Submitted by Trenice Allen on 12/13/2021
The vibe was really nice. We took our grandmother for her birthday. I had the oxtails and grits!!!! It was sooooo good! Yams were on point and the drinks were absolutely delicious. I will tell you this…you know it’s good when you can’t find parking. So keep that in mind. Service was phenomenal. I would definitely be going back!
I dined here on a Saturday evening. If you park valet, expect to pay $20. My server, Danielle, was amazing. The food was very overpriced for the taste. My curry chicken was very dry. The potatoes and spinach were just ok. The other people in my group of 5 were not impressed with their selections either. Overall I would not recommend this place for food, but maybe a happy hour because although I did enjoy my drink, it wasn’t worth $15.
Edit: also, the menu online was not current . I really wanted to try the “collar and artichoke” dip advertised on their website, however, upon arrival I was informed by my server that dish had been removed from the menu months ago. Management, please keep your website and menu current.
Submitted by Candice Scoby on 09/08/2022
Amazing experience. It's five spots in one and the owner Mr. Tony is cooler than the other side of the pillow. He made us feel right at home. It's definitely something for everybody here. Good music...good food...good customer service. We'll definitely be back.
Submitted by Don W. on 06/14/2022
I was with a large party for brunch. The service was quick. I had a soulfood plate. The grits were under seasoned , and so was the fried chicken. The greens were too salty but leveled out with hot sauce. The oxtails were sweet, I think a bit more heat would've balanced them out. Overall, I appreciated the vibe and the service, the food wasn't a culinary delight but it wasn't terrible either. Go for the vibe!
Submitted by Olivia Boddy on 06/05/2022
Went to brunch for my girlfriend's birthday. The restaurant itself was a nice medium size space and had a great atmosphere going along with a nice decor. The service was great waitress was very attentive and knowledgeable of the menu offering great suggestions. I ordered the stuffed French toast and had the Purple Rain for my drink. Overall, the food and drinks were good. Definitely earned a second visit.
Submitted by Mike F on 05/12/2022
I visited Upper Kirby Bistro for a pre Mother's Day Brunch with my girlfriends. Everything was delicious and our waitress was excellent. I will definitely be back to check out the bar area/lounge. The only con is street parking is very limited and the cost to valet is $20.
Submitted by Roc Vz on 05/07/2022
I love being able to support Black Owned Businesses out here in HTX. We needed a brunch spot that would deliver and Upper Kirby Bistro did just that. The drinks were strong, the food was good, and the music had us singing our hearts out. We sat outside and while decor was not the most uniform or organized, it was a nice set up. We ordered the Crab cake Benedict, the Southern Plate, the French Toast, and Shrimp and Grits. We all really enjoyed our food and basically cleared our plates. I would definitely recommend this spot to anyone looking for great service and food!
Submitted by Ciara Harding on 04/19/2022
I love to patronize our establishments but sadly this will have to be a one-time experience. I’ll start with the positives: Everyone seemed pretty friendly and well-mannered, even servers that weren’t serving us greeted and were friendly. Someone who appeared to be a manager addressed us kindly as well. The ravioli dish I had tasted good and my husbands dish was fresh. The drinks (hand over fist) were strong enough.
Negatives: the portions are VERRRY small for what you get. For example, I ordered the shrimp and lobster ravioli. Pictures don’t really capture the size but for $42 you get 5 cheese ravioli 3 shrimp and a piece of lobster the size of a quarter. I was appalled! My husband’s chicken although fresh, was accompanied by 2-3 tablespoons of greens and 3 tablespoons of mashed potatoes. Lastly, the establishment's restroom definitely did not give “cleanliness” which further helped me decide unfortunately I won’t be back.
Submitted by L on 04/05/2022
Delicious food and good presentation. Yum. Definitely would recommend visiting, but bring a jacket. The place was a little cold.
We were shocked to see there was an 18% gratuity automatically added for any bill over $100. As a party of two that seemed absurd, especially when a glass of wine was $20 and the entree's were $26 each. We're always big on tipping, so it wasn't the amount of the tip. It was how it was added to our bill both times whether we had separate bills or not. I don't think our server thought that one through clearly. Lol. We tried to cash him out, but he certainly missed out. Oh well.
Submitted by Twin Jamo on 02/23/2022
UPPER KIRBY BISTRO/Five Central we were confused upon driving up. Once you get closer to the door, you're able to see the signage for Upper Kirby. The Bistro is nestled in a Residential/ Commercial area of River Oaks Area, the building is magnificent. It has alot of character. We love the orginal wood floors, reminds me of California homes that were built in the early 1900s. The brick entry ways quite lovely when you see them hidden in the new renovations. Multiple themed areas, the red & black room looks grown & sexy and lastly, the outdoor patio looks like a fun time for young people (Hookah set ups)... lol, yes we saw all of that on our requested tour.
We arrived ( Open Table) as soon as they opened. We were immediately greeted and seated. Our server Elmahi was efficient and extremely helpful. He placed our napkins in our laps. We immediately knew this was going to be a nice dining experience. On Tuesdays it's Happy Hour all day. With suggestions and many questions later, we ordered several dishes. We all love the Chicken, Mash Potatoes & Green Beans. The Spicy Shrimp appetizer which was $4 for one shrimp was really good and flavorful. We wished there were two shrimp because it was hard to share. The burgers were good especially the Applewood smoked thick bacon. The Gumbo was delicious. We love the rice that was served with it (forgot the name)... The doughnut bread pudding was fabulous. Elmahi was so polite without being overwhelming. He checked on our table just enough. Our last and finally HOORAY, our leftover food was packed table side. Because Texas is Texas, not everyone wore mask, we did when we weren't eating.
FYI, if your bill is more than $100, the restaurant automatically adds 20% gratuity, which was fine for us, but we like to tip our servers in cash. We will return.
Submitted by Dee Dee Foodie4life on 01/26/2022