To be honest, the food here was underwhelming. First off, there's a lot of fusion dishes but the menu doesn't seem cohesive. Most of the dishes were tapas style whereas others were individual entrees. I dined with two of my friends and together we ordered 4 small plates and 2 entrees. We started off with the mushroom empanadas which were pretty good. The dough was soft and flaky and they didn't skimp out on the filling. The market crudo was my least favorite dish. They served flounder on the night we went but the sauce didn't really enhance the fish so it tasted very bland. I was most excited for the caviar tots since I had never seen caviar served this way. I thought the saltiness from the caviar would add something extra but all I could taste was the potato and creme fraiche. The hangar steak was okay but could have used more seasoning. Interestingly we liked the pierogies more. The last 2 dishes were my favorite. The tempura cauliflower was paired with a kimchi sauce to give the feeling of eating buffalo wings. There was just the right amount of tempura breading and the cauliflower was tender. Our last main dish was the kimchi carbonara. I liked the creaminess from the egg yolk and how it balanced the fermented taste of kimchi. On a positive note, the service was great. Our main server was super attentive and pretty knowledgeable on the menu. The other servers quickly refilled our waters regularly and cleared the empty dishes from our table. read more

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Hubby and I ended up at Riel on a whim and the restaurant did not disappoint! Everything we ate came out hot and tasted great. None of the food has much spice, but it's still delicious. Must order the mushroom empandas (ask for extra chimichurri) and butter burgers! We didn't order drinks but they looked great going out to other tables. We will definitely be visiting Riel again soon! read more

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I stopped by Riel on a weekday for happy hour. I've wanted to check out the restaurant for quite some time and finally made it happen. At dinner, it's valet only but it's in a residential neighborhood so there's street parking close by too. The food is influenced by the chef's background which means there's both a Canadian and Ukranian influence. Plus other influences too which make for an eclectic experience. The happy hour specials include both food and drink options. When it comes to drinks, they have discounts on beer, wine, and some of their craft cocktails. A lot of their drinks have rap names, specifically Houston rap, which is pretty amazing. I'm not surprised though as I loved their playlist playing on in the background while I was there too. I ordered the gator karaage off of the happy hour menu. I've had chicken karaage a bunch of times at Japanese restaurants but never an alligator version. I loved the creativity here. The app was served with a nice dipping sauce and lemon. From there, I also ordered the bread off of the regular menu and it's not just any type of bread. It's a Canadian specialty that's served warm with butter. Good portion size. And hey, even though bread is free at some restaurants, it was worth it here. Overall, I had a great experience. I definitely want to come back for another round. Delicious food and nice ambiance in a great part of town. read more

Great fusion food. We had a great time at Riel. Took us back to our roots. The foie gras on sticky toffee is amazing. Highly recommend.

Enjoyed every bite! The kimchi carbonara was such a yummy surprise and the crispy potatoes were outstanding! Menu is pretty small but the flavors are powerful. Sat at the counter for a more casual experience. Great playlist! read more

Kimchi carbonara,crispy potatoes,oysters and burgers were the star of the show. Drinks were also pretty good. Great music all night. Our server was also great. Food came out pretty fast too!! read more

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Riel is an excellent American restaurant serving some classic dishes with some interesting Ukrainian and Asian influences. I def recommend ordering a number of dishes and sharing family- or tapas-style, as many of the portions are pretty small (but the quality and exquisite taste makes up for this)! To start, our table ordered the market oysters, mushroom empanadas and caviar tots to share. The oysters were perfectly citrusy, the empanadas were perfectly flaky, and the caviar tots were decent. I'm not sure I'd want to pay $6 for a single tator tot again in my life, but this dish definitely had a unique presentation I haven't seen anywhere else. For mains: I ordered the beef stroganoff, which was pretty good and ended up stealing a few bites of my friend's hanger steak, which was the real highlight of my meal!! They serve the steak with some plump pierogi instead of the traditional boring potatoes, which really sets this restaurant apart from the rest. Overall, this is an upscale restaurant with friendly service that is appropriate for impressing your date or holding a business meeting. read more

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Food and Service was Amazing!! This is now one of my favorite restaurants in Houston, probably the top one! With old skool hip hop playing, such a vibe. The menu is one of a kind. Everyone needs to definitely come here, will be back frequently for sure! read more

Food is always dependable, service is solid, and ambience is casual chic. We ordered a variety of things and everything was pretty good. The only con was that the kimchi carbonara was way too salty. But all of our other dishes were delicious. Favorites were the gem wedge salad, steak tartare, bone marrow, and the sticky toffee pudding. read more

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- Butter burgers and mushroom empanadas = 5/5. The butter burgers could've used something acidic, like pickles to break up the richness of the food. - Soy sesame noodles were very refreshing and tasty but had too much sauce. - Duck with crispy rice was also good. Nothing special overall. - Steak tartare was very salty, did not have enough Dijon, and the toasted bread was way over-buttered. Not gonna lie, would not order again. - For dessert, we had the Bee's Knees. It was tart from the lemon curd but I found it overly sweet. Share with several people since it's bigger than it looks. Special notes: We went here for a birthday dinner and the service was excellent. They gave us free champagne and caviar tots. That being said, overall experience was 8/10. read more

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Is it fair to call this a beautiful, but "needs salt" experience? Get the caviar tots. They are fantastic. Portions are tidy, so prepare to course yourself or you will leave hungry. I will say the technique was gorgeous, the plates were beautiful, but everything needed a heavier hand in seasoning on our trip. Our table had all the apps, the cold noodles and the Duck all were good, but ‍ Save room for dessert - that spot seems to be where they shined! Chocolate peanut butter was amazing, sticky toffee was out of this world, and their signature lemon dessert was fantastic. read more

Cool little place. Always seems busy when driving by. Definitely make a reservation beforehand. Would definitely come back for the kimchi carbonara! It was delicious!!! read more

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Highly recommended! We came here recently for dinner and we were pleasantly treated to some delicious plates. Some of the highlights definitely included the savory mushroom empanadas, as well as the kim chi carbonara. Definitely would give this place two thumbs up for a return visit! read more

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As someone who is a dedicated foodie but has to be gluten free, it's such a gift when a wonderful place like Riel is so happily accommodating. Dante took fabulous care of us and I was delighted to see that the vast majority of the menu was or could be made GF. Fantastic cocktail program and lovely wine list. Such a gem! read more

This is my third time here and it never disappoints. You can't go wrong with anything you order from the menu. Today, I had the mushroom empanadas (tasty, creamy, crispy crust, delicious chimichurri), bannock (baked bread w/ seasonal jam and butter), pierogies and the market fish (red snapper,risotto and mussels). The main dish was the highlight with amazing flavors and good portion of perfectly cooked fish. Finished up with bees knees dessert...wow. Definitely recommend coming here and trying everything on their menu! Buen provecho!! read more

Riel - Bees Knees - New American Near Me - Houston, Texas

I came to Riel for my birthday dinner with a girlfriend to try something new. After perusing the menu we opted to start with the market crudo and the truffle & caviar pierogies. The crudo was nice and fresh but the pierogies were a bit underwhelming. I'll definitely try the caviar tots next time. For the main entrees we got the fisherman stew and crawfish pasta. The stew was very flavorful more so than the pasta which was also lacking in some umpf could have used more seasoning IMO. We finished off with the sticky toffee pudding that had foie gras and blood toffee sauce. My only wish was that it came with ice cream to take advantage of the sauce. You couldn't really taste the foie gras but can see it. I am looking forward to coming back and trying their other dishes and seasonal items. read more

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I heard such great things about Riel from multiple people so was excited when I finally had the chance to go with a friend. For my first visit we had the hanger steak, grilled eggplant, and market veggies. Overall nothing really stood out to us and we were a bit underwhelmed. I wanted to give it another shot so I ordered to go this past week and had the Korean Crunchwrap, pierogis, butter burgers, maple pork, and the now NY strip. The butter burgers were our favorite item but they are definitely true to their name and maybe even a bit too buttery. Maple pork had a really good sweet potato sauce but otherwise the other items didn't standout. Overall, I probably won't be back. I wanted to give them another chance but didn't love any specific items. We have many similar restaurants in Houston with dishes that are more unique read more

Make sure you get a reservation! Even as a solo diner, getting a seat on a Saturday night took till 9:15pm. That worked for me and my situation, but youll look like a doofus with your hot date if you try to just walk in. However you strategize, its definitely worth your time. They have a fairly small menu, which can be a good or bad thing, but luckily most of it tastes great! I didn't order as much as I would have liked, but I was already full walking in this place. Mussel in miso scallion Thai chili broth. Holy crap that was good! The smell alone hooks me in. Every sip of that broth is magical. If you can handle spice, and you don't feel a tingle, ask your server to make it more spicy. The Mussels themselves had a good seafood flavor. They dont give you much of them, and their texture aren't the best. The biggest issue is the bread. They give you some crappy bread thats not worth eating. Looking past the bread, this is an absolute must. The mushroom empanadas are not what youd expect. The dish looks Mexican, but its more like a green goddess salad in its flavor profile. The pastry itself was soft and flaky. The mushrooms are the right size to sink your teeth in, but not feel like youre eating a whole mushroom cap. Make sure you get a piece of chimichurri on every bite, as it really makes a difference. The bees knees dessert feels like they architected a dessert house out of lemon drop balloons and honey Styrofoam with how light the dessert felt on my stomach. I was quite impressed that it still had so much layering in its flavors yet was digestible, considering how full I was that day. read more

I really enjoyed this restaurant, owned by a fellow Canadian that has put his own stamp on Texas and America cuisine. I had the Amberjack and cabbage rolls, along with a selection of Cabernets and Pinots. The food was delicious and the wine choices were very good. We had great service and the restaurant has a great eclectic neighborhood vibe. I'll definitely be back to try out some more items on their menu! read more

This is a review, for Riel/Louie's. I had seen pictures from their Louie's concept (fun sandwiches) that is a lunch take-out concept, and also offered during happy hour. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for McDonald's Filet-O-Fish, and have been eagerly anticipating a reason to have my husband drive me down to the Montrose to try their version. It didn't look as good as the Instagram pictures, but it was delicious. My husband had the steak house sub, which he thought was outstanding. We also got the crawfish rolls, also great. Additionally, the cocktails were well made, and the service was very friendly. They overheard that it was my birthday and sent out the tater tots with caviar as a fun surprise. I'll definitely be back. read more

Last night I took my family to Riel. We tried several items. Corn Gnocchi Pierogis Mushroom Empanadas Creamed Collared Greens Tempura Cauliflower Butter Burgers Maple Porkloin Kimchi Carbonara Everything was great. Our favorites were the Empanadas, Collard Greens and Carbonara. Service was fantastic. We will definitely go back. read more

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Amazingly good food! Exceptional, helpful waitstaff! Very comfortable, inviting environment!

Came here on a Monday, and was pleasantly surprised. We did most of our dishes family style as they have small plates. Would recommend the mushroom empanadas and the bone marrow. However the bone marrow was a little disappointing as the third bone had no marrow in it, and the dish was quite pricy. We also had the tempura cauliflower and the karage gator. Both were good, but I wasn't wowed by them read more

Recently went to Riel with my family. There is a large parking lot, where cars are valeted. There is also some street parking around the area. The restaurant is small and cozy, with an open kitchen. In the kitchen area, there are a lot of stickers from different places around the world that were really cool. The service was great, and our waitress was really nice and knowledgeable. I tried the following dishes: Mushroom Empanadas (4.5/5): Stuffed with mushrooms, mascarpone, and with a chimichurri sauce on top. The empanadas were great - rich and savory, with a really good filling. I really enjoyed this dish. Pierogies (4/5): With potato and cheddar inside. This came with a horseradish cream sauce on the side. These were great, although VERY rich. I enjoyed them, but I could only eat one before I felt satisfied. Grilled Eggplant (coconut ginger broth, beech mushrooms, soba noodles, thai basil, radish) (2.5/5): I did not particularly like this dish. The mushrooms were great, super flavorful. However, the broth was very heavy on the ginger and had a really distinct citrus flavor, which I did not love. The noodles were also too mushy. Soft Shell Crab (4/5): Super tasty crab with water spinach, bok choy, and a light nuoc mam flavor. I definitely enjoyed this dish. Overall, I enjoyed my experience at Riel. The food was great, and I loved the mix of global inspirations. I would definitely return! read more

Riel - Dinner menu, May 2019 - New American Near Me - Houston, Texas

Solid 4-4.5 stars! Good job Riel! We came for a holiday/birthday dinner and loved every minute of it. The restaurant had complimentary valet parking out front - no time spent looking for parking! The restaurant itself is on the smaller side - maybe 15-20 tables. It is mostly glass and had a very cozy modern ambiance. I loved the lighting at each table and the lighting from the bar - made for a very good holiday dinner spot without the holiday decor! Service was fantastic - we didn't once ask for our water or wine glasses to be filled. We ordered 2 bottles of wine and loved both. Makes for a great girl's night with good company =) Even the server said we were having too much fun and would love to join us! *Daisy Bay Oysters (PEI) served with a Coconut Lime Granita - the oysters were small but fresh and delicious. Served at the right temp and the coconut lime granita made it taste like a margarita! Even our friend who's never tried an oyster before said it wasn't horrible - for someone who was scared and swore to never eat a raw oyster - I think it's a win! 5/5 *Yellowfin Tuna served with Apples, Cocunut and Red Shiso - this is their version of a crudo. It had some delicious flavors but I thought there wasn't anything real special about this dish. Also the yellowfin on top was a bit on the smaller side. 4/5 *Bone Marrow served with a Pineapple Tomatillo Jam, Persillades, House Pickles and Brioche - love love loved this dish! The bone marrow was cooked wonderfully, and not too fatty like I've had at other places and the addition of the two sauces just made the dish! Would go back and get this again immediately! 5/5 *Hanger Steak served with Potato & Cheddar Pierogi, Green Beans and Horseradish Cream - OMG.. can I say WOW to those Pierogis?! The steak was buttery and cooked wonderfully but those pierogis made this dish special! We had to order 8 more pierogis for the table (2 orders) cause they were that good. I would come back just for the pierogis at the bar! YUM!!! 5/5 *Crispy Skin Snapper served with Mizuna, Bacon Tomato Consomme, Watercress, and Cippolini - fish was cooked wonderfully. I think it was a little over salted and not much of the other flavors came through. 3/5 *Bee's Knees, a Brown butter Cake with Lemon Curd, Juniper, Milk & Honey and Ice Cream - yum yum yum! It was good and even the non-dessert lover liked it. I wish we had more of that ice cream! 5/5 *Sticky Toffee Pudding, a Foie Gras Torchon with a Blood Toffee Sauce - this one was a bit sweeter than the first one. It was basically a toffee bread pudding. Deliciously warm and flavorful. If you have a sweet tooth, this one hits the spot! We were so excited to eat it I forgot to take a photo! 5/5 Overall, we loved the ambiance, the service and the restaurant as a whole. Our server was amazing and the food was delish. We had so much fun on our girl's night. I will definitely be back here soon! read more

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It's very rare that I eat at a restaurant where literally everything from cocktails to appetizers and entrees to desserts is of high quality, but Riel achieved that. The place is tiny in space and has a relatively small menu, but that seems to allow them to focus on what they do offer, and do it well. There are eight signature cocktails of various liquors, each named after a song, as well as five classic cocktails. We went with the Corpse Reviver #2, which blends gin, lilet blanc, cointreau, lemon, and absinthe, as well as the My Mind's Playing Tricks on Me, which includes tequila reposado, grand mariner, yellow chartreuse, lime, and agave. The Corpse Reviver #2 had a smooth, refreshing taste, but the My Mind's Playing Tricks on Me really knocked it out of the park, successfully combining a number of flavors into a truly excellent drink. As already mentioned, the menu is quite small compared to other fine-dining restaurants, such that all food items fit on one page. Appetizers are divided between hot and cold selections, ranging from crudo and lobster salad to borscht and bone marrow. There are also three caviar dishes if you're in a particularly luxurious mood. The executive chef is originally from Manitoba, Canada with Ukrainian heritage, which explains the delightfully eclectic mix. We took advantage of this by mixing and matching our order with steak tartare, gator karaage, and oysters. The steak tartare was simply delicious and perfectly complemented by the mustard sauce that accompanies it. Despite my skepticism about whether gator could possibly be good, the karaage was likewise scrumptious, with the Japanese marinade flavor really coming through amidst perfect breading. The oysters were sourced from Martha's Vineyard, and the flavor difference from gulf oysters was noticeable, in the best way. There's something about New England seafood that just tastes better than the Gulf. As far as entrees, there are only seven options varying from hanger steak to Tamarind BBQ Snow Crab. We opted for the fishermen's stew, which combines kimchi broth, market fish, mussels, snow crab, and gulf shrimp, and also sprang for the scallops, which come with Carolina gold rice grits, brown butter breadcrumbs, gruyere cheese, and charred lemon. The fishermen's stew was delectable with all the seafood components tasting fresh and contributing to an overall flavor that was even better than the sum of its parts. The scallops were also fantastic, rounding out a night of seafood in which no dish disappointed. For desserts, there are only three options of sticky toffee pudding, brown butter cake, and a Nanaimo bar. We selected the sticky toffee pudding, which was served with foie gras and a blood toffee sauce. It was a delicious end to several courses of fantastic food. Through all of this, our waiter was excellent and provided wonderful guidance on our selections. As stated at the beginning of this review, there simply were no flaws to mention with our experience, whether speaking of the food, service, environment, etc. Riel just celebrated their fourth anniversary, and with this kind of quality, hopefully, they are around for many more years. read more

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Pasta is good, oysters are fresh and sweet. Drink is ok. The bread came with mussels were over baked, those are too burned to be served. Dessert we ordered chocolate cake with whipped cream and popcorn on side, and it's too sweet. Three of us shared one, but we couldn't finish it. read more

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This place is now on my top 3 restaurants in Houston! I was kind of worried at first because some of the negative reviews had such terrible things to say... but I had to check this place out for myself. As many other reviews has mentioned, the service is spectacular. Like the kind that removes your plates as soon as you've finished and refills your water after you've taken approximately 1 sip from your glass. In descending order of favorites: - Maple Pork Loin - I would never have imagined that I'd put this at the top of my list but the maple mustard glaze paired perfectly with the juicy pork. I almost wish I ordered two! - Bannock - if you're Asian you'll be slightly reminded of Asian green onion pancakes because they do use green onion in this. Except it's the texture of a chewy biscuit and it's absolutely amazing. - Mushroom Empanada - my boyfriend doesn't like mushrooms but he was a huge fan of this. I loved the infusion of flavors. - Tempura Cauliflower - You really can't go wrong with ordering this. It's perfectly crispy and the hot sauce is yummm. - Bees Knees (dessert) - the combination of lemon curd with sweet ice cream and butter cake was fantastic - Steak Tartare - it's not that this was bad in any way, its just low on my list because it was the most standard. Nothing too notable about it but a solid option if you're unsure what to order. - Nanaimo bar - not really a fan...I think it would've done better with a different flavor of custard rather than coconut. All in all, I loved my valentines date night here and I can't wait to be back. read more

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Food was AMAZING, very flavorful, drinks were great. You can truly tell they take their time making their dishes. I went once and it became my number 1 favorite restaurant in Houston. It's also a nice chill vibe. Over all it's an amazing place highly recommend read more

Had a wonderful wine pairing meal for a special event and was able to try some of their amazing food! I definitely will be back for dinner! read more

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The food here was less than impressionable. I would not come back here after coming here with my date this past weekend. It was very heavy food and the service was decent, but I can't come back to a restaurant based off of service alone. Pricey & food was subpar at best. read more

Honestly, this was probably the best dining out experience I've had in COVID world. Hand sanitizers at every 6 feet-spaces out table, and all the staff were great about wearing masks. But most of all--omg the food was out of this world! The cocktails were incredibly delicious & drinkable. We tried the maple old fashioned, the Trinidad sour, and a rum cocktail that I can't remember the name of! Would recommend all of them. Now on to the main event--the food! In order of favorite to least favorite (even our least favorite was incredibly delicious: mushroom empanadas, hanger steak, bone marrow, scallops, caviar tots, boudin eggrolls. I would die for these mushroom empanadas. Seriously. Super well balanced between the savory mushroom filling and fresh herbal topping, separated by a perfectly crispy fried empanada dough. So simply and so beautifully executed. The bone marrow was yummy and a fun (read: messy in a good way) eating experience. The hangar steak and scallops were each cooked beautifully. The caviar tots were a decadent treat but didn't quite steal the show. While the boudin eggrolls were good (the sauce a great sweet-sour accompaniment), this would be the first thing I would switch out from our order in favor of trying other items off the menu. Can't wait to return to Riel! Both during the pandemic and (hopefully!!!) post-pandemic. read more

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After months of staying in and cooking, getting cheap takeout, and a brief stint with HomeChef, a Valentine's Day dinner was a much needed reprieve. Our waiter was not too attentive. He did not tell us his name or introduce himself and we were the only table in the restaurant to not be given napkins. I'm not sure how that happened and how we didn't notice until dessert. He did give a good cocktail recommendation, though. But kudos to the woman with dark hair and amazing Valentine's eye makeup for being very attentive to our water glasses. And the man with glasses who got the door for us on the way out. As for the drinks, I got a Say My Name, which was very refreshing and fruity, as promised. Really enjoyed it. For main course, we both ordered with Hangar Steak. While we were both apprehensive about the horseradish cream, it turned out to be very light and more of an infused sour cream- perfect for pierogis in retrospect. Mine was perfectly medium rare and I cleaned the plate, sauce and all. For dessert, we had the Bees Knees and I'm happy to say that from start to finish, everything was delicious. The brown butter cake actually turned out to be the least favorite component but only because everything else was incredible. The candied lemon peel and the milk and honey ice cream were so mellow compared to the tart lemon curd. And the crunchy pearls added great texture. Overall, a superb Valentine's dinner and I can't wait to make another reservation for Riel. read more

I hadn't been back to Riel in years and I'm so glad that changed. The flavors were very different than I remembered and absolutely delicious. I enjoyed every dish and the drinks were delicious as well. read more

Riel - Tater tots with cavier - New American Near Me - Houston, Texas

The best dish was the kimchi pasta. I would go back for just that many times over. The pierogi was okay and our waitress didn't seem to know much about the dishes we were interested in read more

Came here for the $1 oyster deal during happy hour with a group of friends and was blown away by the amazing dinner we had. The honey walnut shrimp were crispy and coated with a rich, mildly sweet sauce. The bannock was a delicious, pillowy bread that paired well with its accompanying cultured butter and jam. Another table favorite were the pelmeni, which looked unassuming but packed a huge flavor punch from the broth and crème fraiche. To end the night, we ordered the sticky toffee pudding and bees knees, both of which were delicious. Love that they don't skimp out on the toffee sauce because it is liquid crack. While the restaurant is small, ambience and service were both great. read more

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Menu looked so delicious and I was really really excited about this place. Great looking and pretty good customer service. I wish I could love the food we tried. I thought overall It was too bland and did not enjoy it... except desert. The desert was so good, and so bad for you!!! Korean sauce fried cauliflower. It was Buffalo sauce. Not korean at all. All the garnish, carrots and celery is just for the show. Just a raw slice of veggie just like Buffalo wings come with veggie sticks. Disappointed Pork dish... again I could not tell much flavor... bland I thought. Overall too bland. Great looking place and it was busy, so may be you will like them. read more

Riel - Market crudo 16$. Not worth it at all. Tasteless. - New American Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Some of the best food I've had in Houston menu was absolutely amazing. I thought the ambience was really chill and inviting service was great too. I recommend sitting at the bar where the chefs are cooking. And try everything on the menu. If I could give more stars, I would. read more

I have had a drink here and had a great experience, however I went recently and the hostess was SO rude! I was very thrown off - weird vibes...... think it's a one-off situation but I hope they get it fixed read more

Went to Riel for a friend's birthday over the weekend to try it out. Half of us liked the food and the other half not so much. The restaurant itself isn't very cozy... tables are small and space is quite limited and cold... so were the staff. I personally really liked my fish entree that I ordered as well as the mushroom empanadas, but didn't care much for the crawfish rolls. None of us really left with a desire to come back anytime soon. read more

Riel - New American Near Me - Houston, Texas

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