The Palm - Downtown Houston

Let me start by saying I was somewhat of a frequent diner at the old PALM on Westheimer. At least once a month sometimes more. This is my first time here at the downtown Palm only because the proximity isn't as convenient.I so wanted this to be just like the old Palm restaurant, but unfortunately was disappointed.The old PALM was the total experience, which is what made it. The food was great. The service is great. The people from the bus boys to Management were great. Here, not that they were bad just was just like non-existent. So we were here Easter Sunday, and there were maximum only three tables occupied in the restaurant. So not very busy. Ordered appetizers, thick, bacon, shrimp Bruno, and lobster ravioli Bacon was great, lobster ravioli my opinion was OK, but overpriced and the shrimp although good just not as good as I remember it. Not really much any sauce and just a bit bland.Asked for bread and was not brought out until appetizers were fully finished. Wonder if not asked if it would've been brought out at all. For the main dishes, we had a 3 pound lobster and chicken Parmesan. Both were good.Our waiter although nice was absent. He brought the appetizers then was not around until he brought the main course.. the main course was brought, and again he was nowhere to be found until dessert time.The old Palm, the waitstaff were always around always checking on us. If there was a crumb on the table they would remove it. The GM and manager would come around a few times to check on us. Here like I said the waiter was mostly absent and no sign of any manager or management to check on the few patrons in the restaurant. In fact there was no cleaning of the table except busboy removing dishes at the very end. . No waiter with the table scraper like the old palm. As the table cloth was soiled from our dinner we had to fold it over ourselves so we could have a clean area. Desert, I bragged to my wife how good their carrot cake was. Well it came out, a huge piece like the old Palm, but that was the only thing that was the same. This was the driest piece of carrot cake I've ever had. My local supermarket has better. I can't say if it was old or that's the way they're doing it now. We left most of it on the table. Lastly I don't. Understand why they ask if a special occasion on the reservation. And then again when we sat down. We told them each time it was my birthday but nothing. Not even a "happy birthday " when we paid the bill and we're leaving. Not what I would expect from this caliber of a restaurant where two people spend $300 + for 2 people. I so wanted to start frequenting the Palm again and wished I could have wrote a glowing review.

Service wasn't that goodThe food was just ok Drinks were bomb Went for a birthday party with about 10 others

Always a nice time. Spent a day at the hotel pool next door and popped in around 6 PM on a Saturday. It was dead, but feel like this is more of a business establishment that's busy during the week. Sat at the bar and received quick service. Had a few aperol sprtiz with an order of the carpaccio, oysters, filet, and a side of mac and cheese. Steak was over cooked (ordered medium rare, it came medium) but otherwise it was great. Plan to be back next time there is something going on downtown.

Great food and very good staff! I would definitely come back next time I go back to Houston. Ambiance was great as well.

Typically I'm not one to participate in any restaurant week, mainly due to my aversion created by my time living in NYC (#1). The spell was broken for this year's Houston Restaurant Week, which ironically featured a New York institution turned international chain in The Palm Restaurant. Habitually, I'm rarely a single-visit reviewer (#2), chain seeker, or downtown diner, but I bend the rules in the name of quality dining companionship.The ambiance is in line with so many Palm locations: intimate lighting, fine dining sophistication, spacious interior, and a slew of caricature decor to immortalize famous people throughout the the establishment. I was particularly tickled by the Houston homage art showcasing Houston Astro players, a nod to oil and gas industries, and local characters.My choices for HRW 2023 was a Palm Caesar salad, along with an 8oz rare filet mignon with garlic mash, finished with a key lime pie for dessert. At $70, it was still a premium meal but a good one at that. While the salad wasn't particularly memorable, my filet mignon was excellent. It was rare but not bloody and the meat quality was exceptional. The sear was just right, the additional 2 oz portion ($15 add on) was good portion wise, and the tenderness of the meat was superb.The mash was a proper personal sized portion, which was tasty with a nice finish. I added my roasted garlic into the mash for additional flavor and it was an indulgent approach to an otherwise average side. My key lime pie was as creamy as it was tart, making for a very good final act for a solid dinner lineup. I saw the zeppoles looking like donut holes and I found the $5 extra for the Junior's cheesecake extremely amusing. (#3)A special shout out to their surf-n-turf special, which was designed for two people that includes a whole lobster split in two and coupled with a 4oz filet, with a choice of an appetizer and dessert. While I didn't try the dish, I was pretty impressed with the amount of lobster meat they had and I appreciate the staff for going extra hard in getting the chunks out.Overall, I appreciated the attentive service (thanks Ramon!), clean bathrooms, and quality eats. Parking is valet with the option of garages across the street. Street parking is also available, which I thankfully scored a spot that didn't charge after 6pm.I'd come back in a heartbeat. It won't take a restaurant week promotion to get my participation next time.__________(#1) NYRW is a gamble. And oftentimes, a losing proposition of mediocre execution for overpriced food. Most locals would rather just pay for the regular experience than get a condensed version of it.(#2) Seeing as I've dined at a number of their sister locations, I felt this was merited.(#3) If it was Eileen's, Veniero's, or Cascon, it'd be a different story.

Visited this location Dec 30 for a 630pm reservation. Hostess was nice. Live music was great and our server was good. The food was AWFUL and not what I remembered from the previous location on Westheimer. The sea bass didn't seem like it was cooked well and the stuffing was more cornbread stuffing than crab meat-- which wasn't like described. My husband (who had not had the pleasure of going to he previous location) ordered chicken Parmesan (it was flagged as a Palm speciality) he stated he had better at other places but it was edible. Real let down. What made it even more awful "some" of the valet attendants reeked of marijuana smell-- all while driving other people's cars!!!!Took photos of the valet kiosk-- so that Palm management may give them the feedback. Aww experience-- should have went Pappas Steakhouse.

We had a group,of 8 people and had trouble setting up a team lunch. Reservations can be difficult to get on short notice. Luckily, the Palm was able to take us.Ambiance: very nice, a steak house feel. Art on the wall of various presidents and the owner, I believe. I have been in Houston for 30 years, and the Palm used to be located on Westheimer the entire time I have been here, a well-established Houston restaurant, now owned by Landry's. The new location is classy and a good location for events.We started with the meatball and bacon. Both were excellent, the bacon was sliced into more pieces to accommodate everyone in our party.I ordered the Power Lunch. This is a great lunch option for a 3 course meal. The lobster bisque was delicious, Very creamy and fun to watch the server pour the bisque over lobster meat.The red fish was the fish of the day option and was awesome. A couple of folks in our group could not eat bacon, and the server had it removed from their dishes. Excellent service, our server remembered all 8 orders without writing them down.We were getting short on time, so we had our desserts to go. The key lime pie was good, but I have had better. Still nice to have included in the meal deal.I do want to return, excellent downtown lunch location.

Houston Restaurant Weeks 20233-course lunch menu* The Palm Caesar * Steak Allá Stone - sandwich* The Palm Zeppoles& of course I had leftovers because I couldn't finish the "sandwich"

My Mum and Dad took me here for my birthday and it was so sweet of them to take me here. My sweet Mum always takes her kids to the best places for our birthday and she just gives my Dad the credit too, lol. My birthday runs around and as usual I plan nothing nor say nothing. On top of that I moved into a new home and I was so blessed that I expected nothing else. I was so pleased my parents brought me here because I bookmarked all the great places in Houston, or so I thought. When we pulled up here I was so curious to what it was about and how she found this restaurant before me. It was such a sweet experience! The only gripe was it was a little cold but that goes on the back burner once you started to enjoy the company and ambiance and none of us drink ( I don't anymore) but I'm sure the tables who were imbibing were getting a little warm. The ambiance was lovely. I really enjoyed the live music playing. The servers were long tome employees and did everything right. Not to mention the manager goes around and checks on the tables. We were a little worse for the wear as we were moving and we didn't have time to dress to the nines but we got treated well. We started the meal with calamari which was good. I asked for limes with my water and Sprite (I put limes in everything I drink so I'm probably) and I asked for a lot and I squeezed one on the calamari and it made it so good with that pop of tart lime. So much better than lemon, try it. I would come back for the calamari. So delicioso. This is kind of an Italian forward steakhouse. I have resorted to picking on my company's food as I don't eat much due to surgery so my Mum ordered the lasagna- I think it was an oxtail lasagna or some sort of special lasagna. My Dad ordered the chicken parmesan with linguini and tomato sauce. I ordered creamed spinach and opted to share my parents meals. The lasagna was delicious and was a perfect portion. It was very rich and enough to eat the meal at the table. The chicken parmesan was a huge portion and seasoned and salty in a good way. It was fried well and not greasy at all. The creamed spinach was the best creamed spinach I have ever had. We all raved about it and when I woke up the next day it was gone, lol. The chicken parm was just as delicious the next day. For dessert my Dad ordered the zeppoles- Italian doughnuts with powdered sugar. I initially told him to get something else because I've never liked them but when I tried one that night it was so good! I definitely did not need the scrumptious sauces it came with. I got a cheesecake compliment of the restaurant for my birthday. It was a thick piece that was okay but I can make out when desserts are stored with main foods instead of a bakery refrigerator so that was a tad off buy it was good. Live music on Friday. I tried to get my parents to dance but we were so exhausted we just are and left. Our waiter Corbin was funny so that was a good thing. Great service!

10/10. I cannot recommend the Palm enough. When they say restaurants make more profit by having a high rate of churn (getting customers in and out), they need to put a picture of the Palm restaurant there. I am not saying they were rushing to get me out of the door, but the service was so fast that I couldn't believe how quickly the food kept coming out. Upon entry, I was serenaded by the stylings of the in-house pianist, who did his part in setting a delectable ambiance. His elegance on the keys foreshadowed the great experience I was preparing to embark on. My server, Tanner, did her part to ensure the best experience by being as attentive as possible, even sweeping excess breadcrumbs off my table mid-meal; talk about service! I started with the Palm Meatball and thick-cut smokehouse bacon. I highly recommend both as they were delicious, especially the bacon. Meatball was a combination of beef, veal, and pork drizzled with muenster cheese and marinara. I'm still thinking about it to this point. I then ended with the Chick Parmigiana, potatoes au gratin, and creamed spinach. The piece of chicken they gave me was the dang near the size of my head. I could not finish it all, which is huge because your boy likes to chow down. I can't wait to get back and try that Ribeye. The Palm know like Arnold said "I'll be back."