Barnaby’s Café

They made me feel special. Although I hadn’t been to this Barnaby’s location in a while, my server, «Anna» not only remembered me but also asked if I would like my usual entrée, the all-​beef hot dog. I selected instead the Deli Plate, and it made a hot weather appetite sing! The tuna salad with pecan, the chicken salad with pesto, the fresh, fresh ham and turkey all came together with the artichoke, purple onion, black olive, ad pickle spears to make a great lunch. I ordered a side of their delicious, tangy ranch dressing and polished off the bed of crisp romaine lettuce!

Perfection. One of the best hamburgers I have ever had– flame broiled. Always consistently good, friendly attentive wait staff/​servers, fair prices.

First time i came here they were having a awesome drink special! maybe tuesdays? idk but the burgers and a few other items here are definitely delicious! been to this location and the other off white oak. Both rock!

Love these small gems in Houston! Great food, good service and lots of character. The bacon cheeseburger was the best ever! The fries were crispy and lightly seasoned, with plenty to spare. The waiter recommended the smaller Lebanese Chicken Fattoush salad, and it was more than enough food and super tasty. We were too full to try the desserts, but they looked amazing and enticing… saving that for another visit.

I will start by saying that I am a huge fan of Barnaby’s, I always have been. The food is generally good and they offer some of the absolute best salads in town! But none of this excuses my recent experience at the Fairview location.
My friends and I requested that our server split our check equally. When she returned with our checks we each proceeded to the register to pay. The cashier was noticeably distracted which resulted in her charging my portion solely to the «tip» line item. Right away she realized what she’d done so she went in to correct her mistake. Somehow she then managed to charge the entire amount (all 3 checks) to my credit card. After several minutes I was assured everything was correct so I went about my day. One week later, I checked my bank account to find that some of the issues had been resolved however the full check amount had not been reversed (which meant that I paid for the entire check AND my friends each paid for their individual portions). By day 8 I returned to the restaurant to be resolve the matter. Politely I explained to the actual server that I’d dealt with during the initial incident. She recalled everything that’d happened that day and apologized. She called someone I assumed was the manager to the register to take care of the matter. She and I both recapped what had happened and he began the process to refund the full amount. He was having trouble and called over another young lady to assist (she turned out to be the General Manager). He was called away almost immediately after she arrived so I had to explain the situation a third time. Afterward I was impressed with myself that I did so respectfully and without showing my frustration. As she began to look into the transaction she said things like, «it’s your bank’s fault», «you need to wait a few more days then come back», with condescension in her voice she said «step around the counter sweetie and let me show you what I mean». Although I’m not sure if her intension was to try to mislead me, as I walked around the counter to view the details on the monitor, she says, «see, there’s only one transaction» at which time I asked her to scroll down the screen. She did so and two other transactions were shown. At any rate, all in all it was approaching 20 minutes of this and I’d had enough. I asked what their intension was and she says that I’d need to give it more time to drop off my statement and then come back. I explained that it wouldn’t be necessary and walked out. Not only was something perpetrated against me, but then I was made to feel like it was MY fault. The GM was the only person of the 3 i dealt with that didn’t offer an apology for the inconvenience. Instead I was presented with reason after reason as to why it wasn’t their fault. Later that day I opted to dispute the charges in order to rectify the matter. Customer service is something that so many businesses take for granted. As a hard working consumer, I however, do not. If this is what they consider acceptable behavior, then I choose to spend my money elsewhere. I suppose their recent citation by the Health Department for «slime in the ice machine» wasn’t enough to make them get their act together. Hopefully losing a steady, loyal customer will be just the motivation they need to start making some improvements.

You have been warned! Big portions of everything here. I had a huge appetite the day I went and regretted ordering so much just because I was craving everything. It’s just hefty portions and unless you packed sweatpants, be prepared to 1) not want to go back to work 2) become lethargic 3) endorphins constantly flowing with each bite 4) adopt a really, rotund belly 5) work out alert later.
Other than that, this place has friendly staff, delicious foods, a hello kitty microwave, and a brunch café’ connected called Baby Barnaby’s.

I would certainly recommend this place to anyone! They have a huge variety on the menu (from Tex-​Mex to American to salads to Asian infused), so there’s something for everyone. I would definitely recommend the white queso dip — it had just the right amount of spice and cheese and the chips were fresh. Note that it’s a very shareable portion! I also had the barbecue chicken entrée and my colleague had the Newport chicken. The servings are HUGE. My fries were literally falling off the plate. The chicken was well seasoned and juicy, although my personal preference might have been for less BBQ sauce. The fries were fresh, crispy, and we’ll seasoned. Our waiter was friendly and responsive. The setting was a bit cramped, though, although it had plenty of character!

I visited this place on the last day of my trip to Houston with my best friends. Lola was our server and she was so friendly and knowledgeable of the menu. We loved every bit of art work and it was super quaint and comfortable; very reminiscent of New Orleans, which is where we are from! I plan on coming back to try more of their vegetarian entrées. I was very impressed.

While this place isn’t horrible, I personally think it was overrated! We went here for brunch after reading the reviews but the food was the equivalent of frozen food to me. The green eggs and ham were mushy although not terrible and the chicken sausage was grocery store quality. It also isn’t very clean. From my years of waiting tables, to see them dip the ice bucket into the bin after sitting it on the floor then pour it into the ice machine… ICK! Also the oranges and drinking glasses are in the space by the restroom in boxes. Not sure if this is totally clean. Server was pretty awesome. My experience wasn’t horrible and the price not bad but I won’t be going back. Too many quirks that I was iffy about.

What a lucky find. Unpretentious (ghetto restrooms) but the food and service are great. I enjoyed the chicken La Jolla which was huge, fork tender and unique. The meatloaf is amazing. The lasagna made the men happy. The French fries are skinny and crisp but not greasy. Of course the serving is enough for the whole table. We missed having a roll or hearty bread with our lunches. The service is fast and friendly. Kid friendly too.

LOVE Baby Barnaby’s! I make it a point to go every time I’m in town. Great lunch spot… out of this world salads, I love the Cobb. The sandwiches are delicious. We even had a daily special meatloaf sandwich one day… it was amazing and had tarragon in it! The servings are huge. The staff is super nice and make great suggestions. I love that the restaurant is named after/​honors the doggie who went to heaven — Barnaby. The décor is so quirky, cute and welcoming.
Not much parking so be prepared to parallel in the neighborhood behind the restaurant!
Oh, and be sure to visit the tiny bathroom — it’s one of a kind!

Impeccable, delicious, fun, creative… I have an endless amount of adjectives to describe this funky and fun restaurant! First of all, the décor is great (I’m a slave for dogs), and the place is named after the owner’s dog which is such a great testament to a loyal and loving animal. The wait staff are incredibly friendly and attentive, always coming by with refills or throwing in a funny story about customer interactions.
And my god, the food! Cheap, delicious, and easily shareable among groups of friends! I can’t speak enough of the quality of their ingredients, and it’s something that is so refreshing to find in a town full of drive-​thrus and grease traps.
My friend and I got an off-​menu pasta, which at $ 15 easily filled us up and left us with enough food to take home, the fries were crips and fresh with no sogginess, and the lemonade was crisp and delicious! The ambient was friendly and casual, but still felt refined and generous. I can’t wait to go back!

Kinda bummed about missing breakfast next door at Baby Barnaby’s. The wait to be seated was ridiculously long. Came to Barnaby’s instead. Service is amazing! Food is decent. Portions are huge. Décor is quite interesting.

Burger was great, the salad looked nice. The portions were huge (especially the salad!) Service was friendly and fast.
I will come again!

To go order salad with no dressing. Sloppy service and for a higher price. I normally love this place but when it’s run down and they just carelessly those order together it speaks poorly of them. I hope they shape up

The food is amazing, the décor kinda a mess, but its a cool dinner with great customer service. A great place for a low key date night.

Great burgers. The Hawaiian pork chops were good and great white queso. Cool atmosphere as well. Totally recommend this place

Love the burger and a sweet tato fries, I get this on a regular basis. The desserts look amazing but I haven’t tried any yet

I was so bummed that we missed breakfast at baby barnaby’s next door– only to find that their lunch place next door is the bomb dot com!
I had the turkey burger (omg that pesto is crazy yummy) with probably the best damn sweet potato fries of my life.
So. Flipping. Good.
Grown up or regular barnaby’s is pretty damn good too. Give it a chance! I’m glad we did!!!

It was good not great. I went for lunch and got a southwest salad. The salad had plenty of crunch but even with extra dressing was kind of bland. It looked good, but just didn’t taste delish. My friend got a different salad and had the same reaction.
The service was fantastic though! Our waiter checked on us often and was very pleasant. I’d go back if there wasn’t an alternative in the area.

Some of the best people work here. The service was absolutely phenomenal and personable. All of your American comfort classics are here. You will leave with a full, satisfied belly, and you’ll have a smile on your face.
Can’t wait to go back!

This was a place, ironically enough, my girlfriend found on Unilocal to begin with. We’re in town for a wedding so we wanted to pick some place close to the hotel.
We both had two different takes on the original hamburger — she had the turkey burger and I had their free range buffalo burger. However, in order to jazz up her turkey burger, my girlfriend added guacamole, pepper jack cheese and pico de gallo. Her burger was so large (the waiter said the average weight is ½ pound) she was unable to finish it!
The bison burger is a little smaller (about 7 ounces) but it was very juicy and filling, even if it wasn’t actually half a pound.
Both burgers come with fries, but we substituted for waffle fries instead. The fries were crisp and seasoned well!
The server, Dean, was very friendly and hospitable. Even though we don’t live in Houston, I definitely recommend this restaurant to any of my friends on Unilocal in the Bayou City!

Wonderful and funky atmosphere. The food is divine and well cooked. Keep Montrose Gay!!!
Had the best waiter when I was there. The service was spot on. The décor is darker and intimate while also being very comfortable as well. I love the pictures of dogs all around the dining area. Although, they almost lost the pug picture as I was tempted to take it with me.
What can I say, my waiter was as gay as they come and just wonderful. I would recommend this place to anyone who is comfortable around us gay folk.
I had a divine Buffalo burger that was perfectly cooked and very flavorful. I never wanted for water to keep me hydrated as the waiter made sure I had plenty for my meal. I am contemplating the Apple Pie as well.

I goggled best turkey burgers in Houston and Barnaby’s Café came in at number 7. I’ve always wanted to try baby Barnaby’s café brunch and haven’t had the time to actually wait! Today I came specifically for the turkey burger and I am very pleased! I was greeted by friendly staff, everyone was so friendly and seemed like they love their job and enjoy serving customers (very pleased) the atmosphere is very laid back, causal and clean. Back to my turkey burger it was so fresh, juicy and was seasoned just right. I see why this place was listed in the top 10 places to go a turkey burger. The dessert looked delicious but I didn’t have any room for dessert. BUT when I was leaving he gave me a cookie to take home! My waiter was Matthew, I will be coming back and telling my friends about this place

Great place!!! The food was delicious and affordable! Great portions too! I will be back.
All natural, vegetarian fed, no hormones chicken and beef!

This was our first stop off the plane after landing in Houston. Our airbnb. host made the suggestion for us and we could not have been more pleased. Mushroom Swiss burger perfectly medium with fries enough to feed 3 people. The other burger, the standard cheese was well done as my husband likes it. He had the side of asparagus and said it was delicious. Our companion diner had the small Caesar salad, with chicken. It was fresh and tasty.
The service was great and the waiter was right there filling up the tea glasses when they got low.
We ordered the carrot cake to share and I still brought some home. It was amazing.
Seriously, save room for the dessert.
Prices were very reasonable and if I lived here this would be a regular eating/​grazing spot.
Art work so funny. Dogs drinking coffee.
6÷5÷15 Loved lunch so much yesterday that we came back again today. Barbecue chicken platter with fries and apples was really so good. My husband had the meatloaf bruschetta sandwich and it was huge. My daughter had the chicken salad sandwich with the chips and that was also very good. No desserts ordered today. I’m still nibbling on the carrot cake from yesterday. Tummy yummy!

I can’t say too much about this place because I’ve only been there for dessert. (When I go there again, I shall update this review).
However, just from the looks of it, it must be pretty good if there’s a huge line waiting to be seated. Thankfully since we were only grabbing a dessert to-​go, we didn’t really have to wait that long, but it was pretty cramped in the waiting area.
We got a chocolate cake slice, which was pretty big to share between 2 people. It was reasonable price (~$ 6) for the slice of cake, and it was really rich and decadent, which is perfect if you love rich chocolate stuff, but for me, I do have to space out how much at eat at once.
When they serve it to you, it’s pretty cold, and kind of hard, but if you let it thaw out a bit, it tastes even better.
Welp, that’s all I have for now, when I get to try more foods, I’ll let you know what else to expect!

Barnaby’s serves up huge portions for fantastic value. The service at this original location is friendly and speedy.
Garlic hummus: Above average. There is nothing special about the hummus itself, nor is it as garlicky as I had hoped, but I do love the pita chips and the endive garnish.
Pesto chicken salad sandwich: Great. I am not a huge chicken salad fan, but the pesto and artichoke hearts really make the chicken salad special. Half of the tasty sandwich is quite filling, but the deliciousness makes chomping down on the other half extremely tempting.
Lebanese chicken fattoush: Great. This is a gigantic salad full of olives, pita chips, and feta drizzled with a tasty vinaigrette and topped with a huge, flavorful slab of herb-​and-​sumac-​coated chicken breast. The leftovers (which will exist) stand up surprisingly well the next day, although the pita chips will be massively soggy.
Meatloaf: Average. There is fennel seed in the meatloaf, and I personally dislike the flavor and texture it contributes.

Fun Fact — Barnaby’s Café is named after the owners childhood Sheepdog! I was wondering why the ceilings and menu had cute dogs with wings and bones all over it. Which was super cute btw!
We went when it wasn’t lunch time any longer, but not yet dinner time! So it was just us and maybe 2 or 3 other tables. Our server (maybe the manager?) was so attentive and helpful!
I got the Flatiron Steak medium rare with Mashed Potatoes on the side. The bf got the Chili Cheeseburger with the Famous Sweet Potato Fries with Chipotle BBQ Sauce. The food came out within a fairly decent wait time… so you know it was cooked once ordered. I LOVED my steak and my server asked if I wanted steak sauce and brought some over. The burger came with mustard… not sure if that’s a usual thing or not. We had to ask for the chipotle sauce but once we had it… omggggg amazeeee! The bf finished most of the chili and burger but the steak was definitely better! The fries were yum esp with the sauce!
I would definitely come back to try other items and hopefully for brunch at the adjacent Baby Barnaby’s!
…Also the restroom (I can only speak for the ladies) is very small and for 1 person. It’s clean but when you walk in the toilet is kind of backwards and the toilet paper is in an awkward position. Not really a problem (unless you’re claustrophobic) but felt kind of like I was on a plane lol