Food was great but valet parking was horrible. Ended my night with them damaging my Cadillac Escalade. Never going back again. read more

Rainbow Lodge - New American Near Me - Houston, Texas

Went for a glass of wine after work...the bar was sort of full so the waiter said we could sit outside...they forgot about us....so we came inside and stood by the bar....were essentially ignored....one glass and out....too bad it's a pretty place..but I'll be kind and say the service was ...sporadic.... read more

Wonderful experience. Very romantic setting, ask for the best view. The views are amazing, you won't feel like you're in Houston. Food was really good, specifically the duck gumbo & the rabbit appetizer! Our server was great! read more

My son chose this restaurant for Houston Restaurant Weeks and off we went. I did make a reservation, but we arrived about an hour early (early enough to self park) and were seated shortly after we arrived. We wound around to the very back of the restaurant and had a great view of the outdoor part, which looked like it would be beautiful at night. Trees rapped in lights and colorful lanterns hanging from the deck of the restaurant. My son chose the Southern Fried Rabbit Loin, Herb, Apricot and Almond stuffed Venison Loin and Bread Pudding for his meal. I chose; Smoked Duck Gumbo, Pan Seared Gulf Snapper with Lump Crab and Chocolate Ganache Tort. The Southern Fried Rabbit Loin was fantastic, as were the grits that came with it. My son said he could eat a lot more of that. He also enjoyed the stuffed venison. Bread pudding was excellent and a large portion as well. I mostly ordered the smoked duck gumbo for my son as well. But I ate a bit of it as well. It was better than I expected. The duck was very rich. Gumbo was very smooth. The pan seared snapper was very good, the portion seemed small at first, but was very filling. It was served with a Carolina Gold Rice - which I was not that fond of. It was kind of creamy, and I just didn't like the texture of it. The Chocolate Ganache Tort was SO rich. It wasn't very sweet and the whipped cream it was served with didn't taste sweet at all. But it was a nice balance with the rich, chocolate tort. The candied almonds and the vanilla-peach compote was excellent. A nice fruity, compliment to the chocolate tort. Our server was awesome; personable and easy to talk to. We enjoyed him and he made our visit pleasant. Glad we were able to check it out during HRW, definitely would like to return for dinner sometime. read more

Delicious dining experience! Our server, "Jacek" was attentive, professional, and courteous. Our food-runner/busboy was efficient and anticipated our every need. Appetizer of lump crab cake was rich and perfectly seasoned, enough for two to share. We selected the ribeye steak (took some home for a delicious cold sliced lunch!) and the Nilgai (Antelope) entrees. Sides of roasted garlic, warm cabbage salad, caesar salad, and house potato medley made the dining experience over the top! Dessert was a house-made bread pudding that paired perfectly with rich espresso. Rainbow Lodge thoughtfully and effectively has planned proper social distancing to comply with current guidelines. The interior - as well as the exterior - views made it seem as if we were dining in a log cabin opening out to a private garden! Ms. Donnette should be well proud of this lovely dining venue! read more

Food, ambience, and service was all spectacular. I can't believe it took me so long to visit Rainbow Lodge. Will definitely be back!

Love this restaurant and their bread pudding! Simply the best! We love coming here especially during Houston restaurant week!

From first blush of their special Gulf coast-themed brunch menu, I knew this place and I would be a great match. Usually, pre-matinee musical, the family and I opt for the comfortable elegance of Brennan's at Sunday brunch - but we wanted something new. I remembered dining here over a decade ago and decided to give it another try - and boy am I glad I did! Upon arrival, we were instantly seated in a cozy table overlooking the garden area - in fact, it's hard to imagine you're in the city once you're ensconced in the lodge-like decor complete with trophies on the walls. A quick perusal of the drinks menu makes it clear: this is the place for day-drinking. And joy upon joy, they serve a French 75 - much like my beloved Pimms Cup, I usually can't find these outside of New Orleans. The server quickly brings chive bacon biscuits, cinnamon streusel muffins, apple butter and jam to the table and it's official: Brunch has commenced. It takes at least 20 minutes to fully give the menu it's due - there are simply so many options, both breakfast and lunch, that I can't hardly decide. After a last minute change, I settle on the shrimp salad to start, followed by the fried green tomato BLT. Pro-tip (graciously offered by our server): the shrimp salad is an entree salad, however, it can be prepared as a 1/2 allowing you to sample it as a starter. It was certainly worth it! Huge grilled gulf shrimp laying in a bed of fresh butter lettuce, covered in a spicy cocktail-meets-remoulade sauce. All of it was a resounding yes. The fried green tomato BLT did not disappoint with an appealing presentation, freshly grilled focaccia and artfully placed applewood peppered bacon, this was every bit as tasty as I wanted it to be. Another Pro-tip: this is a messy sandwich, best eaten sans-silverware, so I wouldn't recommend it for date night. The tomatoes were expertly fried and stayed a delicious blend of crispy & juicy. As if the French 75 and $.99 mimosas weren't enough to send me for an early afternoon nap, you absolutely must cap your dining experience with a Lodge favorite - the Nudge. An aromatic blend of liqueurs, coffee and homemade whipped cream, this jolt of caffeine saved me from snoozing through the matinee of Wicked. In all, a delightful experience I'll enjoy again soon. read more

While this place is known for their wild game I really find most items on their menu to be solid and they serve up a wide range of flavors. The place has a lovely rustic look to it and you will feel transported to a nice rustic cabin. They have an outstanding bar with many custom cocktails that are lovely. We had the chef's tasting menu and it was excellent. We sampled many times, home cured ham, very tender venison back strap, fried quail, and so much more. The service is quite good. I received a special dessert upon request. I will definitely be back here. read more

Every course was superb and our waiter was incredible with suggestions from food to wine. Rainbow Lodge is a true find and a Houston treasure. read more

My family has been here a few times because one particular aunt is kind of obsessed with this place. Even though this isn't my favoritest restaurant in town, I do appreciate their food. It's hard to find Gamey food that tastes upscale here in Houston. That's surprising considering we are in Texas. Their service is some of the best I have had in Houston, and the restaurant's atmosphere and decor is breathtaking. It's kind of weird going to the Rainbow Lodge in the summer months because the inside makes you think of ski lodge resorts in Utah, and then you come outside to 102 degree weather with 99% humidity. Yeah, that sucks. Overall, I'd come back again if other people were coming with me. read more

By now, you have probably heard that this place has $1 champagne and $1 mimosas (not very strong though) during their Sunday Brunch. If you haven't, you probably don't like brunch. Rainbow Lodge is located in the Heights. It looks like a hunting lodge on the inside. The Sunday Brunch is a great deal if you like to drink. I hear the food is pretty good but I'm a vegetarian and they just didn't have many options for me. I asked for the omelette without crab and it was decent. It was fluffy and decently tasty. They offered a side of risotto with it and the risotto wasn't good at all. It had no flavor. The service was good. They were attentive and got us refills often enough. I imagine the meat dishes are the reason why people come here but if I come here again, it will be for the $1 drinks on Sundays. read more

Where to start. . . we started with the classical Rainbow Lodge app. and it was decent. The venison was tender and juicy, the quail was fried and kind of tasted like chicken nuggets, then there was the sausage that was just dry. My friend had the rainbow trout with the risotto and that dish was pretty good especially the risotto. It was cooked beautifully and the flavors were delicious. I had the Elk Chop and it was paired with this mixture that tasted like tamales. The Elk chops were good, but nothing special and it was little charred. Someone else at our table had the Bison pot roast and that was just dry and inedible. To make it worst the veggie next to it was flavorless. I was also surprised it didn't have more wild game on it's menu. read more

See all

Whole lotta Lodge, but not very Rainbowy. There were deer and antlers on the walls, but no bears or otters in sight. We felt a bit misled. The smashed spider in my rolled napkin was a rustic touch, though. That being said, the food was just alright. Came for the HRW brunch. The table had the duck gumbo and stone fruit salad as apps (both winners). Quail, tacos, and trout cake as entrees. We were all disappointed in some way with our dishes: the bacon overwhelmed the trout, the waffle maker broke so I had to have an undercooked crepe-like pancake with the quail, and the boar tacos were meh. Everyone had the strawberry rhubarb dessert, which was a winner. Worst meal I've ever had? No. Would I come again? Not sure. read more

For a place like this I really expected more. I've been here a handful of times and every time the food has been a hit on one dish and a big miss on the other. And the service has consistently been terrible. A few positive notes: We had the taste of the wild ($14) with venison, buffalo and quail. The quail was really good and the venison was perfection. And whatever the quail was laying on was delicious! Maybe grits? The pheasant ($32) was really really good and paired well with the sides. Red snapper ($28) was cooked well but what stood out to me more were the sides. Now the negative: The South Texas duo ($35) which was venison and wild boar over artichokes and jalapeño cornbread was kinda meh.... The venison came out almost as good as the appetizer version but the wild boar was so tough and fatty...basically inedible and gross. The mixed grill had a little bit of everything which was nice to be able to try and was A LOT of food. But the lamb was prepared very very poorly. The service. Ugh, the service! I despise going to a nice place with a waiter that doesn't put forth any effort whatsoever. I've always been served by a blank face and apathetic waiter who could careless. I find that really disappointing considering the prices above and the fact that the Rainbow Lodge is a beautiful restaurant and could offer so much more. read more

We did have to wait to get our food but everything was cooked to the T. The pulled-pork sliders were a perfect starter. For the main, I went with Steak-n-Eggs and my GF went with the Mixed-Grill plate. We never had Venison or Quail before, so we figured this would be the place to try. Not bad at all. Very classic decor in this cozy Log Cabin escape, somehow makes you want to go out hunting. Nice Bar and patio area too. Something to try again in the Winter. read more

Came here for a business dinner on a Thursday night. Valet only, restaurant is styled like a lodge (Hence the name). I Ordered the Mixed grill platter that came with elk, venison, wild boar, and quail. All of the meats were great, especially the elk. I also had an old fashioned with my meal that was a little on the pricey side -I believe around $16. My only critique would be that they update the decor of the place if we are looking at the prices. read more

Rainbow lodge I feel is the most under priced restaurant compared to the same quality of meals coming out of the high end steak restaurants like Mortons charging easily 20-30 more an equivalent plate. I've heard from several people now that they would chose Rainbow Lodge over Marks any day. We are lucky to live only a few blocks away from Rainbow so it has become a bit of a staple. We have been getting more and more disappointed with meals at similar price ranges or slightly under like the new Heights market or Roost being the lastest examples and would rather spend our money at a place we know for certain is going to be incredible every single time. after those two dinners we walked away each time saying "why didn't we just go to Rainbow instead" Plus it doesn't hurt to be treated like a regular at Cheers whenever we go. Great service. Great staff. Great food. The restaurant is a little stuffy because it is a converted log cabin so we sit at the bar almost every time and have met some of the most interesting locals and had great conversations. The outdoors area is beautiful and I personally like the atmosphere better than Brenner's but I might be partial. The meals are by far superior. Favorites- Hanger steak (bar menu only $10!) Elk back strap with the best spoon bread on the planet Bison Filet Quail Bread pudding--- and if you like bread pudding and you think you've had the best, just wait, this will blow your mind! read more

Went to rainbow lodge for my boyfriend's birthday. It was amazing! Our waitress was very friendly, though not very hasty. But the food was to die for! We got the shrimp bruschetta as an appetizer, it was melt in your mouth DELICIOUS! I got the rainbow trout for dinner (it was very good but probably would get something else next time). My boyfriend got the Nilgai (antelope) and we were shocked at how wonderful it was (tastes like an extremely tender pork chop). One of our friends got the bison filet that was on special, and that was so yummy as well! We will definitely be going back to try something else new and delicious soon!! read more

Mike was our waiter too and i have to think it had to be his first day. he was preoccupied with something and it wasn't related to service. his excuses were tragic "we haven't had our deliveries", "we are busy tonight, unfortunately". good grief. he had more excuses as the night went on. the food was marginal. i had the elk. the sweet potatoes were thin and mushy. the elk, tasteless . the charcuterie plate didn't have anything 'untraditional' about it. About the only thing we got from the experience was indigestion. someone needs to resuscitate the place. read more

This place was my first time and was awesome. Our server Jeremy was great the valet were great No complaints here Was here for brunch read more

My hubby and I headed to Rainbow Lodge for some good ol' fashioned thanksgiving grub on Thursday night and where not disappointed!! Walking through the door I felt as if I had been transported to a mountain ski lodge in Montana or Colorado - pity the view out the windows didn't support this delusion!! But the lodge has a very cozy homely feel about it that was perfect! I must admit we felt a little rushed through our courses... with little time being left between them to allow the food to settle - but perhaps this was because it was Thanksgiving night?!?! However the delicious turkey and all the fixin's made up for it in the end. read more

WOW. Why so low on the ratings yelpers?!? Reading your reviews I see that it's a hit and miss kind of place, not the impression I got here today - what a shame! Our party of 12 had our 'holiday' lunch here today, the decor and restaurant itself is gorgeous, the animals on the walls were a bit weird, I kinda felt like I was being judged while I ate. The service? Impeccable for the most part, one of the servers even helped me down the steps to the restroom so I didn't fall (and I'm only 27 so it's not like I needed the help) - it was a nice touch. Only part where the service faltered was my diet coke glass stayed empty most of my meal, reading reviews on here, I see that that's a common problem here - disappointing!!! I'm sure if I'd had an expensive alcoholic drink like a number of my friends, my glass would have stayed full like theirs. I HATE when places assume you're drinking non-alcoholic drinks just to be cheap, my tip will be based on service, not the total amount on my bill - regardless of what you think or what your experience is. If you treat me right, you'll get a good tip - gottit? The bread was delicious - but we only got two baskets between the 12 of us, no refill - enjoy that one basket! I ordered the Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Warm Apple, Cabbage and Potato, Grain Mustard Gravy for $22 and while the portion of pork was adequate (though not quite the 'well done' I requested!!!) the veggies could have been a bit more substantial - especially for a $22 plate for lunch! For dessert, our table ordered 3 desserts and we passed them around... Lemon Pie Jar - Lemon Curd, Salted Short Bread, Toasted Meringue Croissant Bread Pudding, Bourbon, Caramel, Vanilla Ice Cream, Almond Tuille Chocolate Cream Cheese Torte, Chocolate Cookie & Brownie Crumbles, Espresso Anglaise At $8 each, they were a bit steep if you're buying them on your own, portion sizes just didn't match up with the prices, there are some pretty lovely restaurants in the area that aren't quite as expensive, but they were definitely delicious!! This place isn't somewhere I'd go all the time, in fact I'm sure there's better places to go for the same price, at $30-$40 for lunch it's a little out of my price bracket, however, that said, for a special occasion? I'd definitely consider it for birthdays and anniversaries etc but I fear that somewhere else may win out...so close and yet so far! read more

My girlfriend had her rehearsal dinner there last Friday and everything was awesome! Our food was delicious and came out hot and at all at the same time (we were a party of 50 people) -- which is nearly an impossible task it seems! Our server was David and he was OUTSTANDING! Our table never wanted for anything. When dining there again, I will be sure to request to be seated in his section. The food was good, the atmosphere unique and the service was outstanding! The only negative is that it is valet only (not a fan of the valet) - that is the only reason I am docking a star... read more

What an amazing place with great food and scenery. I had the Wild Game Mixed Grill plate. It was absolutely amazing. Everything was cooked to perfection. I would recommend this plate to anyone who has not tasted elk, boar, venison, or quail. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT !! read more

Amazing food, service and atmosphere. HIGHLY recommended! Sophisticated without being stuffy. read more

Rainbow Lodge - Dining room - New American Near Me - Houston, Texas

What a terrific evening! Driving up to the valet, you know that you are going to have a special experience. Everything about the building speaks to charm. The dinner was excellent. Both of us had Snapper and it was perfect. The waiter was provided all the advice and service that anyone would want. This is just a great place to go for a special evening read more

Tried making a reservation for a family of 14 for a special gathering for Father's Day. We were told that they can accommodate us on any other day BUT Father's Day and that we would have to commit to renting a party room and having a food and beverage minimum in order to dine here. The person answering the phone was incredibly curt and rude and unwilling to try and help. He then said he could accommodate 10,12 even 13 but 14 was impossible! Two of our guests are babies. They sit in high chairs. I was told "they are beating hearts that take up room and don't eat much" It's unfortunate that they don't want to accommodate families that just want to celebrate together. Awful. read more

I've only visited for brunch, which was perfect for me considering that I don't eat most meats; I got to finally try Rainbow Lodge, but I didn't have to choke down buffalo or some wild game meat! I was in love with RL as soon as I walked in. It reminds me of a ski lodge, which I don't see much of in Houston. It was so cozy and the views were great! I had the truffle scrambled eggs and they were perfection. They tasted great and the portion size was just right. They went perfectly with the gratis bread delivered to our table. Service was on par with what I expect at an establishment of this caliber. The highlight of the meal, however, was the ninety-nine-cent mimosas! You really can't beat that, especially when combined with the cozy, brunchy atmosphere. I can't wait to go back and visit during the winter-ish months (because we don't have actual winters here) and pretend that I'm prolonging my ski vacation. read more

This is our go to special occasion restaurant. Most recently, we came to celebrate our anniversary. The food was delicious as always. We split the duck gumbo. I ordered the bison special and my husband had the antelope. My bison was perfection. The antelope was also very well-rounded and the brussels sprouts were prepared in a unique way that put the dish over the top. We ended the meal with Lemon Ice Box Pie which was divine as well. Our server did a great job helping us celebrate our special occasion. read more

I've been here twice: once for HRW lunch and again for my company Christmas dinner. My first experience during HRW was pretty meh (mediocre food and inattentive service), and I was honestly not expecting much prior to the second event. Boy, I was so wrong! We started with a couple appetizers - deviled eggs (forgettable) and fried quail, which, IMHO, was the star of the entire meal. Errrmergerd. The quail was delicious and and sat nicely on a bed of perfectly cooked, creamy grits. Sooooodalicious. We had a fixed menu and I opted for the fish (seared snapper and shrimp). I was worried since Rainbow Lodge is known for their meatier dishes...well, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality and taste of my fish! I polished off my plate and anxiously waited for dessert. I chose the bread pudding over the chocolate truffle cake - it was okay, not super memorable. Even so, I enjoyed my meal and I will definitely be back. I was also impressed with the service - we had a VERY large group, and they kept our tables clean and our wine glasses flowin.' ;-) I'll be back for you, Rainbow Lodge! Those patio pictures are calling my name... FYI: Valet only for dinner. read more

I really wanted to give this place 5 stars. The valet is a little confusing, but nothing to make a big fuss about. The men that worked the valet were very nice. We got to our table and sat there for a little while, maybe five minutes? Our server finally came by and greeted us with menus and the wine list. I told him I needed to look at the list fist and he began to walk off without even acknowledging my boyfriend. He had to stop him and give him his drink order. It took him over 10 min to bring his drink out. This happened twice in a row. We ordered the *Venison Carpaccio, Bleu Cheese Panna Cotta,Flaked Sea Salt, Salsify, Pear, Balsamic Syrup for an appetizer. I would love to tell you how it was, but we never received it. All the server said was, "oh they never brought it out? I'm sorry!" My boyfriend and I were both servers at one point, we both know that means I didn't ring it in. For our meals, my boyfriend got the Mixed Grill of Venison Medallion, Lamb T Bone, Lockhart Quail and Wild Boar Chop. Pan Roasted Potatoes and Forest Mushrooms with French Beans . He said it was amazing. I got the Venison Medallions and Grilled Wild Boar Chop White Cheddar and Jalapeno Bread Pudding, Artichokes. I asked for it medium, it came out med rare. Didn't bother me to much though. We also split a lobster risotto. That was probably my favorite! We didn't bother with getting desert, because our server was a joke! He never came and checked on us, he never asked us if we wanted another drink, we had to flag him down for everything. I don't think I will go back. read more

Why do they have 100% valet parking now? I prefer Not to hand my keys to total strangers. Could be a mix of both. read more

From the valet parking at the start to the waiter who pays attention to making sure everything about your meal is perfect...This place has not disappointed me for over 20 years! Splurge if you come here, and don't try to order conservatively... And yes your going to spend the extra hundred dollars...But, the experience will be worth it. read more

:( I am really sad that I have been recommending this to anyone. I went once about a year ago, and I thought it was great. Today was a total disappointment. I checked the menu out ahead of time, and made a reservation for a time after when their extremely limited brunch menu ended. Only to arrive and find out that they had decided to extend their brunch menu another couple of hours. We were stuck with the limited overpriced brunch. Things were so so at best. The sides with the venison were laughably inedible. I really wish i had not chosen this for our special Mother's Day venue. read more

Brunch on Sunday with family. Outstanding service and great brunch menu. I wanted to try everything. Got the rib eye with poached eggs. Eggs were perfect. Great Bloody Mary as well. Other family members equally satisfied . Waiter went out of his way to make chocolate milk for my nephews 5 year old son who got his chicken nuggets and crispy french fries first. We will be back for dinner. read more

We came here for a special weeknight date night and everything was delicious! Our server, Dawn, was fantastic and I loved all of her recommendations. We will be back! read more

Great service. I had the business lunch with the rainbow trout. Great place to take clients and the our waitress could not have been nicer

My first visit to the Rainbow Lodge today for their Sunday Brunch was my last. The type of food served is listed as "American Traditional." I was looking for a breakfast type brunch and ordered the dish that said "ham, eggs, biscuits and gravy." I asked for poached eggs extra hard. Yes. Couldn't wait to get at it. After quite a long...extra long wait for the food, I was served. The ham was very very dark and crispy and tasted like it had been dredged in salt. It was inedible. There was a biscuit, but no gravy. I requested gravy from the waiter. The waiter brought it in a tiny pitcher full of some brownish stuff smelling not like any gravy I have EVER had with biscuits or anything else. It was dreadful. I still don't know what it was. My eggs were poached, but they were covered with hollandaise sauce. I hate hollandaise sauce and would never have ordered it. The eggs were not cooked hard as requested, the only thing cooked was the whites. Good thing the biscuits were good and they gave us some grape jelly. Woo hoo. There were a number of other items on the brunch menu which were weird for a brunch menu. All of them were about $20. Other than the biscuit and grape jelly, the only thing good besides the company I was with was a small Mimosa. How a restaurant claiming to be American traditional can, in Houston, Texas, serve some bizarre brown unknown sauce and claim it's "biscuits and gravy," I don't know. Seems they would have been at least strung up by now for doing such a thing. I didn't hear the other people raving about their food, so I assume they were being polite and not complaining. This place has some bizarre ideas about brunch food. Way out there. Their chef has run amuck. Chef needs a field trip to Denny's to learn what biscuits and gravy are. Very very disappointed and angry. read more

The food and the atmosphere was AMAZING! We really enjoyed their patio, it's beautiful! The only issue I had was there was only one server and it took forever to get our dessert order in because one guy wanted to ask the server a hundred questions about wine since he obviously had no clue himself lol and it tied him up so no one else got service. A little annoying but understandable I guess. read more

Rainbow Lodge - New American Near Me - Houston, Texas

See all