Grotto - Downtown Houston

4.5

1590 Reviews

$30 and under

Italian

Make a reservation

2 people

Dec 21, 2024

7:00 PM

Booked 32 times today

Great for outdoor dining
Innovative
Good for groups

Conveniently located at Avenida Houston and connected to the George R. Brown Convention Center, Grotto Downtown offers a rustic, chic, and vibrant dining experience in the heart of Houston—within walking distance to Minute Maid Park, Toyota Center and Discovery Green. From small and shareable plates, fresh and local salads to refreshing and dynamic Italian cuisine, Grotto’s menu also offers a selection of curated craft beers, Grappa and wine—the ideal place for any occasion whether it’s lunch, happy hour, a business meeting or dinner in the city.

Valet is available at the entrance of Grotto Downtown. Self-parking is also available at the Avenida North parking garage, directly across the street on Rusk, where we will validate up to 3 hours for free.

Order delivery or takeout

Private dining

Book your next event with us

View details

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Elegant
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Italian, Pizzeria, Contemporary Italian
Hours of operation
Mon–Wed 11:30 am–9:00 pm Thu, Fri 11:30 am–10:00 pm Sat 12:00 pm–10:00 pm Sun 12:00 pm–9:00 pm
Phone number
(713) 658-0752
Website
http://www.grottorestaurants.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Smart Casual
Executive chef
Josh Oakes
Catering
Planning your next party has never been so easy or delicious! King Ranch Texas Kitchen offers online ordering for all your event catering needs. Build your order, checkout and let us take care of the rest!
Private party facilities
Conveniently located Downtown Houston in the Convention District, Grotto is ideal for your next event. Within walking distance of Discovery Green, Minute Maid Park & Toyota Center, our Italian inspired fares offer plates for all to enjoy.
Private party contact
Event Sales Manager: (713) 658-0752

Location
1001 Avenida de las Americas, Suite A, Houston, TX 77010
Neighborhood
Downtown
Parking details
Valet
Public transit
Valet is available. Self-parking at Avenida North parking garage, validate up to 3 hours.
Additional
Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Delivery, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Outdoor Firepit, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Gift card

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What 1,590 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.5

4.5 based on recent ratings

4.5Food
4.2Service
4.4Ambience
4.3Value

Noise • Moderate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Grotto - Downtown Houston offers a vibrant atmosphere perfect for pre-event dining, with "delicious food" and "excellent service." Guests rave about the attentive staff, with standout mentions of servers like Johnathan and Louis. While the menu features standout dishes like salmon and short rib gnocchi, some find the noise levels high during peak times.

1,590 Reviews

K
Keshia
San Francisco
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined 5 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Enjoy my first experience. Good customer service, no wait, and delicious small plates. Definitely check out happy hour specials during the week.
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B
Brandy
Houston
10 reviews
5.0
10 reviews
Dined 7 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Fantastic! We look forward to eating there every year!
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D
Donna
VIP
Toronto
17 reviews
5.0
17 reviews
Dined on December 9, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Matthew was wonderful! Service was attentive and the food was delicious. We were in Houston for a convention and it raining so it was very convenient to use the skywalk through the convention center. We had dinner on 2 evenings and would recommend.
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D
Danica
Houston
3 reviews
2.0
3 reviews
Dined on December 7, 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 2
Service was okay, food lacked in flavor or was overpowered with red pepper. So was cold, the chicken flattened to paper thin. All and all it was not worth the price.
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M
Mary
VIP
Houston
23 reviews
5.0
23 reviews
Dined on December 4, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Our waitress was attentive and very patient. The food was AhMazing.
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T
Tim
VIP
Houston
31 reviews
5.0
31 reviews
Dined on November 30, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Fun! Having Tillman show up. It sure was cold in the dining area. Server was excellent.
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j
janet
VIP
Houston
29 reviews
5.0
29 reviews
Dined on November 22, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Came down to grab a quick dinner and drinks before a concert at Toyota center. Food was amazing.
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L
Lorenzo
Phoenix
57 reviews
3.0
57 reviews
Dined on November 17, 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 5
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 4
I love Grotto. It's a Houston institution. I was a bit disappointed in this visit, however, as it appeared they were definitely understaffed for the amount of traffic in the restaurant. It was very busy and we made a reservation to have dinner prior to a show. While I saw our waiter hustling, you could tell they were assigned too many tables. A polite manager came to apologize for the wait for our drinks. The food was great and we made it in plenty of time for our show. Just wish the experience would've been better.
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T
Tori
VIP
Austin
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on November 15, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
Food was delicious. Drinks could have been better but overall enjoyed our meals and time here.
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R
Rick
Houston
5 reviews
3.0
5 reviews
Dined on November 15, 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 2
We went when this place first opened and had a horrible experience. Long waits just total chaos. Years later decided to give it another try and it is better. However food is mediocre, and serving sizes are small, for the value not the greatest. Also, staff needs to improve the long wait times for placing orders and to get the check.
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FAQs

Grotto - Downtown Houston offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (713) 658-0752.

Grotto - Downtown Houston is rated 4.5 stars by 1590 OpenTable diners.

Grotto - Downtown Houston does offer gift cards which you can purchase here.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Dec 21, 2024

7:00 PM

Booked 32 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Grotto - Downtown Houston

1001 Avenida de las Americas, Suite A, Houston, TX 77010

Additional information

Neighborhood
Downtown
Hours of operation
Mon–Wed 11:30 am–9:00 pm Thu, Fri 11:30 am–10:00 pm Sat 12:00 pm–10:00 pm Sun 12:00 pm–9:00 pm
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Italian, Pizzeria, Contemporary Italian
Dining style
Casual Elegant
Dress code
Smart Casual
Parking details
Valet
Public transit
Valet is available. Self-parking at Avenida North parking garage, validate up to 3 hours.
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Josh Oakes
Additional
Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Delivery, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Outdoor Firepit, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://www.grottorestaurants.com/
Phone number
(713) 658-0752
Catering
Planning your next party has never been so easy or delicious! King Ranch Texas Kitchen offers online ordering for all your event catering needs. Build your order, checkout and let us take care of the rest!
Private party facilities
Conveniently located Downtown Houston in the Convention District, Grotto is ideal for your next event. Within walking distance of Discovery Green, Minute Maid Park & Toyota Center, our Italian inspired fares offer plates for all to enjoy.
Private party contact
Event Sales Manager: (713) 658-0752

Gift card

Send gift cards instantly by email or print to present in person.

Send a gift card

Grotto - Downtown Houston

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Private dining

Additional information

Gift card

Menu

What 1,590 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Review summary

FAQs

Does Grotto - Downtown Houston offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is Grotto - Downtown Houston restaurant rated?

Does Grotto - Downtown Houston offer gift cards?

Is Grotto - Downtown Houston currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Gift card