Lasagna House III- Westheimer — Restaurant in Houston

Took a day trip to Houston to pick up stuff for charcuterie board for restaurant. We were starving and wanted Italian. Asked Google who was near us, and Lasagna House popped up. First impression was strip mall... So we didn't expect much. As we entered we were pleasantly surprised..nice old world Italian decor. We made ourselves comfortable at our booth and ordered cocktails and wine. It was more than obvious the server was not trained very well. He could not describe any of the menu items we asked about, nor potential flavor profiles of the wine so we make the right choice for the courses. No, we are not wine or food snobs. We are supporting locally owned businesses, so we make sure to purchase everything we can to make them a successful venue. Started off with calamari. I love Calamari. I Hate when it is overcooked! I don't get it. Why do people feel that they need to cook this for 4-5minutes? I reality, only 45-60 seconds is all calamari needs in the freaking fryer. I find this everywhere. People forgot how to cook. I have never in 30 years cooked calamari for more than 60 seconds. Nor a U-10 Shrimp more than 3 minutes.. needles to say. It was tough as heck. After about 15 minutes server comes by to inform us that the entrees will be right out. We asked him what happened to the soup and salads we ordered. The reply..... " You didn't have those yet?". It was laughable. We finally simply asked what are the signature entree. His response was the Godfather Lasagna and the sample plate with three types of pasta. A ravioli with marinara, fettuccine Alfredo and lasagna. Without delay, we ordered both. The godfather lasagna was on point..... Couldn't ask for it to be better. And highly recommend. As for the sample pasta dish. Everything was cooked to with a perfect bite in the pastas. Sauces were on point. However, they do make the one mistake that most won't. They did not drain the water completely when they were cooking it. Then placed sauce atop the wet pasta. I just saying, two of the pastas had a pool of water underneath. In our restaurant we not only bring pasta to temp., Will also drain and then toss with the sauce so that the pasta absorbs the flavor. Did you notice that I said TWO of the pastas? That because the Fettuccine Alfredo was made with the proper technique. And the sauce was perfect by the way. The Fettuccine had absorbed the garlic creamy flavor. I would ask the chef to toss the sauces next time I go.. I am in No WAY implying the food is not good. On the contrary... This food is excellent. Just missed a step in technique for the dishes. No one wants water on there plate. It diluted the sauce flavor, that affects the total flavor of the pasta. It goes for steaks, pork chops and chicken. Have to let them rest for 5 minutes so after you cut them, the juices do spill out on the plate. Definitely try the tiramisu. Would have preferred coco powder on top instead of classic Hershey syrup. But that didn't detour me from inhaling...

To be fair, this is not the first time I have taken the opportunity to eat at the Lasagna House off of Westheimer RD. I have been there over at least three times now if not more. Each experience was different, but following my first time, each time afterward was consistently similar, conditions seemed to worsen. Now before I go into the details, let me be fair. On the days I ate at Lasagna House, I was there on Fridays. I was there around 11am to 3pm. During this time it was the lunch hour and the place was packed. When it was not, it was still full of people. I have worked in a Restaurant before, I know the stress of the job, and the constant requirement for the customers getting their food with Quality, and Speed, but most importantly, Accuracy, as this attributes to the Quality of the Experience. On the first day I choose to make my meal experience be handled by the Lasagna House, I ordered an appetizer for my meal, Prices at the time were above my own budget for meals. I was there with coworkers a number between 8 and 12 people. Each of us had our own bill. As this was my first time attending the Lasagna House, I chose not to judge the service. However, my second return, wasn't as pleasant. The meal once ordered among 20 people, coworkers of mine, were not told that our bills already came with the tips added in, and many of us ended up paying tips that were not worth deserving. Secondly, while we may have ordered for our food not more than 20 mins from the time we were seated. But the food was not returned to us for nearly 2 hours, and even then my own food I ended up taking back to my job in a box to go. Following this experience, I stayed away from Lasagna house for some time. However, I was tempted to at least order food from them, when my coworkers had offered to pick up my meal following there lunch at the Lasagna House. The meal was pizza, and it was with Pepperoni's and Anchovies. While the slices of pizza were delicious at first, they lost their flavor quickly, and soon I was suffering from Cramps, Diarrhea, Nausea, and Headaches. I felt warm and dizzy. My conclusion was that the food was the cause. While my experiences may have been bad or just a bad run, I am advice to go to the Lasagna house in Sugarland, the meal I had there was delicious, quickly served and refills were frequent, and the server, pleasant. The chain in itself is not a bad chain, but the link present is poor design and I believe needs great care in its redesign. I would consider returning, if the management were more inviting and the quality of the food was checked more thoroughly. (This review I leave to you, as a future customer, or an earnest customer looking for a...

Update: Appreciated the Follow-Up

After my initial review, I received a call from Andrea, the Manager at Lasagna House III on Westheimer. We had an open and sincere conversation about what happened, and I truly appreciated that she took the time to follow up. This has always been one of our favorite places to eat — great food, friendly smiles, and a staff that usually makes you feel right at home.

Andrea explained that it was an unusually busy Mother’s Day weekend with unexpected walk-ins and staffing shortages. Our party was in the back room, which made it even harder for them to keep up. While that night didn’t go as planned, I understand now that it wasn’t a reflection of how they normally operate.

I really appreciate that they cared enough to check in. It reminded me why we’ve enjoyed coming here for years. Everyone has an off day, and although ours landed on a very special celebration, I believe in genuine people there. -Katherine

Disappointed and Embarrassed – Not What We Expected for a Special Day

We chose Lasagna House III – Westheimer to celebrate my husband’s graduation because it’s always been one of his favorite spots. The booking process was smooth, and Andrea was pleasant and efficient, helping us secure their private room and choose a buffet menu. Normally, the food is delicious and the service outstanding, so it felt like the perfect choice.

Unfortunately, the actual experience left us deeply disappointed.

We had 23 guests in the private room. Although the party before us ran late, we patiently waited while they cleaned up. It was Mother’s Day weekend, so we understood the chaos. But what we didn’t expect was to be completely neglected for the rest of the evening. There was no dedicated server for our group. I had to constantly flag down staff just to get drinks, appetizers, or bread. It truly felt like we were forgotten.

When it was time for dessert, we ordered Tiramisu and waited over 20 minutes with no one returning. Eventually, we gave up and asked them to remove it from the bill. The issue, as we later learned, was staffing: several employees didn’t show up. But even so, there was zero communication or support.

We still paid the full $140 service fee. Despite receiving no actual service. As the host, I spent more time trying to get help than celebrating. I didn’t even get to eat. To top it off, they don’t allow take-home containers for leftovers, so I ended up walking away hungry and embarrassed in front of our guests.

I truly regret choosing this restaurant for such an important occasion. It’s disheartening when a place you once loved drops the ball so badly when it...