Canyon Cafe Now offering a 15% discount on in-house catering for those who lost their venue due to Ike Hours: See Profile   5000 Westheimer Rd Houston TX 77056 713.629.5565 Profile Description: We created Southwest cooking by reaching back to its Mexican Heritage. The rich history of our food comes from Spanish, Native American and Western United States cultures. We offer an award winning Margarita voted "The Ultimate" by the Houston Chronicle. Our Chips and Salsa are offered at every table and our Flippin Fajitas will get your mouth watering. We look forward to serving you and hope that you Leave Happy and Return Often.   Add Review PROFILE   Website  Menu MY REVIEW: After i finally found a parking space we took the hike up the stairs. The place was very nice inside. THE chip were very good,i order a chicken pasta dish and my wife had the salmon. The food was very good. The flavors were different and had nice kick to the food. Will be coming back soon. Need to get valet parking. NAME: 117golfer SUBMITTED: 3/2/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: January 2008 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: We visited this restaurant 3 times during a recent trip to Houston. The service was excellent, the food was very tasty, and we were generally very pleased. I did order, on one trip, their top shelf "only 2" margarita, and I couldn't figure out why they were bragging. It was very watery, I was not impressed, and chose not to order it again on successive trips. We were visiting from Canada, so one of the appeals for us (and hence the return trips) was the outdoor patio. It was wonderful to sit outside in the middle of February! NAME: Melelina SUBMITTED: 3/1/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: February 2008 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: I attended a private party there recently and let me tell you, it was phenomenal! In many of my experiences with groups of this size, the service has been slightly lacking and the food never seems to come out all at once. Canyon Cafe, however, was right on the money this time. The salmon was perfect and my husband's steak was cooked just right. With the fantastic service and the flowing margaritas, this party was a hit! We will definitely be returning there in the near future...and in the meantime, we'll be searching for another reason to have a party there. NAME: ST SUBMITTED: 6/25/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 06/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: Great food and margaritas, all of our entrees were good, but the service a little slow. Complimentary white chocolate tamales were an unexpected and great touch, will definitely return. Hostess needs to be replaced but other staff members were fine. NAME: drdrd SUBMITTED: 4/15/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: april 2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: First visit with my spouse after one business lunch visit. They describe themselves as Southwest cooking with a Mexican Heritage influence; i.e. not your typical Tex-Mex joint. While the style is reminiscent of Tex-Mex, Canyon Cafe offers a refreshing alternative. Their chip assortment is a nice touch. We had the Grilled Chicken Quesadillas and the Baja Shrimp Tacos. The Quesadillas were excellent; probably the best we have ever had. While the Shrimp Tacos were OK there was nothing special about them. Bottom Line: Good service, good value, superb quesadillas. We will return for the quesadillas and try something else from the menu. Our only complaint was that the restuarant was way too cold inside, however since it was a cool night we'll give them another chance. Note to restauarnt owners/managers - patrons should not have to wear jackets and sweaters in a casual dining establishment! NAME: msu79gt82 SUBMITTED: 2/5/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 2/07 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Tonight's visit to Canyon Cafe will probably be my last. After being seated in a far corner far away from any other patrons (not sure why; I showered and ironed my clothes before going) a surly waiter came up and immediately started pointing at things on the menu he recommended. It was like he was trying to make my mind up for me. I guess it worked; I ended up ordering the margarita and ribeye he promoted, as well as a salad. The margarita was great, served in a shaker which meant that I actually got more than one cocktail -- although the amount of ice in the glass may really be to blame. But it was good, whereas the food was absolutely awful. The salad was little more than lettuce and tomato in a sickeningly sweet honey-chipotle vinaigrette. Beats me if you could taste any chipotle though. Then the steak came. Worst piece of cheap meat I've ever eaten in a restaurant. No seasoning at all; I had to reach for the salt shaker after the first tough bite, and I never do that. I requested the steak to be cooked medium, but it arrived medium-well. For $21.95 I expected much better, but this steak was of lower quality than any popularly priced chain steakhouse along 290, or any hotel chain, you could name. The sides of mashed potatoes and onion rings were similarly tasteless. Just a terrible meal and I don't want to spend any more time thinking about it. NAME: Jim A. SUBMITTED: 7/4/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: July 2006 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: We had a bad experience with Canyon's service last summer and didn't go back for 6 months. We braved out the bad memories and went back - and how quickly I was reminded why this was my favorite restaurant. The service was phenomenal, the food even better. Their tortilla chips are fun - a mixture of regular tortilla chips, fried tortillas sprinkled with chile and cinnamon, and fried sweet potato chips. Their black & bleu quesadillas (beef fajita and blue cheese or brie) are now my favorite dish on the menu (used to be baja shrimp tacos with margarita slaw). I can't say enough about this place - except beware of the martini-style Margarita :) Oh - wanna unique dessert? Try the Banana Burrito with your white chocolate tamale. NAME: sJeanettek SUBMITTED: 2/23/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 02/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: The first couple of times I went, the food was outstanding and service was great and I was sitting in the bar (no tables were available). However, this last trip was very disappointing. I ordered the delicious tortilla soup and ceasar salad comb and plan juice to drink. The same thing I ordered last time and LOVED it. First the soup was not even hot enough to melt the cheese. Who likes cold soup, when it's supposed to be hot? Second the salad was way ovedressed, dripping with dressing. Finally my plain juice cost $7.80?!?!?!? A little overpriced? BTW why is it beverages are so overcharged these days? The other day I was at a nice place and ordered tea, it was only $0.99, that's reasonable. Anyway, I will have to think very hard about going back, maybe I'll just eat at the bar from now on. You get better service, attention and much better food. NAME: AM SUBMITTED: 1/11/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 01/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: Just had our office Christmas party and I will try to be fair and balanced: High points were the appetisers, drinks and party room with good service and price value Lows: Steak order was for medium rare and at server request since it was a party was to give medium, which I agreed, but to my dismay it came out well, well, well done....... and they ran out of garlic mashed potatoes which was one of the menu item selections!!!!!!!! Salmon tasted fishy (older and not fresh) and pasta with chicken had people looking for the chicken. They should have excelled with the limited menu and it was close to a failure. Party guests did not complain since it was a group party, but main course was a failure for most of us at our table. NAME: betulikit SUBMITTED: 12/19/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/05 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: Let me start off by saying that Southwestern food is my favorite genre of food. Although it incorporates Tex-Mex, it is mostly influenced by the food in New Mexico (especially Native American). They use a lot of chile's and a lot of fruit. Canyon Cafe is no exception. Living in Houston I get really tired of the same of Mexican dishes, prepared the same old ways. Canyon Cafe's executive chef Jose Amaya, in the tradition of good Southwestern cuisine, has designed a menu that puts an unusual spin on many traditional dishes. He incorporates fruit and chiles in quite unique ways. My date and I were not too hungry, so we split two of the different quesadillas; the chicken with caramelized red onions, tomatillo/Avocado sauce, and chipotle mayonaisse...I had the beef fajita quesadillas with caramelized red onions and bleu cheese (In my opinion, bleu cheese goes well with just about anything). They were both incredible. Honorable mention has to be given to the top shelf, "Limit 2" margaritas as well. They are 10 bucks a pop but they bring out the mixer with your margarita. Before the mixer is empty, one can get 2 to 2 1/2 glasses out of it...never a bad thing. To wrap up the evening, our waiter (who gave us incredible service the whole night) brought us complimentary tamales, chilled, and filled with white chocolate and crushed pecans. This was the perfect end to an incredible experience at the Canyon Cafe. Having eaten at two of the top Southwestern/Latin/Spanish fusion restaurants in the nation, Mesa Grill and Bolo, in NYC, I am quite enamored to find fine, affordable, southwestern cuisine right here in Houston. NAME: Morgan Weber SUBMITTED: 9/7/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 9/6/2005 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Nice atmosphere, excellent staff, outstanding food, terrific selection...I'm almost out of adjectives. This was my first visit and it was a business lunch. We liked the complimentary sweet potato chips so much that the bus boy brought us a basket of just them (it's typically a variety chips). I had the chicken quesadilla with carmelized red onions. It was served with a chipotle mayo and margarita slaw on the side. Very good. One coworker had the pecan crusted crab cake. That looked fantastic. The other coworker had the thre enchilladas with green chile cream sauce. I got to eat one of those. Wow! Fantastic flavor and texture. For dessert they brought out complimentary frozen white chocolate tamales. Just right! Total bill for the three of us...$32.00. All this for that price on Post Oak...unbelievable. NAME: Boyd SUBMITTED: 8/16/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 08/2005 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Love the chips. That may seem minor but they have a very nice variety of standard chips, sweet potato chips, won tons, and probably others. Their sauce is very nice. I wish the bowl they serve the sauce in was large enough to allow you to finish the basket with it but alas, you will need to ask the waiter for a refill, probably. Today, I had the spinach/mushroom quesadillas because of a review I read on this web site. I agree with that reviewer, they were quite good and the fact that the spinach used was fresh was a very nice touch. I was very hungry so I also ordered the shrimp camerones appetizer (I think it was called that), shrimp in a pastry type "cup" that included lots of hot melted jack cheese. This shrimp appetizer was good but not great. I don't think I would order again. Too many other good things to choose from. I've had their mashed potatoes and chicken fried tuna steak on an earlier visit, very good though also very rich. The quesadillas are lighter (and definitely not as many calories which can be a good thing.) I really enjoy the way the food is presented. Makes the meal special. Our service has always been exceptional so no complaints there either. My least favorite thing about this restaurant is the ambience. It is a rustic/mexican (chairs with straw seats) kind of ambience, very southwest, not my "cup of tea". Please note that even though there is a very large staircase out front to walk upto the entrance upstairs, you also have the choice of taking the route below past the wine bar shop thru the glass doors where awaits you an elevator which will take you to the second floor (where you need to walk around to the hostess at the front.) Highly recommend. Prices are reasonable. Quesadillas were 8.99. Shrimp (4 little pastries) was also 8.99. My husband had seafood tacos which he said he also enjoyed and would order again (always the true test). I think the price was also 8.99 but maybe 9.99. Can't remember exactly. Will definitely be back. I have ever been there when they are very crowded. This is a good thing because it means you can have a conversation. I hope it doesn't mean they won't be in business much longer. Hope everyone enjoys this place as much as we do. NAME: cilantro SUBMITTED: 7/4/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: July 2005 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: The main attraction for me of this place is the unique menu. I like how one can get mashed potatoes, two kinds, at a place that serves quesidillas, even if they are not the exact kind I prefer (smooth) but they are still good. I had the spinach and mushroom quesidllas and they were very tasty. They used fresh spinach not the frozen stuff (which cafe a*dobe uses in theirs). I also enjoyed the Rico Rita, strong like they claim it is. The atmosphere is pleasant and will be even more so when smoking is banned come September. NAME: Going Out SUBMITTED: 3/25/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 03/2005 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: OK. Where do I start with this restaurant? The food is out-of-control rediculously good. The staff is unbelievably attentive and friendly . . . and the chicken fried steak with jalapeno gravy is absolutely the BEST chicken fried steak I have ever had in my life - seriously. I live in California and when I visit Houston -- I have to go here. I have yet to find a chicken fried steak in Newport Beach, CA or the whole state that even comes close. NAME: Dana SUBMITTED: 3/18/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/04 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: This place was fantastic! I travel quite a bit from Connecticut, and come to Houston several times a year. I just happened to find this place-the chips are simply the best. Also, had the chicken enchilladas and were the best I have had. I would certainly recommend this place to anyone. Great food, outstanding service. Not expensive. Terrific atmosphere. NAME: Mal723 SUBMITTED: 12/22/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: 11/2004 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I went twice both times with guests from out of town. Neither one had ever had "tex-mex" food and by the end of the meal, both were asking when we could come back! Great food-service can be a bit spotty, but the food balances presentation with great taste and cool location. We watched a storm roll in from our window seat and ordered another round instead! Recommend-especially for out of towners! NAME: redhead SUBMITTED: 8/2/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: July 2004 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: Food was very very good. Original presentation and nice variety of choices on the menu. Mostly, Tex-Mex that seemed "nouveau" to me, i.e. not what you find in a standard Tex-Mex restaurant. Lots of seafood selections as well as beef and chicken. There were numerous pasta dishes and salads as well. I had chicken fried tuna steak with mashed potatoes and julienne veggies. The julienne veggies were steamed and served with lots of butter and were quite delicious as well as the tuna and potatoes. Probably the main down side is the calories, I hate to think, the potatoes had to have been made with heavy cream. My husband had the shrimp tacos with soft flour tortillas and rice and beans. He loved it. Service was also very good. I can't say enough nice things. (I promise I have no association with this restaurant, financial or otherwise other than as a customer) We didn't like the decor which is "southwestern". It just was not our taste but that won't keep us from returning. It seems like it would be a fun place to bring friends as part of a social evening. NAME: alicesRestaurant SUBMITTED: 5/31/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: May/2004 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Their Chicken Fried Tuna is the best in town! Canyon Cafe has some of the most interesting culinary juxtapositions that I have seen in any restaurant other than California Pizza Kitchen. Everything I have eaten here has been fantastic and everyone I have taken here has raved about it. And I mean that in a good way! Their appetizers are interesting and are quite tasty. Their steaks and especially their Tahoe Tenderloin are great. Their garlic mashed potatoes are fantastic. And their chicken fried Tuna really is delicious. My friends and my wife have really enjoyed their pasta dishes as well. Canyon Cafe has a bar that is hopping on the weekends and has outdoor seating on its second floor veranda. NAME: Steve and Belinda SUBMITTED: 12/31/2000   LAST VISIT WAS:  ©Copyright 1991 - 2008 B4-U-EAT.COM. All rights reserved. Design and database by B4-U-BUY