Da Vinci Ristorante Italiano — Restaurant in Katy

We chose this restaurant for our anniversary dinner based off reviews. I left here sorely disappointed, and mad that we spent $160 for subpar, overpriced food. My husband loved his seafood appetizer, and enjoyed his sea bass, but said it was overpriced at $38. His cheesecake dessert he was not thrilled with at all. Super small portion of just “meh”, and after receiving the bill, that was a $13 “meh”. For my meal, I ordered the house salad, and it was just ok. I appreciated the fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and little Gorgonzola, but expected more from the dressing. It said “Italian dressing”. I asked if it was bottled or homemade, and was told it was a citrus vinaigrette. What I received tasted and looked just like a typical Italian dressing from a bottle. My chicken Marsala was just ok, not what I expected for an upscale restaurant. Overcooked small portion of pounded chicken with a rather boring Marsala sauce. I gave 1/3 of it to my husband as I was not thrilled with taste or texture. My side of angel hair pasta with red sauce was very tasty on the other hand. My dessert was horrific! I ordered the Italian cream cake, which is one of my favorite cakes, and it was disgusting. It tasted like it had been sitting too long in a fridge or freezer soaking up the tastes of surrounding food, and then had this weird chemical taste as if someone poured bug spray over it. Hard to explain, but even made a slight tinge or tingling in mouth. My husband tried it, and he could not understand it either, and I quickly sent it back. I was wondering if somehow it was baked with lots of alcohol, but I don’t think that was the case. Was it just old? Whatever the case, it was not edible. I ordered a regular coke after I decided I needed something else with my meal after finishing my Prosecco. Realized after receiving the bill it was $3.85 for the 1/3 glass I drank. $4 for a fountain drink?! I left completely disappointed, and ripped off. I will not return to this restaurant as I refuse to throw away good money on subpar food. Oh, and the wine rack, which was the “backdrop” of our table, and next to my head, was COVERED in dust. It looks like 5 years of caked on dust, and the light fixtures had not been cleaned in forever either. Who wants to look at that while eating? Makes you wonder if they even clean the kitchen properly. If you’re charging $38-$60 for an entree, your clientele deserves a CLEAN restaurant with...

Expectations were good, based on so many positive reviews but those were diminished rather quickly, unfortunately. The first bad impression was the server who insisted on standing as close as he could to the table to the point of standing over it, rattling off the specials in a rapid-fire delivery, and completely oblivious to the fact that my hand was over my water glass to avoid his spittle from showering into it. A short while later I asked him about the veal special and again he explained in such a rapid-fire way that I couldn't even understand what was just said. Ignoring that, we ordered a Caesar salad to split while deciding on our entrée. You'd better like cheese in your salad because it's loaded with it, and I couldn't take much more so I left it unfinished. Some complimentary bruschetta was placed on our table with two spreads. My girlfriend had already mentioned that it tasted very odd, so I took a bite of a piece without the spread and the bread was soggy and tasted old - it was actually disgusting, so I asked that he take that away. Being half-Sicilian, my test of any Italian restaurant is a simple Lasagna, which I ordered while covering my Moretti with my hand to avoid his spittle again, and it was served in a Moscow Mule mug, which was fairly odd. Beer should never be served in a metal mug. The Lasagna arrived in a heart-shaped bowl and the sauce was soupy. I pulled about a quarter pound of thick cheese off the top before trying to cut into it with my fork but couldn't because it's served in a soup bowl, due to the sauce being watery. I never even tasted it because I was too disgusted by the entire experience at this point. So, I had a portion of a terrible salad and a bite of inedible bruschetta for dinner and two Moretti's. I'll tip up to 30% for great service but our waiter (aside from the ordering process with a side order of spittle in drinks and rapid-fire delivery) didn't bother checking on our table, was waved over for the second beer, and for some strange reason the other waiter came by to box up my girlfriend's to-go container, so our waiter was tipped 10%. I don't know the name of the waiter but he's about as good at his job as the cook who makes their Lasagna. Wit the 10% tip, one entree, two beers, three flutes of house prosecco and a split Caesar salad: $117.29. Have at it. Needless to say, we won't be making this...

My wife and I went there for dinner for the first time on our anniversary, and I must say, it left a good impression on us. At first when I called to make a reservation (which I highly recommended you do beforehand), the staff member who answered was very swift like they were in a hurry to take our information without wasting a moment. Which admittedly at first we thought was kind of snobby of them to be rushing the info, but came to understand why the rush when we were finally seated at the restaurant. Firstly the atmosphere is very nice and intimate, nice soft Italian music playing, delicious aromas in the air, gives you a feel of authenticity and definitely builds appetite. Not really a place for kids, unless they have a more wider pallet from chicken tenders or pizza. Much better for just two on a date. The staff is very friendly and professional, taking the time to explain the menu with a passion behind it that makes all the food items sound even better. The dim-lit scenery, artworks along the walls, and limited seating in that small area made it all the more intimate. Perfect for date night. The only downside we can say is the wait time can be a bit lengthy, but is understandable when we see that the waiter takes the time to tending to and seating others, explain the menus, and answer the phone all within the same few minutes he has in between serving food (understanding why the rush when we called beforehand as well). Which is all done in a professional manner. But the wait is well worth it when the food arrives. It was astonishing how delicious and well presented our foods were, from the appetizer to the dessert. Even foods that I don’t normally like to eat, but my wife does, tasted delicious to me the way they prepared it, which is a first for me with any dining experience. It made for a delicious and memorable night for my wife and I. Will absolutely go back again!

Pros: -Great atmosphere -Great service -Delicious food

Cons-ish: -Wait time (but worth it when...