Came here this past weekend with some friends for dinner. Food was great, waiter and servers were friendly. There's only a thin line keeping this place from delivering a 5-Star experience. So here's my verdict: Let's start with the food. For dinner, I decided on the Canita de Puerco, bacon wrapped pork shank on top of mole with carrots on the side. The entire dish was incredibly delectable! The pork shank was perfection. The meat was seasoned well and very tender; the meat basically fell apart with my fork and just slid off the bone with total ease. All complementing accents were well. The mole added a nice balanced flavor and wasn't overpowering and the multiple colored carrots were not only pretty on the plate but were cooked perfectly and tasted great. They also brought out some soft tortilla shells. It was like having some elegant pork tacos. My wife got the enchiladas of the day, brisket; which I almost got myself. The enchiladas also tasted great. For dessert, we split Churros. The churros were great, nice crunch on the outside with a nicely soft inside. It came with some chocolate ice cream which was brought out to us a little melted but that's ok and some homemade hot chocolate which was excellent, very rich. The service from the waiter was good. He was friendly and helpful with our questions about menu items and one of my friend's Gluten-Free needs. There's only one negative to the service. They don't split checks. There was 6 of us, 3 couples so we needed 3 checks. Upon request, we were told they don't split. They did, however, accept multiple payment methods so we had to do a little math to get it figured out. At this expensive of a restaurant, I don't see why they can't accommodate something even cheap restaurants can do. But whatever, just be prepared for that. Otherwise, good experience. read more

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Husband and I had a date night here on a Friday. The food was 10/10...everything from the appetizers, main course, and desserts were delicious. The drinks, while a bit pricey were spectacular. The service was PERFECTION! Everyone was extremely attentive and friendly, without being intrusive. They were efficient and timely. They have valet parking available and also the parking garage, which is directly behind the restaurant. The restaurant provides a complimentary voucher for the parking too. So it's free! Nice touch, indeed. Highly recommend! read more

I love trying new restaurants , and this one was at the top of my list. We made reservations and when we got there we were seated right away. The restaurant is beautiful and the service was fantastic. We decided to order numerous appetizers instead of a single meal in order to try as much food as possible. All the food was well prepared, fresh, and delicious . The only thing that wasn't good was the water down sangria, but other than that this was a great place! read more

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We came here for their specialty Dia de los Muertos fixed-menu dinner, including an elote tamale, braised short rib main, and bread pudding dessert (mine was subbed for the churro dessert since they ran out of the bread pudding). We sat out on the patio and had plenty of space - we were the only ones out there since it was a bit drippy and chilly. Service was friendly, but sometimes sporadic - I think it is hard to manage tables both indoors and outside. Overall, the food was high quality and tasty. Sort of blows my mind that a fancy place like this doesn't include chips and salsa for the table like almost every other Mexican/Tex-Mex place in town...guess that is not the vibe here (you can order some as an app for $$). This is a good spot to come if you are looking for an elevated, fancy Mexican dining experience. read more

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At first I was worried as the restaurant was empty on arrival at 7 but slowly filled up as it got later. Everything was fabulous. Loved the ceviche, chips, salads, entrees and desserts. Sangria was very good! Highly recommend and can't wait to go back. read more

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I've been to caracol twice now. My last visit at Caracol was for a birthday dinner I hosted with reservation around 11 people. I booked my birthday dinner weeks in advance. I got an email confirmation. When I got there it was around 3 people who bailed so total 8 people- we notified them when we got there and they said no problem, they needed half the group to be able to be seated. We waiting outside for a bit but it was too hot and there's a bar area we can also wait at. We then we're seated and I completely forgot we had 9 people and they were able to accommodate and change around tables so quickly I was impressed. I ordered a virgin mojito which was fresh! Very good! Then ordered dinner - got the vegetarian enchiladas. They have a vegetarian menu which is why as a vegetarian I love this place!! We asked for a separate vegetarian menu and it was delicious! Smaller portion but worth it! We then had a cake in the back we gave to them before seating. They brought it out with candles and then they took it back and was sliced. They also brought out a small mini cake for my birthday complimentary. Overall, it was a great place to celebrate my birthday. I want to come back and try some of their other options. Customer service was also great! HIGHLY recommend for any events or just dinner. read more

My colleagues and I came here this evening on the recommendation from a local since we were in town for a work conference. We were very impressed with the food, beverages, service, and atmosphere. We would highly recommend Caracol to those living and visiting the Houston area! First, I would highly recommend Caracol for the service. We were assisted by a number of servers throughout the evening, and each were extremely helpful and charismatic. In addition, the extra touch when making some of the speciality drinks (i.e. La Puraza or La Chocolat) really goes the extra mile. In addition, the food here is excellent. We especially liked the Mariscos al Ajillo and Calle de Hacho. The cauliflower itself was particularly excellent, and the cook and accompaniment to the scallops in both dishes could not be beat. We also ordered the Ostiones Asados (along with a few other items), and also enjoyed this dish. However, I felt that this ended up tasting like a chipotle spiced "oyster parmesan" due to the tomato and bread crumbs where the oyster was a bit lost. Not a disappointing dish as I still enjoyed it, but I preferred the other more seafood-forward dishes more. For dessert, we enjoyed both the flan and the churros. The hot chocolate was also a wonderful end to the meal. If I find myself back in the Houston area anytime soon, I look forward to returning to Caracol for the enjoyable food and fantastic service! read more

First timer and by no means the last. Best oysters I've had in a long time. Definitely better than Clark's and Willie G's. Other food items ordered were the ribs which the table raved about and some type of beef enchiladas. Looked like short rib maybe? I took a bite and it was delicious. The dessert was pure chocolatey decadence. Decent cocktails except the espresso martini. I switched to dirty martinis after that first one and they were much better. They need a little help at the bar - although the elite bartenders probably work at night. This woman seemed slightly overwhelmed and it wasn't even very busy when we first arrived. It took 20 minutes to take my drink order (we started at the bar and my friends and I were the only ones at the bar) and another 10 to make the drink. I asked if she could make a creamy espresso martini and she literally put cream in the espresso martini. Yikes! Pro tip: stock some bottles of Godiva liqueur. That's how you make a creamy espresso martini: 2 oz Tito's, 2 oz espresso, 1 oz kahlua, 1 oz Godiva liqueur, shake! (yw* lol) Otherwise, nice ambience, good service and a really fun time. Adding this restaurant into rotation! Excited to have a pretty new place to drink and dine:) read more

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Sunday Brunch Buffet. Live music. Bright open space. Great company. I could leave that just that way, but I have to give the Tres Leches cake a special shout out. That thing was so good, everyone in my group went for seconds. I highly recommend and will be back. But make reservations! read more

Another great time at our favorite Mexican restaurant with good food, drinks, service and ambiance. read more

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I was excited to try the Sunday brunch buffet, but was left very disappointed. Most of the food was cold and I noticed flies on and around the dessert table. read more

We recently came here for anniversary dinner and thought the food was delicious! The vegetarian menu has so many options, which is hard to find at more classy restaurants. A friend who recently came here complained about the seafood smell but when we came for dinner there was no such smell. It smelled more smoky. The ambience was very classy and romantic and we dressed up for a candelit dinner. For appetizers, we had both the guac/salsa/tortilla chips as well as the vegetarian quesadilla. We requested a spicy sauce with the nacho chips. It was very spicy habenero sauce! Not for the weak! For entrees, it was hard to pick just two. Everything looked good. We ordered deconstructed enchilada and tamal azteca. The deconstructed enchilada had a slight bitter taste and I liked the tamal azteca more. I thought the tamal azteca was delicious, although needed a little bit of sauce. We had enough for leftovers the next day. Drinks were tasty as well, just the right amount of balance of flavor with alcohol. We ordered the Blackberry mojito and oaxacan whiskey sour. However, service could have been better. As we let them know when we made our reservation that we were celebrating an anniversary dinner, we knew that we were going to get a complimentary dessert. However, our waiter made it seem that we could pick anything off the dessert menu and it would be complimentary. We were excited to try the El Coco and requested it. We were then given both the El Coco and a complimentary flan dessert that said "Happy Anniversary on the plate." And we saw that the El Coco had been added to the bill at the end of our meal. In the end our waiter ended up removing it from the bill after initially denying that he had said it was complimentary. He also seemed a little distracted throughout the meal. That being said, if you're wanting a dessert with your meal, highly recommend the El Coco. It's a chocolate shell with a cream filling that you smash with a hammer. This restaurant is part of a group of classy Houston restaurants owned by the same owner (Hugo's, Caracol, Xochi, and Backstreet Cafe). I appreciate that all locations have vegetarian menus. We've been to all but Xochi and have to say that Caracol has been the best so far with more unique and flavorful vegetarian options. TIP: They validate garage parking at the front counter. The garage is large. read more

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amazing food ! I love the style of the restaurant. Service was good too they were really nice :) read more

Amazing food, service, and ambiance. I ordered striped bass, it was fantastic! I highly recommend and will come back here when I'm in Houston area. read more

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My sister took me here for my birthday brunch and it did not disappoint. The brunch was buffet style, so you can eat as much as you want. Everything was included in the buffet price except the alcoholic beverages. I had the mimosa, which was so good we got a pitcher. The dishes were amazing and at the end our water gave me a birthday treat. I will definitely go back. read more

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Last week, this was one of the restaurants that our friends recommended and we gave it a try. It was special because I hadn't seen my sorority little sister and her husband in a very long time. Excited to catch up with them and excited to have great food. The ambiance is surely upscale! This place definitely didn't disappoint. We had white wine to go with the meal. I had read about the wood-roasted oysters (ostiones asados) so we got that and campechana estilo D.F. which had shrimp, crab, octopus, Mexico City-style to start the meal off. For the entree, I had the callo de hacha which is pan-seared scallops. Cooked perfectly! It didn't look like a huge portion but as I ate, it surely was very filling. As they say, looks can be deceiving! My friend had the sopa de tamalayota/pumpkin soup and it looked very creamy. She also got the lechuguita orejona which was a beautifully plated salad. My husband and her husband both had the grilled red snapper (I can't remember the Spanish name of the dish). They both thoroughly enjoyed every bite! Highly recommend! read more

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Absolutely amazing! I'm a ceviche lover and I love that they use chile canario. Also tried some of the freshest grilled oysters and the most perfect fish tacos. 10/10 for authentic flavor. I would highly recommend. Follow me @EatDrinkMo read more

Caracol - Oysters - Seafood Near Me - Houston, Texas

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One of my favorite places to hit for Houston restaurant week. Their HRW menu is always worth it. You can self park in the garage and get it validated when the check comes or do valet. This place is also great for group experience, easy reservations with any special occasions. It has a very classy ambience and very spacious with their indoor and outdoor seatings. I haven't eaten anything here that I didn't like. One of my favorite item is actually their dessert, the el coco. You can smash it open before eating it. If you want this to be a part of your HRW then it's an additional fee ($5). The staff is friendly and quick with their service. I always have a good time when I dine here either for brunch or dinner. On Sundays, they have a buffet brunch which was surprisingly very good. Many great selections with live music playing in the background. The best part is that they have all you can eat oysters. Very fresh and pretty good even though it wasn't the season. Overall, a great spot in Houston to dine at. read more

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Amazing Sunday Brunch Buffet! Wonderful service, lovely live music and scrumptious food. Every bite was delicious... my faves were fried fish cheek, beef cheek, poached egg on cornbread, fresh oysters, and yummy tamales! read more

Very good seafood and fun tapas place. Caracol is very much known for seafood and you cannot go wrong with the ceviche or the tuna tostadas. We also got the pork ribs which I would pass on. The mango empanada was delicious. This is also a fun place to come for Houston restaurant week but they don't really have seafood on the restaurant week menu so it's not really food that they're as known for. Great place to check out. A little pricy. read more

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Good ambience. Food was ok. May be we ordered the wrong dishes. Will give it another shot someday and update review.

I came to Caracol today for happy hour and it was my first time visiting--it will definitely NOT be my last! I've been hearing the name of this restaurant but I had not gotten the chance to visit until today. I ordered the spicy pineapple Paloma as my drink. It was so yummy, the perfect amount of sweet and heat. It is a tequila based drink with habanero infused pineapple soda. So good! I had two! To eat, I ordered the Mejillornes (mussels and chorizo), the Tortita de Langosta (mini lobster roll), and ostiones asados (wood-roasted gulf oysters). Everything was delicious but those oysters?! I am coming back for the Wood Roasted Oysters! They were so, so, so, tasty! I also ordered Tres Leches to go! The service was impeccable and everyone was extremely friendly.. read more

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This is one of my go to restaurants. It's consistently delicious with great service. The ribs be oysters are a must every time! The habanero salsa is also amazing. I usually park in the garage because I hate valet. read more

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SÚPER busy place, I remember trying to come here a couple times before today (Because I LOVE OYSTERS) since I live just around the corner but was always full. We'll today I finally got in with a group and it was worth the wait! Best scallops I've never had, so juicy and no urea taste like in some places . Valet is 5 dollars and they take credit. The oyster appetizer was sooo good. You know what pizza flavored goldfish taste like? This is the same but oyster LOL. Service was great, I got my wine refills by winking at my waitress, super efficient communication hahahaaaa. The only gripe I have is the private room door doesn't close all the way and As busy as this place gets with a cracked door it was very hard to hear my party sometimes, please fix this! read more

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Caracol is one of Hugo Ortegas culinary gems of Houston. The food is similar to what's served at Hugo's although Caracol offers more seafood options. Everything on the menu is enticing yet the Sunday brunch offers exceptional options for all palates, including soup, tamales, braised meats, roasted veggies, ceviche, raw oysters, and a full desert bar with homemade hot chocolate. Come with an empty stomach and You won't be disappointed!!!! read more

Happy hour is menu has great options for both food and drinks. Love the ambience also

Meh. My friend who is really into the culinary scene in Austin recommended this place, and we went for happy hour. I didn't realize it was Hugo Ortega's work until later when I read about it. I was underwhelmed. The setting is typical big-shop Houston style, with a huge outdoor patio and an interior that screams bougie night out. It didn't feel unique. We elected to sit outdoors next to a big fan, which was a nice touch. The Galleria area is always chaotic, so the restaurant had the buzzy high-energy feel to it. We ordered for happy hour. My friend didn't enjoy the prosecco she ordered, but "I'll drink it," she conceded. The food came out slowly, and for the portion sizes in a city like Houston, I felt the prices were too high. The fried oyster sandwiches (molletes de ostiones) were pretty good, but outside of that the best thing on the table were the chips. Skip the gulf oysters, they may be big but size isn't what matters when it comes to oysters. They forgot to bring out one of the items we ordered altogether (the lobster rolls). Service was quiet slow. If I weren't writing about it now, it would have been altogether a forgettable experience if it hadn't been for the good company of my friend. read more

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Beautiful place, with great food and good service! You really can't ask for a more from a restaurant. If you like fish and seafood this is the perfect place for you. I will be back for sure. read more

Let me start off by saying how great the service was for our party of 18. We ordered a lot of Alcohol and each drink was really good. Some were strong some were sweet but overall loved it. Our appetizers were phenomenal. HOWEVER the entrees were a disappointment. We ordered over 7 different types of entrees and they just weren't good like it was either bland- no taste or it wasn't cooked well. I haven't been to caracol for dinner in a very long time but I've been to caracol multiple times for Brunch. I'm really not sure what happened to the quality of the food. read more

Caracol - Brunch buffet-Desserts - Seafood Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Seriously one of my most favorite brunch places to go to, ever. There's so much variety! Service is great, and parking is validated if you park in the garage. Like, almost everything on the menu is great. My favorites are the taquitos and the roasted oysters. Don't think I'll ever get tired of this place! read more

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We came with a family group of 6 to celebrate a UH college graduation. We arrived around noon on Friday, and it was not crowded at all. The concept is high-end Mexican seafood, unusual cocktails, and attentive service. Our waiter checked in frequently, and made sure that we enjoyed everything that we ordered. They succeeded on all counts, and I am looking forward to another visit because they had lots of interesting entries on the menu! read more

Restaurant week 2023 menu wasn't the best for vegetarians. For dinner, I think a warm soup is the way to go since you're ending the day with your last meal. A colder soup, better for lunch (think Gazpacho). The starter soup was cold and saltier than imagined. The next cauliflower item was great, but the sauce was on the bottom. I think had it been on the top it would have been better since it would have had time to marinate through. The main course item was great, no complaints there! Really filling and had balanced flavors. The dessert was extremely sweet and overpowering. I'm not sure what to think overall. read more

Caracol - Dessert- not part of the vegetarian selection for HRW - Seafood Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Very cute atmosphere. Dress up! I went with some classmates. Liked my food though it was a little salty but the service was great. They have fun drinks and fun desserts. Would certainly go back. read more

Caracol - Seafood Near Me - Houston, Texas

Thanks to David for making our family Happy Hour an evening to remember. Started with some light bites. The Trio de Quesadillas with housemade Oaxacan string cheese, calabacita, huitlacoche and chicken was a great way to start the celebration. Loved the Duo Ceviche- mini ceviche of raw striped bass and tuna, tangerine, and cucumber. It was such a fresh, delicious and creative twist on ceviche. Mom and dad enjoyed a cabernet and a cold draft. For dinner, they were able to accommodate the vegetarians, pescatarians and carnivores in my family. For salads, I would suggest the Garnachas de Platano, a unique blend of sweet potato and cauliflower hash, refritos, and crispy Brussels sprouts, topped with crema and queso fresco. The Heirloom tomato salad is great for tomato lovers. The Tacos de Atún with seared tuna, guacamole, refried beans, greens, topped with pickled onion were delicious. The Repollitos Asados, charred Brussel sprouts with chimichurri dressing, could have used a little more time on the grill. Capped the evening off with a complimentary pineapple tres leches. Thanks again to David for a great birthday celebration with my family. read more

Caracol - Happy Hour Ceviche - Seafood Near Me - Houston, Texas

This was my first time coming here on a Saturday for brunch, I've mostly done work meetings. Brunch was awesome & the beautiful day to sit outside just made it amazing. The hostess was a bit rude but the waiter made up for it, he was super awesome. Drinks were great, the calamari chicharrones were truly excellent! I don't eat pork but have when I was young & they tasted better than the original chicharrones. Mom ordered the brisket enchiladas and she loved it, the meat was very tender and tasted a lot like ropa vieja. My daughter had the cheese quesadillas & loved them & the black beans were also great. I had the mushroom with mole & it was truly great. No complaints & looking forward to come back. read more

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We went last night to kick off Houston Restaurant Weeks 2019, as well as to celebrate a birthday, and we had a great time! I have posted menus of the HRW menus this year for anyone who is interested in trying them -- they do their menus a little differently than other restaurants. The entire menu is preset, and you pick one of four 4-course menus. Fair warning: it is a TON of food! Everyone came away stuffed but satisfied. The staff did a great job while we were there. We were greeted warmly by hostesses, one of the owners stopped by our table, and we had a wonderful waitstaff. They changed out someone's napkin for a dark colored one to match their clothing, cleaned up the tablecloth after a dirty utensil had touched the linen, made table-side margaritas, and were very attentive the entire night! We started with chips and guacamole, which was prepared just the way I like it: very avocado-heavy with minimal onions to distract from the flavor. Yum. I had the Wines of Mexico menu, which included a lobster tamale, bacon-wrapped pork shank, and dark chocolate cake. The tamale came with a delicious lobster sauce that was poured on by the server at the table for you. The pork shank was HUGE - none of us were able to finish our own. The meat was very tender and cooked well. And the chocolate cake was divine! Very rich and almost brownie-like. read more

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I wish I had a picture of any of the 4 DOZEN wood grilled oysters we preferred, but they were eaten immediately. We ordered with and without breadcrumbs and preferred the without. Validated parking is easy, the vibe is great, and the service is wonderful. We came on a Tuesday for happy hour and had a blast celebrating our anniversary. The happy hour oysters, taquitos, chips and guac/salsa, and drinks were the best things of the night. You honestly don't even need an entree. The black beans that come with the taquitos were so good! read more

Caracol - Seafood Near Me - Houston, Texas

It is a must for me! The food it's incredible, the service it's super and the place it's great, you have to make a reservation because it's super full all the time. I love the vibes in there cuz the service is dress like a Mexican folklore. read more

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Visited Caracol recently for HH, it was my first time. We sat at the oyster bar and it was pretty neat - right next to all the action! Service was super friendly, came by often asking what we needed, plates cleared fast. We ordered the raw oysters and the wood roasted. The raw oysters tasted really fresh, nothing too briney or fishy. The wood roasted oysters had great flavors, little kick to them that I enjoyed. We also tasted the tostaditas de campechana and thought it was a good mix of flavors, this is 3 bites of food. I ordered a mojito which seemed freshly made but a little sweet. We also got tiny bubbles and the pineapple paloma. The drinks were average. I look forward to going back! read more

Caracol - Raw oysters - half dozen - Seafood Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Stopped by here for Happy Hour for some fresh oysters and grilled oysters too. Fresh oysters came out pretty quickly and were very fresh. They couldn't tell me much aside from that they were gulf oysters--- undecided if that par for the course, or if that's really just have a single variety. The grilled oysters were really good, with a really good balance of flavors! They felt more unique and flavorful, and would recommend these above fresh oysters if you aren't craving them. Happy hour is 3-7pm and the service overall is pretty good. I came early and it felt like the number of people working at the place might have out numbered the people dining there. Parking is a bit tricky. You can valet, or if you want to self park, you gotta go up the parking garage. Don't forget to bring the parking ticket with you and get it validated (there is a sign by the elevator and stairs to remind you). Only the first 20 min are free, after that parking fee starts at $5. Overall pretty good food, service, and location. Think I'm docking 1 star, just because parking was a bit annoying and prices were a little on the higher side. read more

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