You'll get the best pizza and pasta dishes in the city at this intimate and unassuming little Montrose restaurant. Some of the unusual varieties of fish, such as the branzino (Italian sea bass) are jet-flown in from Italy. The wine list is just as innovative as the food, with lots of crisp Proseccos and unusual Piedmont reds. And the service is exceptional -- unless you ask for spaghetti and meatballs.
Nothing I like more than sitting at the bar for lunch and watching the flurry of diners and waiters and cooks perform their ballet. And the simplicity of the food moves me to another world, or Italy at least. Love the octopus/citrus/potato salad, beet/celery and pecorino salad, and wood-fired pizza. Exciting daily specials feature flown-in Mediterranean seafood, and some rare wines from Marco's home region of Friuli. Could write a book about the things I love at Da Marco.
I went with my boyfriend looking for a romantic dinner but we were very dissapointed. The atmosphere was too noisy and crowded, don't expect any privacy if you go with your date. The tables are too close from each other that you need to speak very loud to be heard. We have been attracted by the menu that we found at the restaurant website, but when we arrived we found out that it wasn't the same (some dishes were not available). Waiters (most of them hispanics) seemed to be in a hurry. Nothing that made you feel relaxed and calm to enjoy the evening. The meal was regular, I tried the grilled swordfish and I thought it was tasteless, only the wine and desserts were delicious. Maybe we had too high expectations, we read at Houston Press and other media that it was one of the best Italian restaurants in downtown and we couldn't disagree more.
Review by Carmen
Overall:
my wife and i spent some time online, studing the dinner menu before our visit. glad we did, the food was great and the service by our hispanic waiter, jose, even better. i had the lamb chops and she the roasted fish. plan to return soon. to the da marco staff. keep up the great work
Review by john
Overall:
We went the Saturday after Valentine's day. We were especially fond of the wild boar sausage gnocchi and butternut squash tortelli. The desserts were ok but we'd skip it next time. We liked the wines suggested and they give good poors..
The only negative we found was that we arrived at 5:15 for our 5:30 reservation. We understood that they do not open until 5:30 but they would not even let us stay in the parking lot..We had to drive around until the restaurant opened..