My husband and I recently dined at Houston’s in Riverside Square Mall, and while the evening started off wonderfully, it ended in a very disappointing way.
First, I want to recognize our waitress, Lauren, who was absolutely outstanding. She was attentive, friendly, and provided excellent service throughout our meal. She checked on us regularly, was incredibly pleasant, and made sure everything was perfect. The food was also great, no different from our previous experiences.
Unfortunately, the experience took a very uncomfortable turn toward the end of our meal. As my husband and I were finishing our drinks and preparing to wrap up, a manage, Caitlin, came over to ask how everything was. We were actually in the middle of praising Lauren and telling her how wonderful our waitress had been.
However, the conversation quickly shifted when the manager abruptly began telling us that people were waiting for tables and asked us to leave. This was extremely surprising to us. It made us feel uncomfortable and put us in a compromising position. We did not see anyone waiting for a table, and when we arrived earlier, we ourselves had patiently waited over 40 minutes to be seated without complaint.
The manager then went on to explain that there is a 2 hour seating limit because other guests need to be accommodated. If that is Houston’s policy, it absolutely should be communicated when guests are seated not brought up during our meal or while finishing their drinks. Meanwhile, we hadn’t been seated for 2 hours either.
My husband and I have been dining at Houston’s for years and have always enjoyed the food and service, which is why this interaction was so disappointing. We felt rushed out of the restaurant after spending a significant amount of time and money there, which is not the level of hospitality we’ve come to expect from Houston’s.
Lauren deserves recognition for her exceptional service, but the way this situation was handled by management left us feeling unwelcome and very disappointed.
Hannah Lewis
Exceptional food. Cannot speak well enough about the service. The experience is next level. And they serve Dr. Konstantin Frank wine from the Finger Lakes, personal favorite. Everything from service to cleanliness to timeliness, it is worth every penny. I don’t feel in the least bit like I’m at the mall in the best way possible.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mlopic
It NEVER lets down. The food is always amazing, the people are WONDERFUL and the atmosphere is AMAZING. Would 100% recommend, (Try the artichoke dip it’s to DIE for)!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Candace Winder
Delicious food and beverages. Servers are friendly. LOVE the tuna sashimi salad and fresh squeezed grapefruit with Titos.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jay \u0026 Jaz
Great food and atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Maria wright
Always good
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mohamed Mustafa
I love this place but today I liked it even more I had a great waitress named Jordan she was very accommodating to my fasting issue when I arrived at the Resturant early. She was also very knowledgeable about the menu and the specials of the day. We ordered 2 things that she recommended if they were great good vibes all around deff go people you won’t regret it worth every penny. 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bryanna Ruiz
The absolute best spinach artichoke dip I have ever had! And the chicken sandwich was amazing. I will definitely be coming back just for that! the service was great and the wait time is long but definitely worth it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alan Carrino
The food at Houston’s is always delicious and the staff is always on point
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hawaiian Ribeye with French Fries, Grilled Artichokes, Cherry Brownie with Meeting Vanilla Ice Cream, Caesar Salad
Vincent Spano
This is one of the only places I've rated 4 stars overall while giving it 5 stars in every category. Why? Because of one serious miss at this price point, no salad or any kind of vegetable. Their absolutely delicious Steak Hawaiian came with French fries, no other option, a serious miss in my opinion. We also had their spinach artichoke dip as an appetizer which was delicious. The service was outstanding, the atmosphere was lovely. The prices were high. And the place was packed on a Tuesday afternoon from 2 pm until we left at 4 pm. Not an empty table.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hawaiian Ribeye with French Fries, Spinach \u0026 Artichoke Dip
Our waiter was unhelpful with accommodating dietary restrictions. The burger was very average and comparable to a diner. Very expensive for mediocre food.
Also, a member from my group wore a hat and was asked to take it off. He then felt uncomfortable eating there because of that.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
N N
I'm glad my name is not associated with this restaurant cuz what I noticed it's lacking.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 1
Catherine A
One of my favorite spots! The Hawaiian steak is to die for.
Reservations are a MUST especially on weekends.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Patricia Debiase
I was charged $6 for two microscopic scoops of sour cream and butter to fix a dry baked potato on Valentine’s Day. At a restaurant that considers itself “high-end.” Embarrassing. I’ve been coming here for years and have never been charged for basic condiments — and I’ve never been to any restaurant that nickel-and-dimes customers like this. If that’s the policy now, maybe warn people before sneaking it onto the bill. The manager was cold, dismissive, and completely uninterested in making it right. Repeating “that’s our policy” isn’t customer service — it’s laziness. Refusing to remove a petty $6 charge for a loyal customer says everything. It’s not about the money. It’s about how small and tacky this felt.
Very disappointing.
Food: 5
Trevor Trela
Lilibeth was our server tonight, she was incredibly attentive and gave us excellent service! Thanks so much
My husband and I recently dined at Houston’s in Riverside Square Mall, and while the evening started off wonderfully, it ended in a very disappointing way.
First, I want to recognize our waitress, Lauren, who was absolutely outstanding. She was attentive, friendly, and provided excellent service throughout our meal. She checked on us regularly, was incredibly pleasant, and made sure everything was perfect. The food was also great, no different from our previous experiences.
Unfortunately, the experience took a very uncomfortable turn toward the end of our meal. As my husband and I were finishing our drinks and preparing to wrap up, a manage, Caitlin, came over to ask how everything was. We were actually in the middle of praising Lauren and telling her how wonderful our waitress had been.
However, the conversation quickly shifted when the manager abruptly began telling us that people were waiting for tables and asked us to leave. This was extremely surprising to us. It made us feel uncomfortable and put us in a compromising position. We did not see anyone waiting for a table, and when we arrived earlier, we ourselves had patiently waited over 40 minutes to be seated without complaint.
The manager then went on to explain that there is a 2 hour seating limit because other guests need to be accommodated. If that is Houston’s policy, it absolutely should be communicated when guests are seated not brought up during our meal or while finishing their drinks. Meanwhile, we hadn’t been seated for 2 hours either.
My husband and I have been dining at Houston’s for years and have always enjoyed the food and service, which is why this interaction was so disappointing. We felt rushed out of the restaurant after spending a significant amount of time and money there, which is not the level of hospitality we’ve come to expect from Houston’s.
Lauren deserves recognition for her exceptional service, but the way this situation was handled by management left us feeling unwelcome and very disappointed.
Exceptional food. Cannot speak well enough about the service. The experience is next level. And they serve Dr. Konstantin Frank wine from the Finger Lakes, personal favorite. Everything from service to cleanliness to timeliness, it is worth every penny. I don’t feel in the least bit like I’m at the mall in the best way possible.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It NEVER lets down. The food is always amazing, the people are WONDERFUL and the atmosphere is AMAZING. Would 100% recommend, (Try the artichoke dip it’s to DIE for)!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious food and beverages. Servers are friendly. LOVE the tuna sashimi salad and fresh squeezed grapefruit with Titos.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food and atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Always good
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I love this place but today I liked it even more I had a great waitress named Jordan she was very accommodating to my fasting issue when I arrived at the Resturant early. She was also very knowledgeable about the menu and the specials of the day. We ordered 2 things that she recommended if they were great good vibes all around deff go people you won’t regret it worth every penny. 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The absolute best spinach artichoke dip I have ever had! And the chicken sandwich was amazing. I will definitely be coming back just for that! the service was great and the wait time is long but definitely worth it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food at Houston’s is always delicious and the staff is always on point
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hawaiian Ribeye with French Fries, Grilled Artichokes, Cherry Brownie with Meeting Vanilla Ice Cream, Caesar Salad
This is one of the only places I've rated 4 stars overall while giving it 5 stars in every category. Why? Because of one serious miss at this price point, no salad or any kind of vegetable. Their absolutely delicious Steak Hawaiian came with French fries, no other option, a serious miss in my opinion. We also had their spinach artichoke dip as an appetizer which was delicious. The service was outstanding, the atmosphere was lovely. The prices were high. And
the place was packed on a Tuesday afternoon from 2 pm until we left at 4 pm. Not an empty table.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hawaiian Ribeye with French Fries, Spinach \u0026 Artichoke Dip
Restaurantji Recommends
Our waiter was unhelpful with accommodating dietary restrictions. The burger was very average and comparable to a diner. Very expensive for mediocre food.
Also, a member from my group wore a hat and was asked to take it off. He then felt uncomfortable eating there because of that.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
I'm glad my name is not associated with this restaurant cuz what I noticed it's lacking.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 1
One of my favorite spots! The Hawaiian steak is to die for.
Reservations are a MUST especially on weekends.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
I was charged $6 for two microscopic scoops of sour cream and butter to fix a dry baked potato on Valentine’s Day. At a restaurant that considers itself “high-end.” Embarrassing.
I’ve been coming here for years and have never been charged for basic condiments — and I’ve never been to any restaurant that nickel-and-dimes customers like this. If that’s the policy now, maybe warn people before sneaking it onto the bill.
The manager was cold, dismissive, and completely uninterested in making it right. Repeating “that’s our policy” isn’t customer service — it’s laziness. Refusing to remove a petty $6 charge for a loyal customer says everything.
It’s not about the money. It’s about how small and tacky this felt.
Very disappointing.
Food: 5
Lilibeth was our server tonight, she was incredibly attentive and gave us excellent service! Thanks so much
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Loading...