Bistro Menil

Randomly went on a Sunday and of course i didn’t make a reservation. However, there was great seating at the window that was a connection to the bar. The menu was great with different options for brunch along with some options for adult Sunday beverages!
I had the salmon crêpe and it was divine! The salmon was perfectly cooked and served with a small amount of cream on top. I did add a pouched egg as well which made all the difference.
This place was a great addition to my Sunday.

Great space and food. Eggs with pancetta on brioche– delicious! Great cocktail and desserts. Try the lemon pastry

My daughter and I went for lunch here today. Very nice setting across the street from the Menil. I was greeted promptly and taken to my table without a wait (I had made a reservation). We both had the lump crab salad that was beautifully plated and tasted delicious. The only drawback is all the entrees are extremely pricey for lunch. There really wasn’t much of lunch-​type choices except salads or pizza. So, after a really pleasant time in a beautiful setting we were surprised to pay $ 40 a piece for just the salads and ice tea. No wine or tap beer. No dessert. Other than the high prices it was a nice lunch spot!

Had gone before for dinner, which I found excellent. Today we had brunch and I must admit I was underwhelmed. I ordered a $ 22 plate of potato latkes and salmon. The portion were microscopic and not very flavorful. Very disappointed. I would probably go again for dinner… not for brunch.

Went for dessert and coffee mid afternoon on a Saturday. Restaurant was a little busy but not full. Desserts were good not stellar and for the slightly elevated price I would expect a bit more pizzazz. I ordered the German Chocolate sundae and my husband the crepes. Both had coffee. My complaint and low rating derives not from the food quality but from the waiter who not once after serving us the desserts came back to check on us in a timely manner. I wanted a refill on my coffee but could never get his attention and he catered to the other larger tables so I finally gave up and had to ASK for the ticket. It really annoys me when you go to a nice, quaint place such as this and get this poor service. He was clearly not interested in making sure we were satisfied. Makes me not want to return. What started as a simple nice treat after looking at art on a rainy Saturday afternoon turned into a negative and depressing experience. Should’ve gone elsewhere and received lovely desserts at a better price and service where you’re actually appreciated.

I’m a huge fan of the museum and was so excited to learn the bistro would begin offering tea service. I made reservations through Unilocal seat me (linked from the bistro menil website) where it said that parties of eight or more needed to phone in reservations. Since there were only three of us, I booked online. Imagine my surprise when we got there and were told we were supposed to call in for tea service and unfortunately they could not accommodate our request. I understand mistakes happen, but Chef Greg Martin was extremely defensive, told me I didn’t follow directions when making my reservation, and simply walked off rather than apologizing. The hostess and floor manager were gracious enough to apologize and give us a gift card, and they were very appreciative when I took them through the website navigation and showed them how the miscommunication occurred (apparently we were the second party of the day that could not receive tea service due to the reservation glitch). They have since corrected the information on both the bistro and Unilocal site, but my opinion of Chef Martin is not terribly high after this experience. He could stand to learn a lot about graciousness from his staff. He should go back to Café Express and learn about customer service before trying to run a real restaurant.

This is a brunch place that I had hoped to add to the rotation. But I was extremely disappointed by every aspect of my experience, so chucked into the trash can it goes here.
There was a short wait for a table. Which is unacceptable because I am impatient. But I think that is actually the thing I am least bothered by out of the entire experience.
Service: completely inattentive. The server disappeared for long stretches of time and it is a small dining room to begin with. So I am thinking he just used the toilet to secrete himself away to the Ministry of Magic and hang out down there with Reginald Cattermole’s wife rather than getting a brother some water in a glass up above in the resto. The few passes he made through the dining room throughout the course of two hours were fixed solely on the tables that were drinking mimosas like fish, since they were going to tip better because they were drunk. Well I have feelings too! And I want attention, not just flirty but also for water in my glass that restaurants are in theory supposed to provide to you, generally for free or for only a small charge.
Wait time to order: extensive. Since the waiter was not around to take our goddamn orders, which as far as I know, is a relatively important thing for a restaurant to do because how else are they going to make money off of you if you are not ordering food?
Time for food to appear: ludicrous amount of time from order to delivery of food, tacked on to the already bothersome amount of time it took to place the order in the first place. If it takes so long for food to come out of the kitchen that you already forget what you ordered, then the kitchen took way too long to prepare some simple American breakfast/​brunch sort of options. I think they took the toilet down to the Ministry of Magic too and forget they were supposed to be cooking upstairs.
Noise level in the dining room: The noise level in the dining room was too damn high. It was impossible to carry on any sort of proper conversation. And considering the long length of time that Bistro Menial required us to be there with their fuckin’ about in the waiter and the kitchen, this was making me increasingly angry. I feel like the architect designed the space and utilized materials for this one purpose, to make it noisier than a wind tunnel, just to annoy me during this one brunch.
Food: utterly unremarkable and forgettable. My 3 Egg Omelet with Roasted Vegetables and Mascarpone ran $ 13. While I would never expect to see $ 6 words like «mascarpone» on a menu at iHop or Denny’s, my dish still just as easily could have been served there as long as they called it something more American sounding like the Military-​Industrial Complex breakfast combo.
I failed to be amused by any aspect of my brunch experience at this restaurant. Your mileage may vary at dinner; but I wouldn’t expect it to.

I like very much the atmosphere. It’s relaxing and open (to the outside), yet intimate. It was not super busy (at 3:00 pm on Sat.), therefore easy to have conversation. The lighting, décor and ambiance was truly nice.
The food:
The kale and couscous salad was marginal. Wouldn’t be my choice anyway, but not impressive at all.
My duck confit was too crispy on the outside (hard to cut thru with a sharp knife), and too little duck on the bone inside)!
The salad that came with the entre was very good.
The veggie prima vera was the BEST VEGGIE dish ever… tiny cubes of squash, carrots and not sure what else done to perfection and the BEST ever flavor and seasoning in a veggie dish. Hopefully when I go back it’ll still be offered and I’ll get a plate of it!

Too Pricey for the quaint and quality of food. 5 stars for the ambience though.

We had a few hours in the neighborhood to walk around, grab a bite, enjoy the sun, and look at incredible art. This is a beautiful place, modern interior, walkable area, close to art galleries. The best brunch and lunch menu. Wonderful service!

My husband found this place online and we gave it a try for HH. AMAZING!!! The environment is beautiful and the service is outstanding, Their HH menu is absolutely, ridiculously delicious! We tried several items our first time there. The Fritto Misto took us right back to Cinque Terre, Italy. You can taste the ocean in the fresh seafood!!! The crab cake bites are like pillows of crab that melt in your mouth. The eggplant fries are excellent as well. These three items come with dipping sauces that take your palate on a trip! Each of them different yet complimentary to their dishes. We also loved the Jamon and Figs, for its contrasting sweet and salty combination. Gregg, the chef, came to the table and spoke to us. Super nice! We came back for their Sunday Supper and the pre-​fixed was very well put together. I definitely recommend this place for a pretty and satisfying delicious intimate dinner or family experience. Well done!!!

Totally underwhelmed. Here is why?
Food: 3 out of 5 besides the fact that our fresh cut fries had a hair in them the food was overall mediocre. The eggplant fries however where exceptional.
Service: 3 out of 5 friendly server but got my order wrong as I clearly said dairy-​free and my omelet was doused in cheese.
Cost for value: 1 out of 5 overpriced for the lack of quality of food.
Menu: 2 out of 5 the menu has a ton of variety but for someone who is dairy-​free my options were limited to 2 dished out of like 50.
Ambience: 5 out of 5 the small dining room is charming with a cool art installation on the wall and the beautiful views outside.
Bottom line you are better off skipping the restaurant and headed straight to the gallery. I much preferred the art.

Dinner on a Thursday night was an interesting evening. The starters looked so good we shared the calamari, eggplant fries, and the cheese tray. The calamari was crisp and not chewy. The eggplant fries were excellent for eggplant. Crisp and not oily in any way. The cheese plate was good. It could have used more crackers or bread from the beginning. Overall good food. The trio for dessert was perfect to share. The lemon pie was good, the chocolate cake very good, but the buttermilk blackberry thing wasn’t great.
The interior is sleek and clean. Thankfully they were not too busy otherwise the noise level would have been a nightmare.

We came for brunch this last Sunday and had an overall vanilla experience. Maybe it’s just brunch that’s whiffing as I’ve read great reviews from those eating dinner here.
Interior is modern and sleek. It of course compliments the Menil’s aesthetic, and looks fit to hang a Rothko or Warhol in. You walk in to the center of the space, where the bar and hostess table is. The Bar top seats maybe six and is a narrow choke point for waiters and customers walking by. To your left is a dining area, the restrooms and then the outdoor dining patio overlooking the parking lot. To your right is another dining area with a large window overlooking the side of the Menil.
Service was spotty which was part of the reason there’s 3 stars in my review. It started strong but as brunch went on, our waiter became harder and harder to find. By the end, we had to go and seek out help, once for refills on all of our drinks and again to order a final dessert round.
A big positive was that it wasn’t near as loud as I was expecting. So many reviews here on Unilocal and elsewhere were going on and on about the deafening reverberation of noise from the concrete floors, wood ceilings and flat walls. Luckily, we didn’t have that experience and all tables in our dining area were taken. Maybe brunch is a more subdued crowd than dinner service?
Food, was unfortunately not everything I was hoping it to be. I ordered the house cured salmon on latke that came with a «side salad» and deviled eggs and caviar. I was really excited. Unfortunately what came out wasn’t quite what I was expecting. $ 22 bought me three silver dollar sized pieces of salmon sitting on top of equally minuscule latke cakes, a deviled egg with three fish eggs on top, and a two forkful side salad. Although very well plated, the portions were far too small for the money and the flavors of the dish left me wanting. My wife on the other hand, got a $ 10 salad because she wasn’t terribly hungry and it came out big enough to feed two. (thankfully, because I was starving after eating mine) The rest of the six top seemed to have all ordered the omelette or different version of an omelette. All were also fairly small on the plate and didn’t seem to wow anyone.
I would come back to try the dinner service, and am sure I will eventually find myself doing just that. Brunch for me though, was not a great first impression.

Bistro Menil is more a package of really pleasant experiences than a restaurant, as such. I’m not saying the food isn’t good; it *is* pretty good, and there’s something to please nearly everyone. What I’m saying is that you’re selling the place short if you treat it as a special occasion destination more than a part of a pleasant evening of walking the Museum Menil’s grounds, maybe a short stint at the Rothko chapel, followed by drinks and snacks at Bistro Menil (the octopus on the Happy Hour menu is excellent and well priced at $ 8), with perhaps another little walk and then a leisurely dinner to follow.
The point of the place is the comfortable room; the good service; the nice surroundings. The food, well, it’s secondary, but the important thing is that it’s entirely competent and generous. My seared scallops were properly cooked. The crab cakes were tasty. The wines well chosen. But nothing wowed. That’s really not this restaurant’s purpose.
Dish per dish, Bistro Menil doesn’t match up to other strong restaurants in Houston. As an experience, however, it’s one of the most pleasant we’ve had.

Went in for a group dinner during Houston’s Restaurant week.
First impressions: The vibe is charming, modern, clean, ideal for small groups or date night. The hostess seemed … aloof, and possibly a little out of sorts, but our waiter was pleasant enough to make up for it and offered helpful suggestions.
I felt that I made some solid menu selections (restaurant week menu)
Tuna Tartare Bites
Roasted Salmon
Lemon Curd Tart (this was delish, the banana nutella crepes were not an option the night we went though.)
Overall we had a great experience! Looking forward to checking out their brunch scene.

I was admittedly skeptical about coming here — it seems like a waste of a restaurant trip to go to a museum café — but a friend suggested it for Houston Restaurant Week and the menu looked pretty good so I figured why not. But after we left, I was pleasantly surprised. Also if you haven’t heard of/​participated in Houston Restaurant Week, I highly recommend it! Depending on where you go and which meal you go for, it’ll range between $ 20 and $ 35 for a delicious full three/​four course meal. Part of your money goes toward a Houston Food Bank donation so you get the best of both worlds!
We came for dinner and the venue was so cute. It was pretty much what you’d expect from a museum bistro, very chic and modern. I wouldn’t wear gym clothes or even jean shorts here, though — it’s definitely an upper scale restaurant, more befitting a work lunch/​dinner or a date night. But I loved the décor and the unique feel to the place. The servers were all very nice and professional.
Bistro Menil offered three courses, of which I chose the tuna tartare tacos, salmon (with a baked potato and quinoa as my two sides), and the chocolate mousse dessert cake. Honestly everything was absolutely incredible and I have no complaints! Tuna tartare was addictive, the salmon was baked perfectly, and whatever seasoning they put on there was heavenly with just a little bit of lemon squeezed on top, and who could ever complain about a chocolate mousse cake? If I had come here for a non-​HRW meal, I doubt I would have ordered any of these items because they’re kinda pricey on the regular menu, but I’m so happy I did! I have nothing negative to say about my HRW meal except that it was too filling. If you want a fancy and delicious lunch/​dinner for HRW, I definitely recommend trying Bistro Menil. Can’t say I’d probably come back for a normal meal just because of the price and idk why but something about it being a «museum bistro» makes me prefer to go to a «real» restaurant instead. But overall I was very satisfied and happy I tried it!

I have been wanting to try Bistro Menil ever since I read a review about it last year.
But it wasn’t until my GF found them on HRW that we finally decided to go.
The ambiance is really nice, modern, with lots of light and in a nice area.
For the first course I we both had the Risotto Primavera with Roasted Salmon, the salmon while good did not blow me away the risotto, however, did. I just could not get enough of it, perfectly cooked with a very nice flavor. For dessert we had the Nutella Crêpe and Blackberry Cake, the Blackberry cake was the better one of the two.

OK, so Epicure Friend (see my previous reviews about Max’s and Epicure Bakery) decided to kick off HRW 2015 by dining here for the first time.
Short version: Bistro Menil is a very fashionable — albeit noisy — bistro with a very well-​executed menu, great wine pairings and fascinating flavors. Kudos to Chef Greg Martin!
Long version: I’ve read quite a bit about Bistro Menil and its founder, Chef Greg, and couldn’t wait to try it out. His culinary background is quite different than mine — heck, the man worked with Julia Child! — but I can say that his attention to detail and flair for exciting flavors matched my palate well.
Epicure Friend and I arrived (with reservations) a few minutes early on Friday evening. No table was available, but we gladly stood at the bar and quaffed some wine to start off the festivities.
NOTE: Per European tradition, Bistro Menil only serves wines and beers. Do not come here and expect a full bar. In France and Belgium, the mark of a bistro is its limited alcohol selection. The next step up the eatery chain would be a «brasserie,» which does have a full bar. But I digress.
The wine selections are beyond compare. Epicure Friend — who also doubles as my sommelier when we have dinner at my house — looked over the wine list and said two words: «Absolutely incredible.» No need to say more.
So we asked for the HRW menu and looked over the selections. Here’s how it went down:
FIRST COURSE: We both got the tuna tartare. (Actually, Epicure Friend was supposed to get the eggplant frites, but he changed his mind at the last minute. Too bad — we could have traded bites.) In a word, INCREDIBLE.
I was expecting the traditional tuna tartare — big chunks of marinated tuna served on toasted rounds — but don’t underestimate Chef Greg’s version. These were more like miniature tuna tacos, with puff pastry shells stuffed with tuna, scallions, and a hint of lemon zest. WOW.
SECOND COURSE: Epicure Friend had the seared salmon with horseradish Bearnaise, which he swore outdid my version. OK, I can live with that. The salmon was done medium-​rare (per the waiter’s suggestion), and Epicure Friend claimed it was superlative.
I had the crab cakes — and again, Chef Greg took an ordinary dish and made my eyes get big with wonder. The crab cakes were light, fluffy and perfectly cooked. The dill-​enhanced hollandaise was better than anything I’d had in Europe. The food came out hot and tasty.
Both of our dinners came with a choice of two sides. Epicure Friend had the baked potato and zucchini; I had the potato and the steamed vegetable medley. Even the sides were exquisite.
The wine that Epicure Friend suggested — the 2014 Pouilly-​Fuissé — accompanied both our dishes perfectly. We ordered a half-​carafe that carried us through to the end of dinner, as well as through our sampling of each other’s dishes. But all good things had to end:
THIRD COURSE: Here’s where we reached gastronomic heaven. Epicure Friend had the chocolate mousse — again, with Chef Greg’s twist. It was a mouth-​watering piece of chocolate cake (and I bet it’s based on Child’s «Reine de Saba» recipe) accompanied by a frothy mousse. After sneaking a nibble, I had to agree with Epicure Friend — HEAVENLY.
I tried the Buttermilk Blackberry Cake. WOW. It was a heavenly torte filled with blackberries and topped with real crème fraîche. It tasted as if it had come straight out of the oven, and it was a velvety rich confection. A glass of champagne would have gone great with it — if I’d had room for it, that is.
The aesthetics of the Bistro Menil are very avant-​garde: no-​nonsense, sturdy tables with modern art displayed on all the walls. Service was good; the water glasses stayed full, and the waiter was very personable and knew how the food should be cooked and how it was prepared.
If I had to zap a star off, it was the noise factor. It was LOUD. I mean, louder-​than-​Donald-​Trump loud. Don’t try to hold a romantic dinner here; you’ll be hoarse by the time you finish screaming over the din.
Fortunately, the food and service are what keep you here. My advice is just shut up and eat. You’ll be glad you did.
Chef Greg seemed to be on point that night. I saw him overseeing the back of the house, the kitchen line and the front of the house. I wish he’d come by my table so I could have offered my sincere thanks for a great meal. (That, and to let him know that he’s also kind of easy on the eyes!)
Having been part of the food biz, I know a well-​executed concept when I see it. Bistro Menil deserves your attention. Come with an open mind and an empty stomach and experience it for yourself. Earplugs are optional.

Love the modern, sleek feel of the restaurant. It reminds me of some of the places I visited in Iceland. The felt artwork on the walls is both pretty and noise reducing, although I cannot imagine how loud this place can actually get. We went on a weeknight and the restaurant was about 60% full. The noise levels were high and we often couldn’t hear the people at our 3 person table. That’s just too loud.
Our waiter was slow. We got there at 7:30pm but ended up being the next to last table finished and we weren’t even drinking! I’m not sure what caused us to be such a low priority for our waiter, but it really was annoying.
Our appetizers were good. My sister loved the eggplant fries. I loved the Foccacia bread with fig and ham. I would definitely try more of their flatbreads. The pork loin and chicken dish we had was pretty good but the side items were awful. The diced mixed veggies all tasted of onion and the potatoes were slivers that also just tasted like onions. I love cooked onions, but everything was cooked with them and it just masked the taste of all the side items.
The chocolate brownie dessert was good as was the berry buttermilk cake. The crêpe with nutella and banana was also good. I liked all the desserts.
I wish the entrees had been better, especially the side items. I wish that as I waited at the hostess stand, I hadn’t had to stand in the way of people entering and exiting the kitchen. I wish this place had not been so loud. I wish my service had been better. That’s a lot of wishes.