The Podium at Porsche River Oaks — Restaurant in Houston

It is a beautiful space with friendly employees that can make some great drinks with good service. So overall it gets 5 stars!

However, with it being so new it's clear they are still trying to figure out exactly how to use the space. Is it a cafe, is it a bar, is it an event space? It's trying to be all three but SLIGHTLY missing the mark for each. Also unfortunately, everytime it has been almost desolate inside and the employees have mentioned that it's never busy. Hopefully more people will start to visit because that will improve the atmosphere.

To be a good cafe there NEED to be more wall outlets if you need to charge a laptop good luck finding one by any of the tables.

As far as seating goes: the barstools and couches are a great place to sit and drink at night, but the short tables create more of a cafe vibe and awkward for a bar space. Consider replacing all the short tables and chairs with high tops that are much more appealing for both sitting at to work or drink and for standing at for events.

I think a car should always be on display because it would add a lot to the atmosphere. I was told there was one for a couple weeks but I haven't seen one. The space is quite large so fitting one in a corner shouldn't be a problem. It would be a great way to showcase a historic/cool car just to look at (Carrera GT, 918 vintage 911 etc) which might attract enthusiasts. OR they could leave out a new demo vehicle that is for sale at the dealership so that people can sit in or look at it. (After a few drinks in getting to sit in a new Porsche might be enough to persuade a future customer.)

(Also during the day it's nice and quiet for working but at night even with just a few people it was quite loud due to the concrete floors, open ceiling, and wood ceiling so I don't know if there is some way to add...

This cafe is pretty exquisite. I have driven by this place multiple times since it was being built, but it never caught my attention until a friend of mine informed me about it. We were looking for another spot to conduct our work as multiple coffee shops were mostly packed, so we decided to give this a try.

This establishment is situated in conjunction with Porsche dealership, so you'll be seeing a lot of Porsche decors. It offers coffee, food, and alcohol, but it can also be used as a venue space for public/private events. The vibe is very chill, and the space is large and open, so there's plenty of seating option. It's been open for only 8 months, so the business can be slow but give it time as it'll attract more customers. But for now, at most times, it can be empty, which is very good as we don't have to worry about distraction or limited seating. In a way, this coffee shop is quite secretive - although it is located near one of the busiest highways in the nation.

The Podium is a gem. It is really a cool place to conduct your work or study as the vibe there is relaxing without a crowd of people. The bartender was very nice with his service and even met the event coordinator for this place (she was super sweet and professional). I really enjoyed their service and the vibe. It was great that we actually stayed inside the coffee for more than 5 hours, which is not common for us - we actually love this place, so we'll be coming here a lot for now on.

Overall, the Podium is a very cool coffee shop next to the Porsche dealership. Everything about there is top-tier. Although it is a hidden gem, it won't be hidden for too long. It's definitely a great spot to conduct your work, do your study, or hang out with your friends or significant other. I definitely recommend this, and I will be coming...

Ive been to this coffee shop about 3x since jan and always had a debit card .. well today I had plans to get some work done while also enjoying an iced coffee,. However, I learned they only accept cashless payments ( no cash), which meant I wouldn't be able to get my iced coffee. So i was like OK that’s cool. I guess I won’t get any ice coffee today… About 30 minutes later, a manager approached me and said that if I wasn't going to make a purchase, I needed to leave. I didn't want to argue about their policy, but I felt it was unfair since I had tried to buy a coffee even before noticing their policy, was you must make a purchase within 30 minutes to stay i the coffee shop . Also. If I were consistently not supporting the business, I could understand, but this one instance where I didn’t have a debit card shouldn’t justify being asked to leave, especially as a regular customer… i...