Upper Kirby Bistro

I want to start off saying the drinks are amazing and the food is 10000000/10. They have the best Mac & cheese & chicken in Houston. Only got a pic of the chicken & waffles tho.The PARKING situation is HORRIBLE. Very little parking on side of street & they will tow you. Pay $20 for parking, i don't know if they actually have a garage bc I've seen them park some people's cars on the street as well. Also the 18% gratuity is insane. I understand if it's a party of 6 but they be lying fr. First I was told you only get charged 18% if your individual check is over $100, we had 2 separate checks, they changed it and said if the total TABLE is over $100. Like okay.Overall the food is great other than the parking & gratuity situation.

This is my first time here and they really set the bar high! I was so impressed by the service I received from Colby & Aisha ! So sweet & really went out of their way to make a special request drink for me that was even better than I anticipated! Plus the all day happy hour on Tuesday & Wednesday was the most pleasant surprise! I tried several items and not one disappointed in even the slightest. I'm so disappointed my friends couldn't make it so we will be returning later tonight for the steak dinner special! I am beyond impressed with the venue, menu, and the phenomenal pricing. Not to mention the ambiance was perfect & the music set the tone for a great time. If I could give 10 starts I would. 10/10.

We came on a Sunday afternoon around 2pm for brunch and enjoyed our experience! The service was great. We were greeted immediately when we walked in and because there were not many people, we were sat immediately without a reservation. Once we sat down, our waiter came and checked in on us shortly afterwards and was quick to take our orders. She continued to check on us throughout our meal and helped us with any requests we had.The food was pretty good. We had the chicken and waffles and the breakfast sandwich. The chicken and waffles was good, my only critique is that the chicken could have been fried a little harder. My friend had the breakfast sandwich and said it was probably the best meal he had in a while.The restaurant is cute with a lot of seating insides and some outdoor seating as well. They have dark colors which could make the place a little moody, but because we were there during the day and there is plenty of lighting, it did not seem dark at all.

While in Houston visiting, I looked for several restaurants that I thought would be good to try that wouldn't disappoint. Upper Kirby Bistro was one that didn't come close to disappointing. They scored high marks.I met with a friend in the mid morning before the brunch crowd proper showed up. I started with a watermelon mimosa that was not only refreshing, but was also just a plus for something different. For starters, we shared the biscuits with gravy. Although they were delicious, there was a faint smoky flavor to them that I detected. There wasn't enough sausage in the gravy to add any kind of smoke, so I was curious as to what it was that made the gravy smoky.My friend ordered the fried catfish and grits, and she ate it all in silence and without complaint. That was all I needed to know that the catfish and grits were delicious. I had oxtails with grits and greens. My inner Jamaican loved the oxtails and my inner Southern totally approved of the grits and flavorful greens.Service is top. I can't say enough about how pleasant our server was. One thing to note is that parking in the area may be come a bit much. Having arrived for a 10:15 AM seating, I could easily get a spot across the street. However, by the time we were leaving around noon, the crowd was coming in and parking along the street was lessening. They have valet, though, but warning just in case you decide to go late in the day when the restaurant packs out. I know I will go back when I'm in town again. It will still be for the earliest seating.

Food was either good or meh. De little over priced for what it was. Cocktails were great. Dessert was solidly good. We had a burger, pizza, fried chicken, crispy shrimp, Brussels sprouts, Mac & cheese. The burger & fried chicken were very good. The Asian shrimp were good, but 4 shrimp for $28, not worth it. I'd pass on the Brussels sprouts. They were missing the sweetness that makes them delicious. Automatic 18% gratuity was added for a party of 4. Service was good, but I'm tired of places that add in the gratuity We also had to park a block away, or pay $20 for parking. Ambiance is ok. It is very loud. There's one restaurant with four lounges attached. Clearly it's a place to hang out all night for some. Not my scene.

1:30pm Sunday, June 25, 2023Parking- street and valet Ambiance- Classy & EntertainingThey are not efficient with large parties. Missing orders, untimely food delivery, and unrealistic expectations for payment.They say they are not capable of splitting checks on parties of 10+.The food is GREAT and the DJ is talented in terms of creating and maintaining moods.The fact that there are 5+ sections is interesting. I had a good time despite them dropping the ball with delivery food.

Had a reservation and was sat 30 minutes after reservation time. That set the tone for the experience. Service - kind waitress, but not attentive. It was not busy at all, and we were checked on maybe twice. Food - Okay. Steak was overcooked, and definitely not quality. But, that's what I get for ordering a steak from a nonsteakhouse. Sides were good. Enjoyed the Brussel Sprout appetizer. Ambiance - interior is beautiful and the live band is a nice touch.

The ambiance was great, and the service was great. Dined for the first time for Brunch on a Saturday. The food however was not delightful. The soul food plate comes with grits, a cornbread muffin, fried chicken, collard greens, and oxtail. The cornbread was dry like Popeyes biscuits, the collard greens tasted like vinegar and the chicken was SALTY and overcooked. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant or return back.

Wow, wow, wow! We were all truly impressed with this restaurant, the food and the amazing service by Victoria is top shelf! It is a Black-owned restaurant. The R&B music was great. I love how the restaurant looks. We were looking for a good restaurant to dine at after a long day of airline delays and long lines at the car rental company. We decided to stop by and try out this place. We were happy with our choice to dine here. Everything that came out of the kitchen was delicious and piping hot. My sisters and friends decided to order all of the appetizers from the happy hour menu to try them all. I opted to order a meal from the dinner menu. I ordered the Fannie Mae chicken dinner which came with 4 pieces of buttermilk fried chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, collard greens, Texas toast and a pickled pepper. Oh my goodness, I didn't want my dining experience to end at Upper Kirby Bistro. This was the perfect way to jumpstart our weekend! Shoutout to the chef/chefs that are definitely on point in the kitchen! Thank you to the owners for amazing food and service. I will definitely be back when I visit Houston again.

The food was okay but the service was lacking. The young lady that served us had multiple tables but did not know how to manage them. Asked several times for the same item and drink refills were nonexistent. Two of us ordered the oxtail with grits and shrimp and grits. Grits were supposed to be cheesy grits, they were far from cheesy. Very bland and disappointing. Only good thing ordered at our table was the chicken and waffles.