Took a friend to this restaurant for his birthday. The interior is beautiful, and I think this would be a good place for date night. I thought this was a Spanish restaurant at first but the menu was a bit more eclectic suggesting a Latin fusion. Didn't see any tapas but instead saw empanadas, ceviches, pasta, and paella. I ordered the Peruvian ceviche as an appetizer. I never had a ceviche with that much lime juice but it definitely cooked and tenderised the white fish through without overpowering its mild taste. It was good enough that I was trying to scoop out any last remnants from the sea of lime. My mushroom bolognese pasta was okay. The sauce was vegetarian, but the carrots dominated any "meaty" taste of the mushrooms with its sweetness. Good thing there was plenty of ricotta and parmesan cheese to make up for that. The service was attentive and friendly. read more

Salento Bistrot - Peruvian ceviche - Wine Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Gorgeous morning, light breeze, Latin jazz, all accompanied by a perfect two-egg spinach omelet with goat cheese and a light sprinkling of herbs and rose peppercorns. Add a lovely iced latte and fresh fruit...AND bacon for my itty bitty pitbull along with complimentary dog treats. The service is genuinely kind, not rushed, beautifully human with smiles matching all the lovely sunshine. Oh. And the church bells just started ringing... absolutely the perfect place for a leisurely Sunday breakfast! read more

I really wanted to love this place but the service was too slow. I came on a Sunday during Restaurant Week and it was not busy but it feels like they were understaffed. I ordered a latte which was just okay and the Migas which were good but I've had better. The decor was really nice and our server was friendly. read more

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I met my cousin here last weekend for my final 2025 HRW meal. It's a beautiful restaurant, outside and in, with lovely plants everywhere. It isn't too big and is nice and comfy. A great place to have brunch and good conversation. The hostess was kind and our waitress was super sweet and helpful. She made great recommendations. Thanks to her, I tried their amazing silky butternut squash soup. It was so good. She even recommended us a good nail tech, lol. Her nails were beautiful and she provided us her nail tech's info. Anyway, after eating the soup, I had the NY steak salad with salsa verde. It was perfect, the steak was just the right color, temperature and the salsa verde couldn't have been a better way to top it off. It was so good. For my dessert I had the cranberry lemon tart. It was good overall but for my particular tastebuds, wasn't the best dessert I've ever had. I ate half of it because I got full. I took the other half home but never finished it. Probably for the best. Don't want to eat too many sweets. My cousin's food also looked amazing. I want to try out the Huevos Rotos she had at some point. It was beautiful and seemed like a great blend of flavors. She also had the French toast to start, that also looked divine and she raved about her guava and brie empanada. Solento Bistrot was a very nice, calm and peaceful brunch experience. I'd highly recommend it if you're hoping to have great food and conversation where you won't have to shout but also won't have to worry about anyone overhearing your conversation. Btw, the parking is also super easy. It's a breeze to find free parking across the street (just make sure you don't park in a marked spot). You can also park in the nearby Rice Village garage where 2 hours of parking is validated. read more

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Came during Memorial Day weekend, had a nice 1/2 off bottle of rose Empanadas: 5/5, had the steak and the guava/cheese empanada. Both were fresh, hot, super tasty Paella mixto: 5/5, very flavorful, generous with the shrimp, mussels, chicken was juicy and chorizo was very tasty . Chimichurri steak: 2/5 quite disappointing, steak came out lukewarm, quite a few tendony bits not the best cut of meat, tasted like it was made earlier in the day and then just reheated. The sweet potato puree and the chimichurri sauce had almost no flavor, could not finish it Service was great, our waiter was very attentive, stayed on top of refilling our waters and wine and the patio seating was cute. read more

Salento Bistrot - Wine Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Came here for our first stop for Houston Restaurant Weeks. I've been to rice village several times and had never stumbled upon this restaurant so I was excited to try, especially with how aesthetic and cute it looks from the outside. Walking in, there's a set up to your left for a single musician and being able to listen to live music during your dinner was a lovely touch. The service was okay, didn't seem like there was a lot of wait staff for the whole restaurant (which is a little on the small side) so I felt like we waited quite awhile for things, especially at the end for our check. - Mussels in tomato garlic sauce - 5/5; my only complaint is the bread that is served with the mussels is a little stale but when it's dipped in the delicious sauce, it soaks it up beautifully and you can't even tell anymore - Crab cake - 4/5; while the flavor of the crab cake itself was good, wish it came with at least two instead of just the one - Seafood paella - 3/5; I found it to be a little on the bland and dry side but my boyfriend enjoyed - Mushroom bolognese rigatoni 4/5; while I did expect there to be ground meat as it's a bolognese, the mushrooms did give a hearty, meaty texture and there was a savory umami flavor to it and it was rich and creamy - Chocolate almond cake - 2/5; so incredibly dry and the little dollop of cream you're given on the top of the cake cannot help - Apricot tart - 5/5; surprisingly our favorite dish of the night read more

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Tried this place out for Houston restaurant weeks. The interior decor was cute and trendy. Menu was eclectic. I really enjoyed the Gouda and mushroom empanada. My husband got the mussels - I was not a fan. NY Steak Salad was flavored well but steak was room temp. We ended up waiting a very long time for dessert to arrive. The cranberry lemon tart was still frozen on the inside and almond lemon cake was just ok. read more

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The food - the service- the creativity and ambience - all wonderful. We had the best brunch I have had in Houston. Delicious and delightful read more

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We came for restaurant week and enjoyed the food, but our wait for dessert at the end soured the experience (no pun intended). The inside of the restaurant was beautiful with an intimate layout and great decor. My wife and I did the restaurant week menu. She got the empanada and I got the mussels, and we both enjoyed them thoroughly. For our entrees, we got the steak salad & bolognese pasta. The steak salad was great, and while my wife enjoyed the pasta, I was honestly hoping it would have been a little more rich in flavor overall. Now, for the dessert, I basically got a lemon bar. It felt like we waited a solid 20 minutes for a rock hard tart, while my wife's almond cake was soft and basically ready to go. Our waiter apologized while we were waiting for it, which I figured was because they were shortstaffed or making the dessert fresh. When they came out with our dessert, he apologized again and said they were waiting for the lemon bar to warm up to room temp since it came out of the freezer. Dude -- that is something you tell your customer BEFORE they order it so 1) they don't order a brick from the freezer for dessert and 2) if they decide to, they'll know to expect a wait instead of wondering what the heck is going on. All in all, I'd come back if someone wanted to, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone else. read more

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The atmosphere, especially the outdoor seating, with the live music is why I come here. The food is not bad but also nothing spectacular, and the drinks are a good value but the vibe is really the selling point of this spot. read more

We were a pretty big group the evening of Valentine's Day. Though there was a prix fixe menu for V Day, you could order a la carte. We were brought water without us having to ask for it. Our waiter was nice and gave us separate checks. Plus he didn't automatically add a 20 percent tip. The empanada is $6, kind of pricey. I didn't think the filling was delicious. It was a melange of spinach and ricotta. It's served with a tiny cup of chimichurri sauce. The restaurant was packed. There was live music by a French man outside. It was chilly but they have warming lights. read more

Salento Bistrot - Cauliflower - Wine Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Since this restaurant is in Rice Village, there's street metered parking. It's a small venue with some outdoor seating. There used to be bar seating but it's been changed to small two people round tables. The waitresses we've had have always been nice and attentive. There's only one time we went when the service was slow and so was the food. The food is good, I like the huevos rancheros and their chai tea. The eggs Benedict are also good and come with two orange slices and a strawberry cut in half. I love the calm atmosphere. read more

Salento Bistrot - Wine Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

Good food. Fast service. Nice ambiance. I like to try something different almost every single time that I visit this place. Today I tried the Tuscan Pan Seared Salmon. I've had salmon at other restaurants and it always tastes like charred, dried out, rubbery, crunchy salt. Today was a refreshing change from that. The fish here was perfectly cooked, easy to chew and I could actually taste the fish instead of just salt. I got there around 4:15pm, a time right between when most of the lunch crowd had already left and just before the dinner crowd started to arrive. It was 96 degrees outside so I decided to sit inside where it was cool instead of at one of the tables outside. Since nobody else was seated near any of the tables by the windows yet, I got to enjoy the relaxing view of all of the green plants outside while I dined. One table with two women left shortly after I arrived and they thanked the waiter for his excellent service as they walked out the door. Evidently, one of them found the nearest ATM and then returned a few minutes later with more cash in hand to give the waiter as an even bigger tip than the original one that she gave him. She thanked him again for his excellent service and said that she would definitely be coming back in the near future. I don't think I've ever seen a customer do that at any restaurant I've ever visited before. I actually had the same waiter that she did. I don't remember seeing him there during my previous visits, though. He was personable, brought my food to me quickly, checked on me about halfway through to see if I needed anything else and he thanked me repeatedly for coming in. Even though I paid $3.00 for the street metered parking directly in front of this quaint little Rice Village restaurant, I think it was worth it and I'll definitely be coming back. read more

Salento Bistrot - Tuscan Pan Seared Salmon - Wine Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Haven't been back for a year and the place has been as good as it was before. Nice ambiance. read more

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Met some friends for brunch and the interior was cozy. Service was awesome. Price is what you would expect. Quinoa salad with added salmon 5/5 The salad was delicious. I love how generous they were with the avocado and salmon. They gave the whole piece. Drinks 4/5 We enjoyed the tea and latte. Not a lot of variety for teas but they were all organic and gave a side of honey. Avocado toast 5/5 Pretty presentation. Good amount of salmon to avocado to toast. Empanada 5/5 Friend really enjoyed them Steak taco 5/5 Steak was flavorful and tender. Liked that they stuffed it. read more

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My friends and I came here for a Saturday brunch. We had a private secluded table which we loved! We ordered eggs Benedict, seafood paella, brie and figs empanada, avocado toast, lemon almond cake and grapefruit mimosa. We enjoyed all of the food especially paella which my friend said had a lot of seafood. Lemon almond cake was a bit dry. Overall, everything else was good. The service was a bit slow. We didn't have our water refilled until the end of our meal. However, overall the place and the food was really good and there was parking available in front of the restaurant. Lastly, because I checked in on yelp, I was able to get a free cup of coffee. read more

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During the last ten years there has been a lot of changes in the Rice Village but unfortunately not for the good! However Salento Bistrot remains one of the shining stars of the Rice Village! I have been in and out of this nice restaurant for about 18 years. The food is delicious and the selection of wines is more than just decent. I love the beautiful atmosphere with nice music and the staff is always helpful. I need to add that the staff is bilingual and courteous. My last experience confirmed me that this is one of the few places I feel confortable to eat in the Rice Village. The prices are moderate and for the quality of the food is worth it. Please try the delicious paella and do not miss the flavorful sangria. They also have a patio but I prefer to eat inside. In my last visit I didn't eat dessert because apparently they're not offering the traditional "torta de Santiago" (used to be my favorite ). read more

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If you want a pleasant brunch experience, then I recommend Salento. They're exceptional for their service and atmosphere, and then their food was also quite enjoyable (a little pricey but worth it). I recommend the Homemade Brioche French Toast and Signature Paella! Delicious! read more

Salento Bistrot - Wine Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Very nice location and ambiance! Service was friendly and very accommodating as well, my only reason for 4 stars is because the egg within all the empanadas we got were really over cooked and the toppings besides egg were really lacking in the amount we got. Specifically the tomato and egg one had almost no tomato and only had over cooked egg. The sauce was pretty good and salvaged the empanadas but if I come here again I'd try the other menu items before reordering more of the empanadas. read more

Salento Bistrot - Baked Empanadas - Wine Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

Great service and I only got to have the empanadas and omg they were so yummy. I can't wait to come back with my family to try some more food off the menu read more

Salento Bistrot - Wine Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Love the intimate atmosphere, and more importantly the food and service was great. Diving right in we ordered the Brie & fig empanadas which had a rich and creamy, but sweet touch from the fig. I really enjoyed this appetizer! The ceviche was simple that included white fish, lime, tomatoes, avocados, and onion, which was nothing too overwhelming. The paella was superb and probably something I'll continue to return for! Flavorful and cooked to perfection. The steak was very tender and I loved the veggies that came with it, though I was not a fan of the chimichuri sauce that was topped on the steak. To finish the night, we shared an almond chocolate cake. Very light and not too sweet. Overall the experience was great and I can't wait to come back! Liz took care of us all the way through and was extremely friendly and helpful! Definitely would recommend! read more

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Met a girlfriend here for early dinner. We shared empanada, salad, soup, cake, coffee. All was tasty and service was quality. read more

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We checked out their HRW menu and everything was delicious. The atmosphere makes you feel like you are in a European bistro. The campechana was the highlight of the meal. read more

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What I love about Selento's: the front patio seating! With a prime location in Rice Village, it makes for the perfect spot to people watch and enjoy the weather. Second, they have a good variety of options on their menu so it was not difficult at all to find something that hit most of my cravings! I visited for a late lunch on a lightly rainy Saturday and even sitting outside watching the rain was lovely! The patio covering was just enough. Food: I ordered the chimichurri steak which came with a side of broccoli and potatoes. I appreciated  that the steak was cooked to my liking and the potatoes were seasoned well! The meal was perfectly filling and hit the spot. Drinks: I ordered the sangria and frankly I was underwhelmed and did not finish it- I'd def. choose something else next time. Service: quick and straightforward. Loved that there was no wait. Would I recommend a visit? Absolutely! Perfect lunch or brunch spot solo or with friends/family for just about any occasion. A nice but relaxed spot with good food options. read more

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This is a hidden gem! Absolutely wonderful people, amazing food, great atmosphere, love visiting the area! The customer service is exceptional! The beef empanadas, are absolutely incredible! I hear they are revamping the menu, but those empanadas are here to stay! read more

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Decent place for a Sunday brunch. Atmosphere is awesome with a large makeshift patio section. Lots of room and umbrellas if it's raining or sunny. Service was good as well. Food was good. Nice and hot. Nothing too notable just a cute place for brunch! read more

Salento Bistrot - Epinadas and avocado toast with cured salmon - Wine Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

Came by to grab an empanada. Got the mushroom one, it was so good! A must try, the mushrooms and cheese blended together well and the empanada dough was perfectly baked. Will be coming back! If you check in on yelp you get a free coffee as well. read more

The food is ok, but u need to order 3 orders to fill up your belly And the service sooooo slow. And the price is too high for the food portion read more

Salento Bistrot - Sangria needs more flavor - Wine Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

I have visited Salento Bistro for brunch, and dinner many times by myself or w guests. The restaurant has a European bistro vibe w charming indoor and outdoor seating. They even have two spaces for private group dinning. On weekends they feature live music. The staff are welcoming, knowledgeable and very caring. If you visit for brunch, their cappuccino and lattes are on point. French toast is delightful, eggs Benedict w smoked salmon is the perfect blend of flavors and textures between creamy sauce & poached egg, Smokey & salty flavor of the salmon and the crunch of the perfect toast, the pink peppercorns are just the bright note on top! Avocado toast is light and refreshing and the salmon tartine is perfect for breakfast or lunch! Their gourmet empanadas are out of this world! My favorite are Brie and fig, smoked Gouda and mushroom and beef, no pictures bc they never last long enough on the table! For dinner I have tried Salmon and butternut squash soup both flavorful. If you are looking for a favorite neighborhood Bistro, look no further! read more

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I come here often and happened to stop by on Mother's Day which was one of the busiest days I've ever seen Salento. I understand the backups within the kitchen but I patiently waited for my food which did take longer than expected but it was still delicious as I know it. I saw some scenes happen around the restaurant especially a problem with a nut allergy, with furious parents, but in all honesty the kid was perfectly fine. Some people just love to cause drama which I know and not every experience is consistently perfect but I still enjoyed time. read more

Terrible terrible place. Informed multiple servers and front staff of my son's nut allergy prior to ordering and was assured it would be fine. They brought him his meal with a sauce with ground nuts. He started eating and suffered an allergic reaction requiring epi pens. The waitress then LIED in front of the manager saying I had never informed her. Their excuse afterwards was that the sauce "only had a little bit of nuts". Besides this, also had to wait over an hour for food, another 30 minutes for silverware after the food came (we ended up going to the bar to obtain our own silverware)..... absolutely do not go to this restaurant, especially if you have food allergies!! read more

Can't say enough great things about this cute spot in Rice village! The decor and ambiance is amazing. It's a restaurant/coffee shop and it has a wonderful wine selection. We had the paella with squid ink, chimichurri steak, empanadas, fruit tart and chocolate cake. The Brie and fig empanadas are a must! What an incredible sweet and savory flavor with a buttery and flakey crust. The crab cakes are really good with lots of meat! The dill sauce goes perfectly with them. My favorite was the squid ink paella. Just such incredible flavor and what a pretty dish! The steak was also cooked medium just like requested and came with a generous chimichurri. Recommend getting the fruit tart to finish. The chocolate cake was ok, but not very sweet. More of a dark chocolate taste if that makes sense? Loved everything here and can't wait to come back and enjoy more. The service was awesome as well so don't wait to check this spot out :) read more

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Lovely place. With cute and quiet and relaxing environment. Service and food were spectacular. I will give it 5/5. read more

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Met up at this cute bistro with some coworkers Saturday evening for dinner. It is in Rice Village so parking is available but in certain areas it's metered or free. There is indoor and outdoor seating. It was a group of five of us and we sat inside. We ordered a round of aperol spritz, empanadas, and ceviche. Everything was really tasty! The ceviche tasted fresh. I personally ordered the chicken and brie/fig. Both were good but the chicken was the best. I definitely want to visit again but for breakfast! I hear the coffee is really good too! read more

Beautiful place, horrible service, and the food "looked" good. I waited almost an hour, even tried to got to the bar, no one would take my order. One server said she would be right out (didn't happen), the other said he couldn't take my order until he closed out other tabs. It's sad when businesses lack basic customer 101. So I left to go get food. read more

Salento was recommended to me by a friend because of their squid ink paella. Unfortunately, I don't tend to like strong fishy tasting foods and was told by the server that this was the case when adding the squid ink to the paella. I decided to order the regular Paella mixta (with chicken, sausage, and seafood). I'VE HAD BETTER PAELLA. I was disappointed because I only had one sausage and 3 shrimp. My muscles tasted the way goldfish poop smells. I was disappointed. I wonder if their paella is just hit or miss. The other menu items I tried were pretty good. The calamari was great, not too hard or too chewy, and the sauce that came with it, a type of garlic green sauce, was very good. I tried the chicken empanada and the spinach-ricotta empanada. Both were tasty. The pastry shell was flaky and tied the flavors together. My friend had the crab cakes and reported that the crab was fishy and soft, making me question the freshness of some of Salento's seafood. We ordered a bottle of wine called Stond, a 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington. The wine we ordered was very smooth and went down way too easily. Can't lie, I left a bit buzzed. The atmosphere was amazing. There was a live musician playing instrumental covers of popular songs and offering soothing background music. read more

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If you are brown or black they will not acknowledge you. I had a reservation and I sat with my date for 20 minutes and no one greeted us but they were very active with the people around us. This is unacceptable, will never go back. read more

Came here for Restaurant Week. Tried all the featured dishes - Steak & Margarita Empanada: Perfect. I liked the steak one just a littttle more but I think it would all hinge on just personal preference. The shell was flaky and perfectly made 4.5/5 - Yucatán Ceviche: Not a lot to say about this one, just pretty good ceviche, i do wish they were more generous with the avocados 4/5 - Butternut Squash Soup: Might be my favorite thing from their menu. Creamy and light, it's pretty good soup y'all 5/5 Entrees: - Paella Valenciana: Favorite entree by far, this one just worked really well all the flavors worked really well and chicken and sausage was amazing 4/5 - Lomo Salteado: this one was pretty good, the potatoes were perfect texture, the steak was good (imo a little too salty). 3.4/5 - Wild Mushroom Shrimp Pasta: man this pasta was so rich it pulled out a black amex after the meal. The noodles were a little too thick imo, and it was just very creamy i couldn't imagine finishing a whole plate of it 3/5 Dessert: ok the desserts all kinda fell flat for me, but the Alfajor was the best. the rest were pretty much HEB grade bakery section. 2.5/5 Overall 39$ for a meal was pretty good, I came with a group so we got to try a little of everything. If I came by myself I would probably do the Butternut Squash Soup, Paella, and Alfajor. I wouldn't say anything here is bad, probably just not for me personally. Great meal! read more

We tried this place during their Valentine's Day special. It was our first time and we really enjoyed it. They did put us on a weird bar table, squeezed into the back corner with three other tables, which was super uncomfortable, but once we asked to move, they let us. The food was really good and we were super happy with the options on the limited menu. read more

Some friends were in town and wanted to visit this place because it was a favorite when they lived in the area. I hadn't ever been, so I didn't know what to expect. Upon arriving, I quickly remembered why I hate going to Rice Village. Parking has gotten ridiculous around the area, and now even the storefront parking is metered. We ended up finding parking several blocks away and made our way over to the restaurant. The place is a cute little bistro with a variety of food options, some of which strike me as a little odd, like the fajita plate. The menu seemed to have a ton of good lunch specials, but they're only available on weekdays, so we couldn't try them on a Friday. We ended up going with the Argentine empanadas, which came served with a salad, and the chicken curry tartare, which is basically an open faced sandwich. Portions are European cafe size, which fits the theme of the restaurant, but as a result come off as a bit pricey. It was a nice place to visit, and if you're looking for a European style cafe in Rice Village, I guess it's a good option, but I probably won't be back. read more

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