Brenner's on the Bayou

Reviews

• RR

  RarelyReviews008

  2 days ago
  2.0
  Overpriced, overly attentive to pushy hyper waiter. Steak undercooked and I was made to feel I was wrong. Then it came back over cooked, so felt as though they showed me for sending it back. Steak meh, have done better at home. Sprouts oily and sides nothing special. Overly loud Bublē music just annoying on a quiet week night not necessary and shows that MGMT is not paying attention.
• KK

  Kendra

  Jan 4, 2026
  5.0
  My husband and I absolutely adore this place. The ambiance is romantic, the service is solid, and the food is pretty damn good. For the appetizer, we ordered the foie gras. For the entrees, we each ordered a wagyu ribeye and one lobster mac and cheese to share. The foie gras was the highlight of our meal. It was divine. The steak was perfectly medium rare, and we appreciated that the server made sure we cut into it first so she can confirm it's to our liking before she walks away. The seasoning was simple and it allowed the steak's flavor to really shine. The lobster mac and cheese came with an entire lobster tail which was a pleasant surprise. This dish was above average but nothing to write home about. Overall, we loved it here, so much so that we booked another reservation the day after our first visit.
• AF

  Andrews Family

  Dec 25, 2025
  2.0
  We came here last year for Christmas Eve dinner and had the best experience. We came back this year and had an “meh” experience. :( I had spoken to a manager, confirmed again a week out, put the request on my Open Table reservation, and reminded the hostess station that we wanted the four top on the railing. When we arrived, I was greeted by an incredibly RUDE/UNFRIENDLY hostess named Lilly. She told us that they didn’t have a table available on the railing. She then tried to seat us in the terrible room off to the side. It didn’t even have any Christmas decor! So I asked for another available table I saw as we could at least be in the main area. The hostess fought me and my husband requested a manager. We got the better table but it had put a bad start on the experience. We then saw another family of 4 refusing to get sat in that terrible room too and the hostess told them it would be a while. That poor family waited in the bar for 45 minutes and during that time I saw the hostess sit a new 4-top on the railing. I felt terrible for those people because even after waiting 45 minutes, they still got stuck in the bad room. Our server was not nearly as attentive as last year too. She forgot my mom had requested another glass of wine, twice, and when the desserts were brought out she switched my mom’s and my dessert. (There were only 3 desserts to remember) For a $600 meal with tip, I felt the experience overall was just so lacking in quality, detail, and if it were my restaurant, I would be doing a heavy re-train on the hostess staff at a minimum. Those hostesses were rude to so many families while we were there 3+ hours it was actually shocking. Oh well, I guess it will be back to the drawing board for where to spend Christmas Eve dinner. I was really hoping Brenner’s could have been our family’s annual tradition. :(
• KB

  Kate Brown

  Dec 25, 2025
  4.0
  We went for Christmas Eve dinner. I downrated dinner as I was told that it would decorated up for Christmas. Yes, there was a tree but not much beyond that. The wait staff didn’t do much either like wearing festive aprons, etc. And no special food or drink menu. How much effort does it take to make slight modifications to merry up the evening? Hubby had lobster bisque which he rated a 4/5 as it was served cool. I had Roquefort salad which I rated 5/5–great tomatoes on side! My main was the Ponchatrain seafood which was very good 4/5 and hubby had pork ribeye 3/5–it was overcooked & small portion of edible meat. Asparagus 4/5. Bread pudding was 3/5–far too firm. Plus Two cocktails, 2 glasses of wine. $239 out the door We agreed we have checked the box on Brenners. Good to try but won’t return.
• GH

  Greg’s Local Guide to Houston

  Dec 14, 2025
  5.0
  Brenner’s on the Bayou — A Houston Original 1936. In a city that loves to bulldoze its history to build the next strip mall, Brenner’s is still standing. You feel that weight the moment you walk in. It’s not dusty. It’s confident. It’s the kind of place that hasn’t chased a trend in eighty years because it never needed to. We sat at a table overlooking the bayou. You don’t get the wide-open, postcard vista here. You get trees. You get shadows. You catch pieces of the sunset fighting through the branches. It’s a subtle kind of luxury. Most places shout for your attention; this view just lets you know it’s there. We started with the basics. Pellegrino. Lime. I asked to swap the tequila in the Dragon Fruit Margarita for Lalo—additive-free—and they didn't blink. That sets a tone. It tells you this is a bar that understands the difference between a drink and a cocktail. The food was a conversation between the past and the present. The bread? Forgettable. A missed note. But the oysters arrived in a rolling fog of dry ice. A little bit of theater, sure, but the brine underneath was real. The "Texas Kiss" shrimp did something shrimp shouldn't do—it made blue cheese work. I don’t usually like it. But tonight, I did. I went with the bone-in New York strip. It had that honest, heavy char. But my date’s skirt steak... that was the thief that stole the night. Served with German potatoes and an egg, it was deeply flavorful and impossibly tender. That plate didn't just feed you; it justified the drive. The service, however, was where the spell broke. Missed cues. A lack of polish on the menu knowledge. When the room is this assured, the stumbling stands out. It didn’t ruin the night, but it reminded us that perfection is a moving target. The Brenner family may be gone, but the bones of what they built are still here. It’s a classic steakhouse, comfortable in its own skin, unchanged in the ways that matter. We’d return. And really, that’s the only review that counts.

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