Barnaby’s Cafe

I’m new to Houston and don’t always believe the « Unilocal» hype but this one surpassed the expectation.
My friend and I came here on a Saturday afternoon, the location is ideal with a great scenery of market square park.
We had Mac and cheese as an appetizer — AHmazing!
Food was great and service was good, I would definitely go back again!

Barnaby’s in general has always been a hit or miss for me, but my last couple of visits have been pretty much on point, food wise. Today at the downtown location service was a bit slow, but of course it was packed also… we had arrived at the right time with no wait to be seated, sorry to those that followed that had to leave or hold out about 15 minutes for a table. Last time I ordered the Lebanese Chicken Fattoush… amazing salad with generous portions of juicy, grilled chicken. This time I went the salmon plate and substituted my rice for my Achilles Heel… Mac & Cheese… yum…the whole plate. It was such a nice day for a walk… glad we decided to hike the 10 blocks to get here.

I love this place. Mediterranean salad is my go to entrée.

I love this place. For the past 2 years my coworkers and I have made it a tradition to come eat lunch here every Friday if at all possible. It’s within walking distance from our office and in my opinion it’s the best lunch spot downtown. Most of us order one of the burgers. I think these are some of the very best burgers in Houston and their portions are HUGE. I also love their chocolate chip cookies. Yum. This place is just pure quality.

We were looking for somewhere to have breakfast downtown. Had been to Barnaby’s in other locations so were happy to try it. Surprisingly not as busy as we thought they’d be but that was good for us since we wanted to take our time and just relax
Service was decent — food was really good. I had the green eggs, very tasty and husband had the French toast. Fresh berries and fruit. Coffee could have been better. Over all it was a great experience. I’m sure we’ll be back

The wife and I were spending the weekend downtown, and Barnaby’s was basically next door to our hotel, so we popped in for breakfast. OMG it was delicious! The only reason I gave 4 stars is our server seemed rushed and disconnected, despite there being another server and only like 5 occupied tables. Overall great experience though, and we will return.

Great location, atmosphere, customer service, and the food is amazing! One of my favorite restaurants in Houston.

This is my go to for quick, fast and tasty quick Service Restaurants! The staff at this location is friendly and will be sure to take care of your hunger pangs! My Favs are the Salads and Burgers — I know to opposing ends of the spectrum but sometimes you feel like being healthy and other times indulging in the goodness that is Fat! Make sure you stop by this location when in Downtown!

The food and the service was fabulous! Comfort food and a friendly atmosphere always make my day.

I rarely do reviews but this place rocks! By far one of my favorite places to eat and out of all locations congress is my favorite. They keep it Clean and the staff is so friendly I’ve yet to have an issue with them! I took a friend there last week and since he’s taken two more people!

Such a friendly place to be, and can I say, the burgers are just to die for! I just love this location. Also, don’t forget the desserts!

I’ve been here a few times but only for breakfast. I’m pretty sure this is the only location that serves breakfast all day on weekdays. By all day I mean 3pm which is when this location closes.
The menu is really cute and filled with a good variety of classic and uniquely interesting options! I’ve tried most of the breakfast options, I enjoy them all A LOT!
The service is pretty good, it’s not the cutest of the locations and sadly the wait for food is long (45 – 50 mins last time I went) even when it’s not busy! Obviously, I don’t care that much about the wait because I keep coming back anddddd it is pretty delicious but seriously you need to step up your game Barnaby’s.

Ordered Togo. And was dismayed when I sat down at my desk at work and saw a horribly burned hot dog. And there’s nothing I can do, as I’m at work. This should’ve never left the kitchen. Shame on the cooks.
Chili was good. Fries are good. Hence the 2 stars instead of 1.

Came here with some co-​workers for a birthday lunch, and ordered a burger. I was told the burgers were great here but it was disappointingly ‘over-​charred’ and expensive. I’ll stick to other joints downtown for my burger cravings.

Food is absolutely delicious, but their prices are ridiculous for what they are. Went in to get a salad today, cheapest meal salad was $ 11…and it doesn’t even say what’s in it. They had a salad for almost 20 bucks. Are you kidding me?! Do y’all even understand pricing? They straight price gouge. You can get a sandwich, plus chips and a pickle for less than the price of a basic salad. WHAT?!

My boyfriend and I were enjoying the festivities at the Night and Market Square and we decided to drop by Barnaby’s Café. Neither one of us had ever been to any of the locations and we were pretty happy with the results. The food was absolutely delicious, they had a variety of delicious items. I had a wonderful salad topped with grilled salmon and my boyfriend had a huge egg and bacon sandwich with chips.
The staff was very nice but a little forgetful. I’m not sure if our waiter was new or if he was really busy but otherwise it was a great adventure! We will be back again!

Awesome place to get some grub! Went here during the Night at Market Street and tries their $ 2 specials on house wines! The house pinot grio and chardonnay were delicious. Absolutely no butter aftertaste, very clean finish. We had the Lebanese Chicken salad which was oversized and very full of flavor! Absolutely delish. The chips and salsa were great. The salsa was well flavored and warm, the chips nice and crispy. Highly recommend!

This place is delicious! There are several locations throughout Houston so grab some friends and head there for lunch one day. The staff is really friendly and put a smile on my face immediately. I had the barbecue chicken with side of fries and some apples. Their portions are huge. My fries were basically falling over the plate (I LOVE fries so I didn’t mind one bit). The chicken was juicy and tender and the barbecue sauce was the perfect mix of sweet and tangy. To wash it all down, I had a very delicious strawberry lemonade. The menu can be a tad confusing (it doesn’t have much details on it), but if you have a question, go ahead and ask the staff!

As a healthy eater & salad guy I’m really disappointed in the menu. They offer quite a few salads but the menu tells you nothing of what’s in them, just a fancy name. To me a salad has nutritious greens & not iceberg lettuce. If the menu gave you the list of ingredients then I wouldn’t have to guess from the fancy names. The food is not bad just time to get there salad game up to par. Please no more lettuce salads, where is the baby greens, arugula, kale, quinoa, etc.

Went here with a coworker and might I say the food is amazing!!! I got the salad (half portion) which was still huge. The food is healthy and great quality.
The only reason I’m giving it 4 stars is because when we were seated, the waiters completely forgot about us. We had to track down a waiter after waiting for 15 minutes. Also, this place gets very crowded, but that is expected.

What’s not to love? Their menu offers a wide variety of items to choose from, so all of your taste buds are covered here. The staff is friendly and attentive. The food is served hot, fresh, and in huge portions… bring an appetite. They have seating inside and out, you choose. Gotta try the fresh squeezed lemonade, so good. I just drove by this weekend and discovered they are open Saturdays, gotta look at hours and Sunday options.
In addition to this location they have at least 3 others around midtown and Westside area. I have been to all but 1 and they are all consistent.

Top places to take your dog? We sat on a sidewalk, we can take me anywhere on a sidewalk– that’s where I walk. So, note to self, only come on days w/​o rain. But we will definitely be back.
Staff brought me water, and a couple of bones, and my human was not disappointed in her food either. She kept on telling her friend how awesome her burger was and cooked to perfection. She gave me a bite.
It was out of this world.
Staff was friendly and a couple of people were always checking on us. That is really cool when the restaurant staff has got each other’s back.
Thanks guys for being so fur-​endly.

Their brunch never fails. My go-​to option is usually the green eggs x chicken sausage with a stack of red velvet pancakes. Only wish they were open early like Baby Barnaby’s, but no complaints otherwise. Hopefully once downtown gets some life pumped back into it they will extend their hours of operation. 11am-​3pm really only services those who work downtown, not the residents.

Love love love their salads. A bit pricey, but the portion is enough for two salads. Plus, if you ask nicely, they give you extra pita chips with some salads. Alternatively, you can order a smaller lunch portion for a few dollars less. Staff is always courteous to me. A favorite lunch time spot for me.
This review is based on my personal experience and all statements made herein reflect my personal opinion only. Your experience may be completely different.

JULY 17, 2015 — I add to the review below. I thought I would give it a try AGAIN. Oh what a disappointment. I wanted fish. I live DOWNTOWN within 2 blocks of this eatery. My husband walked over and the OPEN sign shined brightly. It was after 8. He walked in. AND he was told that they close at 8.
Now dear reader, let me remind you… this is DOWNTOWN HOUSTON… the 4^th LARGEST city in the USA and ith is FRIDAY NIGHT. Seriously? Come on (to quote any character from Arrested Development)! Talk about walking away with Charlie Brown music playing!
Never again because they do not have it nor do they get it!
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Our intent this morning was to have breakfast where we live since there was a resident activity. Once that was a clear cluster, we left. Having a hankering for breakfast, I wanted to find a nearby eatery that my husband and I could walk to and enjoy.
Walk to — yes. Enjoy — the company I was with definitely, the eating experience not at all.
Arrival — we found an open table and sat.
Greeting — a server greeted us and we ordered beverages which we received promptly.
Menu — regular menu looked promising but the descriptions are not specified. Interesting titles but I do not know what I would eat based on the title of the dish. Breakfast menu — there were more descriptions but the font so small it was exceptionally difficult to read.
Placing order — fatally over long. I had ample opportunity to play several games of Farm Heros and my husband Candy Crush. Eventually, the same server that got our drink orders inquired if anyone had taken our order. Answer no.
When we arrived it was breakfast time and by the time we ordered it had become lunch time. I still wanted breakfast since the whole 5 star omelet/​pancake deal where we live was not well thought out and way over crowded.
Food — Disappointed does not fully encompass how I feel about this meal. The toast was cold. I requested crispy bacon. When I pick up a piece of crispy bacon it should not flop downward and it did. Fortunately, my husband was able to use a pice for his burger. The rest I left behind because it was not how I ordered it and frankly I did not want to send it back because I did not trust the return time would be well timely.
One of the most disappointing breakfasts ever. Seeing what others had was better than the delivered resuts. Looks are truly deceiving.
Future — The establishment is in walking distance and their regular menu has me curious. Perhaps it is better to order take out. Not sure. Before I order anything though I have questions since I need to know what a dish title actually means. I hope to find dishes that I like so I can easily tell my husband what I want. Right now it is a big mystery.
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Halley puppy begged me to not use her in my rating scale. Out of respect for Halley puppy I agreed to honor her request.

I rarely ever venture downtown for dinner, but this past weekend I finally had the chance to try out Barnaby’s. It was surprisingly empty for dinner on a Saturday night, but I didn’t mind. No wait and more attentive service!
The waiter for our table was very friendly and had a good sense of humor. He was very educated about the menu (the salads don’t have descriptions), and he made sure the table had everything we needed. His helpfulness will probably be the biggest reason I come back.
The portion sizes here are huge. For some reason, I decided to not believe that when I read the other reviews, but really, they are hefty and a great bang for your buck. I’d recommend sharing a dish or just packing half of it for later.
I ordered the Spinach & Cheese lasagna, and I’d give it a ³⁄₅. It was kind of spicy at some points and wasn’t as creamy as I expected it to be. I think I’ll try something else next time since there are so many intriguing options on the menu.
Still, this is a great place for a casual dinner with friends.