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    Upper Kirby Bistro

    3.7 (302 reviews)
    Open 10:00 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)
    Updated over 3 months ago

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    The drink picture is when we first got our drinks. Does that look like $18 worth for a Sidecar?

    I visited **Upper Kirby Bistro** for the first time on 3/17/26 during their all-day Tuesday Happy Hour. They advertised $9 Hennessy, Tito's, and Ketel One drinks, along with $6 appetizers, so I decided to give it a try. I ordered the bacon-wrapped chicken and fish tacos from the Happy Hour menu. The tacos looked great when they came out, but I couldn't tell what kind of fish was used. When I asked, I was told it was salmon--definitely not my preference. The waitress did offer to take them back, but since they were only $6, I declined and planned to take them home. Next, I ordered a Sidecar, assuming it would be made with Hennessy since that was part of the Happy Hour promotion. However, when I later reviewed my receipt, I was shocked to see the Sidecar was $18--and the tacos were charged at the regular $17 price instead of the $6 Happy Hour price. Unfortunately, the handheld payment kiosk made it easy to miss these charges in the moment. I had to call back to get a copy of my receipt, which is when I noticed the discrepancies. The atmosphere was nice, but the pricing felt misleading and disappointing. Because of this experience, I don't see myself going back.

    Decor and seating
    Ediri N.

    Finally came here for brunch after having it on my list for a while and for me it lived up to the hype! On arrival I opted for valet parking ($10) so I didn't have to walk far, but there was some street parking available. Upon entry, there were initially going to seat us in their secondary area (left side of the building across the courtyard) but I requested us to be moved to the main dining area and they were able to accommodate us. The main dining area has nicer booths, a bar, and also a DJ playing mostly R&B music. It was definitely a nice vibe. Service was surprisingly really quick throughout. Our waitress was checked in on us frequently, but also not too much. Our drinks and food were served really fast, which was appreciated. To start we had oxtail empanadas, which only came with two, but they were good! For my entree, I had the Five Central Slam and everything was cooked to perfection! From the potatoes, to the eggs, sausage, and bacon, I truly enjoyed my meal. I will note, the waffle that comes with it is essentially only half a waffle (two quarter pieces) so if you were looking forward to a whole waffle, you will have to add a side waffle. Luckily for me, my wife ordered chicken and waffles, so I just ate some of hers, although the waffle that comes with her entree is thinner than the one that came with mine. Speaking of her chicken and waffles, the chicken pieces that come with it are HUGE. Lastly for drinks, we just had water and a carafe of cranberry mimosa which was decent. This was truly a fantastic brunch experience. It's rare for me that black-owned restaurants live up to the hype, but I couldn't have been more pleased with Upper Kirby Bistro. I never thought about coming here for dinner, but now I am a little intrigued. I will definitely be back for brunch in the future and I highly recommend it to all!

    Shania C.

    Whewwww , I really wanted to enjoy tonight !! Appetizers- chicken rolls 8/10 oxtail empanadas -1/10 ( super dry inside , no flavor $12) Dinner - chicken fried chicken 6.5/10 The broccoli was so good , mash was good as well but the chicken was dry , over fried , bread crumbled immediately. NY steak -8.5/10 it was good . Cooked very well . Dirty rice was good , spicy Bread - lol we ate more bread than anything . Drinks - all I can say is drink before . Customer service - TERRIBLE . While there is someone walking around checking on everyone , the actual waitress was just all over the place . She barely came over to the table . When she did we were pretty much done . I spent over $100 for 2 ppl and I feel it was a waste . The vibe is great especially next door . It's just very busy and understaffed . Tik tok suggested ...

    Jerk Salmon Caesar
    Brianna M.

    I always have a good experience. And maybe me being one of few there for lunch. I was so surprised more people weren't there for HRW. The portions were more than expected and 3 courses were a great surprise. The salad was really good the flavors of the Caesar dressing wasn't too spicy and the lettuce was crisp. The turkey leg plate was a Star. The turkey leg was tender and the dirty with greens made me want to take a nap in the car. The cherry limeade was refreshing and the staff were very attentive. Will always come back.

    Jonquil B.

    This has been on my Houston list for some time and I'm glad I finally came. I love the vibe of this place as well as the customer service. Our server was really kind and helped us with any modifications for the menu. They didn't rush us out the door and the food was really good. I'll definitely be back when I visit Houston again.

    Custom mocktail
    Valencia H.

    Second time at upper Kirby was for restaurant weeks lunch special. They offered a four course dining experience. To start I had the gumbo and my friend opted for coconut curry wings. Second were the crispy Asian shrimp; so large crispy but still juicy. For our entree we went with the chicken with mashed potatoes. I had broccolini as my side and she chose spinach. Final round was dessert, molten chocolate cake & peach cobbler. The kitchen brought our dessert out like 2 mins after our entrees arrived. That was odd considering they were both warm desserts served with ice cream. After our server came by to check on us he gladly replaced them with no issue. EVERYTHING WAS GOOD!! AMAZING CUSTOMER SERVICE Side note the server made me a custom mock-tail that was both delicious and beautiful.

    Buffalo wings
    Lina A.

    Wow, wow, wow! We were all truly impressed with this restaurant, the food and the amazing service by Victoria is top shelf! It is a Black-owned restaurant. The R&B music was great. I love how the restaurant looks. We were looking for a good restaurant to dine at after a long day of airline delays and long lines at the car rental company. We decided to stop by and try out this place. We were happy with our choice to dine here. Everything that came out of the kitchen was delicious and piping hot. My sisters and friends decided to order all of the appetizers from the happy hour menu to try them all. I opted to order a meal from the dinner menu. I ordered the Fannie Mae chicken dinner which came with 4 pieces of buttermilk fried chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, collard greens, Texas toast and a pickled pepper. Oh my goodness, I didn't want my dining experience to end at Upper Kirby Bistro. This was the perfect way to jumpstart our weekend! Shoutout to the chef/chefs that are definitely on point in the kitchen! Thank you to the owners for amazing food and service. I will definitely be back when I visit Houston again.

    Oxtail & Grits
    David D.

    First time at Upper Kirby Bistro place is nice it had a jazz vibe to it. It was not busy I heard it gets busy. The staff was really nice very attentive to the guest. The mimosa was ok I dont like dry champagne. The oxtail and grits were good I would rate it 7/10 the oxtails were very fatty and the grits didnt have the type of loving I needed. I had to doctor them up. All and all the place is cool I shall return.

    Jazmine S.

    Saw on social media that they were having a $6 special on frozen drinks during the month of July with a provided code so I inquired about it with our server. The sever was confused but said she would ask about it and she came back with the drink that I asked for. When she brought the check, the drink was showing regular price so I brought it to her attention and it was corrected. The crispy Asian shrimp was very good but too expensive, only 4 shrimp for $26. It was a nice place to try but I don't think I will go back again.

    Watermelon Mimosa
    Gino W.

    While in Houston visiting, I looked for several restaurants that I thought would be good to try that wouldn't disappoint. Upper Kirby Bistro was one that didn't come close to disappointing. They scored high marks. I met with a friend in the mid morning before the brunch crowd proper showed up. I started with a watermelon mimosa that was not only refreshing, but was also just a plus for something different. For starters, we shared the biscuits with gravy. Although they were delicious, there was a faint smoky flavor to them that I detected. There wasn't enough sausage in the gravy to add any kind of smoke, so I was curious as to what it was that made the gravy smoky. My friend ordered the fried catfish and grits, and she ate it all in silence and without complaint. That was all I needed to know that the catfish and grits were delicious. I had oxtails with grits and greens. My inner Jamaican loved the oxtails and my inner Southern totally approved of the grits and flavorful greens. Service is top. I can't say enough about how pleasant our server was. One thing to note is that parking in the area may be come a bit much. Having arrived for a 10:15 AM seating, I could easily get a spot across the street. However, by the time we were leaving around noon, the crowd was coming in and parking along the street was lessening. They have valet, though, but warning just in case you decide to go late in the day when the restaurant packs out. I know I will go back when I'm in town again. It will still be for the earliest seating.

    Expresso Martini
    Cam E.

    It's unfortunate the review is so low. We hosted a HNOMA (National Organization of Minority Architects - Houston) event here a few years ago. It was my first time and really enjoyed the fellowship. Since then, I've come for a couple of work lunches and it's always been a pleasant dining experience. Our office frequently orders here for lunch-n-learns and it's always a big hit! Today we wanted to support a black-owned business for Juneteenth and ordered food to-go. Alicia was sweet, attentive (greeted us right when we came in), and made an expresso martini while we waited for our order. Yummy! Thank youuu!

    Cute chandelier in the bathroom
    nathalie m.

    We were looking for soul food spots around the area and decided to trust social media . We landed on Upper Kirby Bistro. It was in the middle of a rainy Saturday afternoon. The place wasn't packed and we were seated right away. Waitress was pleasant not pushy and professional. The food came out at a normal time, they had a live DJ entertaining guests and he played good old R&B from the 2000s. The food was great. I had the soul food dish all was great, but would have preferred more than 1 lonely piece of a bit rubbery oxtail. He had catfish and grits. I shun grits. I tasted his, my goodness the explosion of flavor in my mouth was unbelievable. This place nailed it! Compliments to the chef! Drink of choice? A carafe of elevated mimosa. Ran to the ladies room came back to a surprise. DJ giving me a shootout for my birthday and the whole restaurant clapping for me. Honey bunny made me . Was offered a great strong shot on the house and a shot glass as birthday gift. The place seems smalls but it's not. It has a bunch of different rooms to accommodate big groups as well as intimate events. I would love to go back there in the evening it must be simply beautiful. Upper Kirby Bistro is such a vibe, subtle class, my type of spot. Will 100% return. Reason I didn't give 5 stars? Parking is a bit tricky. They have valet but...that's a whole other story.

    Had to get my selfie in as a "foodie"!
    Natasha B.

    All food items from the lunch menu were delectable! No complaints! I was hoping to enjoy their brunch I heard so many raves about but that's only offered on the weekend! Not hard to assume, I will be back for that too! The atmosphere is moody and the instrumental jazz and r&b was a nice vibe!

    Soulfood Plate

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    To go mostly here, there is also outside patio Casual…read moreambiance Service has only been for to go orders - I think I have picked up brunch here before Pluses 1. Easy to go when app is working and there's rewards Areas to improve 1. There is a 5% included to go fee just FYI 2. This mashed potato here is very bland and salty compared to San Felipe location. We could not finish our individual servings and did not even give it to the dogs today. It tasted like the dry flakes you buy at the supermarket and mix with milk and the texture was not right. 3. Very boring and bland cheeseburger, very forgettable. The patty was very slim. 4. Helpful to have quality control with the two restaurants, it acts like two different restaurants even though menu is the same! Also I just saw the health report listed. 5. Salmon was raw in the middle when we asked for medium well. 6. Not sure we will eat the chicken and green beans for tomorrow... I prefer their San Felipe location of which I am a regular patron, and came here due to Galleria construction, but given today's very bland or salty food, which was not satisfying at all, I must head back there. This was the worse to go and pick up experience I can think of in a while. My order was $100 plus today for several meals...

    Ordered takeout and had a seamless pickup experience…read more Got a couple of salads to go and a soup. Very very good for a quick snack. Lemon artichoke soup always hits. Only problem that I have is that the salads don't provide enough toppings in my taste. Mostly lettuce. Will dine again, Bob B.

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    Eunice - Chicken and sausage gumbo with added shrimp

    Eunice

    4.3(694 reviews)
    0.7 miUpper Kirby
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    I've been here a few times before, and being a sucker for second chances, I wanted to see if things…read morehad improved from my last visit, thankfully, they have. Feels good when an establishment takes pride in their customer's feedback and puts a plan into action. Honestly, part of me was hoping that last time was just a fluke or an off day. This time around, everything from the service to the food was great. We had a 12:30 Sunday reservation for two and opted to sit inside this time. We ordered the cast-iron cornbread, chargrilled oysters, and a cup of gumbo each to start. For entrées, I had the Gulf Fish, while my husband went with the crawfish Florentine. Everything came out beautifully timed, almost like a perfectly paced three-course meal, which obviously made the whole experience feel elevated and relaxed. Our waiter was knowledgeable, attentive, and on top of everything without being overbearing. I also tried the prickly pear aid (non-alcoholic), and it was super refreshing, definitely worth ordering if you like a little tartness to cleanse your palate. Overall, this visit felt like a completely different experience than last time. It delivered the elevated experience a place like Eunice promises and what I was used to originally. Looking forward to celebrating my birthday here in June!

    I visited yesterday with a few friends for the first time. The restaurant itself was very…read moreimpressive and clean, well decorated, and welcoming. Unfortunately, the overall dining experience was disappointing due to both the service and the food quality. Our server was very slow throughout the evening. After ordering cocktails, it took approximately 20 minutes for them to arrive. We then ordered our meals... I had the burger and fries, while my girlfriend ordered the shrimp and grits. Both dishes were noticeably over salted. After finishing our meals, we waited an additional 15-20 minutes just to receive a dessert menu. Eventually, we decided not to wait any longer and went to Dessert Gallery down the street instead. While the atmosphere and appearance of the restaurant were excellent, the slow service and food issues negatively impacted the experience. Based on this visit, I would likely not return.

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    State of Grace - Texas Blue Crab Hushpuppies

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    Wow! I'm not sure what I expected when booking a resy for brunch on a Sunday at State of Grace, but…read moreit completely exceeded my expectations. Extremely kind service from the hosts through the entire team. The best balance of conversational and storytelling without being overbearing. We never felt rushed and they made the experience feel personal, and felt we truly got to know the restaurant and reasoning behind a few of the dishes just through their excitement. We ordered coffees along with the crab hush puppies, gumbo, avocado toast, and ended with their massive cinnamon roll. It was the perfect spread and everything was so flavorful! (My only critique was I wish the cinnamon roll was warmed up and served with a bit more icing). The interior was fabulous with an amazing aroma. I would highly recommend for anywhere from an intimate date to a group brunch! Beautiful bar as well, I cannot wait to come again another night for dinner. Upon exit, we were also departed with a complimentary cookie - super cute touch!

    Celebrated a special occasion at State of Grace. Mainly valet parking…read more Jamilia was an AWESOME waitress. Appreciated her humor and talking to her! She provided excellent service along with her assistant, Jonathan. Enjoyed an espresso martini & tried some of the carajillo! Appetizers were the highlight of this meal (minus the hamachi crudo; sauce was super weird). Enjoyed the woodfried oysters (6pc) & gulf crab hushpuppies. Oysters from Texas & Alabama were delicious! Faves were Key Allegro, Mermaid Tears, & Matagorda Pearls. Capo Hugo was alright. Sides: pommes puree (whipped potato) & wood grilled asparagus - these were good Got a bite of the overpriced burger and that was the best entree out of the ones that were ordered. Fries were delicious and addicting too! Classic blackened redfish was ok; nothing special. Le Entrecôte (steak frites) was also ok; some steak pieces were hard to chew. Was NOT a fan of the lobster fettuccine. Surprisingly bland and barely any lobster meat for the cost of that dish. Ended the night with dessert. Basque cheesecake tasted great! Banana foster was pretty good. Grab a cookie on the way out of the restaurant! Don't see myself coming back here for dinner, but I'm open to trying their brunch menu.

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    Upper Kirby Bistro - newamerican - Updated May 2026

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