Food - pretty decent, got the chicken paella, shrimp appetizers, branzino, and a side of grilled…read morevegetables. Flavors were pretty strong. I really enjoyed the shrimp! Service - the lady server was pretty aggressive and kind of rude. Ambiance - nice upscale casual vibes, good for dates and group hangs

I've been to MAD several times now, however all times were during brunch so my review is based on…read moretheir brunch service/menu. All times have been made with reservations as well, however their weekend brunch doesn't seem to be packed. Could definitely just walk in without a reservation. MAD is a solid tapas place, however after coming back from a trip to Spain, I realize the difference of taste and price. I've tried half of the appetizers listed on their current menu. I feel like I've tried other things that are no longer on the menu. I'd definitely recommend the croquetas (3 pcs of creamy goodness) and jamón ibérico (good, but overpriced imo). The pulpo just doesn't taste as good as it does in Spain obviously. Paella Valencia - should try if you've never had paella. Chicken thighs were cooked just right. Pato & apricot - duck recommended to be cooked medium rare. The duck was delicious, but the way the rice was prepared wasn't as good as the paella Valencia. Cochinillo ibérico - more worth it to order this than the appetizer. Scalloped potatoes and scrambled eggs make it a true brunch dish. Basque cheesecake - would recommend this as dessert of choice. It was delicious, light, and fluffy. Spanish churros - nothing like in Spain. They're super thin and definitely too oily. The chocolate ganache dipping sauce was also too oily for my liking. Love the aesthetic of the restaurant. The bathroom must also be seen as well. Definitely a place you can celebrate something special. Good for a date, group of friends or family. I can imagine how it would look at night, probably busy. Definitely want to try their dinner sometime. Park in the parking garage next to the restaurant. It was free every time I've been. :)

Today my wife and I were having date night. The ambiance is perfect, the staff was friendly and we…read moregot to meet the chef. Mario was amazing and took care of my wife and I. He was full of energy and very knowledgeable. He gave us details of every dish and has his own recommendations. Hands down the best service I have ever witnessed and received in Houston. Mezcal old Fashion: 7/10.. balanced and a bit flavorless. Kind of hard to explain. Lobster & clam pasta: 10/10.. wonderfully seasoned and the best thing I ate regarding a seafood style pasta. The clams were not that good but the lobster itself was perfectly seasoned. Dragon fruit Gin & Tonic: 10/10.. a must try. I never drank gin before and glad this was my introduction. Crispy phillo dough: 10/10.. you must get this as a desert. Perfectly buttery, flakey and the vanilla bean ice cream inside is just chefs kiss. I can eat 30 of these things honestly.

Ambiance: Business casual with an upscale, welcoming atmosphere that made me feel as though I had…read morebeen transported to another country. Service: A1. The experience was exceptional from start to finish. The chef personally visited our table to introduce himself and inquire about our dining experience, which added a thoughtful and personal touch. Our server Mario was attentive, knowledgeable, and consistently provided detailed explanations of each dish, enhancing our appreciation of the cuisine. This was far more than just a meal, it was a complete culinary experience that I thoroughly enjoyed. Food: Spanish Octopus: 10/10 Lobster pasta: 10/10 ( I was not a clam, but the meal was so good overall) Crispy Fillo Dough, Catalan vanilla brûlée and aged rum raisins: 10/10 Drinks: Lavendar Gin and Tonic: 8/10 Lychee Gin and Tonic: 6/10

Delicious food, ambience was nice a quiet at lunch, waiter was very clear on menu and recommending…read moregreat choices. Definitely will visit again soon.

I am still recovering from yesterday's dinner. First time going to a Portuguese restaurant and it…read moreexceeded my expectations! It was busier than usual on a Wednesday night because Portugal just played for the World Cup in Houston! Such a special moment and some Portuguese fans were also at the restaurant. This restaurant does crank up the AC to the max so make sure to bring a sweater if you get cold easily. We ordered the paella, beef skewers, fish, croquetas de bacalhau, polvo com batatas, and pao com tomato. All of this food was more than enough for four people. Our server was kind to show us which one he recommended and the food was well spaced out. My personal favorite was the paella and the polvo com batatas (grilled octopus with potatoes).

We had such a wonderful Mother's Day experience at this wine bar! The atmosphere was beautiful, the…read morefood and wine were excellent, and the service truly stood out. Our server Bayla was awesome. She was so attentive, friendly, and welcoming throughout our visit. She really went above and beyond to make our celebration feel special and memorable. I got the charcuterie board and asked if they had any fruit. They normally don't include that in the board but Bayla went and asked the bar to slice up some apples for me. Talk about great service!!!

Bayla is one of the best servers I've ever had. That's coming from someone who only cooks twice a…read moremonth, and thus frequently eats out. I spend ample time at high ends / Michelin star restaurants, and so I am familiar with all star service. Bayla really made our time special by going out of her way to make us feel comfortable and valued. She made it all seem effortless and at no point did she ever make us feel like a burden. Thank you for everything! The food and ambiance were also amazing! Truly a top notch restaurant experience.

I had a very disappointing and frankly unacceptable experience at El Meson Restaurant in Houston. I…read morebooked this reservation through Resy. From the moment we arrived, the valet experience was unprofessional. The valet demanded payment upfront in a rude manner, did not return the correct change, and responded with a disrespectful tone when I asked about it. This immediately created a negative and uncomfortable impression. Unfortunately, things only got worse inside. The staff were unwelcoming and dismissive from the beginning. Despite multiple empty tables, we were seated right next to the entrance where cold air was constantly coming in, making it very uncomfortable for my family. When we politely asked for a different table, we were refused without any reasonable explanation. Instead, we were told that because we had a child and needed a high chair, this was the only table available, which made no sense at all. The table itself was cramped and clearly unsuitable for four people. What made this even more concerning is that a manager appeared to be present, yet no effort was made to resolve the situation or assist us. At that point, we decided to leave. This experience was not only frustrating, but also embarrassing in front of my family. I expected a much higher level of professionalism from a restaurant listed on Resy. I chose this restaurant based on my trust in the Resy platform and its association with American Express, and I expected a certain standard of professionalism that was clearly not met. I will also be reporting this experience to both Resy and American Express. I do not recommend this place.

Man, this was one restaurant that I was really looking forward to trying, and it simply didn't live…read moreup to what I was hoping for. As with several other restaurants I've reviewed recently, this is one that I normally wouldn't frequent, but since they were participating in Houston Restaurant Weeks they were on my radar. We got a table for three for the volunteers in one of my service groups to check it out. One of us had been here before, but the rest of us hadn't. The appetizers were pretty good, but nothing spectacular. The tapas variadas were more of a charcuterie plate than actual tapas, but were still a nice appetizer for the rest of the meal. The calamari was different from what you normally see (fried and served with marinara). Instead, this was boiled in garlic butter and onions, almost like a shrimp scampi type of dish. It made the calamari a bit more gummy than we'd like, but still worth trying. The item I was looking forward to most was the paella langosta, which I'd heard amazing things about. I'd been told that this was one of the best places to grab paella in Houston. Sadly, out of four different restaurants, this was by far the worst paella I'd had. It was lacking in flavor, seemed to be thrown together at the last minute, and just didn't live up to the hype. The atmosphere seemed like it would have been nice if not for an absolutely obnoxious table right next to us. They were boisterous and completely oblivious to the negative experience they were providing to the people at neighboring tables. On more than one occasion they got up and bumped one of our tables. The worst part is, we later found out that it was the owner entertaining some friends. You would think he'd have known better than to have other patrons treated like that. Service was a bit of a mess also. The waiter disappeared several times, never refilled our drinks, and we practically had to go searching for him after 20+ minutes of sitting around waiting for our checks. At least two of us were completely disappointed in our visit, and even the third, who had been there before, acknowledged that it wasn't quite what he'd experienced in the past. Oh well, he might be back, but we definitely won't.

Is this the most overrated restaurant in Houston?…read more After being on my "To Try" list for an unacceptable amount of time, I finally made my way over to Nancy's Hustle. I was lucky enough to snag a seat at the bar with no reservation. I arrived about 30 minutes into open and there was already a wait list. I suggest getting there early or making a reservation if you're not a solo diner. The interior is nice and intimate, with low lighting that doesn't work well for photos but definitely for a cozy dinner. The set up and music reminded me a little bit of 93 Til due to the decor. I started with the duck dumplings and the Nancy cakes. I wasn't expecting it but they offer half orders which is great for a solo diner who wants to try multiple things. Both items were delicious. The dumplings had a nice savory sauce with some texture from the peanuts. These were great but probably my bottom of the list which is saying something. I would only say this because they reminded me a lot of the hot oil wontons from duck and bao so at that price point, you might as well get more. The Nancy cakes were pillowy and savory and made a great vessel for honey butter and roe. I even used a bit to dunk into the leftover dumpling sauce. I suggest eating these as soon as they hit your table. I was trying to savor my bites but the cakes benefit a lot from being nice and hot. It's not the most ground breaking dish in the world but it's done well and I would definitely call it a must order. I could have eating a full order of it alone. My main dishes is where my mind was blown. I went with the roast chicken and half order of the gem lettuce salad and fries. This might be the best roast chicken I've ever had in Houston. Chicken can be a hit or a miss because sometimes, there just isn't much flavor. This was absolutely not the case here. The chicken was juicy and seasoned to the core. It even heated up well as left overs without being dry. The chili sauce on the bottom was flavor intensified and as I swiped my chicken through the pools of sauce, I thought to myself "overrated where?!". The gem salad caught me by surprise. I'm not one to stay away from a salad at a restaurant because they typically do them better than you can make at home . Nancy's Hustle solidified this opinion. The salad was wonderfully briney and savory. The lettuce was crisp and covered in the herby shallot dressing that grabbed my taste buds. Topped with anchovies and pancetta for a nice salty touch. So so good. The fries were the perfect side, crisp and not too potatoey (yes this is a thing). I traded in the aoli for some ketchup because that's just my thing. I concluded this wonderful dining experience with a dessert. Buttermilk ice cream with cornflakes, black berries and honey butter cookie. This dessert was a lesson in balance. Every component was present , sweet, salty, crunchy, cool. Each bite had something new to offer and combined into a perfectly executed dessert. As a cocktail, I tried their tropical drink. I don't remember what it was called but I know I could have drank about 7 of those. This was a great dining experience. I think when things get popular, sometimes we feel the need to be contrarians with our experiences. That wasn't the case for me. Nancy's Hustle has earned its popularity and I'll definitely be back

I apologize for the low quality pictures but, everything was so good I couldn't wait to eat…read more Nancy cakes are a MUST TRY! The ricotta cavatelli was light and zesty and the shrimp was cooked to perfection. A phenomenal spring/ summer pasta parmesan & pancetta croquettes were crisp to perfection and are a must try if you're a cheese lover like me. Not pictured was their cocktail the green flag which was a 10/10! Service was out of this world. Our waitress was so kind and gave great recommendations! We got seated out in the patio and they have fans they can bring to the table if it gets too hot in this Houston heat but, the vibes were perfect for date night once the sun went down and the small table lamp turned on.

In H town for a few days this was my first dinner on my list to try in downtown. Great experience…read more Service was on point. Hostess was incredible and our server took great care of us with some quick draw recommendations. Nice setting with a view of downtown. Quiet, which was perfect for catching up with an old friend. We got sushi, apps and a steak. All of it was awesome. Short rib tacos were awesome. The Angry Scorpion Roll was my personal fav. Can't go wrong.

Came here for my wife's birthday last weekend because all she wanted was a good steak. And that's…read moreexactly what she got! The restaurant is on the third floor of the Four Seasons hotel. It's warm, cozy and perfect for a date night. The staff is super attentive and nice, they really made sure we had the best dinner possible. We got the filets, potatoes three ways and asparagus. The steaks came with their homemade chimichurri sauce that I honestly could have just drank. It was so good and the perfect addition to dinner. The potatoes were a fun take on mashed potatoes with an absolutely unreal oxtail gravy. They brought out a sundae with a candle to celebrate the occasion and it was the best ending to a wonderful meal.

I've been here countless times for brunch and always have amazing food and service. I enjoy sitting…read moreboth inside and outside. Inside has a small bar area, some booths, and tables. Outside has fans and is covered. They can get pretty full so it's best to have a reservation through open table. I've tried and enjoyed both the bubbly and margarita flights. Each time I go for brunch I either get the Huevas à la Mexicana or the French toast which could have different toppings with the season. The beans are also super flavorful and the French toast always done well and never soggy. I still haven't gone for dinner yet, but will try one day soon. Just a warning if you ever visit: please utilize valet! There are signs to remind you and some people still ignore it and end up getting towed from parking across the street.

Everything was absolutely AMAZING. Complimentary valet, we had no reservation but walked in for…read moresunday brunch and were seated immediately, superb staff/service and delicious food!! Hugeee portions for the price too Our favorite was definitely the korean fried rice though. It was so, so flavorful and the meat was so tender 10/10 Huevos a la mexicana was solid but a little simple 7/10 We also got the japanese mushroom toast but i didnt get a pic. It was hugee and pretty good but again kinda simple 7/10 And the ube pancakes were sooooo good and fluffy but crispy on the bottom. Not too much ube flavor but it comes with a nice coconut cream sauce! Would get again 8.5/10 Overall ambiance was amazing too. Nice outdoor seating and good vibes all around. Loved it all, would come back!