Review Perbacco - Houston

This Italian restaurant is probably my favorite one downtown, only been here twice but I was delightfully surprised by the quality of the food on both occasions. My first time visiting was back in 2019 during the workday. It was so busy when I came in, the dining room was packed with so many office workers. I really liked the hustle and bustle though and it gave me a feeling like I was in Little Italy in NYC. The ambiance is very quaint and we got a table by a window. It's hard to hear the person seated across from you as the restaurant is super small and the tables are so close together. I ordered the Linguini Alle Vongole, clams tossed in white wine sauce with Linguini and it was delicious. This pasta dish was ideal for a work lunch as the clam juice and white wine makes eating linguini refreshing and not heavy. I also had the tiramisu here for dessert, again very light and not overly sweet. I made a second trip here on August 31, 2023, also during the workday. It was a real nice treat since my colleagues and I came in post lunch-rush and no other patrons were dining in at the time. The owner himself took our order and all 3 of us opted for pasta paired with the house salad. The house salad is light and refreshing as it's only drizzled with lemon juice and vinegar. I ordered the Ravioli di Mare with Scallops and Shrimp this time. I'm a huge fan of tomato based dishes in general and this was just right in acidity and creaminess. The portions are generous, the ravioli was tender and pairs nicely with the big scallops and jumbo shrimp. It was so tasty I finished it all and cleaned my plate with the free bread that came with our entrees. My only complaint here is that I wish the ravioli had more basil in it or an addition of spinach would be nice. I love eating vegetables and the dish is missing this element. FYI, all entrees are priced at $15 and higher. The menu is very short and simple. I would gladly return to sample more items.

We've been wanting to dine here for years, but with their limited hours and our distance from downtown, it's been difficult to nail down a reservation. It's a charming, bright space that you can tell has had a lot of love put into it. We showed up early for our 6pm reservation and the wait staff was patient with us while we waited for our third party to arrive. We started with the burrata and arugula salad. We'd never tasted burrata before and found the cheese beautifully creamy and the salad perfectly proportioned. My husband ordered the linguine capri. It was light, the shrimp and pasta were cooked perfectly and the tomatoes were fresh. He cleaned his plate. I had the gamberi al limone and capers. It was fresh and tasty. The shrimp had a great snap to them when you took a bite. My only regret is not choosing a pasta dish . . . next time, for sure. The gentleman who took our order was very knowledgeable, but didn't give off that warm and welcoming feeling that we've experienced at other establishments.

Flavourful, hearty Italian food at a reasonable price. Great service too. Quite packed at lunch time with most tables taken by noon. Love this place!

Best real Italian food we ever had in the states. The owner is a very nice person, he had a lot of good stories to tell. We felt very welcome and enjoyed the food and the Italian wine for a fare price for perfect quality of fresh prepared pasta and appetizers. If we would live in Houston, this place would become "our" Italian restaurant. Enjoyed and loved it

Wow... Just wow! I cannot believe that I have never been to this restaurant as much as I love authentic Italian food. The food here took me back to the island of Capri and the service reminded me of the lovely people I met in Italy. Victorio was so welcoming and hospitable. It felt like we were visiting a friend at work. Everything was amazingly delicious. We had the lasagna (the best I've ever had) and the Pescatorre pasta. You have to have dessert here. Thier cakes are insanely good. We got Italian cream cake and chocolate cake. I'm telling all my friends and family about this restaurant. It's too good to keep a secret.

We came in and the sign said they were full until 745pm. We came in around 530 and the owner said they would seat us anyway, which was super nice! Very friendly staff, good prices, cute place with good food.

Food is quite good. Staffs are attentive and friendly Nice place

It was my first time going to this beautiful like place and it won’t be my last. I loved everything about it. When we initially got there it was a sign saying that they were full but they told us to come in and sat us right away. The couple next to us gave us really good recommendations, the view was amazing, the service from beginning to the end was outstanding, and the food was immaculate. I had shrimp scampi and my daughter had penne della casa both dishes were really good portions, and very flavorful. This is a new favorite place of ours and we will for sure be back we definitely have to try dessert. Thank you guys for everything

Incredibly fresh seafood in a quaint little corner in Downtown Houston. Great hand made pastas too. Attentive staff make the entire experience perfect. Highly recommended to have reservations. This place is amust whilst Downtown but also worth the drive from the suburbs.

I’ve been walking across downtown to eat at this place for years, and now our office is moving across the street and the thing I am most excited about is that I am across the street from Perbacco. The lasagna is the best anywhere and so is the ravioli. I like to order it with meat sauce. The bread is thinly sliced French bread with salty butter. Awesome. And the small salad with Italian dressing and feta cheese is also really good. The photo is the ravioli with meat sauce. I’m hungry for it again writing this review.

We had the crepes di Pollo and penne sausage with eggplant. We finished dinner with chocolate cake.

This place is a premier dining experience without the premier price. The food is very good and the wait staff is super friendly and attentive. The owner spoke at length and answered all of our questions. I highly recommend this wonderful dining experience.

Wow! This little spot packs a big punch of flavor and amazing customer service. Our first visit and it felt like we were family. I didn’t know what to order and I asked the waitress for a suggestion, to which she replied “I can make you whatever you’d like, it’s all fresh.” She came back out with a salmon served on linguini with capers, mushrooms and cream that tasted like heaven. 100% recommend and will be back.

Delicious food and great service. The bread is addicting - it’s the best. Tasted fresh. The pasta was full of flavor and just yummilicious. This is the place for pasta. The service is quick. Portions are filling. The bathroom was clean as well. If you are in Houston, don’t miss out on it.

Food was so good Attentive staffs and nice atmosphere.

Came here last night before our show at Jones Hall and the food and service were exceptional. The food was fresh and the service was impeccable. I don't claim to know how real Italian food tastes, but I'm pretty sure this is the closest I've had. Lastly, the Tiramisu here is to die for. So so so yummy!!!

Very kind service staff and talk about fast! Our salads and wine were at our table almost before I finished talking. My trout was a little on the "fishy" side and my partner's shrimp tasted a little over. The salads were tasty, and my roasted vegetables were fresh and delicious. Dessert was good - try the zambaglione! - and we weren't rushed with a check. Bonus: it's right across the street from Jones Hall. I'd go back.

Food was fantastic! Chef takes your palate back to Italy! Great service and atmosphere would recommend as a must go if you’re in Houston. 😍 🤤 Tiramisu was my absolute favorite!

Bravissimo!<br/><br/>I can't recall the name of the evening's featured dish, but I'll call it Bellissima."<br/><br/>A mild arribiatta sauce with shrimp, scallops and lobster with a wine pairing that was perfect.<br/><br/>Great conversation with nearby patrons of the symphony topped it off.<br/><br/>The one question we were asked by other diners, "Who told you about this place?"<br/><br/>If you enjoy authentic Italian cuisine in a classic, simple atmosphere, keep this to yourself and surprise your friends.<br/><br/>To the staff: Grazie, Grazie

Great place for date night!<br/><br/>Love this place!! It is a small, locally-owned Italian restaurant that is super cute and great for date night or dinner with a small group of friends. The staff was very accommodating and super friendly. The wine and food were excellent. I would definitely eat here again!

This little gem is just across the street from Jones Hall which makes it the perfect pre-theater dining location. Service was excellent!! The owner is very "hands-on" and visited with each table to make certain everyone felt welcomed and taken care of.<br/><br/>The menu offers great options for pasta, fish and meat. I ordered the Cavatelli with sausage, which I enjoyed very much.<br/><br/>If I could change anything about this restaurant it would be to offer a full bar (currently only wine is available) and make the portions a little bit bigger.

My wife and I ate their on Saturday (6/18). This was some of the best Italian food i have ever had. I had Veal Marsala and my wife had Eggplant Parmigiana. They were both excellent. We then had the best Tiramisu I have ever had.

This is one of my favorite Italian places in Houston. Despite the high ceiling, hard surfaces, and loud atmosphere, I still enjoy coming here. The food is always freshly prepared with high-quality ingredients. I'm especially fond of the Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (garlic, olive oil and mushrooms), $10.95 at lunch.

Great Meal!. My wife and I ate at Perbacco's las night. The food and service was excellent! The owner is very attentive and friendly. He assisted us with picking out a very nice Italian wine to enjoy with our meal. My wife had the Salmon special and I had the spinach ravioli with shrimp special. Both were wonderful. We finished dinner off by sharing the tiramisu which was also excellent. It is conveniently located across the street from Jones Hall and close to the Allet Theatre. If you are looking for a wonderful Italian dinner this is your place! Recommend you make a reservation as e restaurant is not large and it was full by 6:30 pm. We will definitely go back soon!

Amazing. Usually, I don't write reviews, but in this case, I felt I had to. My friend and I never go downtown and don't know the area but decided to have dinner there after a trip to the museum. We just googled places and almost missed Perbacco due to the construction and parking issues. When we walked in, the owner asked if we had reservations, which I thought was surprising for 5:30 on a Saturday night. Also, most of the tables were empty. We said "no" and were sat anyway. Quickly, I learned that reservations are a good idea because within about 30 minutes all the tables were filled. This is most like due to the awesome food and amazing prices. Also, the owners were walking around, and the lady owner said even if it wasn't on the menu, if she had the ingredients, she would make it for us. When we sat down, we were given a basket of bread, with olive oil with balsamic vinegar ? I don't know, but it was delicious, and I told my friend, "If the food is good as this bread, we're set." I had the lasagna, which was delicious. It was way more cheesy than lasagna at other Italian restaurants, which focus more on the sauce. My friend had angel hair pasta with a red sauce which had mussels, scallops, chicken, and shrimp. She ate the whole thing because it was so good, while I saved room for dessert. For dessert, I got the Tiramisu, it was delicious. I don't eat sweets that much, but I ate the whole thing because it was so amazing. My friend got the cream puffs covered in chocolate sauce. I tried one, and it was delicious too. It wasn't overloaded with sugar and instead had real, rich flavor. Overall, we were really impressed and glad we stuck it out through the construction and parking situation!

The handmade pasta dishes and service from the owners is the highest quality. I've been to many NYC and other Italian restaurants and this one stands with the best. Try the ravioli with crab meat.

You Might Want to Choose Something Else. We had a reservation for a 6:00 seating on a Saturday night before a show at the Verizon Theatre. We were seated and the waitress quickly took our drink order. But 20 minutes went by before we had to flag her down to take our dinner order. There were 8 in our party, with half ordering pasta. Those diners had no issue with their meals. The 4 of us that did not had issues. 2 ordered Veal Marsala. The veal was tough and the marsala tasted like it came from a jar. One ordered Mahi Mahi. It was served on a salad and was utterly flavorless. The last ordered a filet, medium rare. The meat served was in no way a filet. And it was completely flavorless and so overcooked it was crunchy. The manager did take it off the bill, but the diner left without eating a meal. I cannot recommend this restaurant.

My ravioli was dwlicious, but for the $15 range I expected better. The salad that came with the meal was browning and the bread stale and hard.