Da Gama

My friend and I sat on the patio facing the Heights Trail. I absolutely love the location for the Heights area because it’s so centrally located between shepherd and Yale that walking is possibly for those that live here. Houston needs more of this. The food was fantastic. When they ask if you want spicy, get it, trust me. It added a nice kick that didn’t melt my intestines and dissolve my tongue. Portuguese and Indian fusion goes together so well. Perfect flavor. I’m a cheese person so I had paneer and goat cheese (separate dishes) and they were tasty, the perfect temperature when served, and a good portion to share. And not like a 40lb plate where sharing is recommended. These were small plates but sharing allowed me to not waddle out of there. I recommend this place.

This is a wonderful place to satisfy your periodic cravings for Indian food. The flavors in all of the dishes are outstanding, the meats are tender and succulent, and there is a modest zing of heat (although regular Indian food consumers would probably say it's too mild) The naan is utterly delectable, light and crisp with a great taste and texture. The atmosphere is warm, welcoming, and trendy with plenty of table seating and a magnificent bar as a backdrop. I only rate the restaurant with four stars because it is a bit pricey for what you receive. Most of the cocktails are $15 plus, the tapas plates are $14 plus, the entrees are $18 plus, and you get charged extra for rice and naan. If they would reduce the serving size by about 25% for lunch and correspondingly drop the prices per item by $3 to $4 , I would probably make this place a regular weekly lunch spot. I think many other Indian cuisine lovers would join me in doing this.

Had a really delicious lunch today at Da Gama! Didn’t catch our waiter’s name but he was very pleasant and helpful with suggestions. 1st one was the crab pani puri - Amazing 2nd samosas - delicious. 3rd goat’s cheese with tomato sauce and grilled sourdough 4th octopus. 5th tiramisu . The only one dish that was slightly disappointing was the octopus. It was a bit chewy. The rest were all excellent!

I would give a 3.5, but not 4 so settled for 3. Whats good Ambience is very good, has a calming effect. Variety and base flavors of food Whats not good While the food flavors are good, they are very subtle. They can be notch higher and I am talking of spiciness or spicy hot. As I said the base flavors are good but they are too subtle Portions are small and prices are high. Our bill was 157 with tips for 3 and we didn’t feel like it was filling lunch.

Da Gama was the reason to finally go and check out the new development on Shepard known as MKT. We first ordered a burger to go - the flavors included cumin and onion and garlic, which blended perfectly and tasted a bit like well-seasoned kebab meat. The fries that went with it were also delicious - salty, crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. We enjoyed it so much we returned for social hour (Da Gama’s version of happy hour) where we tried a variety of small plates to share. This included cauliflower bahjia - fried cauliflower, mini chicken and beef kebabs and quiejo da Gama - a baked goat cheese served with toasted bread. All I can say is that we will be back! The food is extremely flavorful with spices that trigger memories of travels around the world. It is also served in a bright open space that is also inviting. Highly recommend!

Many of my friends have been recommending this restaurant to me and I’m so glad I went because this place is the definition of flavor town. My friend and I ordered: Crab Pani Puri Cassava Bombas Sardinhas Recheados (Monthly Special) Mum’s Chicken Curry The presentation of the Crab Pani Puri was beautifully done and I could honestly eat 20 of these if given the opportunity. Each ingredient that goes into this Pani Puri made my taste buds dance and this dish is definitely one that you should order. The Cassava Bombs had a fried/crispy exterior and also had that satisfying starchy texture once you bite into it. You also get a little pimento cheese pull action from when you cut into the croquette. Not to mention, the acidity of the tomato neem chutney balanced the cheese and fried cassava perfectly. As for the monthly special (Sardinhas Recheados), this was a great dish but I personally thought there was a little bit too much oil. However, the dish was still enjoyable and I’m happy to have had the opportunity to try a Portuguese dish. Last but not least, Mum’s Chicken Curry. This is such a comforting dish and the naan that came with was a little bit on the thinner side but the bottom was crispy and was perfect for dipping into the savory sauce. Overall, the interior was decorated beautifully, the service was fast and very friendly, and the food was spectacular- what more can you ask for? If you are in the Heights area or you’re craving some good Portugese-Indian food, this is the spot. Looking forward to taking all my friends here and trying out new dishes because there is so much to explore on the menu here!

Was born and raised in India with roots in Goa and a solid Portuguese heritage. After trying the food at this restaurant I would have to say I was not sure what to make of it. The food wasn’t authentically Indian or Portuguese. The food was beautifully presented but that was about it…guessing that was the reason for the high prices?? Most importantly, the service for such an expensive / upscale restaurant was severely lacking. While we were there, it felt like we were eating at a hole in the wall (when it came to service) but were being served fancy tapas style fusion cuisine in beautiful dishes. So the service matched with that of a canteen but the food / presentation definitely did not. Long story short, in my opinion, this restaurant is a hodgepodge and doesn’t really have anything authentic to offer. We ordered a Go Flight Hazy IPA…it was not served in a chilled glass but the beer was good. For appetizers we had the paneer tikka, watermelon chaat and peanut chicken tikka. The watermelon chaat was good but none of the tikkas were really top notch or authentic. The Piri Piri chicken was good, the tikka de salmao (Salmon tikka) was okay, and the best entreé by far was the Goan Fisherman’s curry. The saag paneer was unimpressive. Not sure why we were seated at a high table at this restaurant even though we had a reservation. The high table was super annoying because the napkin on my lap kept slipping off so I had to constantly tug at it so it stay on my lap. I honestly wish we were seated at a regular table like the rest of the folks in the restaurant. We had the ras malai cake for dessert and that was really good so ended the evening on a better note. Overall, this restaurant has a lot of glitter but is crowded and VERY loud which definitely takes away from the ambiance. The food / portion sizes / value / taste is definitely not worth the $200+ you will drop on a meal!!