Conquer Your French Food Cravings At These 3 Houston Newcomers
So you're hungry--and you're ready for some French food. Good news: we've found the freshest spots to satisfy your appetite. From a longtime creperie's first standalone restaurant to a French eatery with a South American twist, here are three of Houston's newest French spots.
Fig & Olive
5115 Westheimer Rd., Suite C2500, Galleria
Fig & Olive recently moved into the former Saks Fifth Avenue space in the Galleria. With brunch, lunch, dinner and happy hour service, the expanding French eatery specializes in Provencal cuisine.
Look for offerings like the Chilean sea bass with roasted sunchokes in a romesco mascarpone sauce, roasted Amish chicken with herbes de Provence and paella with scallops, black tiger shrimp and mussels.
For libations, Fig & Olive offers an extensive wine list, as well as signature cocktails. (Take a look at the full menu here.)
Fig & Olive's current Yelp rating of 4.5 stars out of 16 reviews indicates positive attention from users.
Yelper Samantha H., who reviewed Fig & Olive on March 22nd, wrote, "Wow! Fig & Olive is just what the Galleria area needed. We were promptly greeted by the hostesses when we walked in. The space is gorgeous!"
Janie L. said, "Welcome to Houston, Fig & Olive! I was most excited to try the crostini! I only got to try two out of nine flavors and they were scrumptious! I will definitely be back for a weekend lunch to try the rest."
Fig & Olive is open Monday-Thursday from 11am-11pm, Friday from 11am-midnight, Saturday from 10am-midnight, and Sunday from 10am-10pm.
Maison Pucha Bistro
1001 Studewood St., Suite A, The Heights
Over in the Heights, Maison Pucha Bistro brings upscale French and American fare with an Ecuadorian and South American twist to the neighborhood.
The project comes courtesy of the brothers Pucha: Manuel (La Table) helms the kitchen, Victor runs the pastry program and Cristian operates the front of the house.
Look for offerings that include the lobster bisque with chanterelle, butternut squash, sage and cognac; steak tartare made with diced filet mignon, caper, shallot and cornichon; and duck confit with frisee, sarladaise potato and balsamic glaze. (Check out the full menu here.)
With a four-star rating out of 68 reviews on Yelp, Maison Pucha Bistro has been getting positive attention.
Yelper Gino T., who reviewed Maison Pucha Bistro on March 18th, wrote, "We had a number of different dishes, all of which were beautifully plated and delicious."
And Katlyn K. noted, "If you come here on the weekend, I definitely recommend making a reservation ahead of time because this place was busy--and even with our reservation, we still had to wait at the bar long enough to get a drink before we were seated."
Maison Pucha Bistro is open Tuesday-Friday from 11:30am-3pm, Friday and Saturday from 5pm-11pm, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 5pm-9pm, and weekends from 11am-3pm.
Melange Creperie
711 Heights Blvd., Suite B, The Heights
For many years, locals have enjoyed crepes from Sean Carroll and his wife Tish Ochoa--the couple behind Melange Creperie--at farmers markets, parties and festivals. The Parisian-style creperie recently moved into its first standalone brick-and-mortar space in the Heights.
Customers have the option of ordering a "melange a deux" crepe (with two ingredients) or "melange a trois" (with three). There are both sweet and savory options, including bananas with Nutella or Thai chicken with peanut sauce.
With a 4.5-star Yelp rating out of 297 reviews on Yelp, Melange Creperie has been getting positive attention.
Yelper Harsimrat K., who was one of the first users to visit Melange Creperie on February 12th, wrote, "This the best creperie I ever tried! You can never go wrong with it. My all-time favorite is the banana Nutella in sweet options. In savory, the ham and cheese was my favorite!"
Melange Creperie is open weekdays from 7am-9pm, and weekends from 8am-9pm.