Traveler’s Table in Houston Restaurant Review

Len Duenas | April 26, 2023

Located at Westheimer Road in Houston, Traveler’s Table describes itself as a kitchen specialized on modernizing global dishes from around the world. With an extensive drink menu and a variety of unique plates to choose from, there was no hesitation in paying them a visit. In this detailed review, we’ll provide you with an honest review of Traveler’s Table that comments on location ambience, quality of service, taste of food, and more for you to discover.

Overview

Traveler’s Table is a global eatery at 520 Westheimer Road in Houston, a road hosting a multitude of other raving restaurants to visit—Japanese restaurant Soto Houston, Italian fine dining Sorrento, and café La La Land, to name a few. Though not required, reservations are recommended to allocate during peak hours during the weekend. Private dining is offered for events, celebrations, and more for up to thirty people with a set shared menu for brunch and dinner. If desired, you may order online through their website, offering dinner menu selections, non-alcoholic drinks, signature cocktails, and cocktail kits.

More information such as their community updates, press magazines, and gift card inquiries can be found on their website.

Traveler’s Table Houston Hours

Brunch
Friday – Sunday: 10:00 am – 2:30 pm

Dinner
Sunday – Tuesday: 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Wednesday – Thursday: 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Friday – Saturday: 5:00 pm – 11:00 pm

Inside the Eatery

Sporting a cozy modern look, the restaurant building is reminiscent of a millionaire’s vision of a holiday cabin. With its wooden texture, modern paintings, plant décor, and low-light fixtures, Traveler’s Table has a winded down feel, even with its busy atmosphere and active kitchen.  The noise level is relatively moderate with a relaxed atmosphere despite people trickling in. This noise level may increase throughout the night during weekends. Fortunately, we were able to visit for an earlier dinner.

Alcohol or not, you’re going to want to start off at Traveler’s Table with one of their featured drinks. The mocktail versions of A Sunny Place for Shady People and Tranquilo es Mio are excellent selections with unique tastes. A Sunny Place is a sweet, fruity drink with pineapple, orange, and a strong taste of coconut that gives it a milky taste, while Tranquilo is deliciously tangy and syrupy with lime and cantaloupe.

Small and Strong Starter Plates 

The first picks of the evening were a challenge due to the variety of tastes to choose from, just in the small plates alone. The Beetroot Tartare and Crispy Pork Belly in Pasilla Sauce do not disappoint if you’re looking for flavorsome starters for your visit. These small plates start off the night strong with rich flavors, unique plating, and portions big enough to share for more than two. Service is exceptional in sharing recommendations, answering dish questions, and friendly in inquiries, and I recommend asking about visitor favorites and dishes that may suit your taste.

Traveler’s Table‘s gives a generous amount of vegetarian alternatives that don’t lack in quality or taste compared to its counterpart. Their Beetroot Tartare doesn’t fall short of this. In texture and in taste, it very closely follows a tartare consistency, with avocado, truffle-yuzu aioli, fried shallots, sea grapes, and a few other small add-ons that make the dish pop. Toasted, crunchy baguettes included on the side complete the experience and taste great with a scoop of tartare.

The Crispy Pork Belly, sitting on top of a rich Pasilla Sauce was delicious. Although the dish is described as crispy, the skin was the more crispy aspect wbile the meat itself is satisfyingly soft, almost melting in your mouth. A kick of spice is given from Pasilla pepper, and the additional nuts, vegetables, and apple slaw pulled the experience together.

Special Events

The eatery has Happenings, or events occurring on on specific days for a limited time. For our visit, we were able to try out their International Oyster Night Happening on Wednesdays from 5PM – 10PM, where we took on the recommended pick of Peruvian Oysters, which were a total game changer. Aji marillo, shallot-lime mojo, crème fraîche, paddlefish caviar, chicharrones— it’s a heavenly combination you definitely don’t want to miss and should check out for a visit!

Onto the Entrees

Refreshingly, the portion sizes of the entrees feel very appropriate, unlike some locations with higher end prices and food. With lots of flavors to experience in each dish, every dollar spent felt worth it for every bite taken. The Tea Smoked Duck interestingly comes with recommended instructions for a best tasting experience. First, eat the duck coated in tamarind-plum sauce. Then, try the sesame noodles and baby bok choy. Finally, to cleanse your palate, taste some of the taro foam provided on the plate. We tried this, and loved the combination!

Naturally, the rice coupled with the marinated thigh and leg of the Jerk Chicken compliments it perfectly. Heavy in size, the coconut rice, sweet plantain relish, okra, collard greens, and most importantly, beans, melt together flawlessly in texture and flavor. Paired alongside and coming in hot was the Jungle Curry, with soft pork ribs and curry more adjacent to soup. At the bottom of the curry lies a healthy selection of sweet corn, green beans, eggplant, and lemongrass that you’ll want to try with the jasmine rice.

However, these are only a few of the many entrees found on the menu with lots of global eats to try. As the menu is sorted by region, we encourage you to choose what sounds good rather than prioritize region to maximize range, as there are many dishes to taste and enjoy from each! Other appetizing dishes are the Nigerian Suya Skewers and Brazilian Shrimp Moqueca, which you can try at the next dinner opening from 5PM – 10PM.

Dessert with Dinner

For the final dish in this Traveler’s Table review, dessert was a must-have for the night. The New Orleans Bourbon Bread Pudding is perfect with its scoop of ice cream on the side, with a salty hint of caramel on top. Their portions are perfect size for a two guests to share, no more, no less with this size of bread pudding.

For those with a sweet tooth, the Japanese Sakura Cheesecake is the way to go. This fluffy, sweet filling cake is an amazing way to end the night.

Traveler’s Table Restaurant Review

With unique food, generous portion sizes, and friendly professional service, Traveler’s Table is something to include in your Houston restaurants list. Their amazing worldwide food experience makes everything worth the price. You’ll want to consider events to bring family and friends up to this accommodatingly sweet location.

Looking for more eats around Houston? Check out our list of Romantic Restaurants for you and a loved one’s next visit around the town.