Hobbit Cafe

Here's the problem: the food here tastes like something I could make myself with basic ingredients from an average grocery store. And my cooking, I must disclose, is amateurish and unsavory. I'm artless in the kitchen--as are they. Plus, this place should be bigger on hippie / vegetarian / raw food stuff.

Posted 09/03/09

I have been eating @ the Hobbit Hole Cafe
for 25 years. The food is Fab!Tthe Hot Spiced Tea is off the chain! The Ambience is very Middle Earth.! Anytime I am asked to recommend a resturant by new or old friends visiting the Houston, TX area the Hobbit is always #1 on my list.

Pros: Best Avacado Sandwiches in Texas!

Cons: Unappreciative patrons

Posted 08/27/09

Had a nice time there but the food wasnt that great. I would go there again because of the location and its just a nice little place near my home.

Pros: Location

Cons: Food

Posted 08/02/09

A small place with an equally small but impressive beer selection. Salmon burger is great!

Posted 07/14/09

This is such an interesting place. If you want a fun place to take a date that is not too knowledgeable about the city then you should go here. It's hidden, it's dorky and it's fun.

The food used to be pretty amazing here. The last couple of times i have gone I've been pretty disappointed. I would suggest sticking to the burgers and sandwiches. I've had other things but those are their solid items. Pretty creative ways of pairing flavors too.

Seating inside is a bit cramped and sitting outside in Houston is not great for a place that doesn't get a good enough breeze. Parking is also tight, considering the lot is small and the side street is usually packed on a Friday or Saturday night. If you go during the week, you have an opportunity to get great parking.

All in all i think this place is worth a visit for anyone who has never been. You just may be disappointed in some of the food.

Pros: Location, character

Cons: Seating, parking, food lately

Posted 04/08/09

This is a pretty weird place with good options for vegetarians. My girlfriend is a veggie and enjoys the food a lot, whenever I go with her it's good. We usually try to take our food to go though.

Pros: Good for Vegetarian, fresh food

Cons: Slightly weird

Posted 03/25/09

The Hobbit continues to be my favorite place to take real estate clients new to Houston. After a single introduction, they continue to return for the healthy portions of healthy food. Service is great lead by a family owned and operated business that's survived the test of time.

Absolutely a great place to go for burgers or to test the taste buds of the picky vegitarian. Inside or out, it's my favorite place for casual dining.

Pros: Substantial servings and no quality corners cut.....

Cons: Have plenty of time to enjoy the experience - not fast food.

Posted 03/18/09

I went to the Hobbit based on the reviews and wanted a placet that would be interesting to a 6 year old. However, the food was so bad it was unedible. The nacho's were huge and not bad but the burgers were terrrible. Don't go here with high expectations.

Pros: Hidden location

Cons: The awful food

Posted 03/05/09

My husband and I are new to the Houston area, and we discovered the Hobbit Cafe a few months ago. We LOVE it! The food is great, the wait staff are friendly and efficient, the atmosphere is very magical/hobbity, and if you are a fan of Tolkien, the owner's family was a good friend to the Tolkien family...just a little random trivia. We have a 4 month old baby, and we have taken him with us every time we have eaten here, and the staff are very friendly. Obviously, he is a pretty happy little guy, but even if he did start to fuss, we take care to make sure we are not ruining anybody's evening/dinner. I have a child, and I don't want to hear a screaming baby while I eat!

The best appetizer I have had there are the cream cheese shrimp rolls. I'm not a fan of shrimp, but these things are tasty! I also love their wrap...usually I get it with chicken, but the tuna is great, too. The hamburgers are incredible. The carrot cake and the chocolate mousse desserts are worth saving room in your tummy for.

I love the Hobbit, and we plan to go back very soon. Thanks for all the great wait staff!

Posted 02/08/09

The Hobbit Cafe was a little tricky to find, but once we did, it was well worth it! The restaurant has lots of LOTR decorations inside and it's very small but cozy. We sat outside, and the patio was very festive with colored lights. The waiters were nice and casual, and I ordered a sweet, Lord of the Rings themed :) smoothie. There were lots of vegetarian items, which I appreciated, and the wild salmon burger was very good with lots of quality greens and a yummy dill sauce! One of my friends ordered an avocado burger, and I was impressed with the generous amount of avocado. The staff was very upbeat, and I am excited to go back for dinner or brunch!

Posted 01/17/09

EllieBelle's review of this place being an unfriendly environment is ridiculous. You know, dear Ellie, reproducing does not make you a special customer. Also, the waiter was correct. Allowing your baby to chew on a menu? GROSS! How many hands have been on that thing? You should not be speaking poorly of one of Houston's most unique and friendly eateries just because you had one waiter that did not bow down to you and your status as mother. I think you expect a bit much, and I would not be shocked if you were quite rude yourself.

Posted 01/11/09

Elliebell's (another commenting user) review is telling clearly only one side of the story. It is, without a doubt, obvious that her (or his) child was crying & wailing the moment they had arrived because nobody would glare at you unless there was a good reason to. The waiter which came across as "snooty" & "rude" was probably more concerned about the entire environment of the rest of the restaurant. Once again, nobody would be rude unless provoked, & he was probably hinting for you to either calm the baby or leave so you would not disrupt all the other customers evening experience. And last but not least, it is gross to let your child stick the menu in its mouth. Plus why would you let your child do that in the first place, don't you know about a little thing called germs? By far, this place is amazing & I'm glad the service isn't afraid to stick up to a customer that is ignorant & uncaring about the rest of the world. By the way, they got the best cuisine in town. =]

Posted 12/27/08

This is not a family friendly restaurant! I had gone here before and liked the food even the the place was rundown and dirty and a bit dark. I brought the baby this time (9months). I arrived a bit before my party and was seated with rude looks from the wait staff and the host. When the waiter placed the drink on the table I asked him if he could move it further away so the baby would not get it (my hands were full). He raised his eyebrows at me-moved it a fraction of an inch-and then said, rudely, "Anything else I can do for you?". When the time came to order the baby grabbed my menu and stuck it in his mouth-ripping it out would have meant loud screaming so I asked if we would keep it-the waiter glared at me and I said, unless you are running low-he said, no-it is just GROSS and then walked away! I was planning on wiping the menu down before I gave it back! Clearly this is not a baby or family friendly place.

Posted 12/08/08

This place is a treasure! I went there for the first time with my cousin who is a regular and I was shocked at how big the portions were. The decor is quaint and reminds me of restaurants in the Northeast. The waitress was friendly and accomodating. I ordered the Hobbit Wrap with egg salad and it was delicious! The prices are great for the amount of food that is served...the leftovers were perfect for lunch the next day! I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for different vegetarian options and and is tired of bland veggies. Parking is an issue, but worth the wait. Will most certainly go back!

Pros: Great food!

Cons: Parking

Posted 11/19/08

You're never too sure what to expect from a LOTR themed eatery, but this is far from a fantasy nerd hangout - its a quaint and comfortable cafe with a great menu and fantastic tasting food. If it isn't family run, it sure feels like it with service thats both friendly and genuine. For what looks like such a small place from the outside, there's plenty of tables to choose from in every nook of each room. No sooner had my girlfriend and I sat down had our waitress brought our drinks, readying for our order. What impressed me most about the menu is that it tries to offer a little of everything: burgers, mexican dishes, club sandwiches and a bunch of random appetizers and sides (all with veggie options). The prices may seem pretty high at first ($8 for a sandwich / $10 for two enchildas) but when the food arrives you don't regret a thing - the portions are bulky and pleasantly filling. Great food, relaxed atmosphere and service with a smile... What more do you want from a backstreet cafe?

Pros: Friendly service. Tasty meal ideas. Good portions.

Cons: Absolutely none.

Posted 09/22/08

I love the Hobbit Cafe! It's a fun and tasty place to eat. The sandwiches are creative, but wayyyyy too big (even the smaller size order). That's not really a bad thing because it just means good leftovers. I've had mixed experiences with the service (usually excellent even when they're busy, but sometimes inexplicably slow at an off time)

Posted 07/13/08

I really enjoyed this place as a fun change of pace from regular lunch spots. I got the grilled fish tacos and really enjoyed them. Flavorful and healthy. When I first received my food, I thought maybe the portion would be a bit small...but it ended up being just right. I am about to go back again for lunch because I enjoyed it so much the first time!

Posted 07/11/08

I was really excited to go to Hobbit Cafe for lunch because I love vegitarian, healthy but tasty food. The atmosphere is cute, but I was so disappointed in the selection. There were only a few vegitrain options and I was shocked that a sandwhich was $8, and another $2.50 for a soda. The selections are high in calories and not even very flavorful... I guess because they use wheat bread other reviews thought the meal was good for you. I could have gotten a more balanced meal (and for a lot cheaper) at Chick-fil-a. If the menu improved and it was a couple bucks cheaper, I'd go back.

Posted 06/16/08

Food is average to mediocre. The menu hasn't changed in a while and it needs to. My salad had limp, warm lettuce. Soup was purported to be vegetable but was almost all muchrooms and was way to salty. Service was mediocre. Parking lot is a moonscape and needs to be resurfaced, really.

Pros: nice location

Cons: see review

Posted 06/09/08

My wife and I are from the UK, and my friend took a group of us last night to the Hobbit Cafe. We were fascinated about the history of the hobbit cafe, and the patio was perfect for a night like yesterday. The interior design was incredibly simple but imaginative with the earthy pastels and the "Gandalf" chair. My wife thought it was inventive to use shower curtains in the women restroom stalls. Our waiter was very friendly and attentive, a few of us had specific requests (it gets embarrassing sometimes), but he was patient enough to tend to our needs. We didn't have to wait long for our drinks, and we ordered burgers, black and blue burger was my favourite! I love blue cheese and bell peppers with cajun seasoning together.

We also ordered other items like black bean nachos, the hobbit wraps, and also the carribean salmon entree (among other burgers), which came highly recommended by our waiter. How rightly so. If you like salmon, this salmon portion was huge and our waiter got it grilled just to our specific request as we described. My wife likes it seared and it flavors well with the sweet mildly spicy jamaican sauce and mango pico.

More importantly, our waiter didn't chase us out. He was always there whenever we needed help, even when the restaurant got busy. The patio seating fills up very fast, and the lit candles make it very mystical like the Hobbit in the movies! We had a great time for first-timers, and although our waiter included a gratuity (6 and more pple), he informed us about it, and let us know that ultimately, we were welcomed to leave whatever amount we were comfortable with. Needless to say, we took care of him, and some more. We come to Houston to visit our families and their friends maybe 2 times maximum a year, and this will always be our first stop on our first night in Houston. Amazing. My wife cannot wait for the next time! Keep it up. Cheers!

Pros: As a first timer, I'm surprised to be well-impressed by the service, the food, and the experience

Posted 04/10/08

Ok, so before yesterday this was one of my favorite restaurants in Houston. The atmosphere is cool and comfortable- it's a great place to go to catch up with friends. I loved the shrimp rolls, hobbit wrap and black bean nachos. That is until yesterday as I ate dinner a huge rodent (I cannot use the other word, this site won't accept it) climbed down the wall and stood on a wall fixture about a foot above our table. I immediately went to tell the people at the front. The reaction was unbelievable in the fact that there was none! Our waiter even tried to say that since we were sitting on an enclosed patio that it was to be expected! There was an A/C- we were definitely inside. The manager just kind of walked away so I had no choice but to return to my table to try and gather my things. After that, various members of the staff came in to look and then went on about their business. To top it off I was handed a bill to pay for a meal that was interrupted by a rodent. It was completely and totally ridiculous. I will NEVER go back there!

Posted 03/29/08

This place is full of six legged creepy crawlies, my husband loves their burgers because he doesn't like spicy things, I think this place is too bland. They need to get their parking lot fixed, they need new chairs, they need to take care of the rodent issue, seating is cramped, and their bathrooms are gross! The ladies room stalls have shower curtains for doors...

Cons: everything

Posted 02/28/08

Nice, relaxed atmosphere with healthy comfort food. Great for vegetarians, with alot of options but also more traditional casual food.

Pros: Good Food, Interesting Atmosphere

Cons: Parking sometimes

Posted 02/06/08

I loved the atmosphere here! It's like you're in a hobbit's home, sitting at their table! They have the cutest decor and little lamps on the table. That being said, the food was ok at best. No one in my party really enjoyed their meal. It was made up for with dessert, though.

Pros: cutest place to eat!

Cons: food is bland

Posted 02/01/08

First, my friend and I didn't like our sandwiches at all. He got an avocado (Gandalf) sandwich which looked like it contained about 5 avocados and a tiny little bit of bread, while I got the Thorin Oakenfield tabouli sandwich which was not so tasty. I also got the "default" side of shredded carrots, and let's just say forget healthy! I'll get the chips next time. With that aside, I still enjoyed my meal mostly because of the service and ambience. The servers are really cool and helpful, and the actual restaurant can be described as easygoing and comfy. This is definitely a place I'd go to again if I just wanted a place to relax wtih a friend. Though I dissed the food earlier, I think that this place has better food than that and my friend and I just chose the wrong dishes.

Pros: relaxing, comfy, service

Cons: parking

Posted 10/14/07

Amazing: mahi mahi sandwich with dill tartar sauce;
Good: ahi tuna sandwich;
Ok: egg salad

...The atmosphere is unique & homey, but very crowded every time I've gone for lunch. The menu has great variety.

Pros: interesting atmosphere & mahi mahi sandwich

Cons: crowded & a lil pricey

Posted 10/07/07

I'd hate to say anything bad about this place, because I love it so much - the quirky ambiance, excellent patio, nice staff ... but, man, I wouldn't recommend the cooked cuisine. That is, most of the entrees. They just haven't worked well with me so far.

However, the sandwiches and burgers are excellent. Very excellent! Especially if it has avocado. Perhaps my most favorite fruit (well, the jackfruit competes with it), maybe I'm easy to please when it comes to a dish with avocado involved. But, the Hobbit does it right, and plenty too. I absolutely can't finish the large Gandalf sandwich -- must settle for the slim. It is by far my favorite sandwich. If you want meat, though, you can get it -- some juicy, fresh-broiled burgers. Of course, the one slathered with avocados is the best :)

Excellent staff too -- though they seem to keep changing; its a young crew, and I guess gets a rather transient employee base. No matter, they must be guided well, in attitude and efficiency. I'm always done right with them, either when I'm alone, with friends or a date.

This place doesn't quite have the ambiance for business, so I wouldn't recommend it for that.

One thing though: they need to FIX THE DANG PARKING LOT! Some of the holes their can nearly swallow my car. I understand they've been nagging the landlord for quite a while. Well, I'm a customer -- let me nag some more: fix the PARKING!!!

Pros: Excellent sandwiches, great atmosphere, great outdooring dining

Cons: broken parking lot

Posted 09/13/07

I am visiting Houston for the summer and have made it my goal to eat in as many only-in-Houston restaurants as I can find. Being somewhat of a Lord of the Rings fan, I was immediately excited to eat at the Hobbit Cafe - although somewhat unsure of what I would get. The restaurant is in a kinda crappy old house, but that is more than made up for by the wait staff, who were amazing- incredibly personable and helpful, friendly, talkative and fast. The food was probably the best I have had since coming to Houston, although not to Lord of the Rings oriented. I would actually venture to say that the avocado buffalo burger I was served was the best burger I have ever eaten. My friend had a fruit smoothie and Jamaican-jerk burger that were both excellent as well. If the Hobbit Cafe was a little closer to my work and apartment I would without a doubt be a regular.
If you are looking for a relaxed place and an excellent meal I would absolutely recommend the Hobbit Cafe.

Pros: Great Food, Superb Service, Relaxed atmosphere

Cons: House the restaurant is located in isn't the nicest, there's not too much parking

Posted 07/11/07

We arrived for lunch on a Thursday around 12:30 and it was a full house. The wait was only about 5 minutes though. The service was very good and the food was great. I had a angus burger and it was delicious. Very large burger too. My girlfriend had the veggie enchiladas and they were tasty too. Lunch for two was around 20 bucks. Black beans and brown rice instead of refried and Mexican rice knocked the calories down too! I will go back for sure.

Pros: Food and service

Cons: Packed House and Parking

Posted 06/27/07

I love the black bean nachos. I have had soups,sandwiches,etc. and I would really recommend
going and giving this legendary restaurant a try. You might have a little trouble finding a place to park
but once your inside it will be worth it. It is very unique place with great atmosphere,and friendly staff.
So if your are looking for something different give the Hobbit Cafe a try !

Pros: Atmosphere and variety

Cons: parking

Posted 04/24/07

By far my favorite place to eat in the city. You pay a little more, but what you get is fantastic. No other restaraunt in town throws veggies and alvacodoes on sandwiches with such reckless abandon. I'm not a big fan of soy, but the soy burger is absolutely delicious (and gigantic). My personal favorite is the St. Lucia. It's a fresh piece of tuna cooked how you want it, topped with fresh greens, purple onion and a delicious sauce. Yeah, the fries cost a 1.50 more, but you should probably be eating shaved carrots anyways. Give the hobbit a try, I promise you won't regret it.

Posted 02/22/07

The Jamaican chicken is great, out of this world hamburgers. Not to mention the nice selection of micro brewed beers and wines. We live about 30 miles north of the Hobbit Cafe and make regular trips downtown for the food.

Pros: just about everything

Cons: parking lot a wee small, bah its worth it

Posted 01/11/07

There seriously must be someone that peels avocados in the kitchen and nothing else. The sandwiches with avocados literally have several avocados in them. I really like this place. It is somewhat hidden off Richmond Ave. and attracts a quirky crowd. Their sandwiches are a delight and fresh fruit drinks are joyful. This is a feel-good restaurant for me. For a Lord of the Rings fan - it is a fantasy come true.

Pros: location, food, staff, non-alcoholic drinks

Cons: none

Posted 01/11/07

i haven't actually eaten a real meal here. we were curious and spontaneously decided to check it out. it's a quaint little "hobbit" house hiding on richmond. the space is small and personable with the feel of actually being in the Shire, and the lord of the rings paraphernalia provides amusing eye candy. scanning through the menu, we gather that this place is a bit on the health nut side. we opted for the cheesecake dessert which didn't disappoint ... and due to our spontaniety, we ended up finding one of the best wines ever! for red wine lovers, try: HIGUERUELA - a tempranillo from the rioja region of spain. absolutely superb! the staff was friendly and amusing - accomodating our every need (even though we came late, they never rushed us) and provided interesting banter from time to time. the waiter even gave us the empty bottle of HIGUERUELA. definitely an interesting themed restaurant in houston to try.*

Pros: quaint, friendly staff

Posted 11/18/06

I went here for my first time with a friend who's been a lot more. as soon as we got to the lot i had a good feeling about it. the restaurant itself reminded me of a small house. once inside it was very cozy with christmas lights near the ceilings. we got seated after waiting about 5 minutes. i ordered the avacado and mushroom sandwich SLIM (i thought this mean half) but when i got it, it was HUGE. i think they put a whole avocado in it! it was delicious. i just wish the bread didn't fall apart or the mushrooms could've been sauteed but it was still yummy. I couldn't finish it. the fries were great, i'd recommend those if you feel like having some. the waiter was very nice and he didn't mind splitting our check for us. im not much of a super healthy eater, but there are reasonable things to order from the menu that are kind of healthy, but still very tasty. (quesadillas with side orders of black beans instead of refried. things like that). overall i enjoyed my experience and i would not mind going again.

Pros: very quaint, large portions, yummy fries

Cons: paying extra for substitutes (the fries)

Posted 11/14/06

This place is one of our favorite stops for a casual treat in Houston. (We live out of the downtown area - and have been known to drive miles to come here). The service is friendly - generally staffed by some of the local college attendees - and the food is simple, but fresh - fresh - fresh. Warning - you will always be served more food than you expected! Outstanding sandwiches and tex-mex offerings. Owners are on-site and see to it that it is done right. The Sunday brunch is exceptional! Get there early.

Pros: Great food, outstanding brunch, consistency and a good price.

Cons: The Parking Lot!

Posted 09/19/06

The food here is decent, and I really enjoy some of their sandwiches and burgers. They've also got terrific guacamole! However, the menu is limited, and for what it offers, its overpriced. $8 is too much to pay for a sandwich that doesn't even come with fries, and the tortilla chips are the cheapest kind you can get (those horrible round ones). Nonetheless, you will find something that you'll enjoy eating if you don't mind over paying a dollar or two (which really isn't a big deal). They also have good iced tea!

The main attraction, is the beautiful patio. My first impression is that it was a really nice place to kick back and relax... it has a really nice atmosphere. However, I've decided to never eat there again after repeated bad experiences there. Basically, it's fly city. The last time I was there, I could not enjoy the meal at all. At any given time there were a half dozen flies buzzing around me, which landed on my food every couple of minutes. The staff had an indifferent attitude and did not seem interested in my suggestion that they look into the root of the problem, and if necessary get the neighboring restaurant to clean up their area a bit. They even told me it was probably something dead under the patio that they couldn't do anything about. The only words that can possibly follow a sentence like that are "We would be glad to offer you a refund," but I heard no such thing. Basically... you don't want to sit outside eating when there's 3 garbage dumps in the immediate area. It's a shame, becuase if it weren't for the flies, there's no place I'd rather eat at on a nice day.

Pros: Iced tea, burgers, Smeagol

Cons: Flies

Posted 08/30/06

This is the place to go if you are on a budget but want good food.
My Tolkien Group went there and is coming back there again tonight.
One meal there will make 2 meals for regular eaters or three meals for smaller eaters.
My favorite soup is the gazpacho and I love the wrap with the 3 salads in it. The portions are huge!

Pros: Great Food at reasonable Prices, Huge Servings, Friendly Service

Cons: Better reserve when you come in a bigger group, you can't get fast seating. If you come by yourself come early, or wait for a long time

Posted 08/09/06

Cozy hobbit-sized restaurant (almost literally) with ork-sized portions....
I went with a friend and we ordered 1 order of guac salad and 1 platter of fajitas and we were both totally stuffed. Food is pretty good and service was great! Go and see for yourself.

Pros: good food, big servings

Cons: very small interior

Posted 07/29/06

The service was great. We just thought the food was a little pricey for a whole in the wall place. I never ordered a burger from somewhere where I had to pay 1.59 more for fries or fruit. Most places include that in the price. The burger was bland. Nothing special. We ended up paying $25.00 just for 2 burgers and 2 drinks.

Pros: Sitting outside

Cons: pricey for average food

Posted 06/13/06

This is one of my favorite joints for those lazy Saturdays and Sundays. The large guacamole salad along with one of their sandwhiches always satisfies. Their Dr. Pepper is perfectly mixed and ice cold.

Posted 06/03/06

I went to The Hobbit at the reccommendation of a friend, who said that the La Crucia sandwich would surely become a favorite dish of mine. I decided to go with my mother, sat outside on the patio and had what was one of the best lunches I've had in all of Houston. My La Crucia was delicious as were the Spinich Quesadillas that my mother ordered. Be sure to go when you're extra hungry as the portions are rather big (but isn't everything in Texas?) and you have room for the homemade Key Lime Pie. Quirky decorations inside, and a wonderful, shady patio outside.

Pros: Good Parking, Shady, Fun Atmosphere

Cons: Slow Service, Bugs Outdoors

Posted 05/24/06

I really like the fish tacos here. They are great. The burgers on the other hand are very, very bland. Service is okay, not too friendly but they get the job done. It gets loud inside and you sit soooo close to people that you may want to stau on the patio. Beer is expensive.

Pros: Fish Tacos, patio

Cons: Burgers, Parking, inside

Posted 03/21/06

This is a place that we go to when we want to spend time with our friends. The service is paced slower than a rushed eatery, so think europe, think vacation. The staff is usually very friendly and are helpful with menu decisions. They do get busy on Friday nights - try a week night. Generous portions, their fish tacos are wonderful - they are very conscious of food allergies / special requests. There is something for everyone here. It's one of our personal favorites.

Pros: Special diet needs, ecclectic menu, group friendly

Posted 03/14/06

Everything was all right until we were seated. We waited 10 min. just to get the water, 20 minutes after we ordered our food to get our nacho, and then another 30 more minutes to get the enteree. Our waiter never even came by to check on us or to let us know how's the food coming along, considering the long wait. When we finally got to see him with our food, we told him it took very long, and he had an attitude, saying "what do you want me to do? Saturday nights are very busy." He didn't even apologize. With all the time we had waiting for our food, we were counting how long it took them to serve the table next to ours. 3 minutes for their drinks, 8 minutes to get their quesadilla. I think it was just our server, but we're never going there again!

Pros: interesting

Cons: very slow service, attitude

Posted 02/11/06