Laurenzo's Restaurant

Best Laurenzo restaurant in town!

The Laurenzo family is legend for food in this town. Great Italian, Mexican, Continental, a Texas steak... we’ve tried everything on the menu and never been disappointed. The food & service is phenomenal. Do not miss the prime rib pizza or house-smoked salmon served warm of cold with their special dill dip. So yummy you can definitely make a meal of it with a bottle of Sonoma Cutrer. You will thank me, I promise!

Laurenzo's Restaurant is located inside the 610 loop, just south of I-10 (the Katy Freeway) on Washington Ave. The restaurant serves delightful food using tried-and-true family recipes dating back generations.

The Laurenzo family has a deep tradition of serving the best quality food and providing great customer service. Everything is fresh, made daily from scratch and with the magic touch that only a Laurenzo can provide.

You can't miss Laurenzo's Restaurant; the name is printed in large letters right on the side of the building. A beautiful wooden façade with plenty of windows faces the street. The architecture has character and there's a charming little canopy as you walk through the entrance. I am a sports fan and love my hometown Houston sports as well as my Texas Aggies, so I was delighted to see a ton of memorabilia all over the place. And, to you Longhorn fans, or any other school for that matter, there's no discrimination here - I saw memorabilia from all schools. The server told me that much of it is for sale with proceeds being donated to your favorite non-profit. What a cool concept! You can come to Laurenzo's, get a nice, juicy prime-rib, an autographed Earl Campbell jersey and they will donate the proceeds to my favorite charity? Hmmmm, sounds like a win, win, win!

Well, let the games begin! We headed up to the bar to try out a couple of their specialty cocktails: the Prickly Pear Margarita and Moscow Mule. Both were wonderful choices, especially the Prickly Pear Margarita - a delicious starter for sure. They also have an extensive wine selection and serve a number of Top Texas Craft Beers.

We moved on to the very spacious dining area, thinking to myself this would be a perfect place for groups. After a look at the extensive menu, I saw it was going to be a tough choice deciding what to eat; I just wanted to devour everything on it.

We decided on a couple of Top Texas Craft Beers, namely, Karbach's Hoppadillo IPAs. Along with the great craft beer, we ordered a couple of apps: the Crab Cake and the Spinach & Artichoke Dip.

First, the Crab Cake: colossal lump crab which is lightly breaded, then pan fried and served with Remoulade Sauce. I don't think I have ever seen a crab cake with so much actual crab meat. Usually there is more cake than crab, but not here... so amazing!

Laurenzo's Spinach & Artichoke Dip, a unique and tasty version of an old favorite, is served with homemade chips and salsa. I topped the chips with the dip, salsa and sour cream. So good! I had noticed something unique on the menu and just had to try it: Blackened Prime Rib Pizza. This delicious pizza was built with spicy blackened prime rib, mozzarella, tomato sauce and basil. The crust was made from scratch and absolutely divine. The prime rib was sliced thin and laid across the pie, so you get to enjoy it with every bite. Wow!

Now, I had heard big things about the creamed corn they serve here at Laurenzo's Restaurant. It seemed kind of weird to me; I mean, I like creamed corn, but wasn't sure how something so ordinary could be so special. Well, I ate those words - almost as quickly as I ate the best creamed corn I have ever had! They roast the fresh corn and take it right off the cob; there are even a few darkened kernels which give it a bit of a crunch. This delicious side wouldn't be a bad entrée if you just doubled it up. Ha! The creamed corn is definitely something you need to try on your visit Laurenzo's.

Finally, it was time for dessert! We ordered the Key Lime Pie with whipped cream (mandarin, lime confit, and a graham cracker crust) and the Italian Cream Cake, a four-layer amaretto and pecan cake with mascarpone frosting. Unbelievable! Just another prime example of the awesome "from scratch" cooking here. Although the crust on the Key Lime pie meshed perfectly with the filling, it should at least be tasted by itself. What a fine dessert! As for the Italian Cream Cake, it was chock-full of nuts and had that perfect mascarpone frosting: thick and creamy, but not too sweet. I felt like I might have died and gone to heaven.

My visit here at Laurenzo's Restaurant was nothing short of amazing. I understand it is owned by the same family that brought us the El Tiempo, another favorite of mine which we'll be featuring soon. For now, I say farewell to the Laurenzo family and this great experience - but you can bet that I will be back! Back for lunch, happy hour, dinner, brunch... Ha! Back for a piece of Key Lime pie for sure!

Had a good experience learning how to make the fajita burger before I got the chance to try it. Really fun experience, the burger was so good. Who knew you could eat fajitas and a burger in one meal at the same damn time, huh?

Burger shot courtesy of Restaurants agency

Great Brunch!!!. One of the best brunch places I have found in the area. Blood orange mimosas and the prime rib rap with seafood gumbo and sweet potato fries... everything was delicious and the service was great even for a large party.

A Midtown Gem. Upscale but not stuffy atmosphere, service above average. The prime rib cooked to order and crab enchiladas loaded with crab. Portions very large! Order one dessert for 4 people, that's how large the servings are... decent wine & beer on tap. Always a safe bet for consistent food in midtown.

Food was ok, but nothing special. Overpriced for the flavor and service. It was good for one time, but not that good for me to return. I enjoyed the fact that fajitas were well done and juicy. The mini charro style beans tasted good since they had meat, although I would improve them by removing the sausage. Restroom's very clean. It has 2 parking lots. The one on the back needs several improvements! Concrete, paint, and those windows must be washed.

We came for dinner on a Sunday evening. There were plenty of tables available and we were seated as soon as we walked in. Our server was great! He was polite and friendly, and was very attentive without being intrusive. We started out with a delicious and very fresh guacamole. We all enjoyed our food. I had the prime rib, which was delicious. Overall a great place to enjoy a good dinner.

Been here twice. Make sure Oscar is your waiter. He's attentive, funny, and will make sure you're well taken care of. Bellini drink: 5/5 Coconut shrimp: 4/5 (don't like the orange-flavored dip) Cheesecake: 4.5/5 Ravioli: 3/5 Fish & chips: 5/5 Free bread with butter: 5/5 Chicken parmigiana: 3/5 Lasagna: 3/5 Creamed spinach: 5/5 All dishes taste fresh. The flavors in the lasagna and ravioli were meh. Not a fan of either. The ravioli sauce could be better. The dish I enjoyed the most was the fish and chips. The batter for the fish was different than at other places I've had fish and chips. And the fries were the right amount of crunchiness with good flavor. The tartar sauce was good but the ketchup had a mild horseradish flavor that I didn't like. The service overall is great. The restrooms are clean. The decor is vintage with a lot of sports memorabilia. I don't know if it’s because it was Mother's Day and lots of people but it was quite cold.

1st time trying it and the food and service were awesome. Our waiter Adam provided an exceptional service. We are definitely come back.

Laurenzo’s is an interesting restaurant concept from the same family behind El Tiempo Cantina, The Original Ninfa’s on Navigation, and more. The Laurenzo family has been in the restaurant industry for over 50-years through multiple generations. Domenic Laurenzo, the founder of Laurenzo’s, is the grandson of the late Mama Ninfa, the restauranteur who started it all in 1973. This restaurant is all over the place. It feels like a sports bar with all of the sports memorabilia decor and TVs. However, it’s more of a local American steakhouse with influences from Italy and Mexico. They are specifically known for their Prime Rib, but they have pizzas, pastas, fajitas, burgers, and more. They have a free private parking lot with plenty of spaces in the front and back. Depending on when you come to dine, you may need a reservation, as it was quite busy on a random Saturday night. When we were seated, they immediately gave us some complimentary bread and butter. +Complimentary Bread and Butter - 4/5 As I am a big fan of the margaritas at their sister restaurant, The Original Ninfa’s on Navigation, I wanted to check them out here as well. [DRINKS] +Blood Orange Rita (Herradura Reposado tequila, Chambord, Grand Marnier, blood orange, and cinnamon) for $17 - This didn’t do it for me. It’s big and boozy, but I wasn’t a fan of the flavor. - 3/5 As for food, we went with a Greens salad, Prime Rib, and French Fries. [INSALATE] +Small Greens (greens, smoked bacon, egg, croutons, tomatoes, carrots, roasted corn, and red cabbage) with honey lime vinaigrette dressing for $10.99 - This was a regular salad. - 3.5/5 [PRIME RIB] +12 oz Prime Rib (sub small salad for sides for an extra $4) for $47.99 - We replaced the small salad with the French Fries. The French Fries were excellent. They tasted like the thicker, wedge potato fries, but they remained thin. I personally liked them a lot and would give them a 4.5/5. As for the Prime Rib, it was definitely juicy. The taste of the meat was just okay, nothing crazy. - 3.5/5 Overall, Laurenzo’s was a fun dining experience. My favorite part was the French Fries. The margaritas and prime rib were okay. They do have other items on the menu I would like to try next from the Prime Rib Quesadillas and more. The service is hit or miss. The host was incredible at his job, but the servers dismissed our multiple requests to get a straw for a drink (we asked 3 times). If you want to experience an interesting local steakhouse from the same family behind the best Tex-Mex restaurants in Houston, check out Laurenzo’s. Come for the fries at least.