Cafe Rabelais

Review summary

1. P

   Pamela

   VIP

   Houston

   280 reviews

   4.0

   280 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   We had not been to Cafe Rabelais for years and it was lovely to see it looked almost exactly the same: walls of wine, chalk board menu, wooden tables packed closely together. It was a cold day and the draft from the front door kept us cooler than we would have preferred. The menu has changed a lot. No more croque monsieur, the trout did not have the rice and simple green beans. The bread was no longer a boule but a very tasty baguette, warm, fresh and crusty. The boeuf bourginon was excellent! Perfectly cooked, hot, with a wonderful wine infused sauce. Though they were out of the wine we wanted, the glasses we ordered were generous pours. We had a lovely time.
   

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2. W

   Walter

   VIP

   Houston

   32 reviews

   5.0

   32 reviews

   Dined on 16 February 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Excellent food, superior wine list and excellent staff makes this an absolute for a return visit.
   

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3. P

   Pedro

   Houston

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on 16 February 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Dining here for over 20 years. Great food. Highly recommend!
   

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4. M

   Mark

   San Francisco

   9 reviews

   5.0

   9 reviews

   Dined on 15 February 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Wonderful Valentine’s Day pre-fix menu! We always enjoy or visits to Cafe Rabelais!
   

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5. S

   Susan

   Phoenix

   11 reviews

   5.0

   11 reviews

   Dined on 15 February 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   This is hands down one of my favorite places to eat in Houston! The food is ALWAYS phenomenal and the service and atmosphere is PERFECT. The food is perfection and the wine list is EXTENSIVE! We enjoyed the pre-set menu last night for Valentine's day. The chateaubriand was prepared perfectly - flaky pastry and the tenderloin was delightful! We have spent many special occasions at Cafe Rabelais and look forward to many more. Our family loves it! Yours will too.
   

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6. J

   Janie

   VIP

   Houston

   44 reviews

   5.0

   44 reviews

   Dined on 14 February 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   The perfect intimate place for a romantic Valentine date
   

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7. S

   Shirley

   VIP

   Houston

   113 reviews

   5.0

   113 reviews

   Dined on 14 February 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We love this restaurant and their annual Valentine’s Day dinner never disappoints!
   

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8. E

   Eileen

   Houston

   13 reviews

   5.0

   13 reviews

   Dined on 14 February 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Wonderful lunch salads and sandwich! Delicious desserts.
   

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9. B

   Betsy

   Unspecified

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined on 14 February 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   I made reservations for 7:30 on Thursday, 2/13. We didn't get seated until 8:10 and our wait person didn't come to the table until 8:20. I don't know if they were short staffed (it appeared that way) or if this is typical. The meal was good and our wait person was pleasant. However, waiting for more than 45 minutes to be seated and get our food ordered after having made reservations seems excessive.
   

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10. L

    Lauren

    VIP

    Houston

    3 reviews

    4.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on 14 February 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 4

    Cafe Rabelais was packed and service was SLOW! I think they only had two servers for the entire restaurant. The waitress did not come to our table for 30 minutes. When she finally came to ask for our drink order, we were ready to order the entire meal. My husband ordered a beer and waited for 45 minutes. He had to order it again in order to receive it. Once the food came, everything was absolutely delicious! We had French onion soup, escargot, frog legs for appetizers. Then we had steak au poivre, steak frites and trout almondine for dinner. All were amazing. Then we ordered profiteroles or dessert. All of our silverware had been cleared so we sat there and watched our ice cream melt while we waited for the waitress to bring us spoons!!! Food was amazing! Service was SLOW!!!! Cafe Rabelais you need more Servers!
    

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