Choose from a menu featuring fresh takes on Italian, Spain, French and American classics at the understated and elegant Bistro Menil, located on the Menil Campus in the Museum District.
Since it opened in the fall of 2014, Bistro Menil has quietly but overwhelmingly charmed both neighborhood diners and the Menil Collection‘s international visitors. Set between the Menil’s main building and its parking lot, the restaurant serves up classic and contemporary European dishes, salads, pizzas, panini sandwiches, entrées, light bites and more.
Menu at Bistro Menil
Chef Greg Martin drew extensively from his travels through towns and cities, both large and small, in Italy, Spain and France. He has blended these influences and signature European specialties with American classics that are designed to enable a wide rage of palates and dining styles. Depending on the time of day and their individual moods, diners can enjoy everything from casually shared plates to full multi-course feasts.
Favorites include the addictively tasty eggplant fries with aioli oil, a charcuterie assortment, Italian-style pizzas, fresh salads and paninis. Click here to view Bistro Menil’s current seasonal menu.
Cask Wine & Draft Beer at Bistro Menil
Complementing Chef Martin’s menu is a unique wine and beer program designed by Bistro Menil’s beverage director Sean Essex. Featuring cask wine and craft beer, its complements by a variety of premium wines available by the glass and bottle and a selection of wine- and beer-based cocktails. Wines on tap feature sustainable varietals from American west coast vineyards, while beer taps feature local and regional brews. Growlers of beer or casks of wine are available for purchase to take home.
Design & Atmosphere at Bistro Menil
Bistro Menil features a casual contemporary design that lends it a sophisticatedly approachable atmosphere. It’s complemented by natural light by day and warm ambient lighting by night. Upscale and sublime, the space is welcoming but unobtrusive, deferring to Bistro Menil’s true headliners; dishes, cocktails and, of course, the diners themselves.
The restaurant has three intimate spaces, the main dining room Vue, the secondary room available for private dining Privé, and an open patio. Despite its classic appearance, the restaurant is outfitted with cutting edge technology, including some of the most advanced commercial ovens available, a petite woodstone pizza oven, a full pastry station with dedicated ice cream freezer, and a unique water filtration system that provides still, chilled and sparkling water by tap.
The restaurant bungalow is situated in the very spot that Menil Collection architect Renzo Piano originally designated for a café back in 1989.
Free parking is available in the Menil Collection’s parking lot immediately north of the restaurant.
Bistro Menil
- Location: 1513 West Alabama, Houston, TX 77006
- Phone: 713-904-3537
- Hours: Wednesday to Saturday 10am to 10pm; Sunday 10am to 9pm
- Happy Hour: 10am to 7pm daily. $5 for a quarter bottle of house red, white or rose wine;$4 pint of house draft beer.
- Brunch: Sunday 10am to 2pm
- Reservations: Click here to make reservations online or call 713-904-3537.
