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Cafe Rabelais, Houston, TX

Cafe Rabelais

4.8
4.8
979 Reviews
$31 to $50
French

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 8 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Great for fine wines
  • Charming
  • Neighbourhood gem
Houston’s Café Rabelais serves sumptuous French cuisine in its classic, European-inspired eatery. Fantastic starter options include the mouth-watering smoked salmon plate, the white bean and vegetable soup, as well as a variety of decadent cheese plates. Café Rabelais’s specialty dinner entrées include the seared duck breast with Szechuan demi-glace, the seared snapper in rich beurre blanc, the vegetarian orzo pasta with purple cauliflower and feta cheese and the red wine marinated ribeye with eggplant.

Top off your Café Rabelais French feast with an unforgettable dessert, like the mixed nut and chocolate silk pie “fondant au chocolate sur croute de noix” or the fruity “sorbet du jour” and wash it down with a fresh, hot espresso.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    French, Bistro, Dessert
  • Hours of Operation
    Lunch Tue–Sat 11:00–14:00 Dinner Tue, Wed 18:00–21:00 Thu–Sat 18:00–22:00
  • Phone number
    (713) 520-8841
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Executive Chef
    Soriano Frank
  • Area
    Rice Village
  • Cross Street
    5499 kelvin Dr
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Additional
    Beer, Cafe, Late Night, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

  • New Year's Eve Prix Fixe

    US$92.00 per person

    31 Dec 2024 only
    As the year draws to a close, we invite you to join us at Café Rabelais for a night of exquisite culinary artistry and elegant ambiance. Our 5-course prix fixe dinner is a celebration of flavors, meticulously crafted to entice your palate and create memorable moments. Imagine savoring each dish, from the delicate amuse-bouche of smoked salmon on toast to the sumptuous mille-feuille for dessert, as we bid farewell to the year in style. Each course is a reflection of our passion for French cuisine. Whether you choose the house foie gras or the pepper-crusted salmon, every bite promises to transport you to the heart of France. Reservations are available between 5-10pm. Book yours today! Let’s toast to new beginnings together! 🥂
    New Year's Eve Prix Fixe photo

What 979 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.8
4.8 based on recent ratings
  • 4.7Food
  • 4.8Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.6Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Houston

    Great for fine wines

  • Houston

    French

  • Houston

    Great for fine wines

  • Houston

    French

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Cafe Rabelais brings "a slice of Paris" to Houston, offering a cozy, charming atmosphere reminiscent of a French bistro. Known for "excellent French food," the restaurant's highlights include mussels, escargot, and a diverse wine selection. Consistently praised for "great service," it remains a favorite for authentic French dining experiences.

979 Reviews
  1. Linda

    VIP

    Houston

    104 reviews

    5.0

    104 reviews

    Dined today

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Really great food. Really great pepper steak and fries. Love the profiteroles

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  2. David

    VIP

    Houston

    10 reviews

    5.0

    10 reviews

    Dined today

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Reliably excellent and unpretentious, great service, best wine list in town, and still a great value. Love this place so much.

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  3. Craig

    VIP

    Houston

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This restaurant never disappoints. You feel like you are in France in a quaint little bistro.

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  4. Suhair

    Houston

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food and beverages amazing interior-friendly services

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  5. Maureen

    New York City

    21 reviews

    5.0

    21 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We’ve been going to Rabelais for close to Twenty years! Love the food, staff and ambience. It gives me so much joy just being there. We go there when we are sad and need to feel the love and to celebrate milestones! This was our first Christmas Eve! So warm and cozy!

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  6. Liz

    VIP

    Baltimore

    13 reviews

    4.0

    13 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Christmas Eve dinner was prix fix which was fine. The service was too fast so we asked for a little more time in between courses. People near us had their 4 courses and paid within an hour and a half. Regardless, the beef looked good but had little flavor. I did love the dessert though! All in all it was good but not 5 stars for us.

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  7. Dany

    Houston

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food (we had foie gras, mussels, quails, sandwich marocain). It was excellent and the atmosphere was very nice

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  8. Justine

    VIP

    Houston

    36 reviews

    5.0

    36 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Food was delicious. We are regulars and very much appreciate the consistency in quality and tastiness of the food.

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  9. anna

    VIP

    Houston

    8 reviews

    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on 18 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Attended the annual fixed price champagne dinner. Food and champagne were excellent

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  10. Nik

    VIP

    Houston

    12 reviews

    5.0

    12 reviews

    Dined on 18 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 5
    The Champagne experience was very enjoyable. The food was delicious and in very generous portions. The Champagne tastings were small portions and not so generous but still very interesting. The pairings of the Champagne to the food was very good and each mouthful of food bought out more sparkle in each sip of Champagne. Service could have been better. We were missed out and had to chase for bread, and for two entrees, aswell as the first serving of Champagne, it may have been the location of the table, although disappointing, it did not distract from a wonderful evening by Christophe Paul and his team.

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FAQs

Cafe Rabelais is rated 4.8 stars by 979 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 8 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Cafe Rabelais

2442 Times Blvd, Houston, TX 77005

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    5499 kelvin Dr
  • Area
    Rice Village
  • Hours of Operation
    Lunch Tue–Sat 11:00–14:00 Dinner Tue, Wed 18:00–21:00 Thu–Sat 18:00–22:00
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    French, Bistro, Dessert
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Soriano Frank
  • Additional
    Beer, Cafe, Late Night, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
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