Damiano’s Cucina Italiana — Restaurant in Navasota

I really wanted to love this place. we were excited based on the reviews.

When we walked in, there was no host stand or anyone greeting at the door, so I walked toward the center of the restaurant and asked a server about the wait time, as there were already people waiting outside. She asked if we had called ahead (we hadn’t), and then wrote down our name. When I asked how long the wait would be, she wasn’t sure, so she asked another server who said about an hour. Since there was no seating area inside or outside for waiting, we went back to our car.

I want to say upfront that it’s clear this is a family-run place, and I could see the kitchen staff working very hard. However, the front-of-house organization just wasn’t there. After our hour wait, we were seated, but it took a while to receive menus. We ordered water—there aren’t many other drink options available.

They start you off with bread and balsamic/oil, which is always nice, but our bread was so toasted it was almost like a crouton.

We ordered the calamari to start. It came out quickly and was served hot. The texture was perfect, but there was a lot of breading and very little seasoning, so it ended up tasting bland unless dipped in the marinara. It felt like the seasoning may have just been missed.

When the calamari arrived, our empty bread plate was still on the table and wasn’t removed. I’ve served before, so I notice things like pre-bussing, which helps keep the table clear, especially in a smaller space.

We eventually were asked if we wanted water refills.

For entrées, we ordered the Shrimp Arrabiatta and the Sausage and Peppers. The menu lists sweet and/or spicy sausage, so I asked for both, but the server said we could only choose one. For the Shrimp Arrabiatta, we requested penne instead of the listed pasta, and the server initially said yes, but came back later to say they couldn’t do that at the moment not sure if they were out or what, we were just told now it couldn’t be done. We added a meatball to the dish as well.

The food came out hot and fairly quickly. The Shrimp Arrabiatta definitely had heat, which we normally love, but the sauce was overwhelmingly spicy without much depth of flavor—more of a burning heat than a balanced spice. The shrimp itself didn’t have much seasoning, but the meatball was excellent—great flavor and texture. Honestly, we wished we had just ordered a plate of meatballs.

The sausage in the Sausage and Peppers dish was also very good, but the sauce itself lacked seasoning and was otherwise pretty average.

Again, the kitchen clearly has some standout elements: the sausage and meatballs were delicious. But overall, the dishes were inconsistent and missing flavor.

Our plates from earlier were still on the table when the entrées arrived, and we had to ask for them to be removed after we had already started eating.

When we got the bill, the Sausage and Peppers was charged at $24 even though it was listed as $19 on the menu. At that point we just paid and didn’t bring it up, since we already felt disappointed.

I truly wanted to enjoy the experience. The effort from the kitchen is evident, but the front-of-house needs more structure—better greeting and seating flow, clearer communication, more consistent refills, and standard table maintenance. And flavor-wise, the dishes would really benefit from more seasoning and balance.

I included pictures of the menu with pricing that they have in the restaurant. Our...

We ordered the Mozzarella Frittata (cheese sticks) and the Spaghetti Al Sugo con Polpette (spaghetti and meatballs). The food was amazing. The cheese sticks are quite possibly the best we have ever had. The complimentary bread was really good. The spaghetti and meatballs were fantastic. The sauce and meatballs were so good and very memorable. We will definitely be back. We got a cheesecake and Italian cream cake to go. Both were delicious. The service initially was a little slow, but they were so busy and you could tell everyone was doing the best they could and everyone was so helpful. Once we ordered our food came out...

Our first impression upon entering the establishment was warm and welcoming. The atmosphere is filled with positive energy that is related to the joyful staff, a packed restaurant that is throughly enjoying their experience, and wonderful aromas from the kitchen. The food was impeccable and reminded me of Sunday lunches at my Sicilian grandmothers. The owner greeted every single customer in the establishment, something that isn’t common nowadays. Overall the experience was top notch. We will be back....