La Estancia Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Katy

This was the most pathetic restaurant I may have ever been to. We were so excited to eat at a local mom & pop restaurant, but boy do I regret it. For starters, we had a group of 8 people and they refused to give us the normal menu. They have a "special" menu for groups 5+... it consists of food that they don't have to cook from scratch (I'm guessing frozen) and the explanation of said menu was poor. The prices are not listed anywhere. They make it sound like your salad is included in the meal, but it's an extra $9, and it's the worst caesar salad I've ever had. The table they set up for us was WAY too small, so thank god we all know each other well. Then, the woman taking our order straight up told us we needed to order right then or else it was going to take an hour to get our food (we did and it still took 40mins). She tried so hard to push the lobster ravioli, which 3 people in our group ordered... it had zero flavor and the lobster was missing? It was pink mush. I had the snapper and there was literally no sauce on my pasta...like the noodles were boiled and put straight on my plate, the fish had a dirty taste, and I think there were maybe 5 tiny capers? Overall so bland. Oh by the way, there are no sides included. Others in our group tried different options but nothing was good. Portion size is also laughable. At the end, we expressed our disappointment to the manager and her solution was to ignore us. She also stood over our shoulder watching what we put for tip... so rude. Anyway, they ruined what was supposed to be a great evening with friends. I paid for myself and 2 others, and with a 14% tip our bill was $160. How?! Thats 3 entrees and 3 salads... without alcohol... beyond insulting. The people giving them high ratings must have never eaten food before. You've been warned,...

What a Gem! I set out on a little mission to celebrate my husband’s birthday ,a week of treating him to hidden gems around town. La Estancia turned out to be one of those rare treasures you stumble on and immediately want to keep secret. From the moment we walked in, it felt like discovering a warm, familiar place you hadn’t known you were missing.

A quick heads-up before you go: if you’re hoping for wine, bring a bottle. Because the restaurant sits so close to a church, they aren’t able to sell alcohol. It didn’t dampen our evening though, just a small, easy-to-remember detail.

The food is made entirely from scratch, and you can tell. Plates arrive with a kind of thoughtful patience that’s worth waiting for; nothing rushed, everything prepared with care. Each bite was a little revelation, the starters, the main dishes, even dessert were layered with flavor and warmth. We loved everything we tried.

By the end of the night, my husband and I agreed: La Estancia is a place to celebrate, linger, and return to. Perfect for a birthday treat or any evening when you want something...

for the waiter, * for the price, ** for the food. When asked what the daily specials were, the scruffy unkempt waiter responded "I should know this because I work here, but I don't. It's written on the sign board over there" and proceeded to wait for orders that were listed on the menu. Thus began our wonderful evening. Suffice to say the waiter did not know anything, could not offer details about menus, did not bother to inform himself and really couldn't care less, all the while trying to be funny but remaining lackadaisical at best. I ordered a seafood fettuccine in alfredo sauce, what I got was shrimp clams, an overabundance of calamari rings and pasta drenched in milk. I mean swimming in it. Tha flavor was alright at best. That, plus an appetizer of fried calamari set me back $41. The best thing about this place was the company of friends and the wine they brought themselves. Save yourselves the embarrassment of debating whether or not you should leave a tip as the buffoon watches you with anticipation for his tip. Go somewhere else or order a good pizza...