As a former server and bartender this is my first review on yelp ever. This place is that bad. The model of this place is ridiculous. I am used to paying premium prices at an airport BUT here you select your order on an iPad and have to pay WITH gratuity BEFORE they serve you. For this reason, no one engages or gives you decent service, food is marginal, and menu on the iPad does not even match what is available which requires refunds and adjustments to your card. Short story: skip it go to Cat Cora or Le Grand Comptoir if you want a drink and food at IAH. read more

Yep.Meh. Ipad ordering was fairly intuitive but I never received my receipt to my email. So now I have to go through the hassle of contacting the restaurant. As far as the food, the seasoning could have been better. I had pork belly eggs benedict. Pork belly was cooked perfectly and would have been better if seasoned well. Egg whites were still clear. Too much bread as well. Waitress came 3 times. 1st to ask if I could manage the ipad ordering. 2nd to bring my drink and cutlery. 3rd to bring food. My meal came to $34. Pretty pricey for what was delivered... read more

Service was slow. I only ordered fries and they never received my order. The server insisted I did not enter it properly although he brought me my beverage I ordered and waited 15 minutes for. For these prices you would expect prompt service. Very disappointed and my points were not applied to my mileage membership. My flight was late the place was not busy and the manager made sure to not catch eye contact with me. I was trying to get his attention due to the fact you interact with a tablet more than the server so I had closed my tab and wanted to take the items I was waiting on off. That was about $30. Ultimately late to boarding cause I was being cheap and wanted to save $30 rather than leaving and requesting refund later. read more

Food horrible in a beautiful setting with computers an online ordering. What isvthe point when you are serving cold fries and sandwiches that taste bad. Literally they served me shrimp on a boy pot with some sauce and that's it...plus it taste bad and cold read more

I ordered 2 things. A salad with bacon which came without the bacon and some hummus and cauliflower that came without the cauliflower. Place is a disaster. No this was even remotely likenthe pictures. read more

Food was of acceptable quality, but the service staff and management are an absolute disaster. 15+ minutes to get a glass of water, additional requests being completely ignored/forgotten, substitutes for dishes that have been 86'd are not swapped out in the POS system, meaning you are being overcharged for a cheaper dish they had to sub for the more expensive dish you actually ordered. Order prioritization and timing is also terrible and inconsistent. Lastly, when you've got an open kitchen, you probably don't want your kitchen staff bad mouthing the GM or the restaurant in full ear shot of clients sitting nearby. read more

Avoid this place. Ordered an omlette with a side of bacon and a coffee. $28. I got a huge side of half and half I had to pay for, but no refill on the coffee. The bacon was supposed to be 3 pieces of thick cut bacon, got scraps of what something that was once resembled bacon. And a tiny glass of water that couldn't be refilled. But I have over half a plate of lettuce that I guess is garnish. read more

Overpriced bad food, even by airport standards, with a decent beer selection. You would be better off getting fast food or paying for food on the airplane.. Flavorless beef burger, soggy onion rings (which were half empty sleeves of fried batter with no onion). Service was friendly and beer selection was reasonably good, but nothing else good to say about the experience. Might stop for a beer, but avoid the food. read more

Ate here on lay over while in Houston. The burger was amazing and the chef behind the glass made sure we had everything we needed. Heard other customers say it did not seem like airport food and was really fresh. Wait staff is busy but will work hard to accommodate you. read more

Very disappointing. Extremely expensive and did not live up to expectations from a James Beard nominated chef. Food was very pedestrian. $15 for a roasted beet salad with very few beets chopped into tiny pieces. Brussels sprouts not fully cooked. The waiter said we could expect some reward of a free entree or drink by using my United credit card, but that did not happen. Cannot recommend. read more

Carmen our server was attentive and the place was really nice. However, the food which is why we came here to begin with (we were starving) was overpriced and salty. We had two salads and two drinks for $75. :(. I wouldn't recommend it. read more

I was very please with the service I received from "Keven" he was patient and very knowledgeable about how to order using the iPad from the menu and the food was excellent. Ember is a must and would recommend getting to the airport earlier to experience great service and great food! My airport restaurant of choice! read more

The iPad ordering service worked like a charm, but the food was mediocre at best. Quite pricy and has the decor of a finer dinning experience. Unfortunately the food falls very short of the impression you get when passing by. read more

Food and drink here impressed me. The kitchen is visually stunning to watch in action if you get the right seat. I had the poke chop and it turned out tasting like half an awesome pork chop and half an awesome salad. Shady service but you can adjust your tip accordingly. read more

This place shouldn't be in an Airport. When I sat down I had 45 minutes till my flight was going to start boarding. I entered my order on their ipad stand and the first waitress that came up to me did not approach me with a "Good morning" or a "Hi," she walked up to me and said "did you want another beer?" I told her twice I didn't know what she was talking about but she was too busy picking up plates from the seating next to me to listen and just walked off I ordered a tequila sunrise and this dish that was just eggs on potato skins essentially. 15 minutes later the drink is ready and I know its arrived when I hear this startling clank sound to my left as the same waitress from before thumps it on the table just close enough that I could have easily knocked it over turning to see what the sound was and walks off to the next set of people sitting down across the way. At this point I realize this isn't going to be a great experience and for the first time since sitting down, I notice that every customer there has water and some have drinks but none have food. None. 30 minutes later, my flight starts boarding and the guy next to me, who was already there when I arrived, has been asking for his food for the last 15 minutes because his flight has already started boarding. And bless his heart he was an older gentleman so God knows if his gate was anywhere close to that place for him to hurry to. He was noticeably concerned. The same waitress hears his grievance and then walks behind the glass where they cook and we watch her laugh with who looks like the head chef and another person wearing black like her. I start to see a guy in a suit scuttling around and delivering dishes. My flight has now been boarding for 10 minutes and I've already reported that I needed to head to my gate twice. Nothing has changed. I decide I just need to cancel the order and head to my gate. The waitress says "are you sure hun? I could just box it up." I say fine if its ready now. 10 'minutes later the manager, the guy in the suit, is also trying to convince me it will be ready in 30 seconds meanwhile my flight has started boarding as of 15 minutes ago. I ask him to cancel, he says thats fine but I won't charge you anyway. He thinks my concern is being charged for a $30 bill meanwhile I've paid almost a k for a first class seat on a flight I may miss because he's fucking around. In the end I finally get my food. He swears dang near on a family members grave I won't be charged. Guess what? I was charged. This place should not be in an airport. Sad part is the food was actually pretty good. Smh. 'Merica. read more

Just gross. I ordered hummus which was advertised as a garlic hummus topped with olive oil and sesame seed, served with pita bread. It was delivered to table without any oil or sesame seed, and tasted of turmeric. Definitely more like curry than hummus. Also, no pita bread. They served the hummus with a sliced tortilla. I asked them to correct the item and the waiter checked with the kitchen who informed him that this was a "thin type of pita". Ridiculous. Then the waiter, Jeffrey, gave me a bag of pita chips to try to resolve the problem. Jeffrey was very nice but the kitchen staff is completely off base with what they are serving and how they are responding to customer concerns. Skip this place, for sure!!! read more

Ember deserves every one of its two stars. The food is mediocre and the cooks and bartender are clueless. (You can't just substitute well tequila for mezcal). For the prices they're charging, you should expect better quality than the numerous other forgettable scarf and go counters that line the terminal. You're better off at any one of those. The fact that this place is tied to a James Beard award winning chef should shame the James Beard Foundation and Chris Shepherd. Anyone who paid $62 for a steak here should contact a lawyer specializing in class actions. read more

This is probably the worst place you can eat in the airport. The food takes too long and comes out cold. They work off of iPads which is fine, however they expect you to tip the staff, by default, 18%. When you tell them the food is disgusting and you've clearly not touched your food, they still charge you because the iPads "timeout and charge you." Only one guy knows how to work the iPads as well which can be inconvenient for other customers who would like to order. I come to Houston airport on a weekly basis and will not be returning here. I even told the woman next to me not to order food as it's so bad. read more

This is my favorite restaurant to eat at in terminal c, the food is great as well as the customer service. If you ever in the area stop by and give them a try read more

While it looks decent and the food is ok, terrible service and a crappy POS system which defaults the tip amount at 18% and painful to try and change. Why should I pay 18% when NO ONE provided service? Skip this and grab a quick sandwich elsewhere. We were kicking ourselves for not checking Yelp first. read more

Orders are placed with an iPad and charged before you get your items. Raw frozen burger served.. drinks never arrived. They had a 30 min difficult time refunding the missing items.. don't think this place will last long without huge management upgrades. Update... never received a credit for the drinks that never arrived. Beware! read more

Took FOREVER for French Fries and Wings. Literally 35 minutes. Ended up having to get them to-go and didn't want to bring out smelly food on the plane so ended up not getting to eat them. While waiting we saw a server eating wings in the open kitchen. Clean atmosphere but NOT clean staff apparently. Not a good experience. Would not recommend. read more

Horrible service - 20 minutes and no help or beer. Order beers and paid. Asked for money back- don't come here

This looked so promising but fell so short. Both my burger and my wife's chicken schwarma wrap were barely warm when delivered. My fries were cold and came with about enough ketchup for two fries. I told the person who brought my meal about the fries and ketchup and I told the person who brought my wife's meal but they did nothing. We told our server and she got us new fries and ketchup but nothing was done about the child food. My wife's wrap had hardly any chicken and this is a $10 wrap. They did not dress her salad either. Finish this with the fact that your drinks come in small glasses so the server is tied up doing frequent refills. Oh they have larger glasses but chose not to use them. I would have given it less Stars if I could. They failed at everything from the kitchen! read more

I literally just left this restaurant. The food was great but apparently I had unknowingly dropped my wallet and my server ran it to me at my gate AND a boarding pass AND all of my cash inside. Don't have a receipt so I don't know his name but THANK YOU SIR!!!! You have restored my faith in people. I wish I knew your name to send you a thank you reward for your kindness. You truly are a rare breed read more

Giving this place a one star is more than it deserves. Burger was dry and fries sucked. Wendy's next to it would have been a better option. I get you order on a tablet but come around to see if maybe I would like a condiment, refill etc. read more

Ordered a beet salad w shrimp. Too much dressing. Shrimp cold, old and overcooked. Hope I don't get sick.

Ordered a custom burger with bacon and cheese. Neither bacon nor cheese arrived on the burger, and the burger was dry and salty. I would of been better off going to Wendy's for a quarter of the price. Ordered an October Kolsch, but an Octoberfest ale arrived. The side of veggies showed up 10 minutes after the entree. The service was really slow, so I didn't even try to have the order corrected. Management needs to increase the wait staff, work on the food quality, and streamline how the place runs. read more

Stopped for a couple beers. They're massive. Ordered some onion rings and they're pretty good. More crunchy than any I've had. The waiting staff is definitely working hard and provide a positive attitude. Also, if you're looking for a big draft beer selection then this place is it. Lots of great local breweries in the Houston area. I suggest Karbach's. Is definitely a little pricey but then again, you're at an airport restaurant being waited on by people. If you're looking for cheap then go to Wendy's or Potbelly's. read more

I know I won't be able to save you from ordering the shrimp poboy bc you had it on your mind to get one from your fave restaurant in Houston or anywhere they make shrimp poboys in Texas and you didn't get it for what ever reason until you're leaving the city and you see this cute place at IAH and they have shrimp poboys! STOP! not sure whoever thought this was a good idea of a shrimp poboy. Had they ever had one before? This is not that. This is a boiled cold shrimp in mayo sauce salad with a giant piece of tasteless hard bread. I like shrimp and I was starving and my bill was $40 so I picked the shrimp out ate w a fork. The wine finally came, waitress sat the carafe down, I searched her for a wine glass but she left. She wasn't coming back with one it turns out. So I grabbed the water glass from the setting next to me. I really think she thought I was going to drink wine from the carafe. Lol. read more

This place has a great concept, but it can't bring it to fruition. 45 minutes for 6 breakfast sandwiches? Ridiculous... the place maybe 1/2 full and the waitress tells us "they are slammed", really? On top of the fact that it is airport food with 5 star pricing.. there is a Wendy's across from it, i should have hit it!! read more

Horrible service, Waitor was present the moment i got there and showed me all the things i could buy and how to pay for them on the ipad mounted to the table like a walmart cell phone counter But after that i didnt see him for 25 minutes. And someone from the kitchen brought me my food, but not the waitor?, never got a refill on water and took 30 minutes to get a refill on my drink... 1 star is about right read more

I ordered on the ipad, the food never arrived and I ended up boarding my flight without getting what I ordered. I wouldn't recommend this place. Pretty bad experience. read more

DO NOT GO HERE!!!! First of all ... I must say that I am all for progression with inovtive technology... Ordering via iPad sure cuts out the human touch of waitressing.. so I guess that cuts cost down as well...But the I pad ordering process was confusing .... Not only that but our order when i came out was wrong as well... $90 for 4 sandwiches & 2 sodas!!! VERY OVERPRICED FOR WHAT YOU GET!!!! DEFINITELY WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE!!! Might as well go to Wendy's which is right next to this place.... Better prices and you can order from a REAL person ... And then maybe they'll ask if your order is right or if you need something!!! read more

We had a long layover and stopped here with our group of 6 to have dinner while waiting for our flights. I have no complaints, can't agree with any of the negative reviews. Service was fairly prompt and our waiter was nice and helpful! The food is a bit pricey for being in an airport, I guess that would be my only complaint. But we were tired and hungry traveling from Belize and wanted a nice sit-down meal. Great food and they have games on the table kiosks to keep you entertained. Try the shawarma sandwich, it was delicious!! read more

The service is better than most of the restaurants with iPads in IAH. Waiters actually acknowledge you. The shrimp cocktail was incredibly over cooked. I would have sent it back but who has time when you're traveling. Mac and cheese was decent. The beer selection is pretty good. I'll always prefer real customer service when it comes to restaurants. read more

Ok....my 2nd try at Ember in a month but it will be my last. Ordered the pork chop which was very dry (overcooked) and extremely salty. I love brined pork chops but this felt like they were trying to preserve it not brine it. I mentioned it to my waiter but got no reaction at all. Love the menu but I won't be back. read more

If I could give a negative I would. Terrible food and service. I couldn't eat 90% of the Korean BBQ sandwich. Chicken can burn in a fryer. Manager walks around like an asshole while people try to flag down servers. Do not waste your time or money read more

Ember - American Near Me - Houston, Texas

Food was good. I supplied a voucher for $20 and waited nearly an hour for them to apply the voucher. Needless to say I still have not received credit and had to leave to catch my flight. Very frustrating after an already frustrating day of sitting in an airport with delayed flights. I will likely not go to an Ember again because of this. read more

Horrible experience ...People come to a restaurant to eat..not have to learn how to use an iPad in your crazy ordering and delivery system... Everybody's sitting across from an iPad... it blocks your view from your person you're having lunch, dinner or breakfast with... Through the I pads away and have regular service ... read more