Café Rabelais

_​_​_​_​_​–1 a restaurant that makes you question if food is one of our basic needs
_​_​_​_​_​0 «at least I’m not hungry anymore»
_​_​_​_​_​_​1 Michelin star: «A very good restaurant in its category» (Une très bonne table dans sa catégorie)
_​_​X_​_​2 Michelin stars: «Excellent cooking, worth a detour» (Table excellent, mérite un détour)
_​_​_​_​_​3 Michelin stars: «Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey» (Une des meilleures tables, vaut le voyage).

Place looks nice. Service is good. Ordered the lamb medium but the came out a little over done. My bff ordered the flank steak also came out overdone. The food was good, but the peaches in a dessert we ordered tasted a little spoiled. the cooking could’ve been better considering the price of the food. I heard so many good things. maybe i expexted too much. I expected better quality for how much it is. Still would recommend people to try. I feel like we just got a Lil off experience. I’m still going to try it again in the future

One of my favorite French restaurants in Houston! The café is located in Rice Village, near Torchys. We arrived a little after 11, they were quick to seat us and let us choose where we wanted to sit. The bread and butter was delciious, and the truffle sauce was good. We ordered Escargot and it was awesome. We also ordered foie gras, quiche and the flank steak. All were great. We also got profiteroles for dessert. It was tasty and not overly sweet. Our waited was also great!!!

Favorite French restaurant in town !! Escargot is incredible no bread is amazingggg! Service is amazing as well. I have been coming here for at least 10 years and has never been disappointing

One of the best meals I have had in Houston hands down. Wonderful service as well. As the bread was sat on the table you can smell it’s YUMMY goodness calling your name. The mussels were amazing. Save bread you will need it for the sauce the mussels are in! Other than the fact you should not pick the bowl up and drink it… I have nothing to add. Super cute… Amazing French restaurant. Hidden Gem. Keep it that way.

Came for lunch. Menu was on chalkboard only. We were promptly serve water and bread. Bread was delicious. We order escargots, trout almondine of the day and rack of lamb. The escargots was really hot and good. But the oil left a fatty clog in my throat? The trout and lamb was delicious. After we ate we waited awhile for our server to come so we could order desserts but it took a long time so we decided to get check and had to leave for another event.

This is a very nice place with a good food and not bad service although they didn’t check regularly on us and what we need. I recommend it, and I would say that I «may «come back for it

I came here recently while I was in Houston for spring break, and it was once again a great experience. I ordered a whole fish (I can’t remember the name) cooked in a lemon butter sauce, and it was delicious and perfectly cooked. It was a bit of a hassle to de-​bone and wasn’t very neat, but well-​worth the effort. My only complaint is that the butter is served frozen solid and very difficult to spread. Other than that, 5 stars!

Literally stumbled upon this, serendipity!
The wine list is huge, deep and reasonably priced. (Hint ask if they have a close-​out list of the wines that are down to 1 or 2 bottles — hidden gems!)
Do tell your server that you want to order your after dinner cheese up front. Ours had to come up to temp, but we were having such a good time we didn’t mind lingering.
The manager and our server were both attentive, without being intrusive. That is harder than you’d think to get right.

Finally brought Brenda to the mother ship of all Houston-​based French Restaurants. Menu changes quite often but it was wonderful. Best part of the deal was the wine.
I am a level 1 Sommelier and a Certified Specialist in Wine so I have a ‘snob’ attitude about wine (I admit) but I also and more curious than most about seeking interesting wines.
We purchased a bottle of Savennières which Spec’s does not carry — but is rated #1 in the world at the present time. I would list the name but we had the last bottle so no need.
For dinner the wine steward allowed me to select between 2 bottles of Burgundy, both from Morey-​St. Denis and I choose the heavier of the two. This alone was worth the price of the evening as you often pick a wine and if you don’t ‘quite’ like it you still have to drink it.
anyway, service was great and you know, one interesting point: they do not take reservations but we were there when they opened at 6 and the place was packed by 6:20 which tells me that counter to French (Euro-​style for that matter) dining the place is so popular that early maybe the only way to get in.

I continue to be amazed at the ambience, service, and food.
Took a client for lunch today. An enjoyable lunch in which we could even talk.
Only hassle as with all Village spots — parking…

We had the mussels and the trout. Both were
Unbelievably delicious! Got there right at 6:00 as they only have 2 tables for 6 people! Can’t wait for our next visit.

Beautiful ambience, ear soothing quiet music, and simply but delicious food!
However, the only reason I’m giving this restaurant a 3 out of 5 star rating is because literally everything I order was not what I actually order! Lol The 2 – 3 glasses of wine wasn’t what I ordered (which also costed more), and the meal wasn’t what I actually ordered (which also costed more). Only the snails came out as I ordered! The server was very polite and nice just couldn’t get anything I ordered right!
I will say even though each of the 3 items he rang me out for did taste great they also costed me more all together! Kind of feel cheated!
This is rare but I might come back for the food and make dam sure they get my order right ! I would normally never do that but the food was enjoyable!
I will also add that the escargot reminded me of my childhood, and the complimentary bread was flakey, crunchy, and everything I would hope for!
I’m hoping maybe next time they will get my order 100% right as I ordered it! Hahaha hopefully that’s not asking for too much !

Highlights:
Escargot 5 stars. (So good we ordered two!)
Duck confit 5 stars
Mussels 4 stars
Con:
Crème brûlée 1 star.
Why? Bc it had weird doughy texture not creamy or silky. Probably the worst crème brûlée I ever ate. Therefore I had to minus 1 star and give this place 4 star total.

Lovely little restaurant in Rice Village! It is definitely a great place for a lunch date with friends and significant others. Parking will be an issue on a busy day but we were able to find a spot down the block. They have a very selective list of wine to pair with their food and the general menu is on chalkboard on the wall. The complimentary bread was very warm when it came out which allowed the butter to melt on top.
Today we ordered the Salmon Fumé and the Mussels. The Salmon Fumé was good. I didn’t really like how mushy the bread was. I would’ve preferred a more toasted bun for the sandwich. The gribiche sauce was on point. It was very delicious and went well with the salmon and the side of fries. My girlfriend ordered the mussels and she loved it. The mussels were big and the flavors were very good. I would recommend both dishes! Waiters were attentive and I never had to ask for refills on our beverages.
Overall great experience and we would definitely come back!

Love, love, love this place! Café Rabelais is my go to for a superb and consistently decadent French meal. It has such a quaint ambiance with a romantic and provincial feel. Both the lunch and dinner specials are very nuanced, authentic, and change depending on what the chef thinks is freshest that day. The wait staff can be hit or miss, but the manager and Jeff are awesome, so if you have the opportunity, I recommend asking for Jeff to be your waiter. This place does not take reservations, but I would call ahead and see what the wait time is like and what the night’s specials are. I once came on a Friday night and was sorely disappointed to find out that Café Rabelais was out of escargot for the evening.
The food: everything is amazing! The bread they give you is heaven sent and it was perfectly crafted to sop up the clarified butter that drenches their succulent escargot. You would be doing a disservice to yourself if you did not get the escargot. Their seared foie gras is a treat that comes on toast with an onion jam underneath. If you want to experience what the rage is about foie gras, this is the dish to get!
The mussels come in a sauce that you could literally drink and they’re never gritty. This is a great dish to split. The sweetbreads are always cooked to perfection, but the way they are prepared depends on the chef’s discretion that day. I have had them in the bechamel sauce as well as lightly fried with a dijon truffle demi glacé. The best thing I have had here, however, is the Cassoulet Toulouse (duck confit, cannelloni bean purée, and sausage). It was a hearty and delicious dish.
I could go on and on about how Café Rabelais continually knocks each meal out of the park, but you need to experience it for yourself in order to understand the craft and attention the chefs put into each dish. I have never been let down, and I doubt you will be either.

Yum! I came here for my birthday with my family. I’ve been looking for a really good French restaurant and I believe I found it.
Upon entering, I learned that we were not able to get reservations. It is basically first come first serve. The restaurant is very small. Once we were seated, we sat in small table for only 2 people but we had a party of 3 so it was a bit cramp. I have to admit that service here was horrible! I mean horrible. We sat down and didn’t even know who are waiter is for 30 minutes. Then I had flagged someone down to get our orders in. Our food did not come until another 30 mins to an hour. At this point, I was upset. I had asked one of the bus boys to help us refill our waters, to check on our dishes and etc. Toward the end of the night, he had helped us instead of the waiters.
As per our meal, the food came out and every bite that I took was orgasmic. I had ordered the seared foie gras for appetizer, the mussels, and the lamb chops. I had shared it with my mom. My other family member got the steak. Everything was cooked to perfection. However, we did not order any desserts here because we just didn’t want to be there any longer. It is very disappointing when service is really horrible but the food is good.
The 4 stars is for the food but if I had to rate customer service then it would be only 1 star unfortunately.

After roaming Rice Village for a couple hours, my beautiful bride and I decided to stop in for some dinner, here at Café Rabelais.
First impressions: we are way under dressed, and wow this place is incredibly romantic.
Much to our surprise, we had an option of table (I’ve heard it’s usually packed) and we were waited upon promptly and efficiently.
Unfortunately for us, we were not told that the menu is displayed on massive chalk boards upon the walls. Fortunately for us, we munched on delectably fresh bread while we happily waited for the nonexistent menus.
After a loaf or two, of bread, Ildefonzo, our awesome waiter, gave us exactly what we were craving and in a very timely fashion.
Our food was fresh, with a great mix of flavors. We both had salad, water and free bread (don’t you judge us!). The bill was still 26 +tip, but we had a blast and there’s no price on the environment and mood this place provides for you.
Definitely consider this place for a romantic evening with your date, and be sure to ask for Ildefonzo!
(Off the record, we totally used the wrong plates/​silverware and laughed way too hard for the quiet environment… oh well, at least we weren’t drunk while doing it)

I came here with one of my best friends and really enjoyed the atmosphere and ambiance. It was a little dark but it created a relaxing, enjoy your dinner and conversation mood. The layout was quite fitting. It was crowded yet you could still hear your tables’ conversation. I had the filet mignon with mashed potatoes and it was delicious! Definitely one of my new favorite steak places. My friend tried the chicken and was in love as well! The bread they served as an appetizer came with whipped butter and had this amazing crispy, melt in your mouth yet had a crunch, crust! Must come for a first date or just to hang out with friends. I’m coming here again and trying the salads
And the tenderloin! So good!

My go to for mussels!
and it doesn’t hurt that their house bread is soooo delicious :)
I would recommend coming on a week night so that you won’t have to wait.

J’adore cet endroit! Loooove this place. I’m no expert on French food, but came by this place for a dinner not too long ago and had an amazing experience. As other people have mentioned, this place doesn’t take reservations (although I hear they may make accommodations if you’re French? No confirmation of this though). Definitely get there early. My friend got their 10 minutes before it opened, and we were able to be seated promptly. While we were eating, a crazy wait/​crowd was already forming outside.
The décor is cute, unassuming, classy, and intimate. Service was fabulous. We had a French waiter who was attentive, helpful, and patient with us. He did a great job of suggesting a wine — we gave him a price range, and he teased out of us what our preferences were, despite being wine n00bs being challenged in articulating our tastes using the right terminology. We loved it! Menu is written on the chalkboard, so no paper menus. We had the mussels in the cream sauce which was delishhh. Portions were very generous too — that cream sauce is ridic. Even after finishing the mussels I couldn’t help myself from sopping up the sauce with the bread and eating it. My dining mate had the steak and frites and I went with the duck confit. Both were excellent. After our meal, we took our time finishing the rest of our bottle of wine over nice conversation. We never felt rushed at all by the staff.
Would definitely be back. Perfect place for a nice, unhurried meal in an intimate, cute setting, and makes French food accessible for the masses. Only negatives are the lack of reservations, the potentially long wait, and the crappy parking situation (common to all Rice Village businesses). Five stars :)

Man, what a disappointment! I guess that line opener sets the stage for my review.
Walked in with no reservations, on a Wednesday night while in Rice Village. What encouraged us was the positive Unilocal reviews and interesting menu. The dimmed light and boxes of wine & wine bottles surrounding the sitting area was very nice & welcoming! So the place gets a 3 – 4 stars for ambiance! But a zero for customer service!
Waitress walked up to us, we said dinner for two. With a rigid face, she said, pick a table. We did, and she bolted off. No welcome to our restaurant, no let me get you something. when we sat, we noticed our table was wobbling, she walked pass me, I said excuse me miss twice, no response. now this is a small space, so let’s say she is having a bad evening & chose to not listen, or may have not heard me, it happens.
We opened «the book» of wine that was on the table, with our little candle, tried to read. Pretty long list of bottles of wine, after scrolling through, we found the single glass menu. We picked some and till this point no one spoke with us.
Another person brought us 2 glasses of water & bread & we told her about the table & she fixed, we thanked her. 15 minutes in and no one brought us a menu. Then another person comes, did not introduce himself, But asked what we would like? We asked for the menu, he said its on the wall. So with dim light, you better have good vision to see what’s on the menu.
After we ordered he proceeded to take my plate with the half piece of unfinished bread I left on it, without asking me if I was done. My girlfriend piped up when he tried to do the same, she said I’m not finished and she took her bread and he proceeded to take her plate as well. WTF?
Our dinner arrived after 20 minutes. We ordered a trout entrée and a salmon salad. The food was good with nice presentation, we did enjoy it. Waiter came back after the food was delivered and we did not see him again till we asked for the check.
Overall, ok place, attempting to be chic elegant French café, but there is no reason to be impolite, rude, short, whatever you want to call it. my tip defiantly reflected that. wont be back.