Cafe Montrose (CLOSED)

My daughter and I stopped in for lunch today. The service was prompt and our server very congenial, as was the atmosphere. I had a craving for onion soup, which is what led us there. It was very sweet, which may have been the onions they used, but we managed to eat it all. Then we had the Pate, again not what we expected, but it grew on us. It was more like a terraine, chunky, not smooth. The Salad Nicoise was the biggest disappoinment. It simply was not one. There were no green beans, nor Nicoise olives.. The mussels in garlic better were excellent. The best we have had in some time. Sadly right after we ordered our dessert, we saw a gal walk in the fron door with 2 cartons of Sam's cream puffs. The Belgian chocolate sauce was superb, but some of the enchantment went out the front door. Pros: great mussels and service Cons: Salad Nicoise more

I have eaten at Cafe Montrose on and off since they opened. Catherine (the owner) knows me, my wife and my friends by name and warmly greets us each time we visit. Similarly the original wait staff (Sonja and Jimmy) are equally friendly, although Jimmy can be a bit of a goof at times. On to the food. When Cafe Montrose opened, it was an undiscovered jewel. Really I told people about it but was always worried that when I did they would get so big and busy the place's quality would drop off. To a certain extent that has happened when talking about the steaks, which was my original draw to Cafe Montrose. The last couple of times I've ordered Steak Au Poivre avec Pommes Frittes the steak came out overcooked and frankly although it is SUPPOSED to be Filet Mignon I was convinced I got a cheaper cut of meat. Then again the overcooking may have just destroyed what was once a lovely piece of steak. Either way I've found the price of steak @ CM has climbed over the years to be close enough to competitors that I would rather go there now. In any case they still do several things really well in my opinion. The cheese croquettes are quite tasty, but be sure to ask for them hot. The Chicken Cordon Bleu and Mussels are classics that CM never gets wrong. Salmon Bearnaise is always done correctly. In fact CM always gets the sauces right. But both the salmon and the steak have either jumped up in price or gone down in portion size enough that they are no longer a good deal. The desserts are always spot on, the difficult part is just deciding which one to get. For cheaper fare I would recommend you try a Croque Monsieur or Madame for lunch; relatively inexpensive and tasty. Pros: Classics are always spot on Cons: Getting pricey on some items more

I came here with a group of friends and we were seated promptly. We tried the mussels Escargot, Provencal, and Mariniere. I would recommend the first two. We also had the Croque Madame and Chicken sandwich. Both were served with the Belgian fries and everything was delicious! The staff was very attentive and friendly. Next time, I'll save room for a crepe. Pros: great food Cons: parking lot is small more

The food is excellent. It is a small place and can be slow when crowded, but the quality of the food makes up for any wait. Sauces are heavenly. Mussels are outstanding. And the deserts are to die for. It is on my list of great small places to dine or lunch. more

On a recent visit to this age old haunt I was not suprised by its perfunctory inconsistancy in service and food, but shocked by how bad a $20.00 l... more

Food was average at best. Service was poor and the owner was very rude when we asked for assistance. We got up and left. I would not recommend this place to anyone. There are many other nice places in the area. more

You can be sure to get authentic food at this bakery and cafe as the owners themselves are Belgian. The service is personal and relatively quick and the food is quite tasty. My personal favorite was the flan. more

Although the service is abysmally European (read: inattentive, rude and oddly overbearing at times), the mussels in white wine sauce are delicious. The owner is Belgian, and can be very nice at times (especially if she remembers that you are in the same advanced French class at UH). I have tried a few other dishes on the menu (chicken stew and steak), I have found them to be uneven at best. Sometimes the steak is deliciously tender, a perfect base for the variety of delicious, rich sauces; and sometimes it is tough, full of gristle and greasy. I'd stick to the mussels and fries (the latter served with homemade mayonnaise - so good!), which are ALWAYS good, and be sure to dip the French bread in the broth the in which the mussels are cooked. I have never tried to desserts due to being too full, but they look delicious. Pros: great mussels and fries Cons: terrible service, other dishes on menu not as good as the mussels more

Our party of 6 was very excited to try this restaurant, but for the reasons discussed below will not be returning: *The restaurant seated another party of 6 before us even though they had arrived much later than our group. No apology for this inconvenience was offered even though they said they forgot about us. *Our waiter's first spill of the evening was luckily a full water glass. The metal water glasses at our table were inconsistently filled all night. *The service was extremely slow and inconsistent. Appetizers took over 30 minutes (3 mediocre soups and 1 salad) and entrees took almost an hour *Once the food finally arrived we were notified they were completely out of fries. Note that this is an established restaurant on a Saturday night that is noted for mussels and fries. *My platter of white wine/butter mussels was spilled all over my now ruined wool sweater by the waiter. They initially offered to comp only one beer after I was drenched in butter sauce. It took three discussions for them to agree to the comping of my mussels entree. *The mussels and chicken ala king were quite good, but the ribeye appeared to be more of a flank steak. *The restaurant was extremely hot and uncomfortable despite the 60 degree temperature outside. They told us of a newly installed A/C unit, but it was not very effective. *We refused to wait another hour and risk another spill so we let without coffee or dessert. We will certainly not be returning despite a few good entrees. I would seriously caution against visiting this establishment on a weekend, and if you want mussels and fries ask first because they will not tell you they are out of something until they bring your food. Pros: Good mussels Cons: Slow service, Ran out of a key menu item (french fries), Not apologetic after multiple spills more

Une experience comme en Belgique! Everything excellent, especially the 'moules'. Very friendly staff. Cannot wait to try its lunch menu. more

I'm one who had never tried Belgian food until yesterday's lunch at Cafe Montrose. What a delightful surprise! I choose the lunch special "Seafood Omlette" that was the most delicious dish i've ever had! It was loaded with mussels, salmon and mushrooms and cooked perfectly. The special included delicious pumpkin soup that was rich and creamy. The service was exceptionally prompt and the strawberry dessert delicious! I will return for dinner and to enjoy the new late hours and full bar specials! Pros: Wonderful Belgian and French Cuisine. Charming Montrose and Westheimer location Cons: none more

We at here Friday night and had a wonderful experience. The food was very good, the woman who served us was very pleasant. The fries were really good, as others have said, and the mayonaisse is homemade - and awesome. Nice selection of Belgian and other import beers. The atmosphere is great and really feels authentic. The prices are reasonable for the quality of food. Also, the spinach side was very good. Pros: atmosphere, service, food, beer Cons: strip mall location is uninviting. more

When you want a dining experience that is a little different without being daring, relaxed without being personal (I generally don't like to know the waitperson's bio), and in an atmosphere that seems family operated, Cafe Montrose is an excellent choice. The mussels were exactly what you want in a plate of mussels - no extraordinary sauce, garnish or presentation - justly carefully steamed in broth and served with french (Belgian?) bread. I had pork loin with brussels sprouts. The pork was prepared with a crusty almost batter-like breading and tended to be chewy - not dry, just chewy - and served with an excellent brown sauce. The brussels sprouts were well prepared, but nothing to write home about. The desserts that have chocolate specify "Belgian" chocolate. Well when chocoholics die and go to heaven, "Belgian" chocolate is what they must find. It was great! Not too sweet and certainly not the sticky, gooey stuff so often served. The prices were fair. The service was attentive. Parking was easy. Although full, not noisy. All in all, a very pleasant experience which I expect to repeat. Pros: Good food prepared with attention to fare not flair Cons: No waiting area. Plates could do with an upgrade more

Lived in Belgium for five years and this is as authentic a Belgian resturant as you will ever find. Remember, Belgian food is French food with German portions! Try the Chicons. Great place for lunch too! Pros: authentic belgian food Cons: got to get past the front door to enjoy more

Belgian cuisine and a good European feel round out this great place centered near a laundromat on Westheimer. I had the rabbit, which was EXCELLENT, and one of their highly touted corked beers, not so great. The service was fine, you could tell the staff was very interested in European guests, but this didn't distract from their attention to my table. All in all, a great place to put in the rotation of Houston favorites. Update - Closed. Pros: The menu is unique to any other Houston restaurant Cons: Closed more

Look past the decor and the sometimes cold owners and staff (unless they recognize you or you are European) and enjoy the meal. The food really is very good and worth a visit when comfort foods are in order. Pros: Belgian comfort food! more

It's the best place for dinner. The filet with roquefort sauce is excellent and I cannot get enogh of their boiled potatoes. I recommend this place for everyone and anyone. Pros: the food, the sevice Cons: the rolling chairs, nearly busted my butt last time more

...and this is it! I brought my dinner club Eight Friends Out to Cafe Montrose on Westheimer to taste authentic Belgian fare--especially the Moules Marinieres! We had one of our Frenchmen there who showed us how to use the shells like a 'pic'. Other folks had the chicken stew and meatloaf. I'm a vegetarian, and I enjoyed the famous choux bruxelles, the sweet red cabbage, and green beans. The French onion soup was crammed with onions, dark and dleicious, and the cheese croquettes were delightful. Others had pate, tomato bisque soup, and all enjoyed the fabulous pommes frites with hand made mayonaise, just like you get in Antwerp. Top it off with Belgian beer--or finish the meal with creme caramel with its bitter brown syrup (my favorite!) or Belgian chocolate, and you have a winner! Super! Pros: Great mussels!, Great chocolate!, Great beer! Cons: Are there any?, Not fancy more

The location is tucked away on a busy section of Westheimer in Montrose area and provides a wonderful opportunity to relax and enjoy a traditional Belgium beer. While the decor is minimalist the foods is pure heaven. The mussels & frites are the best in town. I have yet to find a bad dish on the menu. My favorite entree is the pork loin. If you want to relax and have good conversation with a friend this is the place. Pros: mussels, beer selection, food Cons: atmoshphere, decor more

The experience starts with a wait because there is insufficient staff to clear the 3 empty tables. The restaurant is hot, beads of sweat are rolling off the brow of our server. Beers are great, but the servers are unable to provide descriptions beyond the color of the beer. White asparagus soup is overly salted and contains about a tablespoon of discernable asparagus. Curry mussels are good, but lack kick. The filet mignon is excellent, but I goof on my sauce order. I have to leave my seat to track down the server and I explain what I thought I was getting vs. what I received. The unconcerned server indicates that I got what I ordered. With that we skip dessert and coffee. This was my second visit, but I will not be back. Pros: Food Cons: Wait Staff, Ambience more