I finally tried Trill Burger and honestly… I was disappointed. Not terrible, but definitely not worth the hype or the wait. It felt like a regular smash burger with premium prices attached to the name more than the flavor.
I told my friend about it afterward and she reminded me that months ago she sent me a list of Houston spots she felt were overhyped or straight-up not worth it. I really wish I had looked at that list before going 😭
Now I’m curious — what Houston restaurants would you add to a “looks good online but disappoints in real life” list? Not trying to hate, just trying to save people time and money.
No accounting for taste.
My cousin hates Papadeuxs seafood and thinks Golden Coral seafood is better. So, I mean. Seriously, can we all make fun of him?
No, its ok, its his wrong opinion.
I once saw a small child dip a chicken wing in the chocolate fountain at a Golden Corral.
True fusion cooking that GC.
I remember reading a while back that a kid at GC dumped his drink in the fountain and they had to shut it down. Some guy who was VERY excited to try the fountain was not happy and poked holes in the family's tires.
Don't fuck with the chocolate fountain.
did he foillow them to their car or see them get out when they arrived
He saw them arrive
Culinary innovation!
Mole chicken wings!
Goddamn, Jimmie! This is some serious gourmet shit!
This vegetarian chocolate fountain lover thanks you for the nightmares
i used to stick my tongue in that chocolate fountain
I’ve never had the urge to do this as a kid but the other kids I used to see always doing ish with these fountains made me scared to try one no matter where I go.
oh i meant i did it as an adult!
Ohh that’s not-
I think we should clarify that Papadeuxs should not be the bar for “good” seafood but it is infinitely better than Golden Corral which I honestly assumed got closed for health code violations years ago.
Floyd’s is trash. I’m from SETX where Papadeaux’s is legit THE fine dining and they are so overpriced. Floyd’s is fried to shit and worse than a family fish fry. Perry’s Baybrook is another one that is so overpriced and has a trash bar.
All these Taco chains
It seemed they are afraid to add any real flavor. Everything is sooooo bland. And add cabbage as filler.
yeah honestly. like we live in one of the largest Hispanic communities in the country and people decide to support these chains like crazy.
I tried PCT, Torchy and recently Velvet, all in Sugar Land. Each time I was gentrified.. wth man, put some real flavor in it..
As vegetarian, i wanna speak on velvet taco.. that ish bangs. It’s not Mexican but whatever it is, the veggie options are fire 🔥
Velvet Taco is not a real taco place to me. I see it as my favorite lettuce wrap spot. That salmon lettuce wrap is tasty 😋
I’m not vegetarian, but I’m here for the paneer tacos.
Same. I’ve gotten mocked on here before for it but Velvet Taco makes some great vegetarian tacos.
Idk man. I used to hate on “The Taco Stand” but when I went to try their vegetarian burrito… I gotta say it convinced me. Yeah it’s greasy but that’s what you need when you are hungover sooo???
based on what I've seen on the thread, chain restaurants are the move for veggie tacos/burritos but I will never not recommend smaller independent places for meat options lol
Go find a broke-down short school bus in a gas station parking lot.
I'll never miss a chance to shit on Lucille's. Maybe it's different for brunch but their dinner menu was overpriced and severely underseasoned. How do you fuck up shrimp and grits?!
I thought the same of the shrimp and grits- way under seasoned. And then, they automatically brought it out with cheese and afterward had the audacity to charge for extra cheese.
Terrible. The reviews make no sense. The service is fine, patio is nice but the food is so mid for being a soul/southern/creole restaurant. I got not believe how bland the shrimp and grits were. And how lazy it was. Throwing in sliced red onion and uncut cherry tomatoes on top of the shrimp and grits made no sense. Weird mixture of cooked hot and cold food.
I thought I was Lucille’s biggest hater on this forum. I can’t shit on this restaurant enough. Offensively bland.
Astoundingly bad. I was straight-up embarrassed that the time I chose to try it was also when I was inviting friends along. “Great reviews, etc.” then I looked like an idiot.
Very meh entrees before you even factor in the price, Mac and cheese had overcooked, formless pasta, and a surprisingly thin wine list for a place charging $30-50 per entree (lots of $12 grocery store bottles, half of which were sold out the time I went).
Honestly so many places get it wrong I’ve stopped ordering it when out.
Yeesh, I thought I was the only one! I don’t understand why it’s so yuck
Gah that place annoys tf out of me. No brunch isn’t any better. They are so pretentious with all the signs about ONE person checking in when the whole party is there, and the table times. Never have I felt like they actually wanted us to be there and the food does not back it up. They didn’t even have milk for my son.
I used to love Lucille’s but our last visit was terrible
MAD
We went to MAD about 6 months after it opened. Our male waiter, who was indeed a tall, pretty man, spent the entire night hitting on tables of River Oaks housewives, and couldn’t be bothered to look after our table. We sat at the table for around 35 minutes before our first round of cocktails showed up, and nearly an hour before food started showing up. And then he had the audacity to tell us we were going to exceed the 90 “table time”! Food was decent, a couple of dishes very good, but I won’t go back. They seemed more interested in being a “vibey” Insta restaurant than anything else.
“Don’t even worry about it buddy, turning tables over quick only matters if there’s any possibility you get a tip”
What are these - duck tacos for ants?
I review a lot of places and I mean a lot.
I did the chef’s menu at MAD and honestly, it surprised me. I’ve been there multiple times before and never really loved it. I’d usually just pick one or two items and call it a night.
Since I was reviewing them, I figured it was only fair to do the chef’s menu and let them fully make their case. It was solid. Service was questionable, and the music is too loud for a nice dinner, but the food was solid.
Total garbage. They should have just stuck with BCN (which is fantastic)
Yeah the price/portion/quality just isn’t there.
I get it’s not going to be as good as food in Spain but come on - for that price you can have much better meals in Houston. And it was so hyped when it opened and is all instagramable so that built up my expectations.
The burgers were pretty good, but when they opened their Spring location, I saw Trill Burger employees multiple times going to HEB to buy frozen French fries. They could at least make the fries in-house.
I mean in terms of taste, the value add of hand cutting your own potatoes vs buying them precut is just so little. Freezing is also a deliberate step in some techniques, so it's not like there's really going to be an issue with the frozen precut ones.
Drake's Hollywood was ass. Went with a party of 4, so we tried each other's orders and everyone left disappointed and HUNGRY. $75 for mid steaks (and no sides) we could've cooked and seasoned better at home. Overcooked ravioli. drinks and desserts were decent, but overpriced. We would've not gone had it been for a gift card, but we def aren't returning.
I thought trill burger was pretty good when I had it at the rodeo. Not the best burger I’ve had in Houston but it’s good nonetheless
it’s a good burger, there’s just nothing special about it that justifies it being priced a lot higher than any other smash burger
Yeah its a solid burger and the fries are perfect to me. Probably wouldnt wait in a line but its a banger.
Breakfast Klub was good the one time I went.
The Breakfast Klub is awesome at what they do. Classic american diner food done very well consistently & fast. The line is an advertisement and actually moves pretty quick. You can probably bank on a minute wait per head or 2 in front of you.
Besides all that their owner Marcus Davis is a really good guy. He’s still there on a daily basis greeting customers. He has several employees that have been there for years.
tldr: TBK is awesome & so are the people. Support them.
I was coming in here to say.... why tf is The Breakfast Klub being thrown into this? Amazing place, amazing people.
Also the breakfast klub was around before the whole social media thing. Honestly was one the first restaurants to serve chicken and waffles. It’s good just kinda of feels dated now.
It’s as good as any other place.
I’m definitely not being snarky, but who else in Houston has a wings & waffles dish that’s as good as Breakfast Klub?
If that’s your favorite dish and you love theirs the most and that’s what you go for, then we can say it’s the best. But as an overall restaurant, it is good and I definitely don’t knock it. I think a lot of people go for the first time thinking there’s more to it.
It’s good, but the hype is still too much. A line around the building to Main Street is insane for that food
Yeah breakfast klub is great. Dude just wants to hate to generate clicks.
Annabelle Brasserie - beautiful interior but the food was so underwhelming.
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Can't believe we lost a James Coney Island for that.
Velvet Taco
Seriously, they just put some butter chicken inside a tortilla and call it fusion food. It's horrible
the one in montrose is legit for like 8+ years now.
I don’t know, I just had their smash burger taco the other day and it was pretty darn good.
I swear it’s because they expanded and started putting them all over. They used to be so good smh
It's wildly better than Torchys man
This is a weird comment though for this thread, since it's a national chain. It's essentially just upscale fast food
If you're expecting a sit down restaurant quality, that's kinda on you. That being said, the tacos still taste good
Velvet and Torchy's tacos are so different in style that I find them hard to compare, but yea I'd go to Velvet any day over Torchy's.
Velvet has a lot of misses but the hits do hit, like the smash burger taco. I've never heard any hype for Velvet though. Torchy's? Maybe hype like 10 years ago but never anymore.
Never disrespect torchy’s like that again 😭✌️
We were quite pleased with the Torchy's in the Rice Village -- until it took a nose-dive about 4-5 months ago. Every recent trip, the place has been understaffed and very slow, to the point we had to take it out of our regular rotation.
Torchys is SO trash
Grace’s. Pretty mid for all the hype.
Who the hell is hyping Grace’s? It’s been there for at least 10 years. It’s good at what it does and isn’t in the running for anything that will blow your mind.
$$$$$
This is a case of people overinflating their expectations because it is a popular place. Bun B does make a good burger. is it the best you'll ever have? No. Is it worth the price? To me yes, and you can get the kids meal which is still filling which is at a lesser price.
They have good PR (one of the owners owns a PR firm)
Went to City Cellars yesterday & was so disappointed in the food. They were also out of several items. I went around 2 pm. Got some good city pics but that’s it.
Sorry to say Musaafer didn't do it for me, Ive been twice and it seems mid. I think mainly the flavor of some of the basic indian dishes didn't quite seem as good as the other favorite restaurants. I did like the ornate decor and service from the staff.
agreed. go to agas instead.
Aga’s is great
Casa Kenji is advertising like crazy all over Instagram. I finally tried it this past week. They say they’re fusion. There’s nothing fusion about it. And it’s mid at best.
As a Cuban I will say Cafe Piquet, it often gets recommended as the best Cuban restaurant here but they literally just reheat frozen goya products.
What’s better?
Flor de Cuba for pastries, Rincon Criollo for dishes/sandwiches is probably as good as it gets here to be honest and they would be just average spots in Florida
I moved to Houston recently and don’t know anything about the food scene here. Went to birraporettis because it’s an Italian place downtown in the theatre district and thought it must be at least decent. Genuinely the worst restaurant ive ever been to. Service was fine but they serve you boiled noodles, heat up some bread in microwave, and call it a day
Birraporettis is only for geriatric theater-goers who don't want to have to walk far.
They used to be everywhere in Houston! And they were all nasty. Same for Bennigan’s and Macaroni Grill. Now I think the last one is in downtown.
I’d say Rice Box is overrated. You’re paying for the decor, really. The neon and anime style of the places suggests a cool vibe, but that vibe left as soon as the first bite hit my mouth.
I first tried it during their food truck days and I was underwhelmed. When they opened a brick and mortar near us, we walked over to give it another chance. Food was bland and not worth the price we paid. Our chicken-based dishes seemed to feature bell peppers, as if the chicken wasn’t the key ingredient, and the most I can say for the sauces is they were…brown.
Want a place for good IG shots? This is it. Want good Asian food? There are multitudes of other places, from upscale to dives, that serve better, flavorful food in Houston.
The amount of food you get from rice box is a value.
Rice box is actually really good shitty American-Chinese food. Way better than Panda express. It probably gets hate cause of all the online orders.
This describes 90% of new restaurants nowadays for some reason. They put all their attention on the decor while the food is way over priced and completely outdone by hole in the wall spots.
Social media. Cute places look more appealing to influencers who can promote the place.
For a business model, it makes sense. One time decor cost that holds up for advertisements, and you don’t have to pay the continued cost of high quality food.
If rice box prices were cut in half, that place would be a solid choice. Also maybe a little less greasy
I like rice box. Yeah half the appeal is the decor but the food is just decent American Chinese. The staff at their hedwig location are super chill. Love the Chongqing chicken.
My teen talked me into trying this place, probably because she saw it on IG somewhere.
The food was overpriced and gross, and neither of us finished our meal. Cool decor, shit food.
Rice box is a point of contention in my marriage. It personally offends me, even as someone who had never been to China, they insist on calling that literal bucket of grease Chinese food.
Spouse LOVES it.
It’s Chinese-American, adjacent to Chinese food.
Where's the best place for general tso tofu?
Yeah Trill Burger isn’t worth it at all. 100% agree
The cheeseburger and spiced fries at toasted coconut like a mile down Richmond is sooooooooooo much better. Highly recommend.
Thanks for the recommendation! I’ll have to check it out!
The hype over trill always surprised me. Like, it’s a burger, what do people expect?
Himalaya. Nothing like having the owner scream at you and tell you that you don’t want to order what you just ordered. Then when your food comes out it is something completely different because the owner “thought you would appreciate this more”.
Not to mention arguing with me that “all and I mean ALL authentic Indian food has dairy in it”. My dude, I lived in Maharashtra for several years and I can assure you that there is plenty of Indian cuisine that isn’t in a dairy-based gravy.
There are still good things on the menu but it’s not nearly as good as it used to be and Kaiser is indeed fairly obnoxious, especially to non white people. I think all the attention he got from Fearless Critic, Bourdain and Zimmern went to his head. He’s also a crazy conspiracy theory Trumper which doesn’t help the ambiance. I much prefer to deal with his wife.
Trill, El Tiempo, Corelli's (now permanently closed).
El tiempo was deffo meh
And pricey AF
Go to Candente for tex mex. They're owned by the pit room.
I love Candente, but I’m still pissed they got rid of their green salsa. The cream one is fine, but the original was the best I’ve had.
ok here's my hot take for the thread, Candente fajitas are stellar but a lot of the side stuff like chips, rice, and beans all range from average to bad. And Candente is more expensive than other Tex-Mex places that already feel very expensive. It is not worth it to me.
El Tiempo was decent last time I had it. It wasn't impressive ðough.
I just went the other day and the fajitas were delicious
Travelers Table. Just a bunch of different ethnic dishes that are average.
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You can go around the different parts of Houston and try all the dishes at places that specialize in the dish for a fraction of the price, and better tasting.
It used to be excellent but the past year or so, I haven’t liked their menu. Traveler’s Cart is 💣
Their desserts are always great. The food is mid depending on what you order
anything owned by laundry’s is azz
Velvet taco
El Tiempo. More expensive for worse Tex-mex than you can get at a hundred other places.
The absolute worst! I had a gift card and went the other day and got a combo plate with an enchilada, a taco and a tamale. It was not edible, I asked for the bill, paid and left. It was that disgusting 🤮 I probably should’ve gotten fajitas
Brisket and rice is very overpriced for food that is aggressively okay
Aggressively ok? Is that on the high end of good?
Torchy’s. Overpriced and meh ass tacos.
I’ve heard Torchy’s is all about the bathroom experience 🕳️
Couldnt care less for their tacos but I am a sucker for their queso.
arm and a leg for a fuckin chicken tender drowned in sysco lettuce on the worst tortilla money can buy and there’s people out here saying it’s the second coming of christ
what are we doing
My wife is Mexican and I took her there for one of our first dates. She often reminds me how lucky I that she gave me a chance after that 😂
Those people on r/houstoncirclejerk aren't too sophisticated.
the gloryhole is the only thing worth going to that place for
Who's hyping torchys though? It's one step above taco bell. If you were expecting more than that, then that's on you.
Trill sucks
El Tiempo was a D- How it stays in business I will never know?? Margaritas was watered down, The whole place looks like a 70’s Mexican restaurant…feels like Chi-Chi’s in a bad mood.
Why anyone goes to El Tiempo over Pappasitos when they want Tex-Mex is weird
Rainbow Lodge. High prices, small portions and they always seem to be out of their most highly recommended dishes.
It has aged. But I do like the game meats. Never knew I could enjoy antelope.
Some of the best selection of meats around; but yeah, they’ve seen better days, hope they bounce back, I like the place.
It has the best patio. Happy hour is good.
Luby’s as of late has been disappointing me. 🙃
You want a good smash burger and fries? Hot line burger on highway 6 next to the gas station
Trill burger disappointed me SO bad!
Musaafer way overpriced Indian food. I get it supposedly upscale but portions are tiny for what you get.
Have you been to Kiran's? I've been wanting to try it out but wonder if it's also just going to be overpriced tiny portions
I remember proper portions when we took the inlaws there--we all left with doggy bags. Fantastic food.
Smash burgers in general are disappointing. I get that some have better buns or maybe some kind of secret sauce, but at its heart it's a really crappy bit of ground beef.
Anywhere with a big line will be disappointing. There are too many great food options in this city that can substitute without the wasted time.
People will hate I know, but Burger Bodega (famous for their smash burgers) is overrated. May be my bias showing because I prefer a regular burger. However, LORO has a phenomenal smash burger for $5 on their HH menu that blows BB out of the water, imho.
Loro is the bees knees
Loro is absolute fire, from the drinks to the apps, the whole menu hits
Smashburgers can be very good!
The charred crispy edges and beefy double patties with melted cheese, carmalized onions and butter bun/sweet roll only come from that style.
I cook smashburgers (and chopped cheese) at home, and it’s sadly better than almost every place I’ve tried around Houston.
There’s a LOT of subpar smashburgers around, so I understand that a lot of people “don’t get the hype”; however, go to Burger Chan and order a burger your way, you’ll be more impressed than these other places.
I find the people who who hold this opinion don’t season their food
My go-to for this question is B&B Butchers. Overpriced mid food with pretentious unenthusiastic service. PASS
The Original Ninfa’s was ridiculously mid.
Chopnblok is good but the last time I went, the service was so terrible I refuse to go back
They really f-ed up putting the hostess stand in the back and not expect people to seat themselves when they can’t find it. Apparently they intended it to be a faster kind of service, but people prefer the sit down.
Man, I thought Chopnblok was just okay. It wasn't as flavorful as I had anticipated or maybe I just had really high expectations considering I hear so much about them.
Le jardinier. I cannot believe they are Michelin rated. All the flavors tasted the same in every dish offered from the prix fixe menu
Resding the comments I would suggest not reading any reviews of restaurants in Houston before going. The "critics" who are left have no taste, little to no experience in the field they are reviewing, and in some cases very questionable ethics. As far as customer reviews are the city, there is no objectivity. Anything that goes wrong tends to be taken as a personal slight. It is funny and sad.
There doesn't seem to be much rallying around the good restaurants when compared to other large cities. All that said, there are so many instagram hype driven restaurants in Houston. I can't recall one that lived up to the hype long term.
Honestly, and I am aware I’m in the minority, but I have had Rasing Cain’s 5 or 6 times, and not a single time had I enjoyed anything I’ve eaten there.
i did go to the velvet taco in the heights and wasnt impressed after going to the one in montrose for 8+ years and being very satisfied. I think thats a location thing.
Traveler's Table a million times over, if you are going with a large group of people who can't decide on one cuisine and want to partake in flavorless renditions of authentic dishes, this is the place for you. Otherwise, hard pass.
Brasserie 19, Coppa Osteria, Flora. When Clark and Cooper started they had great restaurants. Ibiza was fantastic - I loved that they didn’t mark their wine up. Now since the split, Brasserie seems to mostly be a high dollar hooker hangout. Coppa and Flora are just over priced pasta and texmex.
Sylvia’s Enchilada kitchen
Doña Leti’s. Went when they were at their original location down S Post Oak and Court Rd. Waited over 30 minutes for drinks and another 45 for food. It was literally just a friend and I plus one other table. Everything was ehhhh.
dona letis 😭 i couldn't get over the canned cheese taste
Whispers Bar and Lounge is a below average swingers bar. The crowd is very clicky and struggles in the looks department.
The way people talk about Hudson house is a bit much. It’s good if you can’t get into hillstone, good if you need somewhere approachable for pickier eaters, but it’s not exactly an extraordinary restaurant . I would even say something’s like the parm are not great!
The burger house, bun sluts once they changed their fries.
Hippo burger was delicious. Madburger was delicious.
In and out
Goodson's
In Tomball? Is that still around?
Mel’s is so much better than Goodson’s.
Just had In N Out at Sugarland for the first time last week... had the double double, not really all that. Plus the fries are like cardboard.
IDK how all these videos hype it up so much, its not all that.
The In N Out fries are bad, but I think their burger is one of the best fast food burgers. It is obviously not gonna compete with a real burger place, but compared to McDonald’s or Whataburger it’s good.
Is Lupe Tortilla a “Houston” restaurant? Because I’ve been there twice and hated it every time. I don’t get what people are liking about it.
I'm not sure if its from here but I find it alright.
The original LT off of Highway 6 on the Energy Corridor used to be legit. I ate there often when I worked in the area. The LT near Fairfield in Cypress is nothing but a high priced disappointment
It’s solid. But def not hyped or overhyped.
I feel like I'm the only one that remembers when LT's had those racist menus with the cartoon Spanish all over them.
Grace’s on Kirby
My friends and I were hella disappointed by Agnes and Sherman. The cheeseburger fried rice and cocktails were really good but everything else we ordered was mid at best. Not a lot of seasoning and nothing really standing out to me.
I'm sure I'm in the minority though because I saw it topping a lot of "best places in Houston 2025"
I really want to like this place, but I just don’t know if that fusion works. I went when the restaurant first opened and loved the scallion pancakes. I feel like it works on paper and the presentation is fine, but in practice it’s just okay.
I agree 100%. I was excited to try it and felt it was average. Love fusion but was disappointed.
Same! I was super excited and we tried to go a month after it first opened but you had to have a reservation or it was a 2 hour wait so we waited. We went 2 months ago and I was BUMMED everything was "eh". But the cocktails were fire.
Cheeseburger what? Lol
Your friend sent you a list of disappointing restaurants, didn't even look at it, went to a restaurant that was on it and now you're disappointed lol
Pink Pizza. Why was that ever recommended in the first place?!?
🧢 Trill burger is actually pretty good.
You can get the exact same burger at any decent smash burger place without the rigamarole.
OP wasn’t saying they’re bad. They’re just not worth their weight in hype.
Line too long, food way too expensive for the quality and taste
It is, I agree. It's just more expensive than it is good.
Levant BBQ, brisket and sides are pretty damn good but the BBQ sauce is glorified Chick Fil A sauce 😖
RAW, their sushi is not good.
I've always said Trill Burgers is overrated. The only reason it's still open is Bun B owns it. If a regular person/non celebrity owned it, it would have closed not long after opening.
Amore Italian on S Shepherd — the waiter was a douchebag
Potente — totally upsold us without telling us by like $50
B&B — went during HRW & it was so mid my steak was cold. Service was mid too.
Idk why so many places participate in HRW if you’re gonna get shit service
The first time I tried Trill Burger right after they opened it was one of the best Burgers I have ever eaten. 6 months later I took a friend there and it wasn't as good as What-a-burger.
House of Pies.
Several different friends have dragged me there. It's good, I guess. It's not bad. Nothing special, though.
Definitely agree on Trill. Overpriced and overrated.
Agree for both spots.
It was a complete meltdown, again. We are 2 different teams at home vs on the road. It’s horrendous.
I was in the mood for Sichuan food and went to Wula Buhuan. I should've just went to someplace in Chinatown. Super mid.
The Blind Goat - expensive, small portions, unremarkable, unimaginative, forgettable dishes, uncomfortable seating, dark moody environment, nonchalant staff, odd unisex bathroom. I can’t find one positive aspect to mention out of my first and last experience going there.
The Phoenician looked cool asf...but inside it's kinda like an Overhyped Erwhon.
In Houston u don’t have to be good… u just have to be popular