Luigi’s Ristorante Italiano

Absolutely outstanding! Galveston’s own little Italy. The service is great and the food… perfection. From the bread and oil to the dessert, you will definitely enjoy a 5-​star meal! And it’s extremely moderately priced!

Nice atmosphere, not too loud for conversation on a Saturday night, Salmon was good (rich sauce, but very good).

Asparagus appetizer cooked to perfection. Seriously lacking flavor. A bit over priced for mediocre italian. Nice ambiance, good for date night.

Terrible. We had been here a couple of years ago and enjoyed it. Both adult meals were marginal at best. The wine tasted like it had been open for days. The service was bad. Inattentive waiter, inaccurate food descriptions. The only thing decent was the kids chicken parmigian. Won’t be coming back. Too many good places in Galveston to waste money on this place. Macaroni Grill has better food.

At first this place seems cramped because it’s in an old, narrow structure on the Strand in Galveston. The wait staff seem a bit pretentious at first as well, but once you order, the service is outstanding and courteous. The food is more than well worth the compact arrangement. This is our anniversary spot every year!

What a great place, very quiet, private and excellent location in Galveston. We really love their chicken/​pasta combinations, never had better. Hostess sat us away from other diners which is paramount for us. Have been here for lunch and dinner, lunch menu has excellent prices. Give these people your business, you’ll be glad you did. Free parking after 6

My husband and I absolutely love this place! The restaurant is impeccable, the food is fantastic, the staff is wonderful! This restaurant is on our agenda everytime we come to Galveston. The food is phenomenal!!! We have eaten here for lunch both times we have been here and it was amazing. Wish we had discovered it sooner as we’ve been coming to Galveston for quite a few years. Do yourself a favor and visit, it is well worth it.

Luigi’s is a great place for a quiet dinner with a warm atmosphere. The service is good, and all of the employees are beyond friendly. My sister and I shared the caprese salad (fantastic, of course.) and for our entrees we ordered the Melanzana Parmigiana and the Ravioli de Giorno. Both of these dishes were incredible. We left full and happy, and promised for another visit.

We love this place! We’ve been coming to Galveston for Spring Break with the kids for over 10 years and we NEVER miss an opportunity to eat here. Lunch today was very good, as always!

I can’t tell you how much I despised this place. What a joke as an Italian restuarant. I went last week with my mom, dad, my brother and his wife to celebrate wedding anniversarys. The service was horrible and the appetizer: tomato, onion and cheese a disgrace. I wish we had left after we waited forever to get someone to take our drink order. Do not go here

Hands down, my favorite place to have Italian food in the world. No kidding. Yes, I have been to Italy and I think this is still better than what I’ve had over there.
We always like to come on an «off» night while visiting the Island during the week. On the weekend, it can be buzzing and on a special event weekend it can be packed. And by big events, I mean like Valentines Day or Prom. We found a quiet refuge here the first weekend in Mardi Gras away from the street food before and it was welcome.
The interior is beautiful. The dining area is in the inside of an old bank. You can even dine in the former vault– and if you wish to make a reservation for it, it is definitely a romantic place to be with your loved one.
The servers and other front of house staff are delightful. We always feel at home, like family, each time we come — yet Luigi’s retains that higher level of service so many other restaurants seem to lack.
If you’re wondering about food, you should probably taste it. We love the calimari for an appetizer. You do get bread with an olive oil & herb blend plate, but I definitely recommend going all out when you come.
My dining companion loves the Lasagna Bolognese and I love the Tagliatelle Alla Marta. There’s a good red sauce and white sauce dish for your to taste. I am partial to the Tagliatelle Alla Marta because it is the creamiest alfredo sauce with a delectable sausage that you must try wrapped up in the pasta. Each element stands on its own, but when they’re together it is pure flavor.
Don’t forget about coffee and dessert. I think the best dessert on the menu is usually the dessert special– sometimes untraditional dishes carefully orchestrated by the imagination of Luigi himself. We enjoyed one of his creations which combined all different kinds of dessert elements into one dish– and the flavors paired themselves together like a happy family.
Now, you can’t go wrong with other menu items, but what’s life without a little adventure? Especially when dessert is the matter at hand?
We will keep returning to Luigi’s for their delicious food and great service.

Great food, Red Snapper with crab meat

Decided to treat my date to a special dinner at a quiet restaurant with a nice atmosphere that would be worth an hour drive. Luigi’s seemed to fit the bill. Nice ambiance where a conversation can be had with no disturbances except for the time Luigi sang his Italian operatic version of Happy Birthday to someone — but it was worth hearing. Our waiter Stefan was very good and attentive without being overbearing. Just the way it should be.
The starter of fresh bread with herb infused olive oil was full flavored without being overpowering. That and a nice bottle of wine gave a good feeling for what was to come. I ordered the Gamberoni ai Ferri (Grilled shrimp and grilled scallops over a bed of spinach with garlic oil and lemon), one of the top dollar items on the menu and expected it to taste as such. She ordered the Penne alla vodka e Filetto (Penne pasta with vodka in a tomato cream sauce, grilled strips of filet mignon and fresh mozzarella). Another top dollar item but she had chicken substituted for the filet mignon.
The presentation of the dinners was very appealing. Sadly, that’s where it ended. Her penne dinner was good but the chicken was not tender and had the flavor of a dish that could be ordered at any average Italian restaurant at ¹⁄₃ the price. My Gamberoni ai Ferri was a complete disappointment. Sampled the spinach bed first and it was good. I took my first bite of the scallops. It melted in my mouth. And it taste like water! Completely devoid of any flavor. Hoping for better I tried a bite of the shrimp. Again, no seasoning and it came off the grill with a burnt taste. I called for the manager and returned the dish. She was accommodating, apologized & asked if I wanted the same or a different order. Without a second thought I opted to try something else.
This time I ordered the Pollo Mostarda (Chicken breast, sautéed with mustard cream sauce, diced tomato, and sundried tomato). I would expect that a replacement dinner would be pushed to the front because others at the table were already eating. It took just as long for my second dish to arrive as did the first. My hopes for a nice pleasant & enjoyable dinner were now dashed. My date had slowed down her eating to a crawl so that we might be able to dine together. I sampled off of her plate while we waited. Once mine arrived she was through eating before I was a quarter of the way through mine. On top of that, the flavor was good but the chicken was chewy — not tender at all. I finished half my dinner and we left with no offer of compensation for the inconveniences. The least that could have been done would be to drop the $ 27 for a $ 7 bottle of wine from the bill.
There was one item that was excellent. I ordered her the crème brûlée that she was dying to try. That’s still not enough to draw us back.
Based upon this experience we will never be returning. What I had planned as a quiet, romantic dinner turned into a $ 100 evening of flaws and frustration.

This is my go to place for Italian when I’m on the island. This time they were «off». Our waiter was more interested in the next table of two. He placed a bottle of wine on our table, left it sitting there — unopened while taking care of the next tables’ every need. It was very sloppy service for my group of 4. In fairness to us it wasn’t crowded with large tables or people waiting. It was poor attention. Our food was equally less performing. Random sizes of lasagna, waiter not remembering who ordered what from drinks to entrees and bland salads. Search Unilocal for a better Italian restaurant when visiting the island.
It’s my last time to go here.

My girlfriend and I went to Luigi’s after hearing good things. Located on the Strand inside an old bank building, the restaurant has a beautiful interior with high ceilings and a vault converted into a wine cellar. Despite the cavernous interior, it had an intimate feel and was not overly noisy even with a room full of guests.
We were seated in a corner near the wine «vault» with a table that seemed a bit oversized for us, but, generally, a nice spot.
The staff was polite and friendly. Our waiter was attentive and made good recommendations, including suggesting a bottle of wine similar to what we ordered, but he believed better and for the same price. Not sure if it was better, but it was very good.
Rather than order full entrees, we decided on several appetizers and one shared entrée, so we could try some different things. Our waiter didn’t blink and even divided everything up into courses, which worked out perfectly.
We were told that everything was made in the restaurant from the bread and pasta to the sausage and even ice cream. A small loaf of the bread was served with herb-​infused olive oil. I’d notice a number of people complaining the bread was served cold, but I think that is the intent of the restaurant and, quite frankly, I don’t see what the fuss was about. It was very fresh and delicious.
Our first «course» was a cold antipasti (Antipasti Freddi) — a combination of Italian sausage, the standard Italian meats and cheeses (mozzarella, prosciutto, etc), tomato, mushrooms marinated in red wine, beef browned and served cold in a tangy sauce and roasted eggplant in a tomato sauce — basically, an antipasti sampler and asparagus lightly prepared with olive oil, garlic and parmesan cheese.
First, the asparagus was nothing special. In fact, it was even a tad bland and seemed like nothing special for the $ 10 price tag. The antipasti was a mixed bag. The eggplant was stellar as was the sausage, which we both agreed we would love to have as an entrée next time. The meats and cheeses were standard antipasti fare and the mushrooms were good, not great. The beef was a bit on the bland side considering how it was prepared.
«Course» two was a deep fried artichoke that was really just average. The light, almost tempura-​like batter was wonderful, but the artichoke was barely seasoned and the accompanying marinara dipping sauce was bland at best.
Our entrée was tortellini served in a tomato cream sauce. Our waiter brought us each a half portion, which I thought was not necessary, but a very thoughtful thing for him to do. Kudos!
This was, next to the sausage in our appetizer, easily the best thing we had. The tortellini was stuffed with savory herbs and cheese. The pasta was perfectly prepared and the sauce was a delightfully light and creamy sauce that was not the slightest bit heavy or overpowering. The whole thing was absolutely delicious.
After hearing the ice cream was homemade, we decided to have a try and got one scoop each of vanilla, chocolate and pistachio. The latter was, by far, the best. The chocolate was a tad bitter to my taste and the vanilla wasn’t as creamy as I would have liked, but not bad.
As a whole, I felt like there were some definite hits and misses. The things that were done well were very good and often because the seasoning was perfect. The hits were basically the opposite — bland and un-​interesting. I’ll be back to try the sausage as an entrée and consider some of the other pastas, which all looked terrific at the tables around us.
Given the price, I could see how this place would be hit and miss with reviewers. I think knowing what to order here is of particular importance.

I had the penne pasta with fresh mozzarella and beef tenderloin. It was extraordinary. Having spent the 1^st 43 years of my life in Chicago with it’s wealth of truly good Italian restaurants I can honestly say this place is on par.
I was there yesterday (Saturday) at ~5pm so a little before full blown dinner time and when we walked in there were about 5 staff greeting us.
We sat down and the waiter was courteous and suggested an Australian Shiriaz that went well with the beef.
Thanks Luigi’s for a great meal in one of my favorite towns!

I came in on the off season and a Monday so it wasn’t particularly busy or anything. I ordered the Minestrone and Lasagna. I got bread and the flavored olive oil that comes with it.
The bread was cold and the oil tasteless.
If I recall Minestrone is a bean/​pasta soup. I got something that was a HUGE bowl of beans, a bit of pasta, and no soup. It was bland and probably the best thing in it were the potatoes. The sausage was tasteless.
My lasagna which ran me about $ 18 was less than impressive. I’ve seen frozen lasagna that looked bigger and more appealing. Eating it was like eating some kind of Mexican burrito with tomato sauce on top.
I would describe my meal as Mexican food trying to be Italian. Maybe if I were drunk then it would be fine, but having experienced fine Italian (thanks to the recommendation of Unilocalers) this was sub par. I would say it was probably sub par for Mexican food too.
Afterward, I went to yaga’s café two doors down and had their fish tacos with hot sauce which was tastier and cheaper than anything I had experienced at Luigi’s.
On the plus side, the wait staff was very kind and the atmosphere was good. I tipped my waiter well because her service was excellent and she should not be penalized because the food was terrible. On a side note, my waiter barely spoke English and it was heavily accented.

Located in the heart of Galveston’s Strand district, Luigi’s is a perfect venue for those wishing to combine great dining with a downtown shopping or entertainment experience. We arrived early on a Saturday evening to a busy but not hectic dining room. The atmosphere is lively Italian but not intrusive, lighting just right to be able to read the menu, but low enough to provide privacy. If you’re in the mood for a relaxed/​casual but «island dressy» place to have a great meal, Luigi’s is the place to go.
Our enthusiastic waiter was obviously proud of his work in the restaurant, and seemed to have learned a great deal about food preparation as he described the menu to us. Throughout the evening he was perfectly attentive, friendly, and respectful of our needs.
The in-​house-​baked bread and herb-​infused olive oil were tasty and tempting, but we did not let them divert us from our mission of experiencing the menu to our best ability. We shared an appetizer of «Portobello funghi e pomodoro», grilled Portobello with tomatoes in white wine lemon butter sauce. It was served slightly warm, lemon-​tangy with a sauce that did not overpower the subtle mushroom flavor. For salad I had the «Insalata Gorgonzola,» a mixture of spicy greens with Walnut Gorgonzola dressing – delicious! My companion had «Pomodoro Caprese,» of tomato with fresh mozzarella and basil, which benefited from olive oil and vinegar offered.
My friend’s entrée of «Pesci del Giorno» was Red Drum grilled and topped with lemon butter white wine sauce, served with herbed grilled potatoes. The light sauce complemented the fish nicely without overwhelming its mild flavor. I felt obligated to try a pasta dish in an Italian restaurant, so I went for the «Tortellini Sugo Rosso,» stuffed with chicken, pork and ricotta cheese, and covered with tomato cream sauce. Wow! The tortellini had perfect texture, and the sauce couldn’t be beat. It had a deliciously dusky and robust character. We accompanied all this with a very reasonably priced Italian Chardonnay, which made a perfect complement.
For a finale we shared «Bavarese all Luigi», a custard cream served with a scoop of Luigi’s own chocolate gelato. We found it to be extraordinarily light and not overly sweet. A tangy slice of fresh strawberry provided a pleasantly surprising complement. And the homemade gelato had satisfying texture and tasty chunks of chocolate. Even a non-​dessert lover would be tempted by this creation.
The meal was satisfying and filling, but not at all heavy. We took our time and were never rushed. Of course Luigi came out to speak with us, to be certain everything was to our liking. Overall we enjoyed great food and a superb dining experience, one with which we could find no fault. Our only regret is that we could not sample every item on the menu! Luigi’s definitely lives up to its Zagat rating.

What is more delightful than a singing chef? If you want a delectable meal that is an experience beyond «just eating good food», then definitely go to Luigi’s. This fantastic place was inhabits an old bank, but they have transformed it into a classy, beautiful Italian restaurant. They have kept some of the bank elements like the bank vault door and it only adds to the incredible charm of Luigi’s.
If you’d like a table away from the crowd with a bit of privacy, request the angel room. It’s a small alcove next to the bank vault door with only enough room for two. (Note: Not recommended for the claustrophobic. It’s pretty cozy.)
If you happen to be waited on by a Spanish man named Vicente, ask about his piano playing. He doubles as a passionate musician and genuinely loves people. A very interesting person and a treat to meet.
The food was phenomenal. My taste buds are still thanking me. I made noises with each bite, I’m embarrassed to say, that were borderline obscene. Was that TMI? Probably, but maaaaaaaan, the food was gooooood. We shared the penne carbonara and the pollo mustardo for our dinner. The penne carbonara was in a rich parmesian cheese cream sauce with pancetta and the pollo mustardo was two chicken cutlets sauteed in a mustard cream sauce and served with sauteed vegetables (broccoli, squash and zucchini). Both of these were amAZing. Am I coming on too strong with the amazingness of this place? I don’t care. It’s the truth. I’m in love. And I fell in love before dessert. Dessert pushed me into ecstasy.
For dessert we had the Cioccolato di Amore and Tres Leches. The Cioccolato di Amore is a rich chocolate cake (of love) with almonds, mascarpone cheese and topped with chocolate mousse. Both of these desserts were worth cheating on my diet. I have no regrets for giving in to their siren’s call. Next on my list to try is Bavarese alla Luigi… a custard cream base with a touch of sweet Marsala, served with wine marinated strawberries AND a scoop of ice cream. Sounds so good!
Now, in case you didn’t already notice, I am in absolute love with the food. Hands down, everything was to die for. However, I have a feeling that even if the food had been just «ok», I still would have been charmed by the atmosphere of the restaurant, the attentive service (I think someone already mentioned the fact that you will never see the bottom of your water glass… it will be kept full) and Luigi himself.
Luigi. Arguably the BEST part of the entire restaurant. And definitely my favorite. How can you NOT love a singing chef?!? Luigi is both talented in the kitchen and as a musician. He is also the nicest and most unassuming person to talk to … a genuine wonderful person to know even when he’s not singing or cooking. If you get the chance to chat with him, or listen to him sing, you will enjoy time well spent.
PS– While this restaurant is classy enough to dress up, I happened to wander inside in my flip-​flops and jeans and do ok. They didn’t kick me out and treated me like I’d been dressed to go out. Very classy on their part. Next time, though, I will dress better. =)

Last Saturday night was my time dining at Luigi’s. I wasn’t familiar with the restaurant but Brad our Waiter quickly told us that everything was prepared fresh in the house daily. We started with some «Carciofi alla Romana» and Portobello mushrooms. The carciofi are a must!
Our main courses consisted of scallops& shrip dish, eggplant parmigiana and chicken gratella!
Everyone enjoyed their meal.
The dessert was somewhat strange in consistecy, perhaps a little to heavy handed with the gelatine!
I’ll go back for sure!