Amalfi — Restaurant in Houston

EDITED.

I had really high hopes in this place the reviews were good and all the pictures we saw before coming looked so yummy. We went today for my husband birthday. I ordered the houston food week specials first carpaccio, second ravioli and dessert chocolate mousse everything for $45.

We waited 30 minutes for appetizers. 10 more for the food (this one came really fast) My husband ordered the risotto with short rib and it came cold the offered to change it but he preferred not to because at that time we had been in the restaurant for too long.

The service was good, but the food was just ok, nothing outstanding for a $$$ restaurant. The place is beautiful and decoration is on point.

——————————— After I posted my review of Amilfi I saw our waiter talking by the bar with a lady and a guy with a computer and for my surprise they where reading my review, they talked for about 5 minutes before the waiter gave us back our check.

My husband and I walked out of the restaurant and the owner Lisa walked to us to asked us what happened because my review was so low.

After years giving reviews is the first time that an owner comes to me right away, because must of them send you emails or have called me before to talked about my reviews which is great because I can explain all my points and some of those restaurants agreed and fixed them, that’s why we give reviews for the restaurants to see from an outsider whats missing in their places.

She said that the waiting time for the appetizers was the waitress fault (which means it is the restaurant’s fault because they have to train them) she also asked me why I said that the service was good and honestly the server was really nice to try to fix my husbands plate.

She repeated a few time how good, italian and prepared is her husband the restaurant chef and how long took the risotto to cook.

I feel so embarrassed since she decided to confort us in the restaurant entrance instead on going to our table as she did with two of the tables by us while we were eating. I have been giving reviews for years around the world and this is the first time that I actually felt accused...

I entered with high expectations and left annoyed and disappointed.

My desire for an upscale dining experience during my recent visit to this restaurant for a special birthday celebration was far from the sophisticated evening we anticipated. The charm of the establishment's small dining area and its allure through social media and website presentations set high expectations that were unfortunately not met.

The staff could not navigate the cramped space throughout the night without bumping into my chair. This ongoing disturbance was surprising and disappointing given the establishment's upscale image.

The service missteps continued with a noticeable delay in providing menus and repeated oversight in refilling drinks--a fundamental aspect of attentive service. While the food was commendable for its preparation and presentation, these service shortcomings significantly detracted from our dining experience.

After bringing my concerns to a manager, an awkward situation unfolded when the manager instructed one waiter to apologize to me in front of my guests. This approach felt misguided and only added to the discomfort of the evening. The issue continued throughout our entire visit by every employee. A later incident where a waiter dismissively walked away from me while addressing another service lapse reflected a broader problem, perhaps poor or little training or the employees having little respect for their patrons.

The experience left me reflecting on the importance of food quality, the caliber of service, and guest respect in defining a truly upscale dining experience. While I understand the challenges of running a restaurant, the evening's events indicated systemic issues rather than isolated mishaps.

I can understand the owner's goal to pack as many tables into the space as possible, but this decision needs the understanding and cooperation of the people who work there. I learned one thing: to put more weight on negative online reviews. There were a few, and my experience mimics many of the points...

Terrific owners make the overall experience a pleasure. Lots of Italian Speaking guests having birthdays and anniversaries, which is ALWAYS a good sign in an Italian themed restaurant. Specialty items for both appetizers AND entrees are both ambitious and well presented with unique flavors not at all found elsewhere, so this is worth a visit. The food quality, knowledge of the staff, service, presentation are all a 5+, and the only reason for a 4+ rating here is twofold: too many menu items that are meat or chops are herb oriented with essentially one or two main herbs and spices, so if that's not a flavor one cares for, it takes basic choices of too many dishes out of contention; and, the number of selections of cream or cheese based sauces are terrific, but the choices Other than those are too limited. An easy fix is to simply have a few meats, specials and pasta selections that are coordinated with the regular menu so as to provide a better balance. The appetizers are very varied and we saw at least 6 others besides the Braesola with Arugula, and the Grilled Octopus with Large Shrimp we had, that were all equally excellent. The pizza's, about 15 inch diameter, were also delightfully surprising that in a fine Italian restaurant the owners would take such pride in delivering the best of the best in freshest and high quality ingredients. A couple or biz meeting could go to lunch or dinner here and just have a couple of appetizers and a pizza and be blown away at how delicious and reasonable it was. Last equally pleasant surprise was the pages of red, white and sparkling wines BY-THE-GLASS, which included Italian, American and French selections I have frequented at home. A pleasant surprise on a Thursday night. Good luck and prosperity. We will certainly...