J. Alexander's Restaurant — Restaurant in Houston

Review for J. Alexander’s Restaurant

I visited J. Alexander’s for the first time with a friend who had been there once before. While the appetizers were promising—the avocado bomb with tuna, crab meat, and chips, as well as the roasted artichoke, were both delicious—the rest of the experience fell flat due to poor service and a shocking food quality issue.

Our waiter, Sebastian, started off okay but became hard to find as the meal progressed. It was difficult to get beverage refills or address any issues, as he seemed to vanish after taking our order.

We had high hopes based on the appetizers. My friend ordered the prime rib, and I chose the trout. The prime rib was cooked to the right temperature (medium), but it lacked flavor. The food was brought out by another server since Sebastian was nowhere to be found, and we had to rely on others for help.

When my trout arrived, there was an immediate smell of fecal or spoilage coming from the plate. Hoping it was just the seasoning, I took a small bite, only to confirm the fish was completely spoiled and unfit for consumption. Having been in the restaurant and catering industry for over 20 years, I recognized this as a serious food safety issue that could lead to food poisoning.

Unable to find Sebastian, I asked for the manager, Alex. I explained the situation and asked him to smell and inspect the fish, emphasizing the potential contamination risk to their grill or other seafood dishes. He took the plate and asked what I wanted instead, so I opted for the prime rib, assuming it was already pre-roasted and would arrive quicker.

Unfortunately, I waited a long time for the replacement dish while my friend awkwardly ate her meal alone. Even more disappointing, Alex never returned to update me on the situation or apologize. Instead, our waiter reappeared after a long absence, informing us that the trout was indeed spoiled, and they had stopped serving it for the evening.

While they removed the spoiled fish from the bill, I was still charged for the prime rib. I wasn’t expecting a comped meal, but at the very least, I expected the manager to care enough to follow up personally and address the issue properly. The lack of concern made it feel like serving spoiled food was a normal occurrence at this restaurant.

For a place with such a good reputation, the service and management were far below the standard of other restaurants I’ve visited, even those in the Galleria area. It’s unfortunate that what could have been a great experience turned into a disappointing and unappetizing evening. I won’t...

An Unforgettably Disappointing Dining Experience!!! My dining experience at this establishment was not just underwhelming; it was downright appalling, characterized by terrible service, disgusting food, and insensitive management. It pains me to write such a scathing review, but I believe potential diners deserve a fair warning. From the moment we stepped into the restaurant, the service was abysmal. We were greeted with indifference and left standing awkwardly at the entrance for what felt like an eternity before being begrudgingly shown to our table. The server, who appeared to be more interested in chatting with colleagues than attending to guests, took our orders after a lengthy wait, managing to mix up our simple drink requests in the process. The food, which I had hoped might redeem the initial poor service, only exacerbated our disappointment . My starter, a soup, was served lukewarm, with a film of oil floating on top, hinting at a dish that had been sitting out for far too long. My main course was a disaster. The seafood had a distinct smell of being past its prime, suggesting it was not fresh. My dining companion’s chicken dish was dry, overcooked, and bland. Additionally, the side vegetables with both our meals were soggy and tasteless, as if they had been reheated multiple times. Hoping to address these issues, we sought out the manager, only to be met with a response that was both shocking and disheartening. The manager was dismissive of our complaints, suggesting that no one else had raised such issues and implying that our expectations were unreasonable. There was no apology offered, nor any attempt to rectify the situation. It was clear that customer satisfaction was not a priority for the management at the Merus Grill. Moreover, the overall ambiance of the restaurant did nothing to improve our experience. The lighting was overly dim and an unidentifiable odor lingered in the air, further diminishing what little appetite we had left. In summary, our dining experience at the Merus Grill was a series of disappointments from start to finish. With terrible service, disgusting food, and insensitive management, it’s hard to find any redeeming qualities. It is a place I would strongly advise others to avoid, as it fails to deliver the most basic standards of hospitality and culinary competence. There are countless other establishments that are more deserving of you time and...

Omgosh!! I can go on and on about this place! But this has hands down been one of the best experiences that I’ve had in quite some time. Merus is truly a hidden gem and I’m just shocked that this place isn’t packed all the time. One thing that I look for whenever I come to a restaurant, is excellent customer service and we received just that from Ezekiel! Ezekiel was the best and really attended to the needs of our table and was truly a breath of fresh air. If I could specially request him every time I come here, I absolutely would. Now onto the drinks… They are a little on the stronger side, but you really do get value for what you pay for. Often times, when you go to a restaurant, there is less alcohol in the drink. But as I’ve stated, this was not the case here. I started out with the Doppelgänger and it was soooo good. In a way, the Doppelgänger, puts you in the mind of an Old Fashioned (I’d rate this a 10 out of 10). I also ordered the Jalapeño Wink, which was decent, but not my favorite, maybe a solid 6 out of 10. The Spicy margarita was really good too (9 out of 10). The appetizers were phenomenal! For our appetizers, we got the Emerald coast shrimp and omg!! Whatever sauces that were paired with the shrimp were insanely delicious and life changing. The real star of the show was the Avocado bomb! It was soooo good that we ordered another one. I really appreciate the freshness of the ingredients and how they married one another so beautifully. Merus truly doesn’t believe in compromising quality and you can genuinely tell. The deviled eggs were okay, but not the best. For dinner, we got the Steak Maui, Filet Mignon and the salmon and everything was super tasty. Last, but certainly not least, the Key Lime Pie. The Key Lime Pie. It was so delicious, that it needed its own sentence. It was the richest, creamiest and most decadent that I’ve ever had! From Ezekiel, to the chefs and owners, please keep doing what you’re doing. You all are passionate about what you do and I’m looking forward to coming again. Please do yourself a favor and come to...