La Vista

My girlfriends and I and I were looking for a new place and of course came to CitySearch and found this place! First of all it is BYOB which is always great! The food is wonderful and comes in such large portions it is easy to share. The pizzas are also really good. And the service is outstanding! I have actually been twice in the last week! I will definitely be coming back and bringing my husband!

Pros: BYOB, Servic, Outside seating

Posted 07/25/09

La Vista has always been a favorite for me and my wife. With the BYOB policy and the excellent food at very reasonable prices, we end up hosting our monthly wine dinner there. Last weekend, we hosted our wedding reception for 50 people on the patio. Ed and George - managers - and the rest of the crews took excellent care of our party. This is a must go place for wine lovers and lover of excellent food.

Pros: BYOB, great food for good price

Cons: none

Posted 04/09/09

I am a little reluctant to write a review about this restaurant because I don't want the secret to be out that this is by far the best Italian restaurant in Houston. I finally tried La Vista after I finagled the secret out of my parents when they ate there three times in one week! Having travelled to Italy numerous times, I know how "REAL" italian food should taste. This restaurant takes classic Italian and puts a fun, inventive twist to it. The pastas and pizza are delicious and the main entrees, especially the tuna, are divine. La Vista is BYOB and has a great patio (Fountain View) so you can dine alfresco.

Pros: The food, atmosphere, BYOB, parking, patio

Cons: Make reservations because you will wait on a Saturday Night

Posted 01/31/09

I have tried everything on the menu and never been dissapointed. The bread and salad are great! Good for a family meal or a date night. Always food left over.

Posted 06/08/08

I really enjoyed my experience here - I've found a new hang out! I got there early on a Friday - around 6 PM and we were seated right away. The place was clean - small, but important detail for me. My dinnermate really enjoyed her salad (which I declined). We both enjoyed the bread that was brought out - lightly dusted with cheese - perfect way to start a meal. I had rainbow trout encrusted with cornmeal. It had guacamole on the side as well as these three, small spinach-filled enchildas. My dinnermate had a shrimp pasta dish. We each loved our entrees! This is an Italian place, but the menu had lots of interesting twists on Italian food. Great experience. I will return. Also, this is BYOB, but they do have wine that you can order.

Pros: Parking was easy

Posted 03/21/08

One of my favorite dishes, which I order only occasionally, is the fettucine alfredo. It's sinfully creamy and infused with nutmeg. I usually add shrimp and veggies or go lighter on the sauce, and they willingly accommodate. I've tried most of their pasta dishes, including the tortellini and ravioli, and I keep going back to them. The bread is served warm with a light olive oil dipping sauce.

Ed, who is the manager, is on top of the food and service. He gives personal attention to many of the regulars.

Pros: Ed, minimal corkage fees, quality dishes

Cons: Not having a location inside the loop

Posted 03/19/08

My husband and I have been eating here from the very beginning when it first opened. It has changed quite a bit since then from not only the look of the restaurant but the BYOB policy of charging $7 for a corkage fee. Yes, it is nice of them to let you bring your own wine, but they used to do it for a lot less money and still had plenty of people coming. I think that they should have kept the $3 corkage fee. Also, they have totally remodeled the place where it was just a little hole in the wall, to a very appealing restaurant that you could bring clients or friends. The owner was the original chef from Collinas and he has certainly done well for himself here. His menu is larger than the original one and he is now open for lunch. They aren't upity here either and will cook your food the way you want. I asked for my fish to be plainly grilled and extra vegetables and they were very accomadating. They put the sauce on the side. It was delicious and it wasn't the sauce that it normaly came with. I look forwared to trying the one near my home in Memorial but for now this one is centrally located and still enjoy coming here with friends and family.

Pros: You can BYOB or just purchase wine from their menu. Good food and good service.

Cons: It has gotten a little pricier than it used to be but then they did renovate the whole restaurant. Corkage fee went up to $7

Posted 02/25/08

Of note, I go here every year for my birthday. It was this past Saturday and my server was the pitts! Not helpful at all, short with me and my guests, and did not spend anytime at the table and VERY quick to drop the bill. Lately the wait staff hasn't been that impressive.
Aside from this I love it. The mussels are to die for. I've had just about everything on the menu and it's ALL good. On any night you may have to wait but it's so fun sitting around, chatting and drinking good wine (if that's your drink) and waiting for a seat. If there was one area of themenu I'm disappointed in it would be the desserts, except the bread pudding. I think they could addd a little variety. Also, the special this weekend sounded the same as a year ago, may want to change that up a bit.

Posted 09/30/07

This place has excellent food, great service, and menu with many choices. I regularly ordered one of two dishes, either the Eggplant parmesan (the first time i tried this) which has a fabulous sauce, and is quite tasty, perfect if you're not looking for anything too heavy. Other times, I opted for the Shrimp Diavolo-prawns tossed in angel hair pasta with fairly spicy marinara sauce. My husband ordered the beef tenderloin with plum/burgundy reduction sauce. La Vista serves the most perfect bread, with olive oil to dip. The "bonus" about this place, is that you can BYOB..we enjoyed our meal along with a great bottle of red. At the time, we were charged a $3.00 corking fee. Conveniently, at least, at the time, the restaurant is next door to a liquor store which has a nice wine selection to suit all palates. This place is pretty popular, so I'd advise making reservations or bringing enough soft drinks or grapejuice to sip on while waiting. don't worry, management is on top of the wait, and has always been very attentive when i've eaten here. I've moved out of state for work, but I mention this place to all who visit my home town. I miss it!

Posted 10/12/06

In a word, the food is fabulous. My pork chop with horseradish potatoes was seasoned perfectly. A bite of my fathers shrimp and grits let me know there were other things I must return to try. I begged the chef for the sweet potatoe and roasted corn pudding to no avail, but will return for another taste. Presentation was beautiful and the portions quite large. I had no room for dessert, which was disappointing as they all looked wonderful.

Pros: easy parking, wonderful service, fun atmosphere

Posted 09/11/05

My husband and I frequented this restaurant when we lived in the Galleria area and we were never disappointed. It has a great atmosphere and wonderful food.

Posted 02/27/05

Well worth the wait for the great food and value and ambiance.

Pros: Easy Parking, Great Value, Good Service

Posted 09/12/04