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The Louie, Louie and Picante Pizza are among the menu items at Angie\u2019s Pizza, a new restaurant located in the Heights.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jacob Lujan\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
It’s been six years since Angelo\u00a0Emiliani held his first pizza popup in Houston<\/a>, growing a loyal following. Now, after much anticipation, he’s opening the brick-and-mortar restaurant of his dreams.\u00a0<\/p>\n Angie\u2019s Pizza<\/a> is finally open at 1002 W. 11th St., where it will serve a menu of Neapolitan pizzas and pastas. Longtime followers of Emiliani’s cooking will recognize some of the pizzas from the original popup, like the Black Gold with mozzarella, sheep’s milk Gouda and mushrooms, as well as a sausage ragu similar to the one served at Cafe Louie<\/a>, his first Houston restaurant.<\/p>\n RESTAURANT OPENING: Exclusive: Flor y Miel grows from Latin Caribbean food truck to Houston restaurant<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n A Houston native, Emiliani wants the restaurant to feel rooted in the city. That commitment extends beyond the menu through partnerships with local farmers and a vision for a restaurant made with Houstonians in mind.<\/p>\n Angelo Emiliani poses for a portrait inside Angie\u2019s Pizza, a new restaurant located in the Heights.<\/p>\n Jacob Lujan\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n “Angie\u2019s has always been about more than pizza for me \u2014 it\u2019s about place, people and process. 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,”\u00a0Emiliani said.<\/p>\n The restaurant reflects the influence of Emiliani’s friend and mentor Chris Bianco, the James Beard Award-winning chef behind Pizzeria\u00a0Bianco, which started in Phoenix. Before working with Bianco, Emiliani worked in Michelin-starred kitchens including Thomas Keller\u2019s French Laundry and Ad Hoc in Napa Valley, and was chef de cuisine at Tartine LA.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n In 2020, he launched his first pizza popup in Los Angeles before moving back home to Houston, continuing it in the East End<\/a>, where he made a splash. The popups came to a halt when the opportunity arose to open Cafe Louie<\/a>, which debuted in 2022 with sandwiches and pastries, until it closed only a year later.<\/p>\n Texas Wagyu Spiedini, Loaded Dice drink and Leek Tortelloni sit on a table inside Angie\u2019s Pizza, a new restaurant located in the Houston Heights.<\/p>\n Jacob Lujan\/Houston Chronicle Angelo Emiliani holds the Piccante Pizza topped with Bianco DiNapoli Tomato, Mozzarella, Calabrian Honey, Spanish Chorizo, Fennel and Garlic inside Angie\u2019s Pizza, a new restaurant located in the Houston Heights, Tuesday, July 21, 2026.<\/p>\n Jacob Lujan\/Houston Chronicle Texas Wagyu Spiedini topped with Aged Balsamic and Colatura is one of the starters at Angie\u2019s Pizza, a new restaurant located in the Houston Heights.<\/p>\n Jacob Lujan\/Houston Chronicle A Cucumber and Tomato Market Salad paired with Whipped\u00a0Tahini and Warm Paneer is a starter at Angie\u2019s Pizza.<\/p>\n Jacob Lujan\/Houston Chronicle The ice cream sundae sits on the bar inside Angie\u2019s Pizza, a new restaurant located in the Heights.<\/p>\n Jacob Lujan\/Houston Chronicle Varied dishes included the Louie, Louie and Picante Pizza inside Angie\u2019s Pizza, a new restaurant located in the Heights.<\/p>\n Jacob Lujan\/Houston Chronicle The Louie, Louie Pizza topped with Provolone, Mozzarella, Crushed Olives, Garlic Sausage and Miso Butter Onions finishes on the wood oven inside Angie\u2019s Pizza, a new restaurant located in the Heights.<\/p>\n Jacob Lujan\/Houston Chronicle Angelo Emiliani puts the Louie, Louie Pizza in the oven inside Angie\u2019s Pizza, a new restaurant located in the Heights.<\/p>\n Jacob Lujan\/Houston Chronicle Angelo Emiliani puts Calabrian Honey on at the Piccante Pizza inside Angie\u2019s Pizza, a new restaurant located in the Heights.<\/p>\n Jacob Lujan\/Houston Chronicle Cucumber & Tomato Market Salad, Winder Waker, Loaded Dice and Texas Wagyu Spiedini sit on a table inside Angie\u2019s Pizza, a new restaurant located in the Heights.<\/p>\n Jacob Lujan\/Houston Chronicle Leek Tortelloni\u00a0at Angie\u2019s Pizza, a new restaurant located in the Heights.<\/p>\n Jacob Lujan\/Houston Chronicle Wood burns brightly inside the wood oven at Angie\u2019s Pizza.<\/p>\n Jacob Lujan\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n In the new Heights space, he’s able to expand on the\u00a0popups with a massive wood-fired oven that customers see behind the large bar. Pizzas on the menu include the\u00a0Piccante with calabrian honey, Spanish chorizo, fennel and garlic; the Louie, Louie with provolone, mozzarella, crushed olives, garlic sausage and miso butter onions; and the Market with summer corn, salumi picante and garlic. There’s also a classic margherita.<\/p>\n He says while he may be known for his pizza, he’s most passionate about the pasta. Those include the leek\u00a0tortelloni, which involves cooking locally-grown leeks and combines them with marscpone in a French curry; and the\u00a0agnolotti del plin with braised Texas wagyu.<\/p>\n Starters and antipasti include polenta tots, fried olives, salads and vegetables like zucchini, carrots and potatoes.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The menu is driven by Texas-grown produce. Emiliani has cultivated relationships with local farmers so the kitchen can cook with the seasons, a philosophy he developed while working at West Coast restaurants with on-site gardens. Those restaurants helped shape the way he wanted to cook, he said.<\/p>\n Tables are decorated with silverware and glassware inside Angie\u2019s Pizza, a new restaurant located in the Heights.<\/p>\n Jacob Lujan\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n “The sort of holistic approach to a restaurant that we take here is, I want to know about what grows well in our region. I want to sort of dictate what goes on the plate based on seasonality,”\u00a0Emiliani said. “That was the biggest takeaway from working in California… that to me is the most impactful thing in cooking, is cooking with the seasons.”<\/p>\n Desserts include a seasonally changing tiramisu, a chocolate tart and a sundae\u00a0that’s texturally similar to a flan. His sister\u00a0Lucianna “Louie”\u00a0is helping on the\u00a0pastry side of the menu.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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