The Room
Travis McShane opened Ostia in the Heights in 2018 — a chef-driven Italian dining room dedicated to the proposition that the Heights neighbourhood needed a serious-Italian destination. The James Beard Foundation has shortlisted McShane for Best Chef Texas. The dining room is intentionally restrained — exposed brick, an open kitchen at the back, banquettes along the eastern wall.
Eater Houston has held Ostia on its top-Italian-restaurant rankings every year of operation.
The Food
The pasta programme is hand-rolled in the kitchen daily. The wood-fired pizza programme runs four rotating pies. The seasonal-rotating Italian secondi, the small-plates antipasti programme, and the chef's tasting at $75 handle the menu's wider draws.
Wine programme runs Italian-classic. Cocktails are aperitivi-led. Service is informed and warm.
Best Occasion Fit
First Date: The bar at Ostia is one of the Heights' most-reliable first-date seats. The pasta shares well, the wine programme is the conversation.
Birthday: Birthdays at Ostia are warm, pasta-led, neighbourhood-Italian affairs the room handles with seven years of practice.
Team Dinner: The back of the dining room handles tables of eight to twelve, and the kitchen will run a family-style Italian menu.