Whenever I write a review for a restaurant I want to be fair, so please forgive the length of this review. LHB is a big place with lots going on.
I don't think I have ever seen a restaurant - brewery, whatever - with more underutilized potential. We were there on a Saturday afternoon in March and sat outside.
The place is situated right on the shores of Lake Houston in Huffman, Texas right at the end of the bridge. They've got a boat dock, live music stage, picnic tables... They also have indoor dining, but clearly the vibe is rad casual; grab a beer and sit outside and listen to music... Get a burger or other food in the process and ogle the ridiculously attractive food servers and bartenders in shorty-shorts and string tops replete with an eye-rolling attitude; no smiles, no friendliness; just basic, functional service.
I read all the one-star reviews - of which there are WAY too many - and the common thread is bad service and bad beer. Bad beer for a brewery? Not good. Our group was about 12 w/ one child. The menu was very good, well presented w/ a great variety. They obviously put a lot of thought into the food; or so it appeared.
Now, here's how my experienced turned south:
Our service was actually pretty good. Our 12 people, distracted by lively conversation and a rambunctious 9-year-old, made it difficult for our server to get food orders from us, but she was a patient trooper and finally got everything. Food had the potential to be seriously outstanding; for instance, they have a burger with chuck, short rib and brisket. Sounds incredible. Took forever to get served... Here's why; they waited until ALL food orders (probably prepared by one cook) were ready and served the food stone-cold. Onion rings; stone-cold. Burger? It was really good, one of the one orders not straight from the frig. My wife's fried shrimp and fish was cold, but delicious! (Even cold it was good, think what it's like served correctly)
Trust me, I'm not paying what restaurants charge these days and get cold food. So, I complained. The manager was very diplomatic and offered a 50% discount. Very fair. Then, we got the bill and the discount had not been applied. I questioned the amount and got argument. Then, later she came out and admitted her mistake and made the corrections for the entire party.
This is a brewery/bar/restaurant with great food if they could serve it even warm, not room-temperature. I can't speak to the beer because I don't drink, but others in our group got beer and refilled, so I guess that part has been improved.
I have to mention one thing; The outside area was setup as an afterthought. Picnic tables are scattered in no apparent pattern, with no rhyme nor reason. The ground is kinda rocky, uneven, with all kinds of little things people could trip on. I laid a bet as to when one of the food servers was going to trip and drop an entire serving tray. The food servers got no help. I saw HUGE serving trays stacked with orders handled by a skinny blonde food server, one false move from disaster. They need help getting food out to a large party! WTH?
The "receptionist" displays one of the most negative body-language/attitudes I've ever encountered; oh, and tell her to put down her cell phone. God Almighty...
A suggestion: Organize your outside area, it's way too easy for someone to trip and fall. God-forbid one of your servers, carrying a too-heavy load, dumps an entire food order on someone's head because she tripped. I don't have to remind you how litigious people can be; your outside area is a legal catastrophe waiting to happen.
Restaurants are notoriously difficult businesses to run, but if you are going to make the decision to own one, you better be prepared to get all the different aspects right, consistently. The Lake Houston Brewery has a ways to go to maximize it's incredible potential. HUGE potential. I wish I owned it... read more