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DiVino Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar

MY REVIEW: Went on a Wednesday with a large group (8) and were seated in the side room. A little cold, but not icy. The waiter made himself scarce until ALL the party had arrived (took about 30 minutes), so no one got drinks/wine, even though those already there were ready to order some. Water service was slow throughout the evening. I had the pappardelle with mushrooms - nice mix of mushrooms and pasta in a tasty sauce, good portion size ($18). But the pasta arrived in one big stuck-together lump, like it had sat around for a while and then been microwaved and then started to cool off again, so the pasta was rubbery - disappointing. Not a place that will be high on my list for Italian food in the future.

NAME: LauraS
SUBMITTED: 8/11/2012   LAST VISIT WAS: 8/2012
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: I have been to Divino twice and was disappointed neither time. The interior is lovely with its low, ambient lighting, elegant decor, and relaxed atmosphere. The service was impeccable - professional and attentive without being pretentious or overbearing. The food was excellent. I have had or tasted the seafood appetizer, a tomato salad special, the tenderloin, the goat cheese ravioli, a lamb ragout special, the torta and the panna cotta, and everything I ate was perfect. The food was a celebration of flavor in my mouth - just when there was a hint of balsamic vinegar, the tastebuds went on to registering citrus. The wine list was impressive. Several off-menu specials and wines were offered. I will most definitely return...soon, and often.

NAME: luv2eat
SUBMITTED: 7/3/2011   LAST VISIT WAS: 7/2011
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: I am always amazed by the people who say "I will never eat there again" in these restaurant reviews. I have eaten at Divino for many years and knowing the staff and the restaurant as I do I cannot imagine what they could have done or served to a customer that would cause them to "never darken the door of the place again". Divino serves great food and has very good, very attentive service. When you walk in the door Rolando will greet you with a big smile and make sure your table is ready and waiting. A regular like me gets an abrazo (a hug) and a huge reception from the entire staff. And I am always served mouth watering food.

I had to laugh at the reviewer who had a couple glasses of wine and a tough steak and two smelly and rubbery shrimp for a mere $300. Give me a break! You cannot spend $300 at Divino unless you are a drunk or with a party of 10 people. Hate it when someone comes to this site to trash a restaurant because they left without being treated like royalty or had the meal of their entire lives.

Trust me, Divino will always please. Just try the filet with the succulent mushroom demi glace, or Emily's goat cheese ravioli floating in sage and butter, or Merlin's parpardelle with its heady aroma of wild mushrooms. And for a big plus Divino marks their wine at a very low price compared to many of Houston's restaurants.

So, if you are seeking a good place to dine be brave and give it a try. Go warily into Divino and dare them to serve you the same slop served to some of these reviewers. You might be really glad you did.

NAME: Goldfinger
SUBMITTED: 6/13/2011   LAST VISIT WAS: 5/31/11
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: This was our second visit with a group of friends. Our last visit was good, nothing amazing, but good. Last night was less than appealing. I cannot stress how tiny tiny the portions were. Don't believe me? I ordered the off the menu special gnocchi with peas in a brown butter sauce. Taste was good, however, I am not exaggerating when I say there were exactly 12 gnocchi (tiny gnocchi at that!) on the plate and maybe 15 peas. The thing looked like an appetizer for one. No side dish, no other veggies, nothing. Just this small scattering of gnocchi. For about $20. Seriously? Extremely disappointed. My dining companion had the Lasagna. Again, a very tiny portion, maybe 4" x 4" square. For $18. Another at the table had the Ravioli, again, 9 ravioli lined up on a plate. She said it had an odd taste. Our other dining companion had the Shrimp Fettuccine (that portion actually looked like a nice size). However, he left two shrimp on the plate because he said they were rubbery and overcooked.

The salads were all good. No complaints there.

The bread? As someone else said, a cold, tasteless loaf, brought to the table just once (but asked for three times), and servied with a sticky carafe of olive oil and nothing else except the salt and pepper mills on the table.

Oh, and this is just odd. I ordered Iced Tea, they brought out a plate with a lemon and an iced tea spoon of course, but then there was some Splenda, regular sugar, and brown raw sugar. I asked if they had Equal or Sweet n Low as I am allergic to Splenda, and was told "oh, we only have sugar and the yellow stuff". Seriously? How hard is it to keep a box of Equal or Sweet n Low in the back room to please your customers who might ask for it? What restaurant only has one thing?

No appetizers, just salads, the entrees, 2 glasses of wine and iced teas, the bill was almost $300.

Rest assured, we will NOT be returning.

NAME: houstonray
SUBMITTED: 8/14/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: August 2010
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: I wanted to love this place so much but didn't! While the atmosphere is quite cozy and seems like a hidden gem, I was so disappointed with the food, the service, and my meal that I will not be back. My hubby and I hired a sitter and went to Divino for a date night dinner and we wish we'd chosen another restaurant when all was said and done.

I ordered a glass of red wine (which the waiter recommended) and it tasted very bottom of the bottle~stale. For dinner I ordered a steak salad and I couldn't even chew through the meat. I barely touched my meal or my wine and the waiter didn't care enough to ask why, he just cleared our table and gave us the check.

NAME: TW Houston
SUBMITTED: 7/5/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: January 2010
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: We were at DiVino to celebrate a friend's birthday. Service was just right, attentive but not intrusive. Nice neighborhood feel. Relaxed and casual. There are clearly "regulars" but we felt treated just as well as anyone there. Not cheap but good value for the money. Not sure where the comments came from on small portions. I am a big eater and my portion of "Policemen's Risotto" was substantial and delicious. The Parmigiano Veal Scaloppine was enjoyed by two of our party. One also enjoyed the Spinach Tagliatelle. Superb wine list with excellent by the glass options. We'll be back.

NAME: Not Hungry Any Longer
SUBMITTED: 9/30/2009   LAST VISIT WAS: September/2009
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: I have had a wonderful experience each time I went to Divino. I thought the food was delicious. I had the Parmesan Veal Scalloppine the last time I was there which was prepared perfectly (it's now one of my favorite dishes in town). My dinner companion had the Filet which he said was cooked perfectly. We shared the Risotto of the day for an appetizer which was "Divine". Each time we have gone the waitstaff have recommended the wines and their recommendations are always delicious. I have found the staff pleasant and charming. I will definitely go back.

NAME: A Fan
SUBMITTED: 9/14/2009   LAST VISIT WAS: 3 months ago
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: Today was my first visit. We have some friends who are regulars, and they highly recommended the place. We enjoyed ourselves, but I don't feel that I have very much to add seeing that I've only been there one time. I have just one point.

Many have posted that the portions are small, but my experience was quite the opposite. My husband and I both ordered pasta dishes and finished only about half. We had plenty of leftovers and are eagerly anticipating a tasty lunch tomorrow. We did not even order salads or appetizers. I'm not sure if the restaurant has increased portion sizes, but I wholeheartedly disagree with the other reviews that complain that servings are small.

NAME: Bunchie
SUBMITTED: 7/30/2009   LAST VISIT WAS: 7/30/09
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: This restaurant is the definite "Anti-Da M*arco". No BS, ...just right. first of all the wine list looks like it was meticuosly chosen, lots of unknown boutiquy wines and lots of well known wines at a way cheaper price. We ended up drinking a 2005 Ferrari Carano Cab. at a fraction of the price what is sold everywhere else in town.

The "Calamri", the "Policeman Risotto", the "Filet", the "Home Made pasta" made our experience extraordinary unique. Waitstaff very attentive, well informed on the wines and food (thing quite rare these days) and not pushy with water bottle like someone else in the near by vicinity! If you want to have the best Italian food in town, the best priced wines and feel like a king (not judged by the car you drive) go to Divino...a Divine experience!

NAME: E. Santini
SUBMITTED: 5/17/2009   LAST VISIT WAS: March 2009
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: On recommendation from a friend, took my girlfriend for a nice birthday dinner. We had a very nice time and were not disappointed overall. Prices were in line for dinner at any good reataurant, about 60 per, including a glass of wine each and dessert and tip. Anyone who expects to pay less than 50 per at a good place is out of touch.

Plusses: Good attentive service, not pushy. Waiter was spot on and got a nice tip accordingly. Greens were fresh and clean. Scallops were perfect -- large, sweet, and neither over- or undercooked. Scampi and ravioli were nicely seasoned, portions were just right. We got full without pigging out. Wine per glass was a good choice, reasonable price.

Minuses: Had to ask for bread, and it was simply cold table slices w. a little carafe of olive oil. Other places will serve a basket of hot fresh bread w. the olive oil plus spices or parmesan, seasoned butter that's soft, etc. This simple touch adds a lot to the meal's pleasure. Ravioli was not hot, only warm, but the waiter got this warmed up immediately, no negative feedback. Overall flavors were too mild but this is only my preference -- I like very spicy food.

Would be nice if the dessert menu offered a simple scoop of spumoni.

Bottom line: We will return and have another pleasant meal but we weren't knocked out of the park.

NAME: Stan
SUBMITTED: 2/26/2009   LAST VISIT WAS: Feb 2009
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: We showed up without a reservation, and expected to wait. The host said we could sit at the bar, and he would seat us at the first available table. As in previous posts, empty tables came, regulars came and were seated first. We ate at the bar, as it was late, and enjoyed our food. I later asked the host about the "first available table" and received a blank look. After our meal, the host showed up and acted like we were old friends, and walked us to the door. We won't be back.

NAME: junkman
SUBMITTED: 12/8/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/2008
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: Wish we had read the comments of Jen and Tom. We had reservations to celebrate a birthday and an engagement. This dinner was to be a very special and romantic time for us. The maitre d' was rude and seated us on a back wall by ourselves because the tables further up front were "reserved." No one showed at those tables the hour and a half that we were there. The place was almost empty on that side and even though he had promised to move us if he could, we never saw him again. The waiter was just as invisible. He asked us "is this your first time here?" and proceeded to give great service to some regulars and go out of his way to ignore us. He poured our first glass of wine (after he sniffed into the bottle -- ugh) and that was it. When we asked for some cheese for a pasta dish, he brought it back, dropped it on the table, and said "here."

We won't be going back. I could not wait to get out of there. What was to be a wonderful evening turned out to be uncomfortable and unpleasant. By the way, the food was mediocre. So, unless you like their food and are a regular, don't bother.

NAME: LInda
SUBMITTED: 11/27/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 11/2008
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: There were so many good reviews on this restaurant I was excited to try it out. The service was good, there is a great wine selection and the food was very good quality, but everyone left still hungry! The major downfall was the portions are very small for the price you pay. Our bill was $150 for 3 people and we ended up going across the street to the C*hocolate bar to end our hunger with cake!

NAME: kat
SUBMITTED: 11/10/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 8/07
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: Enjoyed the restaurant very much. Good service, enjoyable atmosphere, excellent food. Just a very quiet, comfortable, wonderful experience.

NAME: Tom K
SUBMITTED: 1/28/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 1/15/07
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: Excellent restaurant. I've had every item on the menu at least once and have never been disappointed. The pasta is always freshly made. The calamari is fantastic. The staff are courteous and helpful. You won't hear "rehearsed" chatter from the wait staff as you do in so many other restaurants. You do not need to be a wine lover to appreciate Divino's. I go there for the excellent food and am always pleased.

NAME: Sam
SUBMITTED: 9/22/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: Sept. 2006
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

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