Houston’s Restaurant

Living in or near Manhattan spoils you in many ways and one of them is that we get Hillstone instead of their suburban brand, Houston’s. I’m not sure if it has to do with the name or the chef but the food here just isn’t as good as it is at their sister place.
The spinach dip was OK (if you don’t order spinach dip here, you suffer the same fate as a Game of Thrones character), as was the salmon appetizer. The ribs, which they are famous for, were very bland, dry, and over sauced. I’ve never been to Hillstone and had bad ribs. This was disappointing.
Finally, and I’m sure not much can be done about this, but Hillstone has sushi and sashimi as part of their menu and its incredible. Specifically the Osaka roll. This is absent from the menu here.
Go to Hillstone in Manhattan instead if you can.

I love everything about this place. The service, the décor & the food is amazing! It’s worth every penny!

Favorite Restaurant Ever. Short & Simple.
Loyal customer for the past 15 years. The most consistent establishment I’ve visited regarding its service, staff, atmosphere, and most importantly FOOD. This is the restaurant I bring my family, friends, and even my enemies. Its that good.
In the mood for Spinach Dip? 100%. Hawaiian Rib Eye for all you meatlovers? Praise the Lord. Thank you based God for their Thai Steak & Noodle Salad. Houstons all day, every day. Okay, this post is making me drool … Goodbye.

Another faux-​pas made a reservation for dinner I arrived there on time my partner was late. CAN YOU BELIEVE THEY EOUKD NOT SEAT ME UNTIL MY PARTNER ARRIVED. I’d seriously like to know who makes this rules. I dine out frequently
, never in my life have had to deal with this nonsense. Never again. If management truly reads these reviews they should do something about the manger in this restaurant. THE ARROGANCE IS LUDICROUS!

First off, I’ve been coming here for years and have never been disappointed with the attitudes/​professionalism of the staff. The ambiance is great, but a little loud at times because of the music playing on top of a full restaurant of people talking.
But on to the important stuff, the food.
I would eat the prime rib French dip au ju sandwich for every single meal for the rest of my life if I could. Everything is perfect from the bread, to the meat, to the sauce, which I could literally drink by itself. And you can’t forget about the incredible fries. I usually only go for sweet potato fries but these are an exception.
Parking can be difficult because it is located at a mall, but not a big deal. Also, go early because a place as amazing as this gets super crowded at peak hours.

It was fine.
I was somewhat disappointed. Don’t get me wrong the food was good, but I don’t think it’s worth the price. I came here to celebrate my birthday with friends, but I wasn’t blown away. I ordered the Thai Noodle salad and I honestly was expecting some lettuce with toppings thrown on my plate but I was pleasantly surprised. It was really fresh and well-​seasoned. It’s probably one of the best salads I’ve ever had but I’m not sure if it was worth the $ 24. Their burgers weren’t anything special. I personally think the food was overpriced and found it strange that they don’t make reservations for a party of more than 3 people. Their menu options for dinner was disheartening, but they have a large selection for alcohol. The wait time for the food and cake was also oddly long, but the customer service was great. Our waiter was really sweet and endearing.
More Upscale Atmosphere
Located in the Shops at Riverside Mall.
Large Parking Lot
2 Different Entrances: In front of the Building and One in the Mall

I love wining and dining. If you know me well, you’d know this to be 100% true. Houston’s is one of the very few places NJ has to offer that satisfies my palate and pretentious needs.
My favorite dish is the smoked salmon appetizer which I often order as an entrée. It’s cooked and smoked salmon slices served with some sort of mayonnaise based sauce on a toast. The last time I came I was given pieces of bread instead and I hope this was a one time thing because it just isn’t the same.
Unfortunately, I don’t eat meats so I can’t comment on their steaks, ribs or chicken but by the look of the guests that I’ve brought to Houston’s it seems as though it is great.
I’ve tried their Thai salad which was delicious and refreshing as well as the beef salad which is also great BUT I really dislike the cherry tomatoes in this particular salad.
Despite enjoying Houston’s a lot, I’d wish they had larger menu and more beer options but it’s what you get in the area. Along with their ridiculous closing hours; 10:30 on a Saturday night?! Sheesh.

Great meal with great friends. We ate family style where they keep bringing food until you are done. You select what you want for each coarse. The selections were great. Bread was good. Service was good by all. This is required for groups over 8 persons. It worked well.
Great job.

Went last nite arrived at about 6. to our amazement, no wait, had a table by the bar. So far so good. we bought our own bottle of Rose, it was 2 glasses of wine each filled
With ice, we had apps and 2 dinners. The cost for dinner was about $ 100. AFTER bill was
Paid we were asked to leave by the little short manager Zach Hatem, his reason, we had too much to drink, really 2 glasses of wine watered down in 3 hours, the real reason was because we were not drinking their booze, and also we are 60 and they just wanted younger people in the bar area. Tried to call their corporate headquarters but they were already closed. So you can bring YOUR wine, just be prepared to be embarrassed and asked to leave! In hindsight i should of called 911 and had the police come and make a scene,

Top notch service
Fresh ingredient and they make great food
But most of dishes are too salty on my taste… Wish the restaurant has little more lights (it’s very dark) and less sodium!

I’m down with Houston’s — The service is always friendly and the food is consistently cooked well.
My only gripe is the lack of large tables for big groups — I go often and I’ll certainly keep coming back.

My NJ Del Frisco’s Grille!
Always a classy experience at this NY suburb (bergen county) hot spot. The dim dark and edgy parlor décor hugs the bistro style kitchen as if the chefs are in stage. The food is always handsome and has that classic Fresh American Steakhouse taste and delivery. Although my favorite dish is no longer served (blackened chicken and brown rice) there revamped menu still carries some of the circa 1998 gems but upgraded. Shrimp cocktail portion is enough to share or as a meal adding a salad. Mystic CT style 4 biters. And the formerly blackened chicken is now brick roasted maybe. The red cabbage side that accompanied the surf was nicely sugared and vinegary. The shreds of cheese on the potato were nice and large as if they had someone shred it which would be cool. Also potato topped with a super fresh heap of green onion large chopped. So refreshing topped off with a fruit spiked lemonade. Also a pretty good place to spot local celebs if your into that.

Houston’s is a place very near and dear to our hearts as it was where the mad Russian and I first met. On every occasion we have gone, we always opt to eat at the bar more out of nostalgia than anything else. The bar area consists of seats at the bar proper and high top tables next to the bar. A sure bet if you are hungry and don’t want to wait the fifty minutes they promised us on Easter Sunday.
As for the bar help, I can’t say anything nicer than that they are awesome– attentive, friendly, and quick with a drink. I watched one bartender making a beautiful drink meticulously. I really do appreciate the crafting of a fine cocktail made with care and attentiveness. After all, I AM the patron saint of the martini.
On this trip we had a nice lunch right at the bar. An exquisite French dip for me with fries and MR had a salad with steak and Thai noodles. Both plates went back practically licked clean. Very solid experience indeed, and am only withholding the last star for when and if we ever actually sit in the restaurant to experience the other half of the dining experience.

They go out of their way to identifying themselves from a typical mall setting. Probably the best wait staff in the area (Irene is great family tables and Jessica’s great for couples and business lunches) and the food’s great. I love that they embrace a single-​side menu and they do it really well as opposed to some restaurants with a catalogue of menu items with food tasting mediocre.
It’s a bit pricey but from seating to the check is a great experience.

Service was impeccable as well as the food. Secret dish called the flying chicken platter. Order it ! You will not be disappointed. The staff is well informed, organized and always Checking in making sure you have all you need. Best restaurant service I’ve ever received period. Specially I came on a busy Saturday night.

I wanted to try houstons for a few years now. I tried the one in Hackensack and in my opinion it’s over rated. I’ve been to much better restaurants.
We booked a 2 days before Valentine’s Day for that Saturday and we were able to get a reservation for 10pm. The restaurant is very nice. So is the ambiance and dining experience. The waiter was nice, very polite and friendly. The waitress that seated us was asli friendly. She gave us menus and asked us what we like. She recommended some drinks and got us our drinks. The drinks were very strong and you can tell it was premium (real) alcohol. Now, As for the food, I ordered the ribs with mash potatoes. I give that 5 stars. It was really good. My boyfriend ordered the chili for an appetizer and he loved it and he ordered the crab cakes for an entrée and He and I give that 0 stars. It was awful. My boyfriend and I love crab cakes so we are very good critiques when coming to crab cakes and we have had better by far. It was not worth $ 50. That’s why I give this place 3 stars.

I came in on a Monday night with an 8 pm reservation. The restaurant was crowded as usual and there would have been a wait to sit if I didn’t have the reservation. We sat in a booth by the bar which is ok if you do not mind the close quarters and constant foot traffic nearby.
The smoked salmon appetizer was very good along with the ahi tuna salad. I had the Hawaiian rib eye steak which was slightly under cooked and had more fat on it than usual for this cut of meat. The service was prompt and you can’t help but get the impression that they do not want you to linger at your table and want to turn it over as soon as possible to accommodate the people waiting for seats. Since the prices here are very high I do not want to be rushed if I am spending that kind of money to dine out.

A few friends and I planned to meet at Cheesecake Factory a few weeks ago at around 9pm. When we arrived, the wait at Cheesecake was at least an hour and a half. (It was a Saturday night)
We walked over to Houstons and immediately were relieved to see a quieter and calmer atmosphere and were told the wait was 30 minutes.
We waited a bit longer than 30 but were seated with ample time prior to Kitchen closing at 11 pm. (Wish it was open later due to wknd)
The food was fresh, warm, served nicely and in adequate amounts and very tasty. The service was excellent. Again, the atmosphere was just relaxing, calm, and exactly what we needed because we could all enjoy our meal, drinks and each others’ company.
Delicious Pomegranate Martinis ($ 17 each) again… Superb!
Amazing Spinach Dip!
Veggie burger was huge!
Tuna Steak salad was very filling and perfectly cooked and seasoned.
Definitely a must try! Located in the Riverside Square Mall but can enter via the outside of mall as well as the inside.

5 stars for Amber. One of the best servers I’ve ever had. So sweet and attentive! I’ve ways had to ask for extra tortilla chips for my spinach dip and she was the first to ever immediately bring a plate over when we were getting low. Simple gestures that go a long way!
For the first time, I opted for another drink other than their awesome mojito and thoroughly enjoyed their rose option.

I hadn’t been to Houstons in yearsss so my return was highly anticipated and without fail, nothing fell short.
I don’t exactly know that the reservation policy is, but on a Tuesday night for 2 people, I could not make a res. Since my party knew we would be waiting, this wasn’t really an issue for us but this is definitely one of the shortfalls of coming here. That being said, everything else about the night was great.
We were able to snag 2 spots at the bar while we waited for our table (they told us we would be waiting an hour and we ended up waiting about 45 mins). The bartenders were very friendly and provided great service. Once we were seated, our waiter was really nice and attended to us well. We had the spinach dip appetizer, which is almost a given, and it was delicious. For my entrée, I ordered the Thai Steak and Noodle Salad. BOMB. It had huge chunks of mango and avocado, with a decent amount of steak. It might have been a little overdressed but that’s a minor detail because I inhaled the whole thing.
There is a reason the décor, quality of staff, and menu haven’t changed and its because they are doing things right.