Brennan’s of Houston

One of the Best place in H-​town to eat! Especially if you can’t make it to New Orleans! Very good food and service! Highly Highly Recommend!

This was good, but not great. I was not blown away by any means. The food was above average, but a bit over priced. The atmosphere was quiet and elegant. I would go back to eat here, but it would not be my first choice for fine dining within the Houston area.

The only good thing is we all enjoyed was the atmosphere and the food was ok but the deserts were not. The service on the other hand was awful. It took forever to even get started and the waiter kept walking off and we were still ordering. We did a plate shuffle when they brought our meal because they gave us the wrong things. Then we had to go complain to the manager about how rushed our server was. This is an expensive place to have to put up with bad service. I love this restaurant and it is a shame that we had this experience.

We decided to have NYE lunch here today with our friends. We had some Bourbon milk punch… stuff is good but it will get ya. Almost attempted to get the 25 cent martinis but our waiter, Jeff, was kinda like you get what you pay for. The garlic bread they give you tastes pretty darn good. We ordered the grilled oysters… a bit pricey…3 oysters for $ 12…if the oyster was small, there would be like 2 – 3 of them on one shell which I thought was cool. They were delicious as well. I ordered the gulf fish pontchartrain. Everything was pretty good… I didn’t even think I would enjoy the mushroom rice but it reminded me of some sort of Vietnamese comfort food. I tried my husband’s turtle soup… I think there was too much Sherry in it… it tasted like a tart chili to me. Good but a little too tart, and I enjoy me some tart! Banana fosters… cool presentation, but I didn’t care for it that much. It was a bit overly sweet. Restaurant is pretty charming. We sat in one of the secluded rooms which we didn’t mind, but it made us think if we were segregated for a reason… We prepared to come with a full wallet… lunch and drinks for the 4 of us ended up being over $ 200. Lunch menu was pretty limited. Everyone enjoyed their meals. Jeff was very nice and personable.

This place is beautiful. The food was good. I had the poblano chicken soup. Filet mignon steak and mash potatoes and southern pecan pie. Drank whisky sour.
They mixed up my order with a friends (well vs medium well)
For happy hour they serve 25 cent martinis three per person is the max for a good reason.
Won’t be going back because my husband felt the steaks are better at Texas Road House in pearland but glad I tried it out for lunch

25 cent Martinis, complementary pralines at entrance, beautiful seating.
I highly recommend the food here.
Turtle Soup with Sherry — my first time trying it and it tasted great. It’s thick and hearty (goulash in consistency) with small pieces of turtle in the soup. The sherry adds a kick that definitely adds another level to the soup.
Shrimp and grits — Best grits I have ever tried! The grits come seasoned with goat cheese and topped with arugula that added that a tangy/​bitter flavor that complemented the grits excellently.
Everyone in my party enjoyed their food and I recommend coming during their lunch for a their lunch special that is about $ 25 and $ 0.25 martinis! I recommend the melon martini for those who aren’t too keen on the original version.
The only downside was the service. Our server (Fred Sr.) forgot one of our martini orders and we waited 15 minutes before my dad asked another server (Salvador) to bring one out (which took him less than three minutes). It also took a long time to even place our orders. It might have been because the restaurant was busy, but we expected better from an establishment of high reputation.
Will definitely come back. As a small tip Valet is $ 5 dollars and I believe it was the only option to park for us. I might be wrong, but we aren’t exactly sure.

I came here on date night with my BF. My first impression of this place was great. The décor and atmosphere are awesome. We had reservations and were seated immediately. We wanted to order a bottle of wine and their list is HUGE so one of their wine specialist came out and suggested a couple; we weren’t disappointed. We had the grilled oysters appetizer and it was good. Then I ordered their Gulf Fish pontchatrain, I would give it a 4 star and my bf had the fillet mignon and that was AMAZING. It had a great smokey taste and it was so tender it deserves more than 5 stars.
The other thing I loved about this place is our waiter, Jeff. He was the best, super friendly, and very attentive and has the best personality. This just made out list of frequent date night place. I would definitely recommend going to this restaurant.

I absolutely enjoyed taking my parents here to celebrate their 38^th wedding anniversary! My parents love the charm and elegance of Brennan’s as well as the food!
We ended up sitting in those big comfortable chairs for dinner. Service was excellent, drinks were perfect, and the food was tasty!
We had the crab and corn bisque and the turtle soup for appetizers and the lamb chops, filet mignon, and pan seared redfish pontchartrain for main course. Everything was cooked superbly and seasoned to perfection! I can’t really pick a favorite of these three because they were all amazing! We finished our meal with apple cobbler and pecan pie. So good!
Our table was always cleared in a timely fashion and our glasses were always appropriately full. The wait staff are courteous, professional, and very personal.
I am looking forward to another visit in the near future!!!

I came here today for lunch with my family since my brother lives in Houston and this place was nearby his house. My husband found this place doing a general search of all the places nearby and this place has very good brunch. Unfortunately for us we forgot today was a Friday so we just ate their general lunch menu but o man was it good!
Now when I think of creole and Cajun I automatically think of salty food. This place surprised me. It was white tablecloth establishment with a dress code of no shorts and no flip flop. My brother wore shorts on accident but they allowed us in since I think we were one of the first people which was very generous of them.
We started out with bread and it was a garlic like bread and butter. My mother got the daily soup of butternut squash and I believe that was the best soup that I’ve had EVeR! It went well with the French bread that was given. My husband and I shared the apple salad and they separated into two bowls for us. we also shared the gulf fish for the entrée and it was to die for. It seemed like risotto on the bottom with fried oyster, fish, crab, and shrimp. We got the blue crab Mac and cheese and it was a white cheddar sort but it wasn’t too cheesy and too salty. My bother got the po boy and if you don’t like pickled then I wouldn’t get them. Mom got the étouffée and it wasn’t anything special in our opinion.
If we lived nearby we would come again but we live 7 hours away. O well

I came here on a Thursday night around 8:30p and there was no trouble getting a table. The dim lighting and décor created a great atmosphere for a date. I didn’t valet because there was street parking available in the area. You might have to walk a little, but it’s a nice area so I didn’t mind.
I love how polite everybody is here! I have never been to a restaurant with such great service. Not only were the servers attentive and friendly, but when my sister ordered something that the kitchen ran out of, the chef came to our table to apologize and said she could order ANYTHING and they would make it. Now keep in mind, we came for HRW so there was supposed to be a set menu, and here he was saying she didn’t even have to order off of the regular menu! Any other restaurant would’ve just gotten a server to apologize and asked her to choose something else, but the professionalism and politeness of the staff here left me in awe. (Request being seated in Aaron’s section, he’s one of the best and friendliest servers I’ve ever met, and do not forget to tip generously, he deserves it!)
Snapping Turtle Soup: I’ve heard so much about the turtle soup at Brennan’s, so I expected it to be amazing. I don’t know if I just don’t appreciate turtle meat or if I got a bad batch, but I felt like the turtle had a weird texture and was very tough. The actual soup, however, was good.
Filet Mignon Tchoupitoulas: This whole dish was just delicious and cooked perfectly. It may not look like a lot to most people, but I found this dish very filling on its own.
Creole Bread Pudding: I loved the presentation and found it difficult to mess it up. But I just had to try it, being an avid bread pudding fan. This wasn’t the best bread pudding I’ve had, but it was still very good. I would have preferred it without pecans though.
Bananas Foster: This delicious, sweet dessert is famously prepared tableside by your server, as you can see by the countless photos on Unilocal (to which I will add :), and produces a large flame that can be considered a show to enjoy. Be careful though, because if you’re close enough, you’ll feel the heat when it flames up. If you order this, I hope you appreciate just how much the servers here have to do and tip accordingly, because not only are you getting great service and food, but a little bit of entertainment. And hey, it wouldn’t be a meal at Brennan’s without a tableside bananas foster show.

I had been wanting to go here for so long and my boyfriend finally took me for our anniversary. I really like the cute environment and if definitely has a Cajun feel to the place. The food is good, but the only thing I wasn’t too impressed with was the valet.
You have to valet your car (from my understanding) and when it was time to leave, we waited almost ten minutes to get our vehicle back; might I add that one of the valet workers was on his phone ignoring the fact that we were waiting. While we were waiting a member of the valet crew asked us to move to the side of the restaurant, which we found odd. Later after speaking about it we came to the conclusion that maybe they didn’t want the owner/​manager to see us waiting for so long. It was just an odd situation altogether. Additionally, the valet workers were quite rude as well.
Overall, the food quality and service was good. We will be back, but it definitely won’t be a regular date night spot like I was hoping it would be.

Brennan’s is my go to for special occasions. The service is always top notched from the Valet to the hostess stand to servers and bussers.
The restaurant is sophisticated and classy with a charming feel. It very much reminds me of New Orleans especially the courtyard.
My favorite time to go is on Sundays. Their Sunday Brunch is phenomenal! Great food, great atmosphere, service, and the musicians tops it off. I always go for the salad, Shrimp and Grits, and banana fosters. Beware it is all very filling and a nap maybe necessary afterwards.
Definitely a Houston treasure!

Wonderful restaurant and exceptional service. I came here for Houston Restaurant Week, and this year the menu choices were the best ones in the all the years they have participated.
Some delicious and great dishes to try: famous Turtle soup (not sure if there’s really turtles in the soup, but it’s a good combination of stew and gumbo roux); blueberry glazed quail, bananas foster, bread pudding and stuffed crab snapper (this is seasonal or a chef’s special).
It’s pricey to come here, but well worth it for you want great service and are looking to impress clients or a date!
BTW, you should valet here, they do tow cars in midtown area, at various hours.

This is definitely in my top three favorite places in Houston. Food and drinks are awesome but they have other events as well.
I went for the Spirit Round Table (SRT) the other evening and these are always great. At each SRT partinciants gets to sample a few drinks and learn about whatever that months subject is. This month was Texas made products: whiskeys, aged gin, and vodka. Of what we were trying that evening I had had only one previously. They were all good, but some made the list for the next Spec’s run. The events are hosted by the Bar Manager Richard and he gives a great presentation.
They also pair the drinks with their awesome appetizers. The groups are small so you really get to interact and learn.
What is better than drinking and learning.

Disclaimer: I’ve been here in the past and found the food downright delicious, but when I went here on Friday, it just didn’t cut it.
The service was delightful as always, and we managed to get a reservation at 1:45 pm on Friday by calling and hour before. However, I would still suggest making plans ahead of time, as we were seated at a table in the outer corner of the main dining area, and the lighting was unpleasantly dim.
As for the food, I ordered the turtle soup and stuffed quail. My mom also got the soup but ordered grilled red snapper for her entrée. Their signature turtle soup was tasty as always, but my quail was kind of disappointing. The bird itself was tiny and not tender enough, and the whole dish was overly sweet. The best part was the cornbread stuffing. My mom’s fish was also not soft enough, and the veggies it was paired with were rather soggy. Since it was my birthday, they provided a special bananas foster for dessert — by special I just mean they stuck a candle in the ice cream and gave me a birthday hat. Be warned — this isn’t complimentary. We still had to pay $ 9 at the end for it. I say with regret that the bananas foster was the worst part of the meal, since it was the one dish I had been looking forward to the most. The table side presentation was cool as always, but when I actually tried the dessert, I realized that the server had put way too much rum in it. The alcohol definitely overpowered the rest of the ingredients, and I don’t particularly like the taste of alcohol.
I’m not sure if the chefs just weren’t on top of things that day or if the overall quality of Brennan’s food has just depreciated. I really hope it’s the former. I’ve had great experiences with this place in the past. In fact, we went here for our prom dinner. However, the last meal I had here was a real letdown.

If ever I wanted a fine dining experience, I have received it. And it was only BRUNCH! The New Orleans style band had people dancing in their chairs, the décor is like a country club with comfy wing back chairs, and the level of service is the best I’ve had in quite some time.
First course: Turtle soup– It was like a mix between a light stew and a gumbo. I thought I was going to save room for my other courses but I ended up cleaning the bowl. The texture of the turtle meat was firm, yet still appealing.
Second course: Blueberry Glazed Quail– Cooked to perfection, the cabbage braised in blueberry sauce rounded out a perfectly savory dish, and the yolk from the quail egg added so much flavor.
Third course: Bananas Foster– Table side service complete with Flambé, made this delicious treat taste even better! Now I need to go back to Eddie V’s so I can compare
All in all, it was a great brunch. If you end up going, have a Snow Leopard with your meal. It’s a mixed drink with Grand Mariner and OJ. I got my whole table HOOKED!
I almost forgot to mention. Please dress as a lady or gentleman when entering the establishment. It helps with the experience. (People who look nice, feel nice;jacket please)

Day 3 of Houston Restaurant week. Wanted to try even more things that I couldn’t get anywhere else. Brennen’s fit that bill.
Just like their website says, parking is extremely limited, so you’ll most like have to make due with the $ 5 valet. Ambiance is super classy, so I’d dress at least some dress pants and a dress shirt as a minimum.
Stared off with some garlic bread (great texture, with some nice sprinkling of cheese, but with a lot of
butter), picked the Turtle Soup au Sherry (a slightly spicy hearty soup with a nice splash of Sherry, turtle tastes like fish) as the starter, the Blueberry Glazed Hill Country Quail (not much meat, had a cornbread stuffing) as my entrée, and the Bayou City Beignets (not as good as café du Monde, missing the softness on the inside, should have gone with the Banana Fosters after seeing others get it) as my dessert.
I was being served by three different servers which is different, but somewhat a little less personable (2 of the guys I could vaguely understand) but all very attentive. The food is now my standard for Cajun/​Creole restaurant, with some delightful flavours and excellent variety. Definitely worth coming back to try other items.

We tried their HRW brunch and had a wonderful time. Our server was good and it was lovely to have the traveling band sing. The performance makes the Sunday brunch more special. Tip them well!
HRW items:
1. Brennan salad is good
2. Shrimp Remoulade has a nice mustard kick
3. Old Fashioned Hill Country Quail is on the sweet side but flavor is fine
4. Texas Pecan Crusted Catfish is also on the sweet side
5. Bananas Foster prepared table side
6. Creole Bread Pudding
Other items:
1. Jimmy shrimps appetizer
2. Shrimp & Grits
3. Beignets are good… especially with the sauce
4. Bloody Mary has a good flavor
We had a wonderful time based on the service and entertainment. Foods are decent.

Ambiance: Warm and classic elegance, established by the large windows, high ceilings, and brick ascended walls.
Upon checking in I felt immediately welcomed by the lovely woman at the reception desk. She was very gracious; although, we did have to check in twice due to arriving before our 1 pm reservation (we were about 15 minutes early, with a party of five). In addition the foyer was a bit cramped and did not lend itself to waiting comfortably. But I guess the extremely large platter of Pralines gets them a pass.
Food: Absolutely delicious. Of course. I had three courses (I heart HRW), well four if you count the slightly savory/​spicy biscuit and the slightly sweet muffin. Eat them. Don’t let your diet restricts or bread guilt convince you not to!
Anyways, 1^st course: The turtle soup was completely different from what I expected. It was more hearty and almost gumbo like in its flavor. Again incredibly good.
2^nd course: the blueberry glazed quail. This maybe a tiny bird, but it was bursting with flavor from the glaze to the corn bread stuffing. I asked for the sauce on the side and never even used a drop because the bird was so moist and tasty!
3^rd course: the bananas foster. Heavenly. It was quite an experience to watch being made and quite an experience to devour it.
All in all Brennan’s of Houston is a winner.
Now if only they had a sign saying the valet cost $ 5… Luckily I had a $ 10.

My fiancé and I made a reservation to Brennan’s since we were in town and wanted some Creole/​Cajun food. We had a really wonderful experience dining out here and I am already looking forward to going back once I’m in Houston again.
The only thing about our dinner that I didn’t love was our waiter. He was a bit too attentive. He rushed us to order food before we could finish deciding on what bottle of wine we wanted to order. He also made it a point to stand right by our table the entire night staring at us to see if we needed anything. As much as I appreciate a helpful waiter, I would have preferred a little less hands on so that I could enjoy my night instead of constantly being interrupted to see if we needed anything.
Besides the overly helpful waiter, the night started off brilliantly with our bottle of Pinot Noir and the complimentary garlic bread. The warm, buttery garlic bread was so amazing that we asked for more.
There were so many appetizers on the menu that I wanted to try that we had to pick two of them, which were the Shrimp and Andouille Sausage Gumbo and the Crawfish Enchilada, both coming out at separate times. The gumbo was great. There were a lot of shrimp in the cup, so I couldn’t complain one bit. The enchilada was very different from what I expected, in a great way. It was a taste of both Mexican and Cajun all in one plate and all of those flavors combined so well together.
I ordered the Red Snapper Pontchartrain, which was topped with shrimp and fried oysters. The fried oysters were the highlight of the night. I am not a fan of oysters, but these were out of this world good. I can’t explain how outstanding this entire dish was.
I also got some of the Hunter’s Mix Bag, and this eclectic dish wowed us with a little bit of sweet and savory all together. I recommend this for any big meat lovers.
For a side, we opted for the Crawfish Fried Rice. I imagined this to be an Asian flavored dish with crawfish in it, but it wasn’t! It was a Cajun tasting dish only being inspired by Asian flare. It was great and I can’t wait to try and replicate it at home, even though I know I won’t stand a chance.
Our dinner was brilliant! I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone!