Mark's American Cuisine

Best restaurant I have been to in Houston. Two of my favorite meals of all time have both been at this restaurant. (and I have only been twice) Soft shell crab and kobe steak (8 oz of deliciousness) Also I had a blueberry tart here which was the best most simple dessert I have ever had. I don't understand how it was so good since it was just blueberrys (with blueberry muffin ice cream) in a tart but it was amazing! Pros: Best food I have ever had Cons: Food would cancel out any, but I don't know of any more

My husband and I have been going to Marks for years. Some times we rave about it and sometimes we really enjoy it but we are never dissappointed. It's an impressive place to take foks visiting since its an Old Church building converted to a restaurant and its not a chain plus you can count on great specials. Can't go wrong if you are looking for a special restaurant. The service is great too! Pros: Fine Dining in a unique building Cons: None more

My wife and I just returned from our 17th anniversary at Mark's. It was everything I had expected and wanted for a quiet and romantic night with outstanding service and food. A few of the reviews had had poor service or food but Mark's ws at it's best for us. We were seated promptly in the 2nd floor as I had requested and the service was flawless. I appreciated the short delay time between when we were seated and when we received our menus: it made me feel that we were not being rushed. Two waiters seated us and served our water and bread. The specials were made known and gave 3 choices for appetizers and 5 entrees which where unique and intriguing. We chose the seafood trio and the lobster bisque (which had perfectly tender pieces of lobster). My wife had an excellent and spicey tuna and I had Kobe beef ribeye medium rare. The desserts were numerous and interesting; I had the coconut bread pudding and she had the warm chocolate cake. Both were al a mode. I now know why people pay high prices for Kobe beef. It was like no beef I have ever had. The setting on the second floor was quiet and intimate and the renovated church is beautiful. Our Desserts came with a candle and chocolate coins imprinted with"Happy Anniversary" on them. Who cares if they do this for all anniversaries...they did it for mine. Pros: Ambiance, service, food, style points Cons: None more

Words can't begin to describe my experience at Mark's American. I took my girlfriend here for our first Valentine's Day. We got there a little early and the hostess politely informed us that we could wait at the bar if we liked. When we got to the bar, we received prompt service. I've been to places where you would have to wait 10 minutes for a bar tender to ask what you need. Not here. We ordered a couple of drinks and enjoying them immensely when the hostess informed us that our table was being set. She politely took our drinks from us and carried them to our table for us. When we sat down we were introduced to our very friendly waiter for the evening. He was very descriptive and informative in explaining the menu. I highly recommend the lobster bisque if they have it as an appetizer. I regret not ordering it (my girlfriend was smart enough to do so). That is not to say my appetizer wasn't good. It was delicious. Our main entree came and it was art on a plate with a colorful display. As we tasted the entree's our mouths watered for more. Dessert was absolutely to die for. The Creme Brulee was delicious as was the chocolate cake. Between our waiter tending to our every need to the Chef coming out and taking time out to talk with us, service was as good as the food. I definitely will be coming back here to see what else Chef Mark Cox has for our tantalizing taste buds. I'm sure he won't disappoint. He truly is an artist. With his plate as his canvas and his imaginative mind, the flavors that he creates are endless. Pros: Great Service, Great Food Cons: It is a bit pricey, but it's definitely worth it more

I went on a blind date here last year. I had never heard of it before as I am not a regular downtown gal. I had never been to a nicer place. I had an appetizer, the special of the night (VEAL), and dessert. All of it was exceptional. I would recommend vallet parking. Also, for me it was a little too noisey. But, the fabulous food makes up for this. Although I did not pay, this place is on the higher end. Be prepared to spend some money. It is an ideal place for a special occasion or anniversary. Pros: fabulous food and desserts Cons: loud more

I thought this would be a nice place to take my wife. Wrong! The food came after a long time and was luke warm. Our sever looked like a college. Yes Mark has a good reputation but the people he hire are real fruit loops. Take for instant the general manager-David a real card ! We had reservation for 7 yet we were shown the chairs to wait so David seated all his friends. Sorry as a paying customer I refuse to be treat like this. There are many excellent restaurants in this town! more

I took my boyfriend there for his birthday last year and we were extremely disappointed!! We had a reservation and were seated soon after arriving and it all went downhill from there. We had to wait quite awhile for the waiter to greet us and he was so RUDE it almost ruined our whole night. The waiter was very clear that he did not want to wait on us and made odd comments when we placed our orders and almost sneered at me when I declined to order alcohol (my boyfriend ordered a glass of wine but I wasn't in the mood for a drink). We waited a very long time for al of the food that we ordered and at one point another waiter came over and refilled our glasses because our waiter kept walking by and ignoring us. My boyfriend and I are "young" I guess you could say, we are in our early 20's and I think that he assumed because we were young he wouldn't receive the tip like he would at the tables filled with older clients. The food when we did finally receive it was wonderful but the waiter really put a damper on the night. My boyfriend and I are stubborn and weren't going to let a crappy waiter ruin our night- we enjoyed the time spent together and made the night fun in our own way despite the awful rude waiter. Pros: beautiful restaurant, good food, desserts were great Cons: TERRIBLE WAITERS!!!!! go to Sullivans for real customer service!!! more

Rude and disinterested staff; actually got ill from their seafood. Called the following day and they could care less that I was ill from their expensive food. I used to take clients here frequently, but would not take an enemy there any more! Overrated, overly expensive and overly likely you might end up in the ER from their dodgy seafood!!! Pros: None Cons: Rude staff, exorbinate prices, and poor quality more

Atmosphere is to stiff. Very expensive, to many good resteraunts in Houston to go back. Very small portiones. the dinner was good not great and certainly not worth the money!! Pros: service was good Cons: no value here more

I went for a nice 27th Anniversary with my wife. Both of us enjoy the food, the place, the service. It is pricey, but well worth it. My wife ordered the veal in the menu, and I ordered fish from the winter special. Both are very delicious. The presentation, the taste, we felt like we were judges in Iron Chef competition, savoring the different flavors each entree provided. For the desserts, I ordered chocolate cake douzed in hazelnut and coconut mousse and my wife ordered chocolate mousse. They are sinfully rich and delicious. Pros: good food and excellent service Cons: pricey especially the desserts more

I've been to Mark's on many occasions - it's a beautiful setting (an old church), and the service is second to none.\r \r The food is amazing - everything I've had has been superb. Chef Mark hand selects the wine (smaller vintages), and the desserts are worth saving room for. I especially recommend the warm chocolate cake - amazing!\r \r Great for a special occasion - anniversary, promotion, etc. more

If you want to be original, don't go here for your anniversary! This place was packed with other couples celebrating their anniversary on the same day as mine and my husband's. Pros: Excellent service, and peaceful scenery Cons: Prices are a bit high more

This is one of my most favorite restaurants, and I have been to many highly rated restaurants all over the US and other countries. Ambiance is wonderful - old church building as many of you know, soft lighting, not too loud, not too quiet. Menu is always changing, so everytime you go there is something new to try. I always love the halibut (when available), but everything that I have tried is delicious. The service is always excellent and they even did a special dessert for my first wedding anniversary. Chef Mark really knows how to run a restaurant. Pros: Service, Food, Ambience Cons: Nothing more

My husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary at Mark's. It was a wonderful evening. The food was excellent, the wine superb and the staff was fabulous. The decor is beautiful. It is an expensive restaurant so probably not one to go to every week but definitely for a special occasion. We will definitely be returning. more

My husband and I had our anniversary dinner at Mark's and really enjoyed the experience. We were promptly seated upstairs in a romantic corner, then had great cocktails (fab Bloody Mary!). We started with the 4 crab appetizer - softshell, dungeness, etc. - quite tasty. My husband had the prime rib and I had the duck, both cooked the way we wanted them, and presented beautifully. We had a very nice (and pricey!!) bottle of Pinot Noir, then ended the meal with the profiteroles, wild cherry tart, and decaf espresso. A memorable meal that certainly wasn't cheap, but great for a special occasion. The service was attentive, but not overly solicitous. We will definitely go back. (It was also the night of the Gay Pride Parade, so we were glad we could just walk over from our place and not worry about parking!) Pros: Attentive service, great food, excellent wine list, romantic Cons: None more

I am a very picky eater and have had the opportunity to eat a lot of nice places, and Mark's in consistently one of my favorites. It is expensive, but for a special occasion or a nice dinner out it is worth it. I had the soft shell crab the last time (it was a special) and it was crazy good, everyone at my table thought the food was excellent - which is unusual for the group I dine with (we pick everything apart and talk about how well it was prepared). I've never had food here that I didn't think was excellent and I will go back as often as I can! Pros: GOOD FOOD Cons: expensive more

The scallops that were the special for the evening were good, but everything else we ordered wasn't anything extraordinary. Service was only ok. I read other reviews about the beautiful ceilings and architecture of the building, as it was a church previously, but we were seated off to the side of the building near like an emergency exit door. I didn't even get to see the rest of the restaurant. The dessert we ordered was not to our liking at all, split between two people we still couldn't get anywhere near to finishing it. more

What a disappointment. Six of us went there for dinner. Restaurant was not busy around 6 PM but there were plenty of people working there, every-time we needed something, we had to ask for it. Food was ok. would I go back? Most likely no. Pros: Great atmosphere, Cons: bad service more

First time at Mark's but have been to great restaurants in Houston and all over. We were seated 30 minutes after the time of our reservation, not too bad except that the hostess was not honest with us. The bar service was extremely poor, my wife ordered a champagne cocktail and the server was too lazy to wait for bubbles to subside and gave her a glass 1/3 full. The table service was far better but could not make up for the over cooked food. I choked down about a third of the meal and couldn't stand to eat any more. Mark's may have the reputation but doesn't deliver. You will have a much better experience elsewhere. Pros: Ambience Cons: Food, service more

If having a restaurant in an old church doesn't tell you that Mark's is a different dining experience, interior should confirm it. There's always something unusual and beautiful to look at. The menu is just as unique...everything is fresh, so it changes seasonally with availability. Whenever, it's always at the top of our list for any occasion or just when we want good food. Pros: Incredible food, great service, unique ambience, don't have loud music Cons: Expensive, not Houston casual, crowded. more