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La Vista
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At a Glance
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100% ambiance
“Well worth the wait for the great food and value and ambiance.”
50% dessert
“had no room for dessert, which was disappointing as they all looked wonderful.”
100% drinks
“Offering BYOB with modest corkage fee, it's a great place to gather with friends and enjoy your favorite wines.”
100% food quality
“In a word, the food is fabulous.”
100% menu variety
“This place has excellent food, great service, and menu with many choices.”
100% overall
“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.”
100% service
“La Vista has a cult following as one of the most wine friendly restaurants in town.”
80% value
“With the BYOB policy and the excellent food at very reasonable prices, we end up hosting our monthly wine dinner there.”
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La Vista
From The Owner of La Vista
What Our Expert Scouts Say
March 21, 2010
Excellent food and it's byob!!.
La Vista has a cult following as one of the most wine friendly restaurants in town. Offering BYOB with modest corkage fee, it's a great place to gather with friends and enjoy your favorite wines. On sunny days and weekends, the crowds come here in droves, forcing waiting patrons into the parking lot, where the restaurant sets up a seating area complete with plastic chairs and tables. Heck, most people break out their bottles in the parking lot, causing the general merriment to spike upward quickly. That's probably the best thing about La Vista - every time I've been there, everyone is happy and friendly. On one occasion, the table sitting next to us offered us what was left over of their pizza, and in exchange, we poured them a taste of one of our wines. Sometimes you almost feel like you're at a big dinner party the way people mingle in the restaurant!!
Now to the food. The bread here is to-die-for, so all you Atkins dieters, beware. When you sit down, you will be served with large slab of dense, slightly sweet, oh-so-tasty bread with sprinkling of parmesan and olive oil dip. It will be hard to pass up. Every time I go, I swear I down a whole loaf by the time the night's over. The mussels are a slam-dunk, with some of the BEST garlic butter broth I've tasted. I could dip my bread in that sauce until I'm full but I know the main dishes are great as well. Tonite, I had the beef tenderloin, executed to a perfect medium rare, so tender it melted in my mouth, and accompanied by lightly crisped chunky potatoes and a light apricot sauce. The meat dishes here are generally the star - whether it be the veal chop, pork chop, steak, or an off the menu short rib - you can't go wrong with meat for the main course. They have a good selection of pasta and pizzas as well. But what good is BYOB red wine if it's not washed down with a tasty bite of red meat? So, I say skip the pasta, skip the pizza, order some meat, enjoy it with whatever vino is your pleasure, and wash it all down with great friendship and conversation. La Vista is the bomb!
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Tips for La Vista
July 24, 2012
Try the cinnamon pork tenderloin and you won't be disappointed. It sounds weird, but it's amazing. The bread is great, that atmosphere is festive, and the staff is friendly. I'll be coming back here often.
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Heart
July 09, 2010
This Place is the Bomb. I live less than a mile from La Vista, but really never dined there. I found myself always heading to Carrabbas for Italian food, which is a great place. Never the less, we finally went, and I was blown away on the quality of the food and the price. We brought in our own bottle of red, and spite the tomato appetizer and the veal chop. It was out of the this world. The price was super reasonable!
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Heart
May 30, 2010
Great Italian - BYOB. Good food, reasonably priced, BYOB (there's Rice Epicurean next door and a liquor store as well), casual, outdoor/indoor seating and a relaxed atmosphere. We went there for dinner last night and I had the ribs that were delicious and my wife had the Ribeye which was pretty good.
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Heart
May 11, 2010
Huge Portions and BYOW.
Okay, when a group of us met there, I was dreading the patio which faces the parking lot. They had fans blowing, making a bunch of noise. The tables looked cheap and I was a bit grossed out.
I saw families with cases of wine. You can BYOW for $5 or order from a mini bar they just installed.
I had always heard great things about the food. Their entrees are expensive, bu they are huge. My mussels were delicious and an A+! The brownie a la mode was a A-. Everyone else ordered pork and fish...they loved it.
Family friendly; not dog friendly.
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Heart
March 10, 2010
The best.
This is one of the few places that my fiance and I continue coming back to time and time again. The food is delicious and the BYOB policy is right up our alley. We always get the crab cakes, which are delicious, but the best part of that dish is actually the corn salsa. I love their veggie pizza as well as the pork tenderloin entree. It is PERFECTION. Not crazy about the ceviche at all though. If you're coming on a Friday or Saturday night, be prepared for at least a 45 minute-1hour wait if you don't get there by 6:30. They have a little waiting area of chairs in the parking lot where you can pop a bottle of wine to enjoy while you wait. We almost always sit outside, unless it's unbearably hot or cold.
Service is usually pretty good. I don't know any of the servers names, but there are a few that recognize us as repeat customers and take the time to talk with us, and a few who make it clear they are just a body serving you food...if that makes sense.
The clientele is a little bit of an older, more conservative crowd (which we are neither lol!), but everyone meshes well. It seems that no matter what age or status you are, you go there because you like to bring your own wine and eat awesome food!
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Heart
July 26, 2009
My new fav place!. 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!
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Heart
April 10, 2009
Great food and great wine. 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.
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Heart
February 01, 2009
Italian at it's Best. 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.
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Heart
June 09, 2008
simply great food. 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.
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