An icon of Italian dining in the Memorial District for over a decade, Ciro’s Italian Grill celebrated the grand opening of its expanded restaurant last month.
Situated behind the old location at Bunker Hill and the Katy Freeway, the new two-story facility has features that regulars and new customers are sure to enjoy including a state-of-the-art pizza oven, wine bar, gelateria and extended patio seating. The patio hosts live music every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
The first thing customers will notice is the space. The new restaurant is larger than the original with two-floors, private rooms, and a wrap-around patio. The warmth of dark wood and rich colors is brightened with an abundance of natural light.
Yet the restaurant still feels intimate. Rows of booths separate the main dining area from the bar. Rooms are partitioned by glass walls and can be furthered divided by rich brocade curtains to accommodate smaller parties. The patio is comfortable and inviting with varied seating options grouped in areas around TVs, old wine barrels and bocce ball. The patio backs up to Memorial City’s new green space, The Lawn.
When Ciro noticed the rooms could use more soundproofing, he improvised two by two panels constructed of wine corks to line the ceilings. What started as small project turned into the creation of 400 panels made of 250,000 corks with unique, as well as practical, effect.
For all the new features and design elements, Ciro’s still maintains the homey touches it’s known for. Ciro’s teenage daughter, Chloe, designed the bright string art pieces hanging in the small party room. A tapestry that has featured in Ciro’s restaurants since 1991 now hangs from the ceiling in the dining room. Still present are panels from the iconic wooded boxes relocated from the old building.
The new look is striking, the space is inviting and the high quality of the food and the staff remains unchanged. Try a pizza or the best-selling calamari; sample wine or a sumptuous dessert; or indulged in one of Ciro’s menu favorites, the stuffed artichoke. The gelateria offers 11 frozen flavors a day from Salted Caramel to Spumoni. Have a creamy frozen treat as a finishing touch on a meal or pop in anytime and get a container to go. All gelato and sorbet are made in house.