Little Napoli Ristorante Italiano & Bar

06/25/09

Great Food

by FlorL at Citysearch

I was not a big fan of Italian food until going to eat at Little Napoli.

Great pastas, Great grill food. Not to mention that they have a delicious mousse chocolate cake :) my favorite.

• Pros: Best Italian I've had in Houston
• Cons: don't go to downtown very often

06/05/09

Bad service, passive aggressive waiter

by Patronus at Citysearch

Below is the e-mail my boyfriend tried to send to the e-mail ID on the restaurants website after the horrible experience we had here:

Today my girlfriend’s college buddy and husband flew in from Washington DC to visit us. We decided to treat them to some Italian food downtown and decided upon your restaurant. When we walked in the waiter asked us to sit at the 8 top closest to the front door but being that there were 4 of us and we wanted to be close together we asked to sit at a four top farther in the restaurant instead (we were the only customers in the restaurant at that time). This is when the waiter’s attitude shifted significantly. For the rest of the meal he was rude. Not in overt, brash ways, but in subtle ways. He never insulted us or used harsh language but it was like from that moment forward we were no longer the customers which finally gave him something to do, we were instantly the pain he didn’t want to deal with. We had to repeatedly ask for small things, he wouldn’t place the order when we asked him too (I know this for a fact because when I wanted my second drink I had to approach him at the bar – at which point I asked him for more bread – he brought me the drink but no bread was coming).

When I asked for the second reorder of bread he said it would be a charge, there were 4 people dining and we ordered two entrees and one large pizza – we certainly weren’t trying to eat the bread only, it is just a nice side to the meal.

We were charged 18% gratuity to our table. While in College I waited tables for years, so I tend to be the one to point it out to the manager if service is particularly terrible or over tip when it is fair to good. I’ve never heard of a restaurant which automatically grats a four top, typically this policy is reserved for parties of 6 or more.

I’ve waited tables in upscale Italian restraints where the place was so uptight that they would dismiss an employee for less than this.

Lo and behold the e-mail keeps bouncing back and the manager is never in the restaurant!

• Pros: Nothing.
• Cons: Pretty much everything in the restaurant was sub par.

04/10/09

HORRIBLE!!

by ae3432 at Citysearch

our service was lousy and the restaurant was not busy at all, maybe 5 tables total. the food was not good at all the westheimer location is 100% better, the waitress (Bella) did not give us the itemized bill and then when i asked for it, it showed 15% auto grat on 4 people. I tried to call the manager, (Ray) 3 times and everytime I was told he was not there. i will never be back to this location.

• Pros: location?
• Cons: service, food, auto grat on 4 people!!

03/11/09

Horrible Customer Service

by FairCustomer at Citysearch

Here is the email I sent to management, which conveniently, is not a working email address:

As a resident of an apartment complex neighboring the downtown Little Napoli, I have called for their delivery service several times. Time and time again, I have been met with some of the worst customer service I have ever received. However, due to the convenience, I had continued to call back on a rare occasion. This time, an older male answered the phone and gave me grief about every question I asked. He explicitly told me that my Baked Ziti didn't come with a salad and garlic bread, though that is exactly what is written on the online menu. He told me to "give him my credit card number" repeatedly, even though I hadn't completed my order. My roommate was telling me his credit card number and I was repeating it to the man on the phone. After he read back a 12-digit number, I told him that he had gotten the number wrong... and I instead handed the phone to my roommate. At that point, he began yelling "Why did that guy just get on the phone and read a different number?!?!?" It was then that I decided to cancel my order, and send a complaint. Over and over I have received horrible customer service from this restaurant, yet I continue to give it business and send my friends and neighbors over there to dine-in or order take-out. You can rest assured that I will not be giving any more of my money to Little Napoli ever again, and I will make sure my friends and neighbors do not stand for the treatment I was just given. I am well-aware that customer service has slipped through the cracks in many businesses going through these difficult economic times, but I urge you instead to bolster your customer service (or maybe just implement it, to begin) in order to ensure repeat business.

• Pros: The food is decent, but not for the price and the hassle
• Cons: Rude people

11/29/08

Overpriced Italian

by dolphy97 at Citysearch

My husband and I came here because we saw their menu online and thought that the food was very reasonably priced. When we got there, we noticed that they had increased the price of their food. I ordered their spaghetti and meatballs and my husband ordered their ravioli. The food took a while to come and they didn't even give us bread before the meal. Both dishes tasted like they came form a can. The other problem was that we wanted to sit outside, but one side smelled like tobacco because of the cigar shop, and the other side did not have that great of a view. Some guy even came and asked us for money while we were trying to enjoy our meal. I am just glad we did not order their more expensive dishes because I have a feeling we would have been very disappointed.

• Pros: Indoor ambience, location
• Cons: Food, service, outdoor ambience

08/15/08

Good, will get a second chance from me

by TottenhamTodd at Citysearch

I tried this restaurant today after noticing it just the other day. Though quaint and small-ish the ambience was very nice. It is very reminiscent of a real family run Italian establishment back home in Chicago. Being Italian I am very picky about my Italian food, and though not overwhelmed I thought it was good.

I had the eggplant parm. which was sliced a little thick for my taste, but the flavor profile was very nice, the ingredients quality, and the pasta perfectly al dente as it should be. The canoli for dessert was very good as well.

On the minus side the service was less than stellar, and though the food was good it seemed slightly overpriced. Maybe that is due to location and therefore innevitable, as it is a nice main street location. All in all I will go back to give them a try again, so I am reserving final judgment for now.

• Pros: Nice ambience, great location, decent food
• Cons: service, value

07/29/08

Don't be fooled like we were....

by levyns1 at Citysearch

We've always known that the service at Little Napoli downtown was slow, and sometimes even a bit rude. But we enjoyed the restaurant for its close proximity to Sambuca for after-dinner drinks and live music. We always enjoyed the food, too. But there comes a point when a good meal means NOTHING when you leave this restaurant so angry and frustrated on a saturday evening. Our waitress was literally a B**CH, and I try so hard to not let bad service ruin a nice outing. It got to a point that I was literally picking up plates and handing them to our waitress to clear because having this woman at our table too long was upsetting my in-laws, who were visiting from out-of-town. When she came out to take our order, and we weren't quite ready, she snapped, "So you aren't ready to order then??" really rude and snooty, like she couldn't believe we were wasting her time. To top it off, the manager refused to honor our gift certificate from restaurant dot com, even though we bought it recently at their website, for that specific location downtown. He said that the restaurant had changed management and there was nothing he could do. He was very short with us, because god forbid we wasted HIS time, too. To be honest, I'm not surprised to hear that the management had changed. The service was so bad, and patrons few and far between, that it finally made sense. SOMETHING had changed, and you know you have a problem when a manager at a restaurant acts like you are worthless, his customers. Unfortunately, even when food is worth going back for, nothing else is! Spend your money elsewhere and actually enjoy your meal! The manager and his staff need to go take a class in customer service- when did it become okay to yell at your customers!? So rude...i'll save myself any future headaches (and total embarrassment!) and find another italian place to take family and friends...a restaurant that actually appreciates its customers' patronage!!

• Pros: Food has always been tasty
• Cons: Service is such a disgrace; Enjoy a tasty meal elsewhere!

09/16/07

Yummy food. Slow but friendly service.

by luneicia at Citysearch

I just left the restaurant and the food was excellent. I'd visited before and enjoyed the food and the service was unfriendly And slow. This time it wasn't as fast as I'd like, but the waitress was quite friendly. My friend requested that we put it on our regular restaurant rotation list.

I'll definately return for a third visit!

• Pros: excellent food, friendly service, nice ambience
• Cons: slow service

02/09/07

BEST pizza, live entertainment, nice ambiance, in the middle of downtown! NEVER crowded!

by jodierenee at Citysearch

We come here specifically for the pizza. They use the freshest ingredients and not too much sauce, which makes it taste AWESOME. This place is open late, so it's an awesome place to stop by after clubbing in downtown. The last time we went there was a Jazz band (the lead singer was ASIAN, but sounded like a true New Orleans jazz singer!) They were very entertaining. The wine was excellent, service was great, and great food!! This place offers great coupons on Restaurantdotcom so I would take advantage of those. I have used them before and have had no trouble. We come here every so often becaue it is so great!!!

• Pros: Great Pizza, Jazz Band, Ambiance
• Cons: Food can be a little slow at times

Casual downtown Italian spot with popularly priced lunch menu, daily happy hour and live music on the weekends.

by Joshua Hinsdale at Citysearch

In Short
This downtown Southern Italian bistro bustles at lunchtime with area office workers taking a needed break to enjoy a casual meal with friends and colleagues. Opt for the cozy indoor dining room or enjoy the al fresco patio. Dine on antipasta, New York and Sicilian pizza, homemade pastas and daily chef's specials. For dessert, try the tiramisu, banana split or chocolate mousse cake. More than 30 wines are offered by the bottle or glass.