Porta'Vino Reviews

You will lucky if you get Eric as your waiter! He was very responsive and helpful to explain everything on the menu! You must have the Balloon bread! The shrimp appetizer looked fabulous although we didn’t have. The mezzaluna was excellent as were the mussels. Of course the bouzy milkshake with warm chocolate chip cookies made a beautiful evening. The wine was excellent also!

The restaurant was full and had an upbeat vibe. I suggest reservations as this was a week-night and was completely packed. Free, ample parking in a lot out front of the restaurant. We were greeted warmly and immediately taken to our table in a back room usually used for events since we were a group of 7. Our waiter, Jacob, was outstanding. He knew our hosts from previous visits and was jovial, knowledgeable and attentive. The food selection has something for everyone. The calamari was hot, with a crispy coating and tender. The mussels were in a delicious broth, served with bread for dipping and we were offered extra bread. The meatballs were devoured in no time. The Balloon Bread was fun and delicious! Main courses: pasta with meatballs, ravioli, chicken parm (too salty), shrimp fra diavolo ( which was a little too spicy) were enjoyed. We shared a coconut cream pie ( oh my!) and each had an individual vanilla milkshake with a kick. Delicious. The restaurant has a reasonably priced wine menu and uniquely, you can purchase wine to take home. They discount if you buy 6 or 12, making some wines cheaper than a wine storefront. We were not hustled out but allowed to sit and talk. Only complaint: the busboys clear the table too aggressively. The correct way is to wait until all diners at the table are finished eating and then clear.

I go to Houston every year for an important conference. This time one of the concierge guys at the resort gave us the name of the place. The food is outstanding and so is the service. If you care to BYOW, the way I do, this is your place. They have a step-down corkage fee starting at $12.00 for the first, $11.00 for the second, $10.00 for the third bottle and $5.00 for all bottles opened in sequence after that (if you can still walk after all that wine). No joke, this is a great place to sit down, eat and enjoy some wine. Their wine list is very good, as one might expect.

PortA'Vino is a fine dining experience and deserves 4.5*. Great atmosphere, need reservations, and owner is very friendly to make sure your experience is superb. We tried and loved the Grilled Scottish Salmon and the Shrimp and Grits. So good! Save room for dessert too. We split (suggested) a Medium Rare Brownie. Excellente! Located in refurbished warehouse near Washington and I-10, easy to get to. Service quite good, no rush to move forward. Bring your own wine for small corkage fee. Highly recommended! Enjoy!

In a strip shopping center in the Heights—small restaurant with really delicious food— excellent appetizers—artichoke, calamari —spaghetti and meatballs looked wonderful and save room for the coconut cream pie! Interesting -they do not serve coffee—-oh well!

This is our go to restaurant for family dinners because of geography. Always excellent food service and wine. Last Friday our 5 group ordered only the special dish. Food was very good BUT….waiter never told us prices were $48 per dish!!! Most of the menu is $20-30 per dish which we are used to… we thought this was a rip off. At that difference waiter should have told us. So the bill was about $70 more than usual.

Service was top notch, Food was excellent. We sat on the patio and enjoyed our experience. The restaurant has the best wine prices you will find in Houston. They have a lot of big name cabs on the wine list that are cheaper than what you can buy them at from your local shop. I recommend buying bottles to take home if you find something on the wine list that you like as you will not find any better prices. However, I would like to see some Italian wines on the list. Being Italian in theme I would expect to see some Rosso Di Montalcino, Brunello, Barolo..some off the beaten path varietals like Nerello Mascalese from Mt. Etna would be killer and a dry Pinot Grigio or two. Food Wise - I highly highly recommend you have the Bolognese and/or the pork chop. The pork chop is similar but different in flavor to the pork chop from Perry’s. It’s absolutely incredible and the best I’ve had in Houston. We finally have a restaurant in Houston that delivers exceptional food and service without forcing you to spend a fortune. Rarely do I give 5 stars but the food, service and pricing here at Porta Vino deserves it.

I had my wedding at Porta'vino on December 3rd. The restaurant was closed for lunch therefore we had the whole venue for the afternoon. The owner, manager, and staff could not have been more helpful and excited for us. Everything was put together in a short time between phone calls and emails. I only saw the venue in person days before the wedding. Gerry, the manager, took the time to walk through different scenarios for how to set up the tables for our guests. I had a space for changing, a separate room for the ceremony, and lunch in the main dining room. It was perfect for our intimate family wedding. On our wedding day, the staff was brilliant, going above and beyond. They took care of each guest with extra special attention given to our 4-year-old grandson. On top of all that, the food was delicious, and the wine superb. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an intimate all-in-one venue.

Wonderful restaurant with outstanding food….must try the Balloon Bread. Best lasagna I ever had out. I usually avoid ordering lasagna out but a friend highly recommended it. The lasagna was wonderful. The calamari was also a delight. The wines prices were great and our wine was $6 cheaper than Specs. Glad to see our local favorite wine Serca on the menu as well. It was a nice surprise to see Serca’s owner Sergio having dinner and drinking Serca….of course. I came in earlier in the day to make a special request. I met with the manager and our server Lester to make our plans and they pulled off the request flawlessly. Our party was very appreciative and amused. It was our first time here but definitely not our last. Definitely give it a try.

Three visits now; first two on patio, most recent inside. Patio more “party”, but great atmosphere inside as well. Everything we’ve had so far has been fantastic! Starting with the Shareables, had them all and recommend to your own preference - shrimp/andouille sausage, calamari, oysters, meatballs, balloon bread/tapenade, focaccia/roasted garlic(!). Only had the first three salads – “Porta’vino salad”, Caesar, Iceberg; all good. The lasagna is great as well as the butternut squash ravioli. Others have had the salmon, baramundi sea bass, and veal/risotto but I have enjoyed both the wild boar Bolognese and the braised shortrib(twice); most excellent! As far as desserts, we’ve stuck with the “adult” milkshakes and the most decadent “medium rare brownie”- highly recommend! Lastly, “Porta’ Vino”- Italian for “Bring wine”, has to be my only “complaint”. There is absolutely no reason to bring your own wine although they have a very reasonable corkage fee schedule ($12 for the first bottle, $11 for the second, $10 for the third, etc. etc. all the way to $0). The wine list is surely one of the best in town in terms of selection. More importantly, prices are not the typical 2x-3x mark-up, but retail. You are also able to purchase bottles to take home as well. The service has been excellent each visit. Owner Bill Floyd and wife Charlene circulate among the guests checking on everyone. I highly recommend. I suggest you call for reservations.

Wow doesn’t even begin to cover this place.. From the atmosphere to the owner Bill, this place is the best diamond in the ruff there is. We stopped on a chance just because the place looked neat.. I will tell you it has the best wines, best staff and nicest owner and Felipe our waiter was amazing. We had a few bottles of wine, then decided to try the wild boar bolognese and it was fantastic.. The place has a great outdoor patio and they even bring you personal little fans incase you get hot. This place is my new favorite go to in Houston. The wine prices are by far the best out there. Can’t wait to go back and try some other stuff soon.. Great job Bill, the place is fantastic, very nice to meet you and wish you nothing but huge success.

Portavino .. filled a much needed space in Houston are a BYOB .. the owner is a cheery guy well known in the Houston scene .. the menu changes with the seasons .. and we have a couple of favorite dishes .. the short rib .. a Shrimp pasta dish ... also a shrimp sausage appetizer .. several of the fish dishes .the staff is friendly and good and attentive .. we are SO happy we have this restaurant in Houston

Saturday night dinner for two and first time at PV. Our appetizer was mostly crumbs of overcooked calamari with an excellent pepper aioli! Butternut ravioli was a beautiful plate of pillowy and aromatic goodness. Baramundi seabass was also very good. Closed the night with a homemade piece tiramisu also very good. The service was very good and willing to please. Planning to come back soon.

This place is about to become a staple for my trips to Houston, which happen at least once a year. We were delayed at the conference we attended, so we were late upon our arrival for our reservation. Nevertheless, we were accommodated almost immediately. We couldn't get an outside table, but the inside is equally fun. The food is even better than last year's. The fact that this restaurant honors a BYOB/ BYOW policy makes it even better.

Was great to go out and eat in a real restaurant last night. I highly recommend Porto Vino on Washington. We ordered take out from there during the stay at home orders, but the dine in experience and menu is phenomenal. It’s also BYOB, but their awesome Wine list is the cheapest in town and for a fine dining menu that’s incredible. This is a special place from Greg Gordon and Bill Floyd, two legends in the restaurant business. Amazing selection of Italian, Steaks, Seafood and appetizers make this a definite must go in Houston. For those worried about social distancing it’s a huge space with a large outdoor patio area as well. Highlights were the Calamari Appetizer, Wild Board Pappardelle Bolognese, the Steaks, and the shrimp and grits. Finish with a price of the Coconut Cream Pie which can only be described as light, flavorful with the most amazing toasted coconut I have ever tasted.

I went here last week with four friends. We sat in a room off the side with only a handful of tables. That was good because the restaurant is very loud, and it was a bit quieter in the smaller room. We started off with the puffy bread that come with two dipping sauces. It was a great thing to share at the table. I had the shrimp with pasta. It was delicious. Everyone at the table was happy with their menu choices.

Service was great and friendly and the food was fantastic. We had the roasted garlic plate as a starter - not something I would ever think to order but it was really good. Entrees for our table were the roast chicken, the short ribs, the chimichurri steak and the wild boar bolognese. All were, according to the table, delicious although the chicken was apparently a little dry. A big KUDOS to the owner for having a wine list that was based on retail pricing and not stiff markups. There's a reason this restaurant was packed - make a reservation.

Houston friends took me for dinner at their newest dining discovery, the kind of place that won't stay a secret much longer. And based upon how many people in attendance, it's already been discovered -- just not yet, apparently, on Tripadvisor. Let's change that.... We were immediately seated at our reservation time, at a requested outdoor table (and there's a huge outdoor dining capacity) on a gorgeous weather evening. The porch was packed with what I judged to be upscale diners seeking out a very high value meal. Oh, and did I mention that this place is BYOB? And they charge a very fair corkage fee ($12 first bottle), on top of selling from their own wine list at amazing prices. We started with Balloon Bread and also with starters portion of meatballs. The bread was appropriately piping hot, and puffed up from being baked. As it cools, you can tear off pieces and dip them in two delicious sauces. The meatballs are medium size, nicely spiced, perfectly baked and topped with a dab of Italian tomato sauce. So tasty! Next course was a small dish of Porta'vino house salad, properly dressed with vinaigrette on mixed greens and several whole sugar toasted pecans. So good! Last, but certainly not least, was a very substantial portion of fresh sea bass that was beautifully spiced, very close to coming across as being blackened, tender, juicy, and perfectly cooked. Bingo! My friends also raved about their entrees of veal & risotto and a Beet Salad for a vegetarian main meal. Porta'Vino is a solid choice, very high value and well managed. I can't wait to return many times.

I never write review unless the restaurant is sensationally good or sensationally bad. Our dining experience at Portovino, on a scale of 1-10 was is like that brand of appliance "Zub Zero". The table we were seated at was so noise we had to scream and then we till couldn't hear. We ordered Calamari as an appetizer. It smelled and was so fishy that we complained. The owner/operator came to our table and when we told him about the problem he insulted us! He said "we sell 50 orders a night and no one else complains. So if you don't like it I guess we can take it off your bill". Then he walked away. He was insulting, dismissive and incredibly rude. We ordered a bottle of wine, a glass of wine, 3 salads, 1 appetizer and 3 entrees. None of us ate our food. The service was average but above all, above all, the owner is incredibly rude and unappreciative. He is riding high because his restaurant was full. Just wait, you will see. If you want lousy food that is overprice, where you can't hear and where you get told off by the owner the make PortaVino top on your list. Otherwise, don't waste your money or your time. PS. the waiter had body odor and bad breath.