With the Pass closing this is probably the best of the best remaining in Houston. Justin Yu works miracles with this highly approachable menu that does everything that Oxheart did but with an improved soundtrack and repeatability. Anything that says toast on it is essential and don't skip dessert. The way I see it, you come for the food but you stay for the Brian McKnight greatest hits reel. read more

Theodore Rex - Paris-Brest is a must - New American Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Never been to Oxheart but heard good reviews - and Theodore Rex was supposed to be a new twist to the chefs style. Each dish is intricately flavorful and you could tell a lot of thought and creativity were poured out. I had the tomato toast, Italian dumplings and the Guinea hen. The dumplings were my favourite- I had never had anything close to the amount of flavor and delicious-ness! Beautiful place and beautiful food. Can't wait to go back! read more

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Theodore Rex is outrageously good. We visited Houston in early Dec for a wedding and dined here one night on the patio. It was the best meal we have had in a long while and certainly the best place we visited in Houston. We had: - tomato toast (the best thing I ate in 2021) - melon with spicy pepper (excellent) - crepe with mung bean (very good) - smoked braised greens (excellent) - fish entree / think grouper? (very good) - we had some dessert - a cake that had cheese or something, I forget - I actively disliked it and wish we had gotten something else instead since the desserts sounded good Service was attentive and warm. Definitely try to reserve a spot here when in Houston. read more

My wife had a great experience here on a date night. This is not a huge restaurant with a lot of seating. It seats 30 people maximum its in the warehouse district of downtown. I highly recommend coming here the food is very good. It's on the $$$ side but very worth it. We sat at the bar and watched all the action in the kitchen. We met the Chef/Owner and he was hands on. Will definitely be returning. read more

We were a party of 7 in the record player room with chef's menu. Superb food and service.

This place had a great atmosphere and excellent service. The restaurant is unassuming but elegant. We got the Dutch roll appetizer which was perfect to split and a great blend of flavors with a fresh baked roll. For our entrees we got the roasted chicken and the the fish. Both entrees were cooked perfectly and served in a flavorful broth. For desert we split blueberry cake with cream which was the perfect ending to a great meal. All the dishes served here are well thought out and made to perfection. This place is great for a date, to catch up with friends, or to bring the family. I definitely plan on coming back! read more

Theodore Rex - Entrees - New American Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Where do you even start when talking about this place? There aren't many seats in the restaurant itself, so try to make a reservation if you can. We got very lucky--called the restaurant before arriving and they had space at the 'bar' on a Saturday night. The bar seating allows you to watch what goes on in the tiny kitchen which was really a nice show. Everything here was delicious and obviously meticulously created in not only the development of the dishes themselves, but also in the everyday preparation of the dishes. You probably cannot go wrong with whatever you order here. Tomato Toast - 5/5. This is their signature appetizer and what they are well known for. Tomato jam/fondont that is tomato cooked down for 18 hours spread over toasted rye bread topped with fresh tomatoes. Just absolutely delicious. Gulf Oysters - 5/5. Two very fresh oysters came in this order. The horseradish and turnip puree (and whatever other magic added) made these oysters extremely light, sweet, and overwhelmingly tasty. Farfalle - 4/5. Freshly made farfalle dish that was super rich and delicious. It came in a main dish size even though it was under the small plates category. The rabbit also was nice and gamey without being dry. Beef Tartare - 4.5/5. I honestly felt like I was eating foie gras with the flavor and how well the tartare melts in your mouth. We wished there was a little less of the topping of preserved green tomatoes as it was a bit overwhelming. Gulf Snapper - 4.5/5. The snapper was so flakey, light, but yet firm that the texture was almost meat-like. The broth was very plentiful and light with a distinct leek flavor. Sliced Wagyu Beef - 5/5. oh wow. the savory beef was melt-in-your-mouth, but yet still had that chewy texture you want in a steak. The potatoes that accompanied the dish were also very tasty. Strawberry Buttercake - 4/5. Strawberries are baked into this very dense cake and when you get a good piece of one, it's a burst of deep strawberry flavor. The top of the cake is also torched giving the cake almost a delicious creme brulee topping. Honestly, I cannot wait for the next time we can splurge on a meal like this. I wish I could eat like this everyday of my life. Totally worth whatever hype you've heard about this place. read more

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Houston absolutely needs more restaurants like Theodore Rex. It is one of the few restaurants in Houston which you expect to find in a place with an upscale and creative food scene like NY/SF. This place is a 10/10 in Houston and a 6.5-7.5/10 in NY/SF. But I am extremely glad that a place like this in my hometown, pushing the 'food scene' forward, and I will definitely be back to enjoy the food again Also know that if you are put in the waiting room....it can be a little awkward. Maybe I need to be more sociable but the room is maybe the size of a standard size bedroom, with 2-3 park benches in the center. You kind of "feel" like you gotta talk to the other strangers. The couple next to me were super friendly and I really enjoyed speaking with them, but still, I can see how some people would not enjoy this Tomato Toast - 5/5. This dish is an absolute must order and I thought it was the star of the meal. It's intensely savory with tomato flavor on top of tomato flavor. Steamed Oyster - 4/5. This dish was also wonderful and quite creative. The oyster is paired with turnip puree and horseradish which really rounds out the sweetness of the oyster Shaved Wagyu - 3/5. This dish was a standard if well executed steak + potatoes dish. I like the rib more than the loin and the potatoes tasted pretty ordinary to me still. The dish also gets cold quickly because the beef is shaved thing Super Crunchy Salad - 3.5/5. The salad came with candied sunflower seeds and an earl grey vinaigrette. I felt the dish was a little sweet from the sunflower seeds and I wasn't too big on the earl grey vinaigrette Cucumber Salad - 4/5. This reminded me a lot of a cooked chinese cucumber salad. I enjoyed how the ricotta helped round out the flavor, which warning to some tastes a little burnt, which I enjoyed very much but others may not Snap Peas - 3/5. I really wanted to love this dish. The snap peas were very fresh and were in a concentrated chicken broth with chicken skin on top. I didn't feel like the combination added up to something better than the sum of its parts which tasted wonderful sampled separately Paris Brest - 4/5. This was a creative desert. It was slightly savory from the swiss cheese flavored filling and the honey caramel really complemented the savoriness of the cheese. read more

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We sat at the bar, staff was knowledgeable of wines and menu. We shared plates. Everything was great. Perfect date spot.

There are no words that can describe what I just put in my mouth. This place is worth every penny. My beautiful (also amazing and the best ever) girlfriend and I came here to celebrate our anniversary. The wait staff surprised us with a glass of champagne to celebrate, and didn't mind us staying past hours! Service was excellent, the food was pure bliss, and I can't wait to go back! So, the tomato toast. Everyone says to get it, and everyone says this rightfully so. Who could have imagined that there was something better than pizza? T. Rex did. That's right. Order half of the menu, promise it will satisfy every inch of flavor your taste buds can handle. read more

Theodore Rex - Every table has a silverware (Or GOLDware) drawer that has t.rex handles. Attention to detail here is phenomenal. - New American Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Lurking in the shadows of downtown Houston is the great and powerful Theodore Rex, eager to destroy your appetite. The stack of bookkeeping and office supplies in the corner might throw you for a loop (seriously wtf), but the kitchen is serving some gangsterly good food. Standout plates include the fluffy gem lettuce salad, the buttery Charleston Gold rice, and the hand-rolled farfalle pasta with braised rabbit so succulent you'll be salivating upon sight. But the real standout was the ribeye cap: rich, flavorful, wow, just wow. Not only is T-Rex the culinary king of Houston, they also lead the charge in service. So don't be afraid to let your server order for you, and ask for a wine pairing while you're at it. Either way, ignore those other dinosaurs in town and grab a seat with the king while you can. read more

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We was there couple months ago. It was just overpriced regular food and nothing interesting. Poor combinations and no taste.

Love everything about this place. So delicious, cozy, and different! The rotating menu keeps it fresh and fun to come back. Definitely need a reservation, although the patio is sometimes available but I'd recommend Resy to see if there may be a cancellation also if you want to go in short order. Great date night spot! Thanks he "record room" appetizers, vino, or dining is also a nice and fun experience. read more

If I was on death row, I would ask for 5 Paris Brests and nothing else. I heard they don't let you pick your last meal anymore, but that's besides the point. The dessert here is to die for (ok I'll stop being so dramatic). Reservations for this place are hard to get so make sure you reserve early! I booked a bit more than a month out and got a 6PM on a Thursday. The restaurant is super cute. It feels like a small spot in nyc - like one of the restaurants tucked away in West Village, just much more spacious. Service is friendly but not too hover-y. We got the: Carolina rice with butter beans 9/10, textures are amazing Persian cucumber 6/10, enjoyable but not something I definitely need to get Wagyu beef 8/10, flavorful and satisfying. I didn't think the portion was that small Paris Brest 100/10, top 3 desserts I've had in my life, including those in nyc/paris/tokyo read more

Reservations for TRex release the 1st of every month for the month - so I logged on on the 1st to grab a nice dinner spot. The restaurant is cozy (was Ox Heart) so they don't have many seatting options available per night - you really gotta think ahead to get a reservation. Also parking may be an issue if you come before 6pm M-S, but luckily the nice waitress gave us a quarter to feed the meter to tide us over. We actually came during Happy Hour (before 6pm) and all the wines by the glass were half off! We had the mushroom small plate, which was lightly battered and fried and came with a delicous creamy dipping sauce. Highly recommend ordering this b/c it's very different from anything else I've tried. For mains we got everything except the chicken: Wagyu, cauliflower, and flouder. The wagyu was delicious and came with a decent handfull of greens which I very much appreciated. It wasn't a very large dish, 8 oz of meat, but wasn't too heavy. The flounder was delicious also came with a bed of greens (recurring theme) and had this nice light-garlicy sauce. The califower was pretty good, probably not enough for a real main, we used it more as a side dish of even more greens. Overall food was decent amount, you probably can't just order mains you definitely need at least 1-2 small plates. For dessert we got the Paris Brest, and it was delicous! Like a donut with this creamy filling in the middle, but it also had a slight hint of cheese which oddly worked. Very delicious. Overall the bill came out to be ~50 per person including tip. Pretty happy with the experience. read more

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Here ye! here ye! it's my "Finally getting to try Theodore Rex" review: Doesn't help that I was at Ren Fest also this weekend* To start off, this place is hidden in the warehouse district w/ poor lighting & signage. It may also be difficult to find parking along the streets with no valet option available. The actual restaurant space is limited to no more than 20-25 diners which makes for a more intimate setting. There is also a separate room to await your table w sofas and drink service. The drink recommendations were on point which included a very smooth and subtly citrus vermouth. As for the menu..there were true gems in what we sampled and others not living up to expectations. Imo, the starters and dessert were stellar and the true highlights of the meal: the tomato toast is absolutely flavorful and comforting to the taste buds w/ a perfect crunch to every bite; the frozen yogurt w marinated grapes and oregano was a refreshing cut to the savoriness of the dishes at the end w/ the right amount of sweetness. The main entrees were where we saw disappointment if any. The wagyu beef was thinly sliced and lacked any rub, sauce, or dressing to accentuate the flavors of this cut. There was inconsistency in terms of the meat being medium rare to rare. I enjoy tasting meat in it's purity but give us something more complex to take this wagyu to the next level. Its Wagyu! The snapper, although nicely prepared and delicious, was a safe option and presentation that didn't really provide anything outside of the box. With everything taken into consideration: parking, food, service, price, I give this place a solid 3.5/5 stars but since Yelp doesn't do half points I'm going to have to round down. read more

I was super excited to try Theodore Rex since we didn't get a chance to go to Oxheart. They don't have a sign but you'll see the name on the window and go through the doors at the corner. I thought the space was cute and cozy. We arrived during their happy hour (5-6) for their half off wine. There isn't a huge selection for wine by the glass but I ain't complaining about $5-7 wine! Our server was super nice and helpful. Fried Indian Creek 'Oyster' Mushrooms Pakora-style with caviar and sauce soubise - 4/5 I'm not a vegetable person but I was able to eat this! The tempura breading mask the regular texture and the dipping sauce was good. Kinda salty Stewed Beef Cheek warmed in pickle juice, aged cheddar, preserved summer vegetables - 5/5 LOVED this dish so much! I'm so amazed that cheese paired so well with the pickled stew. The meat was tender. Our server said Justin Yu called it a intrepretation of a burger because theres meat, cheese and pickles Pave of Farm Potatoes roasted in chicken drippings - 5/5 Good call from the server to save this with the entree. It was perfect especially for the wagyu as a side. Crispy and sauce is bomb Tilefish - 3/5 I wished it was more seasoned or the sauce gave it more flavor. It's cooked well though Roasted Texas Wagyu dressed with fermented radish and beefy bits, charcoal grilled-green - 5/5 cooked medium rare was suggested, meat so tender. You can't really go wrong with wagyu. Really Ripe 'Saijo' Persimmons with calamansi juice - 3/5 I was not a fan of this because it was super ripe that it was slimey. I had to get a spoon because a fork was not cutting it. If I can't get over texture then it's hard for me to eat. The calamansi does cut the sweetness but yeah, texture :( Overall my experience was great. I will be coming back to try different dishes since the menu changes often. Spoiler alert: there's 2 trex in the restaurant - purse hanger under the table and restroom (so far that we found) haha I thought there will be more read more

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4 stars for food but 5 overall. It's a small but intimate restaurant. Great for a date. The music and ambiance is warm and lovely without being snooty. The tomato Toast and mungbean dishes were great as was the congee. The chef is a Cantonese American guy and he was so friendly. Loved sitting at the bar and watching the action. Highly recommended read more

By far, the worst experience I, and others could ever experience. I had Veronica as my waiter, which is nothing to complain about her, she was great. However; while eating my small plate, on my left side I had a nice downtown view but on my right side, Manager Stacy Swygert's buttocks were nearly six inches away from my table and FACE. I understand the location is small but there was a lot more space on the other side she could have been standing. Also, she stood and spoke to the guest for approximately 5-10 min, so imagine having a funky odor while eating my food. The real problem came when my third dish was taking nearly 40 min and I decided to cancel it before it was brought to my table. Veronica informed Stact and Stacy became very upset and threatened to contact the police for theft of service!! I am very familiar with the law since it is a big part of my profession so I responded to Stacy to go forward on contacting the police. I will wait for them. Stacy became even more upset and continued to threaten me of contacting the police and became very LOUD so everyone in the restaurant could hear. I kept my cool and informed her to contact them, I will pay for the two glasses of wine, 1 beer, and two small plates I had consumed with my girlfriend. Stacy walked away and brought me the ticket which she attempted to charge me approximately 40% gratuity. I walked to her and asked her to fix the check and she responded "I do not want you to come back, you are a jerk." I returned to my table and she came to my table and threw a pen on my table for me to sign the check. She later came to my table and offered to compensate me with a dish but I refused too since the level of disrespect and embarrassment, I could not trust eating a meal from someone this harsh. I asked her multiple times what her name was and she refused to provide me with it. I asked Veronica for Stacy's name and she too refused to provide me with it. I did my own research and found her name. VERY UNPROFESSIONAL AND DISRESPECTFUL. read more

To start I'd like to mention this place is great and the food and service deserves 5 stars, but they had one male employee who tainted our experience. My husband has a bit of a cough unrelated to COVID. The employee first put tissues on our table. When we removed them because tissues aren't used for a cough, he aggressively insisted we keep them there. When a woman briefly stood at her table to go to the restroom and looked for her mask in her purse, he stood in front of her judgmentally staring until she put her mask on, even though she was already searching for it. This happened again with another patron as well. I understand the necessity of masks and being careful and safe because of COVID, but his approach was all wrong, and he had a double standard. There was an employee in the kitchen who had her nose out of her mask and he didn't say anything to her. It was only the patrons he was rude and abrasive to. Now for the food: We had the ratatouille, chicken liver mousseline, grouper, heritage turkey, and blueberry buttercake. The chicken liver mousseline was light and sweet and a nice starter. The ratatouille was one of the best dishes I have had in a while. All the veggies were perfectly cooked, and there was a nice balance of texture, salt, fat and funk. We loved it, and I considered ordering a second portion. The grouper was delicious, but be warned the portion is on the smaller side. The turkey was good, but a little one note due to all the dill. The blueberry buttercake was wonderful and not too sweet. It had a perfect burnt sugar/caramel topping and the sweet cream was a nice balance. We loved this. All the dishes were on the smaller side including entrees, so you'll want to order one per person. Overall we had a great meal and enjoyed the service, it was just one employee that impacted our experience. We will be back though! read more

The folks at Theodore Rex have created something unique, impressive, and comforting. I gladly accepted an invitation here but was somewhat skeptical of how cool it was made out to be. To be honest, I felt intimated by the reviews I read of this place. I felt that by having dinner here my own coolness was being challenged in an America Psycho kind of way ("so Jean wants to go to Dorsia?" Anybody?). I am a simple man with simple tastes. I knew this was bound to be the type of place where, when unable to pronounce an item on the menu, I would simply revert to pointing and grunting at things. Theodre Rex is that type of place but it is also more than that and so it turned out alright because of the very gracious waitstaff who were more than happy to answer all my silly questions about Chef's masterful creations. The Food: we approached it tapas style, meaning we ate everything from rice and beans to rabbit to ribeye. At the risk of cloying, I'll say this: every dish was a treat. The rabbit was especially remarkable and the rice and beans which had this slight crunch to it that was surprising and delicious. Chef is obviously a guy who knows victory is in the details. Even the snozberries had snozberries if you will. A true maestro, Chef manages to make each dish unique while also achieving symbiosis throughout the entire menu. The neat secret about theodre Rex is the Dessert Treehousee which is situated one door over from the main restroom restaurant. Here you can have desert and coffee and peruse and listen to an extensive vinyl collection. If you request to go to the Dessert Treehouse, the wait staff leads youu/follows you over which sounds strange but is one of thhoae the things where once you do it you wonder why more restaurants don't have Dessert Treehouse. So like I said before: Unique, Impressive, and Comforting. Take some friends. Enjoy yaselves. read more

The service here is fantastic. I came with a friend, and we heard they fill up fast when they open so we tried to come as early as possible, but even though we were only 5 min past opening, all the spots were taken. I was pretty disappointed, until the host told us that she could seat us for an hour as long as we were done by the time the next reservation came through which was a blessing since we didn't want to wait an hour to eat. Even during the short time that we were there they constantly checked in on us without rushing us. Food-wise, I enjoyed the food, but it wasn't as amazing as I thought it would be. We got the tomato toast, and it was definitely good, but also a little too oily. The grapefruit salad was very refreshing and light, and the vegetables with a sweet corn emulsion was very flavorful. However, overall, I was neither incredibly impressed or blown away by the food. I would come again, but would prefer something else. read more

I hate to do this but... I'm just left scratching my head at all of the great reviews. Justin Yu may be amazing but this restaurant falls extremely short of all of his acclaim. My wife and I visited last night and were so extremely excited to try it out. We got lucky and snatched a spot at the bar by the kitchen. It's extremely tight quarters, especially being 6'6" so if you're y'all like me I hope you don't mind getting cozy to your neighbor. We were served by Bridgett who is really great. She's knowledgeable, funny, friendly, and attentive. We enjoyed watching chef and the kitchen crew do their thing. But that's where it ends. We had the Wagyu, tomato bread, chicken dish, a dessert, and a couple of other plates that I can't recall because they weren't memorable. We enjoyed our time there because of the service and two out of towners who were sitting next to us and had heard of the restaurant through reviews. I can't see myself returning and I'm really sad to say that because of how excited we were to go. read more

This is an extremely charming restaurant with a cute patio and great service. I had the salmon and it was delicious and our waiter was very knowledgeable. read more

It is comforting while elegant. The crudo is not very good but the onion dish and dumpling dish are, as is the chicken curry. You need reservations. It is small and intimidate. Definitely a New American fare. read more

We visited Theodore Rex for the first time, for dinner yesterday evening. That was not the first time we had visited this establishment - we had previously enjoyed the wonderful Oxheart, and had not realized until the Uber pulled up that Justin Yu's new restaurant was in the same room as the previous version. It took a moment to adjust to the regeneration of this site. Some things looked the same, others looked different. Questions like "Are these the same tables that they had at Oxheart?" dominated the initial conversation, but we were soon into the swing of Theodore Rex. It's impossible not to draw comparisons between the two concepts. Oxheart was the knock-your-socks-off showcase for one of Houston's most talented chefs. Theodore Rex is a more casual offer, but the imagination and first-rate execution still shine through from the kitchen. And the room - though physically almost the same as it was - has a more casual, cozy feel to it. Wonderfully relaxed and knowledgeable servers play their part in an enjoyable experience. The menu is filled with color. We loved that appetizers are organized into "small plates great for sharing" and "small plates not so great for sharing". From the former, the tomato toast is a must - a dense and nutty multigrain bread seems to be soaked in concentrated tomato flavor, with fresh tomato and herbs on top. From the latter, braised semolina with pecorino fonduta and honey provided a delicate second course, along with the more robust bread dumplings with braised mustards, beans and whey. By this point in the meal, the presentation of the dishes and the creativity of the menu was highly reminiscent of Oxheart. The food perhaps veering more towards comfort food, compared to the haute cuisine of T-rex's predecessor. For main courses, the shaved Loin and Rib of Wagyu with potatoes warmed in cultured butter (think creme fraiche texture) was a winner, with anchovy and grilled parsley perfectly rounding out the flavors in the dish. A surprisingly wonderful french bean and onion stew with corn pudding and egg emulsion were brought to life with cumin - providing a light curry backdrop to another beautifully balanced dish. From the dessert menu, we picked the Paris-Brest filled with sweet Swiss cheese cream, honey caramel - a dish somewhere between a gougère and a bagel-shaped profiterole. Like much of the menu it was quirky, highly flavorful and extremely well-executed. A word too about the wine list - we chose exclusively from the "adventurous" section of the wine list. A Beaujolais made with Syrah and Grenache was certainly a new one on me but we loved it. read more

Loved it! It took me a few attempts to find the place but whatever aggravation I felt from the drive(also took a while to find parking) immediately dissipated once I walked in.This place is so charming, and not the least but pretentious. We didn't have a reservation(heads up you should make one) but instead of a traditional wait area in the front of the restaurant, you are ushered into a small waiting room by a kind staff member. Not to get weird, but they treat you as if they've known you had a terrible day and they are trying to make it better. This place had comfort food and comfort staff. Yeah that sounded weird oh well! read more

This was one of the most unique restaurants I've been to in a very long time. It is very small inside and often requires a reservation. Parking is limited as well and is majorly street parking. That being said, the staff was amazing and absolutely accommodating to our every need. That was so nice!! We shared 3 appetizers and each were delicious in their own right. No dish disappointed! Definitely somewhere any food lover should try. read more

Love the food and service. Would love it even more if they had a couple more plant-based options.

Love places like this. Limited menu. Large variety of wine is more geared towards pairing with the food (no expense account call labels). Tried four of the small plates paired with different wines. Tomato bread, fennel bread, bread dumplings, summer vegetable stew w cumin (dont remember the name). Left really happy with the meal. They are enthusiastic about what they are doing and it shows. My favorite was the bread dumplings. At first I thought it was too salty but I was wrong. Great dish. Wine pairings ranged from Provence rose to Loire cab franc to a s African pinotage. Just seemed a bit smarter than the average new age restaurant. Atmosphere is cool. When you pull up you are not sure you are in the right place. Walk in and it is small. Imagine it would be difficult to get in at peak hours. Sunday evening when I went and it was staying full. I did the counter service since I was alone. Wasn't your highly produced stage kitchen. Fun to watch them work. If you like inventive flavors and want the exact opposite of a corporate restaurant environment this is a great option!!! Just back from Europe and it has the same energy towards the experience. read more

I really wanted to like this restaurant. I made reservations for my husband and I a month ago and was looking forward to it. We've been to the restaurant when it was Oxheart and I was happy to note that it had the same unpretentious, relaxed atmosphere. We ordered the fried oyster mushrooms, stracciatella soup, baked semolina, Gulf snapper, Texas Wagyu, and their new berry cream dessert. The stand out dishes were the stracciatella soup and the dessert. The broth of the soup was really savory and we finish every drop. I absolutely enjoyed the dessert with cream topped with dehydrated berries that were the perfect tartness. For the most expensive dish on the menu, the wagyu steak was really disappointing. It was cooked medium rare, chef's preference. I only ate two pieces because each one took a long time to chew. My husband tried cutting it different ways (against the grain, along the grain, thinner slices), but he still did not have an easier time chewing the pieces. We just did not enjoy this dish. It also took 45 minutes for us to receive our second course. The two tables beside us finished their entire dinner by the time we got our second plates. We all sat down around the same time. I had time to observe other tables getting their dishes that ordered after us, so I'm not sure what happened. The servers were all pretty attentive. It's a small intimate restaurant so our order shouldn't have been lost like it could in a larger establishment. Just like with Oxheart, Justin Yu's vegetable dishes excelled. Some of the dishes were saved because of it's vegetables, but it's not enough for us to come back. read more

I went on a date here and we both loved it. The restaurant is small and cozy and the waitstaff were nice and attentive. Appetizers: -Carolina gold rice and butterbeans: This was so good. The rice is crispy rice puffs that added a nice texture to the rest of the dish. It was great to split between two people. -Persian cucumbers: looking at the ingredients I wasn't too excited over it, but when you get a spoonful of all of it together it really comes together. That being said, I would probably swap the Persian cucumber out for another appetizer if I went again just to try something different. Main dish: -Wagyu: This was hit and miss for me. None of the other entrees sounded that great so I went with this one. Some reviews have said the portion was small, but I thought it was a sizable amount and was satisfied with the amount I got for the price. Some of the bites were less than flavorful, but then there were some that tasted sooo rich and tender. If the whole dish had tasted as good as every few bites did I'd say it was amazing. The person I was with ordered the same thing and said her's was delicious so maybe I was just unlucky. Dessert: -Paris-Brest: THIS IS HANDS DOWN THE REASON I'M COMING BACK ABOVE ALL ELSE. I had never had this particular dessert before but I had read such good reviews about it so I wanted to try it. It's not too large so if you have a sweet tooth I think a single person could easily eat the whole thing. I'm not really a dessert person, but I was regretting that we had only ordered one to split because I would have gladly eaten a whole one by myself. The pastry was flaky but not hard and was a perfect combo with the soft cream inside it. The honey and caramel were a nice addition to it as well and nothing over powered the rest. Probably my favorite dessert in Houston. read more

I really really really wanted to like this place but I absolutely didn't. I'm even giving it a three stars just because of ambience and a sense of - at least they tried. I did not enjoy anything I ate here at all which is why it took me so long to write this review. Now, I don't mind places with extremely streamlined menus but dang, have something on there that I actually want to eat. The appetizers were just a drag. I was so over this place as soon as I saw the menu. I don't even remember half the stuff we ordered but I think the only thing I really enjoyed was the bottle of wine we got. Anyway, I took pictures. Yeah, I'm taking this down to a two star. I don't mind places that are just what they are but when you make me feel like I'm coming to your restaurant for a great experience, I want you to live up to it. Will definitely not be back. Oh I remember what we got! - fried oyster mushrooms, the gulf snapper and steak and some other appetizer stuff that I don't recall. Tl;dr - the food was mediocre. read more

The tomato toast was absolutely a show stopper. Wonderful vibe and feel - dark, but comfortable. Staff were helpful and kind. Just an absolutely experience you must have at least once. read more

Probably the best meal I've had in Houston in the last 2+ years. Very thought out with only one item falling a bit flat to us (when compared to the other incredible items). Tomato Toast - 5/5 - amazing. You MUST order. Almost has a pizza flavor to it. Sounds odd but incredible with great flavor. Potatoes Paillasson - 5/5 - my personal favorite of the night. The flavors in this were great. Fried but not heavy - the greens and herbs on top made it feel very light. Would order again and again. Italian Bread Dumplings - 4/5 - a bit heavy, but (again) wonderful flavors. Very buttery and light Cauliflower - 2.5/5 - this was a bit disappointing. Flavor was fine but was a bit mooshy (hard to explain any other way). Wouldn't order again, personally, but many love it. Wagyu- 5/5 - Amazing! Cooked to perfection, great flavor. Salty but not too salty. Just delicious. Paris-Brest - 4/5 - overall was good, not exceptional. My husband could've eaten 5 of them he loved it so much, but the Swiss cheese flavor was a bit strong for me. Good service, good wine list, great food. Can't wait to come back again! read more

This was my first dine-in experience since lockdown, and I have to say they are doing a phenomenal job at making their patrons feel safe, welcomed and loved. TRex is my favorite gem to share with friends/family to showcase the quality, innovation and warmth that the Houston restaurant community has to offer. Every dish we had Saturday night was the perfect combination of comfort, refinement and flavor. read more

Theodore Rex is one of my favorite restaurants until our experience tonight. We had dinner with another couple for a 7.30 pm reservations. We were really enjoying our dinner and food was delicious , when 1 hour and 40 mins into our dinner , we were told that we needed to leave as there was a party waiting for our table . Having never experienced anything like this before it was totally appalling .I was told when I made the reservation and it is on their web site that a table for four is reserved for 2 - 2 1/2 hours This by no means a cheap place and bill was quite hefty because of our wine selection. we had come to spend nice evening with our friends but it was cut short so abruptly that I don't know how I could justify going back even if the food is amazing read more

Had a Monday date night here and excited that we finally got the chance to try out this place. This building has been a number of other restaurants, the old Oxheart and the old Latin Bites, and I just love how small and intimate it is. Service was nice and informative about the dishes. Of the dishes, here's what we had and how I'd rate them: - Tomato Toast (3/5): it was good appetizer with one piece of toast with a spread and cut cherry tomatoes and herbs sprinkled on it that we cut up into a few bites to share - Potato Paillasson (4/5): beautifully executed crispy potato square with very thinly shaved onion and herbs (think dill?) piled on top - Gulf Snapper (4/5): such a lovely delicate fish in the delicious broth. Love the green spinach pistou in it that added a nice layer of flavor to each bite - Shaved Loin & Rib of Wagyu (4/5): thin slices of wagyu cooked but still a nice red inside with parsley and potatoes - Carolina Gold Rice & Butterbeans (5/5): Seriously this stuff is amazing; it's not something I'd normally order but a friend swore by it. I would come back just for this - warm rich comfort food that I could just curl up with on a couch and watch a movie marathon! Funny too because we talked to the owner and he mentioned this was actually a last minute add to the menu because they needed another dish but by far a favorite of many! (We appreciated that they ended up serving this alongside the main dishes; worked great as a side dish) - Paris Brest dessert (5/5): This pastry was perfectly executed - not too heavy and such complementing flavors and textures. I couldn't get enough of the cream and the honey caramel! Great for dates and small groups of 2-4. read more

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Great food, great service, and felt like I was in a NY restaurant. I recommend the beef and the braised greens. They were amazing!

The record room was fantastic for a group setting. I plan on coming back for appetizers and dessert another time for date night. Would recommend the tomato toast, the french curry, and any dessert. read more