Black Walnut Kitchen & Bar, formerly Black Walnut Cafe, is a local family-friendly restaurant chain serving American food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in addition to weekday happy hour specials and a weekend brunch. Our Rice Village restaurant is conveniently located in the Village shopping mall near Rice University, minutes from downtown Houston. Blending the easygoing efficiency of counter service with the thoughtful precision of our award-winning chef, Black Walnut offers an elevated dining experience that makes the most of your time without ever compromising freshness or flavor. We’re your place, at your pace!
Branch of a warm, casual chain offering American fare for breakfast, lunch & dinner & a full bar.
Netta
We wanted to try something different and came across this place. When you walk in, you’ll see the menus and a cashier right up front. You can order there or go straight to your table. They also have a QR code for table ordering, and the best part is that the menu shows pictures of all the dishes, which is super helpful.
This place is definitely on the pricey side, but the food is worth it. I am a huge espresso martini lover, and theirs is honestly one of the best I have ever had. The atmosphere is great too.
Just a heads up, there is paid parking in the area. Thankfully, the garage nearby offers two hours free, which helps a lot.
Overall, great experience with great food and drinks.
… moreValeria Garcia
Had an amazing brunch at Black Walnut Cafe! I’m a very forgetful 25-year-old and showed up ready for a mimosa, only to realize I left my ID at home. I explained to the waiter that I’m always forgetting it (my friends are always telling me, “Don’t forget your ID!” ). We had a good laugh about it, and I went with a delicious vanilla latte instead, which was perfect.
The best part? After we paid, the waiter came back with a slice of chocolate cake and a little note written next to it: “Don’t forget your ID!” It was such a funny and thoughtful gesture—it really made my day! Great food, amazing service, and a cozy atmosphere. Highly recommend!
… moreCalvin Boniaby
I stopped in for the Houston Restaurant Week special, and I must say, I was completely satisfied with the quality of the food and the service! The manager Glendy was very friendly and inviting! The New Orleans BBQ Shrimp that came with the special wasn’t exactly how they do it in New Orleans, but it was really good. Also, the Lobster Pasta had huge chunks of lobster in it as well! I would definitely come back here again!
… moreJ’ Marie
Great food, I ordered the blackened salmon blueberry salad. The cheese was delicious, very creamy and flavorful. The dressing had a decent taste , the salmon was cook to perfection. Very tender and tasteful. The sweet potato fries were crispy and tasted great. The service was even amazing, didn’t have to wait too long and I went on a busy lunch time.
… morewa “Omniwar” w
Excellent food and ambience
. I order the pastrami corned beef with eggs over easy. Pastrami is a superior version of corned beef. I did noticed the eggs were prepared after the corned beef was done as it was colder than the eggs. Free refill on quality coffee is definitely a plus. I tried both flavoreds that were available. Rich and creamy. Great place for breakfast. Would visit again!
Ps the place has a free 2 hr parking in the public garage.
I came back for more pastrami … As good as the last time.
… moreFrank Fazzalari
The concept of walking up to the counter to order and then proceeding to a table works well if you’ve been here before or have had time to review the menu. For first-timers, though, it creates an odd situation—do you take a menu to the table to figure out everyone’s order, then go back to the counter? And if a line has formed by then, are you expected to head to the back? That part of the process could be better.
Once we placed our order, the food took a little while to arrive. The Steak Frites, Pot Roast Dinner, and Coconut Shrimp Tacos were all decent—not over the top, but okay.
The vibe is open-concept, clean, and bright. During our visit, a large table of about twenty teens made the space a bit loud. Street parking is available, and it’s a nice area for a walk after dinner.
All in all, not terrible—just decent. Saluti
… moreAlexis Amos
The Nashville chicken Benedict was amazing! The chicken strips for the chicken and waffles was a bit under seasoned but the waffle was crispy in the outside and soft on the inside. Grits were buttery and creamy. The hummingbird cake was some of the best cakes I’ve had in a long time, moist and flavorful!
… moreMaverick Sierra
on the hunt for the best brunch place in houston and this place was meh. we got the chicken and waffles and the chicken tenders, which i’ll say the chicken seasoning was pretty good. but the waffle was so dry and their syrup tasted strange. we also didn’t like the set up of the restaurant how you order and then sit down, it felt very fast foodish and kind of chaotic. also just my personal preference, but i hate the soda machines that’re the screen that you select which drink you want. they always taste weird.
… moreRoger Conner
We brought a group of 17 without notice and the staff was GREAT. Really good food in a very informal atmosphere. Biggest surprise was dessert. Fantastic
… moreE T
Perfect place for brunch, I love how you can just sit down and order from the table. Food was amazing. It’s located next to a parking lot (free for two hours), easy access. Dog friendly.
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