Raia's Italian Cafe & Market, Houston

Spaghetti and meatballs is a classic Italian pairing, but at Polovina Italian Cafe, you can get meatballs on your pizza, as well. These fun twists on traditional dishes are sprinkled throughout the menu. Chefs toss wheat, spinach, or gluten-free pastas with sauces such as the New Orleans spicy sauce with shrimp and crawfish, or stuff them with blue crab meat and a spicy tomato cream sauce. Thin-crust pizzas come with original or gluten-free crusts, both for their build-your-own and specialty varieties. Their signature pizza is the Sicilian Wrangler, which, like a cowboy riding a gondola, blends Italy with the Southwest, and features Italian sausage, pepperoni, jalapenos, cheddar, mozzarella, and barbecue sauce. To pair with meals, they pour out wines by the glass, with vintages from California and Italy's cliffs.