Haven

Doesn't Recommend

Jackie L.

Joined 8 months ago

The staff at Haven is inexcusably unprofessional.

I purchased a Bloomspot certificate to Haven as a gift for my parents for the chef's tasting menu, a dinner that was meant to take place in the kitchen with the chef. I made the reservation weeks in advance and gave the Bloomspot certificate number, and on the day that my parents were supposed to go to the restaurant, I called two hours before to confirm the reservation. The hostess said that the reservation was at seven, and my parents started preparing to leave for Haven.

Then, I got another call half an hour later to, again, confirm the reservation. When I repeated the name and details of the reservation, the person on the phone, a different woman, told me that my parents would not, in fact, be able to dine that night because they had overbooked the chef's table. They already had reservations at six and eight. I told the woman that the dinner was a present, I really wanted my parents to have the full experience, I had made the reservation weeks in advance, and it was too late for me to reschedule. The woman simply told me that they didn't have the space and made no effort to compensate for the trouble. When I asked if there was any way my parents could eat at the chef's table that night, she put me on hold to ask the manager.

After waiting for several minutes, I was put back on the line, except the person speaking was a man. I repeated all of the information, and he told me that my parents would have to eat outside of the kitchen if they came at seven. However, when I wanted my gift to be special and asked for other available dates, he said that there was an opening at eight if I could ask my parents to go to the restaurant at a later time.

I told my parents that their night was postponed an hour, and they were confused but happy to wait.

Then, fifteen minutes later, I got another call from the second woman to whom I had spoken. She apologized for the confusion (an understatement!) and told me that my parents could not dine in the chef's table at all that night. I was frustrated and disappointed that my gift was falling apart, especially since my parents had dressed and were about to leave for the restaurant, but I asked if the dinner could take place on Friday or Saturday of the next week because my parents couldn't make the dinner on work days.

She checked the dates and told me that there were no openings, that they actually had overbooked the chef's table for the next Saturday as well. There were two parties scheduled to dine at the same time. Apparently, it was an ongoing problem because hostesses kept neglecting to take note that the reservations were for the tasting menu.

The woman told me that my parents would have to eat at a regular table. She didn't make any effort to compensate for the short notice or the inferior dining experience when I had expressly told her that it was a special occasion for my parents and that they had been expecting to have their first experience eating in the kitchen with the chef. She could have bumped up the experience, maybe offered complimentary wine pairings or a partial refund. Anything to make up for the last-minute downgrade. Eating at a regular table is not the same as eating in the chef's kitchen, which is what I paid for. The booking error wasn't her fault, but the restaurant didn't take any responsibility. I was simply told that we had to work around their mistakes, regardless of the inconvenience to us.

I was really, really looking forward to giving my parents a wonderful night for the first time, and while they were, of course, kind about the changes, the staff at Haven behaved in an unacceptable manner. Obviously, I won't be giving anyone a gift of a dinner at Haven again, and I don't see how I'll be able to dine there.

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AlainHarvey

Joined 4 years ago

Southern Comfort Food Meets Style and Sophistication. Southern favorites meet sustainability and sophistication at Haven. Outside the restaurant, owner and chef Randy Evans and his staff compost kitchen scraps and tend to a garden; inside, the restaurant serves its farm-to-table dishes in an eco-friendly setting with green touches like energy efficient lighting and recycled glass and paper products.

Taking deep and competitive pride in sourcing out the highest quality, fresh-from-the-earth product from local farmers and purveyors, Chef Randy Evans often drives out to the farms during the day to handpick his produce from the vine, soil or the back of a farmer's pick up truck for that night's meals. The goal: to create dishes for his guests that are at their seasonal peak, offering maximum flavor and freshness.

Upon arrival, we were given a choice of dining inside or out on the patio. The menu offered a great selection, from yogurt & granola to eggs, salad or sandwiches.

Haven's menu is farm-to-table, and what Chef Evans calls New Texas Cuisine. At this green-certified restaurant the menu changes weekly, depending on what's best in the fields that week. Everything is local, fresh and handmade. A chef's garden, just outside the kitchen, is testament to the chef's belief in the importance of utilizing only the freshest ingredients. The chef's garden is a natural, sustainable garden, with no chemicals, incorporating cisterns to collect rainwater.

Everything on the menu is done well and creative. The food, along with the restaurant setting, is absolutely fabulous. In addition, this beautiful restaurant offers a Saturday brunch menu from 12 p.m. until 3 p.m. with a Farmers "After Market" in the parking lot from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. The service is always attentive and dining outdoors a real treat on one of Houston's rare pleasantly temperate days. Haven is definitely a restaurant worth a visit.

Doesn't Recommend

sjt1234

Joined 6 years ago

Not all it is cracked up to be. This was my first time @ Haven & I don't think I will be going back. We were seated along the window side of restaurant w/ a couple to both sides of us, I felt like I signed up for speed dating. There was nothing intimate about this setting, more awkward than anything. Through the windows you overlook what they tried to make a lovely patio, but it is hard to hide that you are looking @ a Taco Cabana drivethru. The bottle of wine we ordered was great & the price was right. They use way too much pepper on all their dishes & I love pepper, so that says a lot if I am complaining. The dishes also do not span a color range, they are all brown/beige. Not exactly inspired w/ a variety of flavors. I felt my main dish toppings were too blackend - carcinogenic anyone? When it was time to get our car from the valet they brought us the wrong car when we gave them our ticket to leave. Overall nice for a low key dinner w/ friends, but too pricey for this in my opinion.

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baileyandbella

Joined 2 years ago

New favorite Houston restaurant for vegans. We took out of town guests here and it was the first visit for ourselves as well. We had a super time. Anthony was our waiter and was fantastic. One of our party is a true vegan and eats gluten free, as well. That usually limits the options at a restaurant. Not only were there items on the menu that were vegan and/or gluten free, but they were wonderful. The non-vegans loved the fish and chicken dishes. If you love vinegar/salt, try the relish plate. The fried green tomato croutons are delicious! I would skip the shrimp corny dogs but I'm not a corny dog fan to begin with. The delicate flavor of the shrimp is lost in the batter. I despise mustard greens, but I ate every bit of the creamed mustard greens that came with my entree. The portion of tres leches cake is small but dense and rich. Loved the touch of coconut. And the description of the Johnny Appleseed drink, with a "cube" of ice, is correct. Just one cube of ice. The first sip is bitter but the rest of it is tasty, tasty. We lucked out that our friends were up for a dining adventure as this was a great dinner!

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looloo83

Joined 5 years ago

Best food in houston!. BEst food in Houston!

i'll definitely go back!

Recommends

JessCo

Joined 3 years ago

deeelish. great food, getting better service, nice atmoshphere

Recommends

grammiezen

Joined 3 years ago

Amazing food and service!!!. I have been to Haven several times with family and have had amazing food. Randy Evans shined at Brennan's(I have his cookbook---hope one is forthcoming from Haven) and his new take on familar dishes is supreme. Any seafood dish I have ordered was extremely fresh and it looked as good as it tasted!! I really love the soup there as well, they are constantly changing with the seasons and never fail to please. The service was also to my taste. The wait staff has been attentive without interupting my meal. I have friends from Austin that drive in to eat here. I highly recommend you try them-you will not be disappointed. P.S. Their coca cola cake is to die for.

Doesn't Recommend

cityeats

Joined 5 years ago

Hot Tempered Staff. Was surprised to see how this place is still in business. I love the overall look of the place, and was very impressed until my friends and I sat down. From the beginning the service left alot to be desired, the waiter seemed to avoid the customers and when asked for something he would respond in a rude manor or direct us to the bus boy. At the end, when he was questioned about the bill, he flipped out. In our presence he was yelling and the manager and cursing at us. The manager told him to cool off in the kitchen and proceeded to apologize on his behalf and justified his behavior by saying he was from chicago (people there are rude without meaning to be), had a bad day and she didnt want to let him go because it was so close to the holiday season. I was surprised at my response I felt so humiliated and disrespected. I just wanted to run out of there but I had to stick around to take care of the bill. The waiters name is Brent and honestly as a woman, I would never go back.

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HoustonTexReview

Joined 4 years ago

Muddled Mondays. It is a haven that is tucked away from the bustle of 59 and Kirby, on a small, tree-lined street. The building looks eco-friendly with it's natural materials and is a bit on the industrial side. It reminds me of a new nature observatory.

On most Mondays, the bartenders will give you a lesson on how to make a concoction like an Allen Brother’s Fizz with Buffalo Trace bourbon, maple syrup, local egg whites. They will give you an eco-friendly token and you get a free drink with your lesson. Be sure to tip. Honestly, the drink they teach you to make requires some labor.

You can also enjoy an assortment of complimentary appetizers like Free-Range Deviled Eggs.

Doesn't Recommend

Loves2eatgoodfood

Joined 3 years ago

Great food but waitstaff & Service is really horrible. They have wonderful food for lunch and the price is reasonable. I love the shrimp corn dogs and the fresh salads. The food is amazing.

The Service on the other hand was really lacking. The hostess was just not too friendly or cared if you got a table or not. The restaurant was not even full we had to wait. Since I know the food was great I told my guest to wait. But I was embrassed when it took 25 mins to get our drink order. The waiter just kept avoiding us. Finally I told him we would like to order and get our drinks at the same time so we do not burn 2 hours for lunch. He was so slow and I felt I was was imposing on his time to rest in the back and chat with his friends.

The food is amazing the service is just unbearable.