Cafe Rabelais

Name: Cafe Rabelais
Address: 2442 Times Blvd, Houston, TX, United States, 77005
Telephone: (713) 520-8841
Price range: $31 to $50
Rating: 4.8

4.8 (1055)

$31 to $50

French

2442 Times Blvd, Houston, TX 77005

Make a reservation

2 people

Jul 1, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 7 times today

About this restaurant

Neighborhood gem
Good for special occasions
Charming

Houston’s Café Rabelais serves sumptuous French cuisine in its classic, European-inspired eatery. Fantastic starter options include the mouth-watering smoked salmon plate, the white bean and vegetable soup, as well as a variety of decadent cheese plates. Café Rabelais’s specialty dinner entrées include the seared duck breast with Szechuan demi-glace, the seared snapper in rich beurre blanc, the vegetarian orzo pasta with purple cauliflower and feta cheese and the red wine marinated ribeye with eggplant.

Top off your Café Rabelais French feast with an unforgettable dessert, like the mixed nut and chocolate silk pie “fondant au chocolate sur croute de noix” or the fruity “sorbet du jour” and wash it down with a fresh, hot espresso.

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
French, Bistro, Dessert
Hours of operation
Lunch Tue–Sat 11:00 am–2:00 pm Dinner Tue, Wed 6:00 pm–9:00 pm Thu–Sat 6:00 pm–10:00 pm
Phone number
(713) 520-8841
Website
http://www.caferabelais.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Business Casual
Executive chef
Soriano Frank

Location
2442 Times Blvd, Houston, TX 77005
Neighborhood
Rice Village
Cross street
5499 kelvin Dr
Parking details
Street Parking
Additional
Beer, Cafe, Late Night, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Heirloom Tomato Salad$9.50
w/ Cheese of The Day, Red Onion & Balsamic Vinaigrette
Caesar Salad$9.50
- W/ Salmon$3.50
- W/ Chicken$4.00
- W/ Beef or Shrimp$5.00
Nicoise Salad$15.50
Tuna, Mixed Greens, Hard Boiled Egg, Green Beans, Olives & Anchovies
Frisee Salad$9.50
Avocado & Citrus w/ Citrus Vinaigrette
Salade de Bleu d'Auvergne$11.00
Bibb Lettuce, Bacon, Walnuts, Apple
Salade de Chevre de Pané$10.50
w/ Mixed Greens, Hazelnuts, Country Ham & Panko Crusted Goat Cheese
Salade Maison$7.00
w/ Mixed Greens, Tomato & Carrots

Sandwiches

All Sandwiches Served w/ Pomme Frites

Chicken Salad Sandwich$10.95
on Croissant w/ Bibb Lettuce & Tomato
Bavette Frites$12.50
w/ Onion, Lettuce, Tomato, Mustard, Melted Swiss
Herb Crusted Pork Loin Sandwich$13.00
w/ Tomato, Spring Mix & Cabbage Slaw
Merguez Sandwich$13.50
w/ Lettuce, Tomato & Mustard
Smoked Salmon Sandwich$12.50
w/ Lettuce, Tomato, Hard Boiled Egg & Gribiche
Provencal Sandwich$11.50
w/ Roasted Bell Pepper, Lettuce, Tomato, Caramelized Onion, Garlic Aioli & Goat Cheese
Sandwich Bayonnais$12.50
w/ Ham, Tomme De Savoie, Lettuce, Tomato & Butter

What 1,055 people are saying

Cafe Rabelais reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.8

4.8 based on recent ratings

4.9Food
4.7Service
4.8Ambience
4.6Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

Houston
French
Houston
French

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Cafe Rabelais offers "authentic French bistro vibes" with a "phenomenal" wine list and "excellent" food. Known for its "cozy ambiance" and "attentive service," guests rave about the steak au poivre, mussels, and French onion soup. Perfect for a romantic date or family gathering, it's a "neighborhood gem."

1,055 Reviews

P
Peg VIP
Houston39 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 19, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
Divine little spot right in the neighborhood with the feel of authentic European ding complete with an extensive wine list to pair with the many french dishes they serve expertly made to order! We started with the tomato and blue cheese salad topped with fresh basil and micro greens. The steak au poive was tender and served with fries that were freshly fried to crispy perfection. We were a little disappointed with the trout menier being dry but the flavor was good overall. We paired our dinner with a library Marsanay from 2011 that was nice but was probably beyond its optimal drinking window. We love this little place and we will always return for another gastro-venture very soon!
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M
Michael VIP
Houston131 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 18, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Every dish delicious and if not real hungry consider sharing A very tasty French restaurant
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P
Peter VIP
Houston56 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 18, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Authentic French bistro with good food, nice wine selection and excellent service. Highly recommended
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R
Roger VIP
Houston1 review
5.0
Dined on June 14, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Amazing dinner with the whole family. Food and service were on point as always. Consistently great place!
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I
IRINI
Houston2 reviews
4.0
Dined on June 7, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
The A/ C was not working well and we were very hot.
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m
maryann
Houston13 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 4, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Yummie soup and mussels were delicious and the fine baked bread and wine!
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J
JAMES
New Orleans / Louisiana1 review
5.0
Dined on June 4, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 3
Let me get the negatives out of the way first... The lighting quality was pretty poor. A bit tough to read the wine list and menu. Some supplemental accent lights on the tables or nearby would help a lot. And the noise level was a bit much, but not something the management or wait staff could do anything about. Problem with the clientele there, really and no fault of the restaurant. The food, however, was just excellent. My date had the salmon papillote and I the steak poivre. Meat and vegetables were perfectly prepared. The wine, a 2020 Chateau Vieux Meyney Bordeaux, was a luck of the draw selection that paired wonderfully. Delicious foie gras appetizer and a very nicely done creme brulee. The coffee, interestingly and pleasantly surprising, was absolutely terrific. All in all a great meal with great service. We'll be back.
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T
Tenley VIP
Houston63 reviews
5.0
Dined on May 31, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
My escargots, mussels and fries were excellent and a large portion. My husband’s mushroom soup and bavette steak were great. It’s hard to get a perfect medium rare. I’ve gone to Cafe Rabelais for 30 years. I’ll keep going back.
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B
Bernhard
Houston4 reviews
5.0
Dined on May 29, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great French food, great choice of wines and great service.
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D
Denis VIP
Austin12 reviews
5.0
Dined on May 29, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Went for lunch with one of my friends. We were promptly seated and enjoyed the tasteful decor of the room with an amazing assortment of French wine bottles. We tried the ‘salade de chèvre chaud’ and the ‘bœuf bourguignon’. Both were excellent and exactly as you would have gotten it in a reputable place in Paris. We also had Poire Belle Helene for dessert. Service was very attentive and the waitress had perfect French. Will be back soon to try more!
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FAQs

Cafe Rabelais is rated 4.8 stars by 1055 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Jul 1, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 7 times today

2442 Times Blvd, Houston, TX 77005

Additional information

Cross street
5499 kelvin Dr
Neighborhood
Rice Village
Hours of operation
Lunch Tue–Sat 11:00 am–2:00 pm Dinner Tue, Wed 6:00 pm–9:00 pm Thu–Sat 6:00 pm–10:00 pm
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
French, Bistro, Dessert
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Business Casual
Parking details
Street Parking
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Soriano Frank
Additional
Beer, Cafe, Late Night, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://www.caferabelais.com/
Phone number
(713) 520-8841

Cafe Rabelais

Make a reservation

About this restaurant

Additional information

Menu

Salads

Heirloom Tomato Salad$9.50

Caesar Salad$9.50

Nicoise Salad$15.50

Frisee Salad$9.50

Salade de Bleu d'Auvergne$11.00

Salade de Chevre de Pané$10.50

Salade Maison$7.00

Sandwiches

Chicken Salad Sandwich$10.95

Bavette Frites$12.50

Herb Crusted Pork Loin Sandwich$13.00

Merguez Sandwich$13.50

Smoked Salmon Sandwich$12.50

Provencal Sandwich$11.50

Sandwich Bayonnais$12.50

What 1,055 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

How is Cafe Rabelais restaurant rated?

Is Cafe Rabelais currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Additional information