Picos Restaurant

Reviews 4

OW

Owais Durrani

Today I received an email from Picos " Now Open....The Wait Is Over!" and I was extremely excited. I immediately forwarded it to my husband and friend, and then ended up convincing them both to go with me tonight. The current hours are as follows. They will eventually be adding breakfast and lunch back. Sunday - Thursday -- 4:00pm - 10:00pm Friday - Saturday -- 4:00pm - 11:00pm I somehow misunderstood and thought that this was an additional Picos. However the old location will apparently only be used for Fajita delivery and catering. I wish Id understood that, I am really going to miss the old location on Bellaire. The new location is on the corner of Richmond and Kirby. It used to be a Ninfas and then was a Maggie Ritas. The exterior has remained relatively the same through all of these changes. This location now offers complimentary valet service, looking back on it that should have been my first clue I was in for a much different experience than I was used to. The exterior entrance has a fountain near the valet stand. The interior entryway now has a gorgeous Water wall. Walking in I immediately felt underdressed. This was not the laid back and homey atmosphere I was used to. Gone was the waitstaff in tropical shirts, the patio with grass thatched roof, the chalkboard with specials. In its place was much more of an elegant looking restaurant. There were iron purse holders at some tables.The lighting is dim, the colors are dark, the wait staff is in black. One wall is covered in wine bottles and looks like a wine cellar. There is a lot of seating and it is a beautiful restaurant it just wasnt what I expected. I no longer felt at home in a restaurant that at my former job was my go to place whenever coworkers wanted to know what I wanted for lunch. The menu has also been classed up and the prices have shifted to match the new locale. The food has always been good. It still is. I think there are just new restaurant growing pains to overcome. There were lots of things being broken tonight, what felt like a very long wait for our actual food to arrive, and the atmosphere was incredibly loud. I think the crowd was bigger and more enthusiastic than expected. The chips and salsa (the green sauce especially) have always been favorites of mine, but the portions shrunk. Its refilled, but when you have a wait you notice when the small portion of chips and salsa are having to be refilled so much. The way its served may look "nicer", but its not actually benefitting the customer. I think Picos will do well, and I wish nothing but the best for the new restaurant and staff, it just lost some of the qualities that made it stand out for me before.

A

A Private User

UMM, if you are a 90 year old diabetic with high blood pressure and traumatized tastebuds then THIS IS THE PLACE FOR YOU! Not to mention the extra added MEXICAN TARIFFS that is reflected in pricing. People are you kidding ME? this place absolutely, positively SUX on its best day. Who are you people typing these pathetic untruths about the quality, value and taste of this restaurants food. I was there today after reading all the rave reviews and it was horrible. This restaurant should be closed for good. 1. had the shrimp appetizer (ajillo camarones) and it was oily and unseasoned. can you imagine boiled shrimp (no seasoning not even salt) out of the garbage? thats what it smelled like and tasted even worst. ($9.95 for 4 nasty &^% shrimp) 2. i had the shrimp wrapped in bacon - overcooked and chewy beyond imaginatio,n6 shrimp, guac and some rice that was greasy and heavy and tasted REHEATED from yesterday ($21.95 wt*) 3. wife had the shrimp fajitas - undercooked and again not even a grain of salt added. 6 shrimp, trimmings minus the freakin cheese people. tortillas were too thick like hockey pucks. ready for this...$20.95. ok ok..not done...i killed three (3) flies with a napkin. each time i killed a fly, i asked the waiter to bring me a clean napkin after telling him each time that I had just killed a fly and SHOWED HIM THE DEAD FLY EACH TIME. the waiter Solomon never even acknowledged the fact that im killing flies, much less with his restaurants napkins that im sure some of you will be wiping you mouth with. Im filing a complaint with the Health department Monday morning with my real name folks. Im telling you people, i dont know who in the heck is writing these great reviews but you might wanna try somewhere else. Anywhere else, heck TacoBell is open all night. Good Luck! oh wait, one more thing...the salsa was good and tasty with just enough bite to it, the chips are greasy, thick and cold. Green sauce is somewhat watered down and sux also. - Dameon T, 8/6/11, 3:10pm, table 4, cust 2, order 7207. im easy to find. voted: WORST PLACE EVER and Im calling Zagats to ask them if theyve been smoking "the herb" cuz clearly somebody got it twisted. it was just that bad. Im not even intelligent enough to convey in words how awful the food and my experience was today. If I could use profanity to describe it then I would.

CO

Courtney Kirkpatrick

Take it from this self-proclaimed Mexican food aficionado, Picos is top notch! Perhaps once considered a hidden gem known only by a slew of regulars in its old location on Bellaire, it definitely has raised its profile by taking over the old Ninfas/Maggie Ritas building on Kirby and Richmond. It might seem that that building is where Mexican restaurants go to die...but I think Picos will hold its own. Could be through the grapevine, the fact that its a new to the area, or just the fact that the food is damn good, but Picos gets CROWDED. They do call-aheads for big groups, but either way, be prepared to wait. Nothing a tasty margarita at the bar cant fix! And be sure to get some chips and green and red salsa while you wait. You might consider drinking the stuff with a straw because its that flavorful and good. Most recently I tried the Sincronizadas Verdes, a dish described as a Pico’s original since 1984. Its roasted pulled pork and roasted pulled chicken stacked between corn tortillas and topped with melted Chihuahua cheese, salsa verde or tomato chilpotle sauce, and crema Mexicana and avocado slices. Really, no complaints on this one - the flavors were killer. But I recommend it for those who like heavier, cheesier options at Mexican food joints. I found myself gravitating more toward my fiances fajitas, which some might call a standard choice at a restaurant like this, but I think Picos does a great job with them. Tender, juicy and flavorful. My family has ordered fajita party packs from Picos for family gatherings for years and we are never disappointed! I also recommend the Chilorio (youll find it on the starters menu). Paired with a basket(s) of chips, the Napoleon de Ceviche and shared with a friend, this was definitely substantial enough for a meal. The dish is a skillet of perfectly seasoned pulled pork served with avocado slices, pico de gallo and fresh tortillas. A little spicy, a little sweet, and so, so tasty. Houston has its fair share of stellar Mex-Mex/Tex-Mex spots, and for me, Picos ranks up there with the highest.

DO

Donna Collum

We went to Picos last night and were treated and I do mean "treated" to a Tequila-tasing dinner extravaganza! And lest you should think that this was a "doing shots" kinda tequila, it was anything but! We started our meal with the freshest, most wonderful seafood appetizers, including a tower of ceviche to die for! Then we were treated by the owner and head chef, Arnaldo Richards, to perfect pairings of exquisite high-quality tequilas to ideally balance those appetizers accompanied by great stories about each of the tequilas and where they come from. Do you know that he and his daughter, Monica know all the great tequila makers in Mexico and can advise not only on where they source from but the origin stories on all the great and small tequila distilleries in Mexico?! These tequilas are definitely for sipping, though. Some of these taste like fine cognacs or scotch! Then for dinner came plate after plate of the most beautifully prepared authentic Mexican dishes all with a story about where these recipes hail from in Mexico--and yet another pairing of fine tequilas. A couple of my favorite plates were their Chiles en Nogada and the pork shank stewed in tomatillo sauce whose name escapes me. Fantastico!! We had some folks in from out of the country and they wanted some authentic Mexican food and I was so proud to be able to take them to Picos and treat them--and ourselves--to such a feast. Unfortunately we got started kinda late but they kept things open for us well after closing time. Many thanks to Arnaldo for his charming stories and wealth of knowledge about the food and drink from his country of origin! And BTW, his staff gave us excellent service too! I highly recommend this to anyone who wants a real culinary treat from beginning to end!!