Main Kitchen & 806 Lounge

"I was looking for an upscale lunch spot in Downtown Houston and settled on ‘Main Kitchen’ for a test-run. With its location in a luxurious hotel, I anticipated a fine dining experience. Unfortunately, the reality fell short of the description; it felt more like canteen-level food and service. In all honesty, one could easily find similar fare in the nearby tunnels without paying a premium.

Breaking it down, the seating was problematic. The first table offered had an uncomfortable blast of AC from above, the next was swinging like a pendulum. Finally seated at the third table, ice water was served without asking, despite it being a cold rainy November day. The ice appeared melted. Opting for sparkling water, it turned out to be from a regular water dispenser, I can get the same water at the office. Offer me Ferrarelle or San Pellegrino, not the tap water. I was looking forward to have a glass of Telmont champagne listed on their November Wine Menu only to find it unavailable, and the staff seemed unfamiliar with it. Even Moet&Chandon wasn’t available. Settled for cava, which was a decent choice but certainly a downgrade from a champagne. As for the food, it raised many questions. The ‘exquisite dishes’ and ‘innovative and delicious menu’ promised on their website were nowhere to be found. The presentation and quality of the dishes felt basic and didn’t align with the fine dining experience I had anticipated. 

For instance, the Crispy Brussels Sprouts were drowned in an excessive amount of Ponzu sauce, not exactly a healthy balance. TX Cut lacked the finesse one would expect—it resembled a canteen meal with a sloppy presentation and veered more towards Medium Well rather than the ordered Medium. At that point I was already so annoyed, agitated and hungry, so I had no desire to give any feedback anymore. The food was edible but far from remarkable. It wasn’t WOW. There’s ample room for improvement in both food quality and service. Our overall experience was disappointing. November 10th, 2023"

"It’s a hotel restaurant accessible to outside customers. Nice chill vibes and the food is actually really good for a hotel restaurant and our server Heather was great. Will definitely be back."

"A nice experience in downtown Houston I was seated immediately and was attended to by the server equally fast the. The burger and side salad was absolutely marvelous. Love the espresso martini as well. Highly recommend this place for great food and overall experience."

"Very nice for a hotel restaurant. Good was on point. Wings were so juicy on the inside and the dry rub was awesome and crispy on the outside. Empanadas were so flavorful. Pork belly was mouth watering. The burger was good too."

"Came here for a quick order while staying at the JW Marriott for business. The bar was full, so grabbed a small table and placed my order to go. Ordered an arugula greens salad with a grilled chicken breast. Order came out in 10 minutes and was neatly packed in to go boxes. Put it together in the room and it tasted great. Chicken breast was freshly grilled and was very juicy. The salad was a nice mix of different greens. Good place to come for a quick bite and the bar looked like a nice place to have some food and drinks."