Américas River Oaks

Giving 3 stars solely because the food is great for happy hour! On the other hand don’t sit outside! The wait staff is extremely slow took 15 minutes and me walking inside to get a hostess to come to the table! Next time I visit I will be inside!

Came here for Sunday brunch. Nice selection of food and good service. Good selection of Chilean and Argentinian wines.

The manager did reach out to me and offered me an explanation and a gift certificate to their other partner location. I certainly had a better experience at the other sister location.

This is my favorite restaurant for brunch… My husband and I go every other Sunday. The food is delicious (if you like Latin food) and the staff is very friendly. Good variety from every country in South America :)

We had a nice dinner at Americas – it was nothing crazy special, but the service and the food were very good.
I think my favorite parts of the meal were the ceviche and the plantain chips. They serve the complimentary plantain chips before your meal with three dips, my favorite of which was the chimichurri (think the Latin version of Tex-​Mex chips and salsa) – so good! The trio of ceviche was great as well – it was perfect for 2 – 3 people to share as an appetizer. The ceviches were shrimp and tilapia, ahi tuna and salmon – while all were good, my favorite was the ahi tuna, as it had a bit of a kick.
Our entrees were good, though nothing amazing – grilled mahi mahi that came with mashed potatoes and fried okra. While the fish was good, I wasn’t a big fan of the okra – too fried and a little tough to eat. The churrasco steak was solid as well.

I love Spanish food and always have trouble finding a perfect ceviche. I found it here! The atmosphere, food, drink selection, and service was great! Don’t forget to order tres leches for dessert!

They had me at plantain chips!
My company uses Cordúa (the owners of Americas, Churrascos, etc.) to cater a lot of our events and the food is always excellent, so I was confident we would receive the same quality when we went to Américas in River Oaks for Valentine’s Day. We had their prix fixe menu at $ 75/​person and the service was great, the food was delicious, and so were the cocktails!
I would strongly recommend the mango habanero margarita!

Came here for Sat. lunch with a friend and ordered the quinoa cobb salad and fish tacos. The salad was really interesting with all the different items deconstructed and lined up side by side — quinoa, lentils, bacon, lettuce, chicken. It looks large, but it’s so flattened out on the plate that the portion size is actually quite small. The fish tacos (2) were fried (we asked for grilled) but they were yum! It came with a soup (black bean that particular day) on the side, which I really enjoyed. The lunch options also come with salad/​soup, so we got to try the salad too. It’s not terribly special, but a nice add-​on to the main. Service was good, and I’m always a fan of their plantain chips as well.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed and delighted in lunch!
I don’t usually choose to dine on Mexican or Latin fare. However, I’m glad I chose to!
I ordered some sort of grilled chicken atop pasta and a mushroom ragout, and boy way is juicy, flavorful, and crave-​able! Yes, there are lunch meals that allow for dessert; however, this particular menu selection caught my attention. I also opted for a glass of wine, and for some reason this wine tasted lots better here than it does at home (it’s a popular selection at my home).
I did not opt for dessert because it absolutely was not needed.
The décor is interesting, and the location of the restaurant is also interesting. This may be a solid destination for future lunches.

I discovered this charming restaurant a few years ago when I was looking for a place that serves the best dishes from Central and South America in Houston. It was a big deal for me, since I wanted to impress my date (who by the way, is now my lovely wife).
The Americas’ staff has always exceeded our expectations since day one; which is why we always come back for more. They are very attentive, friendly, and professional. They make us feel like royalty.
I always order their signature entrée: The Churrasco steak. It tastes like nothing else. They cook it to perfection; it’s super tender and very rich in flavor. It feels like it melts in your mouth! I think they must have one of those «Granny’s Secret Recipes» for this one. To sweeten things up, you can’t go wrong with the Tres Leches. It really goes well with their Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon.
Another hint: park in the parking garage on the 2^nd so you don’t have to wait for the elevator.

Went here on a Friday night with some friends. It’s a very cozy atmosphere with sort of whimsical furniture. They bring out plantain chips with 3 different dips including a pesto dip a cheese dip and a salsa (my favorite). We shared the paella! It had multiple seafoods: lobster, shrimp, calamari, sea bass, and salmon. It’s a good size for 2 people so if you split it with more than 2 you could try some of the other items! The paella is 48.50. I thought it was a fun place and would go again especially for seafood. I don’t eat steak but apparently it’s suppose to be very good.

UPDATE: I wrote to the GM, and she wrote a very gracious response to me saying she would bring up the brunch problems in their meeting today. She also said that they would start rotating their managers on Sunday until staff received more training and invited me back for another visit to see if there was any visible improvement during Sunday brunch with their new procedures in place. I’m very appreciative for her graciousness and will leave an update if food is better in quality this next time!
Those desserts though… they gotta fix that.
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REVIEW:
Had brunch here today, and I won’t be back.
Brother and sister reported that this place just isn’t good any longer, and I came back with my mom after craving brunch here. Americas failed to live up to past expectations.
Hostesses working are utterly indifferent and insincere. I got it, you make tip share and a small wage. No «thank you» upon departure and indifferent enough for my mom to mention to me how lame their vibe was. No hospitality nor personality.
Wait staff is warm and on point, but the food is not worth the $ 36 + tax and tip pp. 2 people with coffee ended up being $ 100, and not worth it.
Stuff sits under the heat lamps and wilts if you get there too early, but it’s still waiting to be «sold» and doesn’t get changed out. Trust me, I used to work catering and expediting in a kitchen, and this stuff was dry, «dead,» and still on the line.
— Ceviche is the best thing here now. No cooking required? Surprised?
— Tenderloin was flavorless without sauce.
— Fritto mixto was hard, dry, and coated in so much breading that you can’t tell what you’re eating unless you look at the shape.
— Paella was super salty and shrimp in it were dry.
— Cooked plantains are put on the line before they are even caramelized properly.
— Crêpe iron was so hot that batter bubbled up on contact and could not be spread much after that.
— Dessert used to be my favorite part here, but it’s all so sickeningly sweet that I don’t want to eat it– the alfajores, tres leches, crema Catalan, and chocolate delirio were all cloyingly sweet mouthfuls of sugar. I do a mental test called «is this worth getting fat over?» As continental breakfast pastries fall into the no category, so does Americas’ entire brunch dessert offering.
Lure: $ 3 mojitos, Bloody Mary, and mimosas for my imbibing and/​or hungover friends.
Was gonna come here for date night this week, but food was so mediocre that I gotta say bye.
Tip: For brunch items to be freshest, show up around 1230 with a reservation. Make everyone else eat the items dying on the line so that you don’t have to.

Came here on a Monday night for their 6oz churrasco special. We sat in the bar area to take advantage of the happy hour, ordering the lobster corn dogs and and angel wings. The churrasco was very tasty, and I enjoyed the vast array of sauces that came with the meal (6 in total — 3 from plantain chips, 1 from churrasco, 1 from each of apps). The server was kind enough to pack a box of chips + sauces so we could have at home. My only complaint was that the server seemed to not care about me nearly as much as he did about my date. He asked how we were liking the food — addressing «señor» only. The menu went to my bf first, then me. Maybe I’m being fussy, but I thought it’s common practice to give the menu to the woman first? Or least ask if she also enjoys her food instead of addressing only one person at the table?

Great happy hour, though it’s minimal seating.
Go early and enjoy their lobster corn dogs, ceviche (tuna better than tilapia)
Their beef HH entrée is also a must.
Best cocktail: they offer Moscow Mule on their HH menu!
I would definitely make this a regular.
All their prices on their happy hour menu is less than $ 10. You can order multiple plates of the same item and share with your party!

Nice spot for Happy Hour. Really good Moscow Mules for $ 5 made with Tito’s vodka! They give you complimentary plantain chips with several really great dipping sauces. I ordered the Ceviche Mixto, Beef Empanadas, Lobster Corn dogs and the beef confit tacos. Everything was excellent and very reasonably priced. This is going on my list for top Happy Hour in Houston!
The staff was very friendly and attentive. We were taken care of the whole time we were there. I’ll be back!

Perfect selection of fresh & original dishes at Americas’ Brunch. Favorite place in Houston and maybe ever?
There are not TOO many options at the buffet which could leave us confused on what to get, but not too little either! It is the perfect buffet size divided in 3 – 4 sections.
The buffet starts with plantain chips, smoked salmon & ceviche, then there is a good selection of hot dishes (many vegetarian and carnivore options) and it ends with the customized crêpe section where a server makes it fresh for you.
There are definitely many HEALTHY options at this Brunch, which I love. Even if some dishes are «heavier» than others, there is never too much fat or oil in any dish, I feel. A lot of dishes are grilled/​steamed. Everything is cooked perfectly!
My favorite dishes that I definitely recommend are the fried yuca (melts in your mouth!), the corn bread, the sweet potato gratin, the very fresh ceviche with shrimp, calamari and fish and the amazing paella with grilled shrimp and very refined spices. I also tried the French toast & pecan empanada (near the small desserts buffet) which were again, ultra fresh and tasty.
I could not resist and finished my meal with a crêpe that was filled with plantains, Nutella and pecans. They make the crepes in front of you in a minute! They are delicious (coming from a French native hehe). You can get fresh fruit in your crêpe or sweeter and naughtier fillings like I did!
The staff at Americas is also very professional and attentive and not to mention the inside of the restaurant has a unique & beautiful style.

OK, it’s time to update my review. Alot has changed at America’s since my last review. They have a pretty decent happy hour in the bar area Monday Through Friday. The dinner menu has improved tremendously and service is on point. This last time I tried the grilled Mahi Mahi on the executive lunch and it was soo good! The très leches was pretty awesome too. I have to say, keep up the good work America’s! You are doing great! :)

If this is the same group that was in the Galleria area – THE BEST FOOD EVER!!! I mean EVER!
Some day I am coming back to visit Houston, and this will be on my stop for sure… oink!

Best Moscow mule I’ve ever had. Not to sweet, just strong enough, awesome flavor. The complimentary plantain chips were excellent, and they provide three very nice salsas to dip them in.
The service was great from the moment I walked in the door. A man, perhaps a manager or head server, walked my date and I to our table and made us feel like valued guests (this isn’t as common as I wish it was, but go Americas!). Our server was great, he came exactly when we needed anything but wasn’t overly obtrusive. He made excellent recommendations, and all of the food was good. This place used to be a night club, so it has a very trendy-​upscale vibes. The happy hour prices are incredible, I walked away with a $ 65 tab after my date and I had 3 drinks apiece and several appetizers.

Went to Americas for date night last night and loved EVERYTHING about our meal.
Started with cocktails: Caipirinha for me, Manhattan for him. Later on in dinner we tried a Brazilian beer, which was great, too. Thumps up for all the cocktails and drinks.
They brought plantain chips with two salsas and Huancaina (a Peruvian cheese sauce) to the table while we ordered. I’m not always a fan of plantain chips, because they’re pretty hard to get right (can be mushy, too oil, burnt, etc.), but these were amazing, and the Huancaina (which I’d never had before) is CRACK, so good I wanted to drink the bowl after we ran out of chips (they offered to bring more, but I was afraid I’d fill up with just the free chips!).
We ordered the ahi tuna ceviche and the fish taquitos. The fish taquitos were great — beautifully fried fish with a spicy sauce — just delicious. BUT THE CEVICHE. Can I have it everyday from now until the end of time? AMAZING: ahi, pineapple, cilantro, jalapeño and PONZU. I can’t even talk about it anymore, because it’s making me hungry.
My boyfriend also tried the chicken empanadas and really liked them.
We also ordered a dessert — delirio de chocolate: layers a chocolate truffle cake, hazelnut chocolate mousse, chocolate ganache, chocolate meringue, and espresso cajeta. VERY rich, but quite delicious. He got a cappuccino and I got an espresso as well.
The plates are small, but we weren’t starving and didn’t want to order full entrees (or miss the CEVICHE).
The service was excellent as well.
They lit a dessert on fire in the most interesting way — we asked what it was and were told the tres leches. We’ll try that next time!
Only thing I don’t love about Americas? And it’s minor. The interior decorating — the place is so odd. I’ve never been in a restaurant where the light fixtures were wrapped in material. I sort of felt like I was in the Little Mermaid — in Ursula’s place, with all of the people that had lost their souls to her.
But all in all — an excellent meal. Great food, great drinks, great service. Very deserving of the No. 63 spot of the Best 100 restaurants in this great foodie city:

What a wonderful dining experience. My friends and I came for restaurant week. It was very relaxed, but our food also came out in a timely manner especially considering how many people were there.
Every bite of our food was bursting with flavor, and I love how they bring the plantains while you are waiting for your food.
I ordered the tres leches as my third course, but I do know they also bring it for birthdays. IT IS AMAZING. For years I would always go on my birthday just for that.

This review is for HRW (Houston Restaurant Week — 2015).
Américas offers a HRW three course meal (appetizer, main course, and dessert) for $ 35 before tax and tip. Variety is excellent and you will not walk out hungry. I ordered the Tuna Ceviche, Pollo Encamisado, and Tres Leches. The Tuna Ceviche didn’t look as good as the beef and chicken empanadas, but made up for the bright flavors from the coconut, crispy onion, peanut, jalapeño, cilantro. It went suprisingly well with the raw fish. The Pollo Encamisado had a nice crispy bite and paired well with the black bean sauce and roasted tomato. It wasn’t spectacular but delicious none-​the-​less. The best part would probably be the dessert — Tres Leche. Hands down probably one of the best I had in Houston. It’s basically a big sponge of happiness, soaked into a dense calorie packed syrupy/​milky concoction and layered with cream.
The service was OK. For a nice looking restaurant such as this, I expected a fine dining experience. I would compare the level of service here to the same level as Macaroni Grill — They do a quick introduction, explain the menu as fast as they could, and then kick it down a notch to Chilli’s level.
There really isn’t a dress code for this place. Although the outside looks somewhat fancy and they offer valet service, I seen people wear jeans a t-​shirt here too. I would still suggest wearing something semi-​formal at least. It creates a more luxurious atmosphere when everyone dresses fancy. Monocles and suit jackets can be left at home. Most men wear a button down and pants. Women usually wear a dress. Again though, it’s not required and you won’t really stand out as much if you don’t.
TIPS:
–The 2015 HRW menu offers a selection of red and white wines priced at ~$ 5 each. Some of that selection includes brand names that cost only ~$ 9 for an entire bottle (i.e. CK Mondavi). Don’t let this deal fool you. It’s still cheap for a glass of wine at a restaurant but it’s by no means a bargain either.
–When driving into the parking lot, enter from W. Gray Street and not Sheppard (unless you want Valet). If you turn from Sheppard, you enter a valet drive through lane. A parking garage is located in the back and is free to self-​park.
–If it’s your birthday, let them know. You might just get a little something extra for dessert.

I’ve been to Americas twice, most recently for Houston Restaurant Week. I’d had a great experience the first time and was excited to use HRW as an excuse to return! For both visits, I’d say the food was 4 out of 5 but the service, ambiance, other «extras» bumped it up to a 5 out of 5.
Restaurant Week Menu:
Ambiance/​Drinks/​Pre-​Appetizers: As others have commented, the décor is elaborate, unique, and makes for a great date night place. The women’s bathroom is worth a visit too, as others have mentioned, just because of its décor as well. ;) They had several wine options listed on the HRW menu at $ 5/​glass or $ 20/​bottle. They also brought us their plantain chips plus three sauces after we sat down — the plantain chips were really addictive — and an extra treat right off the bat that I wasn’t expecting.
Appetizers: I got the empanadas (one beef, one chicken) and my husband got the tuna ceviche. Both were excellent, and I couldn’t decide which one was better — I would recommend both. I liked the beef empanada better than the chicken one but would still probably still get the combination if I ordered them again because they were both really good.
Entrée: Both my husband and I both got the lomo y mar (grilled beef filet, achiote shrimp, castelvetrano olives, mascarpone mashed potatoes, stilton blue cheese sauce), which we enjoyed. We ordered our beef medium, which had a little pink on the inside, though not as much as I would have liked. I would probably order my beef dish medium rare next time. I really liked the flavor of the olives and blue cheese sauce with the beef. They also brought us a plate of rice, lentils, plantains, pico de gallo, and one other thing (yucca?) to share — another extra I was not expecting. The plantains and lentils (very flavorful) were my favorite thing on that «extra» plate.
Dessert: I got the tres leches and my husband got the Bailey’s tres leches. Both were delicious and, again, I couldn’t really choose my favorite between the two. I really enjoyed the huge scoop of meringue on top of my husband’s tres leches, which definitely tastes like Bailey’s — you get a bit of an Bailey’s alcohol tang afterwards (good if you like Bailey’s, perhaps not so much if you are not a fan).
When I have come before, I have seen them light the tres leches on fire for other diners’ birthdays and you had to blow your entire cake out, which is fun to watch. I have also had their flan (the first time I came here) based on our waiter’s recommendation, and even though I don’t gravitate toward flan… well, really ever, I thought it was fantastic.

The atmosphere here is quite unique, everything is pretty abstract and artsy. The food was delicious, starting by the complementary plantain chips and 3 different types of salsa: a Mexican chipotle salsa, a chimichurri sauce and a Peruvian style sauce). All sauces taste great.
We tried the lobster corndogs with homemade lobster sausage. The corndogs were really good… crispy, light and you could taste the lobster. For the entrée we shared a paella (Mar y Tierra) with beef, crab and shrimp. The paella was scrumptious, the beef melts in your mouth and the rice was perfectly cooked. Very flavorful overall. For dessert we had the tres leches flambé, it was soaked with rum but nevertheless decadent.
We will probably return for brunch or to try other menu items. A true homage to Latin American cuisine.

Hellooooo brunch! And lunch/​dinner too :)
This whimsically decorated space provides consistently good food and service. Valet parking is available, but you can usually snag a spot in the surrounding lots or garage. The restaurant is upstairs, accessible by an elevator behind the valet or 2 stairways (front and back).
The brunch buffet has a bit of everything — sweet and savory, meat and fish, veg and starch. That’s if I can get past the plantain chips and chimichurri! Entrees during dinner are very good as well. Bold flavors and textures abound. The service has always been super friendly and even entertaining at times.
Tip: spaces available for private and semi-​private dining

I have been to America’s several times. One of my friends recommended this place to me for their $ 19 lunches and brunch buffet long ago. (They no longer do $ 19 lunches anymore. Instead, it is any entrée with an additional $ 4.)
This restaurant is located on the second floor. You can valet (complimentary) or park in the garage. The décor of this place is pretty unique. It’s fascinating yet distracting. I think the way the ladies restroom set up is pretty cool too.
Our party arrived for lunch recently, and we promptly get seated in the center seats of the restaurant. Again, the design of the seats are different from the rest of the seats in the restaurant.
Our waitress comes by and starts us off with the complimentary plantain chips and sauces. These can be addicting like chips and salsa at your favorite Tex Mex restaurant.
We ended up choosing the 3 course lunch. It comes with an appetizer, entrée, and dessert.
Appetizer:
Soup of the day or Mixed Greens salad. I’m not sure what the soup was called… Just remember it was long. I would recommend the soup that I had over the mixed green salad. I felt like the salad dressing was too much. Less dressing or on the side would have been better. On the other hand, soup was delicious! Light yet creamy. My friend who ordered the salad practically ate half of my soup.
Entrée:
Beef Tenderloin Pepito (²⁄₅): Shaved beef tenderloin, grilled onions & poblano, black bean refritos, smoked cheese on rustic bread with yuca steak fries and rocoto sauce. All I can taste was oil. I mean you can taste some of the flavors from the sandwich but too greasy. The portion was huge, can’t complain about that. The yuca steak fries were decent, better than other places I tried. They only give you like 5 fries though. The rocoto sauce made everything taste better from this plate. I would not order this again.
Achiote Seared Ahi Tuna (³⁄₅): Cilantro broth, citrus salad, and goat cheese ‘snow’. Cilantro broth sounded interesting but when the dish arrived, I wasn’t blown away by this. It was too sweet… Didn’t even taste like cilantro. The citrus was a refreshing twist but didn’t go with the broth in my opinion. Ahi tuna was fresh and perfectly cooked.
Pollo Bahía (³⁄₅): Grilled chicken breast with tomato, cilantro, heart of palm, coconut beurre blanc, and jasmine rice. My friend said it was bland. He pretty much asked for hot sauce and poured it onto the plate. I tried a piece of the chicken, which was made with coconut shredding. It wasn’t bad… Not too sure if I would order this again.
Dessert:
Tres Leches (³⁄₅): Frankly, I’ve had much better. I like mine to be fluffy soaked with milk. The bottom of the cake was the only soaked part. I would say about ¼ of the top was dry. The cream on top was way too much. I pretty much took it all off with my fork. It’s personal preference, but I would skip this next time.
Great service every time I have been here. Recently, our waitress was very professional and made sure we were happy with everything. She accidentally dropped a fork but brought a new one quickly. Check this place out if you haven’t. :)