Barbacana Restaurant

4.5

19 Reviews

$50 and over

Bistro

Make a booking

2 people

15 Mar 2025

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

Dining style
Casual Dining
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
Phone number
(832) 538-0652
Website
http://www.barbacanatx.com/
Payment Options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Business Casual
Executive Chef
Christian Hernandez
Catering
Whether you want a private gathering for 15, or want a beautiful space to celebrate events for your entire team. Barbacana Restaurant is always available and accessible to you! For Catering Events contact our Maître D' Nicholas Madison Email: nicholas@barbacanatx.com
Private party facilities
Our private dining room is available for guests that would love a more intimate space for their dining experience. The space can accommodate 15-25 seated guests and 45 standing with a direct view of the kitchen.For Private events contact our Maître D' Nicholas Madison Email: nicholas@barbacanatx.com

Location
907 Franklin St, Houston, TX 77002
Area
Downtown
Cross Street
Franklin St
Parking details
Valet
Additional
Gluten-free Options, Vegan

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.
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.

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

R
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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B
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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M
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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A
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 $125 seemingly for more dishes is a better offering.
1 person found this helpful
V
Vikram VIP
Houston37 reviews
2.0
Dined on 16 February 2025
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
The food was not fresh and the taste was ok. For 175$ 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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D
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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C
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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M
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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T
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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M
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!
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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

15 Mar 2025

19:00

Booked 1 time today

Experiences are available.

907 Franklin St, Houston, TX 77002

Dining areas

Additional information

Cross Street
Franklin St
Area
Downtown
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
Price
$50 and over
Cuisines
Bistro, American
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Business Casual
Parking details
Valet
Payment Options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive Chef
Christian Hernandez
Additional
Gluten-free Options, Vegan

Website
http://www.barbacanatx.com/
Phone number
(832) 538-0652
Catering
Whether you want a private gathering for 15, or want a beautiful space to celebrate events for your entire team. Barbacana Restaurant is always available and accessible to you! For Catering Events contact our Maître D' Nicholas Madison Email: nicholas@barbacanatx.com
Private party facilities
Our private dining room is available for guests that would love a more intimate space for their dining experience. The space can accommodate 15-25 seated guests and 45 standing with a direct view of the kitchen.For Private events contact our Maître D' Nicholas Madison Email: nicholas@barbacanatx.com

Barbacana Restaurant

Make a booking

Dining areas

Additional information

Experiences

Chef's Tasting

Pax and Pax Mahle At Barbacana

Menu

What 19 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Diners' Choice Awards

Review summary

FAQs

How is Barbacana Restaurant restaurant rated?

Is Barbacana Restaurant currently accepting bookings?

Make a booking

Dining areas

Additional information