Rumi's Kitchen - Houston (Post Oak) — Restaurant in Houston

We had a 6pm reservation for 7 guests on a Saturday night- we had to wait a few minutes for our table but were seated promptly. The restaurant was completely full, but no wait had accumulated at the lobby area, yet.

Our server was Maria, and she was amazing and fantastic.

Food - we had at least 6 different appetizers that we shared like family style, and we all agreed that they were ridiculously tasty. 100% recommend exploring the appetizers! All the feast/entrees were very freshly cooked and had amazingly generous portions (this comes from someone who frequents AYCE places). We had 4 guests order the Soltani Kabob - the saffron beef tenderloin had some unique flavors that wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. That could be more of a cultural thing or that my Persian restaurant experiences in Houston usually only revolve around just koobideh. The beef koobideh in the Soltani Kabob feast was good, though it seemed a little less rich in flavor than others I’ve had - texture and temp was good though!

Drinks/Desserts - my only regret was that I only had one cocktail. I had a sip of the Orange Umbrella and Mandan which were both good and fun drinks. Cocktail enjoyers should have a good time here. Drinks came out at an okay pace, but I would have had more drinks if they came out faster. Desserts were interesting - the Persian ice cream is tasty with flavors from pistachios and a floral/rosey aftertaste. It was awkward at first but I ended up really enjoying it. The Iranish coffee (not pictured) was nice and stout. I hate peet but the Scotch in it might have been less peety. To me it was similar to a stout Irish coffee. Would order again. Two guests enjoyed the mocktails or non-alcoholic drinks and they were a hit: they really enjoyed the passionfruit soda, Honest Woman, and Poor Translation.

Service - Maria and her peers were rockstars. Somehow balancing a full restaurant, I appreciate that they take drink and appetizer orders first and serve it for us to enjoy. Afterwards, they take main dinner orders. Maria visited at a perfect cadence, and she was very receptive and careful with the few food allergies we listed. The staff were all very friendly, and generous with the complimentary naan and vegetable baskets. We did miss an appetizer that we ordered, but they quickly fixed that error without issue. Some previous reviews mention some chef or manager yelling in the kitchen (which is open concept) - we did not have that issue tonight. NOTE: For our large table, they could not itemize the bills (though it was to be for four receipts), but they did offer splitting the bill evenly up to six ways. We just threw it on one credit card and figured it out with Zelle/CashApp afterwards.

Atmosphere - very cozy and modern restaurant. When the lights dim for the evening, the lamps on each table really bring forth a nice comfy and warm glow. That combined with the lack of ceiling lights make for an interesting and cozy experience. It was pretty dim in general so guests that need extra lighting might struggle a little. I know I had to take a second with how dim the lighting was in the men’s restrooms.

TLDR: appetizers amazing and recommended. Feasts are big entrees. Cocktails and mocktails were fun! Will be...

Updating this review to one star after a second visit this past Friday

I made a reservation via OpenTable for two and specifically requested for Paul or Michael, and booth seating.

Upon arrival, I mentioned this to the hostess and she proceeded to inform me that Paul was not available and Michael’s section was fully occupied. We were then lead to a table (not a booth). After a few minutes Rob our waiter arrives to take our drink orders. Several minutes pass (without receiving our drinks or anything else), and Michael stops by to ask had we been taken care of. I informed him of my request and the information that the hostess provided regarding his section. He looks perplexed stating that his section was wide open, and proceeds to speak with the hostess and manager Kristin. He returns and moves us to a booth in his section. Sadly Michael is part of the Atlanta staff and informed us he was returning back to Atlanta yesterday.

A few minutes later, Paul notices us and stops by. He too was surprised that we were informed that he was not available.

The food was definitely not as good as our first visit (we visited twice in one week) - definitely not TX-sized portions anymore. For starters, the salmon hummus was a smaller portion and not as nearly as much salmon. The salmon entree was mostly burnt, not flavorful, and with a piece missing (this time the chef did not notice or send a replacement).

The owner Ali stopped by to introduce himself, and inquire about our experience. I informed him that the hummus was a smaller portion than our last visit. He responded flippantly that we should’ve informed our waiter. You are the owner. If you can’t do something about my feedback, why would the waiter?

By far the worst observation was overhearing a waiter informing Ali that he needed a bathroom break, and he responded “you have two minutes”. Absolutely inhumane. I now believe the other reviews that I’ve read regarding the treatment of staff. FYI, without your staff and clients, you won’t have a business.

————

We dined at this restaurant last week and it was by far one of the best dining experiences I’ve had in Houston recently.

Service: Attentive, yet not intrusive. If the owners read this review, Michael is truly an asset. Relocate him from Atlanta. A special shout-out to the chef who noticed a piece of the salmon from one of our entrée was missing, and sent a replacement to the table. We did not even notice the missing piece until it was pointed out, but that level of attentiveness is appreciated.

Food: The portion sizes are truly TX sized (and I loved it). The smoked salmon hummus is chef’s kiss. Falafel was moist and delicious. As a lover of saffron, I enjoyed everything that I consumed with it as an ingredient: cocktail, rice, salmon. The Chilean seabass was delightful.

If my experience is the same after a subsequent visit, I’ll update my...

Drove 5 hours from Dallas to try this restaurant after seeing a lot of recommendations. We made a reservation for 6, two days in advance and it still took them 15 minutes to seat us but it was the middle of the day and they were not extremely busy. Immediately after sitting down under my seat was full of dried food dropped on the floor that I stepped in. I notified the hostess and she said she would get someone to clean it and nobody ever came. The food was AWFUL. Cold rice, weird low quality animal ghee smell and flavor. We got the Soltani, and the kabobs were clearly full of meat tenderizer and did not taste like a traditional Iranian Kabob. It was completely inedible. I don’t know where all these 5 star reviews are coming from. The appetizers also tasted pre made from a can and not like a chef made them. Kashke Bademjan had ZERO flavor. Why were the crispy onions soggy??? I’ve had better appetizers from small hole in the wall restaurants. The baghali polo was over cooked, smelled like it had this disgusting ghee or butter on it that smelled like animal fat and not traditionally made at all. They don’t know what salt or seasoning is at this restaurant. It feels like a white person tried to pretend to be Iranian and copied a recipe. I was so excited that our culture would be on the front stage finally but I am beyond disappointed. With this upscale atmosphere and these prices, multiple locations, and small portions, you would expect SO MUCH better. Shiraz in Dallas does a better job than this. I’m sad to say this is just another over hyped TikTok/Instagram resturant. Desserts also had no rosewater or cardamom flavor as it should have traditionally. Saffron looked like just fake dye and not real food. The “white chocolate cake” was just low quality cake Yazdi with vanilla ice cream and completely misleading on the menu. No paying homage to Iranian roots or decor to show off the cultural heritage. No Iranian representation in the staff that I saw. Just using Persian buzz words to create a facade of authenticity. Please save your gas, time, and money. $400 bill and not a single one of us even finished 1/4th of our meal. Iranian food is expensive to make, either do it right or don’t do it at all. You represent all of us. Don’t come here and support small Iranian...