This Eastwood Italian neighborhood restaurant charms guests with a cozy atmosphere and classic Italian dishes. Plates of gnocchi in saffron sauce, fettuccine served with homemade pork sausage, and Chianti-braised beef cheeks with couscous consistently impress both newcomers and regulars, along with the intimate setting fit for a romantic evening or catch up with a close friend.

Just steps away from Minute Maid Park, chef Danny Trace creates an Italian dining escape at Potente. Bedecked with chandeliers, this elegant restaurant serves up freshly made pastas alongside behemoth steaks and wild-caught seafood dishes on pressed white-clothed tables. Try the spaghetti al tartufo nero, a fancy spin on cacio e pepe that includes black truffles, shaved table side — and named one of the best pastas in the country by Food Network.

Despite being one of the city’s newer Italian restaurants, Triola’s Kitchen has a rich history. Owner Frank Triola follows in his grandfather Frank Azzarelli’s footsteps (the chef reportedly opened the first Italian restaurant in Houston in the 1940s), serving up saucy plates of pasta, including a decadent seafood lasagna, crispy calamari, and a classic take on spaghetti and meatballs. Don’t forget to bring your favorite bottle of wine — Triola’s is BYOB.

From the owner of Da Marco, Poscol brings an approachable twist to fine Italian dining with a focus on the Northern region of Italy. Baby octopus with cannellini beans, mushroom risotto, and Roman-style pizza topped with truffle oil, pears, and Taleggio cheese make for great entrees. A glass or two from the extensive wine list only enhances the Venetian-inspired setting.

Using seasonal ingredients from its onsite vegetable garden, Coltivare’s Italian fare is inspired by the fruit of the harvest and the flavors of the Gulf Coast. Dishes like wild Gulf snapper served with okra confit, sofrito, and fingerling potatoes, as well as fettuccini with shrimp and local corn, tomatoes, and basil, are inventive. Pizzas are a highlight of the menu, too. Try a pie topped with slow-cooked pork, local peppers, caramelized onions, chiles, Toma cheese, white sauce, and fennel pollen that packs a punch of fresh flavor.

Wood-grilled pizzas and a seasonal menu rule at Montrose’s Rosie Cannonball, which offers a laidback yet refined vibe. Highlights at the newly minted Bib Gourmand restaurant include wood-fired proteins like pork chops and grilled branzino, plus pizzas topped with invigorating combinations like fennel and sausage and corn and shishito pepper. Vegetables also shine in dishes like cucumber salad and the grilled Napa cabbage. Pair any dish with one of its wines handpicked by master sommelier June Rodil from Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal, or go for a cocktail like Rosie’s house negroni or gin-based Emergency Exit.

This Montrose neighborhood gem is lauded for its aesthetically appealing space, which includes a greenhouse-inspired dining room and patio, and a robust seasonal menu of pizzas and pastas. Helmed by chef-owner Travis McShane, current offerings include gnocchi with cherry tomato, corn, and Parmigiano; bucatini carbonara; and a series of off-the-menu pasta plates reserved for those in the know. Don’t forget the freshly baked focaccia bread, served warm and drizzled with olive oil and herbs.

Slinging filling portions of homemade pasta, salads, soups, sandwiches, and more since 1998, this family-owned Montrose cafe is known for its comforting and affordable Italian eats. Stop in for a classic hoagie, or stay awhile with a dish like the canestri alla funghi, a creamy mushroom pasta. Pro-tip for groups: Order the half portions of multiple pastas and share.

With its intimate dining room and outdoor patio illuminated with string lighting, Roma is a quintessential Houston date-night destination. The menu is a reflection of Italy’s 14 regions, with dishes like spaghetti aglio e olio, cacio e pepe, and osso buco, plus desserts like limoncello tarts and chocolate cannoli.

Rice Village’s Coppa Osteria serves classic Italian fare. Favorites include the spaghetti carbonara tossed with black pepper and Parmesan cream, chicken Parmesan, and casarecce pasta with crispy garlic and basil pesto. The pizza menu offers a half dozen choices, like the meaty Carnissima, topped with Italian sausage, pepperoni, Salumi Toscano, and prosciutto.

This casual Rice Village cafe serves as a place to satisfy Italian food cravings in between exploring the area’s many shops and boutiques. Choose from sandwiches like spicy subs and meat-filled hoagies; wood-fired pizzas; and homemade pasta plates, like crawfish ravioli stuffed with ricotta and Romano cheeses and poblano peppers, and then topped with crema rosa sauce. Visit during lunch, between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., when lunch-sized portions of pasta come with a side salad for under $11.

This family-owned restaurant, which bred the national chain of the same name, features salads and stuffed pasta made fresh daily; meats grilled over oak and pecan wood; and combinations like the grilled chicken “Bryan Texas,” topped with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and basil butter, then served with a side of fettuccine Alfredo. Leave room for a slice of dessert Rosa — a butter cake topped with pastry cream, bananas, strawberries, pineapple, and whipped cream.

Hunker down on Giacomo’s laid-back patio and choose from dozens of Italian dishes that are easy on the pocketbook. Entrees include ratatouille (a French dish, sure, but the flavors here read Italian), carbonara (sans cream), pasta e fagioli, and pappardelle al telefono, made with garlic, oil, and tomatoes. Wine selections are plentiful, with a variety of white, red, and orange selections, and Champagne options by the glass or the bottle.

From the owners of Michelin-starred restaurant BCN, this River Oaks mainstay serves Italian comfort food in a relaxed, counter-service environment. Diners can choose from different handmade pastas, customizable with various sauces and proteins, plus classic pizzas and house-made tiramisu. Then, cheers with a pick from its Italian wine selection or a craft beer from Europe or the U.S.

Numero28, the Highland Village outpost of the New York chain, offers Southern Italian cooking. Choose from its sizable menu of pizzas with red or white sauces, pasta dishes like pollo alla Parmigiana and cacio e pepe, or roasted pork belly wrapped around pork loin and seasoned with fresh herbs. The dining room is nicely casual, but don’t sleep on the covered patio area either.

Bari brings style and substance to River Oaks District with its alluring space at the center of the plaza and bountiful menu of quintessential Italian dishes. Groups might indulge in the Torre Bari, a head-turning seafood tower built with oysters, mussels, clams, prawns, Maine lobster, jumbo lump crabmeat, and a crudo of the day, before moving on to pasta made in-house, like the tagliatelle carbonara or a hand-tossed pizza with mozzarella from the Amalfi region.

The Bastion Collection puts the spotlight on Italian cuisine at Tavola in a glamorous way, with a brasserie-style bar, an enclosed patio, and an attractive dining room decorated in blush hues. At its helm is chef de cuisine Michael Lara (formerly of Le Jardinier), who infuses dishes with Southern flair, as in the pappardelle with Texas wild boar ragu. Eat, drink, and then choose an after-dinner digestif from the restaurant’s amaro cart.