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External photo - The Federal Grill - Downtown, Houston, TX

The Federal Grill - Downtown

4.6 (206)
$30 and under
American
1221 McKinney St ste g100, Houston, TX 77010-2011

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 21 times today

About this restaurant

  • Lively
  • Good for business meals
  • Great for happy hour
Dress Up or Dress Down. A Bourbon or a Beer. A Ribeye or a Burger. Where precision cooking meets quality ingredients in a tribute to classic American cuisine. Dining experiences are complemented by an exceptional whiskey and cocktail list—the essence of the Federal Experience. This location also will serve lunch, happy hour, and dinner, as well as weekend brunch – and will offer catering to our downtown neighbors. New to this location will be a grab-and-go coffee bar, which will offer pastries, sandwiches, and salads throughout the day – and a variety of locally owned 4WD Coffee drinks.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    American, Comfort Food, Contemporary American
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Thu 11:00 am–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:00 am–11:00 pm Sun 10:00 am–9:00 pm
  • Phone number
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Executive chef
    Matt Brice
  • Neighborhood
    Downtown
  • Cross street
    VALET<br />Mon- Thur 5pm-10pm<br />Fri & Sat 5pm-11pm<br />3 Hrs $10<br
  • Parking details
    Valet
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Delivery, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, View, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Offers

  • Social Hour Monday - Friday | 3:00 - 7:00 pm

    Multiple dates available
    Mon - Fri - 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM
    From 3 pm - 7:00 pm every Monday - Friday, experience elevated service at a bargain price! Enjoy $8 Happy Hour Specialty Cocktails along with $6 Liquors including Jack Daniels, Makers Mark, Flor De Cana Rum, Hendricks Gin & many more! Delight in our lively social hour fueled by whiskey, wine, & good times. Stop in for an Old Fashioned, Socialite, or one of our Perfect Margaritas before dinner and you'll realize why we just can't limit these deals to one hour!

    Social Hour Monday - Friday | 3:00 - 7:00 pm Photo

What 206 people are saying

The Federal Grill - Downtown 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

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.6Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.6Ambience
  • 4.5Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
The Federal Grill - Downtown offers "great food" and "excellent service," making it a popular choice for groups and business lunches. Highlights include the "best French dip" and delightful happy hour deals. While some diners noted noise and service delays, many praised the "fantastic environment" and accommodating staff.
206 Reviews
  1. Greg

    Houston1 review

    4.0

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    I had the blackened mahi tuna and it was delicious. Others had various other seafood dishes and they were good. Our server was a bit preoccupied and I don’t believe it was because the restaurant was so busy he couldn’t be more attentive. The wine was a total bust. I would have expected a better grade of wine for the price that I paid.
    The Federal Grill - DowntownResponded today
    Thanks for sharing your feedback! We're glad to hear you enjoyed the blackened mahi tuna and the other seafood dishes. We’re sorry your server didn’t seem as attentive as expected, and we’ll make sure to address that. We also appreciate your input on the wine selection — we’ll take that into consideration for future improvements. Hope to have the chance to serve you better next time!

    Is this helpful?

  2. Britney

    Houston1 review

    5.0

    Dined on June 16, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Amazing from start to finish! Great service and phenomenal food!
    The Federal Grill - DowntownResponded 4 days ago
    So glad to hear it—thank you! We’re thrilled you had an amazing experience.

    Is this helpful?

  3. Sabina VIP

    Houston21 reviews

    2.0

    Dined on June 15, 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    Pecan snapper was too dry. Short tib had no taste. Very expensive for unsatisfying dinner for three 240$
    The Federal Grill - DowntownResponded on June 18, 2025
    We’re truly sorry to hear your experience fell short. We always aim to provide great food and value, and it’s clear we missed the mark. Thank you for your honest feedback—it helps us grow. We’d love the chance to make it right if you’re open to reaching out!

    Is this helpful?

  4. Deena VIP

    Houston7 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 4, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Everything was great. Michael was a wonderful server.
    The Federal Grill - DowntownResponded on June 12, 2025
    Thank you for your kind words! We’re so glad to hear that everything was great and that Michael took such good care of you. We’ll be sure to pass along your compliments to him. Looking forward to welcoming you back soon!

    Is this helpful?

  5. Gracie

    Houston1 review

    5.0

    Dined on May 30, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The room we were seated in was a big hit with our guests/interns. Service and food were fantastic. We look forward to our next meeting at Federal Grill.
    The Federal Grill - DowntownResponded on June 2, 2025
    Thank you so much for your review, Gracie! We're thrilled to hear your guests and interns enjoyed the space, and that the service and food made a great impression. We can’t wait to have you back for your next meeting!

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  6. Marcus VIP

    Coastal Georgia1 review

    3.0

    Dined on May 25, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    With a restaurant that was 90% empty on yesterday(5/25/25), there’s no excuse to have cold mashed potatoes and a burnt butter cake dessert. This location can’t be managed by the same crew that runs the operation on Shepard. I don’t think I’ll be going back to the Downtown location anytime in the near future.
    The Federal Grill - DowntownResponded on May 29, 2025
    Thank you for your review, Marcus! We appreciate your feedback so that we can take it to our management team to improve on our processes and consistencies! We hope to see you back soon so that we can make it up to you for your last visit! Please send us your contact info so that our GM can reach out to you!

    Is this helpful?

  7. OpenTable Diner

    Houston1 review

    4.0

    Dined on May 23, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Great happy hour prices. Fried green tomatoes and Poke were delicious. Cajun chicken sliders a bit dry.
    The Federal Grill - DowntownResponded on May 29, 2025
    Thank you for your review! We are happy to hear that you enjoyed our social hour! We appreciate your feedback on the sliders! We look forward to seeing you back soon!

    Is this helpful?

  8. OpenTable Diner VIP

    Greater Boston1 review

    5.0

    Dined on May 23, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Kevin was a great waiter and we enjoyed our meal, will definitely be back. We had a large group but the service and wait time was great!
    The Federal Grill - DowntownResponded on May 24, 2025
    Thank you for your kind words! We're happy to hear Kevin took great care of your group and that you enjoyed your meal. We look forward to your next visit!

    Is this helpful?

  9. Will VIP

    San Francisco Bay Area2 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on May 20, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    Noisy at lunch time. Staff seemed over loaded. Fresh catch of the day was not fresh. So I give 3 star "Good". Wasn't bad but just "meh".
    The Federal Grill - DowntownResponded on May 24, 2025
    Thank you for your honest feedback, Will. We're sorry to hear your experience was just average and that the fresh catch didn’t meet expectations. We appreciate your comments and will work on improving. Hope to have another chance to serve you better.

    Is this helpful?

  10. Andrea VIP

    Dallas - Fort Worth16 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on May 16, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We had a group of 10 celebrating a couple birthdays- we were able to dine in the private room which was perfect. We were all impressed with the food and service. Great social hour deals, the cheeseburger egg rolls and bang bang shrimp were delicious. Abigail was a great server! We were visiting from out of town and this was our favorite meal in Houston.
    The Federal Grill - DowntownResponded on May 24, 2025
    Thank you, Andrea! We're so glad your group had a great celebration and enjoyed the private room, food, and service. We'll be sure to pass your kind words along to Abigail. It means a lot to hear we were your favorite meal in Houston!

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

The Federal Grill - Downtown offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (832) 930-5577.

The Federal Grill - Downtown is rated 4.6 stars by 206 OpenTable diners.

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

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. Houston
  4. Houston
  5. Downtown

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 21 times today
Google Map for The Federal Grill - Downtown

1221 McKinney St ste g100, Houston, TX 77010-2011

Additional information

  • Cross street
    VALET<br />Mon- Thur 5pm-10pm<br />Fri & Sat 5pm-11pm<br />3 Hrs $10<br
  • Neighborhood
    Downtown
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Thu 11:00 am–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:00 am–11:00 pm Sun 10:00 am–9:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    American, Comfort Food, Contemporary American
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Valet
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Matt Brice
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Delivery, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, View, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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