Graffiti Raw — Restaurant in Houston

Love this beautiful restaurant! Interior is warm and inviting. Staff are friendly and attentive. Crowds come in fast and furious during dinner time. It will be good to have reservation. Parking can be challenging here. Either street parking, garage parking, or valet.

My partner and I had the HRW dinner menu. I chose the cod croquettes, caviar and chips, linguine alla vongole, and beet cake. I also ordered The Jacy to go with my food. My partner had the crispy rice & tuna, crab & shrimp fried rice, pan roasted salmon, and chocolate tart with an additional scoop of chocolate hazelnut ice cream.

Cod croquettes: generous amount of cod in each croquette. Nicely seasoned and the spicy sauce that came with it complemented the croquettes. Good dish.

Caviar and chips: chips were seasoned with a little salt. Caviar had the natural saltiness in it. But all the saltiness was balanced with the sour crème fraîche. Good dish.

Linguine alla vongole: the ingredients were fresh. The white wine and lemon butter sauce gave the dish different flavors in a bowl. The dish wasn’t spicy though I was told it would be. But it didn’t matter to me since the dish was already well balanced.

Beet cake: the cake had the same texture as a carrot cake. All the said ingredients (beets, pineapple, pecans, and cinnamon) were present in the slice. The frosting was not overly sweet. It was great with the cake.

Crispy rice and tuna: rice was pan fried beautifully, and the tuna was fresh. Not sure the need for a small slice of avocado, nonetheless, it was a good dish.

Crab & shrimp fried rice: very flavorful and the cook on the rice was perfect. It has a little spice to it but it was good.

Pan roasted salmon; fish was fresh, and cooked at the temperature desired. It was properly seasoned and cooked to perfection.

Chocolate tart: very rich chocolate but not overly sweet. The chocolate tart resembled chocolate truffle. The chocolate hazelnut ice cream was rich, and of perfect sweetness. Delicious!

The Jacy: spicy, sour, and slight sweetness in a drink. The drink was refreshing, and had the right amount of alcohol in it. Very good!

I had a wonderful dining experience. Definitely coming back here again for the...

Let me put this review in context. With my friends and family, I've been to the owners first restaurant, Coppa Osteria, no less than a dozen times. In a town with endless new restaurant options, it speaks volumes of the incredible dining experience at Coppa.

Having also thoroughly enjoyed their restaurant next to Coppa called Gratify, and Flora off of Allen Parkway, it’s only fitting that it was time to investigate what the owners are up to at Graffiti Raw.

From the onset, we saw and felt the casual vibe. The exterior of the new building has a cool Cali modern aesthetic and interior color, lighting, and paintings all speak to a west coast getaway nestled in Montrose. The restaurant even sits on the corner of California/Grant (Grant is an owner). How do they come up with that?!

Every Friday, my son and I eat at a different restaurant and on this night, we shared the Angus cheeseburger and the crab and shrimp fried rice. We took one bite of the burger and just looked at each other. Having eaten just about every burger in Houston, it was the best burger we’ve had so far ( caveat-we have yet to test a Trill burger). The combination of the soft potato bun and perfectly grilled onions paired with the juicy smokiness of meat and simple toppings brought it all together for a home run. Hand-cut fries also fit the bill quite nicely.

I cleaned my palette with water and an El Pepino cocktail and transitioned to the fried rice. The seafood was uber-fresh and the Thai chili drizzle and rice topped with sesame seeds brought an otherwise familiar dish to new heights.

The portions are just right and we had room for the Tiramisu. I capped dessert off with an espresso.

Hands down, the owners have established a level of quality for restaurants by focusing on the entire customer/dining experience. From the meticulously selected furniture/decor that brings their interior spaces to life to the engaging staff(Beto is my guy at Coppa!) and the amazing food, Graffiti Raw caps off a group of restaurants that continue to shape the incredible food...

We came to Graffiti Raw with a reservation for 11 people. We were fine being split into smaller groups to sit inside, but Davis, the manager, suggested seating us outside on the patio.

The wait to be seated was longer than expected, but we understood—the restaurant was busy.

What we absolutely did not expect was a roach crawling across our table. Not just one — the table next to us had three roaches crawling on theirs. We immediately got up in shock and voiced our concerns. I’ve sat on other patios at nearby restaurants and have never encountered this level of filth.

When we brought this to Davis’s attention, his response was, “We do pest control, and this could happen anywhere—even across the street.” That’s when I told him, No—it hasn’t happened across the street. I’ve dined there many times. His attempt to normalize this was frustrating and dismissive.

We moved inside to finish our meal. When we brought this up to Davis, he initially offered to comp the bill—but when he came back, he acted like the conversation never happened. We weren’t asking for the whole bill to be waived—just some gesture acknowledging how serious this was. Instead, we were told the cards were already run and that “there’s nothing he could do.” Really? You’re a manager and don’t know how to refund and recharge a customer?

Davis then handed us his business card and said he’d “take care of us next time.” That means nothing without accountability, so I had him write on the card what it was for—otherwise, how would anyone even remember us?

This was not a minor issue. This was an absolute health and hygiene failure. If you decide to eat here, do not sit on the patio—and don’t expect much if something goes wrong. The wait staff were kind and did their jobs well, but the way this situation was handled by management was deeply disappointing.

I will not be returning. Graffiti Raw needs to take this seriously—and Davis, in particular, needs to reflect on what it means to manage a customer experience in a setting where health risks...