Renzo's Trattoria E Pizzeria

Great time here with friends.Music in the patio was great- perfect night for it. Hats off to Dallas who helped us pick terrific wine and dishes. Highly recommended.

Friends, here is an update for Renzo's, a reflection of our over half dozen visits over the past year. We had previously considered this trattoria as 5 stars, but now, unhappily we must downgrade our rating. In fairness, we think the establishment should rate 3/12 stars, but rating system as it is, we decided on 3 stars. First, here in our opinion are found the strengths of the restaurant.STAFF: We have always been warmly and cheerfully welcomed by the entire staff, from the receptionist, to the waitstaff, to the chef helpers, to the mixologists. The manager will often pass tables, inquiring of the dining experience...nice touch we think!MENU: The menu is of moderate offering, (some have complained it might be too limited), a positive feature which should grant the chef liberty to offer his best takes on menu items, and some items are best described as stellar. (More on this later).AMBIENCE: Renzo's offers indoor, bar, patio and patio bar seating, choices that should satisfy most guests preferences. The indoor area is smaller compared to the patio seatings, but on a busy night the sound level can present a problem. And the patio area is now enclosed with industrial plastic, a nice feature on chill evenings. MIXOLOGIST: Honestly, we have yet to find a libation that we thought unacceptable. We consider the Dirty Vodka Martini and the Old Fashioned among the best. LIVE ENTERTAINMENT: Certain nights, guitar and keyboard players may perform, adding another layer to the evening enjoyment...but more on this later. But now, for the weakness that have caused our downgrade in rating.MENU: There are in fact weakness that we have found to be rather consistent. We have ordered different fishes on the menu, and hoping for scrumptious morsels, the poor fishes have been overcooked on every visit. Think dry, chewy protein, the poor salmon and tuna fishes not even saved with what should be ample sauces. Our last visit, we even explained to the waitress our strong preference to not overcook the finned creature...but to no avail. We ordered the Carpaccio Di Manzo, and asked for the truffle oil on the side, not drizzled over the carpaccio. The protein was appropriately razor thin, but was so laden with oil that the oil bath ruined the dish for Marjan. (Thank goodness we ordered the truffle oil on the side). We visited the last day of Culinaria Week, and ordered the fixed menu. Disappointing was the pasta dish, uninspired, lacking any real character. And that has been our experience with pasta entrees...sometimes delicious...sometimes just pedestrian. LIVE ENTERTAINMENT: The entertainment stand is found on the patio, fronting the outdoor bar. There are speakers left and right of the stand, but none at the far extremes of the patio left, nor right. And here is the problem. It seems that the vocalists have only two volumes: very loud and very, very loud. On a couple of nights, the female vocalists could best be described as shrieking over the microphone. Perhaps we have a different idea of what live entertainment should present at an appointed restaurant, but I would think management would ask the entertainers for a bit more subtle nuance in selection and volume. After all, we are not munching sliders at a college bar on Austin's sixth street. Yelpers, this is a very popular restaurant, which clearly ticks all the boxes for some diners. Here however are our suggestions. Best to visit for lunch: the indoor seating is not as noisy as during the dinner hour, and the menu items seem more consistent in cook...perhaps as the chef is not as hurried as the evening service? If wanting patio seating, ask for a table AWAY from the entertainment stand: the volume of the performers could definitely detract from the dining experience. And unless one actually prefers fishes finished to "well", we would eschew these menu items. We haven't forsaken this trattoria, as we have had some delicious menu items, and we are optimistic that consistency in offerings will prevail. We so enjoy patio dining experience, and in truth, the patio is frankly, inviting. The lunch service does offer a bit better option in some ways, and for this we will definitely return. Be well Yelpers!

Scale 1-5. (5 highest)Food: Short Rib Ravioli- 5 My spouse had this flavorful dish and seasoning and sauce was on point. (Not pictured)Mexican Pizza- 3 Was not what I was expecting perhaps I was comparing to somewhat similar ingredients from a local bistro. Needed more "heat" and favor.Tiramisu- 5. Just order it ! Perfect Ambience 4- Great atmosphere. The music was a little too loud at times.Service 4 We were pleased with the service, however very disappointing when we ordered coffee to accompany our Tiramisu dessert and the waiter said he couldn't find a spoon so he handed my spouse a "butter" knife to stir her coffee. Very unprofessional.Note: we we're here on Christmas Eve 2024Would we come here again? Yes

Food, drinks, service, and live entertainment were all amazing. This was our first time here. Everything was delicious and our bartender/server was great.

It was busy, but they immediately found us a seat. Service was great and attentive, food was delicious.

This food was so good I can't wait to go back! The ambiance was nice with a live band playing in the back ground. There was a group of so the drinks were coming slow but I had to give grace with a large party. However since it was slow, it may have benefited them to use 2 servers so we didn't have to wait as long. Back to the food. The caprese was perfection. It was to die for...perfectly cut tomatoes and drizzled sauce was so good. I got the short rib ravioli and it was AMAZING. It was so flavorful. The ravioli was so full of short rib and the sauce was a little spicy but seasoned to perfection. This place is perfect! Give them a try asap!

Renzo's, you've done it again! Came here exactly one year ago from the date and the experience was the same; enjoyable! Food still held the same quality taste and service was great. Presentation remains delightful as I love eating with my eyes first. Not sure about dinner time but the lunch 3 course special is the go to.

Service was A, food taste and quality B. Overall a B+What I was looking for is something special, to lure me away from Carrabbas, Maggianos, Olive Garden which are reliable options on my Italian rotation. For small boutique Italian I love Pesto in Olmos Park and Umberto's on Culebra. Renzo's is in the boutique or small business category, satisfied but did not wow today when we went for Brunch. I feel like the ambiance and experience would be better at night.The space is sort of strip mall sterile, but aspiring with incongruous details like laminated menus and luxuriant leather check holders.We arrive and the guy asks if we have reservations. I was oh brother, it came across as pretentious. Then he took us to a wobbly table which he did fix but it was something they should have done earlier, not while we are seated. Servers were attentive, I had constant refills, a nice plus!I had the Verdure which looked great in the pictures, it is basically small conchas (shells) in a creamy cheese sauce. I added grilled chicken. The chicken and for that matter the meatball in the meatball panini did not taste seasoned, basically just cooked meat. The chickee had a smokey char taste, not bad, but the chicken may have benefited from being soaked in a tasty brine overnight.We ordered caccio de pepe and the margherita pizza to go. I liked the packaging of the To Go, a large branded paper bag with handle and a plastic container suitable for reheating in the microwave.Also, there was no complimentary bread to start, which is fine but weird.

This place is awesome.ATMOSPHERE:Located at a super non-crowded area next to Living Spaces with tons of parking, Renzo's is such a nice, classy restaurant. Candle lights, overhead string lights on the patio, a beautiful mural, the whole nine yards.FOOD:Everything we've had here has been delicious. My favorite dish is the Verdure (pictured below) that has a fantastic Bianca sauce on top of the unique orecchiette pasta. We also love the Cacio e pepe pasta that they do wonderfully here. Seasonings have always been great and pasta/meats have never been overdone or cooked poorly in our experience.DRINKS:The few cocktails I've tried have been good. Pictured below is the lavender mule but I substituted blackberry for lavender. For the wine list, they provide a nice selection of bottles and glass options. Specifically, we've had a good experience with the Nerello Rosato and the Paso Robles Cabernet.Overall, this place is fantastic, and they even have some great live music on weekends we've been able to enjoy. Recently, we listened to a very talented lady play the keyboard and sing fantastic jazzy, R&B tunes. Would 100% recommend this place especially for a date night, as it's definitely pricey, but absolutely worth it.

Decided to try Renzo's Monday evening for dinner. We were the only ones there at 5:15PM but it soon got busy. The food was spectacular! I had the Verdure that was far tastier than any Alfredo-type dish I've ever eaten, and my friend had the Bolognese- a traditional dish that was also scrumptious. The service was attentive and cheerful- thank you Drake (sorry if I got your name wrong- I'm terrible about remembering names). Will definitely be going back, and hope we can sit on the nice patio that was too cold the night we were there.