Restaurants You Won't Return To - Houston

Someone started this topic in another region and I was thinking it might be helpful here to identify places that have failed to a degree that you won’t consider going back. I think I’ve been pretty blunt here and on CH about my bad experiences, which to tell the truth actually have been bad enough to anger me. It feels like mistreatment to take my money and give bad food or service in return. I guess that’s why I get angry at the more expensive places in town than the least, although I truly believe the lesser expensive places serve consistently better food in this town. I know also there are rules about strong criticism of restaurants, so here is a short list, without further comment, of places I won’t return to. There are so many great restaurants and new ones opening each that strive to succeed.

The Grove - don’t get me started
Bistro Le Cep - this saddens me and I may go again sometime because it has such a fine owner and food that was great until it was spectacularly not one visit.
Any Chuy’s that is not the original on Westheimer, the Katy one, oof.

Salata - Bland bland bland
Vertskebap - If there are any still around. Started strong but quality and service both declined rapidly.
Dickeys BBQ was awful but I think they’ve exited this market.

I just can’t think of too many places that have pissed me off THAT bad. I still go places my posse has spurned though.

I guess I’m just more forgivin’ than most!

The alleged “original” Ninfa’s on Navigation. I started going in the 70’s and there’s nothing original about this fraud. I spend my Tex-Mex dollars at Merida just up the street, El Jardin deep in the barrio, El Tiempo Washington, and El Gallo for the basics in my Spring Branch 'hood.

One I quit on is now closed, Woodrow’s on Chimney Rock or Fountainview. They had great crawfish BUTT, after two horrible service experiences, the second requiring relocation to Bayou City with work chicks including the future Wifeacita, whom I wasn’t even dating at the time.

The final straw was on another visit when the manager slammed down my third serving of still cold stuffed crab on the table. I called him an a-hole in front of the whole restaurant, left a tip and never returned.

One I don’t see returning to for dinner is Red Snapper Inn in Surfside. We had beyond rushed service with a couple of dreaded are you still working on that? mid meal, the second punctuated with a hon directed at the Wifeacita. A quick follow up of a to go box offer by the hostess prompted a review to Trip Advisor, below, I hope. We’d been there less than an hour, and forgot to mention entrees came 2-3 minutes after salads.

We’ll be in Galveston next month and see a scenic trip back through Surfside owing to my disdain of the Gulf, or Golf Freeway as a lot of traffic types call it and my love of bargain priced, really good oyster and shrimp po-boys, lunch only 11-2.

Where is this?

The link doesn’t take us to your review, but the whole site for Red Snapper Inn, how far back is your review?

I went there with about 10 people a couple of years ago and made some concessions for small town restaurant packed to the gills. It’s pretty much the only game in town.

Try scrolling down, my review pops up first at least on my screen. I’m JimJamesOstiones and the review is July 5, 2016.

I found it on page six.

The response seemed sincere.

Like I said we’ll be back in May for lunch and I’m looking forward to the bargain po-boys for 9 bucks with fresh oysters, fish, and shrimp cooked perfectly. They come with home fries which are fresh potato chips, I request mine less done, Wifeacita crispy, and they are delicious.

I expect to post an excellent review. Check out owner Lin’s crushing an unruly customer Donnie M. on a response on page 1 or 2. I’ve been working retail many years and I can assure you the customer is not always right.

Yes, I believe the response to be sincere.

Okay, found it on page 6. You make a good point about it being a vacay area and being given the bum rush is bad mojo even if there is a wait. But I agree the response is sincere and I trust Shannon is redirected and hopefully still there working for what must be great tips most days.

Mourn the oysters, welcome the soft shells. For every season there’s a reason.

The Wiki telleth a story of rapid expansion, closures, closures and more closures, and now a rebranding. According to The Yelp, the ones on Heights just off I-10 and on Louetta have rebranded as Noon Mediterranean. All others in Houston are shown as closed.

That Crisp Doner you wrote up on 6 looks good but just too far for me.

Dogarz Doner on Smith in mid-town wasn’t impressive to me but gets 4.5 stars and is still there.

Best doner (Turkish) I’ve had was at Pasha in the Village, not a fast food place.

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