Just in Time for Spring, North Italia Expands to CityCentre with Pizza, Pasta and Perfect Patios

Just in Time for Spring, North Italia Expands to CityCentre with Pizza, Pasta and Perfect Patios

IT SEEMS THE groundhog was right, and spring has come early to Houston! Perfect timing for a prime patio spot to arrive in CityCentre: North Italia, the casual hotspot for pizza and wine on Post Oak, just bowed in the former Tasting Room location, boasting two outdoor spaces, complete with greenery and fireplaces.


The laidback but cool environs — think artful graffiti, and bold red accents throughout — are home to North Italia’s modern twists on Italian staples. The chef’s board offers three types of cheese, house pickled veggies, olives, a fig spread and grilled bread. (The grilled bread makes another appearance, alongside garlic-and-truffle-infused ricotta… Yes, please.) It all pairs perfectly with one of the fun Italian-inspired cocktails, like the Julietta with ginger and vanilla vodka, elderflower and prosecco.

For the mains, there’s a handful of pizzas like the wildcard Chef’s Daily Choice, The Pig (with every type of pepperoni, sausage and salami imaginable), or the veggie-friendly Funghi pizza with mushrooms and onions. The pasta is made in house — it’s delicious, but substitute for vegetable noodles and save around 400 calories — and paired with traditional toppings like meatballs or the more adventurous jumbo lump crab, tiger shrimp and pepperoncino.

It's bound to be a new Sunday Funday destination for westsiders, with decadent menu items Banana Coffee Cake with dark-rum butterscotch and caramelized banana, or the Breakfast Carbonara Pasta with poached egg and crispy pancetta.


The patio at North Italia

Breakfast Carbonara

Brunch Cocktails

Inside North Italia

Pollo Frito

A mural on the patio at North Italis

Food
Fall Philanthropy Report: Easter Seals of Greater Houston ‘Impacts Where People Need Us the Most’

What year was your organization launched? Founded in Houston in 1947, as the Cerebral Palsy Treatment Center, the organization provided services to individuals with disabilities living in Houston and Harris County. In 1989, the organization changed its name and greatly expanded its services to meet the needs of its clientele. Today as Easter Seals Greater Houston, the organization provides multiple outstanding service programs to children, adults, veterans, and service members with all types of disabilities and their families in Harris and sixteen surrounding counties.

Keep Reading Show less

Paella Valenciana at Mi Luna

THOUGH IT'S BEEN in Houston less than a decade, Sof Hospitality has made major inroads with foodies and critics alike. Its concepts include Doris Metropolitan, Hamsa and Badolina Bakery, all of which deliver the rich flavors of Israeli cuisine in complex, photogenic and delicious dishes. Its newest, Októ, opened earlier this year, one of several energetic restaurants to bow in the Montrose Collective, just in time for the holidays.

Keep Reading Show less
Food

Bill Viola’s ‘Ascension,’ on display as part of ‘Living with the Gods’ at MFAH

THE ARTIST WHO ushered in the expressionist movement in the early 20th century was not, in fact, Picasso or Matisse. It was Paul Gauguin, whose career spanned the decades just preceding the turn of the century. The French painter is the subject of the Museum of Fine Arts’ latest exhibit, Gauguin in the World, which was organized by Henri Loyrette (formerly of the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay, Paris). The show, just one of the museum’s diverse winter season shows, debuted in Australia in June and will be on display through Feb. 16, 2025, at the MFAH, the only U.S. venue for the survey.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment