives that old and classic Italian feel to it especially with the Italian opera-style music they were playing. There is also a shaded patio outside for those who prefer sitting in the hot hot heat. As the other reviews mentioned, there is only valet parking available or you can park on the street if you don't mind the walk.
Service: Our waiter was very attentive and helpful in explaining the daily specials and the menu. We were very well taken care of - our water was refilled as needed, our dirty plates were taken away promptly after the appetizer and the main course, and the waiter was always available.
Food: We ordered the scallops wrapped in prosciutto as an appetizer and the daily special salmon as the main course. The scallops were delicious (although there were only 3 of them). The salmon was fresh and the waiter brought out the sauce on the side just in case we didn't want the fish drenched in butter sauce. Everything was delicious and the price is pretty good as well.
Summary: Romantic but casual decor, attentive service, and delicious food. I would definitely come back to try some of the dishes that the other reviews mentioned.
I LOVE ANTICA OSTERIA!! It looks pretentious on the outside, but its amazing food and very reasonably priced on the inside. Located in a converted old house, the interior is dimly lit and very romantic. The last time I went we had the daily special appetizer of burrata and arugala (YUM!) and I had the puttanesca (forgot what my companion had). All the servings were very generous and we had leftovers going home. The only downside is the mandatory valet parking and hazardous (sometimes) location on Bissonnet (you gotta dodge cars to turn in!). But its soooooo worth it. I will be back again, and again, and again!
Went here for valentines day last year. We were able to make VERY last minute reservations when everywhere else turned us down they said they could find room for us. The restaurant is an old two story home. Very resonable prices for five star fine dinning service. Great wine selections. Wines by the glass pour is very generous and also great prices. We only got to see the selected menu but everything we had was perfect. The ambiance is very romantic! You can sit downstairs, upstairs or near the fireplace or patio. The gentlement who sat us seemed as he was the owner very friendly energetic and helpful, LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!
Dinner only at this popular and warm Italian restaurant. The stuffed ravioli for appetizer was delicious. The menu has several options, from light (less expensive) antipasto, penne and ravioli to larger entrees like tender veal and lamb chops ($15-22).
From the outside it looked charming already. They are only open for dinner, 5-10:30 pm, and closed on Sundays. Service was VERY good; they're the type who won't really chase you out the door to close on time. I asked for balsamic vinegar and olive oil for bread, but was given this garlicky olive oil dip, though it was good: something different, I guess. That said, there's butter for the bread, if you swing that way. I ordered 2 appetizers for dinner. They have daily specials, and you will be walked through them patiently by your server. For my main, I ordered their scallop-prosciutto appetizer and it.was.divine. The prosciutto (ham) was wrapped around the scallop like a surf-and-turf, and it tasted like they used the stock from the scallop to form part of the sauce. Sprinkled with sage, it looked nice, too. Ordered their house Pinot Noir ($8 glass), and it smelled like flowers, and went down smooth, too! As mentioned, the wait service was very good; they take time out to talk to you after, make you feel welcome. My server ended with him showing me out, and saying "don't be a stranger!" Awesome. If only they were also open for lunch. Ah well.
MY FAV for Italian in all of Houston! Yes, I know, I've been to all the others....De Marcos, Arcodoro, Vallone family, etc....This little house in West U is spittin out some good stuff! Fresh and delicious. Do not be fooled by the decor outside, whatever, this experience was great. And take a closer look at their daily specials, you can find some really good items on there from the chef. I had the lamb chops and they were absolutely perfect! We're always coming back here.
As soon as you walk in through the front door, the aroma draws you in further. Sat upstairs with a medium size group and we were able to sit in the corner so it was almost like our own private room. Our waiter was very friendly and helpful, there were about ten or so specials written on a small chalkboard which he walked us through one by one. Overall, the food here is very good, but you have to know what to order. For appetizers, tried the stuffed ravioli with porcini mushroom (per Jolyn's recommendation in her review), that was very tasty and some of the best ravioli I've ever had. The carpaccio was good also. For the entrees, the standout dish of our table was the red snapper, it was extremely fresh and flavorful, and the portion was generous. I ordered the veal with prosciutto and wine sauce, the portion was small and it was fairly average. Some other dishes ordered included the duck (small thin slices, not recommended), chicken parm (very good, would recommend), and lamb special (average). I will definitely return for the ravioli and snapper. I'd give this place 3.5 stars if I could, it's better than 3, but not worthy of 4 since some of the dishes were hit or miss. Service was excellent.
Very strong 4 star for Houston. I recently moved here from San Francisco and have been sampling local restaurants. Antica Osteria is the best Italian restaurant in this city for me: the food is very authentic, fresh, and well prepared. The salads, cheeses, lamb, and salmon are amazing. Excellent cozy high end but not stuffy location in the Rice Village, which allows for a nice walk after dinner.
