So my wedding was this last Saturday and I finally gathered all my thoughts to write a review. I am very disappointed with how the venue operated during the day of my wedding. With the amount of money that I spent on the venue, these issues are just ridiculous. - First off, once the salad was served the wait staff took so long to serve the main entree. Many of my guest after the wedding. Informed me that their food was in fact COLD when it arrived. I was very organized with my meal selections and had meal stickers on every place card, sent them a list prior to the event so the time they took to serve food is outrageous. - Laura (the dukessa coordinator) and I have been working together for OVER A YEAR assured me and promised me that she would be present for the day of the wedding as my coordinator. Well the day of the wedding she is not present and the staff informs me that she is "out of the country". There is no way that you can know you will be out of the country without advance knowledge. I was not given any information prior and she was replaced with Rebecca. I had no prior experience with her so it was very frustrating. - The venue apparently does not know how to cut a damn wedding cake. I had to get my groom and wedding planner to yell at the staff and tell them to PASS THE CAKE OUT" and when they did my guest received cake in little pieces. Not pretty whole pieces but chopped up crumbles of cake. - They told my mom and sister who stayed back to clean up whatever was personal items "that if these items are not take home they will be thrown out" - They force you to work with "The Perfect Touch" because it's the owners brother and half my flowers were already withering and dying when I received them. Everything that I informed them I wanted they half assed. For instance I paid about $600 for flowers to go up the main stairway and sent savannah (who I worked with from the perfect touch) pictures and inspiration. They literally took some greenery and wrapped it around the stairway and placed (and I'm not exaggerating) 4 roses on that stairway. It made me upset because it wasn't what I paid for. I paid for flowers and I made that very clear to the perfect touch. - All the candles on one side of the wall was not lit - The venue had a electrical problem with my photo booth. (See attached email) - I had chandeliers hanging in the courtyard and i had to tell the staff to go turn them on. Things like these are very frustrating as the bride. You're trying to have a great time and these thing occur. If it was something that was beyond the dukessa control I would understand but the cold food, the rudeness I experienced is not fair. I paid so much money to a venue that delivered half ass. Other than the building because pretty it's not worth it to go with this venue. I would encourage any future bride to really take your hard earned money elsewhere. read more

Thanks to the staff at Dukessa and their quality vendors, we had a wonderful Houston celebration of our daughter's and son-in-law's marriage that exceeded all expectations. The first reason we chose Dukessa was because of it's central location in the city. The beauty and character of the Dukessa venue was a second reason for our decision; the two levels and outdoor courtyard gave the 250 guests options of movement during the party. Our third reason for choosing Dukessa was the reputation of the chef, and the fact that the food was prepared on site and not catered. Lisa provided excellent communication and organization throughout the process of planning our party. She made sure everything was perfection the night of the party! The high quality vendors they use made all decision making easy and low stress from the linens and flowers to the cake to the dj and photo booth! I loved that we did not have to find vendors! The bartenders and service staff were friendly and efficient. We have heard over and over from family and friends how fun our party was --- they LOVED the venue; the food was the best ever; the filets were perfection; the linens, flowers and centerpieces were gorgeous; the cake was perfection and on and on!! Dukessa provided the intimate, beautiful venue we were seeking with wonderful quality of food and services! read more

​This venue despite being in the Galleria area is away from the hustle of the big city. Once inside, you dont feel like you're in the Galleria area. Its spacious with high ceiling and a magnificent chandelier in the entrance foyer. This venue only does 1 event on most days so you could have the whole building with valet and on site parking for your event - a lavish touch to my wedding! For menu and food, I'd give them the highest rating. I tasted the food first at their open house, then at my food tasting, and finally at my wedding. All 3 times the food exceeded my expectations! Thats all a bride can ask for really. The bridal suite chic and I used it both for my bridal portraits and on the day of the wedding. This is one of the few venues that has large floor to ceiling windows on both levels. So you're not renting a box with 4 walls (unlike most hotel banquet rooms). This venue is charming and unique. I would highly recommend all Houston brides to check it out for themselves! read more

I was a maid of honor at a wedding at Dukessa and I immediately fell in love with it.  I can see why my best friend chose the venue - It is elegant and gorgeous ...like a beautiful Spanish or Italian mansion with grand iron gates as you enter with a very nicely maintained courtyard that looked stunning with lights during our cocktail hour.  The backdrop for the ceremony was very romantic with the altar area flanked by gorgeous iron wine cellar doors. Reception was upstairs in the main ballroom which looked really elegant with its beautiful rustic-chic mirrors and stone work. Buffet was presented really nicely and the staff was very attentive and polite. Food was really good - not like the typical banquet food. My friend had a great wedding at Dukessa - perfect planning, service, food and ambiance. read more

I am so excited to share my wonderful experience with you all! I had the best wedding at Dukessa - I am still getting so many compliments about the food - which was so delicious. Venue looked gorgeous - it was a beautiful spring evening and the courtyard was beautifully lit and was absolutely magical. Our ceremony was a nearby church and our reception was in the upstairs ballroom. Dukessa staff really came through for us from the beginning of the process till the very end. Thank you ladies - It was a pleasure working with you! Please check the venue out - they are awesome! read more

I attended a wedding at Dukessa in May and it was gorgeous. The ceremony took place in the wine room which had beautiful iron wine cellar doors. We then moved to the beautiful courtyard for cocktails which had a couple of fountains and great landscaping. Dinner was served upstairs in the main hall. The food was excellent and the manager was always asking us if everything was good. Really felt taken care of! The venue is so romantic with its stone columns and beautiful iron staircase in the foyer. I loved the whole experience. I would highly recommend it. read more

Dukessa is a charming venue conveniently in the Galleria area. We fell in love with the venue from the minute we were welcomed by Lisa..the whole time we could tell that making our event perfect was her top priority. The building has gorgeous hand carved stone columns and a romantic room with a glass wall that looks out into the courtyard, where we had our ceremony. Would highly recommend this place if you're looking for a unique venue with a team that's truly great at what they do! Flawless! Thanks for hosting the time of our lives! read more

I recently hosted a workshop at this venue for my department, and everything went as smooth as possible. Beautiful Venue with lots of space, courtyard, and plenty of on-site parking. Most of all great service! We were able to have AV setup upstairs in the ballroom and downstairs in the wine room between the different group without interruption. The in-house catering was absolutely delicious. I will be referring Dukessa to other department in my company, and highly recommend it to anyone in the galleria area! read more

I attended a fundraising event here, and although I'm new to Houston, this venue stood out to me. The privacy that this venue provides is great, and not to be overlooked-- you won't find that kind of privacy at a hotel! We met the owners and appreciated that they play such a role in the venue's success-- truly caring for our needs. We had a plated dinner with a combo of filet mignon and a jumbo crab cake, wow... I need the recipe for the cajun remoulade sauce that was with the crabcake, like NOW! read more

I would like to compliment Dukessa on the extraordinary tour they gave me and my fiance... We've toured several of the other venues in the area that have the same kind of space for what we needed for our wedding (150 guests) and none of them compared to Dukessa. The director of events genuinely cared and listened to what we had in mind, and didn't just try to sell us the most expensive package like so many venues do. Beautiful venue, excellent guest service!! We can't wait for our wedding! read more

I went here for a corporate luncheon. This venue is in the Galleria area with onsite parking which was a big plus. The courtyards and waterfall at the entrance was very inviting. Waitstaff mentioned to me it was recently renovated. I was impressed with food quality and freshness. It has a nice view from the balcony upstairs of the Transco tower, (the tall building near Galleria). All in all, was a good experience and I would visit again. read more

Attended a company holiday party here in Dec....had a blowout time. The place has 2 outdoor courtyards, great for some quiet time away from the dj. When you want to be part of the party, the venue has 2 levels inside. There were bartenders upstairs, downstairs and outside....which was very convenient. Our company even organized a coat check for us. The finger food was delicious and I kept nibbling on it all night. Valet was courteous read more

Attended my girl friend's wedding here last month. The venue has some nice nooks and corners to take great photos (for e.g. there is a wrap around balcony upstairs, the foyer with a large chandelier, the waterfall outside). Once you enter the venue, you forget the outside hustle and bustle of the city and that youre so close to the Galleria. It is an intimate setting inside. read more

For Lisa was so easy to work with during the planning of our event. She said that prior to working here she owned her own venue, and her experience really shined through. Couldn't have asked for a better party and would recommend to all my friends and clients - whether looking for a place to get married or throw a xmas party. read more

My sister just had her wedding reception here and it was beautiful. The food was delicious, the location was perfect because it was close to the church and to a lot of hotels, and Johnathan was there to help us with anything that we needed during the evening. Great place for photos too. read more

I had my wedding here 10/8/22 and it was everything I dreamed of! The venue is beautiful, the food is delicious, and the whole staff is wonderful. I feel so blessed to be able to secure our date and plan out the wedding within 5 months. Thanks for all your help!! read more

This venue has a great location, and was private, which was really unique and something we really appreciated. We liked the fact that we were right in the galleria area but had complete privacy. Would recommend to everyone! read more

Great food, great location, and overall very a unique venue with pretty details and architecture. We enjoyed having our cocktail hour out in their courtyard. High stone walls made it feel very private. read more

We loved Dukessa! Dukessa was our dream venue! Lisa Porter, their venue director is so fun to work with and incredibly accommodating! Loved every moment of our wedding experience at Dukessa. read more