Raffa’s Waterfront Grill

The view is great… the service was perfect. I wish we could have sampled some more dishes so my review could be more accurate but we all could not pass up a $ 6 Saturday deal for the huge burger and fries. So this is the deal… the fries were awesome! The burger was good too, but after having had the best burger of my life at Flemings a little more than a week ago, it kind of paled in comparison. So I guess I just won’t be able to ever have any other burger than Flemings from now on. That said, the burger on a brioche bun was loaded with cheese, lettuce, tomato and pickles. It comes with mayo, ketchup and mustard on the side. It was so big I couldn’t even finish it.
But maybe that’s cause we had fried oysters as an appetizer! They were pretty plump and not too oily with a good batter on them. The remoulade accompanying them was better than many I have had in Louisiana. Would definitely return here if I lived in Kingwood. Shoot… maybe I need to move to Kingwood!!!

I want to go to there! The photos alone are worth 4 – 5 stars! This place is right down the road from us. WHY haven’t we been!!!

The food is good. The cosmopolitans are great. The staff is wonderful

Not only was the service upon entry exceptional but the food was to die!!!
Myself along with 6 of my guests had New Year’s Eve dinner at Raffas and I was mind blown by that menu. It was 5 courses and from start to finish the food kept getting better and better.
I could not have selected a better place in Kingwood to have my New Year’s Eve celebration the manager Rhonda is professional and accommodating, Tony is always nice and I will definitely be back and invite my friends to tag along.

This place has the best shrimp and grits this side of Charleston, SC! Yummmmmm!
My wife and I love this place. Very nice dining… Classy but still casual… And the chef is exceptional!

They are not prepared for large parties. We booked for party of 20… 3 hours still no entrees!

Went on a busy Saturday evening and service was very good considering the crowded restaurant. Our party each had the filet which was cooked perfectly. Two desserts ordered-​tasty bread pudding and then a cappucino mousse tart which was forgotten by our waitress. Probably should have sent it back and/​or not paid for it. It was totally frozen and tasted frosty – like it had been in the freezer uncovered for too long. Not good at all. But overall the meal itself was good and decent service.

Hard to rate this place. Nice ambience, efficient waitstaff. The rest of my party ordered seafood and all enjoy it. I made the mistake of ordering the ribeye Au pouvre. For $ 27 I expected a great steak. Instead it was like something from Ryan’s Steakhouse. No flavor, tough and full of gristle. When I complained the waiter offered the excuse that perhaps it had come from a different supplier or that they had a new cook. No offer to lower the price or comp the dinner. We don’t complain often and always try to give the benefit of the doubt but this restaurant will not be on our list of favorites

We had our small wedding reception here on September 20, 2015. I didn’t get the chance to write the review than but it is well deserved. The staff and hostess are fabulous! Could not ask for better customer service. The food was beautifully plated and tasted amazing. It truly made our special day even more memorable. My husband had the blackened redfish and I had the stuffed flounder. It was delicious! Since we didn’t have a cake they gave our «wedding cake» on the house. Everything was great and the view was beautiful. Look forward to going again and to many anniversaries spent here as well.

Try the Ahi Tuna from the Chef’s Composition menu!
My parents, husband, and I went to Raffa’s for dinner last night to celebrate my birthday. To start, we sampled the Lemon Pepper fried oysters. The batter was bomb and the mustard dipping sauce complemented it well, but wait until we are deeper into winter to order. The oysters themselves weren’t as firm as you’d want. We also ordered the Asian chicken tenders appetizer on the recommendation from a friend. They did not disappoint!!! Spicy sweet glaze on the chicken and a wasabi dipping sauce that’s killer. Sides can be ordered family style, so it makes a great entrée choice too.
Dad had a «garlic» cream pasta with breaded chicken, sundried tomatoes, pine nuts, and bits of goat cheese throughout. The chicken was expertly breaded and fried. Deep golden brown, incredibly crisp and very juicy. Only problem was the sauce. Couldn’t taste a hint of garlic, so you reeeeally have to like cream to eat the whole bowl. The goat cheese’s saltiness and tartness scattered throughout was the dish’s saving grace.
Hubby ordered the prime rib and it was delicious. Only complaint would be that he ordered rare and someone thought sending him an end slice would be a good idea. Not an inch of pink to be seen Horseradish was great, veggies were just standard.
Mom ordered the special, which was a salmon dish with a corn relish. Just «meh,» not much else to say.
The star was my meal! The seared ahi tuna was delicious and scattered with sesame seeds. Great portion too! Under it was a spicy avocado mousse and an Asian slaw. All delicious, not too spicy, and had a great variety of flavor. I ate the whole plate and never tired of it. Pretty light and (I’d assume) healthy too. The slaw was mostly red and green peppers with some cabbage and red onion thrown in too.
My dish gets a 10! The others get 3 or 4 for being good, not fantastic.
Ps: if it is nice out, I HIGHLY suggest the patio. Just pay attention to where the sun is so you don’t need your shades. The breeze from the lake is so refreshing! Enjoy!

If I could give half a star I would. That to me was awful. The mushrooms I ordered were obviously from a box. The spinach also from a bag, but I am normally nice; however, I just paid $ 32 for lamb and I ordered it medium rare. It came out well done, then it came back and it was rare. Let’s just say I didn’t finish it so I went to Chimichurris to eat dinner. It was amazing. In conclusion, this restaurant was not good and I am not going back!

I’ve come here a lot on the weekends to take advantage of their brunch and bottomless mimosas. (I have a feeling brunch was invented so people could drink before noon). No I’m not an alcoholic. Their mimosas aren’t even that strong. I’m usually feeling it by the 7^th or 8^th refill so yah…
Alcoholic jokes aside, their brunch buffet is actually pretty good! It even comes with SHRIMP COCKTAIL which alone garnered this review two stars.
Eat outside on the patio that overlooks Lake Houston, kick back some mimosas, eat a few shrimp here and there with some french toast & eggs, and tell me that’s not the perfect weekend brunch experience.

We stumbled onto this jewel of a restaurant today and decided to give it a try.
Starter: tempura vegetables. Delicious, fresh and crisp. The green onion stalk was our favorite.
Salad: mixed green salad was plentiful and was topped with a delightful light vinaigrette.
Saturday $ 6 Cheeseburger. Juicy and cooked perfectly to our specs. Fries crisp and tasty.
This meal was wonderful and a bargain. Excellent service. Beautiful surroundings. Wish it had been cool enough to sit outside.

A good friend of mine hosted a luncheon today of seven people who have never met. This was an idea that he and I came up with a few weeks ago as a way of meeting interesting people and growing our personal network of associates. I suggested that we meet at Raffa’s Waterfront Grill since I wanted to bring the business for the owner, Tony Raffa.
The experience was fantastic! Our waiter was Jeb and he did a really good job of providing top rate service without being intrusive to our robust discussion and people connecting with one another. I ordered a Sesame Glazed Salmon served over a citrus spinach and it was one of the best presentations of Salmon that I’ve had in a long time. The flavors were creatively blended so you were aware, but none were overbearing. The luncheon portion was just the right size, filling without being over-​served. (Many restaurants these days bring enough food for two people and much ends up either wasted or «waisted», neither of which is a good thing. The appropriate serving size also enables the restaurant to offer their menu at VERY affordable prices.
Everyone had a great time and we enthusiastically decided to get together again next month.
This review is an update to a review I wrote in 2013 and after today’s experience, it is like I enjoyed a meal today at a completely different restaurant. Kudos to Raffa’s Waterfront Grill, I can’t wait to return and bring more friends.

Amazing anniversary dinner! Cesar was our waiter and was beyond wonderful! If you want a classy dinner with a great view, please come by during sunset, you won’t be disappointed!

Very good food and service. The white bean soup is impressive as are the Brussels sprouts. The Sunday brunch is worth every nickel. Go opposite the bar and grab the deviled eggs and salmon with capers.

This place is a regular for me for many reasons, some of which you might not expect.
First, and foremost, the owner is a great person. Tony has been a great member of his community for years. He is always willing to donate to a cause, like American Cancer Society, CureFest, the Lake Houston Chamber, and he does it with a smile. He is always smiling and very personable. He’s so nice to my kids and gave my little one some ice cream when he had to stay home because he didn’t feel well, but tagged along with me to a networking luncheon at one of Tony’s restaurants. My little boy never forgot that.
Tony knows his wine. He is a pairing genius. Raffa’s hosts tastings each month and they are delicious, fun and full of great food and wine. Add in the great location and beautiful lake front patio and its a win/​win.
Raffa’s also boasts one of the best brunches in a 15 mine radius. Especially the fabulous dessert. His servers are very well trained, polite and knowledgeable. I love this place! If you haven’t tried it yet, its a great local business experience.

I’ve lived in Kingwood for years and just recently got around to trying Raffa’s. We had a date night there that was amazing. I ordered stuffed flounder which was great, husband had the prime rib was was amazing as well. We ordered a side of gouda mac, a must try if you go to Raffa’s. We had drinks too, they were strong but delicious and pretty reasonable in price. Raffa’s is a spacious, beautiful restaurant inside and has as nice view of Lake Houston as well.
I’ve also recently visited for their famous Easter brunch. I could gush about that but suffice it to say, it was amazing.
Raffa’s offers great food, service, and atmosphere. Absolutely worth visiting.

Ok, so the restaurant looked impressive and the Unilocal reviews were ok. So we decided to try it. First look, it looked promising. Second, the décor was nice, and the restaurant was clean.
So far impressed. We even got a table over looking the lake, beautiful view. Now the menu was not overcrowded with endless decision, and that’s a good thing. Usually!
The food was ok! I guess being a Chicagoan, I expect too much ;)
I gave it a 3-​Star for the service and the ambience. And 1-​Star for the food, total 4stars. Will return for cocktail!

The menu here is very inviting and we have only visited once. My first impression is middling. Guests are enthusiastically greeted and the space is open and airy. Everyone is very nice. If you get there early, the noise level is fine, but as the room fills up, that open and airy space becomes an echo chamber, which makes everyone speak more loudly which makes it louder. Oh, and the kitchen is open to the bar which is open to the dining area, so that feeds the auditory onslaught at peak times. If you’re looking to have conversation with your companion (s) sitting outside in nice weather would probably be your best bet, on nights when there isn’t an outdoor concert.
The food we had was good to very tasty. The spinach and artichoke dip was creamy, but not flavorful. The crostini was nice, though. Hub got the shrimp and grits. The grits were more coarse grind, like an artisanal stone ground grit. Very nicely prepared too. The sauce and shrimp were delicious. Good dish. The potatoes au-​gratin he got as a side and ended up mixing in with his grits were also very good. The cheese in this had a good flavor. My prime rib was tender and cooked exactly right. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem very well seasoned to me. I’m a salt and pepper on a steak kind of girl, but they didn’t have enough of either. The green beans that came with it were nicely done. We ordered dessert and it’s apple time, apparently as several of the options featured apples. I got the apple and cinnamon bread pudding and it was my highlight of the meal. Hub got the cheesecake, which was really nice. One downer was that it took about 15 minutes, or so it seemed, to get our decaf coffee. At least it was fresh.
For the price, I wanted to be wowed. This trip was not wow. We will go back and give them at least one more shot, so you should give them a try and see what you think.