Traveler's Cart — Restaurant in Houston

First, I want to say that I am a huge fan of Traveler’s Table, so I was super excited to try this place. I’ve been here twice now and I will never be going back again. Save your money or spend a little more and have a luxury experience and infinitely better food at Traveler’s Table. First, the portions are laughable. $12 for lamb dumplings…except they only give you 4 tiny dumplings…so $3 a bite. Huge rip off.

Then the meals, which I’ve tried like 5 entrees by now. The portion sizes are super small and the food was bland or not flavored well. Examples, my Jamaican pork ribs weren’t even spicy…they’re suppose to be! The khao noodle thing had way too much turmeric in it, to the point that I could barely taste anything else, and the pad thai was way too sweet, no hint of peanut in it.

Last and honestly the most jarring point was the atrocious customer service. We had our friends arrive there 20 min before us. They had talked to the manager and received permission to sit at the table while they waited for us. Our friends even told them that we just got engaged and the manager offered to surprise us. At one point my friend (black woman) and i (brown woman) get approached by some white guy working telling us that we shouldn’t be sitting there, even though he acknowledged that the manager said it was okay, but that it’s really not. Super rude.

Then fast forward to the “surprise”, our friend had to hunt down the manager TWICE and we received a tiny mediocre cake, having to wait 30 minutes for it with no acknowledgement of our special occasion or anything. Then, when we finished our food we were hanging out in the foyer area and that same white guy working there came up to us and said “thanks for coming in guys” essentially kicking us out. So incredibly rude!

I think this place is just trendy and expensive with whitewashed “world cuisine” and racist staff. I will still go to Traveler’s Table, but you won’t ever catch me...

Pros: interesting menu, flavorful food, nice outdoor seating, cool atmosphere, great place to hang out Cons: a bit expensive, waiters didn't really seem to know what they were doing, not much parking

Between Traveler's Table and Traveler's Cart, I prefer Traveler's Cart. They're both inventive with their menus, but I think Cart has the slight edge. I have yet to eat anything here that tasted bad or even meh, and I come here enough to have eaten most everything on the menu. My only real problem is that every time I'm here waiters keep coming to my table with stuff no one at my table ordered--not a big problem, just very annoying.

They have a heavy focus on their alcoholic drinks, but their cocktails really aren't that great: their best cocktail is Feelin' No Pain (which I do recommend), their worst one is the Good Morning Vietnam (Traveler's Table does it WAY better--you can't even taste pandan in this version), and everything else is just kinda meh. They offer some spirits from around the world, like Ouzo and Arrack, which I strongly recommend you try instead. Since more companies are making zero-proof spirits, I was kinda hoping Traveler's Cart would expand their menu of mocktails; if you ever do, I'll be looking forward to it!

I highly recommend ordering a bunch of Street Snacks and Small Plates (they're all fantastic!) and sharing with your friend group while you all have some drinks and a good time. If you're here with your SO, all of their Market Mains are good too (my personal favorite is the Pappardelle w/ Brisket Ragu), so you can have a nice, pleasant, special meal. Overall, I do highly...

This spot is a gem for anyone who loves trying different flavors from around the world. Every dish we had was packed with flavor and left us wanting more. Here’s a quick rundown of the highlights:

Roti Canai with Curry Sauce The Roti Canai was warm, crispy, and buttery—the kind of bread you could eat on its own. But when dipped into the rich, creamy curry sauce, it was pure heaven. A must-try starter.

Pan-fried Cumin Lamb Dumplings The Cumin Lamb Dumplings were little pockets of joy. Crispy on the outside and filled with juicy, flavorful lamb that had just the right kick of cumin. Perfectly cooked and totally addictive.

Beef Rendang The Beef Rendang stole the show. Tender chunks of beef cooked in a thick, rich sauce bursting with spices and coconut goodness. It’s the kind of dish you’ll be dreaming about later.

Jamaican Jerk Pork Ribs The Jamaican Jerk Pork Ribs were smoky, spicy, and ridiculously tender. The meat practically fell off the bone, and the jerk seasoning had the perfect balance of heat and sweetness.

Mango Purple Sticky Rice For dessert, we went with the Mango Purple Sticky Rice, and it did not disappoint. The sticky rice was perfectly chewy, the mango was sweet and fresh, and the coconut cream tied it all together. It was a refreshing, colorful way to end the meal.

Final Thoughts This place knows how to bring the flavor. Whether you’re craving something spicy, sweet, or savory, they’ve got you covered. Everything we tried was delicious, and we’ll definitely be...