Arturo's Uptown Italiano, Houston, Texas Restaurant Details

Food:

This place is one of the best places in Houston to eat and have a nice evening out. I go after work sometimes and just grab a Margarita Pizza and a ice cold Moretti beer. Other times I'll opt for the fantastic Black Truffle Risotto with shrimp and fresh flown in sea scallops. Never had anything I didn't like here. The owners are always extremely friendly as well. Desserts are fabulous too! Give this a try if you like great, fresh, quality food and an upper scale establishment.

Food:

HONEST AND CONCISE

My wife and I visited Arturo's yesterday evening to celebrate our anniversary.

First, the ambiance and service are impeccable. We were seated within 2 minutes, our waiter and support staff frequently refilled our water and wine glasses. This may have been the best service I've experienced at a Houston restaurant.

Now to the important stuff: the cuisine. We ordered the veal raviolis and sausage w/peppers as appetizers. The raviolis were AMAZING. I definitely recommend this dish. The sausage w/peppers was nearly as good.You can't miss with these two.

My wife ordered the trout and I ordered he pork chop dish. Her dish was a bit on the salty side and I think they should pair it with something besides scrambled eggs. But I'm no chef, so what do I know. Would not order this dish again.

The pork chop was a lot bigger than I expected it to be. I was succulent and had a good taste. The side pairing of vegetables were flavorful and accompanied the dish well. The dish was satisfying overall, but nothing special.

I hope this review was helpful =)

Food:

Should have reported this sooner, just got busy...then started hearing recent Arturo's radio commercials!
Back in 2013, was with a large happy hour group who meets regularly for wine, drinks and light meals. A couple of us decided to stay for a nice dinner. We ordered salad and Calamari to start. The wine was fine, but for the first time in over 35 years of dining out in Houston, the fried calamari actually smelled a little funny!!
It's tasted alright, but had that un-fresh seafood smell!! We ate about half of it in spite of the slight odor, then my lady friend decided that we should try an entrée.
We ordered the Shrimp Alfredo, wow, what a presentation, it was loaded w/at least a dozen jumbo shrimp around a platter of fettuccini and Alfredo Sauce! Unfortunately, the shrimp had the same un-fresh seafood reek. She only ate one shrimp with the fettuccini, I had at least 3 before I felt uncomfortable eating any more! I politely asked for the tab, paid the bill and asked for the manager's name, which I was given!
I called several times before he returned my call days later! When told of our experience, all he could say is, we get our seafood in fresh daily, there was no "I'm sorry, can I make it up to you", etc. Needless to say, you be the judge, but can tell you this much, my group of professionals who spend hundreds at any one gathering will not and have not gone back!! My mistake was not sending the food back in the first place!! Good luck!!

Food:

Fantastic service. Phenomenal muscles. Wonderful raviolis. Luscious cannoli. Must try.

Food:

Food: decent. I had the bruschetta followed by the mintestrone, the bow tie margherita, and the tiaramisu for dessert on the recommendation of the waiter. The bruschetta and soup were great. The margherita was bland, oily, and lacked flavor. The tiaramisu was a surprisingly large portion and served with fresh strawberries which was great but it had an odd texture. Not the best food but not the worst.

The decor was fair. Not very romantic as you would expect from an 'upscale' italian restaurant. There was really a lack of decor. The table decor was decent but the overall atmosphere was like the food: not memorable. Olive Garden has a better atmosphere/decor.

The service was good because of my waiter and waitress. Mind you, I went alone for a late lunch and there was only one or two tables other than my own. So, it was not busy. Anyhow, the wait staff was very attentive and knowledgeable about the menu.This is very important to me because I am a vegetarian and always need to ask whether certain dishes have any type of meat. My glass of tea was always full and I was well taken care of. However, the hostess did get on my nerves. For some reason I was seated right next to the front door which is also right next to the hostess station. I do not know why I was seated here when the restaurant was pretty much empty. Anyhow, the hostess was very loud and got to be obnoxious. She was on her cell phone and laughing and joking loudly with other staff. I came here alone to have a quiet lunch and enjoy the book I am reading and she made it very difficult with her loud talking and laughing. Also, when I walked in the restaurant she was too busy primping herself in the mirror behind the cash register to notice that I had even walked in so a random waiter had to seat me. One more thing, the (what I assume to be) manager was in the restaurant the whole time. I assume he was the manager because he was wearing a tie and jacket unlike the rest of the staff. Never once did he come to my table or any of the others to ask how I was doing, ask about the food, etc. I have never been to an 'upscale' restaurant where the manager is out on the dining floor doing nothing and doesnt even bother to greet or talk to the guests. I just thought it was rude. Even if you go to a downscale restaurant like Chilis or Maggiano's if the manager is out on the floor he will at least acknowledge the guests.

Overall it was an okay experience. I wouldnt necessarily recommend it to anyone but it wasen't terrible. But this place just does not have an 'upscale' vibe at all.