Parking: hotel Decor: adaptive modern but dark in the bar area Staff: on point and attentive Food: presented well though a little slow to come out Overall: try the chicken sandwich or the burger read more

ARA Restaurant - Bar area - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I came to ARA Restaurant because I stayed at The Royal Sonesta Hotel as my recent staycation visit. I couldn't belief the experience went beyond my expectations. I chose to have the breakfast buffet instead of a la carte menu. Although there was a $1 egg surcharge added to that, whether I eat eggs or not. So, I overindulged myself with loads of scrambled eggs. The fruits and cold cuts were so fresh, as they kept stocking up on the supplies. My favorites were the grits and steel cut oatmeal. They were cooked to perfection. It's hard to find something this good elsewhere. The service was awesome. We ordered hot teas, there were 2 teabags came with a pot of hot water. The waitress was very attentive to us. The atmosphere was very pleasant. I would not skip ARA on my next stay. This was one of the best of Royal Sonesta's amenities. Also, I would come back even if I was not staying at the hotel. read more

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I travel to the Royal Sonesta Galleria several times a year, and usually have at least one of my meals in the restaurant, or at the bar, Axxis, which serves the food from ARA. I've had several lunches, dinners, and breakfasts here, and I've enjoyed every one of them. In the restaurant, the service is always professional, friendly, and efficient. I've had their burger, chicken sandwich, and Greek salad (with chicken), and I've had their standard American breakfast as well as their huevos ranchero, and every meal has been great. The atmosphere and decor are pleasant and very comfortable, even when it's busy. There are options within a few blocks of the hotel, but ARA is as good as anywhere I've been nearby. Oh, and I won't do a separate review on the bar, Axxis, but I'll say that the bartenders are very friendly and knowledgeable also. read more

ARA Restaurant has a wonderful breakfast with the most amazing service! Alma was our server and she was one of the reasons that our experience was great! She was polite, attentive, and so sweet! She is the best! read more

Was there opening night Steak was tough and fish dinner was so sparse you got about four bites of fish don't know what other thing was on the plate but wasn't anything to brag about Their service was excellent. That's the only thing I can say that was great and the people that serve us were friendly. read more

Came here for dinner and it was a disappointment! I should have seen it coming since we were the only ones eating here for dinner. I started the meal with the cesar salad. The salad was dry and lacking dressing. There was no flavor at all even from the croutons. The croutons were cut very small and it did not add anything to the salad other than a slight crunch. For the entree I ordered the mesquite smoked salmon. The salmon did have a good flavor but the skin was soggy due to the goat cheese grits it lay on. The grits were runny and lacked flavor. The andouille sausage was good and was the best part of the dish. Overall the meal was a let down. I was expecting more of an experience from the Royal Sonesta restaurant. We should have walked across the street and had dinner at any of the many options available in the Houston Galleria area. read more

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ARA Restaurant is a hotel restaurant in the Galleria area. The hotel only offers valet and finding street parking in the area is difficult as it's right off the feeder of 610. We stopped by for dinner on a weekday for my dad's birthday. The hotel is nice and the restaurant has a nice ambiance. Logistically, as you'll find at other hotel restaurants, they don't have a restroom in the restaurant. You have to walk out in the lobby if nature calls. The menu isn't large and I would've liked more choices. But, what they do, they do well. They start you off with some complimentary bread. From there, I ordered the sliders appetizer. You get your choice of three sliders. I went with the crab cake slider, the pulled pork slider, and one more which I can't recall because I suffer from old age. The crab cake slider was my least favorite of the bunch but they were all good. I also got the rock shrimp app which was served with a delicious, creamy sauce. A generous portion of shrimp too! I definitely had enough to take home. The restaurant wasn't terribly busy but we had a nice meal with good service. read more

Let's just get something straight. It's a hotel restaurant. These places are here for business travelers that travel during the week who have expense accounts paid by their company. Business travelers conduct business, make deals, discuss stuff that normal folks don't do. The same goes for the bar area in the lobby of the hotel. On the weekends business hotels like the Sonesta makes their rooms available at a discount (appealing to families especially during summer months) when business is less, especially during months of June to August. The hotel will give discounts and passes to the breakfast buffet to encourage hotel bookings to stay competitive with other hotels (even the cheaper ones) that have free breakfasts. If you are here and it's not on the weekend, during the any season other than summer and don't have a coupon to eat here, then stay away from the hotel restaurant and go down the road to Adairs Kitchen or some place local where you'll get a killer meal any hour for less. Leave this place to the business types. Ok now that I have that out of the way I'll get on my with my review. I came here with my family because my wife booked our Labor day trip to Houston here. We got free breakfast with coupons given to us when we booked our room (that was part of the deal). The breakfast spread was pretty good. We ordered waffles that they made and brought to us, the walk up was the typical scrambled eggs in a big hot covered dish, along with bacon, little round sausages, and sliced pan baked potatoes, then came the fresh fruit bar with yogurt, cream cheese and butter. Then there was a toasting station and lots of bread slices and bagels to choose from along with pastries. One morning I had the Belgian waffle, while my son had the pancakes and my wife had an omelet. The next morning, I had the pancakes, my son had the waffle and my wife had a fruit cup. My son couldn't get enough bacon. The wait staff brought fresh coffee, tea and OJ. It was a lot of food, enough to make me want to back to the room for a nap before heading out to the museums, Micro-Center and IKEA. I'd say even if I had to pay the breakfast buffet cost of ~$25 just so I didn't have to drive anywhere, I'd do it for myself, but for three people, one of whom may not eat that much, unless you have money to burn isn't worth it. For the business travelers around us reading their newspapers, I saw them getting their fill just as we were. But I think this place was meant more for them than it was for us. If I have business in Houston, I will choose to come here and I will eat here for the convenience. If I have another vacation visit in Houston, if I have a good deal I may come here, if I do, I may take my family to eat elsewhere. read more

Just amazing! Reservations for noon on Christmas Day. The special was prime rib with rosemary roasted potatoes. For a small additional fee you could choose a salad, glass of wine and a dessert. This was a fabulous experience from start to finish. Our server Irene is absolutely outstanding. The food was beyond our expectations and their wine list was very pleasing! What a hidden gem. We will be back again, very soon! read more

I had a quick lunch here yesterday and it was delicious. My dining companion recommended the "Express Lunch" option, which offered a crab salad, a grilled cheese sandwich, and an apple tart for dessert. The crab salad was amazing. It was loaded with lump crab meat and had a spicy kick to it. The breadcrumbs added a great crunch. I also loved that it was served in a seashell (see photo). The grilled cheese was delicious as well. I took the dessert home to-go and then forgot it in my car, so I didn't get a chance to eat it.... I wasn't expecting much at a hotel restaurant, but it was truly delicious. read more

ARA Restaurant - Delicious crab salad! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Houston, Texas

Good Breakfast Buffet Located inside the Royal Sonesta Hotel. Where we were staying for a couple days. Therefore we ate breakfast twice. Both times we chose the buffet over the menu. Presentation was inviting besides the buffet you could order omelet or waffles as well. Good selection of pastries, meats hot/cold. Of course with all buffets I ate too much. Food was tasty so why not. Staff was friendly and courteous. Kept our drinks full. Maybe a little bit pricey but convenient. read more

Free valet! Amazing service. The filet was divine. We came for our anniversary on a whim and it was the best decision. We loved the wine list. We started with the octopus app. Wow! It was tender and spicy. We shared the fartoush salad. Super fresh hummus. Then the super tall and tender filet came out. I have food allergies and they were able to surpass my expectations. read more

The rating should be contextualized for a more-upscale hotel restaurant, as it is one of the better restaurants of it's sort that I've been to. The prices are reasonable, considering the location (the area is skewed heavily toward $$$ establishments) and the food. The omelette was very well prepared, and the dinner had a nice balance of vegetables to protein. Kudos to Liza for the especially excellent service! read more

The lobster appetizer was a FULL half of a lobster! Many places serve this as an entree! What makes it more powerful as an experience: it's not spiny - it's Maine! See the full review with extensive photos at: http://www.bonvivantgourmets.com/royal-senesta-galleria read more

While at an conference, I enjoyed a lunch here. The crab sliders are EVERYTHING! I will be back!

Cobb Salad, And super food salad at the bar this restaurant serves at outside and open later were GF (gluten free), and delicious. My husband says their hamburger is great as well and they offered to make that gluten free for me as well. The bar keepers are very helpful and polite. read more

We stayed at the hotel and decided to try the restaurant. The food was delicious. My husband had the seafood risotto. The seafood was cooked perfectly moist, the flavor wasn't overpowering and basically it was perfect. I had the tortilla soup and mesquite chicken flatbread. It was so tasty and flavorful! I will return when I m in the area. The waiter, Erwin, was courteous, patient, and informative as we asked many questions about the contents of the food and how it was made. This is a great place to eat a meal. read more

I ordered food from ARA as room service while staying at Royal Sonesta Hotel in Houston. It was okay... I was not impressed and felt it was over priced for what I received (not based on the room service prices) just in general. read more

I dined here while traveling on business and staying at the Royal Sonesta (this is the hotel restaurant). I had been flying all day for a business trip and I was looking forward to a glass of wine and a nice dinner. I purposefully avoided the loud, crowded hotel bar for this reason. I was greeted by my surly waiter, who was ineffective, not at all personable, and who made it very clear he had closing duties to attend to. There were a total of FOUR people in the entire dining room- myself, two young women, and another solo female diner. I arrived over an hour before closing. Yet, the server got my order wrong, and out came a completely different salad than I ordered. Yet, no apology- just a "I misunderstood you" comment. Not much to misunderstand since I just ordered something entirely different than what I was served. His method of checking on diners (myself and others) was to ask "everything good"? And in thanking him, the response was "Hmm hmm." Lastly. in between surly "everything good"'s, I raised my hand slightly to get his attention. He immediately printed the tab, but I was really just looking for some water (which was empty) and a second glass of wine. The food was excellent, but I would hesitate to come back if I were to receive the same service.... read more

The breakfast is horrible here. The eggs are nasty and the potatoes are cold. They want $20 for the breakfast buffet? I can get better breakfast cheaper elsewhere. No wonder they needed a Groupon to attract customers. read more

Came here one Saturday with my wife and daughter. Had the tuna tartare, lamb chop, ribeye steak (44 Farm), and chocolate molten cake. They were all cooked to perfection. Having been to all the fancy steakhouses in the city, the service and food quality are as good as the rest of them. Will definitely return! read more

My mother and I had dinner at ARA while staying at The Royal Sonesta. Mother's chicken and my fish were excellent, but my "potatoes au gratin" was a hard lump of sliced potatoes in a pie crust. We ordered the S mores Coupe for dessert. It wasn't exactly as described on the dessert menu. It was topped with burned mini marshmallows, instead of marshmallow cream, and the dessert was difficult to eat because of the large, cold, hard chunks of chocolate. We told the waiter that we thought they should take it off the menu. He argued that the other couple ate theirs, like maybe he thought we were trying to get a free dessert! Chicken and fish-5 stars, potatoes au gratin -1 star, dessert-1star, service-1 star. And being a good sport, I tipped 20%. This was quite a contrast, compared to Yia Yia Mary's the night before. We won't be eating at ARA again. read more