Treebeards

Tasty, reliable comfort food. Treebeards is a downtown Houston staple. They have dependable food, always tasty, and alternate side dishes on different days of the week. The desserts are particularly delicious.

Had a great time at my brothers wedding reception. Awesome place! Good food. The place is made for special events.

Had the shrimp étouffée and it wasn’t anything special. Over half of the cup was rice and there were maybe 4 shrimp in it. Definitely not worth the $ 4.

The food here is great and the location is perfect if you live close by. Unfortunately, you can only eat here if you work downtown.
Can you please help Me understand why America’s 4^th largest city has restaurants downtown that are not open on weekends/​past 2pm?!? Folks, not everyone in Houston lives in Conroe?! Yall are seriously missing out on thousands in sales every weekend by remaining closed. I’m boycotting until Treebeards has normal hours

This location is my lunch go to spot, it’s cheap, fast, fulfilling and healthy. Their cashers are super nice and on the spot. Normally, it takes me less than ten minutes from waiting in line to get the food.
My favorite healthy lunch combo is meatloaf + broccoli and carrots + chicken soup, it has low calorie, high protein and high fiber. You can make it pure paleo by ditch the bread but the bread taste so good…
One star off as I tried their baked chicken breast once but it taste old and sour, it is either over cooked or the meat is not fresh. I never order that dish again. Everything else taste just great.

Went here on a whim for lunch while at work in downtown Houston. Decided to try to be healthy and get the special of baked chicken with broccoli & carrots and mustard greens as my sides. It was AMAZING! The portion was perfect, the boneless skinless chick breast was super flavorful and has a hint of lemon. I was most impressed with the FRESH veggies. Carrots were obviously freshly peeled and cut and the broccoli was also fresh. The meal was light, had great flavor and absolutely perfect! I can’t wait to go back and try more!!!

Amazing shrimp ettouffe, the best in Texas. the gumbo shop in Louisiana has the best one in the world. This places is super busy, and they are open for lunch only. Worth the drive and the wait.

Food was ok. Having lived in New Orleans I’ve been spoiled with home cooked cajun. We ordered the gumbo and the étouffée. It’s definitely not want I’m used to.

I would go here ALL THE TIME if I lived in Houston. Their food is INCREDIBLE. As an amazing choice for lunch in downtown the line is always long but goes super quick. This joint has their cornbread, literally, together.
I had the fried chicken, mashed potatoes and salad which came with bread.
My husband had the fried chicken, beans & rice and cornbread.
Breakdown:
— We both agreed the fried chicken was excellent.
— I’m a huge connoisseur of mashed potatoes and I thought they were top-​tier.
— My husband said they were the best beans & rice he ever had (though admittedly he hasn’t ate a whole lot in his life).
— We both thought the cornbread was outstanding.
— I was so full I didn’t eat the salad but it looked great. Not sure if the husband ever ate it.
I WISH they would expand to my city!

Delicious, good value. I’ve had the gumbo, ettouffee, corn bread, and bread pudding. I wish they were open more!

I frequent Treebeards at the park shops often. Great lunch spot. I usually get the baked chicken with the side salad, or I get the shrimp salad. I love the vinaigrette dressing! I try to stay healthy so I usually get these items — I’ve also tried other items from their menu and they are all pretty good. Portions are good, and the ingredients are super fresh. On the days that I do want to splurge I get any of their desserts which are so yummy! The bread pudding takes the cake (no pun intended). It is their hot item! They only serve it a couple times a week, and it literally makes me sad when I try to buy and they run out LOL. Their chocolate cake, and vanilla cake with chocolate icing cakes are the bomb dot com! Sometimes there can be a long line but it moves quickly.

I was in Houston for a conference. I was yearning some soul food. I went here two days ago for lunch after carefully reading reviews. I ventured to the location within
the shopping mall as it was within walking distance of GRB center. It was very busy with a long line, but did not take very long to get my order. The menu is posted on the wall with daily specials but thanks my Unilocal family, I knew exactly what to order:
Chicken fried chicken with gravy,
mashed potatoes, mustard greens, jalapeño cornbread, buttercream/​buttermilk cake (sugar/​sin bar) and I declined the lemonade or iced tea that was obviously very popular and took the healthier option of plain H2O…
Food was very hot, seasoned well (but I don’t care for lots of salt and grease). boy those greens looked and tasted liked they were right out of a garden.
Mashed potatoes homemade and creamy
Jalapeño cornbread moist, spicy. on point.. The way I wish I could make mine.
Chicken fried chicken — hot, good not breath taking
Buttercream cake bar thing. .
. I tried to finish it all but could not.. walk back to convention center and THEN handled the rest.
Great experience worth it and 2 pounds!

Way back when I worked at the Houston Chronicle (about 1989 – 92) this was a once-​a-​week lunch destination. I just love love their red beans and rice (with sausage) and their cornbread is legendary. Back then, there was always a huge line, but it always moved fast. Often I’d take my awesome box to the Pennzoil Tower (not sure what it’s called now) lobby to eat, because the place was always full. There’s also a Treebeard’s in the tunnel (most Houstonians don’t even know about the tunnel, or how awesome it is on a hot day).
Anyway, haven’t been there in years (it’s not open on weekends) but it’s great to see they are still getting great reviews.

Chicken and dumplings, jambalaya, gumbo, chicken fried chicken –this is southern comfort, ya’ll, with a touch of Cajun. There are also salads right up front on an ice trough, which additionally houses a giant clam shell. For reals.
The menus slightly differ at each location. Here they have a special every day with alternating gumbo’s and jambalaya’s. For instance, Mon-​Wed. you’re looking at sausage and chicken gumbo while on Thurs. and Fri. it’s seafood gumbo.
My dad loves the gumbo, but he says it’s not spicy enough. He usually adds a bit of Tabasco. The first time I had the chicken fried chicken it was spectacular. The second time I happened to take a later lunch and it tasted like it sat out a while and was not as good. I doubt this is a problem for anyone during the lunch rush because it gets really busy here and hot, fresh food is constantly replacing the empty tins. Today’s jambalaya was good and I like their red potato mashed potatoes. They have creamy gravy, albeit not quite enough pepper for my taste.
This is set up cafeteria style and even if the end of the line is outside of the restaurant, you’re really not going to wait as long as you might think. Pay attention to the menu board before grabbing a tray and drink, because you might feel rushed and panic while trying to decide when you get to the food. This exact scenario happened to me my first visit and I got mad. But that’s me –short tempered and don’t like being rushed.
There are two cashiers, which means two stations to get a bread basket and dessert if you like. The bread’s free.
Seating is a pain. The only pain here, but a pain in my ass nonetheless. Although I waited tables for about a year in my younger days it kind of terrifies me to walk around with my tray hunting for an open table. One time my dad and I slowly walked around the restaurant twice before we could sit. I will give the bussers some major kudos, though. Those guys are on top of it as soon as a table clears.

The food is great home-​cooked meals, and for $ 6.95 you can get the daily lunch special which includes an entrée and 2 sides! yippeee~
The quality and freshness is above what other places around there offer.
To-​go only. No tables. Very Fast service.

Love watching busy Houston from the Louisiana style balcony. Great service.

I have a different way of rating things in the tunnels. Any tunnel restaurant would get minus one star above ground. For example, Treebeards is a three star restaurant above ground but a four star tunnel restaurant.
Treebeards is one of the better places in the tunnels. The food is fast food Cajun. When i am there, I typically get the red beans and rice with sausage and cheese. This is enough food for two people. I haven’t really had a chance to try too many other options, though I do like the gumbo. If you do see a long line, don’t fret. The line moves fast and they are pretty efficient. Don’t forget the pepper sauce.

Treebeards has consistently excellent fresh good food. The problem is — their best offerings are fattening and if I go, I will be tempted so I tend to save going there for a special occasion. Also, FYI, this is a lunch-​only spot.
I love just about everything but having worked and eaten my way through downtown for the past 10 years (god — I sound like a glutton!), here is my Treebeards «Hall of Fame» :
— Their Meatloaf is a massively thick, juicy portion of meatloaf that comes topped with a spicy tomato sauce
— The Chicken Fried Chicken is nirvana. The light brown crust sits lightly atop a large moist chicken breast and is served with thick cream gravy flecked with bits of pepper which is HIGHLY addictive.
— The mashed potatoes are real mashed potatoes with small potato hunks and a few potato skins (hey– a girl’s gotta have some fiber!)
— Treebeard’s Squash Casserole is what you wish you could find on your Thanksgiving table. Cheesy, oniony, squash goodness with a chewy cheese browned crust. I am also a huge fan of their Broccoli with Shallots and don’t get me started on their Fresh Corn. To die for.
— If you are trying to be on a diet, try their Gazpacho Soup which is a cold spicy tomato soup with a variety of diced vegetables. It is quite good if you have a cup of warm mashed potatoes alongside so you don’t feel quite so deprived!

Now for their mouth-​watering desserts. After careful selection and much testing, here are my top 3 favorites:
— Buttercake: Tooth-​achingly sweet but incredibly delicious
— Yellow Cake with Chocolate Icing: This hunk of moist layer vanilla cake is thickly spread with a delectable homemade chocolate frosting that is superb. I have been known to have just this for lunch and have been very happy afterwards.
— Chocolate Chip Cookie: Amazingly good. You can taste that it is made with real butter and chocolate.
Treebeards gets my very highest rating — do yourself a favor and go!

If you work in Downtown Houston, don’t be the only one who’s never eaten at Treebeards! It’s located in the church, I believe inside the Parish Hall so don’t be surprised if you get that Sunday Church Bell feeling.
If you’re a fan of cafeteria food as I am, Treebeards is the place to be! I love this place. it’s a cross between good olé’ southern Paula Dean cooking and a high school cafeteria. I miss school (NOT hospital) cafeteria food and i love Paula Dean recipes (minus the 4 sticks of butter she uses for everything)! I’ve tried the crawfish étouffée, a few casseroles and the chicken fried chicken w/​corn & mashed potatoes. *DROOL* There’s usually a couple of cajun dishes for the day. to me, that’s a plus. They have all the desserts located right before you pay. I’ve never tried any but they look good enough to get a hold on one of them one day. Depending on the day, some times the church choir comes out to sing a little soul while you eat :) Luby’s, Piccadilly & Wyatt’s ain’t got nothin’ on Treebeards!
I haven’t worked downtown for about 2yrs so I miss this place and hope to be back soon. Hopefully no changes were made.

This is one of my favorite places to eat lunch during my work day. I can get a small red beans & rice (with cheese), a soda and a cookie for under $ 6…which in my opinion is amazing considering how high-​quality the food is. It’s always so fresh and delicious, no ifs, ands or buts. Their yellow cake with chocolate icing is the best in the city… and the serving is HUGE… not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing. Ok, it’s good. They basically serve great southern home-​cookin’ style food, but it’s never greasy or too buttery or anything. I almost feel healthy when I eat there, although it might not be. Who knows. They always have a lovely assortment of veggies to choose from as well if you don’t want red beans & rice or a chicken or anything. Often times I get the vegitarian red beans & rice. Mmmmm. I also recommend their corn puddin’ and their mashed potaters.
It’s always insanely immaculate in there so I can only assume their kitchen is the same. The managers (and/​or owners) seem to run a tight ship and it shows on every level. Everyone from the servers to the cashiers are always super nice.
There’s a great space upstairs for sitting if downstairs gets too full… I actuall prefer it up there. It’s really open and airy. And they even have a balcony you can sit on that looks out over Market Square. The pigeons are very polite up there and will keep you company while you eat.
Parking can be tricky if you’re not just walking over from your office, but it’s downtown Houston, so what do you expect. If I had to pick one negative thing about Treebeards it would be that their not open for dinner or on weekends. Otherwise, it’s perfection… pigeons included.

If you can’t make it to the Treebeard’s in Market Square, then try the take-​away on Rusk for people on the go.
The Jalapeño Cornbread is to die for. And they make my beloved Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. Who could ask for more.
Well, Treebeard’s offers a daily special too — your Southtern Entrée with your choice of sides. Like I said, don’t miss your chance to get the Jalapeño Cornbread with this. The mashed potatoes are extra good. Plus, they serve up some darn good red beans and rice.
If you still feel like you have some room left for dessert, order the buttercake. It is just as delicious as it sounds. Mmmmm… buttercake.
Comfort food to go. Treebeard’s serves it up Southern style all week long.