Mark's American Cuisine Review

We celebrated our anniversary there and loved it. Food was delish and the atmosphere was great. Service was slow but top notch, very helpful and very pleasant. Would go again and/or recommend.

I think the the food they serve here is moderately mediocre. I have been to better places. Well, I don't know if I will return to this place. I am a very picky person and I think the impression the place for me is really mediocre.

I have eaten fine cuisine around the world. If the Michelin Star were awarded to American Restaurants, this place would certainly be on the radar to earn one. I was amazed by the level of service and the tantilizing dishes. While certainly not inexpensive, I would now consider this to be the best restaurant I have eaten at in Houston.

Great food, great service, great atmosphere. Just plain great!

Absolutely Amazing! This place is a bit pricey, let's get that out of the way. Mark's is located in a 1920's renovated church with an amazing ambiance, which is cozy and romantic. The food is delicious and the servers provide exceptional service along with great recommendations.

The meal presentation is superb and you can tell that the quality of the food is a source of pride for this restaurant. Self-Parking and Valet are available when you arrive. I definitely recommend making a reservation in advance if you plan on dining here. I went here with my roommate and his realtor, as she wanted to take us out for a thank you dinner. (I probably would not have come here on my own dime, as it is pretty pricey, especially if you like to drink while dine, which we did). We were seated in the middle of the restaurant, which was great, as I felt like we were in the spotlight. We had a round of martini's to start off the meal and they were made to perfection with their blue cheese stuffed olives. We ordered the ahi appetizer which was tasty, but the noodles included were a bit salty. They had a fish special that two of us ordered and was absolutely delightful. I also ordered the steak and it was a little over-marinated in my opinion, but cooked exactly as ordered and still tasty. We had two bottles of wine among the three of us, which looking back on was a little excessive, but the wine was very good.

At the end of the meal the server provided us with a complementary small creme brulee for our celebration, since we were basically drinking our dessert and we were pretty full from the meal.

All-in-all the dining experience here was outstanding and I would come back again if I could afford it on a regular basis. 5 stars!

if it was possible, I would give 6 stars. By far the best service in the city!!! From the moment I stepped into the restaurant, the staff made me feel like i am VIP. And the food!!! I cannot describe. It is like you taste all of the ingredient in the dishes. How is that even possible!! a dish as simple as cauliflower pate, tastes phenomenal!!! It is wofrth every penny!!

This was by far the nicest dinner I have ever had. We did not have reservations but were seated immediately. The waiters were knowledgeable of the menu which changes daily and were very attentive but were never at the table when we did not want them. They did a great job with standing at the back of the room and watching for someone to look like they need them. We ordered the appetizer fouresome I wish I remembered what it was it was mouth watering. The fried zuchini stuffed with lobster was the best thing i've ever eaten litterally. I ordered the venison which was delicious and hubby ordered the duck which was beautifully presented and the raspberry sauce made it to die for! this was the best dinner i've had and i've been to my share of upscale joints. My only suggeation would be to make a reservation, even though it waa wednesday night and we were seated immediaty the table was rather small with not a lot of elbow room so make reservations for a bigger table.

My boyfriend wanted to take to this place for valentine's day. He bought a VALENTINE'S SPECIAL deals from Groupon. It was 8 course tasting menu, and when we arrived, the manager said they can't honor that deal. WTF!!!
If they can't honor it, why they would offer from the first place?

We waited, groomed, and dressed for this special day, but it was wasted.
This is total BS.
Please don't goto this place, Smart Consumers!!!!

The food and service were good -- but I've had better. You're definitely overpaying for both if you go here. It's neat that the building is an old church, but I wish it still looked like an old church... they covered or replaced a lot of the old church features. I came here because it's a well known Houston restaurant and I wanted the experience... but I wouldn't come here again.

Prentitous, overpriced rubbish. I have had better at Olive Garden!!!!!

The waiter was an obnoxious snob. I would never return....

I came to this restaurant with high hopes. Many friends have raved about this place so I wanted to give it a try. I took my wife here for HRW and received some of the worst service I've had in my years of eating out. The waiter was not rude initially when approaching the table, but after we told him we were here for HRW, he quickly pointed to the wines at the bottom as being the less expensive ones.

While I was somewhat taken aback, I proceeded to order a scotch neat. When he came back the glass was nearly full to the brim with ice. There's a possibility that the bartender filled this order incorrectly so I didn't fault him much, but when I asked that it be sent back he spun around in a huff.

After we ordered our food the rest of the service was going well. Unfortunately the duck came out almost well done. It was dry and tough, generally inedible. This wasn't necessarily the waiter's fault as he doesn't prepare the food, but the plate was hot to the touch. I understand a plate has to be warm when served with warm food, but I am left to wonder if Mark's uses heat lamps on the kitchen line to temporarily keep items warm while the rest of the order is being completed. If so, my plate may have sat under the lamps for entirely too long.

Dessert was served and everything was good. However for a good 30 minutes after we finished, the waiter was no where to be found. We saw other tables around us who also did the HRW menu come and go while we waited patiently. When he finally made an appearance he didn't mention anything and gave us the bill.

I have worked in restaurants for 8 or so years and I do empathize with the daily rigors of waiting tables. But I would think that a restaurant with the reputation Mark's American has, they would strive to show higher hospitality towards their guests. If it were one or two minor occurrences, I would think nothing of it. Unfortunately for myself, my wife and the restaurant, this was not the case and we will likely not be back.

I was invited by my friend to go to Mark's for the first time, and I had a very pleasant experience. We had a Groupon for an 8 course meal (which I didn't realize would take 4-5 hours). I'm very much a foodie, so I enjoyed every entre, from the corn couscous to the raspberry sorbet. We opted for the 8 different glasses of wine with every meal. The waiters were extremely kind and professional. Since they closed at 11, we ended up taking the last 4 entres to-go. I highly recommend Mark's.

The place is beautiful but I expected more about the food.

Came here to celebrate my wife's birthday after putting off the visit for so long. Very unique setting. We ordered the angel hair with truffles for an appetizer and it was excellent paired with a Brunello. I couldn't wait for the entree! I had the beef tenderloins while my wife had the special of the day, the fancy $125 steak. My dish was prepared well while my wife's steak was atrociously overcooked. I can't believe the chef would do that to a fine rare piece of meat. What a travesty! My wife opted not to send it back out of embarrassment and hunger, but I let the staff know and they apologized and offers us a gift card that we have yet to use. On the upside, the dessert was incredible. My advice, stick with the normal stuff the Chef cooks everyday and never opt for the special that the Chef rarely prepares.

My girlfriend and I have been restaurant to restaurant all around Houston and its surrounding areas, eager to find our own favorite places to dine. One night we happened to come to Mark's only to be disappointed. No reservation was made but we were seated immediately, which was nice. The restaurant itself looks great, however that's the only bragging rights they have to offer. The food portioning was a joke, especially for the price. The taste did not make up for the lack of portion either. There are far better places in Houston for filet mignon and lamb. We suggest going with your second choice if Mark's is your first.

Some good food. I liked the service that they had to offer, it was pretty solid. They have some nice lunch, especially for their specials. Must go around 1-3 and you'll have an amazing lunch.

Delish food friendly environment very helpful and pleasant.

A little overpriced but I knew that as I was going in, company paid so I didn't care. I've had better food at Eddie Vs though.

The chefs are great, the food is delicate and delicious. The dinning environment is average considering its price and the worst part is the service. The waiter we have the other day is horrible. Didn't bring back our check for about 20 minutes and barely serve our table.

We had an exceptional time at Mark's American Cuisine, the staff was exceptional. Our favorite was the blueberry tart and the salted caramel cheesecake. The lobster and snapper were amazing as well. Ask for a table on the balcony over-looking the restaurant.

wow! when you think this can't get better you are proven wrong. this is the best place in houston; casual but upscale and the food just keeps impressing you. try the "off the menu chocolate cake"

Extremely expensive but such humble and respectful people I feel extremely bad for not giving them a tip under bad budget situations and such negative energy that I have brought with me honestly I hope my review gets them a lot of customers - Treasure (visited the restaurant 7/717/15)

I absolutely loved Mark's. I took my boyfriend for his 25th birthday and it was a first for the both of us. The atmosphere is so nice and the food was delicious - not to mention the wonderful presentation. I also liked that I could make the cake order prior to dining in the day of the event. The cake was so good. Wine selection was on point. Everything was great! I will definitely be returning for the next special occasion.

The restaurant is not honoring their contract with Grupon.
I called to make a reservation and I was informed that Mark's American Cuisine can no longer honor Grupon on Saturday even if clearly it states otherwise on the Grupon. This is not legal and you need to fix that very quickly. The person on the reservation said I could not talk to the manager neither.

The waiters are nice and the was food amazing. I would recommad this restruant to friends even though the menu was pretty pricey.

I met a girlfriend for a light bite and drinks, first time to Mark's. Our minds were blown! The Duo of Foie Gras was the best I've ever eaten. The seared Foie Gras was exceptional and the Tourchon was wonderful...we even got a special little extra of a pate of prosciutto and duck and something else that was mouth watering! The Oysters were to die and what made it great is I requested no gluten or dairy on my portion and they split the portion of 4 between the two of us on separate plates, hers was regular mine GF and DF... We both agreed mine was the better of the two! No extra charge for my special needs and they seemed happy to accommodate! It's recently under new management and service was flawless!

One of my favorite restaurants in Houston. Excellent food, great ambience. It is pricey but worth it.

this was described to be the best restaurant in houston to me, but i was let down by the mediocre food and the hostess with no personality.

Mediocre, unimaginative dishes served with pretentious service at exorbitant prices. A novel experience, but would not return nor recommend.

Great place to take a date. Always excellent service and their food is on point every single time.

Me and couple of my friends have been to Mark's on several special occasions and found the service and food to be fantastic. It's a bit pricey but this place has always served up excellent food. I highly recommend this restaurant.

The place and decor is nice although i noticed alot of people had trouble seeing the menus with their dim lighting they have, service had no choice but to be good as we were upstairs on a small section where they stayed. Unless you want to pay some serious money for wine your stuck with water. But yes this place is overpriced, the food was... different and small portioned decorated like you see on food tv. But not worth $217 for two on valentines. I'd rather had a big steak and unfortunately my gf agrees. But it was a fancy experience we don't get to do everyday,

Dinner here was amazing. My wife and I celebrated our anniversary here and the experience was great! Our waiter was very helpful and knowledgeable in all the plates and specials. The inside is visually appealing and romantic.

Reserve a seat in the loft. Excellent service. Fresh gourmet choices. Romantic atmosphere.

I used to love this place, but the last experience I had was more than disappointing. My boyfriend and I have celebrated his birthday there for the last three years, but we are going somewhere else this year. Our waiter was slow and got one of our orders wrong (we were one of three tables). After that, we felt rushed to leave. Our food was good, but not that good. We paid a huge bill for less than good service and decent, but not great, food. For that price, we could have gone to a "better" restaurant with amazing service. I waited tables for more than four years, so I understand a server's point of view and I can honestly say that our service was NOT good. I am sad to say that I will probably not be back.

My girlfriend and I did an 8 course tasting menu at Mark's American Cuisine right around the beginning of the New Year. First, the service was very good; our server was a really nice guy and the meal went smoothly from that perspective. The decor is a bit outdated, but still nice. My big issue was with the food. Even having purchased the meal through Groupon, I feel we paid way too much for the food. The basket of bread they had was delicious, and we were started with a "Truffle Flan" salad course which was really quite good. From there we had a nice fish dish and then duck breast and wild rice. Unfortunately, each dish was less impressive than the last. Eventually we got to a meat course where bison and venison was served. The venison was nice, but the bison was disgusting. Bad flavor and very tough. The sorbet was nice as a palate cleanser, though the cheese course was a little weak - very heavy on goat cheeses, which neither my girlfriend nor I cared for. The desserts were really good and they did a great job as this was a birthday dinner for my girlfriend. In the end, the food WAS very good, as were the service and decor. It just simply isn't worth the price though. I've had more enjoyable, more creative, and more flavorful meals at Rattan for half the price. For all the hype that surrounds Mark's as it is consistently rated one of the best restaurants in Houston, it was a letdown. It might be unfair to judge them against the high expectations set by reviews from the web and people I know, but I can't get past that I feel I spent way too much money for a less than stellar experience.

Great food, HIGHLY OVERPRICED AND OVERRATED GO SOMEWHERE ELSE

This is a wonderful place to go out and eat if you are in Houston. My husband and I have been there many times and when we have friends in town we'll often bring them to Mark's

Pricy but excellent food. Had wonderful seared fish.

Mark's has a nice atmosphere and great food. It is definitely a more classic restaurant from the inside. Sometimes you get tired of trying nice restaurants that are too modern and try too hard to belong to this generation. Mark's has a very elegant setting which I always enjoy and respect. Good for when you want to have a classy dinner at a classic restaurant.

First time here. What an amazing menu. I decided on the duck and was blown away. It was incredible. Staff was very friendly and what a cool old church! Definitely will be coming back

I work right around the corner, so I have dined here at least 20 times since they opened. The music is always eclectic and fun and the food is very good. My all time favorite sandwich anywhere is here at Mark's American Cuisine!! But the service is sooooo slow every time!! Today was no exception with an almost 20 minute wait for our bill to be dropped off and change given back. We even took our money to the counter after not seeing our waiter for a good 8 or 9 minutes after he dropped off the check, to pay the bill.

This would be a top 5 restaurant in Houston for any serious food critic. I have worked in Fine Dining from Hawaii to NYC. This place is ranked with my favorites of all time, in any city.

Fantastic atmosphere in an old beautiful Church, great wine list,fair service, good food.