Impero Italiano — Restaurant in Houston

A Missed Opportunity for Authentic Italian Flavor

As someone with Italian roots and a deep appreciation for the vibrant, fresh flavors of true Italian cuisine, I walked into this restaurant with high hopes. The ambiance was inviting—distinctive, stylish, and full of character. The service? Impeccable. Attentive staff made the experience pleasant from start to finish. But when it comes to the heart of any dining experience—the food—it simply didn’t deliver.

Each dish felt like it was more about presentation than substance, falling short of the depth, balance, and vibrancy that define authentic Italian cooking. Rather than transporting me back to the trattorias of Italy, the flavors remained disappointingly muted, leaving little to savor.

Calamari: Overpriced and Underwhelming

At $25, I expected a standout appetizer, but the calamari was overcooked, bordering on rubbery, and sorely lacking in seasoning. A well-executed calamari dish should be light, crisp, and tender—this was anything but. The blandness was surprising, and at this price point, I anticipated something far more refined.

Carbonara: A Salty Letdown

A great carbonara is a delicate balance of rich, silky sauce with the perfect harmony of pancetta, egg, and cheese. This rendition missed the mark entirely. Overly salty to the point of being almost inedible, it tasted more like a rushed mix of bacon and cheese tossed with pasta—without the velvety texture or depth of flavor that defines the dish. It was, quite honestly, one of the saltiest pastas I’ve encountered, and not in a good way.

Gnocchi & Mushrooms: A Textural Mishap

Gnocchi is all about that perfect pillowy bite—soft yet structured, melting in your mouth with a satisfying lightness. Unfortunately, this version was either undercooked or vastly overcooked, as it clung to the roof of my mouth and stuck unpleasantly to my teeth. To make matters worse, it was shockingly bland, with little to no depth in the accompanying sauce.

Pizza: A Standout, But Not a Destination

The one dish that truly delivered was the pizza. The crust was well-crafted—light, airy, and kissed with a beautiful char from the oven. The ingredients were fresh, and the balance of flavors was well-executed, making for an enjoyable bite. If this restaurant focused solely on pizza, it might be a different story. However, while the pizza was genuinely good, I’d still recommend Pizaro’s off Katy Freeway for a truly exceptional Neapolitan-style experience. They specialize in pizza, and their mastery of technique and quality of ingredients put them in a league of their own. That said, if you do find yourself dining here, the pizza is the one dish worth ordering.

Final Verdict

I wanted to love this place. The setting is charming, and the staff delivers excellent service. But food is the true test of a restaurant’s worth, and here, it fell flat. With high prices and dishes that lack the boldness and authenticity of true Italian fare, this experience left me disappointed. It’s a restaurant with plenty of flair, but without the flavor to match, it’s not one I’d be eager to revisit—except, maybe,...

If you want to spend money for a subpar meal and service this is the place for you, while the whimsy "Italian " decor and trendy influencer videos depict a true authentic and wholesome experience be prepared to be greet not by the staff but by the page long "house rules", that should've been an red flag alone but alas I was committed to giving it the benefit of the doubt after our wait my stomach was grumbling and pleading for some substance, we were sat and as we searched for those mouth watering dishes we had been waiting to enjoy we were disappointed to see that not only were those items not on the menu, our server was not helpful or welcoming really as if our presence was disturbing his otherwise perfect Saturday afternoon, after some debate we finally settle on starting our meal w the mozzarella en carrozza for the price of 14 dollars we were treated to an whooping 3 pieces of overly greasy and bland mozzarella slices. Not to be detered by this poor execution we anxiously awaited the main course bc it will only go up from here we said, arrive our chicken piccata that was listed for a measly 23 dollars, chump change really in this economy, behold our eyes was a thin sliced of chicken accompanied with 4-5 pieces of artichoke and all you care to eat parsley, puzzled as we were expecting a filling entree and for the price more than a 1in thin piece of chicken breast, imagine our surprise when my wife inquired if this was how the chicken piccata was made with one thin slice of chicken the server shrug and said yes, my stomach grumble in protest as my previously generous appetizer was just a bit of a tease, still yet we said we still have a pizza coming surely you can't go wrong w pizza, finally our pizza was delivered all 12inches of the wrong pizza, not only was it underwhelming and soggy it was the wrong toppings and as soon as it was delivered it was as if the earth had swallowed the staff from the premises not a soul to be found, and my stomach continued to protest, my wife attempt to get the attention of the staff to be ignored, being 90.00 invested in this situation we were left with a choice eat and learn from this or leave. We choose to finish our meal, in silence and disappointment but grateful to have the privilege to have food. If I could give this place no stars that's what I would do. I've microwaved pizza better than this, my wife an Italian no longer will allow me to suggest a nice Italian meal with her when we travel and that is the real loss here the loss of trust and shame...

This is one of the weirder reviews I've felt compelled to write. Usually one would only leave a review if a restaurant is great or terrible, but Impero Italiano was very hit or miss in all respects. If I was able to I'd give it a 3.5 overall.

Service We had about a 30 minute wait, but that was clearly communicated and there was space for waiting outside so no big deal. The service the rest of the night was up and down, somehow we were checked on several times throughout the meal when we were eating and didn't need anyone, but when we wanted to order initially or get a receipt after paying we waited for some time. Everyone was very polite and attentive when coming by, but we were asked to pay soon after receiving dessert while we were still eating, which felt rushed.

Food Arancini - 4 - Nice crunch and mix of ingredients inside, good sauce, but the rice felt pretty mushy, even for arancini Margherita pizza - 3 - This was just ok, we ordered based on the positive reviews online but I can't bring myself to call it anything other than mediocre. The crust was completely limp and slightly soggy, although the flavor of the crust was good. Cheese tasted like it was good quality and the basil was fresh. Pasta puttanesca - 3 - Another very so so dish, nothing terrible about it but it just tasted like a very basic spaghetti with tomato sauce and olives. A little more of the sardine flavor or just anything to punch up the dish would have been nice. I understand Italian (as opposed to Italian American) food is meant to be simple with high quality ingredients, but even so this felt very blah. Canolo - 5 - By far the star of the meal, this was flaky with a subtly sweet ricotta filling and a candied citrus rind that balanced it all out.

Price This was the main reason I wouldn't give Impero any higher than a 3.5. Had the meal been around $30 per person I would've been satisfied with my experience, but the above 1 appetizer, 2 entrees, 1 dessert, and 2 beers came out to $95 with tax and tip. Neither my friend nor I are big eaters so the portion sizes are on the small side for Houston, and for $47 a person there are definitely many better options to be had for Italian or other cuisines. I'm not trying to tell anyone how to run their business, and it was full of happy customers and had great ambience so obviously it works for them. Unfortunately, although I had been looking forward to trying it out for a some time, I won't...