Rainbow Lodge

Great view, Great food. service…very slow

Amazing food, atmosphere, and service. Ask for Ashley — I am in the restaurant business, and she is top notch!

We hosted a birthday party for 30+ friends and Rainbow Lodge on a recent Saturday evening. I can’t say enough about quality of food and the level of service we received. Every thing served was out of this world delicious. Salmon, pork tenderloin, shrimp, corn fritters… all of it served piping hot, fresh and delicious. The ambiance of the stone fireplace in the Trophy Room on a cold night was perfect. The servers were professional and responsive to every request. So many guests complimented us on the venue, food and service. I highly recommend Rainbow Lodge as an event venue, or for a delicious meal with friends and family.

The restaurant’s overall vibe is cool, but my waiter forgot our order, seemed very scatterbrained, and had a hard time keeping our drinks full. The restaurant was far from full at the time.
Granted, everyone has a bad day from time to time, so I’ll let that slide. But I specifically said this was an anniversary dinner, and I wanted a table in a room where we could do some people watching and enjoy the ambiance. Nope, they literally stuck us at a table pushed into a corner with only two chairs, FACING THE WALL. Both of our chairs faced the wall. It was the most awkward seating arrangement I’ve ever had. The food was fine, but I didn’t enjoy paying $ 100+ for my date and I to face the corner looking at a wall. I literally felt like I was in time out.

I’m definitely a fan of this place. I went here Sunday for brunch and had the crab meat omelet. It was good, the reason why I’m only giving them a 4 star is because I feel like they didn’t put enough crab meat in it but it was still good. They have $ 2 mimosas, YES $ 2 and they are really good. My friend had the seared salmon and that was good too. The complementary variety of breads were to die for. And our waiter was very nice and attentive which is a huge plus as well. Next awesome thing is the scenery. We sat by the back patio and it just looked fabulous, I would definitely come back here on a warmer day to sit in the back patio and enjoy brunch.

I really can’t think of a negative about this delightful restaurant! The ambiance and décor was absolutely lovely, the food was spectacular, well seasoned, and delicious, the drinks were well made and strong, and the service was excellent and well-​timed. I especially appreciated our server Ashley! Very upbeat and pleasant! She was very knowledgeable about the menu and did well with her suggestions!
We came here for my wonderful sister’s birthday. It was a dark and rainy night but when you drive up to the restaurant to valet there is a covering that extends from the roof. So, who got wet? Not I, not us! Valet is complimentary but… come on, he is standing in the freezing rain.
We had the duck gumbo, Caesar salad, fried quail w/​bacon grits and the fig-​beet salad for appetizers. That duck gumbo was absolutely amazing! Perfect spice level and seasoning. The quail was executed well and was a very smart idea for an appetizer! Both salads were delicious!
For our entrees, three of us ordered the Ribeye to our liking. It came with smashed potatoes and asparagus. We also ordered thee trout with shrimp and lemon risotto. I can’t think of any place that has a better steak in all my travels… other than Killens. I like a nice medium rare with a charred exterior and it was perfection! Compliments to the chef!!! The fish dish was very tasty as well. We all were very happy with our meals. They also bring fresh bread to the table. Warm French bread with butter.
For dessert we ordered a bread pudding and a pear apple crisp. Both were excellent and topped with vanilla ice cream. My sister got a rich, fudgy birthday truffle which was a very nice touch!
Great place for a date night! Also great for a quiet birthday or family dinner! I did see two kids there (who were well behaved). I would probably do the babysitting thing but it was ok.
Can’t wait to come back! We will definitely be regulars!

Great brunch as always. Tried the shrimp and grits this time. Very good. Consistently great food. And don’t forget the $ 2 mimosas.
Wife had the steak and eggs. Always a crowd pleaser. Especially with the chimichurri sauce.

Great restaurant with a superb menu and even better staff! Came here for a ladies who do lunch and play tennis get together. We had a set menu due to the size of our team but the selection offered beat our expectations and the service was so attentive. I sampled their duck and sausage gumbo and the balance of flavors, protein and broth was great. For my main course I had a hanger steak cooked medium rare and it was delicious.
We were in a private room with the view of the trees and the leaves turning colors and falling.
It was sure a beautiful day at the rainbow lodge!

I’ve been here twice: once for HRW lunch and again for my company Christmas dinner. My first experience during HRW was pretty meh (mediocre food and inattentive service), and I was honestly not expecting much prior to the second event. Boy, I was so wrong!
We started with a couple appetizers — deviled eggs (forgettable) and fried quail, which, IMHO, was the star of the entire meal. Errrmergerd. The quail was delicious and and sat nicely on a bed of perfectly cooked, creamy grits. Sooooodalicious. We had a fixed menu and I opted for the fish (seared snapper and shrimp). I was worried since Rainbow Lodge is known for their meatier dishes… well, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality and taste of my fish! I polished off my plate and anxiously waited for dessert. I chose the bread pudding over the chocolate truffle cake — it was okay, not super memorable. Even so, I enjoyed my meal and I will definitely be back. I was also impressed with the service — we had a VERY large group, and they kept our tables clean and our wine glasses flowin.’ ;-)
I’ll be back for you, Rainbow Lodge! Those patio pictures are calling my name…
FYI: Valet only for dinner.

Poorly managed, not worth the $ or time. Went here with the hopes of trying some great game meats severed with some southern love… nope! Broke ass hunting lodge with food that smelled spoiled. No thanks on more wine but if you have some pepto I’m gonna need it. Not going back

My first time at the Rainbow Lodge and I found this establishment very impressive.
My fiancé and I went for a Christmas get together.
We met the GM who was very proud of his charge and rightfully so. I am always curious about the places where I eat and he was more than happy to share the history with me.
The original building, a large log cabin, was built in the early 1900s and has been modified over the years. There was a fire in the 70s that luckily did not completely destroy the place.
While exploring the restaurant, I walked out through the bar out on to a nice back deck that overlooks the bayou. Beautifully done. I can not wait to go back during warmer weather. It will be nice to sit out there and enjoy a meal.
The Christmas party was a huge success. Our medium sized group was treated to an amazing multi course dinner. Before every course was started, our chef came in to the dining area and explained what we were about to experience.
Everything was presented beautifully and prepared to perfection.

We did have to wait to get our food but everything was cooked to the T.
Slow Cooked Pulled Pork Sliders. I went with Steak and Eggs and my gf went with the mixed grill, in this cozy Log Cabin escape. The pulled-​pork sliders were a perfect starter.
Very classic décor makes you want to go out hunting. We never had venison and quail before but we figured this would be the place to try. Not bad at all.
They have nice bar and patio area too. Something to try again for winter. We will visit again soon.

This is my first time here and I’m quite impressed. The name of the restaurant kind of threw me off, but it was recommended by a coworker so I gave it a shot. I was greeted when walking through the door and the hostess was very polite and kind. I was waiting for a friend and then they asked me whether I wanted to go to the table or bar and if I wanted any coffee, tea, or a drink. The atmosphere of the restaurant was very chilled and relaxed and the interior was like a cabin in the woods, pretty unique. We asked for a patio table because of pictures on Unilocal showing outdoor seatings with great landscaping.
Why am I giving this place 5 stars??? Well…
I truly enjoyed the outdoor patio seating, music, lighting, and atmosphere! The weather was perfect and the view was one of a kind for a restaurant in Houston. I will definitely be going back there for dinner, happy hour, or even brunch! Along with the awesome atmosphere, we were recommended to try the rainbow trout dish and the beef tenderloin. They were both amazing, very flavorful, tasty, tender, and moist. The food was surprisingly delicious to me and I would order both dishes again. Also, the waiter was friendly and nice. The service was decent and I have no complaints.
It seems like there are not many great reviews for this place on Unilocal,but pretty decent reviews on open table and Google. In my opinion, my overall experience at Rainbow Lodge was spectacular. I loved the atmosphere and outdoor patio, the food was delicious but a bit pricey, and the service was good/​decent. I would recommend this place to a friend and I will be going back again.

Went here for brunch, an older lady sat us down at table with 2 seats when we have 3 people and left. So we had to take another seat from another table that was not used next to us.
We didn’t get any menus, waited another 5 min for the server to come and asked for the menu, and 2 min later she comes back with the menu… it looks like servers give you the menu at this place because I saw them do that to the table near us also… making customers wait another 7 minutes for server to come to give you the menu.
The water boy gave us water and bread right as you sit down. And of course we were missing a place setting also. So when the waitress came back I asked for another place setting, she only gave me napkin and utensils and left quickly. So I went to the empty table and took a plate and she saw me when she returned. And puts another plate in place of it. Then she speaks out load and say we took a chair from the empty table and slams it really hard down to the ground.
It just ruin the whole dining experience. I guess she couldn’t handle it and another guy came to wait on us. He was ok, it takes forever to get a hold of him to get our check. They come out once to get your order, then the kitchen staff serves you your meal SLOWLY…
Service = 0 stars (blond chick made it so unpleasant) and service was not there, very slow
Parking = 0 stars, there is no self parking, you have to valet
Atmostphere = 4 stars, nice outdoor area
Duck Gumbo = 3 stars
Summer Stone Fruit Salad = 2 stars
Crab Cake = 4 stars, the only thing I liked
Qual and Waffle = 2 stars, qual was ok, fried like a chicken, waffle was horrible and not edible
Poached Egg with Trout Cake = 1 star, trout cake is just all batter
Carnitas Tacos = 1 star, lost of meat, but chewy
Bread Pudding = 4 stars, can’t go wrong with bread pudding
Thubarb Jar = 1 star, just didn’t taste right
Chocolate Truffle Cake = 2 star, ok

Very conflicted over this review. Wasn’t sure how to rate the place. Parts of the food was great… but…
One, the waiter was very distant. As in aloof. Didn’t greet us until about 10 minutes after we got there. And then he wasn’t friendly. Not rude, just not friendly. Three times he walked by our table, started to say something, and then just walked off. Never smiled, didn’t ask how we were. Never poured us more wine… just walked by us a lot and looked away.
Two, the layout is nice, it’s broken into sections so it’s not too loud.
Three, we had the HRW menu. But the food came so quick that we were only halfway through the bottle of wine when desert arrived. Usually take 90 – 110 minutes for dinner, we were there about 65. Barely finished a course and the next one is there.
Four, food was good. But what was served with it was not. I had the fish, it was great. Small piece though. MThe stuff it sat on top of was inedible. Son had the flat iron steak and loved it. The slaw and other stuff on the plate was not tasty at all.
Fifth, did not like the desserts. The chocolate one was so dry I needed water to get it down.
Tip: opentable said there was no slots between 6:00 and 8:00. Called the restaurant and they gave us a 6:30 slot.
Sorry, it’s just not a repeat place for me.

The word I would use to describe the place is: Meh.
It isn’t the worse but by a long shot it isn’t the best. It’s the kind of place that makes you think ‘gosh I could have just went to chilli’s’. I went during my lunch break and had the business lunch special. Let me just say the portions of the food is less than what I would give my two year old. I got the salmon, and it was so over cooked and tough (even as small as it was) For this place to be as pricey as it is I had high expectations.
I sub-​ed my dessert and got the bread pudding that everyone raved about… I mean it alright, but once again I have had better.
The service was half decent, but guess what… I have had better.
Needless to say I just wasn’t impressed, the only thing that save the place from the two star rating it deserved was the bread pudding.

We had been planning to go to the rainbow lodge for years. We finally got our chance for hrw this year. I was really excited and had heard great things. It absolutely did not live up to its reputation.
I made a late reservation. We showed up 10 minutes early. They seated us at a table in the bar. There was live music so we couldn’t talk. We asked for a different table but they assured us that it was ending in 5 minutes. It did stop-​Halfway through the meal and about 30 minutes after they said it would. We have a baby at home and I really wanted a quiet adult dinner. This did not fit that at all.
Our food was unique and pretty good, except the cockroach that came with my dessert. We killed it, then waited 20 minutes for our server to come with the check. He never asked why we didn’t eat the dessert. I gave him the cup with the bug. He said he had to show his manager. We weren’t looking for another 20 minute wait so we left.
Absolutely disgusting. What a disappointment!

Birthday dinner at Rainbow Lodge for a friend this weekend. The staff was so helpful in coordinating the surprise element of it which we greatly appreciated.
The atmosphere is a lot less hunting-​lodgey than I thought. It’s actually pretty bright and airy with fewer mounted animal heads than expected.
There were 7 of us so I was lucky to try many things on the menu.
Starters
1) Wild game trio: I had never had some of these before but they were delicious
2) Gumbo: not really a gumbo as much as a soup, but really nice flavors and spice
3) Duck salad: a classic spinach, duck confit salad with a quail egg twist done very well
4) Caesar salad: eh, nothing to write home about but you don’t really go here for the salad…
Entrees
1) Texas duo: Had a bite of both. To be honest, I’m not sure which was which. Both excellent.
2) Mixed grill: the venison was very good but the quail was a bit too dainty and the lamb was a bit tough. I think the consensus was that the texas duo was better.
3) Bison special (my choice): very good. The meat was super tender. I gave very small bites away and mostly kept it for myself.
4) Crispy duck leg and seabass: I didn’t try either but the people who ordered it seemed happy.
We had 2 bottles of wine from their extensive list. There are a wide range of prices and definitely a good number at the lower end. Markup seemed inconsistent but if anything that was to our benefit. I saw a few pretty good bargains.
Service was EXCELLENT. Our waiter was friendly and attentive, and even when it became apparent we were the last people in the restaurant, he never rushed us or made us feel like we were an inconvenience.
Really excellent. I would go back anytime!

Went for an early Valentine’s dinner a while back.
Staff was very kind and professional. The, um, associate server? was super quick to bring us water as soon as we sat. We had a nice cozy table squared away in the back. The waiter gave us his honest opinions, which was very helpful.
We tried the taste of the wild appetizer. Meats were cooked wonderfully. The pâté wasn’t really my thing.
For my entrée, I had the sea bass, which wasn’t super amazing but good. It was cooked well, but it seemed to only be seasoned where it was blackened. And where it was blackened, it was way too salty.
SO had the mixed grill. He liked it. All of it was perfectly cooked medium rare and had a lovely char, but it’s all pretty gamey. Whatdya expect?
The bread pudding was heavenly.
Everything was good and service was great, but I wouldn’t say you HAVE to try this place. If you’re looking for something different, though, it’s worth a shot if you’ve got money to blow.

The Rainbow Lodge is a lovely restaurant with a cozy atmosphere. Popular for it’s game, they really play up the cabin theme.
Went for a special occasion, got the 7 course tasting menu! There was a couple right next to us that also ordered the tasting menu. Sadly, there were times when the chef would go to their table and give a detailed description of the food but our server would just provide a short version of his explanation. This also switched at times, so the inconsistency would be my only complaint. However, service, overall was great and they frequently changed the utensils in between each course — very attentive!
Otherwise, the food was delicious and a true foodie’s delight! An amuse bouche comes with each tasting menu so it’s really like 5.5 or 7.5 courses. If you order the 7 courses, come with a empty stomach! We were served (free) bread, a delicate fish amuse bouche, an ahi tuna kale salad, chicken fried quail, a phenomenal fish dish over eggplant risotto, lamb over saffron rice, a rabbit/​pork/​bean/​duck cassoulet, a beef short rib with broccolini dish and goat cheesecake! (I normally am not a fan of goat cheese, but the flavors were light and creamy in this dessert)
All in all, the meal was really impressive and the perfect way to enjoy the exotic tastes of the Rainbow Lodge. I’ve had my share of foodie meals and, while this meal didn’t blow me out the water, it was an enjoyable evening!