Angie’s Pizza launched as a pop-up in Los Angeles during the 2020 pandemic, with chef and founder Angelo Emiliani operating out of a custom-built pizza oven mounted to his truck. He then brought the concept to Houston, where he took a slight detour to open the now-closed Italian restaurant, Café Louie.
Emiliani eventually turned the Louie space into a permanent home for Angie’s Pizza, which opened July 28 in the dining-heavy Heights neighborhood.
“Angie’s has always been about more than pizza for me — it’s about place, people, and process,” Emiliani said. “Houston is home, and this space is the result of years of learning, building relationships, and wanting to create something that feels both personal and shared. Opening in the Heights feels like bringing everything full circle.”
The building’s exterior was given new life by Michael Hsu Office of Architectures. The two-story interiors were reimagined by Gin Design Group, the Houston firm behind restaurants like ChòpnBlọk, Mala Sichuan, and Street to Kitchen.
Gin Design Group gave the space lots of mid-century style.
Downstairs, the 3,000-square-foot restaurant features a bright color palette with curved glass, warm millwork, a mosaic tile pizza oven, and lots of mid-century style. Upstairs, sister concept Bar Angie is a smaller and moodier space with rich woods, bronze-tinted mirrors, and a marble bar top.
Emiliani has a long history with pizza, including a run under famous pizzaiolo Chris Bianco, where he served as culinary director for Pizzeria Bianco during his time in Los Angeles.
The Angie’s menu features pizzas like a margherita and a mushroom pie with aged cheese. The Piccante pizza has Spanish chorizo, mozzarella, and guindilla peppers, and the Louie Louie is made with mozzarella, aged provolone, garlic sausage, miso-butter onions, and Castelvetrano olives.
Emiliani has also expanded on the original pop-up menu to include a roster of other dishes, including starters, antipasti, and pastas. A few examples are polenta tots, leek tortelloni with vadouvan curry, and a market salad with vegetables, house-made paneer, and whipped tahini.
Upstairs, Bar Angie serves drinks inspired by Italian aperitivo cafés.
There are desserts, too, like the blueberry and cream tiramisu made with jasmine tea, lychee cream, and chiffon cake.
Emiliani highlights a lot of Texas produce across the menu and works directly with local farmers to select the varieties he wants to feature.
“I’ve spent years finding people who are producing great food, and I work closely with them to grow what I want — and what others might get excited about, too,” he said.
Bar Angie’s cocktail menu was created by Drew Bennett. He formerly worked at Anvil, the pioneering Houston bar that opened in 2009, and has developed an army of good bartenders ever since. At Bar Angie, Bennett drew inspiration from Italian aperitivo cafés and designed the drinks to complement the food. There are spritzes, seasonal Negronis, and a Biscoff Espresso Martini.
The wine list comes from veteran wine pro Renato Bringas and also leans Italian, featuring a mix of approachable selections and some lesser-known varietals.