Delizioso e buono: Weslaco’s newest restaurant, Felice, serves up great Italian food

WESLACO — Driving down Texas Boulevard through downtown in the evening, you’ll see a surprising bit of nightlife but one restaurant that seemed to draw the biggest crowd is Felice, a new pizzeria and Italian restaurant that serves up traditional Italiano recipes with their unique flavors to the menu.

After hearing great things about Felice from friends and on social media, I just had to try this new restaurant by the family responsible for Teddy’s Barbecue. I haven’t tried their barbecue joint but I’ve also heard great things about it, just waiting for an excuse to go out to Weslaco ISD during lunchtime.

I usually do my South Texas Flavor taste test during lunch hours, but I’m switching it up and taking my girlfriend for dinner here instead.

The spicy pepperoni comes with Calabrian honey and red pepper flakes. (Omar Zapata | The Monitor)

Pulling up to a packed parking lot is always a good first sign about the food, or you’re just trying to be optimistic about having to find a space. Luckily, I think I found a spot? I saw people just parking in any available space there was, so I did the same with my little car.

It was a bit past their rush for dinner, the restaurant was still packed but we only waited about five minutes to be seated.

Walking in to some Clairo playing in the background, I commend whoever was in charge of the aux Saturday night and also all the staff in how welcoming and friendly they were.

Having the kitchen open and next to the seating area is great. It truly makes you appreciate the food by seeing the process behind all the dishes.

I’ve been wearing a different Philadelphia Eagles jersey each time I stepped out this past week, still riding that Super Bowl high, and my experience was made better with a couple of staff members mentioning the beat down that happened last weekend.

The menu is simple — but yet a bit complex if you aren’t familiar with all the ingredients in Italian food, which I am not at all. But it all sounded delicious.

Felice’s pesto gnocchi comes with pecorino and pangrattato. (Omar Zapata | The Monitor)

I easily could have gone a safe route and ordered a normal pepperoni pizza and chicken alfredo, but since it is a new restaurant, I wanted to try something unique that they offered.

The menu has antipasto, a traditional first course of an Italian meal. Think of it like an appetizer. I wanted the crispy provolone but they had run out, so I order a ricotta dip.

The dip was a nice and a different start to the meal we were about to have. It was very sweet and tart.

The menu also had different options for salads, pastas and the pizzas. Most pizzas range from $14 to 16 with pastas ranging from $12 to 22.

I decided to try the spicy pepperoni that comes with Calabrian honey and red pepper flakes and the pesto gnocchi which comes with pecorino and pangrattato.

Felice’s pesto gnocchi comes with pecorino and pangrattato. (Omar Zapata | The Monitor)

The spicy pepperoni was mouthwatering immediately as it was placed on the table, and the first bite was amazing. I could taste all the ingredients, but the honey stood out and really made it flavorful. The pizza wasn’t as spicy as it looked. It did have a little kick to it, but nothing to warn someone about, which is great for me since I only like spice in my salsa and Indian food.

Overall, the pizza was top-notch but what really stood to me was the crust. From the dough of the pizza base to the crust, you could taste it, which is a small but important detail in a good pizza.

A spicy pepperoni isn’t that wild to get, but the pesto gnocchi was. I don’t think I’ve ever had pesto gnocchi, so I was a bit surprised at these little Italian dumplings that came out.

There were about eight of these little things and they were very well seasoned. They were delicious and had a strong but flavorful taste to them. After eating the first one, I could have finished the whole plate but I had to save room for dessert.

If we weren’t already having a great time with the food and friendly environment, the abuelita tiramisu really hit it out of the ballpark, just like the Weslaco High School state champ softball team.

The abuelita tiramisu has house made marias cookies, cafe de olla, amaretto and shaved chocolate. (Omar Zapata | The Monitor)

I’ve had a good amount of tiramisu, but this one is easily my new favorite. The abuelita tiramisu has house-made marias cookies, cafe de olla, amaretto and shaved chocolate. The tiramisu is rich in flavor and was the best way to end dinner.

The big portion is $10 and could easily be shared with two or three people. I highly recommend ordering this to end your lunch or dinner. I was also interested in the grapefruit sorbet but that will have to wait until next time.

Felice is located at 601 S. Texas Blvd. in Weslaco and is open from 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

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