Mean Grille — Restaurant in Houston

Amazing how my normally poor eyesight can suddenly zoom in at 20/20 when I'm near restaurants!

By chance, I saw Mean Grille in the space that used to be Thai Cottage (3995 Richmond), but more importanly, I saw the tag that it serves Turkish food, which might be my favorite of all cuisines. Richi and I stopped in Sunday night and were greeted heartily by the delightful owner Onur. The place is bright and cheery, and the menu is not extensive, though Onur beamed with pride in telling us that everything is made from scratch and with organic, locally-sourced ingredients. I don't always buy that when I hear it, but one taste of the Turkish-style salad that accompanied my entree, and I was convinced that he'd just picked the ingredients minutes before from a garden out back.

We shared a falafel plate--here, they are patty-style and the fava mix is cumin-specked and gorgeously green from parsley and what I'm guessing to be coriander. They are served with your choice of sauces--try all 3 of them. We enjoyed the cilantro-garlic sauce with the falafel.

For an entree, Richi had a packed-with-flavor chicken kebab wrap full of veggies and a house-made hummus. I had one of my favorite dishes, Adana kebab, made with spiced lamb grilled on charcoal. The meat bursts with flavor and comes with a side of that amazing fresh salad topped with a pomegranate-sweetened dressing.

So many nice little touches here, thanks to Onur and his partner. Adding to the pink motif and artwork, tables are set with Himlayan pink salt. If you wear pink on Wednesday, I understand you get a discount on your food. They serve fabulous fizzy Beypazari sodas from Türkiye sweetened with beets instead of sugar, and the soda machine has Maine Root Beverages. Mean Grille also features a selection of wines and beers and will soon have frozen adult bevvies. We were too full to try desserts, but the ones we saw look fantastic!

We had such a great experience here--the charm and kindness of Onur is a big reason, along with the fresh, delicious food. It's easy to see why most of the online ratings for this place...

Mean Grille is AWESOME! This was my first time and I will be back soon and often. If you like to meal prep with delicious, clean protein and locally sourced veggies, but are feeling too lazy to cook, this will become your go-to. I knew I’d love this place!❤️‍🔥 I ordered chicken and beef tenderloin kabobs ala carte. The pic shows 2 orders of each. The meat and chicken are seasoned and cooked to perfection! And OMG, the dipping sauces! Chef’s kiss.🤌🏻🤌🏻 I got the garlic yogurt and spicy cilantro. You need both. Trust me on this. Get extra! They're insanely good and complement each other perfectly. The kabobs would be amazing in a salad or as a low carb wrap but it’s most delicious on its own, with a double drizzle of those delectable house-made sauces.

The owner was great. Super warm and friendly as he explained the menu and options. He addressed me by name when we spoke as if I’d been there 100 times before. Lovely. It’s evident he cares about the diner’s experience and works hard to create a great one. The vibe is very cute too. Love the fuchsia decor!🩷 Last point, the prices. UNF*CKINGREAL! I went to a hibachi food truck with similar food (but not as good) and paid over $40, compared to $14 at Mean Grille. Whaaat?! Absolute steal! I almost felt guilty. LOL

Love supporting local entrepreneurs and their new businesses. Y’all, stop by before everyone discovers this place and the owner raises the prices.🤑 On the corner of Richmond & Weslayan, across from Edward’s...

I've been going to Mean Grille for quite a while now, and the food is some of my favorite in the city of Houston.

Portion sizes are significant regardless of what you order, with some of my favorites being the Doner Wrap and Kebab plate. The cilantro sauce has a perfect level of spice, and you can never go wrong with the traditional yogurt sauce!

For side dishes I frequently get the spicy hummus, which is a fan favorite among my family, and truly a 5/5 star dish (literally the best hummus I have ever eaten).

I would like to also add that the frozen lemonaide is VERY good. It is a perfect frozen blend of sweet and sour.

From a service persepctive, everyone I have ever interacted with in Mean Grille has been attentative and just all around wonderful! The owner in particular is friendly and gives awesome recommendations for first time eaters (as I once was).

They are also VERY fast. To put in perspective, I once scheduled a medium sized event with about 16 people (who all ordered once they got to Mean Grille and not ahead of time), and we had everyone's food out far faster than we expected.

Finally, the atmosphere of Mean Grille is warm and inviting. The floor plan is quite open, which prevents anyone from feeling cramped and makes the restaurant quite...