Pala

This place had some of the best pizza. I was in the airport and stopped to get a small one. Since I had to get on the plane that was all I wanted to carry. It was definitely worth the stop and worth every bite.

Feels weird to give an airport restaurant a rave review. The bar is not high for dining at IAH but Pala clears it and then some. Spectacular Neapolitan pizza, chill but attentive waitstaff, and great prices to match. Highly recommend.

The panini was phenomenal. I was shocked at the price but I understood once I bit into it. Worth every penny. The salad was okay.

Pala has good pizza which is a good value for an airport. However their soup or salad is something to be desired. My wife ordered the Tomato Basil soup which is presented in a beautiful bowl but is less than a cup of soup for $14.99. When we asked for a little more soup atleast filled to the lower edge of the bowl we were told they can’t do it because someone would get fired. We were asked if we would like to speak to the manager but alas the manager did not come to see us instead they sent another person acting as manager which we found out later wasn’t the manager. He told us that it is the chef’s decision how much soup to provide. All in all a very negative experience for us.

Me and my son ordered a pizza, it’s just a quick fix before the flight, the water asked me what I want, I said just a pizza and cup for water, he automatically put 18% tip on it, make me kind uncomfortable already, we are not large group, why charge 18% without ask my permission, BTW, I usually tip 20%, sorry for this guy, ten he left, totally forget my water, then I have to ask him, he bought me two cup water taste like soap water😓😓😓， was terrible. Pizza was good, but nothing special. Service was none, or if you order some real drinks will make the server happy, anyway not recommending this place

This was a great surprise. Our expectations for airport food are close to the bottom and this over-delivered on every level. Friendly attentive service, excellent food, comfortable environment with space for luggage and charging ports. The pizza was prepared and cooked right in front of us and it was delicious. The side salads were also generous and tasty as well.

Very friendly service from Doty (?) and what a good pizza. Atmosphere is an airport terminal, but it's fine. Loud music on one side and much quieter on the other side so you can choose your preference.

Good seating area to plug in and use laptop. US Open was on TV. Pizza was Neapolitan style and very good. They have Margherita, Sausage, Pepperoni, Pesto options, as well as Paninis, and cheesecake. I thought $22 for the Sausage Pizza and add-on of Caesar salad was well worth the price compared to other places I've eaten in IAH. Not sure why the restaurants here push you to order in person rather than through the QR Code, but I opted for the QR Code, which worked well.

This is a good restaurant to visit when you're hungry and between flights. The food is delicious it's nothing like airport food, this is the kind of meal you'd get at a nice restaurant or bistro. Although they had a selection of pizza, I went with the gourmet cheese melt with the house side salad, very fresh and good with arugula, red onions, Parmesan, tomatoes and balsamic dressing. The gourmet cheese melt came with Gruyère and harvarti cheese with crispy sourdough bread. This was a great choice. The restaurant has self order like many airport restaurants have and they also have servers. My server Naomi was very helpful and friendly. This restaurant is in an easy location and what better way to eat dinner than with a view of the planes right outside the window? After eating many meh airport meals, Pala was a really nice change. On my next visit if I'm back at Terminal C, I'll stop in.

Let's begin with modern technology. The airport lounge has almost become cashless. So be sure to have a card for ordering food and purchasing items. Food - 4 stars The bagel for the avocado, cheese, and ham sandwich was tasteful with a sweet taste. The avocado is fresh. Customer service - 4 stars The waitress was friendly and welcome. Great customer skills for the busy airport. Price - 3-4 dollar signs For two breakfast sandwiches and two drinks cost us about $45. Cleanliness- 4 stars Restroom - stars N/a

Stopped for a quick bite before flight. SO glad I stopped here! The pizza is outstanding! Very thin and light crust just like I like! Sauce is very tasty! I had a margherita pizza! Loaded with "stretchy" cheese! I fly a lot and I'm going to make it a point to arrive early just so I have time to stop here! I think Alex is the name of the young man who prepares the pizzas! Well done, Alex! BTW, overall service was the best!! (Location is at gate C5)

Who knew a whole pie and soda would cost me $30 at the airport! I would say the pizza was fresh and tasty but I cannot get over the cost.

While stuck in the Houston airport due to flight delays, it was time to eat! I didn't bother to check the Yelp reviews first, but the beautiful vibe of Pala and the promise of pizza drew me in. They serve Neapolitan pizza. They served it just the way uh huh uh huh I like it. What a beauty. The crust is light and crispy, perfect for folding and biting my slice. They go easy on the flavorful sauce. There's plenty of cheese. The pepperoni and added sausage covered the top of the pizza perfectly. Other things I liked about Pala included the QR menu. That way I could take my time ordering. They brought the food quickly to my table. I was able to pay online. They have a full bar. Service is quick. You can charge a phone or plug in your laptop while you eat. The staff are friendly.

Great meal choice in terminal c. It's not a cheap option but great pizza and ice cold beer. Hit the spot.

After a 3.5 hour flight from Panama and an upcoming seven hour layover, my wife and I were exhausted and feeling a bit peckish. A Yelp search for highly rated restaurants within the airport led us to Pala. When we walked up to Pala, we occupied two bar seats, and scanned the QR code to view the menu. Since the restaurant allows for you to select and purchase your food via the QR code, little interaction with the employees is required. However, a friendly employee (unfortunately I did not get his name) greeted us and offered to provide assistance if we had any questions. Since we both had big appetites, we ordered two pizzas (Italian and pepperoni) to share (they are equivalent to the size of a medium pizza). To wash down our pizzas, we both ordered a small brew. Immediately after I placed the order (they accept Apple Pay yay!), an employee brought over our brews. Roughly 10 minutes later an employee was placing our hot pies in front of us. Both pizzas were absolutely delicious, with the crust cooked to perfection (not under or overcooked) and a sufficient amount of sauce. It was so good that I toyed with the idea of purchasing a third pizza to enjoy on our plane ride to Sacramento (at that point I was just being greedy). This establishment truly lives up to its positive Yelp reviews, I HIGHLY recommend Pala!

Definitely impressed by the airport choice! While you can't escape the airport prices, Pala does a good job with taking the order quickly (QR code generated) and getting the pies out within 15 min. So if you're short on time and you don't want to get something that's frozen cooked in tons of oil, Pala is the place to go. We went with the Pesto (house made) and the Mushroom lie. The Dough is fresh, and you can tell the ingredients are minimal. Crust is soft in the inside, with a nice crunch on the outside.

Ok, this is an airport pizza place. Based on other reviews, I decided to try it out during a LONG layover. I was not disappointed. Agree with the other comments on QR code ordering, although, pulling up the menu on my ipad was way more user friendly! I got the mushroom pizza and added sausage (which was easy to do in the on line ordering). The pizza arrived quickly. The crust was thin, the sausage had a nice flavor with fennel. The mushrooms were plentiful. Overall a great experience in an airport. Cost was a bit high, but what can we expect in airports these days!

Service was very nice but slow on food prep. We were the only ones at the restaurant this morning around 8am. The food was a huge disappointment. It was two pieces of white bread, with a slap of mayo and egg and bacon. Not what the video showed to lure you into the restaurant. Two egg and bacon sandwiches and 2 cups of coffee all for $49.

The good: Tasty, well prepared pizza. Speed of service was quick. The price point was inline with what I expect at an airport, maybe even a little lower than expected. The bad: We were given no plates, utensils, or napkins (paper, plastic, or otherwise). The server set the pizza down and walked away, leaving no opportunity to request those items. Pizzas with fresh ingredients are usually a little greasy. This is problematic with no plates for drips or napkins to clean up. We were unable to get anyone's attention (we were sitting at the counter) to request these needs. Side note: I dislike QR codes to order but understand the need in the airport environment.

Decided to check this out after reading some of the raving reviews during my 2.5 hour layover. I must say their pizzas didn't disappoint, even if it was on the greasy side. It hit all the right spot, or I was just really hungry after traveling the whole day. The ordering system was intuitive, given we now all know how qr codes work. The order was almost brought to my neighbors, but it did eventually find me. I would've wanted to try a dessert if I wasn't already full from devouring the whole pizza by myself. $18.99 for the mushroom pie - doesn't seem horrendous to me given that it's post pandemic and airport pricing.

On my way to an international flight, I was starving before my outbound flight. It was worth the long walk from the concourse of my flight to this one. I quickly ordered at the bar using the QR code. Then I ordered a sparkling water and the Mushroom Pizza (mushroom,button,oyster). The pizza was oven roasted and elevated my view of an airport pizza. I should not have eaten the whole pizza before my flight but I'm glad I did and I don't regret it. The pizza was tasty and addictive. The pizza size is shareable for two. Treat yourself to a great addiction!

First of all, how is this only 3.5 stars?! This was a great pizza with great service AND IN AN AIRPORT!!!! How is that possible?! I was starving and had a limited time to grab a bite. I really wanted something more Texas (Tex mex?) but this came up the highest rated at 3.5 stars. I've learned my lesson- do not go anywhere less than 3.5. So, I decided to eat pizza! OMG perfectly delicious! Hot. Gooey cheese. Perfect crust. I want to buy one of those ovens they cooked it in! Lol. My drink and pizza were hand served although I had to order through the app. I highly recommend this place. Seriously. I am book marking it into perpetuity! Oh I did not like the flimsy box...

Quite possibly the worst airport pizza. ZERO service. Order from a qcode with no ability to make any special requests, like well done, etc. Ordered a Pellegrino, didnt get a glass. No silverware; even plastic. Avoid this place, unless you just want a drink.

Customer service is absolutely horrible. Waiter had a horrible attitude but to be specific it was a short Spanish lady who had the nastiest attitude. When we told her about her attitude instead or rectifying it it got worse. Reported to the self proclaimed manager and he laughed as i told him about the disrespect.

Absolutely love the food and staff here. Jarrod, Terry, and Kaylon all do their absolute best to work with customers here and are a joy to be around. Highly recommend the pizza, however I wasn't as much of a fan of the salad. Thank you guys again.

The service was beyond bad, it was outright horrid. The worst part is the server tipped himself! We declined a receipt , but he never came to have us sign for the credit card. Thqt made us start thinking that maybe something was up, so we asked someone else how to get a copy of the receipt. A few days later they emailed it and low and our terrible server tipped himself a generous percentage for doing nothing but punching a few buttons on the ipad. He didnt deluver the food, refill drinks and we had to beg to get him to put in the order. This entitlement has to stop!!!!! If you look at the trip advisor reviews, you see crappy service seems to be what they mainly serve!

Ok, so true confessions I really like this pizza! Super simple, nice char on the crust. Very flavorful dough. Quick service, although you order through your phone, a little annoying but efficient. I travel to the C concourse to get their pizza. Now next time you're flying through Houston go to gate c5 and get ya some!

Pretty solid spot. For airport food I felt like it was pretty solid and was about as good as you're gonna get here. The pesto pizza with sausage was what stood out to me. All the pizzas were really well baked and crust was great but the toppings on this were so savory and really made it stand out. Servers were very kind and whole ambiance was lively.

Someone else said an airport has no buisness making pizza this good- and I would completely agree. I would buy a plane ticket just to eat here again. The service is also fast and friendly. The vibes are... airport, so yeah.

Best pizza I ever had. Make pizzas at home and born and raised in NYC. This pizza was great, great crust, great flavor and overall composition. Service was Service. Beside that, everything was great. Ticket time and quality were above average.

Food and speed of service were excellent, especially as far as airport restaurants go. Ordered on their website (the only option), and food came out within 10 minutes. That's the trade off for quick vs. helpful service, I suppose. The mushroom pizza was really good! Like not just for airports, but in general it was way better than I'm expecting. I'm not sure why this place is only 3.5 stars, unless the other pizzas suck lol, but I quite liked the crust and that's the same on each pizza. I substituted ricotta for mozzarella because I hate ricotta, and even though I only had 16 characters to type my special request and abbreviated it all, they did it! Looks expensive, but it's because the pizza is pretty generous. I couldn't finish so I left one slice and most of the crusts. (The person across from me even looked over to see if I had finished, lol!) I think it's a good size for either 2 barely hungry people (which does happen a lot to me when I travel and snack or have layovers at atypical meal times) or 1 hungry person with a big appetite! My only complaint is the fact that you HAVE TO order online (get to the site by scanning the QR code on each tablet at each seat). I'm a relatively tech savvy person, but I kept running into payment issues on the website for no reason (did not help that I had terrible data in IAH, and the WiFi wasn't that much better for me). I literally had to ask people around me if they were able to order, and they said they had issues adding things to the cart, just had to refresh. Which I was scared to because the page literally said "payment error" followed by "processing payment, don't refresh." I refreshed multiple times, and the service finally improved so my ApplePay would load, and that's how I finally placed my order. Literally wasted 10 minutes of my short layover figuring it out.

Listen, Pala has my heart. Their set up at the Houston airport is immaculate. I sat at the bar, had my phone plugged up, read a book, had a glass of wine and mushroom pizza and enjoyed every minute of it. Their pizza is honestly really good especially for being in an airport. If I find myself stranded in Houston airport for a layover ever again, I'll be back to you pala!

Minus one star bc of the QR only system. And apparently Verizon and AT&T "don't work great here", I have TMobile and I couldn't even get it to work. Where is the service these days?? 5 stars for Jerod - sooooo nice. Let me use his iPad and very very helpful. What a guy!!! Pizza was great too - one small thing, how do you not have ranch in the south???

This is hands down some of the BEST pizza I've had so far in Houston. As a Mid-Atlantic east coast transplant from a city with tonsss of great Italian food,markets and eateries, I find that the pizza, and Italian food in general in Houston, is severely lacking. It's to the point where I wont eat pizza or pasta for months until I can get back East, because I know it'll be a letdown lol. Well, fancy coming up on this IAH Airport stop after scanning some Google reviews for the best food in Terminal C... and being wowed. This pizza was REALLY good. I ordered pepperoni w/added italian sausage. It's freshly made right in front of you upon ordering, with quality ingredients. I did not expect to like it so much, especially being airport food, but I was impressed. It's counter-serve and bar-type seating, and you can order directly from the tablet in front of you. The wait times weren't long, and I also enjoyed the margarita that I ordered from the bar as well. I'll definitely go back when in Terminal C.

Outside of an airport this is a 3 star review; but I feel that airport food that fills your belly and doesn't rice you food poisoning is about the best you can hope for and this place fit the bill. My pizza was served promptly and as-ordered; crust could have been cooked a bit longer and was a tad doughly, but on the whole it was edible and the portion for one person is very big (I think two pizzas for three hungry ppl is probably plenty). My wife's crust was cooked much better, with a nice crunch and char to it. Prices were on the higher side at around $80 for two people with tax and tip which included two large beers. All in all a solid B and not a bad place to go to kill a couple hours.

The food quality is found to be deficient for the price. The service is absolutely awful. The seating is not movable and uncomfortable. Overall I would avoid this place.

Bad service... I would eat anywhere else! People working there are rude and more worried about who is sitting where.

AWFUL customer service! The item I ordered (and paid for with Apple pay) was out. The waitress came over to let me know and told me to request a refund via the app. Sounds easy - but NO - they never give you a refund and NEVER get back to you. I contacted them numerous times - they simply ignore the requests and keep the money.

Why 4 stars? Because this was such a tasty and quick option on my layover. --- --- --- The day before my flight, I did a bit of research on the best dining options at IAH. I'm from Houston and visit at least one year, but often fly into Hobby and have only been to Intercontinental a handful of times over the years. Pala had by far the best ratings of any restaurant in the airport that I could tell, and couldn't have been more conveniently located for this occasion. I landed at Gate C9, Pala was at C5 and my departing gate was C2. I couldn't resist the temptation to order the smoked pork pizza, which combined two loves that I'd never experienced simultaneously before: pulled pork and pizza! While the pulled pork was average at best, the dough of this pizza was close to perfect. And the most amazing part was that my pizza must have been in front of me in no more than five minutes after I submitted the order on the iPad. And that's not because it was pre-made - you can see the folks making pies behind the bar. When my pizza was first brought out, my initial assumption was that they brought me someone else's order. So if you're in a time crunch, you can probably still order from Pala - even if it's just to-go. One minor hiccup: I submitted my email for my receipt to be sent to me and it never came through. I asked the guy behind the counter and he said it would come through eventually. Nope :( I'd definitely return during a future layover at IAH!

So I love the pesto pizza here and I always stop here to get one. Today it it was a little lack luster. The manager happened to come and ask me how it was and when I had expressed my disappointment he was so sweet. He offered me something and i immediately told him it was ok because him, the staff and the great priced beers made up for it. I assured him that I know what they can taste like and I'll be back they were just having and off day. You could see he felt bad for me and said if I had a moment he would send me a dessert to make up for my disappointment. I was shocked and taken aback by his kindness so I agreed. It came very quickly and it was tiramisu so beautiful and even more beautiful because he was so very caring about my actual experience. Thank you so much for you kind consideration and customer service. It literally made my day.

Best pizza at IAH. Better than most pizzas in Houston. Let's face it, Houston is not known for pizza. I recall first moving to this city from NY and asking my neighbor where they get pizza. His reply ... Papa Johns. My reaction/ choking sounds. We have a few places but it's not New York. I know Texans don't like hearing this but they do have great brisket and, of course, TexMex. Pala offers a European style pizza like I have enjoyed in on trips to Italy. The crust is is so good. Now at IAH, this chain offers a variety of pizza, salads and beverages. Like all the new restaurants in terminal C, you can order and pay from a tablet at your table and the food comes to you without a fuss Enjoy!

Solid eatery if you're hungry at IAH. I ordered the mushroom pie, a bit pricey at $15 but a larger size than I expected (could feed 2 if you're not super hungry or split a salad). The crust was thin on the inside with a generous edge, and the edge was soft and chewy, with a slight crisp to the perimeter - very pleasing! Like most big hotel eateries nowadays, you order on an iPad, and there's no free water, but staff were around and nice in providing us two complimentary glasses. Overall restaurant was clean, nice tile work decor, but pretty uncomfortable wood bar-style seats.

Pala is solid for an airport meal, but it's not anything special. I appreciate being able to order on an iPad, although since it was my first time, I required someone to explain it to me, which defeats some of the efficiency purposes. Back to the pizza, I thought it was good, but again, not the best meal, not one that sparks joy and changes the tenor of your day (in my case, a day full of too many flight cancellations). I got the saltimbocca pizza, which had a sauce bianco, chicken, prosciutto, and sage. I thought the pizza was a tad too salty, but overall decent, and an okay portion even though it was a $16 pizza. You could definitely make it into two meals so that makes it a little less value, but I do wish airports had Quality food options that didn't feel overpriced. I might eat here again if I was stuck at IAH, but I definitely wouldn't give this meal another thought otherwise.

Failure on pretty much every aspect. Offered at a table with my wife (two separate orders). While we were waiting for our food two separate people came up to our table (like they wanted to sit down across from us. I had to show them away like hello Covid and I don't know you ... Anyways those people find other seats after I had to direct them two them. My wife's food comes out late and then those two other people (that ordered well after I did) food comes out. Pretty sure they forgot my order. When my food came out it was burnt. Staff knew they forgot the food and didn't offer anything as an apology like comping my drink or salad.

This was surprisingly a very good pizza. The service was decent but could have been better. But as far as airport food this hit the spot. Ingredients tasted pretty fresh and the overall quality of the pizza was very good.

I get that everyone is trying to not need to employ people to save their bottom line, but the houston airport monopoly needs to change. In the 4 restaurants we stopped at, they all had the same set up. Seat yourself and order through a QR code (same ridiculous prices for bar drinks too, no competition). We could not get the menu to load and it took waving down someone through the glass partition to get a lovely server to come to us. She was great and ordered us 2 mimosas. Requires an 18% tip. 2 champagne glass style mimosas + tip = $45. Ridiculous. The pizzas looked good, but we were not hungry. We did walk around to 3 other restaurants for comparison and all the same....employees don't make eye contact and everything is so impersonal. It's sad, really.

If you want a good pizza this place is a great stop. But if you want a drink or a friendly bartender than look elsewhere. The pizza comes out pretty good and has great flavor. The bartender had no personality and wasn't up for any small talk. Asked a different bartender if the other was having a bad day and he said he was always like that. I guess I have watched too many Bar Rescue episodes. But saw them cleaning the top of bottles and they were BLACK. I said "Oh no look out that will attract fruit flies" he replied "Whatever".

It was ok for airport food. I ordered the meatballs they were good but the pizza was Meh.

Waited 35 minutes for a pizza and had to leave without it to make a flight. When I asked about it at 20 minutes I was told "you'll get it when it's ready". That was never.

Really good for a airport food. The wine was expensive $11 for a 5 oz. pour but it's the airport so nothing surprises me! I had the margarita pizza. The crust, sauce and cheese was incredible!! Very impressive for airport. The 2 bartenders were extremely nice. They have machines where you have to order your food so they don't take cash. Over all recommend this in the houston airport!

The one star is for the server, who could not have been nicer or more attentive. Sorry I can't remember his name, but he is white, fairly tall and wears glasses and I had seen him there at least twice in the last year. The negative four stars is for the so-called panini. Billed as prosciutto, salami and mozzarella it was actually ordinary ham, the worst-quality salami imaginable and some melted cheese. Worst of all, it wasn't even smashed in a panini press! A restaurant that features several types of panini on its menu should at least have a press. This was the most disappointing sandwich I ever ate. I guess I should have sent it back, but there's never time for that in an airport. I don't know about the rest of the menu, but I have to imagine it is of similar quality (not). Airport food is always a crap-shoot, but at least you can't say you haven't been warned about the "panini" at Pala.

Sitting here now writing this. The reviews are so mixed but I'm having a really nice time hanging out here. The technology works smoothly and there were no issues putting in my order or paying. Service has also been helpful and friendly. Just ordered some nice warm olives and some pizza bread. Food is tasty but the marinara sauce is cold. Also ordered a nice rosé of course. Would def come back. Tablets Self order Self pay

Pizza is absolutely amazing!!! I have had pizza sitting in a small restaurant in Rome Italy and thought nothing could be better than this !! Had a long lay over in Houston and decided on a pizza from Pala and it brought me right back to that moment in Rome 30 years ago. I may start scheduling travel through Houston just to have it again.

Great thin crust pizza! I ordered the sausage and it was delicious. The service was great and very attentive also the uniqueness of ordering off a tablet was cool. The pizza only took 5 minutes to cook so it is a great option for on the go or to sit and have a meal. I would come back as they have vegan options, salads and other items other than pizza.

What a disappointment.... Ordered a margarita and added extra fresh mozzarella for extra 3 dollars so total of 20 bucks for a little pizza They cook the pizza and then tell me they are out of fresh mozzarella to add after they cook it.... at margarita only has fresh mozzarella.... they decided to cook my pizza with regular mozzarella that should not be on pizza in the first place.... No refund no nothing.... Then I try and eat the pizza it was just horrible.... tossed it in the trash...

False Advertisement. If you're looking for Neapolitan pizza, you're not going to find it here. If you're looking for chewy dough, loads of tasteless cheese, just a pile of junk food on fancy plates, this is the place for you! Also, forget service. At the airport with the self ordering system, waiters don't even acknowledge you. I was either not lucky or they are merely food runners. If you want to purchase junk food, I suggest simply going to a fast food chain which at least is sincere when it comes to marketing and branding. Mi dispiace Napoli!

My sandwich/calzone was under cooked. Quite a bit of raw dough. The parts that were baked thoroughly were delicious, but then again I hadn't eaten in 7-8 hours and anything probably would have been delicious. Service was friendly and nice. I'd revisit but stick to pizzas next time.pp