brenner's on the bayou

odd and disappointing experience :(. with all the #1 ratings on zagat, i was expecting a lot. we'd booked a reservation to celebrate my business partner's 65th birthday, so something special is what we wanted.

so, first, the table. it was jammed next to a huge column (that intruded into the space of one diner) and next to the door to outside, which meant every time that door opened (about every two minutes) two of the four chairs got blasted with hot air. as we were being seated, and when one of the four places was totally unusable, we asked for another table. the young lady who took us to our table looked at us like she'd never heard of such a thing. she then disappeared for over 10 minutes.

so as we sat there, hoping to salvage the evening and make the best of things, we shifted the chairs and table a bit and decided to stay where we were, really not wanting to make a fuss. so when she finally came back, we told her we'd just stay there. that was our first mistake. the next one was water.

we were asked what we'd like; we said fiji. we were brought 3 glasses of cold water and assumed it was fiji, but then one of the waitstaff came by with a pitcher and topped off our glasses with what i assume was tap water. to be fair, they didn't charge us for the fiji, but then again, they didn't give us what we ordered, either.

so, then, the drinks from the bar -- drinks were watery, but maybe that was because of how long it took (10-15 minutes) to get them? and i asked for a "splash" of cranberry in my vodka rocks. what i got was a cranberry juice with a spash of vodka. not sure it was the premium brand i asked for, either, honestly. it didn't taste right.

our waiter was extremely personable and pleasant. but gosh, do we really have to ask for more bread? more butter? didn't someone notice when we were out? with the premium prices charged at this restaurant and the zagat rating, i expected not to have to ask!

so our soup/salads arrived. my wedge was good -- very good -- but pretty much standard steakhouse fare. one of our party had the lobster bisque, and again, it was good, but on a scale of 1 to 10, maybe a 5. meaning it was adequate but nothing special. but again, it isn't like they are famous for their bisque, so we awaited the steaks.

when the steaks came, wow, they were awesome. cooked perfectly. wonderful toppings. and the sides were great too. so at this point, dinner is looking up and we were enjoying it :)

we had declined the souffle, but were interested in desert. so when the waiter appeared near the end of our main course, we asked for dessert menus. about 15 minutes later, he came back around with our doggie bags of leftover steak, and said "oh, and let me get you dessert menus." umm, ok. 10 minutes later, he came back -- with two menus. i guess he had decided which two of us deserved dessert. and yes, that bothered me. so by the time he came back for our dessert order, it had been about 25 minutes from the time we'd asked for menus, and we figured we didn't want to wait yet another 30 minutes for that course, so we blew it off.

so, we paid the bill and headed out -- only to be waiting for our car at the valet and have the doggie bag break because it was wet -- sending our leftovers tumbling onto the sidewalk. why? because they didn't close the containers and the juices leaked out. what a perfect ending to the night, huh?

considering the cost of our meal, it was a bitterly disappointing experience. we really wanted it to be a special meal for a once-in-a-lifetime occasion. and so odd. great views, great steak -- pleasant waitstaff -- but spotty service and serious gaps in timing, not to mention the horrible table. all in all, i won't go back.

great atmosphere and awsome food

we dined here while visiting the houston area. our server keys made some great recommendations on the specials they were serving. this place has great atmosphere and views of the bayou and the food was excellent. highly recommended

i had the chance to have dinner with some customers and i would say that the location is really wonderful. the only issue i had it is that it was really noisy. i eat a fantastic filet 12 oz and drank a really good wine. waiters very kind and nice. i strongly success you to go there once.

first time visiting brenner's on the bayou. extremely pleased with the dinner. great atmosphere in an intimate setting. the noise level was good without feeling like we had to talk loud over anyone else. the staff was extremely attentive to every need. the food was top notch. i had an 8 oz. filet and added the garlic sriracha butter on the side which was a great addition to the steak. smoked mac & cheese had a great flavor as well. fantastic evening!

i have been here a couple of times and the food has always been excellent.

restaurant has always been clean and service good.

sometimes this restaurant participated in restaurant weeks and is a good place to try if you have never been.

i ordered the cornflake crusted french toast and the southwest omelette. not what i expected for the price but they were both edible. buffalo bayou runs behind the restaurant and the patio area is absolutely beautiful. i have heard that it's even nicer at night because everything is lit in blue so we will be returning.

beautiful location. went for an anniversary dinner. left hungry. entrees are overpriced with small portions. the sided are more worth getting than the entrees.

brenner's was such an amazing restaurant! my husband and i had one of the most romantic nights we had ever had here. it was perfect. we made a reservation, and when we arrived, after taking advantage of the complimentary valet, we were seated immediately. the waiter was polite and informative without being too chatty. the bread that came out was three fold. there was cornbread, a harder french bread slice for each, and a nice slice of warm soft bread for each as well. i had the cornish game hen, and my husband had the quail. i would recommend both to anyone! they were exquisite. i had a mojito and my husband had the southern peach tea. both were sweet and a great way to relax and wind down the day. the atmosphere was exquisite as well. we took a stroll around outside after our meal through the garden area where there is a cute pond area. this restaurant is definitely upscale, so i would say that it is not family friendly, but it was a wonderful place to have a romantic evening to celebrate a new job or anniversary! we will definitely be returning here! it is worth every penny!

i went here for mother's day !!! it was all round great!. my husband and my son took me here for mother's day. i loved the whole feel of the restaurant. the has a lot of wood and is nicely decorated. it is part of the landry chain, the service was very attentive but no in your face. which is a bonus!
my son loved it and he's picky! i enjoyed it. i would go back.

great food & service. hihgly recommend this place. good atmosphere and even better food:)

owned by landry chain restaurant and it shows. i'm not sure what the hype is about this place. the only positive thing i can say is that the ambience is wonderful, but honestly it's not worth the price for the quality of food and service that you get. we went with some neighbors after they raved how this was the best steak restaurant in houston. my husband and i are huge fans of steaks.... we even bought a green egg just so we can cook a proper steak at home. in any case, you can imagine our excitement hearing we were about to order some delicious prime cuts. sadly, that wasn't the case at all. when we arrived, i noticed the landscaping was beautiful and the decor inside was soft and romantic. we were immediatley seated since the dining was open, however, it took about 15 minutes for the waiting to take and deliver or drink orders. i noticed that the menu was rather limited as well. steaks are priced around $45, ordered a-la-carte,and sides are offered for a hefty price that each serves about 2-3 people. my husband and i both ordered rib-eyes with a side of crab macaroni and cheese. once again service time lagged again and our steaks came out to our table in about 35 minutes. when we received our steaks, no one stayed to see whether our steaks were cooked as we requested. i ordered medium rare and my steak was cooked almost medium well. the cut appeared to be about 3/4 inch and sitting in a plate full of watery au jus. nothing like what i would have expected for a $50 steak. about ten minutes pass and by this time everyone starts eating since we had no patience staring at our food any longer. our waitress finally comes by to finally check on our steaks. i showed her my steak and let her know it was over cooked, but at this point i've already eaten about a quarter of my steak. she politely asks if i would like the kitchen to refire another steak, but i told her it was alright and that i would be fine with the steak that i have (mostly because i didn't want to wait another 30 minutes). oh well... on to the macaroni and cheese. the mac and cheese was okay... it only had three pieces of lump crab meat though and we were floored when we got the check... we were charged $20 for the mac and cheese! another thing that i noticed, not once did we ever have a manager come by to re-check or apologize for the over cooked steaks. i am by no means a foodie snob, but i would expect more from a fine dining establishment especially when there was only 4-5 diners in the whole restaurant. with appetizer, food, sides, and cocktails... our check came out to over $400. seriously.... nearly half a grand for watery overcooked steaks. i don't plan on coming back to brenner's again. outback has better steaks than this.

another disappointing experience. i have hosted a number of dinner parties at this brenner's, and they seem determined to disappoint. i hosted a group of six this past saturday. we arrived early to have drinks and appetizers in the blue bar. we ordered one appetizer, the homemade pretzels, at about 7:05. i asked about them around 7:40 and was told the kitchen was busy. we were taken to our table at 7:45 and i had to ask about the bar appetizer again and we finally received them at 8:05! we ordered dinner and the soup/salads took over 20 minutes and we had to ask about them, but at least they came correctly. when dinner was served, there were a number of mistakes. we ordered creamed spinach but were given sautéed spinach. we ordered gran marnier soufflé for dessert but were served a chocolate one instead. for the sake of time, we took what they served, but we were all amazed at the poor level of service and kitchen timing for this price point. this is now the second time a dinner party at brenner's on the bayou was very off because of service and kitchen sloppiness. not sure if we will host there again, but the var is nice and the food we received, even though incorrect, was very good.

food quality did not deliver. this very much seems like a restaurant run by a private equity firm, not a local owner. it's soulless. the setting is pretty. the service was good but the food was not. especially at the prices charged. my rib eye was ashen in color, not a rich brown. it addition is was undercooked and grisly. the oscar was tasty but thrown together. the wedge was a terrible white color. the view from the inside is not great, but the deck seemed pretty. at the end there was a big push to get me sign up for a landry's card (i didn't know they were part of landry's). this was annoying as my wife and i were enjoying dinner with our guest. i said yes, just to get them to leave us alone, but even another member of the wait staff had to come over to get me to go online for the rewards - (building a data base seemed far more important than buying good cuts of steak). too many mba's in the kitchen spoil the broth!

one of the worse experiences at a high end steak house i've ever had in houston. the food was cold, waiter was inattentive, asked for the wine list three times and the music was so loud you couldn't hear each other. for a $1000 bill i expected much better.

watch out for the restaurant police!!!. i went there last night to celebrate my girlfriends getting her real estate license... just champagne and appetizers. we sat down and i put my unbranded carbonated water on the table that i carry to avoid dehydration... soda stream... the bottles cost about $7 and i carbonate filtered water at home. when the waiter came to take our order he picked up my 1/4 full bottle and said you are not allowed to have that in here shall i throw it away?... i said it's only water for god's sake, within a few minutes some punk shows up wired like a police officer with a microphone on his shirt and spiral cord over his shoulder and says the tabc will shut us down for you having that here... i once again said it is just water!!! he says i will either confiscate it or you can put it away... there's nothing like paying someone to ruin a celebration. tillman fertitta, owner of landry's has many restaurants and i have never had a great experience at any of them... from now on i will make sure i avoid any restaurant owned by him.