Black Labrador Pub   4100 Montrose Blvd Houston TX 77006 713.529.1199 You might also be interested in these:     English Restaurants    Outdoor Dining    ZIP 77006   Add Review       MY REVIEW: We just returned from the Black Labrador and it was excellent in every way. The building is attractive with brick and vines, and we were welcomed at the door. Our waitress was friendly and attentive and the food came quickly. I had the Black Dog breakfast with bangars, eggs and a potato pancake. My wife had fish and chips and my daughter had sheppherd's pie. Everything was delicious. We will definitely go back. NAME: SMM SUBMITTED: 6/8/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: June/2008 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: It's been over a year since we visited the Black Lab, but today we were in the area and popped in for a warming lunch of cheese soup and sandwiches. The food was fine, and we enjoyed the seasoned fries...but when I asked for a pot of tea, I was brought a cup of hot water and a teabag. Incredible that in an English pub, a proper pot of tea is not to be had. Still, though some things have changed, the cozy atmosphere and delicious soup make it possible for us to overlook the negatives. NAME: texdigits SUBMITTED: 3/7/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 3/7/08 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: I have been going to the Lab since 1990 when I lived on Greeley Street and could walk to it. My husband and I had not only our first date there, but our wedding reception in the Churchill Room years later. It truly distresses us to join the growing list of bad reviews, but after last night, we will not be returning anytime soon. Just as our food arrived, so did two women with their young daughters, who proceeded to shriek virtually non-stop for almost 20 minutes, run around their table, do impromptu ballet performances in the very narrow pass way between the bar and the tables beside the fireplace, not only blocking entry to the restrooms, but causing a very serious liability exposure to this long-time insurance agent's eye as this is also the passage with the server's entrance into the bar. This is the third time since January that we have experienced a situation with uncontrolled children at the Lab. Dining here used to be a very pleasant experience. If drunken adult patrons were behaving in a similar manner, I have no doubt that management would intervene, but dancing, screaming children of about 9 or 10 cannot have a word said to their parents? Even unlit, the fireplace area is not a very safe stage for such a performance, not is the bar, considering the childrens' heads were right at the height to slam into it with a wrong step. As I don't care to have my evening ruined by the sight of a boundary-neglected child bleeding from a head wound, I think we will spend our English pub evenings at the R*ed Lion on Shepherd until someone in management decides it's time to get a handle on such situations. NAME: Cynthia SUBMITTED: 5/11/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 5/11/2007 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: My husband and I eat at the Black Lab with some frequency. Tonight's visit was a definite low point in a slow period of decline. Our server, while friendly, forgot to put in the order for our appetizer. She apologized profusely, but that does not make up for forgetting to do a part of her job. We both ordered Scotch Collops (prime rib) and our son ordered a hamburger. I ordered mine to be cooked rare and my husband and son ordered theirs to be cooked medium. Well, they all came out cooked well-done. We have noticed that the service from both the waitstaff and the kitchen has been getting progressively worse over the last year. Food rarely comes out as we order it. Items are over cooked or under cooked. Special instructions are often ignored. Sometimes we can see our food sitting on the bar for several minutes, getting cold, before our server will get it and bring it to us. I don't want or expect a server to be overly friendly, but I do expect civility and promptness and those have both been lacking on most of our previous visits. Tonight's visit was an exception rather than the rule for the friendliness of our server (who still made a mistake with our order). The Black Lab has been a regular restaurant in my family's dining out rotation for quite some time, but it looks like we need to find a different place to satisfy our need for English drink and hearty food. NAME: A Regular Diner SUBMITTED: 4/29/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 4/29/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: I and my son loved the atmosphere. We felt like we stepped into that pub in "American Werewolf in London". Loved the "austere" furnishings as the guy mentioned above, that's the whole point. The chairs/tables r all rustic as should b. waitress was very nice. i did not care for my beef wellington, but next time i will try the crepes. Great guiness beer. Also luv the exterior w/all the moss. NAME: CST SUBMITTED: 4/2/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 3/31 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Great food and location - the Crepes Elsie are fantastic, the food is different than most of what you can get in Houston, and the service has always been good. Will definitely remain on the favorites in Houston list NAME: cornkit SUBMITTED: 3/29/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 02/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: The place is more austere than I imagined. The tables and chairs are spartan. The waitress, though callow, acted a bit disorganized and confused. She forgot someone's 2nd glass of wine and the prime rib was tasty but fairly cold by the time it was served. Mind you, the place was virtually deserted on a Saturday night because of the rodeo. I would go back but but I wouldn't seek it out for a special evening. NAME: Houston meat eater SUBMITTED: 3/13/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: March 2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Would Not Recommend--My party of three dined outside so I can’t comment on the ambiance. Our server was a little slow getting to our table but it was the height of the dinner hour so I overlooked that. We ordered drinks and when she finally brought them she had my order wrong. She said the bartender made the mistake and replaced my drink. One person in my party said his drink didn’t taste like what he ordered but he drank it anyway. The other member said her wine was fine. When our food order finally came the dishes were of varying temperatures. My lemon pepper cod was tasteless as (I was told) was the “sole in its coffin”. The party member who ordered the fish and chips said the fish was hot but the chips were lukewarm. He ordered another drink which when delivered had too much mixer. While we were waiting for the check to arrive another couple sat down, was handed menus and left after waiting for what seemed like 15 minutes without any attention. It seems strange to me that a restaurant that has been in business for this long can’t get the simple things like food temperature, taste, and service right. Maybe in this day and time of lowered expectations people just put up with poor quality but I will be searching for another restaurant the next time I have the urge for the “Pub Experience”. NAME: Toghrwestn SUBMITTED: 1/14/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: January 12 2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Happened into this place for the first time today only to find it was its precise 20th (140th in dog years) anniversary! We were promised a slice of special birthday cake upon entering! Everything was great about this place . . . apart from the food and the beer. I did not have much in the way of expectation about the latter (although their draught Guinness was outstandingly nasty) but the former I had heard good things about. We ordered 2 orders of mussels to start: one order showed up. No great loss as they were not as great as advertized. Also I thought them (for their fatness) underdone and they arrived unappetizingly cool versus steaming. The tomato sauce was OK-ish but a plain white wine/cream affair would have been nicer. Then the main course. Ploughman's for my wife, and Steak and Kidney Pie for me. Her ploughman's was mediocre at best, not for any other reason than the cheese SUCKED. You can't have a ploughman's using cheap and nasty "plastic" "supermarket" cheese. You need quality stuff. My steak & kidney was a nightmare. I almost sent it back. For a start it showed zero signs of having been heated through. I stuck my finger in it without fear as I could see this right away. Some bits of meat were at temperature, some were stone cold. The hallmark of the microwave perhaps(?) The puff pastry was utterly undercooked for some reason (just had nto been in the oven long enough is all) and (well) like undercooked pastry is: awful. Some "yesterday's" brussels sprouts (if I am not mistaken) completed the gastronomic effect. All of the food I saw being paraded about had one common theme: it looked "lukewarm". I don't know if this is a function of the dumbwaiter affair they have or what. I felt that we were NOT IN GOOD HANDS with whoever was in the kitchen that day. It certainly was not a good experience. I noticed no-one appeared to be tucking in to their food or appearing to be really enjoying it as you see at a place where a kitchen is in top form. The beer was just so-so-so. I wasn't kidding though when I said everything was great APART from . . . There were good things. Beautiful location and building. Very nicely appointed with quality tables and chairs. Obviously a lot of money has been spent (yet better served in getting top-notch help in the galley). Maybe a tip-off was total absence of Brit's. Usually a bad sign in really authentic British places. Now for the rave, the waitress uniform is very becoming, especially the long black socks and Mary Janes. I must say someone hiring there has a keen eye for waitresses likely to please the male clientele (happily no male waiters to bespoil the vista) and I must say they were the only bright point to an otherwise poor lunch. Unfortunately my wife did not seem to appreciate my astute observations in the waitress arena. Wanted to like this place but can't say even with the goth godesses I will likely be back. The search for a great British pub in Houston continues, like that for the Holy Grail [and with as much tragedy and bloodshed it seems]. p.s. And after all the build up, we never did get served a slice of that birthday cake! NAME: bb SUBMITTED: 11/4/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 11/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: My husband and I love The Black Labrador. We've been there several times- sometimes just he and I, and other times with friends. We like the beer selection. They have Stella Artois and Franziskaner on tap! The wine list is not bad and the wine prices are good. Probably the best thing about the place is the food though- way better than it has to be. Everything we've tried so far is fantastic. Their best food selection could be the mussels, which is an appetizer but large enough for a meal- so good! The mussels at Black Labrador just won the Houston Press award for "Best Mussels in the Houston area, Best of Houston 2006". The Black Labrador is a fun, laid back English restaurant and pub with great food, beer, wine and spirits! NAME: About Town SUBMITTED: 10/12/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/12/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: Horrible. I have been here many times but not recently. What a disappointment from previous visits. The fish and chips were battered in a cornmeal batter not a beer batter! Since when do traditional fish and chips have a corn meal batter? And the chips aren't authentic either but are some kind of seasoned fries. The Black Lab needs to make up its mind as to whether it wants to be a good, traditional English pub or just a run-of-the-mill beer joint. There are far better places to go in town for good English grub than the Black Lab. To top off the bad meal, the service was slow and our drinks weren't refilled until we were almost ready for the check. We didn't order pints because the prices are highway robbery. If you want a pint, go to the F*lying Saucer. NAME: kitty SUBMITTED: 9/13/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 09/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: The ambiance can be pleasantly ambiguous, if on a date it is cozy and romantic and if out with friends warm and inivting without being crouded. Our server was a very pleasant young lady, who was only too happy to give us time to decide which of the great meals to chose from. My water glass was never once empty and my boyfriend and I both enjoyed the Crepes Elsie and Scotched Beef exceedingly. I highly recommend it as a date location. NAME: bluemanda SUBMITTED: 7/16/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 7/06 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: I am by no stretch a regular but I have been going here for years and haven't noticed any decline in service or quality. My wife and I went recently and both asked why we never go there more often. The fish & chips are fantastic as is the shepard's pie. The drinks are a little pricey, but by no means absurd. NAME: CF SUBMITTED: 7/14/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 07/06 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: I'm really shocked by all of the bad reviews here. We really liked our visit to this pub. Everyone at our table enjoyed the food we ordered. None among us claim to be English or an expert on pubs, but the meals were tasty and served in good-size portions. Besides, we detected English accents at the tables around us, so the cuisine must be authentic in some way. The drinks were a tad expensive, but I don't think the prices were excessive. I'm sure that people go to trendier places and pay a lot more, yet never complain. Actually, the laid back, adult atmosphere of this place was a huge plus for me. People will pay premium prices to squeeze into the latest hot spot, but I'd rather pay a little more to relax. There are numerous complaints about service below, but we had no problems in that respect. Our waitress was prompt, though not intrusive. And the food came out very quickly. We'll be back for sure. NAME: Furious Jam SUBMITTED: 7/9/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 7/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I used to love this place - the atmosphere was nice and the food, although over-priced was decent and a great beer selection. I agree with most of the reviews - the place has gone way downhill! The service is horrible and slow. I've been there twice in the last few months and left extremely dissapointed both times. Mediocre food (overcooked and overpriced) and horrible service - no real reasons to go back! I just hope our waitress is almost done with school so that she can get a real job because she won't make it in the service industry. NAME: jones SUBMITTED: 5/15/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 05-15-06 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: I don't know know why this wonderful little pub is getting such negative reviews. I don't frequent the establishment every day or even every week, but I've been here at least once every quarter over the last couple of years. The staff are always friedly, the atmosphere is very cozy in the evening with the lights dimmed low, and during the day it's very charming. As for the food, we love it. I would agree that the prices are a little expensive, and the parking is limited, but the it's a very unique and pleasant dining experience. If you haven't dined here before, experience it for yourself!! NAME: Candid Reviewer SUBMITTED: 4/17/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 4/17/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: The mussels are still great, but everything else has gone severely downhill. Spinach and artichoke dip that used to be delicious, was served lukewarm and had little flavor along with stale chips. Fish and chips were soggy and barely warm, while the Chicken Labrador seemed to be have been prepared a long time ago and poorly reheated. It is really a shame. I should have noticed something was wrong when we were the only people in the restaurant at 7 PM. NAME: hallandale SUBMITTED: 4/5/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 04/06 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: I've been to the Black Lab on numerous occasions over the years, and I'd have to agree the overall quality has gone down over the years, too. I've only been to England once, but the service in real British pubs is much better. The food is tasty enough but overpriced, and the beer prices are highway robbery. Still, it's one of the few places in town I can get a (bottled) Belhaven Scottish Ale. I notice on their menus that they now print a disclaimer "We respectfully enforce a five drink maximum"...which underscores that this is definitely a RESTAURANT and NOT a pub. The fact that I could scarcely afford the price of 5 drinks at the Black Lab is not the point. If I've planned for a night on the town and have been responsible enough to plan on a safe cab ride home, being cut off automatically at 5 rounds is a little ludicrous, especially if you've dined and aren't drinking on an empty stomach. I always sit at the bar, since the bar is small enough that the barkeep can't ignore you. Never been here at night, but with the 5 drink max, it can't be as happening a place as K*elvin Arms or other faux Brit or Irish pub establishments. Parking is a challenge, too. It's only worth poping by for a quick drink or two on a lazy afternoon, otherwise don't bother. NAME: redjohn1971 SUBMITTED: 7/8/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: May 2005 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: I have seen this place slowly go down hill.It was never wonderful ,but the food reminded me of England and it was close enough to the real thing to satisfy the home sick feelings.The food has not changed much but the quality has gone down hill, the steak and mushroom pie is lacking in the quantity of steak and the vegatables all taste like Birds Eye frozen and microwaved.The mussels are still worth eating and are a meal in themselves,but the quality of most everything else has suffered over the past year,and I have tried 90% of the menu. The beer is well kept , but a little overpriced compaired to comparable English pubs in Houston My last visit will be my last because after waiting fifteen minutes to be seated ,we then waited another twenty minutes before any service was offered,and this was mid afternoon when the place was quiet. In future I will spend my time , and my cash at The B*ull and Bear NAME: ron77707 SUBMITTED: 5/17/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: May 2005 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: Usually have brunch here on Sundays. It's laid back and they have great eggs benedict... gorgeous mussles.. and the shephards pie is always something we order. NAME: bluefish SUBMITTED: 5/12/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: Mar/2005 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: A recent transplant from the U.K, I was constantly told the Black Lab was the place to go for an "authentic" English pub. I have been there a couple of times now, but have yet to be impressed. Dont get me wrong, the beer was ok, but I nearly fell of my (creaky) barstool when I was told the price. The barstaff were indifferent, as was the food and it was damned expensive for what you got. If you are looking for the "authentic" British pub experience, I would suggest taking a look at one or two other places on the list below (the R*ed Lion and the B*ull and Bear are both a better bet) and only come here if needs must or you have to get rid of some money quickly. NAME: Richard SUBMITTED: 11/24/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/04 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: Having not visited for some time, we decided to call in for a late lunch Sunday. Whilst the building itself was the same, my choice of food was sadly lacking. I chose (rather unwisely) the steak and kidney pie with vegetables. The pie was not good, small with very very little steak and one piece of kidney - the boiled potatoes were hard and the sprouts also hard and of the frozen variety - ugh. At around $10.75 this was a real rip-off. I might add that the staff were not exactly interested in their job. NAME: KMP SUBMITTED: 10/18/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: October 2004 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: I have been a patron for years now and have been here more times than I can count. The staff is friendly and helpful. A really fun place. I don't come here for the English atmosphere but because I have an addiction to the mussels. They are a meal unto themselves and I refuse to share them. My other faves are the Beef Wellington and the Chicken Labrador. In the winter time there is nothing better than sitting next to the fireplace with a great meal and an Irish coffee. NAME: Toula SUBMITTED: 5/16/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: 2/04 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: This has got to be the worst place in all of Houston. I swear the only reason people go is to "pretend" to be in England. You must remember if your not in the UK it is , but a "theme" pub. The waitstaff, management, and food is terrible. Stale chips, can't get a beer to save a life, and the staff is rude, rude, rude. Being originaly from Scotland you'd think I'd expect very little from this "fake" British pub, but it was worse than I expected. I even gave them more than one try, so they got the benefit of the doubt! If you are going, please, please, sit at the bar(they are okay at the bar). I can't believe they don't sack the entire staff. About all I can say good about the place is its a nice building and bar staff was pretty decent. DON'T EAT OR SIT AT A TABLE...SIT ONLY AT THE BAR AND FETCH YOUR OWN ROUNDS. NAME: Wee Willie Scott SUBMITTED: 5/14/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: 5/11/2004 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: A very nice establishment. The bread, cheese soup and shepards pie are fantastic. The wait staff is usually very friendly and prompt, the food is always hot and the beer always cold. The decor is a good example of English Pub, overall a great pub. I always eat there when in the Montrose area. NAME: Marshall SUBMITTED: 4/8/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: 3/3/04 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... ©Copyright 1991 - 2008 B4-U-EAT.COM. All rights reserved. Design and database by B4-U-BUY