Collina's is located on a busy corner in Rice Village. Parking is difficult, but if all else fails, you can park in the free garage a block away. Walking into the small restaurant, you are confronted by the loud colors adorning the walls and loud patrons sitting at the 20 or so tables (there are also a few tables outside).
On our visit, we walked in, and weren't sure if we were supposed to wait to be seated or seat ourselves. After standing near the door for a few minutes, we decided to seat ourselves. Our waitress apologized - their hostess had called in sick. She handed us menus, took our drink orders and was off. Obviously, most of the staff were young college students from the local Rice University, working on weekends to make some money.
The menu consisted of Italian dishes, but with an American flare - from a wide selection of hand-tossed (wheat crust) pizzas to Italian muffalattas. Three of us opted for the $5 muffalatta on focaccia bread and one for a chicken marsala pizza (you can pick and choose whatever you want on the pizzas - available in 3 different sizes). The menu also offered a tempting grilled vegetable lasagna, and portabello mushroom sandwiches.
Waiting for our food to arrive, we were entertained by a large birthday party in one corner of the restaurant. We were also able to watch the food come out of the kitchen. When our food finally arrived, our sandwiches paled in comparison to the stand-and-platter that the pizza arrived on. It sat six inches off of the table, and looked delicious. The toppings were piled on - with lots and lots of chicken. The muffalattas were decent - they seemed to be missing a key ingredient, but they were still good.
As with most restaurants in Rice Village, they do not have a "liquor" license - so it's beer and a wide selection of wines if you're up for drinking.
Overall, it's a fun, affordable family place, or a great place to grab a bite with friends.