Italian Restaurants in Waco: A Baylor Student's Complete Guide
Waco has a better Italian food scene than most students realize — and the options span every budget and occasion. Whether you're craving a quick pasta dinner before Thursday night class, need a BYOB group spot for your roommates, or want to impress your parents on Family Weekend, there's an italian restaurant waco students can count on. Here's the complete breakdown, organized by how far you're willing to drive from campus.
The Walkable Option: Fazoli's on S 6th Street
If you live at 19Eleven on S 8th Street, Fazoli's (919 S 6th St) is 0.2 miles away — practically next door. It's the most accessible Italian food near Baylor and open daily until 10:30pm.
Fazoli's is fast-casual Italian: pasta bowls, breadsticks, salads, calzones, and sub sandwiches. Nothing pretentious, but the price-to-portion ratio is hard to beat at $8–15 per person. Unlimited breadsticks come with every meal. They deliver through DoorDash if you'd rather stay in — useful for late-study nights when you don't want to cook but also don't want to leave your desk.
Hours: Daily 10:30am–10:30pm
Price: $8–15/person
Distance from 19Eleven: 0.2 miles (3-minute walk)
Close to Downtown: Pignetti's and Portofino's
If you want something closer to Baylor's central campus — not just the South 8th corridor — these two are under 1.5 miles.
Pignetti's (401 S 3rd St) sits about 0.5 miles from 19Eleven and is one of the more charming casual spots in Waco. They make their pasta in-house and do a lobster ravioli that's worth trying if you're celebrating anything. The pineapple martini has become something of a local signature. Hours are lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday, dinner only on Monday, and a Sunday lunch brunch service.
Hours: Tue–Thu 11am–2pm & 4–9pm | Fri–Sat 11am–10pm | Mon 4–9pm | Sun 11am–2pm
Phone: (254) 294-8947 | Price: $12–25/person
Portofino's (725 Austin Ave, downtown) is a straight shot from campus along Austin Avenue, about 1.2 miles from 19Eleven. They do shrimp scampi, fettuccine alfredo, fresh garlic bread, and a rotating seafood menu. It's a step up from Fazoli's in atmosphere without being formal — solid for a casual date night or a group dinner that doesn't require a reservation weeks out. Both DoorDash and UberEats deliver from Portofino's.
Hours: Tue–closed | Otherwise 11am–9pm (10pm Fri–Sat)
Phone: (254) 753-8900 | Price: $12–22/person
For something a bit different at a similar distance, Village Pizzeria Slice House & Gelato Bar (720 Franklin Ave, near Union Hall) is a family-owned business that's been making Italian-style pizza the same way for 85+ years. The gelato bar alone is worth a stop after dinner elsewhere in that part of downtown. About 1.5 miles from 19Eleven via the S 8th to Franklin corridor.
Hours: Tue–Fri 11am–9pm (10pm Fri) | Closed Mon
Price: $10–18/person
The Baylor Student Staple: Baris
Baris (904 N Valley Mills Dr) is the Italian restaurant waco students have been going to for over a decade. It shows. The dining room fills up on weeknights, the wait times spike on weekends, and they've won the Locals Love Us Best Pasta award every year since 2012. The TripAdvisor and Waco Tribune recognition stacks up the same way.
The signature dish is the Tortellini Pink — a house-made pasta in a tomato cream sauce with a kick. It's $12–18 and filling enough that you probably won't need an appetizer. What sets Baris apart, especially for groups, is the BYOB policy: you can bring your own wine or beer and they'll provide glasses. For a table of four splitting a bottle over a casual Tuesday Italian dinner, it's hard to beat.
Hours: Closed Mon | Tue–Thu 11am–10pm | Fri–Sat 11am–11pm | Sun 12–10pm
Phone: (254) 772-2900 | Price: $10–20/person | Distance from 19Eleven: ~3.8 miles (8–10 min drive)
One note: Baris gets busy. Don't show up at 7pm on a Friday without expecting a wait. Weekday lunch is the sweet spot if you want to skip it.
Best Italian Restaurants in Waco for Special Occasions
Once you're talking about Family Weekend, a graduation dinner, or a real date night, two restaurants in Waco make a strong case.
MOROSO Italian: Neapolitan Wood-Fired Pizza
MOROSO (4700 Bosque Blvd) is the one parents consistently rave about when they visit. The kitchen makes everything from scratch — dough from Italian flour, San Marzano tomatoes for the sauce, pasta pulled fresh each day. The wood-fired Neapolitan pizza is legitimately the best in Waco, which is a meaningful statement in a city with plenty of pizza options. The Bucatini & Meatballs and Fettuccine alla Moroso are both worth getting at least once.
This is a small, intimate restaurant. Reservations are strongly encouraged — not a formality, they actually fill up. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Hours: Tue–Thu 11am–2pm & 5–9pm | Fri 11am–2pm & 5–10pm | Sat 5–10pm
Phone: (254) 235-6000 | Price: $15–30/person | Distance from 19Eleven: ~4.1 miles (8–10 min drive)
If you're bringing your parents to Waco and want them to walk away saying the food was better than expected, MOROSO is the answer. Book a table ahead.
Di Campli's: Award-Winning Wine and Fine Dining
Di Campli's (6500 Woodway Dr, Suite 121) is where Waco's Italian food gets formal. They've earned Wine Spectator's "Best of Award of Excellence" two consecutive years — the kind of recognition most Texas restaurants don't see once. The menu leans traditional Italian with some Texas twists: homemade pasta, fresh seafood, a grilled New York strip with tomatillo and jalapeño salsa verde that shouldn't work on an Italian menu but somehow does.
This is the correct pick for a first anniversary, a graduation dinner, or an occasion where the ambiance matters as much as the food. Not a casual Tuesday spot.
Hours: Closed Sun | Mon–Thu 11am–2pm & 4–9pm | Fri–Sat 11am–10pm
Phone: (254) 300-5978 | Price: $18–35+/person | Distance from 19Eleven: ~4.2 miles (8–10 min drive)
Quick Reference: Italian Restaurants in Waco by Occasion
| Need | Restaurant | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Closest / budget | Fazoli's (S 6th) | 0.2 miles, $8–15, open late |
| BYOB group night | Baris | Bring your own, $10–20, student staple |
| Best wood-fired pizza | MOROSO | Neapolitan, scratch-made — reserve ahead |
| Date night | Di Campli's or MOROSO | Award-winning wine list, upscale atmosphere |
| Parents' visit | MOROSO or Di Campli's | Both will impress without explanation |
| Quick downtown lunch | Pignetti's or Portofino's | Under 1.5 miles, no reservation needed |
| Gelato after dinner | Village Pizzeria | 85-year family recipe, gelato bar |
Living Close to It All
19Eleven's location on S 8th Street puts you walking distance from Fazoli's and a short drive from downtown Pignetti's and Portofino's. When parents come for Family Weekend, MOROSO and Di Campli's are both 10 minutes away. The area around S 8th Street has filled in considerably in the last few years — from Terry Black's BBQ a few blocks north to the full walkable restaurant corridor at Restaurant Row near campus.
If you want to see the floor plans and check availability, browse our floor plans or schedule a tour. We're also walking distance from several of the places in this guide — our neighborhood page maps out what's close.
For more Waco food guides, check out the best restaurants near Baylor, our Waco pizza guide, and ideas for date nights in Waco.
