About Charivari Restaurant

Welcome to Charivari! You premier fine dining restaurant in Houston. Chef Johann Schuster opened the Restaurant in 2000 with his wife after they moved to Houston from Germany. Chef Schuster fell in love with Houston and shares that love through his cuisine. Charivari offers a new take on classic European dishes for lunch and dinner and can also cater your private event. If you aren't able to make a stop in during the week come in on Sunday for Brunch and bottomless mimosas!

Whether you're a true food lover or just looking to experience something new, you'll find something to love at Charivari.

Reviews

Based on 10 reviews

garcai

Best European and Fine Dinning

All I can say is WOW! Charivari consistently delivers outstanding and authentic European cuisine and ambience year around. Right now they are featuring an Octoberfest menu that includes the Roasted Pork Shank or Schweine Haxe that is just unbelievable. This is absolutely the best I have ever eaten here or in Europe. If you want to have a nice evening out and experience genuine european gourmet food Charivari is a must!
You can also try them for lunch, they have new lunch specials everyday and they are always fantastic.
Check the weekly lunch specials and events here www.charivarirest

posted at 10/07/08

mck28

I wish I could give 0 stars.

Did I miss something here? I moved to NYC and then SF and used citysearch to find some decent food in Houston because yelp isn't popular enough. I must say that something is very wrong in Houston if Charivari is one of the locals' favorite restaurant here. I never write reviews, so you know this place must have been bad. First of all, I should have canceled the reservation when I was able to get a table for 4 on a Friday night (I called one hour before leaving). BTW, you can get one for Saturday easily. When we arrived at the strip mall location, the hostess said our name wasn't on her reservation list and gave us attitude even though the restaurant was half empty. The food was expensive for Houston. We had a salad that was $15 each (spinach with pear and goat cheese. the pear wasn't even cored or peeled) and several different entrees that ranged from $20-$35, which included super dry chicken with cranberry yogurt, one small lamb chop with bread dumplings that were as hard as rocks and a pork chop that look and tasted like a tv dinner. Also, all red wine is stored at room temp (if you care about that kind of thing.) Desserts looked good, but we couldn't get ourselves to stay any longer. It's not a surprise this place was empty.

posted at 11/22/08

wifeandi

Wonderful Quaint and Awesome Food

Last night my wife and I were looking around on the internet for somewhere to eat, and LOOK what we found, a little spot of HEAVEN, the restaraunt is in a strip center but very lovely inside and accomodating, there is a sit up bar if you wish. The service was absolutely second to none. The food was incredidle tasty, tender, hot and very filling. The woman who wrote the last review of this place must have been out of her mind, if TV dinners are this good, where does she shop!. We eat out at least 3 to 4 times a week and this one is one of the best. THIS IS A MUST TRY FOR EVERYONE. Thank you Maria for the great evening, hospitallity and steller food.

posted at 12/20/08

RotoWii

Great place for European food.

The lady and i went for Valentines day dinner. We had reservations at 6pm so the restaurant was not too packed yet. Service was exceptional during this point. As time went by, the service started getting slower and slower as the restaurant got up to full capacity. As once being a waiter myself, I understand waiters being busy but tonight seemed like they were understaffed. Although the food was exceptional, the desserts were not up to par. I expected something to sweep me off my seat at the end of my meal as our main courses and appetizers were excellent. Overall, this is a great restaurant to go to when they are not busy. Free valet and the restaurant is within a shopping strip. Once they hire 4-5 more waiters/waitresses, I'm sure this restaurant will become one of the best places in Houston.

posted at 02/15/09

gabecortez

Fantastic Birthday Celebration!

This Friday I took my wife to Charivari for her birthday celebration. This is a fantastic restaurant for any occasion but Chef Schuster and his wife, Maria, made this evening perhaps the finest dining experience of our lives. We had Beluga Blinis and Prosecco as an appetizer. The small buckwheat crepes were covered with sour cream and a large portion of Russian caviar. The explosion of flavors from that combination perked up our taste buds for rest of our meal. This was followed by butternut squash and lobster bisque. This is an amazing bisque that we have not found anywhere else in Houston. There is a synergistic effect of the combination of butternut squash and lobster that almost cannot be described but must be tasted. Raspberry sorbet cleared our palates for the entree of date stuffed Berkshire pork. This is an inspired dish that combines the extraordinary flavor of dates and the Berkshire pork. It was juicy but fully cooked and very lean. The chef recommended wine, Tacama Sinfonia, is a Peruvian wine that can only be found at Charivari. It complemented the stuffed Berkshire pork perfectly. For dessert we had panna cotta with fruit. The panna cotta melted in one's mouth. We were in food heaven the entire evening. What a memorable dining experience! In addition, there were five young German men at the bar who ordered weiner schitzel. They said the weinerschitzel was the finest they had ever had. From the glow on their smiling faces I believe them. Charivari should be your next fine dining destination. This is an amazing restaurant and a great value for the quality of the food and service.

posted at 08/13/10

johnnybob23

My Favorite Restaurant in Houston---Period

Chef Shuster and his wife Maria have continued to surprise me every time we have dined at Charivari over the last several years. My latest visit was for lunch with two friends who never dined there before. I asked them about the special spread served with the homemade bread. No one ever quesses correctly. My friend did. It is caviar moose. He had to talk to Maria to find out who her supplier was. Of course, it is made by Maria. The lunch was so outstanding that he had to see the dinner menu. I know that they will dine there again.

One more thing. The service is outstanding and the table is yours for as long as you want. No rushing. it is an experience to remember.

posted at 08/19/10

NarcisaNJ

My newest favorite restaurant!!!!

My newest favorite restaurant!!!! If you are in Houston, and are looking for something special Charivari is the place to go! Everything was of exceptional quality. Food was delicious, well prepared and presented. The staff courteous and very attentive. The atmosphere very pleasant and inviting.

Narcisa

posted at 09/22/10

hfood

You are got to be kidding me!

Shocked to say the least... in the most unpleasant way! As true gourmands who have traveled many continents we were so delighted to discover and experience Zagat's only "29â€ for Houston in food regardless of the "20â€ in ambiance, if that. We quickly understood the low ambiance rating as we arrived at a strip shopping center in midtown but were willing to look aside for a hidden gem as true foodies. After the first course of bouillon of Atlantic (a signature dish) and Dracula's Garlic Cream Soup we felt there MIGHT have a menu worth sharing with others. Once the entrees were served the menu quickly and completely turned SOUTH. The Weiner Schnitzel was breaded in the most disgusting coating and brown gravy. The presentation could easily compare to a hospital cafeteria and I'm sad to say it actually trumped the Lamb Chops (another signature dish). The lamp chops were over-cooked without a hint of pink and lacked any flavor. Don't even get me started about the presentation. Irmgard-Maria, wife of the chef, waited on us and I was cheering the restaurant on as both her and chef made the traditional rounds throughout the dining room. After the entrees I had enough disappointment. Dessert was not even an option. When will Houston step up and how in the world did Zagat give them this rating.

posted at 02/05/11

JRPR

I think they forgot about our table

So disappointing.

I went with my husband for Valentines Day dinner. We had read good reviews so were excited about the meal. We were greeted in an enthusiastic manner. We ordered our meals and drinks. Then...everyone was MIA. My glass of wine went empty and after a long wait I finally waved someone down for a refill. I mean, why not have another drink? Our appetizers were a distant memory and we still hadn't seen the main course. After a long wait the main course came. I ordered my ribeye steak rare and it arrived medium. I didn't bother to send it back. Sending it back would have required someone to show up at the table at some point to check on us. We finished our meals. After a long wait the table was cleared. We waited longer. Finally my husband waved someone down to bring us the check. We were never even offered dessert. At that point though we would have turned it down because of the long wait we would have been in for.

HORRIBLE SERVICE.

posted at 02/14/11

CNRG

Another forgotten table on Valentine's Day

My husband and I experienced something similar to JRPR's evening.

We've dined at Charivari before and wanted to spend Valentine's evening at a nice restaurant. (Even though the atmosphere is simplistic and not what I consider appropriate for such an expensive menu.)

We ordered wine, appetizers, and dinner. We received the wine and appetizers but then waited almost an hour for the entrees to arrive after completion of the appetizers. No one offered us more wine at any point during the meal. The waitress ignored our table for most of the 2-hour evening, especially after waving her down because we hadn't yet received our meal.

We requested that the owner's wife come speak with us regarding the service or lack thereof. Maria delivered the food and came back a second time to see how the food was. She never apologized for the extreme delay in service. In fact, NO ONE ever once said they were sorry. We didn't stay for dessert. I just wanted to leave ASAP. In hindsight, we should've asked for the check after realizing they forgot about our table.

I expect much more from a restaurant that charges $45 a plate. We won't waste our money here again.

posted at 02/18/11

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