Our brunch was OK , but not what we hoped from reading the reviews. Excellent pancakes, Hollandaise was not flavorful and came in large quantities and the Bloody Mary fine but has nothing to it.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
T. Vo
Service is here is slow. Appetizer and entrees come out at the same time. Won’t be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 1
Lisa McManus
This was our first experience at The Essential. We had heard it was really good. We were pretty disappointed. Service was slow and it was not very crowded this was on a Saturday night. Food was just ok. The chicken was very dry on the pasta dish my daughter ordered. Very overrated restaurant.
Atmosphere: 2
Service: 2
Ryan Jones
We didn’t have the best experience here. We went for brunch due to several online reviews. We were severely disappointed. It started off with our coffee order being incorrect and was downhill from there. The food was very bland and overpriced. I’d recommend anywhere else for brunch honestly.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Zack Newell
Worst food I've ever had. For $150 in houston tx you get spoiled with delicious amazing food. Both of us ate cold flavorless steak, which they microwaved to warm it. What?! Change it out. The scallops were burned. The sides are cold and weird. Never again...
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
R Man
The atmosphere and service were beyond 5 star great. It feels like you're eating at a super fancy wealthy people restaurant in many ways. The charcuterie appetizer was also great & had a really amazing blend of strong flavors, but our entrees were just sorta.. eh. I had rigatoni bolognese & my wife had the pork shank. Neither of those dishes really impressed either of us. Took a good bit home & doubt we'll finish eating them. It's possible other dinner choices would be better here, but either way, we were still ultimately glad that we went to eat here for the experience of it & trying something new & different. BTW, they pour your water from a wine bottle at your table & it all just felt like a super fancy cool dining experience for prices that were as low as going to some Applebee's type place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Norge Luis
Experienced discrimination from the staff.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Mary-Meighan Riley Warren
It's such a shame...this place is beautiful! Definitely an upgrade from their last location. There is a spacious outdoors area too. The bad part is the pricing....I would like to say it's nice to treat yourself once in a while, if only the portion sizes were actually worth it. The food was ok. Nothing to brag about and for a burger and fries and a latte, I spent 40$...insane....and the burger was TINY. the plate had a decent amount of fries but they were terrible. like they had been sitting overnight and were reheated in the oven before being served. Asked for a side of ranch and it tasted like milky dill weed..gross. Nothing tasted like it should have been priced the way it was.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 1
Kevin Walsh
Last Saturday sat at the bar and both service and food/drinks were very good. So good we decided to return this Saturday with another couple. Pasta dishes were underwhelming and sent mine back because it was not hot. But service was worse. Waiter was awol most of the time. No one appeared to be in charge. Bill topped $280. Won't go back or recommend and canceling reservation for next Saturday at La Fete, which we understand is a sister restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 1
R D
The table service is efficient and non intrusive. But food was tepid, so I am assuming it sat on the pass for a bit. It has a great vibe for a brunch . Coffee is great. Might return for dinner when they have more vegetarian options. Do not recommend for brunch.
First time visiting this restaurant. Food was good but it took A LOOOOONG time to get served or even for them to take our order. Never get a refill for my drink. Service is not good. This place was recommended but it disappointed.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
Tanya Grace
✨ First time visit... My husband picked me up from the airport on a Thursday evening and I wanted something healthy for dinner. After a quick Google search, online photos and reviews of the 5 grain salad brought us here. It was difficult to find parking as all the paid street parking was taken. We circled the block several times and finally parked down the street after 20 minutes. We did not have reservations, however the hostess was kind enough to find us a table inside. Mid January temps made it too cold for outdoor seating 🥶. We were seated in the front area near the door and it was a bit too close for comfort for my preference. We were so close to the patrons next to us that we could hear their conversations, leaving no room for an intimate conversation between my husband and I. Our server (Katy- I believe) was so very friendly and personable. Her customer service was top notch. The 5 grain salad was worth the trip. My husband enjoyed the Malfadine wild mushrooms pasta with grilled chicken. We hope to return again and will make reservations.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Five Grain Salad
Julissa Rosas
GET THE BREAKFAST HASHH!! Only reason i give a 4/5 was because eggs were SUPER oily and pancakes had a slight orangey flavor, which i dislike orange but if you are into orange it’s great! Also need reservations. On pricier side but it fits the vibe :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Breakfast Hash
Kelsey
The restaurant is beautiful inside although small. They were busy on a Saturday evening! It feels very trendy. They may have been short staffed when we visited. My dish arrived room temperature cold. The server couldn't return for quite a bit so I opted to eat the veggies since those more tolerable than cold meat. When finally asked about the meal, I explained it arrived cold and was tough to eat. I was told it was the temperature but after remake with the same coldness and toughness by the time it arrived, they decided to comp the meal. I was appreciated and not something we requested. I'm not sure why the food kept coming cold but my friend loved the trout so maybe opt for that. With only 4 or so entrees you'd expect them all to be delightful. Again, maybe it was a bad night for them. Hope you have a better experience!
Vegetarian options: No vegetarian dishes offered.
Parking: Very limited parking with no valet option.
Wheelchair accessibility: Poorly accessible. The curbs have ramps but the closeness of the tables would be challenging. There's low seating mostly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 3
Hannah Jane Schiller
We had a terrible Saturday brunch experience there yesterday. I was embarrassed because I had told my out of town friend how great this place was but then this happened: we ordered bloody Marys, which were small but tasty, then we ordered our food, a pretty big order for two people, but we were hungry. Our salad came out pretty quickly and it was delicious. Then we chatted while we waited for the rest of our meal... For over 40 minutes, with no word from our server or anyone who worked there that whole time. We watched as people who were seated about 10 minutes after us, received their food (they had a different server), ate their entire meal, and had their dishes cleared away. When my friend got up to ask that we just pay for what we ate so we could leave, his response was "let me talk to my manager." No, apology or acknowledgement that we had been waiting. We honestly should have just walked out right then. Clearly nobody was paying attention to us. But we waited a few more minutes and paid for our salad and drinks. When he brought the check he said a quick, uncomfortable, not at all believable "I'm sorry," without eye contact or even saying what he was sorry for. When we left, nobody said a word or acknowled us. It was busy, so I don't blame the hostess for not saying anything. I don't blame the kitchen, as they were clearly working very hard. Our server could, at any point, just come say *something* to us. When he told his manager we were leaving, the manager should have come over, in my opinion, but I don't know if our server even explained the situation to him. He may have just been like, "hey my table want to leave before their food has come out." That was humiliating and the worst service I've ever experienced—the only time I have ever left a $0 tip. The only reason I'm giving 2 stars over all is that the food really is great.
The place felt really cramped inside, while the people lucky enough to be seated outside had lots of space. The two-seaters up front where we were felt awkwardly close to one another. Being so close to strangers really wouldn't have bothered me at all tbh, had we not had to smell their food while we were being totally ignored.
By the way, I know it's a pricey place, but wow just two drinks and a salad resulted in a $50 check. We really should have walked out.
Our brunch was OK , but not what we hoped from reading the reviews. Excellent pancakes, Hollandaise was not flavorful and came in large quantities and the Bloody Mary fine but has nothing to it.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Service is here is slow. Appetizer and entrees come out at the same time. Won’t be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 1
This was our first experience at The Essential. We had heard it was really good. We were pretty disappointed. Service was slow and it was not very crowded this was on a Saturday night. Food was just ok. The chicken was very dry on the pasta dish my daughter ordered. Very overrated restaurant.
Atmosphere: 2
Service: 2
We didn’t have the best experience here. We went for brunch due to several online reviews. We were severely disappointed. It started off with our coffee order being incorrect and was downhill from there. The food was very bland and overpriced. I’d recommend anywhere else for brunch honestly.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Worst food I've ever had. For $150 in houston tx you get spoiled with delicious amazing food. Both of us ate cold flavorless steak, which they microwaved to warm it. What?! Change it out. The scallops were burned. The sides are cold and weird. Never again...
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
The atmosphere and service were beyond 5 star great. It feels like you're eating at a super fancy wealthy people restaurant in many ways. The charcuterie appetizer was also great & had a really amazing blend of strong flavors, but our entrees were just sorta.. eh. I had rigatoni bolognese & my wife had the pork shank. Neither of those dishes really impressed either of us. Took a good bit home & doubt we'll finish eating them. It's possible other dinner choices would be better here, but either way, we were still ultimately glad that we went to eat here for the experience of it & trying something new & different. BTW, they pour your water from a wine bottle at your table & it all just felt like a super fancy cool dining experience for prices that were as low as going to some Applebee's type place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Experienced discrimination from the staff.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
It's such a shame...this place is beautiful! Definitely an upgrade from their last location. There is a spacious outdoors area too. The bad part is the pricing....I would like to say it's nice to treat yourself once in a while, if only the portion sizes were actually worth it. The food was ok. Nothing to brag about and for a burger and fries and a latte, I spent 40$...insane....and the burger was TINY. the plate had a decent amount of fries but they were terrible. like they had been sitting overnight and were reheated in the oven before being served. Asked for a side of ranch and it tasted like milky dill weed..gross. Nothing tasted like it should have been priced the way it was.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 1
Last Saturday sat at the bar and both service and food/drinks were very good. So good we decided to return this Saturday with another couple. Pasta dishes were underwhelming and sent mine back because it was not hot. But service was worse. Waiter was awol most of the time. No one appeared to be in charge. Bill topped $280. Won't go back or recommend and canceling reservation for next Saturday at La Fete, which we understand is a sister restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 1
The table service is efficient and non intrusive. But food was tepid, so I am assuming it sat on the pass for a bit. It has a great vibe for a brunch . Coffee is great.
Might return for dinner when they have more vegetarian options. Do not recommend for brunch.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
First time visiting this restaurant. Food was good but it took A LOOOOONG time to get served or even for them to take our order. Never get a refill for my drink. Service is not good. This place was recommended but it disappointed.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
✨ First time visit... My husband picked me up from the airport on a Thursday evening and I wanted something healthy for dinner. After a quick Google search, online photos and reviews of the 5 grain salad brought us here.
It was difficult to find parking as all the paid street parking was taken. We circled the block several times and finally parked down the street after 20 minutes. We did not have reservations, however the hostess was kind enough to find us a table inside. Mid January temps made it too cold for outdoor seating 🥶. We were seated in the front area near the door and it was a bit too close for comfort for my preference. We were so close to the patrons next to us that we could hear their conversations, leaving no room for an intimate conversation between my husband and I. Our server (Katy- I believe) was so very friendly and personable. Her customer service was top notch.
The 5 grain salad was worth the trip. My husband enjoyed the Malfadine wild mushrooms pasta with grilled chicken.
We hope to return again and will make reservations.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Five Grain Salad
GET THE BREAKFAST HASHH!! Only reason i give a 4/5 was because eggs were SUPER oily and pancakes had a slight orangey flavor, which i dislike orange but if you are into orange it’s great! Also need reservations. On pricier side but it fits the vibe :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Breakfast Hash
The restaurant is beautiful inside although small. They were busy on a Saturday evening! It feels very trendy. They may have been short staffed when we visited. My dish arrived room temperature cold. The server couldn't return for quite a bit so I opted to eat the veggies since those more tolerable than cold meat. When finally asked about the meal, I explained it arrived cold and was tough to eat. I was told it was the temperature but after remake with the same coldness and toughness by the time it arrived, they decided to comp the meal. I was appreciated and not something we requested. I'm not sure why the food kept coming cold but my friend loved the trout so maybe opt for that. With only 4 or so entrees you'd expect them all to be delightful. Again, maybe it was a bad night for them. Hope you have a better experience!
Vegetarian options: No vegetarian dishes offered.
Parking: Very limited parking with no valet option.
Wheelchair accessibility: Poorly accessible. The curbs have ramps but the closeness of the tables would be challenging. There's low seating mostly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 3
We had a terrible Saturday brunch experience there yesterday. I was embarrassed because I had told my out of town friend how great this place was but then this happened: we ordered bloody Marys, which were small but tasty, then we ordered our food, a pretty big order for two people, but we were hungry. Our salad came out pretty quickly and it was delicious. Then we chatted while we waited for the rest of our meal... For over 40 minutes, with no word from our server or anyone who worked there that whole time. We watched as people who were seated about 10 minutes after us, received their food (they had a different server), ate their entire meal, and had their dishes cleared away. When my friend got up to ask that we just pay for what we ate so we could leave, his response was "let me talk to my manager." No, apology or acknowledgement that we had been waiting. We honestly should have just walked out right then. Clearly nobody was paying attention to us. But we waited a few more minutes and paid for our salad and drinks. When he brought the check he said a quick, uncomfortable, not at all believable "I'm sorry," without eye contact or even saying what he was sorry for. When we left, nobody said a word or acknowled us. It was busy, so I don't blame the hostess for not saying anything. I don't blame the kitchen, as they were clearly working very hard. Our server could, at any point, just come say *something* to us. When he told his manager we were leaving, the manager should have come over, in my opinion, but I don't know if our server even explained the situation to him. He may have just been like, "hey my table want to leave before their food has come out." That was humiliating and the worst service I've ever experienced—the only time I have ever left a $0 tip. The only reason I'm giving 2 stars over all is that the food really is great.
The place felt really cramped inside, while the people lucky enough to be seated outside had lots of space. The two-seaters up front where we were felt awkwardly close to one another. Being so close to strangers really wouldn't have bothered me at all tbh, had we not had to smell their food while we were being totally ignored.
By the way, I know it's a pricey place, but wow just two drinks and a salad resulted in a $50 check. We really should have walked out.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 1
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