Review: Hypsi at Hotel Daphne offers imaginative Italian fare with hits and misses
Hypsi | No star | Italian | 347 W. 20th | 346-613-1265
I have a soft spot for tableside entertainment, especially if it involves a cart. Stir or shake an Arctic-cold martini, and I'll be the first one to whip out my phone to record a video. Twirl some bucatini inside a wheel of Parmesan or pour some rum to flambé the Bananas Foster, as they still do at Brennan's, and I start cheerleading with ohhs and ahhs.
At Hypsi, the Italian restaurant at Hotel Daphne in the Houston Heights, I went straight for the "mozzarella cart," where a server drapes a springy, silky ball of cheese with sheets of speck ham like a duvet. For $24, not quite Beyoncé concert prices but not nothing either, I was hoping for a front-row seat.
A server prepares straciatella and caviar on the mozzarella cart at Hypsi in Houston on Monday, April 6, 2026. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle)
Instead, the wooden cart remained stationary in a cozy, living room-like corner lined with plants, ceramics and coffee-table books, surrounded by low-slung cushioned chairs. I'm told it occasionally moves but is difficult to maneuver across the nearly 50-seat dining room, especially during peak hours. Across my five visits to Hypsi, I never saw the cart roll across the herringbone floors to sidle up beside one of the handsome, midcentury Italian chairs.
In many ways, the mozzarella cart encapsulated the Hypsi experience. Anticipation builds as you pass through the chic hotel lobby with a vintage glass Murano chandelier and moody, moss-green walls that lead into a welcoming dining room. But promising ideas on paper - whether it's the cart or the Italian dishes overseen by executive chef Terrence Gallivan - often fall flat in execution.
Hypsi's house-made focaccia with added whipped ricotta or white ancovies, photographed in Houston on Monday, April 6, 2026. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle)
Even before the mozzarella cart letdown, a few service hiccups kicked off one dinner. The friendly servers, eager to discuss the menu and offer recommendations, poured a bottle of verdicchio versus the sparkling wine we had ordered, which dampened a celebratory toast. Since then, I've seen wine bottles being properly presented before they're poured, a step that was skipped during that first meal about two months after the restaurant opened.
The fun cocktail list, which offers riffs on classic drinks like Negronis and whiskey sours, proved more consistent. My favorite was the pepperoncini martini, garnished with a metal pick skewering a trio of hot chile, salumi and provolone. Think of it as a louder Italian cousin to the Gibson, the more demure martini with a pearl onion.
Hypsi's savory-leaning cocktails - including ingredients like pink peppercorns, calabrian peppers and rosemary - served as an ideal foil to the house-made focaccia, the most consistent and best dish throughout all my visits at Hypsi.
Gallivan perfected the recipe calling only for flour, water, oil and salt. He ferments the dough just enough so that its slightly tangy flavor emerges with each bite of the crackly exterior and fluffy air pockets in the center.
Toasted slices of Kraftsmen sourdough alongside shrimp nearly the size of small lobster tails were perfectly serviceable, but the dish improved markedly when paired with focaccia to soak up the pepperoni-infused butter.
We even ordered extra of the soft, dimpled bread for our pastas. A squid ink radiatori and cavatappi with duck bolognese hit familiar comfort notes but offered little in the way of surprise or technical finesse. An order of lumacha alla vodka arrived overcooked, awash in enough spicy tomato sauce and runny cheese to give it a soupy texture. Thankfully, we had the focaccia.
The red snapper entre served with salsa verde at Hyspi in Hotel Daphne in Houston on Monday, April 6, 2026. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle)
While the execution of starters and pasta dishes was uneven, I was hoping for a turnaround with the entrees. It never happened across three dinners.
A roasted half chicken looked idyllic: the golden amber skin of the poultry came with just-charred maitake mushrooms with a glossy marsala underneath it all. But I didn't make it past a few bites because it tasted like the kitchen had run out of salt.
When I peered at my dining companion's beef short rib, I admired the artful plating with Brussels sprouts and pickled currants. Sadly, the temperature was too cold for a dish that should offer warmth and comfort. A roasted snapper fared slightly better: while the skin lacked crispness, it was properly seasoned, and a bright, herbaceous salsa verde lifted the overall dish.
I left dinners feeling puzzled. Though I never had a chance to dine at The Pass & Provisions, a trailblazing restaurant Gallivan led alongside Seth Siegel-Gardner, I was a big fan of Elro.
Gallivan's restaurant, which closed in 2024, felt like a bright spot in Midtown with its menu of creative pizzas and raw-seafood crudos. Similar to Hypsi, it also felt intimate with its L-shaped counter surrounded by a handful of small tables.
Buffalo mozzarella prepared at the mozzarella cart at Hypsi in Houston on Monday, April 6, 2026. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle)
When I asked Gallivan about the challenges of overseeing a much larger operation, he didn't flinch. Hotel Daphne, which despite its reputation as a boutique property is actually owned by Hyatt, requires Hypsi to open for three meals every day, along with menus for in-room dining and private events. A 40-seat cocktail bar is forthcoming.
"Lots more voices in the room," is all Gallivan hinted at when I pushed him about running a hotel restaurant for the first time. The veteran chef said he's committed to making the hotel and Hypsi feel "embedded in the community." I believe in his earnestness.
Still, the missteps at dinner make Hypsi difficult to recommend, at least for now. Lunch and brunch, however, offered a few bright spots.
The airline cold sandwich is on the lunch mentu at Hypsi located in Hotel Daphne in Houston on Monday, April 6, 2026. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle)
The Airline sandwich is generously layered with mortadella, soppressata, provolone and giardiniera - enveloped in that dreamy focaccia that absorbs each savory and spicy component. It reminded me of the hoagie at Elro, which included many of the same ingredients.
Gallivan's focaccia also showed main character energy in the brunch menu with a play on biscuits and gravy. The toasted bread lends a lighter touch to a dish that's typically dense and rich, even with two eggs crowning the creamy sauce.
I hope dinner will eventually match the strengths of Hypsi's daytime service. I'll pass on the mozzarella cart, especially the stracciatella with caviar option for $55. You could put that money toward a room, which starts at $359 a night, for a staycation where you can go downstairs to enjoy brunch then check out.
More Information
No star
Hours: 7 a.m.-11 a.m. breakfast, 3-5 p.m. happy hour, and 5-10 p.m. dinner Monday-Sunday; 11 a.m.-3 p.m. lunch Monday-Friday; 11 a.m.-3 p.m. brunch Saturday-Sunday.
Prices: $6-$24 bread and starters; $28-$31 pasta; $34-$39 mains; $9 sides; $9-$20 dessert.
What to order: Focaccia, roasted prawns, braised ceci neri beans, Airline sandwich, sourdough waffle, Italian sausage gravy, pistachio pie.
Noise level: Quiet to moderate
Parking: Complimentary valet parking for up to two hours and street parking is available.
STAR RATINGS
Four stars: Superlative; can hold its own on a national stage.
Three stars: Excellent; one of the best restaurants in the city.
Two stars: Very good; one of the best restaurants of its kind.
One star: A good restaurant that we recommend.
No star: Restaurant cannot be recommended at this time.
