Steamboat House Restaurant

I would suggest if you're really hungry or celebrating a special occasion go somewhere else or eat a snack before you go because even with reservations you will be waiting a long time!! We celebrated Valentines Day at Steamboat House had reservations for 8:45 arrived at 8:10 checked in with the hostess, told her we knew we were early and didn't mind waiting in the bar. She suggested we get a drink but they were clearning some tables and it wouldn't be long they would come get us in the bar. After 20 min my husband checked with the hostess again she said it would be just another few minutes. Then at 8:55 I went to the hostess asking when we would be seated. One of the hostesses made a face like oops we forgot, I was asked what name the reservations were made under and when I told her she said and what was the first name, we hadn't given them a first name, only a last name. I don't know if someone else was there with the same last name as us but we were finally seated at 9:21. When we finally got our food it was good, but definitely overpriced! Our waitress was average, we waited for our order to be taken, I got my salad and still didn't have a drink. We also noticed that the people waiting in the lobby for their tables were offered a complimentary glass of wine with a strawberry, we waited and hour and 10 minutes and were not offered a glass. I guess those patrons knew the secret that you have to stay near the hostess stand so you are not forgotten. When we spoke to a manager he apologized but made the excuse that the people with 5:30 and 6:00 reservations were running late due to traffic on the tollway. We were not offered a complimentary dessert or anything for our trouble or disappointment. I will NOT BE SPENDING MY MONEY AT THIS RESTAURANT ANYTIME SOON more

I had been to this resaturant several years ago and remembered it as very good. I was disappointed in both the quality of the food and the price. I had the crab cakes, which were ok, but not at that price. There was a lot of filler. The asparagus was tough ( I needed a knife to cut it). The service was very good, the atmosphere nice. Ffor the price, I woud go somewhere else. My signifigant other had a burger and said it had absolutely no taste and even though it was listed with the entrees, we were told it did not come with a salad. We were very disappointed overall. more

This was our first visit to this restaurant and it was an excellent experience. Service was superb and quick. Husbands glass of iced tea was never more than half empty as was my water glass. Pros: great steaks & service more

We have eaten at this restaurant over 10 times, given gift cards to friends, celebrated anniversaries, had meetings with many people - the food has always been excellent.. Our experiences extend from the grand opening up to the week of Dec. 14, 2009. Pros: Repeat - excellent food, excellent atmosphere more

The one star I award them is for the amazing historical Texas artifacts and art; absolutely facinating. Although the rest of the experience was the most disappointing I can recall. We met family for dinner, curious to try it out. I ordered the ""special"" which was Market ""fresh"" blackened red snapper. It was tough to the point of needing the steak knife, pale(although it should have been well seasoned and BLACKENED!) and completely void of flavor or taste. Oddly, it was also very thick and log shaped, like a pork tenderloin, not a red snapper filet. The cook even managed somehow to remove the naturally delicious flavor of the alleged snapper. After one bite, I for the first time ever, I sent my plate back and politely asked it be removed from the ticket. When I handed the manager my plate to take she gave it a confused look and tried to pierce the filet with the fork and was unable to. She was horrified rushed it away and sheepishly insisted on bringing me anthing else I might like, I politely declined. Others sampled steaks, soups, smothered chicken, etc. and all were disappointed, although they were able to hork theirs down. Pros: Great atmosphere, memorabilia and artwork, large seperate bar Cons: The food, the worst I've had in the Houston area I am sorry to say more

My husband & I went with another couple on Valentines Day. We loved the food & the history behind the place. I had the prime rib & my husband had the Davey Crocket filet, both were excelent. The service was impecable & the Managers were all over the place, we even had the pleasure of meeting the owner & his wife. We loved the place. Its nice to have a high quality place to go on the north side of town. Pros: Location, Service Cons: nothing more

My wife and I ate here before going to the Cirque du Soleil show so we were in somewhat of a time constraint. The service was nice and quick but that was about the only positive. The steak prices ($35 plus) would suggest one would get a nice piece of meat, however, both of our steaks were overcooked and tasted like hamburgers. Probably the worst steak I have had in Texas. The bill for two steaks and one glass of wine, plus tip was $90 and we could have eaten better at Saltgrass for half the price. Pros: Decor Cons: Food and price more

My husband and I went to the Steamboat House last night after hearing all the rave reviews on the radio. I can only guess what they consider to be ""great"" food. The salad was room temperature, my tea glass was empty for at least ten minutes, and the waitress kept telling us our food would be right out for 15 minutes. We ate the specials of the day. His was a 20-oz ribeye ordered rare to medium rare that was cooked well done on the outside and medium in the middle. The steak was also very tough. I ate the mahi-mahi with asparagus and crab which came out cool with no seasoning. We did order the crab cakes as an appetizer and that was definitely the highlight of the meal. We had only tea to drink and still had a bill for $100 that was average at best. Needless to say, we will spend our money elsewhere. Upon leaving we were not spoken to by any of the wait staff - No thanks - No anything!!! Pros: Great museum dedicated to Texas history Cons: Food is average at best more

I took my wife on Saturday night to celebrate Valentine's Day, figuring she would really like it after hearing about it on the radio, and the fact she is a Texas history buff. The only thing impressive about this restaurant are the Texas memorabilia and their overpriced menu. We took our number upon entering the establishment, and went to the bar for a drink while we waited for our number to show up on the display. A margarita and a beer set me back sixteen dollars! I overheard two other couples mumbling about their bar tab. Nearly an hour later(after being told there would be about a twenty minute wait) they tried to seat us at a small table stuck in an out of the way corner where we could not see any of the decorations in the room. We refused the table and waited another ten minutes while they prepped a new table with a view. Our waiter was friendly, but actually spent too much time yakking it up, when he should have been taking our order. The dinner salad and German potato soup were very good, however, when we told the waiter we were ready for the entre', it took over thirty minutes for them to show up. My wife ordered a filet, which even t ordered rare, was so under cooked she sent it back for more heat. I order a ribeye, medium rare, which showed up cooked well done on the edges, and medium in the middle. It was also one of the toughest $28.00 steaks I have ever had. All this and a bill for $81.00 to boot. You can rest assured we will look elswhere in the future for our Texas history and Texas beef. ScupperPro. more

We went for the first time to celebrate our anniversary (with parents and inlaws) and will never go back. Prices were high (steaks $25 - 40, with no extras) and except for the bread, which was very good, most of the food was so-so at best. Example: my wife had a steak that cost about $30, was small and not very flavorful. Their mushrooms ""side dish"" was a little cup of canned mushrooms for $4 extra. Othere dishes we had (chicken, shrimp, gumbo, etc) were OK but again, nothing special. Service was terrible. The restaurant was not crowded, but it still took almost 45 minutes to get our food (we think he forgot to put our order in, since after 30 minutes, he said it could be another 15 to 20 minutes because the steaks were ""thick"". They were not thick, and it doesn't take 45 minutes even to cook a thick steak. The waiter was generally was very forgetful, unfriendly, and even rude at times (like asking my father in law if that was ALL he was going to order when he ordered the gumbo). He also reached over people instead of moving to a closer position, and kept repositioning our forks to make them perfectly straight, like Monk, which made us very uncomfortable. We received no complimentary drink or dessert for anniversary as most fine restaurants do. We didn't even get a thank you or goodbye when leaving--in fact, no one was by the door as we left--we were just ignored.About the only positive thing was the decor, which was elegant and stately.But the overall atmosphere is not warm. You are in one large, noisy room. We were very disappointed. You can get better food, service, and atmosphere for lower prices at any number of other Houston restaurants. Pros: Stately decor Cons: Slow, unfriendly service, mediocre food more

Today was my 2nd trip to the Steam Boat House off BW8. I have been very pleased both times! The paintings, placards, antique guns and real ""Republic of Texas"" money from the 1800's is all very interesting and you could spend hours just looking around! It is a nice place for a business meeting if you can reserve 1 of the larger rooms ahead of time. The main dining hall is made up of 1 large room and all the tables are square with 4 seats so nothing really spectacular about that setup and would say they could use some booths or round tables just to provide some variety. That said the food and service impressed me more than the old guns and money! The wait staff was very well trained (in part I judge this by the fact that my Iced T never went dry even though they had to fill it up about 5x). I had the special today which was actually fish and was very tasty and well presented! The salad and hand made bread were great as well. Overall if you're going to pay $9-$10 for per entree anyway for lunch at a chain restaurant establishment, you should definitely give the Steam Boat House a try! I didn't give them a 10 b/c their wine list is somewhat limited (but still plenty of options to get you tipsy!) and I didn't really like the seating arrangement of the main dining area (maybe i'm too picky?)...We were there around noon time and reservations are probably not needed unless you have a large party or you want a reserved room. Happy dining! Pros: Great Food & Service! Good prices for lunch! Nice Setting! Cons: None to speak of! I am not sure about bringing kids (well behaved ones maybe?) :) more

My family went to eat at the Steamboat House Restaurant for the second time and it was magnificent!!! The grilled salmon with the mango topping was absolutely the best I have ever had! I am very picky about my salmon; however my salmon was cooked to perfection! The presentation of the food served was awesome and very creative! My Mom had the prime steak and it was cooked to perfection and this is saying a lot since my Mom is very, very picky and honest when it comes to her meal. The beef medallions were so tender and had the best flavor, absolutely delicious! The moment we walked into the door we were treated like royalty! The history of Texas displayed throughout this magnificent restaurant was a brilliant idea! The dining room has the fantastic painting of Sam Houston and I love the high ceilings! The Texas Flags with the history of each flag was very informative! The two paintings of the Texas battles are very vivid in color and adds esteem to the room. Everyone was extremely nice and we felt very comfortable. The dessert selection was awesome and delicious! The wine selection was very satisfying and we felt the menu was selective with pristine wines to select the one I had was perfect! We will be back again and we thank you for building and providing such a wonderful restaurant for us Yea Texas! Wonderful Restaurant and a very attentive owner and staff! Pros: Parking fantastic, Service Exceptional, Ambience perfect! Cons: Wish I could have eaten more!! more

I visit quality steakhouses often; there are several good ones in Houston like Brenner's, Vic & Anthony's and Kirby's. I tried Steamboat House to see something different. It was dissapointing. The setting is fine, albeit a little ""warehouse like""; the dining rooms are very large. The wine list is quite limited and the choice of cuts is small as well. They incinerated a filet ordered medium rare and my asparagus looked canned. The quality of the meat was acceptable but not exceptional. The service was friendly and attentive, and they tried to set things right, but overall, I think there are just too many other good choices available for a really good steak in Houston. Maybe they were having a bad night, but I'd avoid this place. Pros: Convienent to the race track Cons: really short wine list more