Lucille's

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#57 of 8,326 Restaurants in Houston$$ - $$$, American, International, Vegetarian friendly

+1 713-568-2505+ Add website

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Hours

Sun

10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Tue

11:00 am - 3:00 pm4:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Wed

11:00 am - 3:00 pm4:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Thu

11:00 am - 3:00 pm4:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Fri

11:00 am - 3:00 pm5:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Sat

10:00 am - 3:00 pm5:00 pm - 10:00 pm

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What is Travellers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.5

298 reviews

#57 of 8,326 Restaurants in Houston

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Food and ambience

Local cuisine, American, International, Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

“Best fried green tomatoes ever”

“This first time I had the cornbread the edges were crispy, with a nice butter...”

“... and the menu has our favorites like shrimp and fried green tomatoes.”

“The cornbread was absolutely delicious as was the the smothered steak and fri...”

Location and contact

5512 La Branch St, Houston, TX 77004-7129

The Museum District

+1 713-568-2505

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Is this an American restaurant?

Yes

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About

Nestled in a 1920s mission-style home in the heart of Houston’s Museum District, Lucille's specializes in well-refined Southern cuisine with infusions of international techniques and flavors. The restaurant serves as a tribute to the culinary tradition began by Executive Chef & Owner Chris Williams’ great-grandmother, Lucille B. Smith, who was a culinary pioneer and successful entrepreneur who founded her own food corporation. Today, the Lucille’s team continues to pay homage to their namesake by replicating some of her most famous recipes while embellishing others to create innovative takes on Southern food classics.

CUISINES

American, International

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, Brunch

FEATURES

Takeout, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, 有泊車位, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Table Service, Live Music

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4.5

298 reviews

Excellent

171

Very good

Average

Poor

Terrible

BaileyandBella

Brazoria22 contributions

Awesome little find

Jan 2020 • none

I needed a midtown restaurant to have a quick business meeting and this little place is a gem. The food is great and the service is too! It's southern comfort food with a bit of an eclectic twist. The menu isn't big but the portions are - everyone left very satisfied. The shrimp and grits are really good. One companion had the chicken and waffles and said the chicken was exceptionally good. My other companion had a sandwich that had pumpkin spice in it. Or that's what he thought it was. I didn't try it because I was too busy thinking about whether I could lick the bowl to get every last morsel of my shrimp and grits. It's right in the musuem district and there is parking across the street. It's small, charming and the food & service are great.

Written 26 January 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

FASW2017

51 contributions

Great date night!

Oct 2020 • none

We had a date night with another couple and really enjoyed our visit. We made our reservation for 6:30 and were seated immediately. COVID guidelines in place therefore staff had their masks on. We started with appetizers of friend green tomatoes and the brussel sprouts. Both good dishes, not overly seasoned but I am used to a little spice with my FGT and these were not spicy. Main meals, the smother steak which isn't your typical southern smothered steak. It was a strip steak cooked to order with potatoes and it was very good; Braised oxtails were tasty but the portion size could have been bigger. Fish and grits and shrimp and grits, both tasty. I preferred the fish over the shrimp. The shrimp could have been grilled more, would have been great with blackened seasoning. I feel like the price for the first 2 dishes was fair however the price for the shrimp and grits was a bit high. Unless the shrimp are colossal sized, but these looked like medium size shrimp (maybe 4 pieces), same with the fish & grits. Overall we had great service and we would return again. Drink prices average for the midtown area.

Written 29 October 2020

WorldGrinch

London68 contributions

More hits than misses

May 2021 • couples

Ordered to-go and they were helpful with suggestions to replace seasonal dishes and drinks no longer on the menu... but we found out about them 30 seconds before calling on the restaurant's web site. Hostess very friendly and food well packaged. The entrees were delicious. Hen and pork well cooked and seasoned. Both the Caesar and Watermelon salads were disappointing. Too much greens and not enough of everything else, and not enough care in selecting the leaves. The 1l cocktail-to-go option saved this review from being average.

Written 1 May 2021

Tiffany L

1 contribution

Ok but not great...

Mar 2021 • family

We weren’t aware we were required to have a reservation for indoor seating. Sucked to have been seated outside in the cold with a 2yo. Hostess was very adamant no exception could be made. This alone made me want to go elsewhere, but we were hungry, so we made it work. (The mimosas helped) Our waitress was very sweet and attentive, the food came out in a reasonable amount of time but it was the farthest from what we expected. The catfish and shrimp w/ grits were lacking flavor, to say the least. I ordered the shrimp with grits and the flavor combinations just didn’t work well IMO. Aside from the shrimp not being seasoned. My wife ordered the catfish and also said it lacked flavor. We ordered the sweet potato waffle for our little one and it was awesome! I made sure to remove the birds eye chili’s before giving it to her. There’s definitely a lack of kid friendly options, so I wouldn’t suggest this as a “family friendly” place. It was nice but not enough to recommend or return. We still ended up having to eat somewhere else after spending $130...

Written 13 March 2021

Geriann S

Houston12 contributions

$25 for shrimp & grits that had 3 medium shrimp and grits in a block--terrible

Jun 2020 • none

We three ordered take out for our very first visit tonight. The food was mediocre at best and a rip off at worst. Small portion of bland grits, part watery, part in block formation, accompanied by a few bits of sausage and 3 medium shrimp for $25. Ridiculously over priced. Highly do not recommend.

Written 4 June 2020

Alicia S

1 contribution

Not a good experience for a family of 5

Nov 2021 • none

We ordered the Yardbird, Braised Oxtails, Smothered Steak, Lucille's Cesar Salad, Mac and Cheese, Chili Biscuits and Grilled Octopus. We spent $200. Our thoughts: the quality of food was subpar and rude service. The cut of steak was a poor quality, the chili biscuits-horrible and similar to what can be bought at Sonic's or a fast food chain. Mac and Cheese was a winner and the only winner. I won't get too much into the service but just some issues were that we did not receive serving utensils for appetizers, had to ask for water refills for our plastic cups, and just overall bad/rude service. I'll let you use your imagination on the dirty bathrooms. I really wanted to love this restaurant. I was excited to visit the establishment but it definitely did not deliver. One and done!

Written 13 November 2021

Rob L

1 contribution

Superb food for the soul!

Jun 2021 • none

A small house nestled in the museum district, dining there feels like eating with family. The decor is simple and sleek, with a welcoming vibe. The waitstaff was helpful and friendly to say the least. Joseph was our waiter and he was dynamic, personable and he made us feel like the only customers in the world. We were celebrating our anniversary and we felt so special and celebrated. The food is SPECTACULAR to boot!! Everything we tasted was perfectly cooked and imbued with southern love and spice. I am still dreaming about the fried green tomatoes and the shrimp n' grits. The mac and cheese felt like walking through childhood memories. And the bread pudding was OFF THE CHAIN! Buttery, melt in your mouth delicious. Hands down one of the best restaurants in Houston, great story, excellent service, incredible food. Writing this review is making me hungry...

Written 9 June 2021

Nikki B

4 contributions

Birthday Dinner

Jul 2021 • none

I love Lucille's. So good I decided to come here for my birthday with some friends and family. The max is 10 people so be sure you cap your party at ten. The only negative I have, is when I reserved my table over the phone for 8:00, no one told me the kitchen closes at 8:45pm. I thought that was a little harsh, because as I'm waiting for the rest of my party to show up, we have to rush to order. However, dont let that deter you, because the staff was super accommodating, friendly, and worked with me to make sure everything worked out fine. The food is amazinggggg. My fav are the oxtails and grits and my fav drink is Blacker the Berry. In all, this is my go to southern spot I'd like to frequency more often by planning ahead. Whatever you do, reserve a table and enjoy yourself.

Written 17 August 2021

Glen S

Houston219 contributions

Great food very poor service

Sept 2022 • none

Went here during last week of restaurant weeks on a Friday night. Arrived promptly for a 5:30 reservation for 4. Seated promptly but no menus, water arrived about 15 minutes later. Had to ask for wine menu and dinner menu, they never brought special restaurant week menu so we went online. Wine was prompt, took our order, 1st course salad but got one wrong, no big deal. Second course prompt and delicious gumbo, yummy. Waited about 30 minutes for main course and had to ask the waiter where dinner was since we observed those who arrived after us getting their main courses. Delicious dinner that we thoroughly enjoyed. Our plates where promptly cleared and we waited another 30 minutes for desert which again we had to ask for. Waited 30 inures for the check and had to ask 3 times for our check. The total dinner took 3 hours and while our waiter was very nice he was just inept. Too bad because the food was really good. Not sure we would go back.

Written 3 September 2022

tleeEvans

Houston967 contributions

Not that special

Jan 2023 • couples

Went for brunch Sunday. Had reservations and was seated quickly. Very small restaurant so I would recommend having reservations and as they will not seat you till all in your group is present, make sure everyone comes at the same time. Our waitress was nice, but service not that great. Could not get coffee refills and she never ask my husband if he wanted another mimosa before she took away his glass. I had the chicken and waffles which was good snd my husband had the oxtail omelet. He likes it as well. We also tried the hot biscuits. They were ok. Overall the food was good, but not super special. Service was lacking. Might go back for lunch as on Sunday seems they only have their brunch menu

Written 8 January 2023

Lori G

Lumberton401 contributions

Outstanding

Jul 2020 • none

Outstanding food. Only reason why I gave 4 stars is the food was a little bland, which surprises me. The fried green tomatoes were good but needed more flavor. The cornbread was good (easy to share between 4 people). I had the Smothered Steak and it was superb. My husband had the porkchop and it was good. There was a hint of sweetness on the porkchop. Atmosphere good and service good. Drinks were fair.

Written 26 July 2020

sb_travels

San Francisco59 contributions

Absolutely the best food we've had in a ong time

Jul 2021 • family

Damn this was good food! We heard about this place in the Netflix series and traveled from California to visit. We ordered a lot of food. Pork chops were the best I've ever had so tender and very well flavored.. Mac n cheese was best in my life. Fried green tomatoes were beautiful. Because this place is so far from home really wish the chefs offered a cookbook so I could share with friends at home. Thank you for a beautiful meal.

Written 9 August 2021

CGordie

Baton Rouge90 contributions

Deliciousness Awesomeness

Oct 2021 • family

Wow!!! So very impressed with the food and the drinks. Being from South Louisiana, I always think we have the best food but this place has amazing food. The service is impeccable and the food is fab u lous!!!!! I’m so glad I tried it. The cornbread, octopus, chili biscuits, fried green tomatoes, and them oxtails is way pass deliciousness awesomeness!!!

Written 30 September 2021

chmido

Richmond226 contributions

Solid meal!

Oct 2021 • couples

Great service. Great food. We had the chili biscuits which were fantastic! We also had the yardbird (fried chicken, mashed potatoes and greens), the Mac and cheese, and the fried catfish and grits. The greens were phenomenal! Everything else was solid. The food also came out piping hot which was nice.

Written 28 October 2021

rosyjoesph

Louisville70 contributions

Absolutely Delicious

Jul 2022 • couples

Lucille’s Restaurant in Houston was one of the most wonderful highlights of our vacation in Houston. Their southern dishes did not disappoint. We started off the meal with a watermelon salad dressed in a lemon ginger vinaigrette that makes you hope the chef has shares the recipe in a cookbook. The cornbread was absolutely delicious as was the the smothered steak and fried chicken. This is a restaurant that needs to be experienced if you’re visiting Houston.

Written 28 July 2022

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