Underbelly

The food was simply amazing. I like that they do family style, so you can try a variety of dishes. So glad I was finally able to try this.

Went to underbelly for the first time and likely the last. Lets start with the good. The ambiance was great fun place to eat and the server was really top notch. We started with bacon sausage, flavorful and not too fatty really a nice start. Then comes the bad. I ordered the goat rack. First off was too salty and charred on the outside, but surprisingly the inside had absolutely no flavor. So bad had to send it back. So entrée two was the grits with ham. Once again heavy on salt with no flavor, worst of all the ham was so small almost missed it. Once again sent the food back. On a side note the manager offered to replace our meal which was very nice, but I go by the saying fool me once shame on you fool me twice shame on me.

I am a huge fan of Underbelly and Chris Shephard. Underbelly provides an array of dishes to choose from. The goat and dumplings are a must try. Their bread and the spread it comes with is out of the park. The staff is friendly and knowledgable even though the menu changes daily. Be prepared to try a bunch of different dishes. I would recommend going in a larger party that way you can try more things. You can run up a tab fairly quickly so be aware! They have a meat board that is a great starter. They also have a daily butchers cut so be sure to ask what meat is on the menu. I will definitely be back to Underbelly as it is one of my favorite places to eat at just wish I could afford it more often! Enjoy!

This was, by far, one of the coolest food experiences I have ever had! To start, I was a total nerd and took a picture with Chef Chris Shepherd… he was very gracious and accommodating lol. We were seated right next to him and the expo station where all food comes out of the open kitchen. By far, the best seats in the house IMO. The service was timely and warm with our server offering suggestions and Chef Chris chiming in from time to time to assist. The food is served family style and it was such a treat to see so many dishes being passed around and shared between our group (that’s my favorite way to eat, but usually only with my husband lol). Chef Chris also brought my 4yo son (who was the only kid in the restaurant I think but very well behaved) a pc of cake and then a few minutes a small cup of ice cream when the meal was over. He made a fan out of him as well as everyone else at the table for that small gesture of kindness.
The FOOD: WOW! The ciabatta was made fresh to order and served with a habanero butter that was one of the best breads/​butter combos we have ever had. We also had the beef shank (think dino shank) served with beans and tortillas, whole fish on rice, braised goat and dumplings, some kind of gumbo thing on top of the best spinach ever, and I could go on and on. I don’t really think it is possible to order anything bad off of this brilliant, thoughtful, fresh, and TASTY MENU! The farm to table concept, homemade jellies and picked veg sold in the jar, the warm thoughtfulness of everyone we encountered all add with everything else to make this restaurant TOP NOTCH!
Side note: we did have a vegan at the table who asked for the kitchen to prepare an off menu entrée. Would not do this again. While we requested spice and flavor and discussed this and a rice noodle combo with the server, it came out as a plate piled high of only veggies with some raspberry something sauce. Not a favorite.
I am leaving out so much but do not want to exhaust you. Overall, I cannot wait to visit again!!! A+++

Underbelly is underwhelming. The service was great. The wine and beer list was extensive. However, for a restaurant of this caliber, I expected the menu to be more balance. With an emphasis on local produce, seafood and in-​house butchered meats, I eagerly anticipated the chef’s ability to highlight the natural goodness of his fresh ingredients. Instead, at least half the vegetables plated were pickled. There were a LOT of meat options with no good vegetarian ones which effectively killed my appetite after a few dishes appeared on the table. I appreciated the attention paid to the presentation of each dish. However, it would be great if the same diligence was exerted on the edible part of the order.
For all future visitors of Underbelly, I recommend that you skip the Korean Braised Goat and Dumplings. It’s an evergreen item on the menu that needs to come off. Essentially, they’re pan fried Korean dumplings drowned in the red sauce. I appreciate Chris’s effort to fuse together influences from different cuisines. I hope he continues to push boundaries and refine his art.

Valet parking is tip only, but there’s a small lot around back if you prefer to self park.
After hearing great things about Underbelly, I was a bit disappointed with the food. My companion and I ordered the Baby Arugula Salad, Butcher’s Cut, and Korean Braised Goat and Dumplings.
Baby Arugula Salad — Came out so SALTY that I couldn’t eat more than a few bites. The waitress agreed and was nice enough to comp the item. Maybe an off day?
Butcher’s Cut — Ribeye was the cut of the day, and it was served over some beats and collard greens. While the meat was cooked well, it definitely needed some seasoning.
Korean Braised Goat and Dumplings — I actually really enjoyed this dish! If you’ve ever had Korean street food, then this is a spin on dukbokki. The rice cakes are slightly fried rice cakes mixed with braised goat and gochujang.
Overall, I thought the high price tag did not match the quality of the food… but maybe I visited on an off day?

This restaurant has been on my «to-​do list» ever since it first opened. I absolutely LOVE almost everything about Underbelly. The seasonal menu, the knowledgeable and friendly staff, the décor and ambiance, the open kitchen (so my nosy ass can peek in!), the house-​made sodas, their herb and micogreen garden, the jars upon jars of house made marmalades, pickles, and jams, AND THEIR CHARCUTERIE ROOM! Omg, so amazing. It’s like a museum of food in there.
A few recommendations, but because their menu IS seasonal you might be surprised by new offerings when you come in: The roasted beets, the shrimp and grits (that broth!), and the Korean braised goat dumplings. The goat seems to be a favorite there, appearing on both the lunch and dinner menu and now I know why.
As a worker in the service industry, one final touch to the meal really wowed me. Chef Chris Shepherd’s list of recommendations around the city. I love his passion for Houston food and culture! I’ll be sure to check out one of his recommendations the next time I’m in town, but I’m still saving room for Underbelly ;)

This place is okay, not all that great at all. Wasn’t worth the 30 minute wait for dinner. Parking sucks, couldn’t find any parking and eventually got my car towed! Korean dumplings was nasty, I don’t recommend it at all. The Pork Chops was pretty fatty and greasy. The atmosphere of the place okay, overall the food is overprice, save your money and eat some where else.

My friend and I went here the day before New Years (2015) for lunch. As the waiter explained, the lunch menu is what it is – the dinner experience is where they get really creative and offer different items each night. We were OK with that because the lunch menu looked great!
We started off with H&H Poutine, Pork Bone Gravy, Cheese Curds, Fries, Chili which was SO GOOD!!! (If you’re a Weight Watchers member, it’s 23 points (or 600+ calories)). That being said, we each had a little bit – enough to get a taste and moved it to the edge of the table for the waiter to remove. My friend ordered the Roasted Chicken & Butter Biscuit, with vegetables and gravy. I had a taste, and it was very good too! I had the Vietnamese Style Flank Steak, with noodles and peanuts. It was a cold dish (except the flank steak was warm), but it was still good on a cold day. The flank steak was cooked perfectly – medium rare.
My friend also had the house-​made root beer which tasted good. It was a light color, and looked like iced tea. It was a mild root beer, but good.
I had heard a lot about Underbelly, and I really don’t think a person can go wrong here. I highly recommend! Oh – we did have reservations which is a MUST here.

The service was good with multiple people tending to us throughout our lunch. We started with the sourdough bread with specialty butter. The butter had a bit of heat, but wasn’t for me. The bread was delicious!
For our main courses I opted for the Crispy Pork Schnitzel with Cabbage and my friend got the Smoked Pulled Pork Sandwich with fries and slaw. My pork was tender, but I felt it lacked seasoning, but the cabbage was delicious. Eating it together gave the pork more flavor. My friend’s sandwich was good, but nothing spectacular. The fries were very good.
Dessert consisted of coffee for my friend and green tea for myself. The green tea was made with actual tea leaves which I enjoyed. However, there is no processed sugar and the sugar provided didn’t sweeten to my liking. My friend said the coffee was great. My friend had the Meyer Lemon Upside Down Cake and I had the Carrot Cake Fried Pie. Both were good, but I loved the carrot cake and ice cream. By far I enjoyed dessert the most!
Overall it was a nice time with my friend with some food being great and other food being decent. Nothing was bad though. Seasoning for my meal would have made it a 5 star review.

Summary– An interesting experience but not sure it was a great meal. I really like the concept behind what they are doing, but between the menu and the execution of the concept overall we were left kinda semi-​impressed.
Food– 3 Stars
Charcuterie– Meh, Headcheese and the aged ham were good, lacking flavor on the other two meats. Also the runner mumbled it out when he delivered it and it was hard to tell what was what.
Beef Enchilada was great, wish we had two of them for the table.
26 Month Prosciutto was very good, a bit on the hyper rich side and maybe lacking some salt, but delicious.
Butchers Cut was decent, a good rib-​eye but nothing all that special. Considering all the in house curing going on I was surprised/​disappointed it wasn’t dry aged.
Bim Bap was fine, nothing mind blowing.
Warm Kale was excellent but tiny.
Drinks– 4 Stars
Nice wine menu.
Service– 3 Stars
Server was friendly, made suggestions and guided us through the confusingly unclear menu. I did ask a question about the brisket (how it was smoked, the process/​time and the wood used) and the response was less than informed.
Atmosphere– 5 Stars
Very cool inside.
Value– 2 Stars
I felt like the menu that lacks differentiation between plate sizes makes it difficult to determine what to order, and the plate sizes were all over the place. I don’t need to be stuffed when I leave, but

Upon first glance, Underbelly may seem like a premier dining destination in Houston’s ever growing food crazy scene. After all, their location is prime for all kinds of visitors, the menu is constantly changing, and the establishment was awarded a Michelin Star earlier this year. For the last few years, the hype was real and the execution was as desired but in the recent years they’ve fallen from grace somewhat, following some repeated service issues and semi confusing menu structure.
To elaborate, my disappointment is not with the setup (some of the best contemporary digs in town) or with the food (mostly). Executive Chef Chris Shepherd’s «refined» take on «American Creole» cuisine is an interesting one, as his menu features a plethora of plates that encompass multiple cuisines that would certainly tease the palate of any food enthusiast. The attempts is noble, especially with the Southern American fare, such as their incredibly creamy shrimp and grits down to the flash fried brussel sprouts. The southern style croque madam also deserves kudos as does the pecan smoked pork.
There was some eyebrows raised in my group with the Asian inspired dishes, most notably the Korean goat dumplings and Vietnamese style cha ca, which were lovely presentation wise, but something was missing: the Asian flavors we looked for just weren’t there. The «dumplings» were just dukbokki, which in any Han heavy household would be dismissed if construed as anything remotely mandoo-​ish. Our palates were fooled again by the baos, a strange ramen attempt, or the abomination that was the congee and braised pork belly platter: underseasoned but slightly sacrilege to have the porridge plopped onto the plate. To be fair, a lot of other patrons would love these dishes, but the execution was just a tad lacking for our taste.
The larger issue may simply be the menu itself, which is composed almost entirely of tapas. Mind you, I love small plates and truly believe family style dining is the best way to elevate any eating experience. However, the pricing is not relative to the portion of the plates. The menu distinctly addresses this by noting there are «no appetizers or entrees, just food.» When one orders something for $ 15 versus something for $ 25, there is no telling if there is really enough for table of 4 or 7 per se.
Then comes the service, which for the little things (filling up water, changing plates, providing menus, etc.) is attentive and quite on par. When asking about the menu, I’ve encountered many of them who know what they like, but can’t elaborate for dishes of which they haven’t tried. This is perfectly normal with a rotating menu and staff turnover of course, but when portion size is not known before hand, it can present a problem of knowing just exactly how much to order.
So as a result, we just order whatever. A dish here and there, which results in craving the smaller stuff while sometimes being slightly underwhelmed with the surprisingly larger dishes (Vietnamese bo kho stew, I’m looking at you.). It’s a guessing game at times, but when hungry and less diligent about the price, suddenly it amounts to very little importance. Perhaps a breakdown of small vs large plates down the road? It would be extremely helpful.
In the end, Underbelly is only igniting a flame that Houston has needed for a long time: a contemporary restaurant that tries new things with its menu and introduces a whole line of ethnic cuisines with it. To call it an «American (New)» might be somewhat misleading as it might be better known as an American-​Asian Fusion establishment. I don’t see Underbelly going anywhere and I can only hope that it finds new ways to highlight quality fare in a developing food scene like Houston’s.

Underbelly has received a lot of critical acclaim. Their chef, Chris Shepherd, won the James Beard award this year. He’s arguably Houston’s most prominent chef along with Hugo Ortega of Hugo’s. I went to Hugo’s with a group of eight people for my friend’s birthday party. The restaurant was packed on a Saturday night and continued to be so throughout our time there. Underbelly is located in Montrose on Westheimer, attached to The Hay Merchant. Parking is valet only but there’s street parking on the side streets close to the restaurant. While Underbelly is a fine dining restaurant, the interior is modern and laid-​back.
My problem with Underbelly has nothing to do with the food or the service, it’s really how the restaurant is structured. I had the pork shoulder with country ham fried rice. I had never had pork shoulder before but it tasted similar to pork tenderloin. Service was average, nothing particularly striking. Underbelly is similar to a tapas restaurant in that you’re encouraged to share several plates with your party. The problem is the dishes differ greatly in the amount of food you get. Some have the amount of food that an appetizer would have while some are entrée-​sized. Most restaurants with this sort of set-​up split up their menu in small plates and large plates. At Underbelly, all of the dishes are placed together. As a result, you don’t really know how much to order and will likely end up ordering more food than you want. This doesn’t rise to the level of deception but it’s in bad taste. If Underbelly put some effort in structuring their menu, it would vastly improve the dining experience.
When my friend made a reservation and mentioned that we would be there for a birthday celebration, she was told that Underbelly doesn’t do birthday celebrations i.e. no dessert on the house. It’s upsetting when a restaurant doesn’t help make a birthday celebration that much more special. Maybe Underbelly has received such a level of fame that they don’t really care about the small things anymore.

I was here for a work trip and a coworker’s local friend recommended this restaurant. It was also written up by the NYT favorably, so I was excited to go. The service was okay, but not great.
We ordered the Big Ol’ Salad, meatballs, roasted pork belly, Korean braised pork and dumplings and a vinegar pie, salt brittle for dessert. Everything tasted good, so no complaints there. Although the Korean braised pork and dumplings is something you can get at any authentic Korean restaurant at half the price.
Anyway, the reason why I’m giving this place 1 star is because as I was eating the Big Ol’ Salad, something in it started moving. I gave it a poke with my fork and it unrolled itself and started crawling around the leaves on my plate. Not only was that disconcerting not to mention completely unappetizing, the staff took a good 10 minutes before I could wave anyone over to take it away. The bug had made its rounds on my plate several times by then. The manager then came to somewhat apologize, but basically said with a shrug, «We receive all our produce local from the farms, so this type of thing happens.» So do they not wash their vegetables at the restaurant? I’ve grown my own vegetables at home and I don’t just toss them in a bowl covered with dirt and bugs.
They said the salad was on the house, which I would hope so because we ate about ¹⁄₃ of it. And that was it. Honestly they could have comped dessert or something beyond providing the bug salad on the house.
As an upscale restaurant, they really need to do better than that.

OK — I/​we may be an outlier.
We went last night — party of 5. With all the new restaurants and return visits to our favorites, hadn’t been in a year in spite of growing national attention/​awards to Chris Shepherd and his eateries. Our latest dining experience brought home why it doesn’t check all the boxes.
What is working:
Great dishes — we loved 3 (brussel sprouts, meatballs, and snapper), 3 were good, and 1 was awful (by all 5 of us). We would expect more to be «great».
Great service.
Low markup on wine.
What is not working:
The space. OK concrete floors and rough wood paneling in the main room…
Speed of service — it was rushed. From the time we sat down til we left was 1 hour and 5 minutes. They should learn to pace like Uchi’s.
The no full bar — they have 2 wine-​based «cocktails», beer, or a decent selection of ciders.
The wine list. We know wine and although fairly large (and well priced) list it is at best «eclectic».
The «big» family share dishes (at $ 50+ to $ 125) just don’t work well (from portion size to pricing to execution)…
Damages for 5 with tip was $ 375.
Just not a memorable meal. Probably will not return until some out-​of-​towner insists on going.

From the time we walked in for our reservation about 45 minutes early we were made to feel home. We were a group of six from out of town. The hostess immediately made us feel that she knew us forever. She was engaging and really super sweet as well as being a classic beauty and overall great everything you would want from a hostess at a restaurant. One of our group was a vegetarian, which when entering a restaurant in Texas with the name under belly was not the top of their choices. The hostess told us not to worry there were options and if our vegetarian did not like the two choices on the menu that they would make whatever what she wanted.
As we were walking to our table, Chef Shepard came out welcoming us. Once we were turned over to our waiter, he took over and explained our food choices. He even offered to just order for us. He was very engaging and not only very familiar with with wine menu but the food as well. Our group shared a red and white wine, that our group wine steward was impressed with. As a novice I really liked both choices. The white wine was the 1999 Domaine de la Laidiere ‘L’insolite Blanc’ Bando, that from what I understand is pretty rare. I don’t remember what the name of red wine.
We had only been at our table for a few minutes and Matthew Pridgen the General Manager approached us and made sure we were happy. He was aware of the vegetarian and made sure that every thing was OK.
For food we started out with the Big Ol’ Salad, Croutons, Tomato, Pepper Vinaigrette, we then had the UB 26 Month Prosciutto (which was one of the things our waiter told us we should try before we die!), Roasted Fish Collar, Kale Salad, Ginger Miso Dressing, Steamed Whole Snapper, Cabbage Slaw, Crispy Farmer’s Market Vegetables, Caramelized Fish Sauce, Korean Braised Goat & Dumplings, and «The Butcher’s Cut», Charleston Gold Succotash. All of the food was out of this world.
For dessert we had CHOCOLATE, PB CREAM, BLONDIE, SATSUMA 9 ASSORTED ICE CREAM SANDIES, PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE, and GINGER, SNICKERDOODLE SWEET POTATO FRIED PIE. They were all really good.
As we finished Matthew came back and engaged us in conversation and he was genuinely interested in our opinions and as we were walking out he joined us and Chef Shepard for a discussion. For two busy guys you would have never known. They seemed like they would have kept talking with us. As we were talking, people were coming and taking pictures with the Chef. He seems to be a local celebrity in Houston. I predict it won’t be long before he is a national celebrity. Truly a engaging person and excellent chef.
So in recap, great hostess, awesome waiter, world class wine, food, and desserts. Celebrity General Manager and Chef. You can not go wrong at Underbelly. Truly a restaurant to remember. So if your in Houston you must visit.

Underbelly is both overrated and unfairly maligned. The former, by out-​of-​town visitors to Houston, who assume it is one of the best places in town. The latter, by Houston food scenesters, who prefer Oxheart and other newer places.
I fall in the middle. Underbelly is a good restaurant with a really good wine list (last time I was here, I was served an interesting and unexpected Greek white, dry as a good sauvignon blanc but with an extra tang) that has some misses, to be sure, but generally delivers. I’d go here on my own dime, and would take others too.
Plus, it is next door to my favorite coffee bar in Houston, Blacksmith. (common ownership).

I am one of those people that hates going to the same place twice. I will go back to underbelly.
The atmosphere was comfortable, the porch was fantastic for an October evening, and there were enough people to make it feel alive yet not too crowded on a Monday night.
Each server was very attentive, knowledgable, and explained each menu item in detail.
The food. The goat dumplings are what I’m going back for! They had an amazing, spicy/​almost sweet flavor, and were somehow crispy? The crispy vegetables and eggplant also had a wonderful crisp and flavor. I appreciated that most of the items felt somewhat fresh and healthy. The yogurt marinated snapper was decent but definitely not flavorful enough to order it again.
The only downside; the prices were a little steep. But worth it!

Advice for fellow foodies – Don’t get your hopes up.
I really, really wanted to like this place, because I’m in love with the environment and thought put into everything from the mugs to the high vaulted ceilings. Unfortunately, I was very tempted to give Underbelly 2 stars due to the swarming flies in the dining room. I couldn’t justify 2 stars, because I did enjoy my main course and dessert a lot. My lunch experience this week was better than my last dinner here a few months ago.
This Wednesday, I arrived right at 11 am when the doors open and I had the entire restaurant to myself. By noon the dining room was packed. I felt like I climbed into a million dollar tree house as I entered the main room which was full of natural light highlighting the soft-​toned natural wood, soaring ceilings, and huge windows. While this restaurant is upscale, it gives a comfortable, casual feel allowing diners to focus on the food. The environment is anything but uptight making it easy to enjoy the locally sourced, seasonal ingredients.
After ordering, my server set my steaming coffee in an old school nascar mug on the butcher block table as we perused the menu which was in a retro photography book. We started with crispy okra coated in caramelized fish sauce — Do not get this. It was not crispy and the flavor was no where to be found. For the main course, I had the pot roast with tortilla gravy, which was moist and rich in beefy flavor although it had to be cut with a steak knife. My friend chose grilled shrimp with soba noodles. The shrimp was smokey and perfectly cooked with a little char on the edges.
We ended with vinegar pie which is a must. The light yellow pie is sharply tart, refreshing, and beautifully flecked with vanilla bean. It was very similar to a lemon pie and garnished with shards of lemon candy.
The only downfall to our meal was the somewhat unfriendly waiter and the flies constantly bothering us the entire meal. We were guarding our plates and waving away flies our entire meal– I felt like I was eating outside near a dumpster.
Last summer, I dined with my family on a weekend night and our waiter was attentive, gracious, and his wine knowledge was exceptional. We opted for a flavor-​forward dry rose along with a warm, spicy syrah. The food was just decent and left much to be desired.
We started with goat dumplings– the goat was spicy and flavorful, but the dumpling wrapper was thick and not tender. I’ve been spoiled with the dumplings in Chinatown and this did not compare to them. Our main course was the roasted leg of lamb and was cooked perfectly, but not seasoned well, lacking flavor, and a little tough.
To sum it up, come here for lunch if you don’t mind dropping $ 30 on a good, filling meal. The interior is beautiful, but the food is hit or miss. A hefty dinner for two will set you back atleast $ 90. Unlike Uchi, the portions here are generous and you won’t have to stop by Whataburger on the way home to keep your stomach from growling. The one exceptional dish is the vinegar pie which you must try if you’re a fan of key lime or lemon meringue pie.
Fun and lovely Underbelly, you put so much thought into your food and ambiance, please don’t let buzzing flies ruin your diner’s experience.

Day 4 of Houston food trip, second stop.
I had been going back and forth on whether to try out Underbelly while planning this trip, and actually decided against it, favoring instead the major bbq spots. However, staying at a friend’s place no more than a block away made me change my mind. I’m glad I did because this was quite an experience.
This place was very trendy and on the Saturday evening which we went was quite crowded. Reservations in the dining area were out of the question so we opted to sit on the patio which was very comfortable with heat lamps and fast service.
We ordered the korean braised goat and dumplings, a massive four person shared shank and a few desserts.
Korean braised goat and dumplings — ⁵⁄₅ — This dish was very unique and absolutely delicious. The dumplings were both crispy and soft which paired so nicely with the korean flavored goat. This is one of the few dishes that stays permanently on their menu and I highly recommend trying it.
Huge leg of meat — ⁴⁄₅ — This dish was great, although more because of how impressive it looked rather than the quality. It was well above average in taste and the sheer quantity of meat on the table left all four of us overly full. On top of this we still had over half of it left over to take home.
Vinegar pie with salt shards — ⁵⁄₅ — Another unique dish that I’d never even heard of before. You would think this would be gross, and that assumption would certainly be warranted, but I thought it was great although not everyone agreed with me. The dish is paired with crystallized shards of salt and sugar which nicely offset the subtle vinegar taste in the custard style pie. It’s certainly not for everyone, but if you’re feeling adventurous, give it a shot.
Strawberry tart — ³⁄₅ — This was not original and there are certainly more interesting things to try on this menu.
Overall, Underbelly was fun. The opportunity to try new and exciting dishes made this an experience to remember. «I’m a fan.»

Un dîner entre collègues très agréable.
Les plats à partager sont vraiment excellent surtout le poisson et l’épaule de boeuf. Les accompagnements sont délicieux mais en trop petite quantité. Le cadre et le concept sont vraiment originaux.