The Shops at Houston Center

We live not far from this shopping center, so for us it has long been the number one in the selection and purchase of building materials and things for the house.
Few days ago we was in other popular mall with friends which sells stuff for the house — marveled prices, all much cheaper! And the choice is huge!

The Shops are great for lunch time (still eating my sandwich) for the employees in the surrounding office buildings and I love how I don’t even have to brave the elements to get there with the skywalk and tunnel access. The «Shops» however might be a little misleading as there are very few places to actually shop. There’s a Dress Barn, a Hallmark, a jewelry store, a sports paraphernalia store, and one or two other little boutique type places. Its essentially a giant food court. They do also have a gym, a pharmacy, and a Kelsey Seybold clinic which would be really convenient if they didn’t suck.

This should renamed the food court at Houston Center. Great for nearby workers or tourists to grab a cheap lunch during the week, but less than ideal for nights, weekends, or actual shopping. The Jos A Bank and Dressbarn are convenient, though, and the RadioShack has plenty of iPhone chargers. There isn’t much to see, but the tunnel connectivity and variety is nice. If you’re just visiting, try Treebeard’s!

Working in downtown, the Houston Shops is as good as it gets. The Shops include places where you can get food/​drinks/​desserts, do a little shopping, medical & vision services, pharmacy needs, and connections to the rest of the other tunnels. But it is only open during business hours Monday through Friday and gets really busy around lunch and when the weather outside is unfavorable. When I don’t bring lunch I get to choose from, food court kind of style. There’s a Chick-​Fil-​A, Salata, Subway, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Bullritos, Mediterranean, BBQ, dumplings, Starbucks, Potbelly, and so much more. They remodeled so there are nice booths and tables to hangout and watchTVs. When a big tournament is happening like the World Cup or Final Four, many are parked and do work or hangout at the tables. There is free WiFi. I find the Hallmark very handy for buying gifts, ATMs within walking distance, a post office store to drop of mail & packages and medical services in close proximity so that I can take care of it during my lunch hour. When I get restless at work, I take a break at the Shops to get away from the madness at work and it does the trick to have an outlet like this.

I came in on a weekday morning for a visit to the Kesley-​Sebold Clinic. The Shops were very quiet and still, over half of the place wasn’t even open yet.
What I did see was the place was clean and orderly. The food court had some unique options I had not seen in other places, especially places that focused on health food. The escalators were working and all the plants inside looked healthy and cared for.
I’d like to come back in a different time frame and really see the place busy and bustling. As it was, it seemed very nice.

An old, ancient mall that has seen better days.
Perfect for downtown workers looking for food, bored students with nothing to do, and tourists that thought they went to the Galleria.

I went to The Shops at Houston Center for lunch. It is fairly convenient as I work downtown and could take the tunnels to the Shops. There is a wide selection of restaurants to choose from. Seems to be a popular place because it was busy and full of people buzzing around.
Why only one star? you ask… Because this whole building is infested with cockroaches. My lunch companion and I ordered dumplings to go and walked over to a seating area to eat our lunch. As we are enjoying the delicious dumplings my friend notices a cockroach walking across our TABLE. He immediately killed it and we threw away what was left of our lunch and left. Let me ask you this: How many roaches must be in this building if they are out walking around, willy nilly, during a very busy lunch hour? A LOT!
I will not return to any of the establishments in The Shops at Houston Center, and I would like to warn all of you. If you care about the cleanliness of the kitchen preparing your food, I would advise that you stay away from this place.

Why does this place sound like it’s a mall?
It’s not.
It’s main service is to feed downtown-​area business people in its food court… and that’s about it.
Of course it has the potential to be a great mall, but I think the Houston pavilions are taking over the duty of retail shopping.

I have to say, I wasn’t really impressed with this «shopping center». There are hardly any stores in it, and everything closes by 6:00. It’s a nice building inside, and they have a large food court. Not a great place to shop though.

The Shops at Houston Center are a great place to grab a quick bite to eat. There are a dozen or so eateries on the 3^rd floor that have something for just about everyone — provided that you don’t mind eating food court style food. There is an outside eating area that overlooks Austin street, which is nice during cool days. There are also a number of cute shops to explore and even my recent find — an actual post office. Kelsey-​Seybold also has a clinic there, so you can eat lunch and get a flu shot all in one location.

I come here for lunch and they’ve recently remodeled the food court area to have more seating. Still not enough but much better than before. It is PACKED at lunch with the people that work in the area, but for good reason, as there’s something for everyone.
For the shopping part, I can’t attest to that, but they do have a great food court!
Try DOOZO, the line looks intimidating but the dumplings are so so good. They have a good system so the line moves very quickly.

this was ok. went for the food court, but wasn’t really impressed with the food court. also, it is craziness at lunchtime.
and there wasn’t a lot of shops, as i anticipated. since i was staying at the 4 seasons across the street, i had to check it out.
mm, probly won’t go again.

Lies. This place is not a mall.

It’s sad that this place doesn’t do better. The whole concept is great, but their operating hours are limited. During the weekday, especially at lunch this place is packed. But any other time, it’s like a ghosttown. When I’m shopping here the skylights make you feel like you’re somewhere else. There are still a lot of shops that have closed and not reopened. Hopefully this area will one day be flourishing, as Houston deserves it.

This is something you can live with — never a first choice, but definitely you can do worse. They have a Starbucks. Sure, long wait. But its still coffee at the end of the day. Doozo? Eww, pass. Potbelly? Alright, now we’re talking. Subway? Ewww again. Salata? Okay now we are talking again. Chick fil A? Not just no but hell no — permanent boycott of them due to their incendiary homophobic political viewpoints and contributions to candidates. But Murphy’s Deli? Okay, we could do worse.
They have a big selection. It is not all good. But it is not all bad either. When I am here I am probably at Potbelly utilizing the free wifi before I head out to do something more interesting than poke people on facebook and draft a twitter post like «Eating lunch lol» haha

I work near-​by the «Park Shops». We still use the old name, even though it has been rebranded for who knows how long. I and my co-​workers end up there at least two or three times a week. Why, because it has the most inexpensive food joint density of any place around. It’s not because the food there is great. It’s not even because there are really great shops. There aren’t that many shops. I’m not sure why it is so hard for shopping establishments downtown. People work there and you would think they would run errands there too. Go figure.
Anyway, despite the fact that they are mostly a food court with a few shops too, there are some good things about ye olde Park Shoppes. They are:
— The Hallmark Store on the top level — if you desperately need a card or small gift, they’re a go-​to spot.
— Starbucks — if you need a hot drink, there they are. They get REALLY busy some times and the barristas are not very quick, but the drinks are hot.

— Mediterranean Grill — I think this is the best place to get food in the Shops. I did a review for them, so I won’t do one again. Go there and try something. You will like it.
— Thai Basil — a new-​ish member of the food court and definitely worth a try. Keep in mind that the tofu is freeze dried, so that explains the texture, and go from there. This is probably the second best place in the Shops.
— Dress Barn — I shop here for their sales and occasionally because I am clumsy and spilled my morning tea all over myself. Dress Barn seems to have a lower construction and material quality on most of their things, but if you look hard enough and come in frequently, you can find marked down items that are made relatively well.
— Potbelly — really good sandwiches, but a little pricey, IMO.
— Radio Shack — handy if you need an SD card, phone case, camera, etc. I like having it at hand and being able to go in and grab some electronics
There are also some places to avoid:
— Sarku — icky, sugary, yucky, faux Japanese/​Chinese. Avoid this place.
— Simon’s — a really bland version of Luby’s like food. Bleh!
— Icon — small selection, crowded store, high prices, IMO.
— Au Bön Pain — I wanted to like this place, but their ordering system is weird and their prices are high for what you get.
There are many other places in the Shops at Houston Center that are just OK. I really wish they could get more shops, but considering the economy and the fact that their competitors, the Pavillions, can’t lease out their new retail space, I doubt this will happen. They are getting a Kelsey Seybold clinic there and I think their Pharmacy just opened on the upper level, so that’s something nice.

As someone from out of town, the name is a little misleading. The «Shops at Houston Center» has very few shops but does have a nice food court area with lots of eating options.
Perhaps they will expand in the future but if you’re looking for a «mall like» experience, this isn’t it.

This place is a foodie’s lunch break heaven! Many food genres are represented here, which can prove difficult if you are indecisive. The location is perfect because it connects to my office building by the skywalk but also connects to other buildings through the tunnels. There are plenty of cozy benches if you just want to chill and a few actual shops. There are not too many actual stores at the moment but it looks like they are about to put in a few more. The hallmark store has pulled me out of an «oh crap I forgot to get them a card» jam a few times at work. I also had my bangs trimmed quickly at the salon here and they did a good job (although they do charge $ 12 for a bang trim, a little steep if you ask me…)
The lowdown on the restaurants offered here:
Best–
Mediterranean Grill — just downright tasty
Otto’s BBQ — delicious and messy
Thai Basil — go for the spicy
Average–
Robeks — It’s no Jamba, but if you are in the mood for a smoothie this place will satisfy. Also they have a happy hour with discounted smoothies around 3 daily.
Salata — Good food but overpriced
Worst–
Sarku Japan– They lured me in with their $ 5 lunch special but beware! The best way to describe what they gave me (food?) would have to be disgusting. The chicken was fatty, greasy pieces of meat with some unappetizing mystery sauce poured over it just thick enough to make your rice soggy.
Also worth noting is the table situation. The dining area can get pretty crowded during the lunch rush so prepare to get up close & personal with some strangers.

Its great to have so many restaurants nearby. The shopping center is well maintained and worth relaxing in.

The Shops at Houston Center is an indoor shopping mall in the Shopping district of Downtown Houston, and as the name implies, it is a part of the Houston Center business/​retail complex. Some might know it by its former name, «The Park Shops».
This is a fine place to visit if you’re a visitor in Downtown especially for those checking something out before an Astros or Rockets game. It connects to Houston’s Downtown Tunnel System, so you can even walk around Downtown in air-​conditioning on those hot days.
It appears that this place caters mostly to those who work day-​to-​day in offices surrounding the area, and it’s easy to spot people talking business with their co-​workers.
The food court is really the star of this little shopping area. In contrast to the Houston Pavilions down the street, this won’t leave your wallet thin. There’s a large variety of cheap, casual, eats, and there’s even outdoor seating that is not bad. It’s elevated, so you don’t have to worry about any of the street-​level issues. It’s shady because of the tall residential complex that is right across the street, and a view of the Toyota Center is pretty visible.