Harold’s

Did not have a good time. Went in with a friend of mine. Southern creole food was good, service was great but the manager with the strong Spanish accent made it weird, couldn’t understand him when we were talking to him about upcoming stuff with the restaurant and things and having a party there. Cool place, good food though. But probably won’t be coming back.

Happy hour A+!!
Lauren and Kurt behind the bar are very Accommodating to what drinks sound good to you. Kurt makes his own cinnamon whiskey which is to die for! Happy hour drinks here are no joke.

Went here for a friend’s birthday dinner party and she booked the rooftop terrace here at Harold’s and it was nice, kind of felt you weren’t in Houston, very city vibe esque. There’s no private lot to park so expect to park in the streets, which at night I find it’s easy to find.
When we arrived here, there were two long tables of I’m thinking 20 people, so it was a big party, luckily the servers were patient but still very kind. Since it was a private party we were given a set menu which wasn’t bad at all, but the price is a little bit on the higher end for what I thought was a more relaxed casual kind of place. Since it was a party, our friends ordered a bit of everything so that we can share and I find that overall was good food, some dishes better than others. Whenever I see etoufee balls on a menu I usually make sure to get some, and here they were a tad hard while biting into it but good seasoning. The gumbo was a little fusion’y for my liking, I like the gritty kind. The cast iron chicken dish was decent, the skin was different, but other than nothing that stood out. The one dish I enjoyed the most was the shrimp n grits, and I’m not a huge fan of grits, but the combo of the plump shrimp, bacon, mushrooms and of course the grits was pretty darn good (it was $ 24).
Thanks for hosting my friend’s dinner party, it was a hit for the birthday girl.

Delicious food! Recommend the chicken biscuit and eggs Benedict. Bellini is delectable. Great service. Even gave us a container of homemade jelly. Highly recommend.

My family went for brunch. We like trying new places. My son ordered the open faced beef sandwich. The bread was so hard on the bottom that he couldn’t even cut it with a steak knife. My husband got the burger which was fabulous. The rest of us had the chicken and waffles. We didn’t care for the cornmeal crust and the waffles were soggy. Probably won’t return even though the service was good.

Another stellar visit! We had the private room which is set far from the main dining space. This was perfect for my group as we kept up quite a raucous! It was our Holiday party. Our server was Russell. I don’t think our party required much in the way of service but he took good care of us. Everyone enjoyed their meals and a few ordered a second plate!
Good food, good service, fair pricing. Love it!

Well it’s very hit or miss. Went a second time and the cauliflower was weak and not very good. Third time it was great but the meatballs and fried mushrooms were not good
Service and cocktails are great and service is nice. But food can be hit or miss

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I am from Atlanta and had a few hours before having to fly back home. We had some friends that lived in Houston pick us up and take us to brunch. It was Sunday and we arrived before noon and were promptly seated. We started with the Big Nasty Biscuit, which is a meal in itself. It was great. I had the Harold’s burger with french fries and it was excellent. Another party had the chicken and waffles, which was great. All of the portions were very hearty and great tasting. The service was great and even had a visit from the owner. The ambiance is very trendy and relaxed. Overall, a great experience.
Please don’t review this business if you received a freebie for writing this review, or if you’re connected in any way to the owner or employees.

Delicious! Be careful at what time you visit because they have different menus for different times/​days. Manager was great and checked on us. 3 of us shared the tomahawk special and the pasta jambalaya for dinner. It was great and we’re picky people! We couldn’t even finish the meal & had leftovers. I’d pass on the gumbo they serve without rice. The drinks could’ve been stronger (the gimlet and the tinibellini) but great atmosphere and we’ll be back especially for the live band on the patio!

Harold’s was ok… maybe my taste buds are off but I had to add seasoning to all my food. After tasting all the foods in my pictures, the fried chicken, mashed potatoes w/​sausage gravy, & steamed green beans, really was the most delicious plate that was on our table, (ok so what, 3 of us order the same plate). It was delicious, so delicious that I couldn’t eat all of it, had to take half home for dinner.
My stuffed sweet potatoes dessert tasted like a yam stuffed in a crust, without the nutmeg, cinnamon, and sugar, and the cake was returned by a friend, for being to dry.
However she (my friend) loves Harold’s but to me, Harold’s is one of those, try at your own taste buds risk… and let me know if your taste senses are better than mines.

I love going to this place! It’s got a southern-​but-​gourmet-​and-​chic kind of vibe. They have a great cocktail menu with some really unique (and tasty) combinations. I have to remind myself not to eat too much of the bread and house-​made pickles so that I have room for the main course!
My favorite dish is the southern fried chicken. Oh. My. Goodness. I’m not usually a fried chicken fan but this one is a new favorite dish. If you like fried chicken or southern food in general, you should definitely try this place out!

We had a great meal and a great time here. Harold’s is at the corner of w. 19^th and Ashland. We came to celibate my wife’s birthday and we were impressed. The restaurant is on the second floor and with windows that line the street side and an outside patio it is a great location. I recommend the pork chop over pasta and the shrimp and grits. The wine was excellent as well.

Harold’s in the Heights is, oddly enough, located in the Heights, ha! To be more precise, you will find it sitting along the corner of West 19^th St. and Ashland. If you are not familiar with the location, it can be somewhat inconspicuous. The main entrance is off the street, in the back, but this is convenient because of all the parking in the back of the restaurant, off Ashland.
If it feels like you have heard of the place, it’s because you probably have. Any true Houstonian knows that Harold Wiesenthal, an iconic figure in the Heights neighborhood, was a key player in the success of the area. For over half a century, Harold ran his clothing store and dressed many national public figures when they visited Houston. I am really happy the new owner of this landmark location, Allison Jarrett, decided to keep the name alive and open a restaurant in memory of this historic Houston figure.
As you walk in from the back entrance, you’ll notice the new owners are operating another couple of businesses on the ground floor and are being very creative with the old space. But that is for another article as I couldn’t wait to see what Chef Antoine Ware had in store!
My initial reaction as I walked up the stairs to the restaurant was an appreciation for what a beautiful job the new owners had done with the building. They might be carrying on the Harold’s tradition, but they have done a ton of work to make this one beautiful eatery. Kudos!
The open floor plan provides plenty of seating room and features large windows that allow you a beautiful view of West 19^th Street. Right off the dining area is a large patio with a fireplace and another beautiful view. I can only imagine how awesome the patio is during the Christmas season with bright lights and a fire burning in the fireplace! I will let you know in a few months!
Well, it was well past 5pm, so we decided to head over to the bar area and grab a couple of Top Texas Craft Beers. We ordered an 11 Below OSO BUENO and my buddy grabbed a Karbach-​Hoppadillo. If you happen to be a visitor to Houston, know that both are great local choices.
After we finished our beers, we decided to head into the dining room and grab a beautiful window seat… what a view! I absolutely love this area of Houston.
Harold’s Restaurant, Bar & Terrace has a wide variety of hand-​crafted cocktails to choose from. We both decided on a Gimlet, which was an excellent choice… just so good! Take a look at the photography and see for yourself!
I had heard only great things about the Southern and Creole Cuisine coming out of Harold’s kitchen. We told our server to let the chef choose our plates. I find that this way, the meal is more than just a dinner — it becomes a true culinary experience! Let’s just say Chef Antoine Ware did not steer us wrong.
Our two appetizers, Pasta Jambalaya and the Beet & Yogurt Salad, were brought to the table and boy did they look delicious!
The Pasta Jambalaya was absolutely amazing. As you can see in the photography, it comes with shaved dehydrated shrimp on top and the flavors are perfect. A great start!
The beautiful Beet & Yogurt Salad consisted of local beets cooked slowly over hickory embers, house-​made yogurt and sourdough toast. I’m not a huge fan of beets, but I really enjoyed this dish. This is why I like to hand our menu choices over to the chef; I never would have ordered this myself and would not have known what I was missing.
For our entrees, Chef Ware delivered a trio that provided us with the three major Creole food groups: seafood, chicken and more seafood! My eyes were the size of baseballs and my smile was from ear-​to-​ear as I got a glimpse of the Chef’s presentation. All my favorites: Gulf Shrimp «n» Grits, KG’s Double-​brined Cast Iron Chicken and Blackened Gulf Fish! Sound like something you might be interested in?
The Gulf Shrimp «n» Grits is what the name portrays: head-​on Gulf Shrimp, onion, garlic, bacon and mushrooms. Words could not describe how wonderful this dish was. And beautiful to boot! So good!
Next up was another favorite for anyone who is from these parts, KG’s Double-​brined Cast Iron Chicken. This delightful dish consists of a half a chicken, fried, with Mac «n» Cheese and braised greens on the side. During my years in southern California I didn’t see Fried Chicken on the menu very often. You can bet I am enjoying every bite here at Harold’s!
Finally, we sampled the Blackened Gulf Fish: fresh Gulf Fish (Rainbow Runner) with Atkinson Farm’s tomatoes, zucchini, squash and coriander, topped with crawfish tails. Again (I feel like I am being a little repetitive) it was out-​of-​this-​world!
These are the type of things that make Harold’s in the Heights special to me. The personal touch and southern hospitality which is translated through the menu designed by Chef Ware, as well as the friendly, easy-​going attitude of owner Allison Jarrett, who was raised in South Carolina
So my work here is done. Ha! What an unbelievable experience.

I attended some luncheon here. I love the location, downtown Heights. Parking is a challenge. I have to use «street parking’. It was Houston Restaurant Week. I ordered $ 20 Houston Restaurant Week appetizer, main course and dessert.
The first course was Empanada. I live in a city which Latino foods are beating Chinese dumpling. This Latino dumpling was pretty good.
The main course was Fish. I am sorry, It was strong spicy flavor. I am Okay to eat Wasabi and sashimi. I am sorry to tell you that I couldn’t stand this strong spicy flavor. I was watching a Elvis Presley’s statue over the window. I wish I could give this fish to him.
The dessert was Pican pie. It was great. My tongue was dead after the fish. After I got Pican pie, It was alive like Zombi. It was great.
Overall, I love this restaurant. If I could change one thing at this restaurant, I could have some Karaōke machine. I wish I could sing his Hound Dog!

I would not recommend this restaurant. We went for a friend’s birthday. We had party brunch menus which limited the food selection. Everyone ordered something different (I.e. Po Boys, French Toast, chicken and waffles, cheeseburger, big damn breakfast). .. No one was impressed with their food. One note, not seasoned well. .. simply «blah.» Now the food was not terrible. .. but you know when you go to a restaurant and never plan to go back? That’s what this restaurant was for me. The beignets were lacking but. .. The sangria was the one thing that I would say was delicious. The waiter Russell tried, but should deal with smaller parties.
I reduced the rating to a 1. .. I was a guest of that party not the host (so the logistics excuse meant nothing to me), management should be open to feedback good or bad in an effort to maintain happy customers. I would think with fewer people in the party the quality of food would have been better as well as the service…
Again, I would not recommend this place. .. Sorry but I’m being very honest.

I had such high hopes for Harold’s, but was sadly disappointed. I stopped in for a Friday lunch a few weeks back and while we were quickly seated, we waited… and waited… and waited for the waiter to take our drink order. Once the drinks finally came, we had another long wait to place our did order. This should have been our clue to just leave, but after spending 5 minutes trying to find a parking spot and realizing that everything else in the area was busy, I wanted to just stick it out. Besides, the plates of food other diners were being served looked really good.
I ordered the open-​faced meatloaf sandwich with fries. I didn’t read anything in the description about the meatloaf being coated in bacon. I don’t do pork. I should have sent it back, but I was not willing to wait any longer. This was already turning into a 90 minute lunch. I took a few bites from the middle — and it was disappointing to day the least. Not much flavor and not worth the $ 10-​$ 12 price range. The fries were good. My friend ordered the chicken salad sandwich and she did send it back. She said it was awful. The chicken salad was basically a pastey substance. She can be a bit on the picky side, so I’m not factoring her food into the low review. They were very gracious about bringing her a different meal (a simple salad that she said was ok).
We played the waiting game again for our tickets. I would understand if they were slammed for lunch, but the crowd wasn’t really that bad.
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, Houston has too many great places to give below par places a second chance.

A group of 9 dined here for my friends birthday which happened to be White Linen Night in the Heights. I have been here before for lunch and the service is SO SLOW so I was prepared to be here all night for her birthday dinner. However, the food came out so fast! Everything was tasty, much better than the lunches I’ve had here. The best thing however, was the Tini Billini cocktail. Our check came and we were charged $ 1 more on over 10 drinks-​check your ticket here!

I really like what they’ve done with the old Harold’s in the Heights store. The patio upstairs has a great view of 19^th street and is the place to be when there is anything going on in the streets. I can’t comment on the menu items because I was there for a catered event but everything was absolutely fantastic and the service was great.
Just be aware that there are several businesses right next to each other — downstairs is a pizza place next to a Taco Place next to a general store. The restaurant is upstairs.

This place has delicious and an amazing roof patio. Try it! I love the burger and hot dog! Then go downstairs and get a cookie. So cool!

«Lost» bread was excellent. Presentation was awesome. Has a lemony zest flavor to it that goes good with the homemade jam (no syrup). Although it’s a different style of French Bread, it’s one of the best in Houston.
Atmosphere was good, not too noisy when it’s full. A few seats were still open during Sunday Brunch.
The reclaimed wood on the walls and incorporating them into the tables is a nice touch.