When in need of a little comfort food, Italian cuisine rarely disappoints: A bowl of spaghetti and meatballs in a luscious, basil-scented red sauce, or a platter of carbonara with warm, herb-crusted focaccia is enough to provide pure satisfaction.

Thankfully, when it comes to Italian, Houston’s got range. With an influx of new Italian restaurant openings in the last few years, there are even more places to discover. Here are the best Italian restaurants in Houston — the tried and true, the hot and new — that should be on your radar.