Parking here is easy. They have complimentary valet, and there is garage parking within the building. (Yes! Caracol validates the tickets!) They're located next to the BBVA bank. This is not a Tex-Mex restaurant. Caracol calls itself "Mexican coastal cuisine". Decor is modern and bright with a "coastal" kind of feel without being overdone. Outdoor seating is also available. I tried the following: Ceviche de Caracol (4/5): Conch, Pineapples, Ginger, and Jalapeños. Presentation was great. This dish was light and refreshing. It was my first time trying conch; it had a slight crunch. I loved the pairing with the pineapples. Salted chips were accompanied, but ceviche alone was fantastic. Coctel de Pulpo Almendrado (2/5): Spanish Octopus, Almond, Caper, and Green olives. I don't know what it was, but I did not care for more after my first bite. This dish was bland with nothing but some almond crunch. Octopus didn't taste as fresh to me. I've tried Pulpo de Carbón at Hugo's, and I loved it from there. Taquitos Tronadores de Carnitas (4/5): Pork, Avocado & Tomatillo salsa, Crema fresca, Queso fresco. This was delicious! Ample amounts of carnitas rolled into 4 semi-crispy rolls. I recommend this as a sharable dish. Pescado Zarandeado (4/5): Wood grilled fish filet, Wild green salad. This entree was clean and simple, no sauces. The fish tastes very fresh, just melts in your mouth. If you are looking for something light, I would recommend this. Tacos de Carnitas (3/5): Slow braised pork tacos, Refritos, Nopales salad, Avocado & Tomatillo salsa. I like my tacos spicy, and the salsa was disappointing with this. It wasn't the best I've had. My friend ordered the Tacos de Pescado al Pastor, which was full of flavor! I'd recommend the fish tacos than pork tacos. El Coco (4/5): Chocolate coconut shell, Coconut buttercream, Coconut ganache, Coconut streusel, Whipped coconut. I ordered this due to my liking of coconuts, without knowing the presentation. Interesting and fun concept that earns a star. You have to (lightly) Donkey-Kong the dessert, or the dessert will splatter everywhere. Taste wise, nothing stood out. In conclusion, I have enjoyed my visits here. Great service and prompt timing with food. Our drinks never touched the bottom, which is a big plus. By the way, Caracol is within the same restaurant family with Hugo's, Prego, Trevisio, and Backstreet Cafe. read more

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Hugo knows how to do it! Fancy Mexican seafood and has a great brunch on Sundays that is a must try!!! So many great traditional Mexican dishes. Take any visitors from up north to show them food they can truly only get here read more

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Caracol is essentially a seafood restaurant with a heavy note of Latino flair. They also offer a robust selection of unique cocktails that will fulfill even the thirstiest of palates. The Jalapeno margarita alone is worth the return! The food is also fresh and the service is definitely top notch. Restaurant week: One of the better places for HRW. You can select from 5 4-course menus. We had "between the waves" and "wines of Mexico." The latter definitely takes the win for generous portions and taste. However, you should come and try it for yourself! Tip: you can always valet, but there's a parking garage attached to the restaurant that is free for customers. Buen apetito! read more

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Ok. So we went to Caracol for the Houston Restaurant week and I had high hopes because of its raving review on Yelp. "It's just not that great.. " it may be because we had the dishes from the Houston Restaurant week menu but still don't think this would be much different from what they usually serve. My husband and I ordered the soup and salad as starters. Don't order the salad, you just get a piece of watermelon with a leaf deco. Soup was good though! For the main dish, we ordered brisket and shrimp. I loooove shrimp but with my initial bite, it felt like the shrimp was abruptly defrosted from its frozen state, not fresh. Brisket was alright, the sauce was mild so not that savory. Desert was mediocre (churros and chocolate ice cream) but the tres Leche cake was soooo soft! So all in all, besides their soup and cake, just not that great.. I don't think we'll be returning. read more

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"The food was okay. My husband and I ordered the Ceviche de Chile Canario appetizer and it was out of this world, we also ordered Pulpo Ahumado and it was delicious, perfectly cooked. The Empanadas con camarones we didn't like, too much empanada dough and the camarones were a bit over cooked. The Plato fuerte we ordered Cañita de puerco was a little bit salty and dry. The Mariscos al Ajillo was okay, nothing special. I didn't like the garnish base there was a bunch of parsley. The dessert tres ..." read more

The food was ok, nothing special, the portions of the food is like a portion for a child. So if you are really hungry when u go here expect to get snacks after u leave. The menu has like 3 items. The service was good and the ambiance is also really chill. Overall i give this place a 6/10 read more

This is my third time visiting and still disappointed with food and service. The food ingredients don't match the food descriptions on the menu when ordering appetizers. I keep staring at the menu and nothing really stands out. What I do notice are the portions are extra small so get ready to order several bite size appetizers. There are too many good high end restaurants in Houston that serve great food compared to Caracol . With my third time at this place, I am not returning. read more

Great Food, Great service, Great Ambience. Nice Patio , First time visiting for dinner.

Love this place! My friends and I decided to go here for Houston restaurant week and it was amazing! I'm always worried about how big or small the portions are. But the portions here were just right for me. The break in between courses were much needed to let the food settle in. 5 stars for several reasons! The service was good, food presentation was beautiful and the food itself was amazing! We were SO full after! The chocolate mousse was AMAZING. I was already so full from the appetizer and the main course but after a bite of the chocolate cake, I had to indulge more. I ordered a Paloma Mi Corazon with guava in it (I'm a tequila girl myself), but they do have a great selection of wines to pair with your food. There is a garage attached to the restaurant and they validate parking! :) read more

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Wish I had discovered this place sooner! Every dish we had was fantastic! I had the coconut based white fish ceviche which was the perfect mix of color, texture and presentation. Everything we ordered was fresh and perfectly seasoned. My husband had a different ceviche that involved several different prices of sea food and a raw oyster on top- not my style, but he loved it. My only complaint is that the whole restaurant was pretty noisy- wish they had a few quieter spots, but I'm happy to come back on a weekday for a quieter ambiance. Also, the valet is complimentary, much appreciated! read more

Caracol - Seafood Near Me - Houston, Texas

My husband took me to Caracol for an early Valentine's Day/anniversairy of our first date. On arrival, they wished us a happy anniversary so I was a bit surprised that they sat us in the middle of the crowded dining room at a large table instead of in the quiet back room with plush booth seating. Perhaps we should have asked to be moved but we didn't. The dining room does get very loud (or maybe it was just the table next to us who were clearly 3 or 4 margaritas in to their evening). A romantic atmosphere this is not, but it would be a great place for a casual double date or girls night out. Also lots of business dinners happening. The restaurant is large and can easily accommodate big groups. Despite its size, it does get crowded so reservations strongly recommended. I started with the tabasco paloma which was appropriately spicy and tasty, although if we're being honest I preferred the Dissident that my husband ordered which is a tequila gin cocktail with hibiscus and herbs. With dinner I had a glass of their featured white which was an Albarino. I thought it went well with the food. We shared 2 ceviches to start: the seabass and the red snapper. Both very good and served with thick, crunchy tortilla chips that are seriously craveable on their own. Then we shared the arroz negro and tuna belly tacos. We had leftovers so order accordingly :-) I liked the seafood rice a lot. The tuna tacos were kind of meh. Next time I would seriously consider just ordering 4 different ceviches and calling it dinner! Service was very attentive and friendly. Would definitely return. read more

Honestly the food and service were exceptionally excellent. Our server was really nice and gave us good recommendations. The outside patio was a win, felt like I was back in Miami for a minute and the music was on point. Would definitely come back, I highly recommend the Ostiones, they are amazing read more

Caracol - Seafood Near Me - Houston, Texas

Stop reading right now and go try it!! It's that good. Went during HRW and they have 4 menus this year. Check online if you want further deets. We ended up with one Wines of Mexico dinner, one Our Style and one Vegetarian. None of them disappointed. Every dish was spectacular. We also opted for the wine and cocktail pairing. Each were done really well. We ended up trying each other's dishes and my favorite ended up being just about one from each menu. Amuse: poblano soup (Wines)--great spices First: Tie between lobster tamale (Our Style) -- the sauce(!) and the Heirloom tomato (veggie) -- the creaminess of the requesón, the sweetness of the tomato, and the tartness of the hoja santa dressing... holy cow! Main: Tie between Lomo de Res (wines)--steak was cooked perfect and the enchiladas (veggie) -- loved the verde sauce and the mushrooms on the enchiladas were perfectly picked Dessert: El Coco (Veggie)--really glad this is on their regular menu. If you're a fan of coconut, this should be in your order. Very light and creamy coconut with an explosion (literally) of chocolate shell. The passion fruit takes it to another level. Our server was fantastic. You could tell she really loved the restaurant and the food. read more

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Great food and great drinks! Only negative feedback I have is that our waiter wasn't very good at explaining the menu and it was a little hard to comprehend what he was trying to say. Drinks I recommend getting: Caracol Rita, La Pureza, or mojito (We did not like the paloma) As far as food is concerned the grilled oysters were a great hit. We also had the Chicharrón de Calamar and Ceviche de Caracol. The Arroz a la Tumbada was cooked in a delicious broth but I could have done without the frog legs. read more

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Excellent food and service Ambience and sound levels pleasant. Recommended and will return

I had my work Christmas party here. The patio was delightful as well as the food. I highly recommend this place.

I've been to Caracol many times, most recently for lunch and dinner during HRW. In general Hugo Ortega restaurants do not disappoint. Caracol's regular happy hour features one of the best deals in town IMO for grilled oysters. For HRW lunch, I had the Sopa de Chile Poblano to start. The soup has a nice smooth texture, mild flavor, and a little spicy kick. For the main, I had the Costillas a las brasas. The roasted ribs with pickled onion were very tender and have a wonderfully smoky flavor from roasting. The portion of four ribs was also pleasantly surprising, as some place skimp out for HRW and/or lunch portions. For dessert, I had the tres leches because it's not on their normal menu. It's was good, but not amazing. For HRW dinner, there were 5 set menus to choose from, which were designed around the main courses of 2 seafood options (scallops or tuna steak), steak, lobster tamale, and vegetarian. Our group tried all but the vegetarian. They were all excellent, so it comes down to taste and mood. The most unique and distinctive entree was the lobster tamale. I didn't like that it was only a set menu, because it wasn't possible to pair a lighter seafood appetizer (e.g., ceviche) with a heavier entree like the steak. Instead the steak's appetizer was the roasted ribs, and the scallop appetizer was the ceviche, which, IMO made one menu entirely not filling enough and the other, too heavy. I had the scallops and would have been hungry afterwards if we had not shared dishes. I had the "Between the Waves" Menu, which consisted of: 1. Campechana estilo DF: Mexico City style marinated seafood medley of shrimp, octopus, oyster, tomato, chile and cilantro. (For anyone who hasn't been there yet, the "DF" refers to Distrito Federal, which was the de facto synonym of the Mexico City. However, in 2016, the "DF" was officially removed, so it's now simply known as Ciudad de Mexico.) 2. Ceviche de Chile Canario, which was a solid concoction of lime-"cooked" red snapper, yellow chile, cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, pearl onion, and radish, and cilantro. It was good, but not the best ceviche I've had. 3. Callo de hacha a la Veracruzana - seared jumbo scallops served on a sort of roux-y sauce of olives, capers, onions, and tomato. 4. Dessert was a tropical fruit sorbet on a small mound of pistachio cookie crumbs, caramel pineapple, and banana mousse. Although the flavors paired well with the other courses, this light dessert might have been more refreshing to finish off one of the heavier menus. For a light menu like this, I was left wanting more. Service was generally good. Nothing outstandingly good or bad. Ambience: The acoustics aren't great when it's busy, as it gets quite loud. read more

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Excellent food and service. The place can be a bit loud. Love the Charley Harper artwork on the walls! We Used valet parking also.

Great place. Our waiter was very knowledgeable in the menu and drinks. Giving us little hints as to how they were prepared. He was also very attentive. Would absolutely recommend this place and would def come back read more

Absolutely incredible...I can hardly put this all into words, but I will try. Walking in and paying $37 for a SEAFOOD BUFFET jazz brunch already sounded like a super sweet deal, but once I browsed through all of their selection I was in awe. Everything is gorgeously displayed, fresh, colorful, and gourmet for sure. Their selection has everything from fried nachos, guacamole, berry waffles, shrimp ceviche, elote, fish enchiladas, oyster shooters, concha, churros, Mexican hot chocolate, and WAY more! It's impossible to try everything, but I definitely tried!!I am completely serious when I tell you that it was the best meal I've ever had, and that I've never eaten more in my entire life. But I don't regret any of it, it was so worth it. You NEED to come for their buffet brunch, it's an experience you will never forget!!! read more

This was my third or fourth visit to Caracol and they always are impressive. We had the broiled oysters and they were so good ordered a second dozen. Also tried the ceviche trio and lobster taquitos- both were delicious as well. This place is a little pricey but not crazy for the Galleria, but you definitely get what you pay for. read more

Took my husband here for Fathers Day. We had the kids with us as well. The staff were super sweet to us and made sure my husband had a wonderful experience. We had the ceviche and huevos divorciados. All of our food was delicious. We will definitely be back again soon. read more

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I have been wanting to go here and it did not let me down. The service, the food and the atmosphere were all good. We ordered two different kind of squid, grilled oysters and some seafood platters with frog legs. The squid- both plates were good. One is like cold dish and one is hot. All tender and not chewy. The grilled oysters was very good too. I prefer raw oysters but this one should be one of the best I ever have. I forgot the name of the seafood dish with frog leg. But everything is fresh and tasty. I really enjoyed my dining. read more

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One of my favorite buffet brunch places in Houston. A bit pricey, but a nice treat once in a while. They have lota of fresh entrees to choose from (inclusing mole!)and Mexican hor hot chocolate. The atmosphere is bright and airy..love this place! read more

Caracol - Seafood Near Me - Houston, Texas

The brunch experience at Caracol is superlative from the decor and ambience, service of the waitstaff to the delicious tasting food and cocktails. It is everything a great dining experience should be and more. I wish I lived a lot closer to where I can pop in more often read more

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On the menu, the dish I ordered did not mention sour cream, but came covered in it The dish also came out excessively oily, and I couldn't taste any fresh flavors with all the heaviness read more

This is my #1 favorite restaurant of all time. Everything is impeccable, from the decor to the service, food, and drinks. I love the mariscos al ajillo plate. The seafood is fresh and well seasoned. The ceviche is unique and delicious. I highly recommend Caracol and would fly to Houston just to eat here haha read more

This place was phenomenal and was a lesson in the very real differences between Tex-Mex and real Mexican food. The venue itself is a nice and airy space with options for both indoor and outdoor seating. Given the weather in Houston, outdoor seems to be the most popular! We started with the Ceviche de Chile Canario which was delightful. The red snapper and the chile complemented each other perfectly. We also tried a half portion (6) of the Ostiones Asados (wood fired oysters with chipotle butter). I'm typically not a fan of oysters but these left me wishing I had ordered the full portion! For our entrees, we tried a selection of dishes starting with Costillas a las Brasas (wood roasted pork ribs), Taquitos Tronadores de Carnitas (pork taquitos), Chicharrón de Calamar (fried calamari) and the Robalo con Mole Amarillo (bass wrapped in banana leaf). Each dish was exquisite, presenting a variety of different flavours. My personal favourite were the taquitos as this dish demonstrated to me how something I've eaten many times in the past should really be prepared. Our server was very attentive, taking the time to explain the dishes, recommending food based on our tastes and even bringing over some habanero sauce because he "liked to watch people's faces when they tried it!" All in all, a wonderful restaurant with great food and service. I can't recommend it highly enough! read more

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Food is really beautiful and delicious. I highly recommend it for lunch on a nice day, it's got amazing lighting.

Excellent service and the food was amazing. Great presentation. I went there for Sunday brunch and was delighted with an amazing meal. The flavors were awesome. The drinks were really good and unique. They have ice cubes infused with jalapeños. read more

Caracol - Pato con Mole de Higos - Seafood Near Me - Houston, Texas

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The food was great, and the service was just OK. We got the sautéed seafood which was cooked to perfect and in a green sauce. The oysters we got as an appetizer was also fresh. After we were seated, we had to wait 15 minutes for someone to come give us waters and another 5 after that for someone to finally take our order. The food came out fast, but when we finished our food, we sat with nothing on our table for 20 more minutes until we got our check. We went next door for a post-dinner drink, and saw our waiter there at the bar, also drinking. He then quickly ran out to attend to another table he still had open over at Caracol, which explains why we waited so long on our service.. read more

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Came for lunch. There is a nice 2 for $22 deal. Located by Compass Bank, in the shopping center adjacent to Arcodoro, Nordstrom rack etc. Parking is validated. The food was 3.5 stars, but I had to round up for our 5 star service. I really liked our waiter Arturo, he was extremely knowledgeable and accommodating. Caracol is coastal Mexican food. For me, the food was comparable to Hugo's. I would suggest (5/5): Chile Relleno con Puchero de Pescado - delicious pumpkin sauce (it is spicy) and pumpkin seeds as accompaniments Enchiladas Placeras de Pollo - deconstructed enchiladas. it isn't a cheesy dish, but the heartiness of the potatoes and other roasted vegetables more than makes up for that. I liked (4/5): Coctel de Pulpo Almendrado - loved the octopus with the crunch of the nuts "Texas T Kobe" Carne Apache - like a carpaccio = delicious! Tacos de Pescado Estilo Baja - fish tacos The a-okay (3/5) Ceviche de Caracol - not a fan of the texture of the conch, although I did like the pairing with papaya. Taquitos Tronadores de Carnitas - I wanted something more...salt? Ostiones Asados - wood roasted oysters. good, bready. read more

Caracol - Wood roasted oysters - Seafood Near Me - Houston, Texas

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*Disclaimer* This review is only based on the brunch. Caracol had been one of my bookmarked places for brunch, for a while. I ended up getting invited to a birthday brunch a few months ago. I thought, great, let's see what it's about. For starters, it's $37/pp, which is slightly pricey. However, I don't mind paying if the value is great. I will say, their buffet selections were of great quality. None of that low quality casino buffet food. But, to get the true value of this $37, you have to come wanting to feast on raw oysters. I believe that is what makes them justify the $37 tag. In my honest opinion, it's a mediocre selection aside from oysters. I also wanted to see more egg dishes, since this is "brunch." I won't cross them off my list as one and done, though. I have been to other Hugo restaurants for dinner and enjoyed my meal, so maybe I will return for dinner instead. read more

My third visit and I still like Caracol. They have a really cool patio area where you can just relax and have a drink. The service was good and the food was good and definitely interesting . They have a combination of foods, I would say tapas and Mexican. I loved the seafood there, it all tasted fresh. Happy hour is cool. They have a limited.menu but you get to taste some of their regular appetizers in smaller portions. P.s Dont forget to validate your parking! read more

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Great place to try! Looks like Mexican food, but actually it's more like modern American food mixed Mexican food. The dishes tasted good and looks so good too! Good service! read more

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This place has allowed me to enjoy one of those best brunch on Sundays. Great food! Great customer service! Shhh even the valet were cool!. Ambiance is a very relaxing. You'll enjoy the live music. read more

Came here for Sunday brunch. I sat next to the dessert buffet and my heart has been there ever since! Such yummy Mexican cuisine, not too cheesy or greasy and full of flavor and flair! Have yourself a cup of Mexican hot chocolate to start and to finish! They had an oyster bar and ceviche that was fresh and worth the price alone. The boyfriend had a kiwi caipirinha and even though he doesn't like kiwi said it was the best caipirinha he's ever had. Quality service too muah! read more

We came here last week for our anniversary dinner! The staff was super sweet and went out of their way to repeatedly wish us a happy anniversary. That was probably my favorite part!! It was a much appreciated touch. We started with one of their margaritas and the blackberry mojito. Both were great! The food was good, but it is nothing I'll crave or dream about. We got the guacamole, the pork carnitas, and the short rib--it was the perfect amount for the 2 of us to share. I probably liked them from best to least in that order. Surprisingly too, the higher the cost of the dish the less I actually liked it. Each dish was well done, and you can tell they don't cut corners. But like I said, the food was nothing majorly special. No memorable flavors. We did enjoy our experience; however, we won't be retuning for the price. read more

Food and service excellent. Servers kept checking making sure everything was good.Good size portions ! Will definitely return!

A great brunch for my mom's birthday! From the attentive service, to the quality and selection of this Mexican coastal kitchen, this place is great for a celebration! I literally tried everything in the buffet spread. Compared to xochi, this place offers more seafood, including a fresh oyster section. Also, try the guava mimosas - fresh and slightly sweet! For $35/person, it's definitely worth it! read more