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Candelari's Pizzeria
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: Braeswood Place
2617 W Holcombe
Houston, TX 77025
(713) 662-2825
2617 W Holcombe
Houston, TX 77025
(713) 662-2825
- Hours:
Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
5 reviews for Candelari's Pizzeria
I'm going to have to go out on a limb here and disagree with the previous reviewers. I really like Candelaris! First, it is not a gourmet restaurant. It is very casual and kid-friendly type of restaurant so its not going to be a quiet/elegant meal in any way. Also, the service is not slow although it does take a while to get your food. That's nothing unusual for a pizza place though.
As a caveat, I will say the only things I've ever eaten at Candelari's are the pizza and the buffalo wings. And I only recently started going because they now have GLUTEN FREE pizza crust!!! I have been very pleased though. It is a casual, fun place to go for dinner and I think the pizza is really good. They have a great selection of toppings including AMAZING homemade sausage.
In addition to the gluten free pizza, they have three different types of regular crust as well as pastas, salads, and other entrees.
I will definitely be returning for the GF pizza if nothing else, but I was also pleased with the service. The manager even came and chatted with us for several minutes last time we were there to get our feedback on things.
In short, Candelari's will never be my favorite restaurant in town, but I'm thrilled to be able to enjoy delicious gluten free pizza in a fun, laid-back restaurant.
I actually can't review the food at Candelari's because I never made it that far--the service was such a joke that I got up and left before I even ordered anything. My new name for this restaurant is the "Nothing Restaurant."
Where to begin. First, my girlfriend and I walk in and are greeted by a server who promptly offers us the most undesirable table at the restaurant, the one right by the door. We say we don't want the table by the door and she just stands there and does NOTHING, doesn't offer us another table, just stands there. Ooo-kay. Taking the initiative we move to a perfectly fine table away from the door and ask if we can take it, and she says yes. The whole thing was a bit of a head-scratcher, but I gave her a pass.
Next we sit down and . . . sit . . . and wait . . . wait some more . . . . and . . . NOTHING--no greeting from a server, no water, NOT EVEN ANY MENUS. And this goes on for, I am not kidding, 10 minutes. Incredibly, that is the case even though the restaurant is a good 70% empty at 6:45 on a Saturday. It's like I walked in with an "I HATE CANDELARIS" shirt on! In the meantime, the hostess is slouching in her chair staring mindlessly out the window. Yeah, thanks for being so helpful.
Taking things in to my own hands I get up and go to the take-out counter to look at the menu on the wall. The take out guy questions me for looking at the take-out menu since I'm dining in and tells me that the server will bring me a menu. To this I say, "Yeah, well, no one's brought me a menu yet so I thought I would just get a take-out menu." He then apologizes and then does . . . NOTHING. Does he offer to get me a menu? No. Does he talk to the server? No. He just stands there and points to the SINGLE, raunchy take-out menu on the counter. Ooo-kay.
So I go back to the table and continue to wait for any kind of acknowledgment. Still NOTHING. Interestingly I look over at the couple that's come in after us, seated (of course) at the table by the door, and they, too, look perplexed as to why no one has made any attempt to offer them service.
And then the coup-de-grace, a group comes in a good 15 minutes AFTER us and promptly gets menus! Realizing that the wait-staff is utterly and hopelessly clueless as this point, we decide to leave, walking right past the hostess who says nothing, no good-bye, no "was something wrong?" NOTHING.
Candelari's, the Nothing Restaurant--I probably would have gotten better service wearing a rainbow colored thong at a Focus on the Family convention. "Waiter Service = Not Sure" couldn't be more accurate.
We like the place on Washington Ave, so this should be the same, right?
Well, maybe we ordered the wrong things.
Deep dish Wrigley: too much cheese, not enough sausage and other ingredients, and ingredients seemed all shifted to one side; tasted OK, but not a good value.
Rapini Fritti: We were curious. Don't you make the same mistake! They said "fried broccoli". It includes long stalks (I think it was broccolini), and tasted very bitter, like kale. FYI - It was not breaded and fried, but looked sautéed in olive oil (?).
House side salad was better than average.
We will be back to try a regular pizza and I hope have a better report.
I'm doing my first review here. I have to be honest I have silver bullets for what I've seen so far... Sam V. - the menu has a section called "Euro Style Pizzas" which are very thin 12" pizzas made in a brick over.
This location opened months ago and has almost got all the kinks worked out. The near-delivery only location of Bissonnet closed to make way for this location. I can say that that the pizza and quality of food have stayed the same- both the kitchen manager and one of the lead cooks made the journey from Washington. The location is great and staff have been updated from previous reviews. I'm glad to know Laura K. mentioned the gluten-free pizza (my gf has celiac disease and this is our home away from home.) Johnny S. discussed the lack of service... I wouldn't ask someone to try something twice they despise but I could guarantee a very different experience if you try again - stop by and go straight to the bar- the lads here can give you a great lay of the land and help with anything "less than nothing." Rocky the bartender is on the ball and works happy hours and dinners. I've had the pasta (great,) the signature pizzas (amazing,) the Euro style pizza (my fav!,) and the wine selection is sneaky good. Owners Mike and Greg have finally created the vision from Washington in the MedCenter they started with.
I am not an employee, or family or paid- I'm simply a huge fan. In this day and age Iwhen I'm told "Star Pizza is the best" or "try ____ pizza joint out" this is the only 'neighborhood joint" I've come across- and it's about time. The delivery is great and yes there are no 2 mediums for $2 Medium Pizza Hut/Inn/Domino's offers available- but if you want something good made by a Houston family that started out making sausage... then this is your place. And one more thing- the meatball slider is amazing.
Feel free to email me directly and I'll recommend what I can for you. This place has it together- give it a try.
DW
Ugh. Every time my office does pizza, we get it from here. My problem is, I am not a huge "American pizza" fan. I prefer the thin crust, wood oven, slightly crisp Italian version I was brought up on. And I feel like a sloth after eating the American version. BTW: Barbeque chicken pizza? Puke-o-rama. I know, I am a snob. But for the record, I am a team player and eat it anyway.
