City Cellars — Restaurant in Houston

My friend and I arrived for Houston Restaurant week. When we got there we were first going To be sat in a 2 seater table (barely any move to eat/breathe) next to another family on a couch/bench near the back wall. We asked the hostess if we can move outside and she did. We waited about 10/15 min and we were not served any drinks nor a waiter coming to help us. A lot people who came after us were served water. Lauren (hostess) noticed and provided us water and for our waiter. She apologized and was so sweet and helpful. We finally got our waiter (can’t remember his name, but the service went down hill from there). He was nice, but the issue was that they were out of several options for the specials desserts that were included in the promotion. The only things available are desserts that included an up charge. We Ask that since the majority of the desert that we wanted were out of stock, then could they provide us the other desserts without the up charge. He said no, but then said that he would go back and talk to the manager. He also said that instead of doing desserts, they can do a beignets for us, but if we were gonna have to pay $10 for the beignets- since they were serviced through a 3rd party. We asked him to see if he can speak with the manager and he said sure. He came back and said that the Manager said that he couldn’t do anything and we had to pay the up charge. At that point we were annoyed and just got Our drinks that we already ordered and then we’re gonna go somewhere else to eat. Lauren, the hostess came out and asked if we were OK, we explained to her the situation and she said hold on. And went and talk to the manager. Maybe about a couple minutes after that the manager came out and asked us if anything was OK and my friend responded no. We told him that our waiter said that he had talked to him (manager), on which he replied that nobody came and talked to him. So that definitely took us by surprise that the waiter said he did talk to the manager but didn’t. We explained to the MGR that we came for the HRW promotion, but was disappointed that we had to pay for an up charge on desserts that we weren’t interested in ( mind you several customers did order the up charge dessert and you would be dissatisfied with what they were and portion size) and there couldn’t be an substitute or something that can accommodate customers, since they ran out of the desserts on their menu (we were told They ran out of stuff around 5pm- we got there around 7:44). In short he worked with us and did give us a discount on our bill and I got the Beignets and my friend got the s’mores (not what she wanted, but ordered it since the MGR worked with us). Lauren was our waitress for the rest of the night and she was amazing and if it was not for her going and talking to the manager,we would have left and went to a different restaurant for Houston restaurant week.

Side note, a customer that was sitting next to us also told us she had a somewhat same experience with them too. She came back and gave them another try and Lauren was her server too and she loved Lauren.

I had high hopes for the place because my bday is coming up, but I’m not sure about booking them. However, I will say that the food that we ordered from the restaurant...

Decided to take my mom here for her birthday today after previously coming here for another friends birthday and having such a great experience my first time. Given that my mom is picky I was worried she wouldn’t be a fan of a new restaurant. Once I arrived my mom and her friend were the only ones in the standard dining. Our first issue is that the waitress immediately comes up to inform us that they do not allow outside food (I had a covered cake in a sealed box) since we came to celebrate a birthday. Proceeds to let us know that if we wanted to cut into our own cake that it will be a $5 per person charge per their policy which we completely understand however, the waitress never once offered us a dessert menu instead. The waitress never once even acknowledged that we were celebrating a birthday yet she acknowledged the cake in the box. We were a party of 6. Regardless, we were going to be spending money in this establishment. I don’t see the need to immediately want to inform us about a charge to cut into a cake without even acknowledging the birthday to begin with. How about “happy birthday! Thank you for choosing us to celebrate!” Considering this restaurant gives an upscale vibe and has a pricey menu I would’ve expected the waitress to appear more welcoming from the moment we arrived. Instead, we got crappy “I’m here because I have to be” service from the waitress the entire time she “took care” of us. I had to ask for water for the table a total of 3x. Any question we had about the menu she kept a straight face the entire time. Not once did our waitress crack a smile or seem like she cared to even earn a tip. It was a disappointing experience overall due to the waitress’s overall vibe. Unfortunately, she looked like she had just rolled out of bed and her demeanor gave off that she was tired and bothered to have to serve us. Again, we were the only group in the main dining upon arrival so I don’t understand why we seemed like such a bother to her. I think if a restaurant that LOOKS as nice as this one and offers great food with a pricier menu then the waitress’s first concern shouldn’t be about a boxed up cake. You would think they would be more worried about how they’re presented and how they treat parties/groups with birthdays. Unfortunate experience overall. We will more than likely not be coming back. Had the waitress been more attentive and welcoming we would’ve had a better experience. They charge too much money to hire servers who don’t have solid customer service. Also, we never once got her name. Something as simple as “hello I am so&so I will be taking care of you ladies” would’ve been nice. Never once was offered a printed or...

City Cellars is a complete embarrassment of a restaurant. My group and I were all well over 21, yet one friend forgot her physical ID — she had a clear photo of it, and we weren’t even drinking — but the staff treated us like children. The attitude was disgusting: rude, dismissive, and downright degrading.

It was my friend’s birthday, and we brought a small cake to celebrate. They confiscated it at the door like we were sneaking contraband. Ironically, later that night, they let someone walk in with a cat. Apparently, a live animal is fine, but a birthday cake is where they draw the line. The logic here is nonexistent.

We ordered food and drinks at the same time. Drinks came quickly, but the food took over an hour — meanwhile, tables that arrived after us were served first. When the food finally showed up, everything was stone-cold and tasteless. At that point, it felt intentional. The entire experience reeked of unprofessionalism and pettiness.

Between the atrocious service, the lack of basic hospitality, and the inconsistency of their own policies, this place is an absolute joke. Save yourself the money and the aggravation. There are plenty of places in Houston that actually value their customers — this is not one of them

———————————————————————————— It’s honestly hilarious that instead of taking accountability for the miserable service, the owner decided to argue online like a child. The condescending tone in this response says everything about how this place is run — unprofessional, defensive, and petty.

Let’s clear a few things up since accuracy seems to be a struggle for you: • No one was trying to use a picture of an ID to order alcohol. We said clearly we weren’t drinking. Look at the tab no jito? Didn’t know MOCKtails were considered alcoholic. Maybe if your staff communicated instead of assuming, you’d know that. • Confiscating a birthday cake while letting in people with animals (dog, cat — whichever version you’d like to stick to today) is peak hypocrisy. You’re clearly selective about which “rules” you enforce depending on who you like. • And yes, our food was cold and delayed while tables seated after us were served first. You can spin it however you want, but it’s obvious we weren’t treated fairly.

The fact that you took the time to post this passive-aggressive response instead of improving your customer service just proves our point. Restaurants that actually care about hospitality don’t bicker with paying guests online. Thanks for confirming exactly why City Cellars is the last place in Houston we’d...