Riel

My coworkers were in town so I wanted to showcase the brilliance of Houston's culinary scene. After having Tex-Mex earlier in the day, I wanted something that could appeal to their California and London sensibilities but still hit some of the highlights of our local cuisine offerings. This did not disappoint. Items Ordered:Oysters - we did both types of oysters(Market + Grilled). We consumed them all. I personally liked the grilled oysters slightly better because I felt it had more flavor, but they were both good. Honey Walnut Crawfish - I was skeptical about this - I wondered if we were doing too much with crawfish, but it wasn't bad. This was a hearty portion and because of the other items ordered, we didn't consume all of it, but everyone tried it and agreed it was a good dish. My favorite part was the hint of heat that lingers at the end. Crawfish Rolls - I didn't get to try this but the other three people did and liked them. The bread was a highlight in the experience. Butter Burgers - these are small smash burger-ish/sliders so I question the price point a little. It's definitely not satisfying on its own and the person who ordered did add the crawfish rolls to supplement it. Kimchi Carbonara - everyone who tasted this raved. They loved the noodles, flavor and spice. Market Fish - this was my dish (which I shared in forkfuls) but kept primarily to myself. It was so good!! The fish was light but had a nice crisp and wasn't dry. The soubise was amazing. I could just consume a bowl of that by itself. The gnocchi was also cooked perfectly. I enjoyed every bite and was sad that it was over. They offer two stated NA drinks and I tried the Gangsta's Paradise which was good. It was sweet and they didn't put a lot of ice so it actually lasted throughout my meal. That doesn't always happen so that was a pleasant surprise. Vibes inside aren't exactly what I expected. There's street/urban art and they played a lot of '90s and '00s hip-hop - it wasn't distracting or off-putting but it's worth noting what you see on the menu will be amplified by that soundtrack. On second thought, music does slightly match the drink menu - as it features names like Gangsta's Paradise and So Fresh So Clean. Staff were nice. We reserved our table in advance. There's parking in the front and back but it fills up so you may have to do street parking in the area like some of us did. Overall great experience and I'm putting in my recommendation list for Houston visitors.

Food was excellent. For appetizers we had the mushroom empanada (the toppings make this dish great), grilled oysters (a must! Very savory) and the kimchi carbonara (tasty but i was kind of disappointed that it only had 2 prawns). I tasted the pirogies and those were delicious.Service was a little slow but within the allotted time frame of 2 hrs.Ambiance - well lit. Tables not too close. And a surprising hip hop play list.

My husband and I came here on date night and I'm so glad we found this place! The interior is very dark and romantic.The food was fresh and delicious and the flavors were very inventive. The presentation was done beautifully and everything tasted amazing. The cocktails were also really delicious!

Some of the best food I've had in Houston menu was absolutely amazing. I thought the ambience was really chill and inviting service was great too. I recommend sitting at the bar where the chefs are cooking. And try everything on the menu. If I could give more stars, I would.

This place was pretty good. Some dishes are way better than others. Kimchi carbonara --5/5: definitely get this dish. There isn't actually any kimchi in here and you only get 3 pieces of small shrimp but this dish was still our favorite perogi -- 5/5: we got the perogi with caramelized onions (the one with truffle is double the price) and it was very good. Comes with tzatziki sauce which goes together really welltempura cauliflower --3/5: pretty big portion and def good as a snack for the whole table but nothing to write home aboutduck - 4/5: pretty good, the duck sits on top of some crunchy rice which went well with the dish; but quite a small portion gnocchi with corn -- 3/5: the sauce was a bit too much and very few pieces of gnocchi

My husband took me here for a belated birthday dinner. We had the first reservation of the night on a Saturday at 5:45. When we got seated, we were the first people in the restaurant section, but the bar area was full. By 6:30 the entire restaurant (though relatively small) was packed and very lively.The menu is very shareable, and we did just that with 6 'appetizers' and one 'main' course. Food was fantastic, though my favorites were the skirt steak, the truffle perogies the mushroom empanadas and the beef tar tar. Service is more European-style, in that they do not rush you at all. It is very go-at-your-own-pace as they allow you to fully savor and enjoy each meal, cocktail and dessert.Speaking of cocktails, phenomenal. I ordered the seasonal beet drink, and he ordered an old fashioned (the standard, not the one on the cocktail menu). Both were absolutely delicious! Highly recommend table service for a date night, or small intimate gathering. Next time, I will push the reservation to 6:30, so we can enjoy more of the energetic atmosphere that came later in the evening.

Perfect for a date night. They have something special in a Chef. His sticky toffee pudding was awesome. But what I really love is any seafood special or seasonal dish they offer.

The food was alright, but the amount of food that was provided for the price was unfair in my opinion. As much as I understand fine dining, I just don't think it was "fine" enough to charge at that price point. The burgers were the most filling thing, but would prefer burger joint or other Houston burgers over what i had there. Their kimchi carbonara was tasty, but don't expect much if you're Asian and looking for actual kimchi flavor. Their hanger steak is 3 pieces of regular meat, that is way too expensive for what they offer.

What an incredible place! Came here on a Thursday night for dinner and was easy to get a table for 3. Our waitress was so friendly and attentive and the inside is lively but great for conversation.I got a glass of the cab and loved it. We started with the grilled oysters and wagyu tartar and both were absolutely incredible. The grilled oysters are a must have!We split the pirogies which were so delicious and cheesy and the butter burgers (more like sliders) which were the most incredible bite of the night. We liked them so much we had another round! So buttery but not too much.Highly recommend the grilled oysters and butter burgers!!

i had the opportunity to visit Riel while in Houston over the weekend. I'll start by sharing the food was nothing short of outstanding. From the shrimp with a sauce that left its mark to my favorite the Butter Burger . The decor was tasteful and inviting . What made the dinner even better was the service , helpful in every way . I don't often write a review but in this case I wanted others to not miss a chance at spending some fine dining at first class venue that was reasonably priced. Yep next time in town I'm headed back !!