I had the chance to check out Main Kitchen this week & was drooling over the food! My son couldn't get over the avocado toast & I can't wait to go back for the the veggie pizza! Veggie pizza usually makes me roll my eyes, because it's just a bunch of onions & peppers. I like REAL veggies, not a pepper pizza & sure enough the veggie pizza ACTUALLY had veggies on it. It seemed so bizarre to have broccoli on a pizza but it worked so well, then when you bite into a sundried tomato...PURE BLISS!! And y'all....you have to try the carrot cake!! I'm a happy camper & can't wait to go back to try more! read more

Tried Main Kitchen yesterday for breakfast because strangely enough, there is nowhere else to eat breakfast in the downtown area on the weekends. Anyways, this place is located inside the JW Marriott. The restaurant was beautiful. You have the option of eating from the breakfast buffet for $25pp or ordering a la Carte. We chose to order from the menu and were not disappointed. My boyfriend had the Avocado toast, I had the Texas Benedict and we shared the French toast. Everything was delicious! I especially loved my eggs Benedict with had brisket! Yum! Both orange and apple juice were good too! Service was excellent too!! read more

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Sat at the bar on a fairly slow night. Food was good but the server (bartender) was clueless and couldn't care less. My starter (mussels) and entree (ribeye) came out at the same time. Runner didn't care and bartender didn't say anything. Eventually I had to ask for a steak knife. Ugh. This should be a lot better with decent management. Mussels were excellent. Steak was meh. Service = Fail. See photo ... my starter and entree together, forever. read more

Main Kitchen - Wine Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

This rating is purely based on Cocktails FYI. Can you say Caipirinha?! No? Okay try again, cai·pi·ri·nha. The Brazilian drink made with Cachaça (kah·shah·sah), Lime, a little sugar and crushed ice. It's a Brazilian drink that you don't see on menus too often but when I do, I get excited. So they have a great Cocktail menu and the bartenders are all amazing at their job. I mean, they hand crush the crushed ice for drinks with a mallet. If that's not badass, I don't know what is. It's the J-Dubs so the service is always impeccable, that goes without saying. I love the environment of the bar area, hell, I love the whole hotel. It's Industrial Glam-ish, the whole ambiance and decor is rich and inviting. I was here because I was staying at the hotel but I could see myself making a special stop just to enjoy some drinks. read more

Pretty good little spot, the décor and ambiance are to die for - if I opened a restaurant, it would be just like it. Adorable. I had the grilled cheese but I wanted all the fluff off of it - no onions and whatever else comes with it. Just give me bread and cheese. I had to send it back because that slipped through the cracks somehow, but they fixed it, no issues. The service was nice and friendly. I had no complaints and being that they are right across the street from my office, I'll most likely be back. This isn't really a complaint, more as an observation - the hostess stand is hard to see from the hotel entrance and being that the lobby kind of melds in with the restaurant, it would be better to make it more visible. We wandered for a second before we figured out where we were supposed to go. read more

Stopped in to check out the bar since it's just a couple blocks away from work. The lack of estrogen and hotel priced drinks are a horrible combination to have. Thankfully, I made friends with the bartendar otherwise this bar would be off my rotation. read more

Main Kitchen - The Manhattan - Wine Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

This review is based solely on our lunch experience we had today...it was absolutely delicious. Both the duck pizza & green bean appetizers were great. Had the pulled pork sandwich with fries...A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.! Both the gluten-free choc cake & fig cheesecake were delicious. Even the tea was good! The lobby is super hip. The comfy couches along with modern decorative artifacts create a warm inviting atmosphere. I will most definitely return. read more

With being downtown and with being new, I was hoping to see more reviews but I definitely want to add my two cents as I think this is a wonderful addition to downtown and to Houston's food scene in general. Being with a large group and a busy time, this place held it together. We started with cocktails and then sat in a long banquette close to the kitchen. Kristine Mills and her band were playing tunes near the front and everything just made for a fantastic atmosphere. The prices are extremely reasonable and definitely order some of the sides as they are plenty to split with several people. Cheese and meat board is a must - enough for 4-5 and looked delectable and tasted good, too...wish I had some of the spicy honey now! The fish of the day was sea bass and wow, this flaky, heavenly white entree melted in my mouth. For a side dish, get the Brussels sprouts. The pizza was a generously sized and I really want to try the kale and sausage one! If the meal was this good, I only wish I had stayed for dessert and the brilliant company. Looking forward to bringing friends. read more

The best restaurant in downtown Houston hands down! I love Main Kitchen's fish and steak. The service is wonderful and don't skip dessert! I like the wine list as well. read more

Although the Manhattan cocktail was subpar, the excellent dishes from Chef Erin Smith & her staff once again wowed both my colleague and me. Before last night, I mainly just ate lunch at Main Kitchen. My first dinner experience was stellar! The quail are simply amazing with an array of great nuances. The beet salad, creamed greens, green beans, and oysters all impressed. The charcuterie and cheese plate blew our minds, though . . . my buddy could not say enough great things about all that food - and the price we paid was more than fair! WIll be returning read more

The atmosphere is great. Food is outstanding! The pork belly sandwich, green beans and fig duck pizza will destroy you! Highly recommend! read more

Main Kitchen - The family style table by the kitchen. - Wine Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

Great decor and ambiance, it's only been open a short while so the menu is not very extensive... 806 Lounge is right off the bar & kitchen and serves as an intimate place to gather and order from a limited menu. It has an open atmosphere so it could get loud for the dinner guests, or the lounge shall be a subdued business gathering- the lively bunch can remain at Monarch @ Hotel ZaZa. read more

We came in from Dallas and had an amazing dinner. The service was on point and the manager made us feel very welcome - going out of his way. The food was just wonderful. We enjoyed a few apps then I had the short rib which was to die for and my husband the strip steak. I highly recommend Main Kitchen. We had a wonderful date! read more

I thoroughly enjoyed this place. I went for Mother's Day brunch, and got chicken and waffles. This was very tasty, although I ordered it without the spicy syrup. The chicken was so crunchy and juicy. Our server Ariel was very nice and helpful- also patient considering we left a complete mess courtesy of our 13 month old. I also recommend the turkey melt with fries, which was very tasty. Nice ambiance as well. We'll be returning! read more

The eggs Benedict and crab sandwich thing was literally to die for. But the French toast dessert was really poor. Just deep fried with no taste to it. The bbq brisket salad was good and the chairs were exceptionally comfy. And the service especially Robert's demeanor was impeccable, but the pricing is not commensurate with the quality of the food. read more

This place is a new addition to downtown Houston. The hotel looks nice, and the restaurant was also very nicely decorated. I had the short rib tacos which were amazing. It came with an aioli that went perfectly with the meat. My colleague ordered the burger and it looked good. Only issue was there was a hair in the fries. The staff quickly took care of the issue and apologized. I will definitely be back. read more

I attended an event at the JW hotel and decided to stick around and grab a dinner there. My friend and I opted to have assorted appetizers instead on ordering entrees. We enjoyed the shrimp tacos, the charcuterie platter and the mac and cheese side dish. We also ordered lattes after dinner which were delish but small. The staff was super attentive. read more

Main Kitchen - Charcuterie platter - Wine Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Lovely ambiance , Great food & great service. Had the pan seared scallops and they were fantastic. If you don't have the open table app download it to accumulate points on dining . read more

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Great ambiance, Great people watching, and Great Happy hour spot in Downtown! Main Kitchen is visually alluring and has a great lounge and bar area too. The menu is very trendy and the drink list is extensive! read more

Main Kitchen - Wine Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

I made a reservation on open table not knowing how busy it would be. My wife and I ordered the buffet before looking at it. A big mistake. However, there were omelets to order and we thought, it must be fine as we're at a Marriott hotel, the cooks must be good. Wrong again. Probably the worst omelet i've ever eaten. They had a European meats and cheese section. The meats were not fresh and the cheese beginning to harden. The fruit was not fresh, rotten strawberries. Just overall, no attention to quality. Had to flag down waitress for coffee and service in general was very poor. I cannot recommend Main Kitchen. Go elsewhere. By the way, buffet was $25. Total bill for two was $72. The hostess was nice. read more

This is a GREAT place for date night! My boyfriend and I went randomly one weekend to check it out. The ambience is very romantic and modern. We were greeted by a very friendly hostess as soon as we got there; we had a reservation and it was honored. There was no waiting. It had just opened when we went, but it didn't seem like the waitress knew a lot of answers to our questions and had to go back to keep asking management (thus the 4 stars). We had to eventually move tables because ours was too small, but it was no problem and the staff made sure we didn't feel inconvenienced when we asked to move. The food was amazing! My boyfriend is vegetarian and they had so many different options for it. Every dish we had was delicious. The food was modern and sleek. The overall ambience and experience was great. I would definitely recommend this place and would come back! read more

I was pleasantly surprised at how great the food was here. I had a grilled chicken sandwich with bacon and avocado and it was amazing. Will try to put it together at home but I'm positive it will fall short of the one I had here. read more

Blue Crab cake via Houston- outstanding! I had 2 they are so good ! I never do this except for sushi

Top 5 Restaurant, don't even @ me. The Brussels Sprouts are not ordinary, they're the MJ of Brussels Sprouts.

A lovely place. Came here for an early breakfast meeting and everything was done to perfection. I appreciated the hostess and waitress being so efficient with the dishes and the check. The food was yummy and the seating was superb. Even the valet service was professional. Highly recommend. read more

Specifically requested an empty table near a window and the host told us it was reserved (you could tell he thought about it). We were then sat at a smaller table in the back. We watched our requested table remain unoccupied for the next hour and a half as the lunch crowd faded away. This interaction just left a sour taste in our mouth throughout the meal... The food and service however were very good -- overall, this is a 3.5 star review as the service and food made up what felt like a judgmental and unaccommodating introduction to our lunch. read more

Go for the grilled cheese with onion jam. It was delicious! I would recommend getting it without the tomatoes though bc it did get soggy.

If you are a vegetarian or God forbid a vegan do not even think of going to this place. My wife and I went with a group of two other couples. We are both vegan. Our friend who made the reservation called ahead to see if the restaurant could accommodate us as vegans since there didn't seem to be anything on the menu we could eat. They assured our friend the chef could accommodate us. When we arrived, we explained our dietary restrictions as vegan to the waitress. I asked the waitress if the kitchen could do a pasta that had no meat or dairy. She said no, that only the pasta on the menu could be made which was not vegan. She said that the minestrone soup was vegetable broth based and had no dairy, so my wife and I both ordered it. We asked about the olive oil smashed potatoes and were assured it had no dairy. We asked about the Ponzu Brussels sprouts. She said we would not be able to eat them with the sauce. We asked if they could prepare the sprouts without that sauce. She said yes. So off she went with our order. The first thing that came out was my soup. It didn't seem like minestrone soup, more like a tomato soup with a bunch of cauliflower, but it was tasty and vegan. Then came my wife's soup and it had cheese throughout! We pointed this out to the waitress who took it back to the kitchen. While waiting for her soup, they brought out our side dishes of sprouts and potatoes - they were simple steamed vegetables with absolutely no seasoning. Not even salt or pepper. We stared at the dishes incredulously. Shame on any chef or cook for sending out a plain, steamed side dish of vegetables. First, we ordered the potatoes as is on the menu. Second, we ordered the sprouts made the same as the menu sprouts, just without the sauce. To say to a waitress no dairy should not mean to the kitchen no seasoning or sautéing or creative cooking of any sort. Now is when it gets really interesting. We call the waitress over and explain our dissatisfaction and tell her we expect something more than plain, steamed vegetables. She goes off and quickly returns with a man who is clearly a cook, not "the chef," who proceeds to ask us what the problem is and how we would like him to fix it! I explain that we ordered the olive oil, herb smashed potatoes and somehow because the message was delivered that we are vegan we received plain, steamed potatoes without any seasoning. I further explained (to a cook???) that there are many ways to cook very tasty Brussels sprouts without steaming or boiling them and playing them plainly without any seasoning. I suggested that perhaps he sauté them in olive oil with sea salt and cracked black pepper or some other more creative seasoning perhaps. Or anything other than just steaming them and putting them in a bowl. He looked very put out and took them back to the kitchen. After the rest of the table had their dinners and were almost done eating we finally got our sides back. The potatoes looked and tasted like someone had put them in olive oil and then salted and peppered them - no herb to be found. The sprouts had been tossed in olive oil and salted. Bravo chef! Wow. And this amazing culinary delight with a glass of wine and a cocktail came to $120. Oh, they included gratuity at 18% in the check for us since we were at a table of 6. When we go to lower end restaurants we do not expect the kitchen to be able to vary the menu for us. But we have never had a problem at high end restaurants, where the chef or cook will typically come out and visit with us upon finding out we are vegan to discuss a tasty option. What this experience tells me is that Main Kitchen is a low end restaurant with high prices. A ridiculous experience devoid of any customer service. read more

We finally came to have dinner at this so "anticipated" restaurant. It was 9pm and we sat down (by ourselves) because the hostess was on a break. We got to the table and the waiter said that they were out of 3/4 main and 2/4 of the appetizer on the menu. So basically we were going to eat pizza only. Seems like very poor planning/ preparation from the kitchen when you're promoting a High end restaurant in a brand new luxurious hotel read more

Extremely expensive, especially for mediocre pasta dishes. I would give it four $'s, not sure why Yelp has them listed with two $'s. Feel like you're in a hotel lobby because... Well... I guess you are. read more

Not sure how long they've been open here but I hope they stay for the long haul. Tried the glazed salmon over idk if it was a couscous type or risotto and mushroom mixture but it was the best fulfilling meal I've had in a while. The ponzu brussel sprouts and beef tacos are great options as well. Although the beef was a bit chewy and hard to get out my teeth afterwards (I keep floss on deck) the fresh ingredient toppings gave it the perfect kick. Drinks are good but expensive. Spent $80 on a first round b4 I blinked good. However it is inside of the actual hotel so it's expected. The only reason I gave them 4 out of 5 stars is because the manager (I believe he was, nice suit slick hair) didn't greet customers when he came out near the bar for a while. I'm picky about that, like make eye contact, smile or smirk even. Ask how someone's enjoying their food or tell me I have a booger in my nose. Anything! Anywho, im hearing about some really nice NYE options here so I might be back soon. read more

Main Kitchen - It's never too early for Jameson - Wine Bars Near Me - Houston, Texas

Great food, great service. Gulf shrimp and side of Brussels sprouts were amazing. Cool views, too. Totally recommend.

Went here for lunch...my eggplant sandwich was good but greasy. The fries were great. My friend enjoyed her pork belly sandwich. The rice pudding dessert was awful - the rice wasn't cooked thoroughly and it was served very cold and portion was ridiculously small. read more

The short rib taco's were terrific-3 medium size for $17. Imagine my surprise to learn that the 2/3 full glass of unsweetened ice tea was $5! I live in the San Francisco Bay Area where I have never seen this kind of price for any kind of tea -particularly without a tea bag to steep!!! After questioning the nice waiter about the price, some girl -who did not identify herself -came to my table to let me know that they would take it off my bill but continued to say the most unhelpful obvious thing:"but this is the price...just want you to know...this is the price."Good tacos but management training is a must, and just do with the standard table water!!! read more

Nice ambience, and really great waitstaff. However...scallops were terrible. Seemed like a mix of incongruous ingredients thrown together rather than a blend of flavors. So disappointed. Worst scallop dish I've ever had in my life. read more

Service was impeccable in the bar on a Saturday night. The caipirinhas were divine. The burgers were extremely salty. We should have sent them back, but it was late, and we were hungry. Rowdy patrons in the lounge area were watching a game, which detracted from the experience. read more

Oh no! What happened to the Main Kitchen from a year ago? The food is worse. The service was worse. My soup was so cold and thick that my spoon stood in it. I asked for mash potatoes but was informed they had no mashed potatoes but French Fries. Uh, if I wanted fries I would go to MacDonald's. I declined. They sent out quartered potatoes that were fried. Well, Sweetie, take those round potatoes, peel them, boil them, and smash them with some garlic butter. There you go. Potatoes can be all kinds of things. Sad, because it is a beautiful place with bland .... Boring... food. *sigh* read more

Honestly the snow storm is what made us go, when we got there, we were seated very quickly which was fine. After that it started to go down hill, waitress was all over the place took them 10 minutes to finally come take out order, hot chocolate was ok... then we ordered drinks which didn't come until are food came. We ordered drinks 20 minutes after we ordered food, and the food tooo almost a hour to come out , they didn't bring the drinks out together they brought them out 5 minutes apart. We also noticed couples coming after us that were already greeted with food which was kind of weird. Last but not least my girlfriend caught food poisoning from there shrimp and grits, (which was very plain) she said the shrimp tasted under cooked and as soon as we got back to the hotel she started throwing up and running back and forth to the bath room. I got the panini pasta meal, which wasn't bad, not going to lie. But it was a basic pasta plate something you can't mess up unless you don't know how to cook. But I for sure give them a 2/5 ..... read more

I have been here a few times now and I need to get this out. This place has decent food but they are slow. And its slow all the way around. I am on a business lunch, I am not trying to take 3 hours. The servers seem to give you wayyyyy to much time to look at a menu that its too large (physically large, it's hard to talk to someone with this in your face) for what it is. Then the ticket times run 20+ minutes, so you have waited 40 minutes by the time your food comes. At that point I am starving. Food again is good but not mind blowing. I really wanted this to be big hit as it is right next to my office. read more

I previously rated Main Kitchen as 5 stars. I came with my wife or friends a number of times and it was fantastic. The old chef left and it stayed ok for a while. That has passed. The menu is now much more expensive. It is also not good at all. They have a $30+ chicken mole which is really expensive for mole so I assumed that it would be great. It is burnt fried chicken with a tasteless mole sauce and rice that loses to TV dinner enchilada rice. They need help bad. read more