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Julia's Bistro
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At a Glance
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75% ambiance
“Overall, average atmosphere, good food, poor service.”
70% dessert
“even if you have simple taste like my husband and order the cookies and milk (you are in for a surprise).”
100% drinks
“They have great food and a stellar wine list.”
75% food quality
“The pork was a little dry and lacked the intense flavor compared to the asian counterparts.”
66% menu variety
“The food was very good, interesting menu.”
100% overall
“stars, it's a great little place.”
100% return potential
“Service was friendly and everyone who came by to check on us seemed passionate about the food and presentation, and interested in making sure we were happy and would return.”
69% service
“While we were seated promptly and the service was good, the food was tastless and overpriced.”
75% value
“The selections sounded good, and they actually didn't taste bad, but for the price and what I exepected, was not impressed at all.”
25% wait time
“Service was extremely slow as well.”
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Julia's Bistro
What Our Expert Scouts Say
January 13, 2013
For dining that's a bit more upscale than Tacos A Go-Go, head to this nearby spot for its tasty Latin American fare.
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Tips for Julia's Bistro
June 04, 2011
A Houston Treasure -- Delightful & Delicious. My wife and I made our third visit and each time has been a treat. The menu is creative, there is something for every palate, and the food is beautifully prepared and presented. Jesus performs miracles as the waiter, even remembering that she is white and I am red and that we each order a bottle. We look forward to our next visit and their summer menu.
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December 09, 2010
Food was awesome, Waiter not so much.
Last night, we visited Julia's for the first time. We ate off the special chef's menu and everything that we ordered was delicious. Highly recommend on food basis.
The waiter on the other hand...
The person that sat us was super nice. He came back as the waiter was busy and recommended a very nice reasonably priced wine based on what I mentioned that I was looking for. He took our order and checked back on us often. He was amazing and took care of each table as though he was getting the tip. Sadly he wasn't.
Somewhere around dessert and coffee, the waiter decided that he had time for us. It physically pained me to tip him.
Luckily the experience overall was great because of the nice man in the green sweater who actually cared that we were there.
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October 18, 2010
Tip time= service time.
We went because we had driven by the place once, and I loved the red decor inside. We went on a week night, and there was only 1 other table there, and a few people at the bar. that is why I was shocked that our waiter seemed preoccupied and like he had other things to take care of besides our table. It wasn't until we got closer to dessert that he made conversation with us, and told us some history behind the place. We were obvious first timers, and you think with the lack of patrons, that he would want to make sure we had a great experience. That was really disappointing. Now onto the goods.
The food:
ceviche was delish, highly recommend.
Trio de Empanaditas, some were good, some barely had any filling. Can't recommend.
Chipotle Caesar was lacking spice to be called Chipotle. Pork Tenderloin was overcooked and dry.
Trucha (trout) was pretty good and cooked perfectly.
Tres Leches was average.
the decor was really cool, I am a sucker for red.
the drinks were good, we had a cocktail and a bottle of wine.
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July 29, 2010
Midtown Anniversary Party.
So, I went with some well known food bloggers for Midtown's 10-Year Anniversary Party. Area businesses gathered to network and look cool. We showed up and everyone was dressed like it was a way-casual Friday.
Julia had left at 6:30 PM (the party was until 7:30 PM). The general manager introduced himself and seemed nice. The staff was quick to clean up our bar napkins.
They served $5 specialty drinks like Coconut Mojitos and Blackberry Mint Martinis. They normally have a $5 happy hour with many specialty drink with top-shelf liquors.
They served 4 appetizers...and did not offer plates which made eating and enjoying the dishes out of a bar napkin very unlady-like (eating a turkey drumstick would have been more couth). 1.) The Vegetable Skewers which tasted healthy and were colorful. 2.) The Salmon Poppers were fair. 3.) The empanadas were dry and you couldn't taste the filling. 4.) The chicken skewers were thin and basted in chimichurri sauce...and the spices liked to stick to teeth.
There was no fun Latin music. This is a celebration?
They did offer complimentary valet parking, which was generous.
I can say that I won't be back, only because Houston has many other Latin restaurants that offer so much more.
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January 19, 2009
Very pleasantly surprised with both the service and food..
I went to Julia's with my wife and another couple for the first time last Friday the 16th. My wife was very pleased with the understated but classy decor. Me, I just want a quiet place to eat some good food. We had a very good time and some wonderful food. I started with one of their foo foo speciaty drinks called a picojito which I would normally avoid like the plague but actually liked real well. It was a very nice blend of mint, pineapple, Bicardi and club soda. I don't care for wine but my companions were pleased with their selections. My friend ordered the black bean soup and quickly ate every drop saying it was very good. I had the Chipotle Caesar salad, it was crisp and not overpowered by the dressing. The women didn't order any starters. We all had different main courses, I had the pan seared scallops and man were they big, tender and flavorful. The other entres we had were the grilled chicken in a creole sauce, grilled ribeye and pan seared tuna. Everyone went home happy and wanting to return again. (what else do you want from a restaurant?)
Julia's is on the same block as the Continental Club and the Big Top Lounge, both usually have some good live music if you are into that.
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January 08, 2009
Slightly embarassed. I visited Julia's for the second time on New Year's Eve. I took 3 friends, all first time visitors, so I was slightly embarassed at the poor service and subpar food, as I had been the one to pick the restaurant that evening. We were given ONE special menu set for that evening, but were not given a wine list. We requested one, and were given ONE....we passed it around the table deciding on cocktails. We asked if we could order from the regular menu. We were given ONE in the form of some loose sheets of paper...we took turns passing around the menu, holiday menu, wine menu, and cocktail menu (all loose papers), since our goup was expected to share menus...(we were one of only four tables there). They took forever to take our order...and our specialty drinks took 20 minutes (order something they can pour out of a bottle to save time). We had made two reservations (accidentally) but neither were on the list when we arrived. We were told we needed to be out of our table by 8:30 to accomodate their 9pm reservations, but they were so slow serving us we didn't get our last course until we questioned if it was coming at all...around 9:20! The empanaditas were hot and savory, complimented by a great sauce...as were the crabcakes. The ceviche was dry for some reason, but the black eyed pea soup was good and comforting. The lobster, and filet were just okay, accompanied by bland overcooked vegetables. The cheesecake we received tasted as if it had just come from the freezer. We had to chip away at the outside shell to get to the softer center. However, the chocolate mousse was really smooth, creamy and worth every bite. The biggest disapointment was when our itemized bill was not reflective of what was listed on the menu. Not sure if their prices are outdated or what...but it makes a difference when ordering more than one cocktail per 4 people. I will not go back to this restaurant, nor will my friends. Hopefully they keep the faith in me for choosing future restaurants.
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June 29, 2008
Average, but not opposed to returning..
My wife and I met another couple for dinner on a Thursday night. There were only four other tables occupied in the entire restaurant, so we got prime seating at the front windows. For entrees, the scallops were perfectly seared and tender. The fillet was cooked to order, but the sauce with which it was topped was too salty and made the steak nearly inedible for my wife (who is a filet fanatic). I had the Broiled Flounder and was disappointed; the fish itself seemed fresh, but it (and the stuffing) was surprisingly bland. The accompanying potato cakes were flavorless and dry.
The decor was modern and open. We would not be opposed to returning, but there are several other restaurants we prefer. A note on valet parking ? the parking lot behind the restaurant is small (perhaps 10-15 spaces) and is (complementary) valet only. The night we were there, the lot was empty, but I still had to valet. I simply could not justify a tip for someone moving my car 10 feet to park it and another 10 feet to pull it around. Ridiculous. However, we agree with another posting here: the area can be sketchy at night.
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June 09, 2008
Freakin AMAZING!!!!. ok, so my friends mom owns this restaurant. i had heard about it for quite some time before actualy driving up there because we live twenty minutes away. so we went. the place is amazing! i loved the food and the people! i was so happy i was invited to this place! now i cant stop going! im so happy the food is complimentary because well her daughter is my bff! i would love for everyone to have a chance to try this amazing place! dont listen to those who say it wasnt good, because its not good its not great its amazing! you will love it i guarentee! well lots of love to all of you, and ms. vasquez (owner) she is lovely as is her creation- Julia's Bistro!
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April 24, 2008
Deliciously different. This place looked good from the description on it's site and we were not disappointed ! A work buddy & I were in town for a project and made the trip to Julia's - glad we did. Excellent food, service & drinks (didn't do dessert). Some folks really ragged on it, although I can't figure out why. Houston is a big town with a lot of resturants, most likely a lot of mediocre ones. This place is not one of them. Great mix of flavors, beautiful presentation and just the right size portions so you don't waddle away from your table the way so many "American" style cuisine resturants tend to do. Try it.
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February 10, 2008
Julia's Bistro. I have to say that there are not to many places to dine at in Houston that are worthy of comments on great food, atmosphere, and most important the service, but I have to complement Julia's. Some friends and I wanted to relax and have a nice dinner when one suggested going to Julia's. I've been several years ago and it was average. I'm not sure what happened, but I can definitely see that changes have been made and only for the better. We had a waiter by the name of Renato. Our food could have been average and I can honeltly say that all four of us would go back to just to spend time with this guy. Extremely nice and very helpful. Renato suggested food and wine for three of us. Outstanding food and service......Bravo Julia's
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