Based on a recommendation from Houstonia magazine, we thought we'd finally give this place a try. I tend to avoid restaurants that don't have many cars in their parking lot. But, Houstonia said this place was pretty good. So....off we went for breakfast. The place itself is okay. A little dated. Has a fireplace in the middle. Lots of wood. Kind of cozy. The food is (mostly) not okay. The good: Omelettes made to order (provided you don't want bacon or sausage in yours-see below). and the waffle. The fruit selection was nice, too. The bad: The bacon had a bad smell to it. So bad I wouldn't eat it. Husband said it was "not good." The sausage was gross. The biscuits were just okay. The gravy - watered down Alfredo sauce? The plus side - friendly staff!! read more

This place is just ok. Went there for dinner with wife and co-workers and it was pretty much empty. Our waitress was very friendly, but everything else was just ok, nothing to write home about. Wine selection is not good. Ordered the ribeye medium and it was overlooked. I glanced at my coworkers ribeye which she had also ordered medium and hers looked well done. We also shared a couple of appetizers which had a mixture of food on them and they were decent. Overall not really worth it read more

Have only been for weekend brunch. Great food for decent price. Sit in the bar area to not be around all the families. Wish they'd change up the brunch buffet sometimes. read more

Meh. Ordered the three cheese ravioli it was not at all what is described in the menus. It would appear they decided to substitute applewood smoked bacon for a mix of peppers. Afterwards I got sick and the manager was unacomidating. read more

Steak ok, salad not bad. Sweet potato fries amazing! Service horrible! At almost three hours now and still cant get a check. No manager to say "sorry, we are behind", no free soda or bread. Not even acknowledging the fact that other tables are just walking out. I dont know what else to say but do not go! I'll never return. Waiter has now messed up the bill 4 times and we are still waiting. No water refills even. I have never had such horrible service. Now she just lose my friends card.... read more

First, the bartender was excellent. I don't know his name but has a bit of an accent. Very welcoming and remembered me from previous visits. Now the food and the menu are very disappointing. They use to be food with a Texas Twist and had lots of options. It is not printed on one page and what is there is over spiced. It is terrible. With Outback acrosss the street, I'm surprised they would dumb down teh menu so much. read more

So overpriced and we all felt gross afterwards. My husband got sick. $16 dollars for a sandwich is ridiculous! Not to mention brunch is going up almost $3 tomorrow. Never going back. read more

I'm extremely disappointed in my treatment by the manager who was on duty today. He decided to seat my husband and I by the front door which made our food cold. I will never come here again!!!!! read more

I come to the Rio Ranch to relax after work a couple of nights a week... The atmosphere is great, they usually have good channels on for sports, but the best thing about the Rio Ranch Bar is the bartender Mo... He makes fantastic drinks and he's always accommodating and helpful and nice... Thanks Mo for always making us feel welcome... 5 stars! read more

Breakfast buffet is why we come. Be careful or you can hurt yourself because the selections are many and good. Get custom omelette', waffles etc. not the least expensive around but worth it. Nice atmosphere. Hard to believe this is part of a hotel read more

This restaurant was not very busy during a recent business lunch I had here but the food and service were outstanding. If you have not tried it, you should. read more

I found this place mildly mediocre. I had the prime rib. The prime rib was done right, but the au jus tasted like it had more brine than any of the meat bits. The side dishes were mediocre though I found their onion rings the only highlight of my dish. I had an Easter dinner chatting with the staff and watching a movie on their plasma. Nice environment, but their food can use an upgrade. read more

I've come to Rio Ranch twice now, once for a weekday lunch and once for Sunday brunch. Both times, I had an excellent experience. The salmon salad I had at lunch was filling and delicious, if a little large on the portions. Their brunch buffet has a great selection including an omelette bar. The only reason they lost a star is that the prices seem a bit steep. read more

First time visitor! Loved the food, very fresh and tasty. Nice western ambiance, cozy and warm. Friendly server.

Limited menu and pretty pricey. I think there are better choices in the neighborhood. Visited this spot because it was near my hotel. Ordered my burger medium rare and he came back medium well. Was too striving to send it back. Won't be returning. read more

The food was good but the service could have been better. My waitress visit our table maybe 3 times and thats including giving me the check before we were even at the middle of our meal... Not sure why I got the check before I got a refill on my drink or finished eating... I've never received mediocre service from this restaurant till today... read more

Ever want to take a girl to a rustic styled restaurant but still want nice.. this is definitely the place. Attached to the Hilton on Briar Park and Westheimer one light down from the Yao Restaurant on Gessner is Rio Ranch. I've done the dinners here but I've heard the brunches are very good here. My recent dinner consisted of the recommended chicken friend steak. First off... huge and ridiculous with a pile of hand mashed potatoes with the little hints of skin pitted with a valley of gravy poked down and poured by the ladle full. The chicken friend steak breading was crispy and slightly separated from the meat. cutting in, the meat part was juicy and full of flavor. Usually I only just get flavor from breading part mixed in but the steak was good. The gravy was a little on the sweeter side for me which messed well with the chicken fried steak. I like cut slices and steak finger the ends into the gravy for a little variety. Loved it. On another note, the service was very quick to respond and polite. Got our orders correctly with the little nuances. I stayed late talking and were very gracious to let us finish our conversation at our own pace till closing. read more

My wife and I had dinner here tonight...it was ok...Jason, our waiter did a good job...the strange thing was that it was 7pm on a Friday night and there were only 4 tables in use...I assume there is something going on that I don't know????? read more

Second time here an one again the staff made us feel very welcome. Our server was very attentive and was great at recommending dishes. The Mahi Mahi was very good withe the sauce and lump crab meat. Others in the group had the grilled shrimp and then16oz ryb eye. Across the board the meals were all good. Next trip to Houston, we'll stop here again. read more

I have been here for Mother's Day for the last three years and I was ready to give them five stars. That went out the window today. The food was great but then someone in my party spotted a bug on her cheesecake and another had a bug in his water. So we get the waitress and she showed no concern. She just walked away from the table to get the manager. That took about 20 minutes and then my daughter had to go find them. So the manager told her to take off 2 meals. That took another 15 minutes for her to return. The receipt still wasn't correct. Her attitude was so terrible. I will not tolerate a bad attitude. I don't think I'll be returning. read more

Lunch: Over-done burger...cold sweet potato fries. Chicken fried chicken breast had a dark, "used oil" crust. C'mon guys: Change your oil every now and then. Mashed potatoes were the saving grace...a nice touch was the Cholula sauce ribbons along edge of plate. Gave 'em a nice "zip." Note: The Luby's chicken fried chicken breast is much, MUCH better at 1/2 the price! Sunday brunch must be something 'cause lunch was not much of anything. read more

Only 4 stars due to limited menu. Chicken fried chicken was great, crispy and the cream gravy and biscuits are made from scratch. Finished the meal with bread pudding. So good with cinnamon and a bourbon sauce. read more

Oh my god. Get the peppercorn filet. It was one of the best steaks, and I don't think it is actually on the menu. The asparagus was great, they cook it over corn husks, which results in a really great flavor. Brandi was our waitress, and she was absolutely phenominal! So delicious! read more

Really great service and food. Highly recommend!!!!! John is a great waiter that is good as it gets!

Great place to eat. If you go ask for John (spelling might be wrong, my apologies) but he is an amazing server. Definitely ask for him if you dine here, the food is good too and the service from John was an added unexpected bonus. Definitely will be back to visit this place again and hope to have John as our server. read more

Went for Sunday brunch, very good. The selections were fresh and tasty. Our waitress was so friendly and stayed on top of our table. Have had lunch and dinner here in the past and glad we tried it for brunch. read more

Worst breakfast ever!!! Way overpriced $17.99. Selection is very limited. Eggs were cold. Fruit was old and mushy. No clean cups next to the drink station. Waste of money. read more

Very nice ranch style restaurant breakfast buffet. If you drive by Westheimer and think you should try this place, keep driving. Not worth stoping food is not good not worth it. read more

Unfortunately I will not be returning to a restaurant I used to love. My husband enjoyed the Sunday brunch on several occasions before, but today was a big disappointment. The omlette station was good, but everything else was not worth the $50 we spent. The bacon was hard, the eggs Benedict were cold and overcooked, the griddle was not serving freshly made pancakes, waffles and french toast and they removed one of my faves from the lineup... the pork sausages. I hate when restaurants raise their price without raising the quality of food. Time to find a new brunch buffet spot. read more

I only can here wit a group of friends on Saturday morning 4 brunch it alright not the best but wil do if u don't feel like cooking in the morning! read more

Came by for lunch. Had the onion rings to start off with and they were phenomenal! The California burger and brisket sandwich were great too! Will be back to try the brunch! Loved the cosy decor and setting! read more

Second time around was not so good. Waiter needs to find another profession. Slow and not at all attentive and the place was NOT busy. Slow to take order, slow to bring salads, slow to bring anything if it showed up at all. Rarely saw him and when he did come to table he quickly dropped what ever he was bringing and rushed off without asking if we needed anything else. Husband had tea and was refilled with soda. Salad was a bit watery but the main course was very good. Very disappointed! read more

Don't leave valuables in your car. During dinner, my client's brief case was stolen from his truck in parking lot. Earlier that day, a Ford F150 4x4 was stolen from same parking lot. Food was not up to par for the reputation of this restuarant. My friend and I both sent Ceasar Salads back to kitchen. Funny taste to the dressing. I ordered RibEye Steak. It was barely OK, I have had more tender RibEyes from Kroger at $4.99/lb. I used to love this restuarant. Now, it is certain that I won't be back. read more

Really difficult to get some coffee here, not a good way to start my stay here. Good thing Starbucks is next door. Would not even give one star, had to too to post. read more

Went to Sunday brunch for my birthday and everything was great. Got a table for 8 with no hassle, food and ambiance were amazing. The price is right and service was great! We will be returning very soon read more

I work in the area and have corporate breakfasts here on occasion. I called a week in advance to schedule a breakfast meeting and to reserve the room to the right of the restaurant that can be closed off. I was told my reservation would be fine and they took my name and number. I called the next day to confirm, because I had did not get a call to confirm or email. I was then told that the computers were down and they would make sure that my reservation was ready. I called again two days before the reservation and the computers were still down, so I was transferred to the manager who did not answer the phone. The morning of the reservation I called 50 minutes prior and was told I did not have a reservation and the manager would not be in until the time of my reservation. Needless to say, they were not prepared when my group of 28 showed up. Very upsetting. More upsetting is when I called to speak with the manager to see where the break down in communication was, he told me that he had my reservation yesterday and meant to call, but something came up. We will no longer use this restaurant for events since they clearly cannot take and keep reservations for groups. read more

A group of us ate lunch in there today. I had not been there for about two years as the poor service and meal two years ago was enough for me! However, this group, about 12, went today. The service was extremely poor. The waitress seemed to have a language problem. She talked some of our group into a salad/soup combo and couldn't seem to deliver the menu items as ordered. My salad was their Signature Salad and there were two, count them, two pieces of avocado, a pinch of bacon, no pecans and the wrong dressing. It was very small and I was charged the same amount as someone at the table who had a big Signature Salad with salmon on top. Paying the bills was interesting. Not sure this place could stay "alive" if it weren't next to the hotel. All in all, I will never go there again and will warn everyone I know. We used to eat in there 25 or so years ago and loved it. read more

I'm reviewing for the Sunday brunch only, not having been there any other time. I actually like it. You get a small station of hot items, like sausage links and patties, hash brown casserole, biscuits and gravy (albeit the gravy is a little bland and thin - they need to add bacon fat to it!) and their eggs benedict is usually good, if it hasn't set too long. But they also have a taco station, and a waffle/pancakes/french toast station with all kinds of toppings. You can have toast or crossiants or some type of fruit bread like muffins or banana nut bread. Then there's the egg station where they'll make omelets with whatever you want in them. I personally like them to just cook me some fried eggs. We generally have mimosas with our brunch. It's decent food (bearing in mind this IS a buffet!), the waiters leave you alone to enjoy your food and are prompt in clearing the plates as you go up for another round. Have thought about coming here one night for the CFS. Maybe some day. read more

My co-worker and I were craved for steak so we stopped by this place. The inside was very western style and nice. When we got the menu, it has VERY limited selection! I said, "Where is the beef?!" There is no steak at all! We left the table without order. The prices are very high! It is should be $$$ not $$. read more

Nice atmosphere and friendly staff; however, the food seemed bland. We went for the breakfast buffet, which had lots of options, but definitely not one of my favorite breakfast buffets. Coffee was ok. Glad I tried this restaurant though. Maybe lunch and dinner are better options than breakfast. read more