The Green Room
| ★ | Modern European |1343 Yale | thegreenroomhouston.com
The Green Room lives up to its name with a jungle of fiddle leaf ferns, dragon trees and weeping figs enveloping the narrow dining room in golden-hour light.
At this Heights restaurant, each customer is greeted with a complimentary pour of prosecco. It’s a welcome gesture after navigating rush-hour traffic, parking, and weaving through the Heights & Co.’s verdant patio to find a table.
When a seafood platter kicked off a recent dinner, I felt like I had stumbled into the grown-up version of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic children’s novel “The Secret Garden.” It wasn’t just because of the blink-and-you-miss-it location or the overflow of plants. The spread was a reward, tucked away in an alcove that felt intensely personal.
The Plateau de Mer at the Green Room. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle)
I marveled at the Gulf oysters blanketed in a Champagne foam with caviar, as well as the raw tuna atop strips of seaweed, and the poached shrimp glinting in the sunshine. Pick a little maritime treat and take a sip of bubbles. What more could one want on a blistering summer day?
There’s seduction in the combination of seafood and sparkling wine. I almost forgot to put on my critic hat before cracks appeared: The fancy garnish muted the salty pop of the Murder Point oysters. The cubes of tuna were offset by nori chips that were more limp than crisp. At least the two perfectly plump shrimp softened the sting of the smaller-sized $52 plateau de mer (a larger option with more of each item is about twice the price).
This is not to say the Green Room is all flash and no substance. There’s real promise here. Part of Brian Doke and Evin Wood’s Doke Concepts, the restaurant is led by Daniel Davidson – the head chef and part owner who also runs the group’s other restaurant, Lazy Lane. His resume includes stints as executive chef at Doris Metropolitan and years cooking in California.
After three visits to The Green Room, I left believing the restaurant has what it takes to make it in Houston’s competitive dining scene, especially if the food can consistently match the allure of the setting and service.
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The Green Room restaurant is photographed in Houston, Wednesday, July 22, 2026. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle)
The 26-seat restaurant opened earlier this year. Amid the plants, low-slung mid-century modern dining chairs flank round terrazzo tables and others draped in white tablecloths.
James Beard Award-winning chef Tom Cunanan’s arrival as chef de cuisine generated buzz when the restaurant debuted. A few weeks ago, “he moved on and went back to consulting,” Doke told me over the phone.
“Tom had a skill set to execute what Dan wanted,” Doke said. “It was the quality we were shooting for.”
Much of the menu remained unchanged between my first visit in April and my most recent dinner a few weeks ago. What also didn’t change was the sometimes overbearing din, which bounces off the green-and-white tile flooring whether it’s a full house or just 10 customers.
The restaurant’s intimate size allows the kitchen staff to give each plate extra attention, Doke said.
The chicory salad at the Green Room. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle)
The black garlic shrimp at the Green Room. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle)
When it worked, I swooned. A chicory salad arrived with vibrant radicchio leaves arranged artfully on one side of the plate, like a stylish off-the-shoulder drape. The pleasant bitterness of the leaves was balanced by lashings of beet and honey reduction, zippy orange segments and a swipe of creamy goat cheese.
This focus on simplicity also worked in the black garlic shrimp with polenta. The shrimp were firm enough to snap before giving way to a sweet, briny center, while the black garlic glaze added a deep, molasses-like quality. The Maseca polenta, made from nixtamalized corn flour, was an ideal vehicle for absorbing the sweetness of the shellfish and garlic.
A neighboring table, apparently out on a double date, also ordered the dish. I overheard one diner describe the shrimp as “as good as a similar dish I ate in Portugal” before launching into how he needed to book more trips to maintain his United 1K status.
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The salmon en croûte at the Green Room. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle)
I’d describe the Green Room’s cooking as modern European cuisine filtered through Davidson’s California sensibility, with an emphasis on seasonal ingredients.
A brisket ragù wasn’t overly complicated. While the tomato sauce leaned sweet, the willowy, fork-tender strands of beef complemented the al dente campanelle, a trumpet-shaped pasta.
As often as I crave a comforting bowl of pasta, I’d favor the seafood dishes on the menu, especially during the summer months.
Salmon en croute, a play on beef Wellington, was hearty but not heavy. It was textbook on my first visit, its golden puff pastry exterior giving way to the fish’s silky pink flesh. On a later visit, however, the exterior was almost burnt, and the Ora King salmon was too dry, leaving me to swipe each bite through the buttery Champagne reduction.
Seared scallops came in an heirloom tomato beurre blanc. The bright sauce balanced the caramelized crust and custard-soft center of the scallops with just enough richness.
A martini is photographed at The Green Room restaurant in Houston on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle)
Servers will gently nudge you to order wine, off a short menu with a mix of Old and New World bottles, some of which are available by the glass. You can go for bigger California reds or more natural-leaning French varietals. Whether you order wine or not, sometimes mini espresso martinis appear tableside to cap your meal (my dessert preference over the too-dry profiteroles).
Warm hospitality reflects the history of the term “green room” – from the backstage area where actors waited before taking the spotlight to the rooms in grand homes, including the White House, where hosts welcomed guests with tea or drinks before a reception.
The Green Room delivers on this front, creating an atmosphere that puts diners at ease. I’m just waiting for other elements to come together.
More Information
The Green Room, 1343 Yale, thegreenroomhouston.com
One star
Hours: 4-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 4-10:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 4-9 p.m. Sunday, closed Monday
Prices: $52-$108 plateau de mer, $14-$45 appetizers, $24-$34 pastas, $31-$49 entrees, $12 desserts
Reservations: Available on OpenTable
What to order:
Plateau de mer, chicory salad, black garlic shrimp, brisket ragù, salmon en croute, seared scallops
Noise level: Moderate to loud
Parking: Free
STAR RATINGS
Four stars: Superlative; can hold its own on a national stage.
Three stars: Excellent; one of the best restaurants in the city.
Two stars: Very good; one of the best restaurants of its kind.
One star: A good restaurant that we recommend.
No star: Restaurant cannot be recommended at this time.
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This article originally published at Review: The Green Room’s enchanting space sets a high bar for its ambitious kitchen.
