Bellissimo

What a diamond in the rough... if we had not seen this place on Houston Food Week we would not have went inside. I just want to tell everyone to go out on that limb and give it a shot. You won't regret it! First off, we were greeted by friendly smiling staff and everyone that came by checked on us. Always nice when it seems like the staff enjoys their job and wants to be there. Went went pretty early. It was 3:30 on a Saturday afternoon so we we're definitely there before dinner time. It was very cozy and quiet enough that we could carry on a conversation. We had also checked and while they did not offer alcohol it was BYOB. They charged 5$ uncorking for our wine we brought in. The food not only smelled delicious it was very tasty. I had the 25th Street Pasta. I never would have thought to put jalapeños in my Alfredo sauce but it was perfect. Not too spicy, just the right amount of punch. We also had the Tomato Bisque soup which came out with piping hot bread. Sooo very good. My daughter had a chicken dish. I can't remember the name, but it was very good as well. People were coming in and picking up pizzas so that will be something we definitely try next time.

So it's a Sunday afternoon and I'm out and about with the wifey and six of my closest friends and we feel like eating some Italian food. So one of our friends, whose birthday is also on this day, suggests Bellissimo, and tells us it's his favorite Italian restaurant. Of course we all agreed to go and try it with him, because you can't say no to where someone wants to eat on their birthday! We get there around 1pm and there is maybe one or two other tables with guests in the entire restaurant. This makes me a little worried, but I'm hungry. I really had a craving for breadsticks, but was disappointed to find out this place has garlic bread but not breadsticks for an appetizer. I really love some delicious breadsticks with my pasta. On to the main course, I got the pasta dish called "25th street pasta" that has chicken and sausage on a bed of jalapeño noodles covered with Alfredo sauce. Sounds like it's going to be amazing right? Not the case for me, I really thought I was going to love this dish and cancel my membership at Olive Garden, but hold the phone! I know there was 8 people in our party, and maybe my dish was made first and sat in the window for awhile, I can't be sure why, but my pasta dish was not hot. It was lukewarm at best, and that made me sad. I also felt that the dish tasted ok, but didn't have any flavor or seasoning on it. So add that to it being lukewarm at best and I was not impressed. My birthday friend who loves this place really loved his meal and still swears by how great this place is, I just can't back up his claims. Cool restaurant fact, if you come there on your birthday the chef personally picks out a dessert for you and you get it free! We also got desserts and once again I was disappointed to learn they don't have Cannolis as a dessert option. Growing up in Boston and going to the North End for Cannolis just makes life better. Side note-once your meal is served someone cones around and offers to add some grated cheese to your dish. Only trouble my pessimistic brain has with this is she just spoons the grated cheese out of a big bowl, and doesn't grate the cheese fresh on demand. Makes me think they just bought some bulk grated cheese at Sams club.

I wanted to really love this place. If this were rated on a scale of Italian vibes and service of wait staff to large group of people, definite five stars all day long. They were so great with my friend's birthday even after two extra people showed up who never RSVP'd. They even managed to find a candle for my friend for his birthday cake.When I tell you the service was spot on, then this is it. If you need a good date spot with good service and that, "Lady and the Tramp" vibe but for grown ups, bring your date here. My issue was the food and the pricing issues - not the waiters fault.First let's talk about the pricing issues. Too many people in our group kept getting conflicting information about whether or not they charged more for a credit card. Apparently the website said one thing, the menu another. People brought out extra cash, but someone I guess decided that dealing with the credit card surcharge that wasn't clear wasn't worth the hall with our large group.The other thing pricing issue, while relatively minor, ties in with my previous issue. I asked for a different side, and was told it could be done. No warning that it was an upcharge or a premium side. To me mashed potatoes aren't premium sides. Now, would I have till ordered the mashed potatoes instead of the healthy vegetables? Who knows, but I didn't like finding that surprise o my menu. My husband calls it deceptive practices, but didn't blame the waiter. I don't blame the waiter, but believe their pricing on sides, credit cards, groups just isn't clear. Now the food. I wish I could say it was just gross or something. I just didn't like it. It was okay. What helped with my dish in particular was letting the waiter put in all that extra grated cheese and red pepper flakes. The red pepper flakes added that depth of flavor I was expecting from the restaurant. The food was okay. The mashed potatoes good, not the best. It just wasn't mind blowing or some of the best Italian I've had. My friend loves this place though, so maybe my plate was just eh. While I didn't have the pizza or calamari they looked great. I feel bad that I though my food was just okay. This isn't a spot I would come to for the food experience, but I would happily return if my husband wanted to come back or if another friend wanted to return, because really you can't beat that kind of service. If they can't just punch up the flavors ever so slightly and figure out what it's credit card and food substitution policy is, this restaurant has the capacity to easily be a 4/5 star restaurant.

I landed at this place for lunch after I found out my other two choices didn't open up until 5pm. It's tucked away in a residential area. I wasn't expecting that and did a double-take to make sure I was in the right area. The parking lot is fenced in and has a few basketball nets hanging up. Thought it was odd but it's probably remnants of whatever was there before Bellissimo moved in. I was also the only car in that parking lot the entire time. I walked in and someone immediately came to the front to greet me and seat me at a table. Bread and olive oil was good. The salad that arrived before the main course was delicious! I ordered the 25th Street Pasta, which I'm told is one of the most popular dishes. It normally comes with Alfredo but I'm a Marinara person. They charged me $1 to change the sauce from Alfredo to Marinara. Nancy was the name of the server and she explained that they charge for substitutions and pending on what you substitute, the charge can be $1 or above. Good thing to know for future visits. Btw it was delicious, I loved the fettuccine infused with jalapeño. I had key lime pie for dessert and it was alright. Topped with strawberry and a slice of kiwi, that's definitely different. Next time I'll try the Oreo cheesecake. I had the entire restaurant to myself during lunch so if you want a nice quiet spot then this is it. Place is dead during lunch. Nancy explained that they do get a big crowd during the evenings and weekends. They moved in two years ago from a larger space on Airline, after Covid caused them to downsize. There are a few more items in the menu that I'd like to try so I'll return for another peaceful lunch.

Location and exterior is a bit rough, and the interior is more hole in the wall-ish but the prices, services and food totally made up for it.I had the lasagna and it came with a side of sautéed veggies and both were really yummy. Desserts were generous portions for the price and our group of 12 had a fabulous time.If I were in the area again I would stop in.

This place is tucked away in independence heights and at first I passed it up because there are no other businesses or restaurants around. Just houses. It looked a bit run down on the outside but once I walked in it was clean on the inside and all the tables were set up for dinner. I called in my order for takeout and it was hot and ready when I arrived about 30 minutes later. I ordered the pollo parmigiano, garlic bread and meatballs. Everything had nice flavor and I was served a good portion of pasta and veggies with my meal, which also came with another bread roll. Me and a few friends ordered in for movie night. My meal paired well with some Pinot Grigio by La Crema as well just FYI. If you live in the area, give this place a try, and it might be your new go to Italian spot.

Surprisingly very good! Fettuccine Gamberetti $19 - [fettuccine alfredo w/ shrimp and mushrooms basically] - very good, extremely creamy. huge shrimps. bf and I shared the pasta and pizza w/ 2 slices leftover. This was one of the waitress's recommendations along w/ the 25th street pasta and i think the main st pasta (fettuccine w/ grilled chicken, italian sausage, mushrooms, sun dried tomato)25th street pizza $14 - [grilled chicken, smoked sausage, sun dried tomatoes, green onions, diced jalapenos, & alfredo cream sauce] - not your typical red sauce pizza, but it was very good and unique! only a tad spicy. The crust reminded me of garlic bread. Only thing is it could have been crispier, but I think the sauce made it oily / heavy because the leftovers did not crisp up in my air fryer; it stayed soggy (but still delicious). came w/ 6 slices. thin crust pizza.Parking lot next to it (old bball court). Friendly, fast service. We would definitely return. (FYI: Closed on Mondays. No alcohol - It's byob w/ a corking fee.)

I have lived all over the country, and have been to dozens of Italian restaurants, and this is by far the BEST Italian restaurant I have ever been to in my entire life. I tried all 4 of the entrees we ordered, and I would give them all 5 stars! We had the Costata Di Manzo, Pollo Alla Bellissimo, Lasagna Di Carne, and Fettuccine Gamberetti. The staff is very friendly and efficient, and the inside of the restaurant is dim lit with a calming and welcoming ambiance. This is the first review I have left in years, but I had to, given that I have not stopped talking about this meal since I've been here. What an incredible dinner!

Amazing place to grab authentic delicious Italian! Pretty cheap and super fast service! Obsessed with this place!

When I made reservations for dinner recently, I thought there was something familiar with this restaurant. I noticed it was on the Houston Restaurant Weeks list and invited 3 friends to join me for dinner. I later found out that I had attended Bellissimo about 4 years ago when it was at a different location and remembered enjoying the meal. This location has a dedicated parking lot behind the restaurant. Inside, it could use some work. There is an awkward looking black curtain dividing the main dining room with what looked like it could be a storage area. The dining room is boring and provides no ambience like most Italian restaurants do. From the $39 HRW dinner menu, I chose the tomato bisque bread bowl to start and then the Pollo alla Bellissimo for the entree with the cheesecake to finish. First to arrive was a basket of complimentary bread and oil for the table to share. Then a couple of minutes later another basket of garlic bread appeared and the waiter said it was part of the HRW meal. It is safe to say that we had plenty of bread! The first course arrived a few minutes later. The bread bowl looked kind of small and as I expected the amount of actual bisque inside it was limited. I will say what bisque I could scoop out with my spoon was delicious. Oh yeah! I could also taste some cheese in the savory and rich soup. Because I had not had enough bread that night ;) I ate part of the interior of the bowl that was soaked with bisque. What I would have (much more) preferred was a real bowl of the bisque even if I had to pay extra. The entree was a pan seared boneless chicken breast on a bed of capellini that had Parmesan and olive oil with mushrooms, artichoke hearts and a large shrimp on top. It also came with steamed veggies. This was a very tasty dish that was both enjoyable and filling. I would order this again and with the complimentary bread would be a complete meal to me. Finally the homemade vanilla bean cheesecake arrived with a slice of kiwi fruit with whipped cream and a raspberry on top. This was simply delicious in every way with a smooth and rich flavor. After this meal I was stuffed. Finally our table service during the meal was very good.When our separate checks arrived we noticed there was a surcharge of about 3% for credit card usage. This was not disclosed by any signage that we saw including on the menu. I don't like that. This was close to a 5 star meal for me taste wise. The small amount of bisque served with the hidden cc fee and drab dining room brought it down a star for me.