Pappas Bros. Steakhouse — Restaurant in Houston

People, beware! I suppose just about everything has already been said and written about Houston's premier staple steakhouse. Then again--perhaps not everything. Let's explore together.

Bad news first: Gentlemen, you should wear a jacket (business casual or similar). It's not that the well-educated, friendly, professional service crew--or their cool manager--wouldn't let you in or wouldn't serve you. The temperature is simply below room temperature. You should be prepared. Another unusual peculiarity: they don't accept any modern form of payment. No PayPal, no Zelle, no Apple Pay, no Google Pay, no texting. Only cash (the kind that folds--not jiggles) and physical (yeah!) credit cards. I imagine every time the phone rings, they fear it's the '70s calling to ask for their stuff back. I think I might have even seen a fax machine. The cell coverage is good, though. It's all a little strange.

What to expect? You'll be greeted by professionals and pampered from the very beginning--doors held open, staff smiling, and truly attentive. Oh, did I mention I wear a prosthesis on one leg? I was seated quickly. Pure relief--no one had to see me go down like a sack of potatoes and make intimate contact between my nose and the floor.. Every time I moved, the guests and staff in this nearly fully booked restaurant parted like the Red Sea to let me through. (I checked--I didn't have foul breath. It was the prosthesis and cane that gave it away.) Deciding on your evening's menu is a breeze. I've tried, on several occasions: asparagus, crab mac & cheese, soupe du jour, crab cakes, filet mignon with sauce béarnaise, and rock lobster. Everything was excellent--served at the right temperature and nicely plated. Not hip-new-age-strange plated, but good-old-boys-Texas plated. Their wine list is short but exclusive, and of course, they seem capable of making you any cocktail you desire.

Service is a little slower than usual--and I love it. It's perfect for a date night, giving you time to talk and be pampered. And they listen if you tell them you'd like to be served faster or slower. Pros, eh?

If you've read this far, you may have forgotten about the payment situation. After one frugal but exquisite solo dinner, I realized I didn't have any of those ancient payment methods with me. The very understanding manager was a real darling: "Just come back tomorrow to settle the account." Not just pay--settle the bill like a real gentleman. So I returned, settled--and settled into the cozy chair at my favorite corner table for another perfect dinner. This time, I had a three-course meal assembled entirely from the side dish menu. Try it. It's worth it.

I always try to give my stars in a way that reflects whether I got what I paid for. Pappas Bros. Steakhouse is not cheap--neither in the damage it does to your wallet nor in the experience, service, quality, and pampering it provides. This is, quite...

About 7 years ago, I Ubered while I was between jobs. I was always asked good eating places but steaks seemed to be the most common request so ... I began to ask all my clients was their opinion was of the BEST steak in Houston - 90% of the time Pappas Brothers was on the list and most often it was number #1 - so for my sons birthday I decided to try this Houston Icon. I made a birthday reservation on Open Table which is what they use at Pappas. I arrived early and was seated immediately by the Hostess - "Dave will be your server" - I always like to know my servers names - the kitchen is open so it is a little noisy but it is also nice to know the kitchen is clean and sparkles. The wine list covers everything from wine by the glass to $1000 bottles and more and there is a great collection of malt liquor as well. I particularly liked the Sommelier - we aren't $1000 a bottle wine people, but he discussed what we do like and made a $20 recommendation based on what each of us liked - A noice Lambrusco and never made us feel less important than the $220 patrons. Our meal started with soup - two of had the Lobster Bisque - exquisite - and another had the Turtle Gumbo - which was a taste delight - if you like a little spice. We did not order appetizers or salad and by the end I was glad because we are stuffed. Our steaks were the 8 oz filet pictured below, and the duo filet which had two small filets with two different interpretations one with a mushroom style sauce and the other with a seafood style, and my son went for the dry aged rib eye that Pappas is famous for. The dry aging of their steak leave nothing but flavor behind and the one bite I was "Allowed" to try made me wish I have not ordered my filet (which is my normal steak of choice) the dry aging makes any steak a filet and the flavor is amazing. The sides are "family style" each side serving 2 to 3 generously and 4 to 5 adequately. The mushrooms were great but the Au gratin potatoes are amazing who knew a little bacon and real cheeses could so much better than Betty Crocker :). We were so full that we really did want desert but when we saw the unique option we all had to try something. The birthday boy even got his for free. The key lime had an awesome presentation as they all did - we order the crème burlee, key lime and the turtle truffle (which actually unlike the gumbo had no actual turtle in it) the creme burlee was the best I have had and i collect desert and have since I was 15. Now that I have been - I must concur with the overwelheming majority of my Uber Patrons - for the BEST steak in Houston - Pappas Brothers Steakhouse is your destination. And it is not just the steaks but the service and the sides and the deserts the wine list ... it is a WOLRD CLASS DESTINATION restaurant. ...

Came with a large party of out-of-town guests + my family. My experience today was so bad that there is no chance that I will give a second chance.

Service: The waiter was extremely rude. He treated every member of my party like he had an axe to grind. Some examples of his despicable behavior: Waiter: "GUYS, TAKE A SEAT" Me ordering for my wife: "What temperature would you recommend for the fish?" Waiter: "It's whatever SHE wants." I pass the responsibility of ordering onto my wife. Waiter asks her for fish temperature. She asks "sorry, what would you recommend for this kind of fish?" Waiter: "Get what you normally do at home." Waiter had trouble getting between my mom's chair and the wall. Waiter: "Ma'am, can you please move your chair forward?" And before my mom had a chance to understand that the waiter was actually talking to her, he pushed her chair forward (while she was sitting in it) to get through. From where the waiter was standing, he didn't have enough reach to place utensils on the table for my sister-in-law (who at the moment was reaching down under the table to get something from her purse). His solution: toss the fork about 1.5 feet onto the table.

Food: The food was the worst I've had throughout the ~12 times I've dined here. My wife and I ordered a simple salad that consisted of just tomatoes w/ cheese. What came to the table was a single slice of un-ripe tomato, drowned in some kind of sweet, tomato-based sauce, and covered in cubes of cold, rock-hard pork with fat-to-meat ratio of 90:10. Yes, pork on the salad. When we asked about it, they admitted to the mistake, and brought back the same thing minus the pork. 4 people at the table ordered 16 oz prime ribeyes. Mine looked about half of their size, flat, and dry. I asked why such a large size difference. The kitchen brought back a replacement within 5 minutes. It was overcooked and had texture of jerkey + tendon. It For reference: I ordered medium. Also, it still wasn't the correct size. This time it was only about 20% smaller.

About 15 minutes after seating, and with my brother and I staring at each other with raised eyebrows, my brother asked me if we should ask for a new waiter. I regret saying "no, just show displeasure with less tips."

My guests were from out-of-country, and near the end, one whispered and asked "is the waiter a bit mean or is this normal?"

To the waiter: you're lucky my family is a bunch of nice people who don't like drama b/c the average family would've called out your trash behavior...