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Barbacana Restaurant, Houston, TX

Barbacana Restaurant

4.5
4.5
19 Reviews
$50 and over
Bistro

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 1 time today
Experiences are available.
  • Good for special occasions
  • Innovative
  • Great for creative cocktails
An upscale casual restaurant serving "Houston-Inspired" tasting menu. Located in Downtown Houston and helmed by Chef Christian Hernandez, whose career has taken him through some of the best restaurants from Houston, New York, and Mexico City. The gorgeous historic building boasts huge fifteen-foot ceilings with custom artwork from Austin-based artist Xander Rudd and local graffiti legend Daniel Anguilu.

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Location
    907 Franklin St, Houston, TX 77002
  • Phone number
    (832) 538-0652
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Bistro, American
  • Hours of Operation
    Lunch Tue–Fri 11:00–15:00 Happy Hour Tue–Fri 16:00–18:00 Dinner Tue–Sat 17:00–22:00
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Valet
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Christian Hernandez

Experiences

  • Chef's Tasting

    US$150.00 per person

    Multiple dates available
    Enjoy a curated experience at Barbacana, At the tasting you'll have the opportunity to try a blend of different cuisines and cooking techniques learned through decades of experience. Also offered is a 6-glass wine pairing that covers a full spectrum, from light to heavy, red to white from elegant to bold.
    Chef's Tasting photo

  • Pax and Pax Mahle At Barbacana

    US$200.00 per person

    Prepaid

    26 Mar 2025 only
    18:00
    For those in the know, they know. But- For those that do not, PAX(s) are the cool climate, Californian wines of Pax Mahle, who is one of the most important figures in “New California” winemaking, and arguably the most important Syrah producer in the country. Although he is best known for his wines, especially his Syrahs whose style borrows heavily from the Northern Rhone, it may also be said that he is famous for his influences in changing Californian Winemaking Techniques too. By turning away from mass production and the high-intervention techniques that, for a long time, resulted in heavily extracted and aggressive wines, Mahle sought to approach winemaking with a more gentle and organic touch. As a result, the wines of Pax may be described as “soulful, gorgeous, and lovely” while showcasing the grape and the terroir. Winemaking aside, the importance and legacy of Mahle is also seen in the other winemakers whose career he is substantially responsible for, among which includes: Arnod Robert, Jolie-Laide, Martha Stoumen, and RAEN. Barbacana is excited to host Pax Mahle on March 26th, and we will be featuring a six-course tasting menu to be paired alongside six of Pax’s wines, with an emphasis on highlighting his Syrahs.
    Pax and Pax Mahle At Barbacana photo

Menu

At present, we do not have menu information for this restaurant. Please see their website or wait to visit the restaurant to learn more.

What 19 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

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

4.5
4.5 based on recent ratings
  • 4.5Food
  • 4.6Service
  • 4.4Ambience
  • 4.1Value

Noise • Moderate

Diners' Choice Awards

  • Houston

    Innovative

  • Houston

    Good for groups

  • Houston

    Innovative

  • Houston

    Good for groups

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Barbacana Restaurant offers a "fabulous dining experience" with expertly crafted tasting menus. Guests praise the "impeccable food" and "excellent wine pairings." The service is "friendly and exceptional," making diners feel "welcomed." While some reviews mention room for improvement, standout dishes like wagyu carpaccio and TX Waygu receive high acclaim.

19 Reviews

  1. Rachel

    Houston2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We had a great experience !!!!! The food was excellent. The service impeccable and the wine list is really good ! So happy to have a good restaurant in our neighborhood.

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  2. Brandon VIP

    Houston12 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Everything was delicious. We liked the vibe. Will return.

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  3. Mike VIP

    Houston13 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 1 March 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    The food and service at Barbacana were outstanding. We enjoyed the tasting menu and every dish was excellent and flavorful. Enjoyed watching the chef’s in the kitchen and the chef owner serving and discussing the dishes. There were only us and one other couple at the Tasting menu counter for the first 1.5 hours of our Saturday 5:45 reservation time. The overall restaurant is huge and to me seems like too big a footprint for a tasting menu restaurant which explains their pivot to offer a la carte options. We thought the concept would be perfect in a smaller space sort of like Baso. In any event the meal was fantastic and I hope the Barbacana concept makes it in this very difficult restaurant business.

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  4. Arthur

    New Orleans6 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on 16 February 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    We had the Valentines Day tasting menu at Barbacana and were left a little underwhelmed. We were initially tempted by their normal tasting menu but this was unavailable for the Valentines Day weekend, instead offering an alternative, and seemingly shorter, menu for a higher price. Although the food was objectively good with some real highlights (scallops and beets) there were also some less impressive dishes - tuna overwhelmed by the olive and olive oil and a Paris Brest with under flavoured cream and underwhelming pastry. The main issue I had was the cost - for $175 pp excl tips just for the food I expect to be consistent blown away and I wasn’t. Maybe their regular tasting for $125 seemingly for more dishes is a better offering.

    1 person found this helpful

  5. Vikram VIP

    Houston37 reviews

    2.0

    Dined on 16 February 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    The food was not fresh and the taste was ok. For 175$ it has to be 5X better. From the tasting counter we couldn’t see año. The wine list was barely adequate. I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant unless they improve significantly. I have dined at Michelin star restaurants and the value there was much better.

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  6. Damon

    Washington DC1 review

    5.0

    Dined on 15 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    What an amazing Valentines, everything from the moment we arrived was fantastic. The staff were exceptional and the food should have a Michelin star. The wine pairings were excellent. We are looking forward to coming back!

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  7. Charles

    Houston124 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 15 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great dining experience with the special tasting menu on VD, exquisitely prepared, fresh and creative dishes.

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  8. Meghan

    Houston6 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 14 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We had a great time at Barbacana with their tasting menu. Food and wine pairings were excellent, service was friendly and sitting at the tasting counter watching them cook and plate was super cool! Favorites were definitely the crab and buttered onion and TX Waygu dishes. We’ll be back, for sure!

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  9. Talal

    Houston1 review

    5.0

    Dined on 8 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great dining experience. Chef Christian prepared a delicious menu.

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  10. Mallory

    Houston2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 2 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Highly recommended! Staff were hospitable and extremely helpful. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. We had a wonderful time! The food was impeccable and drinks were amazing. We will definitely be coming back! Fabulous dining experience!

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Barbacana Restaurant is rated 4.5 stars by 19 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 1 time today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Barbacana Restaurant

907 Franklin St, Houston, TX 77002

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Phone number
    (832) 538-0652
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Bistro, American
  • Hours of Operation
    Lunch Tue–Fri 11:00–15:00 Happy Hour Tue–Fri 16:00–18:00 Dinner Tue–Sat 17:00–22:00
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Valet
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Christian Hernandez
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