The Raven Grill

My family, friends and I have been going to The Raven for years. Small location but we have never had to wait too long by calling ahead. The service has always been great and the food has always been delicious. I have never seen anything unclean-- it's always been very clean there. They have a wood fired grill-- my husband says their hamburgers are the best. Try the sweet potato spinich enchiladas-- they're to die for. The Raven always accomodates my gluten free diet without the taste having to suffer and without me being embarrassed to ask. Great job-- I will continue to be a loyal customer! more

Terrible service - only 4 tables full when we arrived but a large group came in after we'd placed order. 30 min after ORDERING, no food. Was told delayed due to large group. 10 min still no food. had to get up 3xs to ask Hostess, other waiter; and then bar tender for help. Manager came over to deliver food - no apologies. Only time I have ever not tipped.... more

ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING! We found multiple roaches during our dinner, including one on my arm. The lady at the table next to us also had a roach on her table. I was very upset about this and I will never ever go back. We wrote a letter and never heard anything back. I am extremely disappointed and I do not recommend ever going here. more

It was our first visit and we were entertaining an old friend I hadn't seen in 32 years. What a gem this place turned out to be!! Our party of three was promptly seated by a very friendly Maitre De and the waiter immediately asked about drinks. The ambiance was posh, cozy & contemporary, without being too crowded or informal. The attire ranged from classy casual to evening wear. We advised the waiter how long it had been seen we'd seen each other and that we were in no hurry. His timing throughout the evening was impeccable! (and we stayed from 7pm until almost 11!)\r \r The drinks were promptly served along with an assortment of wonderful breads. I had ordered the house white wine (a Pinot Grigio) and it was smooth and superb! They have an extensive selection of wines to choose from. We began the evening with the Baked Brie and Fried Calamari appetizers. There was more than enough for three hungry people to share and were prepared perfectly. My husband and friend both had the Chipotle-Honey Glazed Pork Chops. They both raved about how tender, juicy and flavorful they were. The sides of sauteed spinach and grilled sweet potatoes were cooked to perfection. My entree was the Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin. It was cooked to medium-rare as ordered and was melt in your mouth delicious. The homemade garlic mashed potatoes and grilled veggies were very tasty as well. We ended the evening with the Crème Brûlée and The Other Chocolate Dessert (which was HUGE - enough for 2 to share!) Both desserts were decadently delicious. The perfect end to a perfect evening.\r \r I was very impressed by the fact that even though they were closed at 10- we were still there chatting until almost 11pm and no one ever tried to rush us or ask us to leave. It truly was a very warm and inviting place, with great food and staff. I highly recommend it and we cannot wait to go back!! Pros: Great Service, Cozy Ambiance & Excellent Cuisine Cons: Doesn't come up by name or area on a search in Citysearch! more

This place is often packed, I am not sure why. The services is usually inattentive. The food all has some common trait...that makes it not appealing...perhaps overdosed with olive oil? Pros: healthy food Cons: poor service, mediocre taste more

Ate with a date. The food was good, but slightly over priced. I had the bone in RibEye, ordered medium. Half of the steak was just under medium rare, the other half was just over medium well. The vegetables were reasonable, the mashed potatoes were good. The seafood in the ceviche tasted very fresh, as did the tomatoes. The wine list was nice, the Meritage from Hahn Estates was a wonderful compliment to the beef. \r The service could have been a little more attentive... Easy to find, parking was easier than I thought to find. Pros: Mixed seating arrangements. Reasonable Service. Cons: Slightly overpriced more

Whether you choose to dine inside or on the quiet patio, you'll love the food, service and atmosphere of this quaint neighborhood restaurant. I've never had a bad meal here! The staff is nice, and the noise level never gets too loud. I highly recommend this restaurant! Pros: Food, Price, Service Cons: Parking more

After a terrible experience at another local establishment, my family immediately called The Raven for accommodations. They did so with incredible hospitality, great service, all at a wonderful value. We've been many times and The Raven has never failed us. They truly turned a dismal evening into a shining star. Many thanks to the establishment and their staff. Pros: Consistently great food, excellent service more

I friend and I went for dinner. We had been there many times before, the bartendar knows us. We ate at a table in the bar area. The meal was average, it has gone downhill a bit lately, but we really enjoy the bar. The next morning I realized that I left my purse hanging on the chair at the table. I called and left a message but never got a response. I had to call back several times and finally go to the restaurant. The manager and staff didn't seem to care and said that no one had seen the purse. I was really shocked because I thought that you could trust the people that worked in this kind of place, and that maybe they would be a little concerned about the situation. These people need to realize that food is not all that brings people back....it is also the people working there. Pros: Nice bar area. Very nice bartendar Cons: employees and manager more

We used to love Raven Grill - dishes were prepared impeccably. Maybe it's under new management or something has changed because food quality and service is deteriorating. We went about 3 mos ago, and service was fine but food was unimpressive. \r \r Last night we were astounded by the exceptionally poor service and food wasn't that great either. Waiter gave us dry white bread while offering tables around us plenty of cranberry bread and as the waiter told the table next to us, ""I gave you cranberry bread and I made sure to give you jalapeno bread since we only serve it on Friday's."" The table on the other side of us was thrilled that our waiter kept bringing them plenty of cranberry bread. I ordered dessert only to be served a cold, dry, hard slab of carrot cake. I guess the tables next to us appreciated an attentive waiter and wouldn't complain about bad service, but maybe the waiter thought our darker skin tone made us less deserving of good service. \r \r Fortunately for us Houston has an abundance of fabulous restaurants that don't turn their noses up to non-white frequent diners. We have high-food standards and Raven Grill no longer measures up. Pros: Reasonable Cons: Might as well have been in Vidor, TX more

Some friends and I went here after spending the day at the museums. The services was good at best. We had to ask to be moved because there was creatures coming out of the pile of wood they use in the kitchen. My veggies tasted like a wood burning stove and the chicken had no flavor. The blackforest cake and fruit cobbler were wonderful. So skip the dinner here and just go for dessert. Pros: Great cake Cons: expensive more

You just have to like this place for the casual comfy diningroom, like eating at your own home with a full staff!! Food is good and reasonable priced, many options and wine list is above average. Pros: Delicious Food & Ambience Cons: Parking can be tough more

The Raven is fabulous! Such a quaint, hidden gem in the Rice Village area. Food is fresh, selection is superior and when the weather is nice, you can sit outside on a lovely patio. The Raven is a charming place to meet your friend for lunch and a must have on your list! You will be hooked! Pros: service, variety of food, freshness Cons: parking is sometimes an issue more

One of the things I love about this place is the Sunday Dinner Special. If you like Chicken Fried Steak then this is the place to go. Great atmosphere, comfortable setting, great staff. Not too expensive and perfect for a first date. Pros: Atmosphere, Staff, Food more

We recently celebrated a birthday there and we were a very large group of 20. They called us ahead to make sure we were ok with the seating arrangement and gave us excellent service. We all had a wonderful time and the restaurant made sure the birthday celebration a memorable one. And we didn't have to pay an arm and a leg for excellent meal either. We would highly recommend this place to anyone. Pros: reasonably priced, great service, comfortable ambiance more

the first thing that impressed us was the cool atmosphere - you sort of wish your own dining room felt like this. also, the staff is just plain nice. clearly there is a work ethic instilled - we felt like we were the most important customers they'd ever had. we loved the portobello mushroom steak and the fried oysters are the best i've ever had. the grill makes for clean cooking - vegetables with real flavor topped off one of the best, most relaxed meals we've had in a long time. the fruit crisp was also just incredible. the raven grill will be a regular for us. Pros: great food, comfortable atmosph., good parking more

We're from the north and new to Houston. I was told about the restaurant from a friend, who swore by it. Amazingly, I received a $20 discount in the mail for it so we thought we'd give it a go. We got take out and WOW! We walked in and the ambience knocked our socks off. Quaint white-linened tables with fresh flowers and votive candles, Norah Jones playing softly, outside covered seating, a slate bar, and exposed kitchen! The staff was extremely courteous and attentive and we've been back ever since. We love everything about it: the food, the value, the daily gourmet quesadillas, and the fact that it's still family owned. The Raven Grill is truly a diamond in the rough on Bissonnet that's so good you may not want to let people in on the secret!!! Pros: VALUE!!, quaint and warm more

My girlfriend and I went for our anniv. and we had a great time. It was tues. night and it was pretty busy but no wait and good service. It has a cozy feel. The food was good, but nothing special. It's just good comfort food, something easily cooked at home. The prices were good on food and wine. I will go back and recommend it. Pros: service, prices, comfort Cons: undiffereniated food more

One of the most diverse groups of restaurant goers I've ever seen. Contractors, architects, families with oodles of kids, doctors in scrubs, college students, blue-haired ladies exchanging gossip, lawyers talking shop, etc. They all were there and seemingly loving it. The place is so comfortable. And the owners are the nicest people. You can't help but support their project of a neighborhood-y place in the neighborhood where they grew up. And at the prices on the menu, you CAN afford it. Pros: atmosphere, staff, bargain more

This is a great place to visit either with friends or on a date. Food is semi-bland, but one thing to definitely go for is the tower of onion rings, complete with bell pepper rings which are awesome. The sweet potato enchiladas are also pretty good. more