Houston's Restaurant

In Short – Burnished brass and stained wood complement roughly mortared brick and the occasional plant. Amid ubiquitous earth tones, corporate types and small parties (celebrating or simply living large) occupy deep booths done up in fine upholstery and lit from above by pin spotlights. Burgers, prime rib and steaks are the specialties of the house, but the menu also includes salmon, salads, pork chops and roasted chicken.

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Where to Sit:: Hungry for food or thirsty for company? The full-service bar has a scene all its own.

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User Reviews (71)

ambiance	92.8600025177002% positive	“The atmosphere is nice, good date place.” “Great service, same menu, more fun than the main room.” “atmosphere is real nice and dark.” “Great food and drinks(including some off the menu items), nice atmosphere and service as well.” “nice decor outside with the fish and lighting” “Everyone loves the atmosphere so turnover is slow and we waited over TWO HOURS!” “The bar is fun to wait at since they don't take reservations.”
dessert	100.0% positive	“From the salad to the seared ahi to the fabulous brownie sundae for dessert - no complaints there.” “This is probably one of the best meals that I have ever had from the appetizers, to the prime rib, to the dessert, to the service.” “The key lime pie is also amazing.” “simple hamburger that tasted like the best steak, a salad that was out of this world, and the special dessert of the day of a Key Lime pie that put all others to shame.”
drinks	100.0% positive	“Great food and drinks(including some off the menu items), nice atmosphere and service as well.” “However, you can pass the time by ordering drinks at their great bar or waiting outside and admire the koi pond.” “The bar is fun to wait at since they don't take reservations.” “But even waiting isn't so bad when the expansive bar waits around the corner from the greeting station.” “Everything is delicious, appetizers, entrees, drinks!” “They also have a great bar.” “We used to like Houston's for the Hawaiian Ribeye, and that alone, the baked potato, and drinks rounded off a good meal.”
food quality	91.40999794006348% positive	“The food is consistently great and we always look forward to returning.” “If you like grilled meat, this is the place to go, but it is also surprisingly friendly for vegetarians - their veggie burger is very good.” “The food was good and the service was amazing.” “the best food ever!” “The salads are especially delicious.” “They have great beef” “Food is great and the wait staff is always amazing, the steaks here are very tasty” “The servers are always friendly and helpful--love their sushi Plate and the Rib Eye Steak sandwich.” “few words of warning though: my brush with seafood at Houston's was not a good experience.” “Overall, the service was impeccable, the food excellent, but not what we were expecting.” “The service is good, I go for the food and don't care about the "service" and how many people say "hi" and fake smile when I walk in.” “Great food” “Houston's is one of my most favorite restaurants with an amazing chicken sandwich for lunch and knife and fork ribs.” “Knowing that Houston's was a chain, we were pleasantly surprised at the wonderful quality of the food.” “They also serve a very good dinner salad that is especially fresh.” “Everything is delicious, appetizers, entrees, drinks!” “The service was fantastic--the waitress even found an extra steak bone in the back for me to take home to my dog.” “Also their sushi prices are ridiculous- $15 for a tuna roll.” “admit that I am stuck on the Hawaiian Ribeye, it is just about the best steak I have ever had.” “The food is excellent.” “It's a great place for a date, for a special meal, or a nice lunch.” “while the food was delicious, and the service was attentive, my boyfriend and i waited almost 3 damn hours to get a table!” “will overlook a lot if the food is great.” “One thing's for sure - the food is incredible!” “Houston's used to be a nice place to eat - slightly more expensive than your average lunch spot, but worth it when you factored in food quality.” “At a place like this typically you'll want the steak but the chicken sandwich is delicious.” “Every time we go, the food is excellent and the service is perfect.” “Anyways, the food is delicious!” “The double pork chop was tender and moist, but however wonderful my meal was my fiance's was less than desired.” “nice decor outside with the fish and lighting” “highly recommend the Hawaian Steak if you're really hungy or if you're in the mood for the other white meat, try the double portion pork chop.” “We used to like Houston's for the Hawaiian Ribeye, and that alone, the baked potato, and drinks rounded off a good meal.” “However, the steak I ordered was bland and needed a lot of salt and although the fish my husband ordered was tasty, he didn't care for the sides that came with it.” “The food is quite expensive.” “Amazing service, great food, amazing service, excellent staff, amazing service and oh yeah did i mention amazing service!” “The food is consistently good.” “Only thing I want to say about this place is that the food was really good.” “Prices are typical for a nice restaurant but the food is fantastic.” “the lines get too long (usually over an hour wait) but still has great food” “Great comfort food” “tried to order a salad for one of our friends meeting us at the theater since work ran late and even though we spoke to a manager, we were declined.” “It's a great place to eat when you're in the mood for red meat.” “You just know that when you go to Houston's, you'll have a great meal.” “The food was good, but out of place in Houstons.” “The food is delicious and there is plenty of it.” “The food was good, especially the sushi (which I was excited about).” “was seriously disappointed by the high prices and lack of good food.” “Even for those who hate fries, Houston's will change your mind & make you a believer of these indulgent potato descendants.” “Center-cut fillet is another one of those great steaks that Houston does so well.” “Save your money, or if you really want to do it up, check out Ruth's Chris, much better food selection and unlike the "I'm an struggling actor/actress" staff at Houstons, Ruth Chris's are professional and courteous.” “Awesome food, Awful wait!” “From the salad to the seared ahi to the fabulous brownie sundae for dessert - no complaints there.” “good food, had to wait even tho we had a reservation” “Houstons is a great place for steaks, fish, and other foods.” “Overall the food is consistently good.” “If you eat here you must like meat, the ribs are really good and the portions are huge.” “Sure you have to wait for quite a while sometimes, but once you're seated you're reminded of why everyone outside is waiting: delicious food!” “Still, the food are great.” “Great Traditional salad, nice steaming baked potato.” “simple hamburger that tasted like the best steak, a salad that was out of this world, and the special dessert of the day of a Key Lime pie that put all others to shame.” “So Houston's has a reputation for great steak, & great anything else that came from an animal.” “So many other great restaurants like Parkway Grill (a few more dollars for a meal and it is cooked by a chef and not a short order cook), Cafe Bijou (great meal, great prices, good service).” “Few items on menu, but good food” “Great food and drinks(including some off the menu items), nice atmosphere and service as well.”
menu variety	100.0% positive	“Save your money, or if you really want to do it up, check out Ruth's Chris, much better food selection and unlike the "I'm an struggling actor/actress" staff at Houstons, Ruth Chris's are professional and courteous.” “every appetiser on the menu i have had was wonderful.” “Great food and drinks(including some off the menu items), nice atmosphere and service as well.” “Great service, same menu, more fun than the main room.” “Few items on menu, but good food”
overall	77.77999877929688% positive	“Prices are typical for a nice restaurant but the food is fantastic.” “Houstons is a great place for steaks, fish, and other foods.” “The atmosphere is nice, good date place.” “Houston's used to be a nice place to eat - slightly more expensive than your average lunch spot, but worth it when you factored in food quality.” “This is unfortunate given that some great family run restaurants are losing business because of this mediocre corporate entity they call a "restaurant” “I've been here many times and I have to say it is probably my favorite restaurant in LA.” “The food was good, but out of place in Houstons.” “It's a great place for a date, for a special meal, or a nice lunch.” “It's a great place to eat when you're in the mood for red meat.”
service	90.31999588012695% positive	“service is excellent.” “The food was good and the service was amazing.” “Food is great and the wait staff is always amazing, the steaks here are very tasty” “The service is great and is quick.” “Their service is very friendly and helpful, but this place is always crowded.” “consider it my go to spot when I want something good to eat and great service.” “Great service, same menu, more fun than the main room.” “best service” “It was cooked to my liking and the service was very friendly.” “wasn't a huge fan of this palce the first few times around, but since most people like it I was dragged out against my will.” “The service can be choppy; I have had good, and bad experiences in all Houston?” “Even if it were not, it was at the least poor service.” “The service is good, I go for the food and don't care about the "service" and how many people say "hi" and fake smile when I walk in.” “Excellent friendly service.” “tried to order a salad for one of our friends meeting us at the theater since work ran late and even though we spoke to a manager, we were declined.” “Overall, the service was impeccable, the food excellent, but not what we were expecting.” “If you like grilled meat, this is the place to go, but it is also surprisingly friendly for vegetarians - their veggie burger is very good.” “So many other great restaurants like Parkway Grill (a few more dollars for a meal and it is cooked by a chef and not a short order cook), Cafe Bijou (great meal, great prices, good service).” “Amazing service, great food, amazing service, excellent staff, amazing service and oh yeah did i mention amazing service!” “Houston's is one of my favorite restaurants because it is consistently good and the service is very attentive.” “Save your money, or if you really want to do it up, check out Ruth's Chris, much better food selection and unlike the "I'm an struggling actor/actress" staff at Houstons, Ruth Chris's are professional and courteous.” “The service was great al.” “The service is great, it's a li.” “This is probably one of the best meals that I have ever had from the appetizers, to the prime rib, to the dessert, to the service.” “The service was acceptable and friendly, but I got the feeling our server was a bit overwhelmed.” “The servers are friendly, but a little robotic.” “while the food was delicious, and the service was attentive, my boyfriend and i waited almost 3 damn hours to get a table!” “Great food and drinks(including some off the menu items), nice atmosphere and service as well.” “The service was fantastic--the waitress even found an extra steak bone in the back for me to take home to my dog.” “The servers are always friendly and helpful--love their sushi Plate and the Rib Eye Steak sandwich.” “Every time we go, the food is excellent and the service is perfect.”
value	55.56000232696533% positive	“Houston's used to be a nice place to eat - slightly more expensive than your average lunch spot, but worth it when you factored in food quality.” “Save your money, or if you really want to do it up, check out Ruth's Chris, much better food selection and unlike the "I'm an struggling actor/actress" staff at Houstons, Ruth Chris's are professional and courteous.” “The food is quite expensive.” “If you eat here you must like meat, the ribs are really good and the portions are huge.” “Also their sushi prices are ridiculous- $15 for a tuna roll.” “wasn't a huge fan of this palce the first few times around, but since most people like it I was dragged out against my will.” “Consistently Good and worth the wait” “was seriously disappointed by the high prices and lack of good food.” “So many other great restaurants like Parkway Grill (a few more dollars for a meal and it is cooked by a chef and not a short order cook), Cafe Bijou (great meal, great prices, good service).”
wait time	83.33000183105469% positive	“the lines get too long (usually over an hour wait) but still has great food” “Everyone loves the atmosphere so turnover is slow and we waited over TWO HOURS!” “The service is great and is quick.”

01/14/12

I'm so sad. I'll never go back here.

by LCMcClure at Citysearch

I can’t believe this but Houston’s and I have broken up. I’ve been a LOYAL customer at Houston’s for the past 13 years. For the last 3 years I have been having the same meal there. Every time I go. The Thai steak and noodle salad. I have often jokingly said that if I were on death row this is what I would request. I posted a review of Houston’s (and my salad specifically) on Yelp last year. I have had people message me on Yelp saying that they went there and tried the salad as I order it and loved it so I guess I’ll have to update that review. I have been having this salad at least once a week for the past 3 years. For holidays and birthdays I receive gift cards from family and friends because they know I love the place. Last night however – my relationship with Houston’s ended. I am insulted and heartbroken.

Our server came to take our order as usual and upon my ordering the Thai steak and noodle salad minus the chives, cilantro and mint, she told me that they were no longer going to make the salad to order unless I had an allergy. It was now going to be ‘premade’. But – I could make 1 modification if I really wanted to. My husband, my good friend and I explained that there is no allergy but that’s the way I’ve always ordered it. My most hated thing in the world is onions (in any form) and they throw hundreds of those things in there. The cilantro and mint take over the whole salad and you can’t taste anything else. Shouldn’t matter because Houston’s prides itself on customer service. Years ago my husband’s steak wasn’t cooked as he requested and they brought him another one and took the whole thing off the bill. That is the service level and standard that I know Houstons to be and have come to expect. Our server last night did not share that concept and condescendingly offered me the menu to select another entrée. I explained that I didn’t need to see a menu because I know it very well. While Houston’s has many fine selections there was nothing else I wanted to order. This is my dish. For 3 years running. She brought the manager to our table. He launched into the policies and blah blah blah. Total robot. Very disappointing. AND – he didn’t have his ‘reason’ straight. He first said that it was because the Chef was unhappy that people were altering his salad so it wasn’t true to how it was originally intended because so many people were modifying (if that many people are modifying maybe it’s not perfect as it was originally intended) and then he switched horses halfway through and said that cooks were making it wrong all the time. When we asked about the ONE modification rule he said NOTHING. He just looked at us. Didn’t explain or deny or anything. He was cold and aloof and could not care less that he was losing me as a customer along with every family member, friend, out-of-towners, business partners, etc. that I bring in there. I told the manager that I was really sad but I could never return to my favorite restaurant ever again. He shrugged his shoulders.

Houston’s was the go-to place. First choice. Now, Houston’s PREMAKES their salads. Maybe Houston’s has enough business and loyal customers that they feel comfortable creating this new ‘policy’ and alienating consumers? I asked the manager if this was going to be across the board. No special requests on anything? He said there would be a selection of items that will be PREMADE. This salad, as you know is $18. I can ask for no onions on my food at McDonald’s and they accommodate me. This is the new standard at Houston’s?? Less customer service than McDonald’s?? I ordered take out on my cell from another restaurant while we waited for our bill. Unbelievable. Disappointed cannot even come close to how I feel. I am so insulted.

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04/11/11

good food

by FL2030 at Citysearch

Good food. It is expensive here but worth going to once in a while. If you aren't happy with the food, the manager will always try to make you happy by bringing you another item. Some people complained about their burgers and steaks not being anything great or not having a lot of flavor-----try ordering something vegetarian and you will feel differently--the animals will appreciate it also. Houston's has the best vegetable plate with a lot of sides---there is always food to take home because they give you so much. Also, the vegetable burger is amazing--tons of flavor. Also, very good key lime pie. The staff is friendly and yes, they seem to want you to leave once you finish eating---I guess I somewhat understand. There are not a lot of tables and---they are there to earn a living so we just leave after we finish eating. Also, Houston's filters the water that they serve which you cannot find at most places. You can order really healthy food here without the hidden fats and oils that most places have. Expect to spend at least $20/person.

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03/29/11

1 time deal

by ironchef007 at Citysearch

I recieved a gift card awhile back from my brother to go here, so my wife and I gave it a shot. Prior to going, I read all of the reviews. I made reservations due to the recommendations by others. When we arrived on a Monday, surprisingly it was very busy. Great lighting! We were seated quickly and our drinks order came right away. I remembered one reviewer saying there were several waiters and waitresses on the ready to take your plate ect....That was true. The entire experience felt as it we were rushed to get out so the next group could eat. We were half way done with our salads and the entree arrived. NOT GOOD! We both ordered the "Special" which was halibut and spinach. Not impressed! Honestly, I would never go there again and would never recommend this restaurant to anyone who likes fine dining. Great lighting though;)

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03/23/11

Fast Food

by psull at Citysearch

Just made my last trip to Houston's. I actually love their veggie burger but my husband's soup and dinner were barely warm. After spending $75, we figured we were there about 30 minutes. The wait staff (hundreds of them) are lurking everywhere waiting for you to put your fork down so they can take your plate. I think management must tell them to move you in and out as fast as possible and they seem to enjoy doing it. Do you enjoy having your table cleared while your dinner partner is still eating?? Geesh. There's always a line so there are plenty of people who like this place. But there are waaaay too many good restaurants in Pasadena to waste 30 minutes and $75 here. Sorry Houstons. Study the slow food movement. People do enjoy spending a few minutes eating and talking after work

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03/14/11

Best Cosmo

by Christine Medley at Citysearch

I've tried cosmo's throughout Pasadena. Houston's is 5 star. Light pink (meaning not too much cheap syrup) a chilled glass and tiny little ice crystals on top of the lovely drink. It's smooth, lightly sweet, and perfect. The service is great, too. Drink and eat in the bar. It's fun, entertaining to see all the people and great service there, too.

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Houston's Restaurant

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User Reviews (71)

01/14/12

I'm so sad. I'll never go back here.

by LCMcClure at Citysearch

04/11/11

good food

by FL2030 at Citysearch

03/29/11

1 time deal

by ironchef007 at Citysearch

03/23/11

Fast Food

by psull at Citysearch

03/14/11

Best Cosmo

by Christine Medley at Citysearch

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