Amalfi

Name: Amalfi
Address: 6100 Westheimer Road #140 Houston, Houston, US
Telephone: +1 7135322201

Chef Giancarlo Ferrara brings the flavors of Italy's Amalfi Coast to Houston, with fresh pasta, wood-fired seafood, and Gambero Rosso recognition.

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The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Slice of Southern Italy on Westheimer

Open since 2014, Amalfi is the work of husband-and-wife team Giancarlo and Lisa Ferrara — he as Executive Chef and Owner, she as Manager and co-Owner. Giancarlo grew up in Salerno, the largest city on the Amalfi Coast, the youngest of seven children, learning to cook at his mother's side before graduating first in his class from Centro Professionale Alberghiero in Salerno and going on to study at Scuola Arte Culinaria Etoile. He then honed his craft in some of Italy's finest kitchens and at the two-Michelin-starred Patrick Guilbaud in Dublin, Ireland — an apprenticeship that deepened his commitment to local, seasonal ingredients of uncompromising quality.

That commitment is the backbone of everything at Amalfi. Gambero Rosso, Italy's most authoritative guide to Italian dining worldwide, awarded the restaurant 2 Forks — a recognition that speaks directly to the kitchen's fidelity to Italian tradition.

What Comes to the Table

The menu is rooted in the produce and flavors of Italy's western coast: fresh seafood, vivid citrus, the finest Italian olive oil, housemade pastas, and family-made cheeses. Antipasti range from imported buffalo mozzarella from Campania served with heirloom tomatoes, to a spicy bluefin tuna tartare with jalapeños and saffron aioli. Among the pastas — all made in-house — the squid ink spaghetti with baby calamari and the saffron tagliolini carbonara stand out, as does the Risotto del Mar Tirreno, a carnaroli rice simmered with lobster broth, scallops, clams, mussels, calamari, and shrimp.

From the wood-burning oven come whole Mediterranean fish — branzino or orata — encrusted in rock salt or roasted with olive oil, rosemary, and white wine, then filleted tableside. Dry-aged Certified Hereford steaks and a half free-range chicken roasted with garlic and thyme round out the mains. The Paccheri con Tonno is a direct nod to the Amalfi Coast itself: traditional paccheri pasta with braised yellowfin tuna, bay leaves, and colatura fish sauce.

The Setting

Amalfi describes itself as "a warm setting to celebrate and cherish everyday moments as well as significant milestones" — a straightforward promise the restaurant has kept long enough to earn serious Italian culinary recognition in the heart of Houston. A business casual dress code and a thoughtful wine list complete the picture. Private dining and catering are available for larger occasions.

Recognition