I decided to check this place out because I don't often get the opportunity to dine alone and I…read morewanted to try something new. I was worried I wouldn't be able to find parking (my Google maps was saying parking was difficult). Fortunately since it was the evening/weekend, I was able to find after hours parking in the lot. I opted for the buffet ($16.50 on the weekends). From what I can see from previous reviews, the price has been the same the last two years. The server I had was very attentive and there were a steady flow of customers coming in and out. I was looking forward to have some delicious/flavorful food and this was it. As a nonvegan, I still enjoyed the items at the buffet. I loved the eggplant, green beans, sesame balls, and salt and pepper tofu. I can't wait to come back next time and order something from the menu.

They don't know what gluten free is. I asked them, and they said almost everything was gluten free…read more When I told them soy sauce usually isn't, they told me I was wrong. Unfortunately, I decided to trust them.

I really enjoyed Blue Nile! This was my first time trying Ethiopian cuisine…read more Came with a couple friends and we shared the honey tea (aka tej - not listed on the menu but you can ask your server for it), yebeg tibs (lamb), doro wot (chicken), and sides of collard greens and cabbage, as well as the meat and vegetarian sambusa. Our food also came with injera. Everything was really tasty; the chicken was tender and the lamb had a nice kick to it (we got the medium spice level). The honey tea was what really won me over. It was sweet and had a roasted flavor that reminded me of brown rice/genmaicha tea. I ended up buying a bottle of it to take home. Our server was also very nice and helpful! There is an attached parking lot to the side. We came around 7:30pm on a Monday and it was quite empty. The interior is very spacious and cozy feeling.

Ah man... where do I even begin?…read more We arrived around 8:05 PM, and our order was taken right away. We ordered 4 beef sambusas and 1 vegetable sambusa as appetizers. After 10 minutes, nothing. Another 10 minutes passed, still nothing. The restaurant wasn't even busy, just one family there before us. We finally got our appetizers at 8:28 PM, and at that point we still hadn't received our entrees. Another 10 minutes went by with no food. We tried to be patient, but we were really hungry and had driven all the way from Katy for this. My mom was fasting, and we were expecting a nice dinner, but the experience was honestly disappointing. Our entrees didn't arrive until 8:48 PM. We ordered the lamb injera, and it was honestly terrible. It had no seasoning, no salt, and just looked like it had some yellow coloring. The injera itself was cold, almost icy in some spots. On top of that, there were barely any meat pieces, maybe 4-5 small pieces, which is ridiculous for a dish that costs around $27-28. We also ordered a chicken dish, which was actually the only decent part of the meal. But it's definitely not worth coming here just for that. The prices here are high, and we were fine paying for good food. The problem was the long wait time and the poor quality. Overall, a very disappointing experience.

The "vibe" was relaxing and the food was incredible. Love that the menu was healthy. The grass fed…read moresteak and Brussel sprouts were very flavorful. Our server, Drew, was attentive and suggested our new favorite tea (adaptogenic tulsi). Drew also suggested the brunch, which we are going to try tomorrow

I was excited to try True Food Kitchen because the pictures online looked amazing, but…read moreunfortunately my experience didn't live up to the expectations. I ordered the Jambalaya Pasta and it looked nothing like the photos online. The noodles were different, the texture was off, and instead of being a saucy pasta, it came out more like a soup. I ended up swapping it for the pepperoni pizza, which was better, but still nothing memorable. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of the food I received to reflect. The atmosphere inside the restaurant is beautiful and the environment was great, but the food just didn't deliver for me and I wouldn't come back. Try at your own discretion

My family and I had heard about this place before in passing but we finally decided to give them a…read moretry. First off, this is NOT a restaurant. It's a one-man show. You order online hosted by hot plate and pick up at your scheduled time/date at their house. I ordered it but someone else picked up around 2 hours later. You get an automated text when it's ready and you text when you're there. For special requests, you can call/text the number as well; he was pretty helpful and responsive and mentioned to my brother in law that he personally made sure everything had no alliums at pick up. As a note: my family consists of allium-free vegetarians (with one vegan) so we asked ahead of time what our options were before we went for it. He (I really should have gotten his name) gave us a list of rolls that could be made allium free and we chose from them so you could say they do have an allium free menu upon request. We pretty much got almost everything on his list. For 5 adults, we ordered a total of 10 rolls: LOW-KEY LOKI (2) CLASSIC SPICY TUNAH (2) NIKCO ROCK N ROLL SPICY MAMI, HOT TAMALE SPICY DRAGON FIRECRACKER (2) When we opened the boxes, it turns out that he included an extra roll of SPICY MAMI, HOT TAMALE as well as a small container of seaweed salad which I thought was really nice of him! Or maybe we spent too much or there's some buy 10 rolls get 1 free promotion I was unaware of, haha. It was an unexpected surprise. I also have 2 kids but one has multiple food allergies and the other one is picky. She wanted a sweet potato roll, but it's not on the menu so we rolled up some seaweed rice rolls for them ahead of time so they weren't left out. I didn't bring up my kids because we wanted to ease in with the allium free request and go from there. Plus, one of the food allergens is avocado and that was found in almost every roll. On that note, there's an option to make it gluten-free on each item's page, which is pretty awesome. There's also an option to use soy paper instead of seaweed and to add extra ingredients at additional cost. My family shared everything so my plate was a mix and I honestly lost track of what I was eating at the time for personal notes. But honestly? Everything was delicious. Sushi was the last thing I gave up before becoming vegetarian and I'm picky with the sushi I eat now. These are very good and I must say if I lived in Houston, I'd order again. I do wish there was a place to sit or picnic nearby, but this worked as well. (We all congregated at a house.) There was one roll that definitely had a kick to it. Oddly enough, SPICY MAMI was not it. My nose tends to run with spicy food and I didn't get to that point but it was close after that one spicy piece. Overall, a great experience. Our rolls were $8 to $17 each, 8 pieces per roll. It was around $27.20 per person before tips and tax/fees from hot plate ($7.35). They were nicely packed complete with edible orchid flowers, and personal cups of ginger and wasabi as well as chopsticks and soy sauce packets. We finished everything. This certainly wasn't cheap but when is sushi affordable enough to be a daily thing? I do wish there weren't service fees added on top, but I guess the platform needs support too. Delicious and something to try whether or not you're vegan. I hope to order again our next time in town. Many thanks to the chef for the excellent experience and his help!

What an exceptional Sushi experience! The food is as beautiful as it tasted! Chef Chris is amazing…read moreand you can taste the passion and love for food in his work! He's a down to earth humble guy who is a master at creating culinary magic! We are lucky to live close by cuz this will be my forever favorite spot!

I went to Coltivare with my girlfriends on a Saturday night, and I'm really glad we made a…read morereservation because the place was packed. The parking situation wasn't great -- mostly street parking, and it felt pretty hectic. The restaurant itself is quaint but small, so it gets crowded and loud inside. We had a patio reservation and were seated in the covered patio, which ended up being perfect since it was freezing outside and much quieter than the main dining room. For food and drinks, I ordered a nonalcoholic spritz, which was really refreshing. We shared a pizza that was pretty good, and I ordered the black pepper and parmesan spaghetti. It was okay -- not bad, but nothing too memorable. Overall, we enjoyed our food, and our waiter was very nice and attentive. I'd recommend trying it out and definitely making a reservation.

We tried our first meal at Coltivare at their dinner service. Parking is located mainly streetside…read moreon White Oak. The interior is dimly lit and fairly packed. The service was... alright. Considering the casual upscale nature of the restaurant, we expected a bit more attention to the table in terms of checking in order additional dishes / drinks. The tables were also quite small and our table in particular was a bit uncomfortable to dine at. Food wise, we were impressed with everything but their pizza's. Their appetizers were solid, both pasta dishes were delicious, and flavor and portions were solid. Their pizza style is a thicker crust style and we weren't a fan of the duck pizza at all, and their pepperoni based pizza was fine. Not the biggest fan of their dough or crust. Their cavatelli was delicious!

The interior is very cozy and community-centered, just like its mission. The furniture is very…read moreantique-like and there are couches, high chairs by the window, and small square tables. It would be really great for a study spot! The coffee menu has a good amount of specialty drinks. I got the pistachio latte, which is ground pistachio with cardamom, and I got it with vanilla syrup. Every first Tuesday of the month (don't quote me on this, check their instagram!) they have free drinks covered by Frost Bank, which is very nice. Lines can get long though so come quick, right at 8!

Doshi House is a popular coffee shop and cafe located on Emancipation Ave. I finally got the chance…read moreto stop by in the morning for a coffee before work and was surprised to find it almost completely full, many of the customers being students. Not quite sure what to expect, I was pleased to see that it's completely plant-based including the pastries and no extra plus charge for alternative milks (praise!) I ended up ordering their pistachio latte which had a really rich, bold espresso note and a sweet cardamom finish at the bottom of the cup. I would definitely get this again but might try to stir it before drinking for a more even flavor distribution. In terms of the setting, there's lots of small tables and couches to work and study with either a small group or alone. They also have a back patio with additional seating, board games, and even a printer which can be hard to find in this day and age. Overall the vibe is relaxed and casual. Finally, while I had to wait about 30 minutes to order and receive my drink, I had some time to watch their workflow and would offer some suggestions for improvement to speed up their service. The staff all clearly put a lot of care into preparing each drink and were doing the best they could to move quickly, but the layout of the back counter area is fairly inefficient. To start, the ice well for cold drinks is on the complete opposite side of the register away from their espresso machines. This added a lot of steps for the staff to prepare iced coffee drinks. Secondly, the straws were also quite a reach for the staff across the counter, also by the ice well. Finally, the order retrieval process is not the best. There are no names written on the cups and customers are sometimes in the bathroom or outside on the back patio when their order is ready. It can be hard for the staff to locate the right customer or if the drink gets left on the counter, it's hard to know what it is and who it is for. Overall, a pleasant (plant-based!) discovery but hoping they might consider a few steps (pun intended) to reduce the strain on their staff.

Brooklyn and Nemo are the best bartenders in the restaurant, quick and effective and the drinks…read morewere great food was even better

My mom and I had an amazing time here. We sat at the bar for a quick dinner but were lucky enough…read moreto meet Maury. Our quick dinner turned into an event. Both his bar knowledge and service are fantastic. The food was delicious.

Back at Zoa and it was perfect. Again! Had the couscous…read morebowl with lamb. There was ample amounts of both meat and grains. It comes with 6 toppings and sauce. So tasty! Service was top notch, just like last time. The employees were sweet and helpful with recommendations. The restaurant was very clean and the employees were very quick to clean tables.

Very very similar to cava in terms of flavor, style, and pricing, but I'm happy to support small…read morefamily owned businesses over large corporations. The highlight of the dish was definitely the egg potato salad - creamy yet not overly acidic or salty. Im taking away a star because the lamb was noticeably salty, and given the extra $ paid for it being the star of the dish, I cannot give full marks.

This place is fantastic! If you are in the mood for some delicious Vietnamese cuisine with fresh…read moreingredients, look no further. I'd heard some rave reviews from friends and decided to check this place out a few months ago, and went again today. The restaurant is a decent size with ample seating - booths and regular tables. There's also an outdoor patio and a good amount of parking behind the building. When you walk in, you place your order at the counter and wait for it to come out at your booth. Both times I've been, I've opted for the Vermicelli bowl with shrimp because it is just so good!! The noodles are light and there's a lovely light sauce to pour over them. There are a bunch of fresh greens and cucumbers that go so well with the bowl and make it feel light and refreshing. Now for the shrimp - they are seasoned oh so well and come out nice and crunchy!! These were the reason I decided not to change proteins on my second visit. The portion size is substantial and I've always had leftovers for another small meal. The staff are all friendly and helpful and came to clear out our table after we finished our portions. There's also self-serve to-go containers to box up your leftovers. I've already joined their loyalty program and will certainly be back!

Very good food, great vibes on the inside and a great place to stop by for lunch. Quick service at…read morethe counter and nice staff. The food is always fresh and authentic tasting as well! Xoxoxo, Bob B.

When you're stuck in town but want to feel like you're in a tropical destination, The Toasted…read moreCoconut is where you need to come. The team behind the popular restaurant Nobie's opened up this tiki inspired restaurant. Tiki bars happen to be one of my favorite varieties of bars so I was more than excited to finally check it off my list. I had recently seen them on the Food Network as well. They share a lot with another popular dining spot so parking can be a little difficult in their lot. You can find street parking or park across the street in an overflow lot. Customer service was great from start to finish. We had just ate next door and our intentions were to come in here just for cocktails, but I couldn't leave without trying some of the popular items. I wanted the most tropical drink I could find on the menu so I started off with the Blue Hawaiian. I saw fire on the description so my extra self needed to have it. I'm a big rum guy so this drink was right up my alley and very boozy with two types of rum. It was very coconut forward with pineapple being the secondary flavor. One was enough for me to feel just right. Since we had just ate, we decided to share the World Famous Cheeseburger. This was a great burger. I don't know if they were going for the smash effect, but it had smash burger characteristics. It had all my favorite things that are musts on a burger like American cheese and red onions. It also had a very nice chili aioli that added great flavor to the burger. I came on another stop for a drink visit shortly after and tried the pork dumplings and popcorn chicken. These were also very good. If I lived in the area, this place would easily be a place I would frequent often. I will most definitely be back!

Absolutely AMAZING. No notes…read more The food was delicious and was prepared perfectly. The Bro Saam was perfection