The Springbok

My boyfriend and I swung by for some light eats and cocktails prior to a concert at the Toyoto Center. It was pretty empty inside despite it being a Saturday. The interior has a modern, industrial look as you can see the pipes running through the ceiling.
Our server was knowledgeable and friendly. She knew that we weren’t looking for a big meal and offered suggestions that were wallet-​friendly and filling. While our server was efficient, the kitchen and bar took awhile to get our food and drinks out.
Following our server’s suggestions, we ordered the chicken wings and slap chips. The chicken wings were pretty good, but not blow-​me-​away amazing. The sauce was tasty, but the wings were a bit soggy. The slap chips were interesting… Our server described them as un-​crispy, salt & vinegar french fries. The texture was on-​point with her description, but the vinegar flavor was a bit weak. I expected the salt & vinegar flavor to jump out at you like the packaged Lays potato chip. It would have been better if there was a stronger vinegar taste.
We got 3 drinks and they were pretty decent. Not quite Anvil level, but the drinks were overall pretty balanced. The Springbok unfortunately didn’t have large ice cubes. Instead, small ice cubes were used so my boyfriend had to chug his old fashioned before the ice melt which is a no-​no in my book.
Given the number of awesome restaurants in the downtown area that I know are amazing/haven’t tried, I probably won’t return.

Food is a bit pricey for the portion size. This is ‘Murica and we like to be fat. The burgers looked fat though. I should’ve got the burger. But my jacka$$ friend convinced me to get the $ 30 steak. I almost spit out my esophagus laughing when I saw how much food I got. LOL. The ambience of the place is cool though. Oh, and even though the meals were expensive, the steak and chicken tasted awesome. I guess the taste of the food sort of made up for the child-​size servings. Deviled eggs were damn good too. If this place was 50% off I’d probably go a lot more often.

We ordered the hand pie, wild boar sloppy joe, deviled eggs and fries. All were very tasty, hot and filling. We only waited maybe ten minutes for the appetizer, then the mains were out just a few minutes later. The waiter was attentive. The price was about what you’d expect to pay for the downtown area. It was fun for a Tuesday night, without being too loud or boisterous. I’d recommend.

Incredibly hospitable staff. Food was absolutely delicious (I’m not generally a chicken wing person — but seriously, try the chicken wings).
I got a cocktail, I think it was called «The Pink Delicious» or something along those lines, and it was perfectly balanced and refreshing — not too sweet, not too sour from the grapefruit. They also have several brewed options on draught.
I didn’t have room to try one of their desserts, but several of them were strongly recommended by other patrons sitting nearby.
I can’t wait until I’m back in Houston, I will definitely eat here again.

We initially wanted to go to The Honeymoon Café for bench but the next available table is 30 minutes wait. So we decided to use Unilocal to see any nearby restaurants or cafes that have good reviews. Unfortunately the great reviews didn’t live up to our expectation. Should have see the brunch menu before going in.
Service was ok since only one server. However, food was extremely slow. We almost walked out if we have to wait another 10 minutes since we have been waited for 20 minutes or more since she took our order. Checked with the server and she said our food was coming. Believe or not the bar has only a few tables of patrons. I don’t understand why it took so long to get sticky bun for our girls first. It’s not that they baked on site as the pecan cinnamon sticky bun was hard and dry.
My frittata was good but shrimp and grit was a disappointment as the shrimp was overlooked! All in all, not impressed and don’t know why 4 stars reviews.

I first visited during a Unilocal event, then came again with friends. The menu is not very large, but what they serve is pretty good, this goes for the cocktails as well.
Their downstairs area can get pretty loud with the concrete floors and its pub feeling. The upstairs area, only open during events and peak times, is more intimate and of course has a patio. Sitting outside has its advantages and disadvantages. You are likely to smell smoke, and may even be asked for change from a bum. It is not quiet either, with passing cars, lawn crew and train noise every few minutes.
Food and service is casual and very inviting. Everyone seemed to like the dishes they ordered. I will always keep Springbok in my back pocket when I’m feeling something unique or to take out of town guests.

Loved this place. Came in with a large group, they sat us promptly. Service was efficient and friendly and the food was delicious. We had happy hour pricing on the drinks, and they were strong.
I had the Peri Peri chicken. It was recommended by a police officer who was standing on the corner, and I am so glad I listened, because it was delicious. Others at the table had the mac and cheese, which she raved about, and the deviled eggs and cheese board which were both very good also.
If I find myself back in the area, I would surely return.

Springbok has a great pub/​game watching atmosphere. We came at 3:00 during «bar food» hours, so the menu was limited (we knew that coming in). My fiancé is South African, so we were very excited to try their South African dishes available (see photo for bar menu):
**Slap Chips: tasty, but if you’re expecting them WET ask for extra vinegar.
**Biltong: the sliced biltong was good, but the chili sticks were ~woo-​wee~ too spicy for me. But if you like chili powder, you’ll enjoy.
**Pub burger: juicy burger on ciabatta bread; nothing spectacular, but very good.
**Milk Tart: THIS TASTED RIGHT! Exactly what my fiancé expected & I really enjoyed it :-)
We are looking forward to trying the full menu

The Springbok allows for a great sports-​watching evening. The food, drinks, and plethora of televisions gave all of our party an easy view of the game.
We came ready to order the deviled eggs and biltong, and they definitely did not disappoint. A super plus was that a check in on Unilocal gave our table a decent discount. Plus, some orders of wings gave us plenty of beers to go around. On a quiet weekday evening, we found that there was no need to grab a reservation, but those are available. Finally, try the Brussels sprouts. No regrets!
Our server was an attentive man who gave us our space while we watched the football game. Much appreciated.

I have never NOT had an amazing time here. The only thing that sucks… Is the parking, but thats downtown for ya. The people are amazing… Try the springbok shot. The wings here are amazing! As is the mushroom appetizer and deviled eggs. Also the springbok mule. Delicious!
Staff is always friendly and great service. It can get busy but the staff is amazing. Truly a go-​to for me.

Came here with a groupon and ordered the cheese plate + biltong, buffalo burger, and wild boar sloppy joe. Cheese plate offered 4 types of cheese, all tasty, nuts, dried fruit, the biltong jerky and a few slices of bread. I thought the jerky in long strings were much too hard to chew, but the little «more traditional» ones were good. The buffalo burger is on a square ciabatta, which is very interesting! 2 slices of bacon and some nice bleu cheese atop the meat patty. Fries a bit on the salty side. Sloppy joe is atop a slice of TX toast and topped with a fried egg. Liked the flavors and the crusty vs chewy contrast of the toast as I ate from perimeter to the center. Dessert was their most popular, a pudding which resembled sticky toffee pudding. Very yum! Service was good, but a bit on the slow side.

This is the second time I have visited this location. The first time was shortly after they opened and the food was ok, but not excellent. However, today I had the unfortunate pleasure of working downtown the Saturday after Christmas. Nothing was open near the office except Springbok so I ordered a burger from their brunch menu. Well done. The burger was so raw that I could not eat it and ended up with a $ 15 order of fries. Very disappointing.
Please note that the owner contacted me and asked why I did not allow them to make it right. I thought that they closed at 2 pm today (I picked up the burger just a few minutes before 2 and did not get back to my office until after 2 pm) but I was wrong. Unfortunately, I could not leave work again to go back and have them make it right. The owner worked with me and I totally appreciate it and will try the restaurant again. 2 stars added for their quick response and apology.

Tried this place out before a concert we were attending. I have to say that i am pleasantly surprised with the variety of items they have on the menu. Everything we had was so delicious. The staff was super friendly, but one thing that did bother me was the wait time for our food. The place wasn’t even crowded. We had the deviled eggs (very creamy), Lamb Chops (so tender and juicy, must try), and the bunny chow (this varies everyday, but for that night we had the beef brisket curry). Overall i would definitively recommend this place.

Visiting Houston and I had a vegan friend with me. She couldn’t wait to come to this place. We came on a Saturday night. The bar was nicely full but the tables were not. Our waiter may have been a bit overwhelmed. He was rather rude and very slow. We were tired from working all day and just wanted to relax and eat and dash.
The food was great here. Everything tasted of high quality ingredients and was cooked to perfection. Even the deviled eggs with the mini piece of bacon on top. I ordered the pub burger which was delicious but was too thick for me. I rarely eat beef so I don’t want it to be super thick. My coworker ordered the chili. It was very good and spicy. It’s just right to warm you up from the chili breeze downtown Houston.
Overall this place is different but if you are looking for a different type of food and experience this would be the place. It’s in close proximity to the JW Marriott. One star for the service but 4 stars for the food.

I came here with a friend on Monday night for dinner. We quickly got seated and our waiter was nice, attentive and informative. My only complain was that our two main entrees took forever took to come out and it was not crowded.
Deviled eggs (⁴⁄₅) — It was creamy, a hint of spice and tasted perfect with candy bacon!
Lamb chops (⁵⁄₅) — It tender, juicy and crispy on the outside. It went very well with the pumpkin and yogurt sauce.
Bunny chow brisket (⁴⁄₅) — The brisket tasted good and the bread was definitely a great addition.
Overall, I had a great experience. It’s a spacious place that would be great for a big group.

I’ve been to the Springbok a bunch for happy hours and once for lunch. I quite like their lineup of beers. Lots of local (8^th Wonder, Karbach, St. Arnolds) and other craft brews.
The food is surprisingly good! The menu has a South African bent to it, which, for the uninitiated, generally means Dutch fare with a hefty dose of spices. Think deviled eggs with jalapeño or fried potatoes with smoked paprika. The sandwiches are generous.
The space is large and inviting with plenty of seating and many TVs for your game-​watching needs. My understanding is that soccer and rugby get the mainstage when available, but all the American sports are usually available too. Things got really rowdy at the World Cup. There’s also a really nice balcony and upstairs.
Service is generally genial. I’ve never had super-​bad or super-​outstanding service there.
The wine snob in me docked Springbok a star for their lazy wine list. While large, the list is boring (verging on grocery-​store) with only a smattering of South African options. With the quality and variety coming out of Stellenbosch and the like, Springbok missed a HUGE opportunity to have an all-​South African wine list. That’s why I go to the beer selection when I’m there.
Still, good food and fun times.

We arrived just before noon on Saturday. They were still serving the brunch menu, and it was pretty short. I had a moment of fear that we wouldn’t all get our needs met. But then I saw the bunch burger and remembered some awesome photos of it on Unilocal.I was good. Aimee said she found something, and the waiter offered to make a grilled cheese sandwich (not on the menu) for the kid.
My burger was excellent. They perfectly cooked it medium rare. The egg and bacon worked. Tasty and filling. Though the included fries were yummy too, o didn’t have room to finish them.
If I was in town again I wouldn’t hesitate to come by and try their dinner menu.

We popped in for lunch today and discovered we were still in time for brunch. I will admit not having access to the full menu was disappointing at first, but I easily found something to satisfy my cravings. Despite the upscale atmosphere The Springbok was very amenable to families; enough high chairs for a couple families and an off the menu grilled cheese for kids that only set us back 5 clams.
Our food was delicious and thoughtfully prepared. Hubby showed off his perfectly prepared medium rare burger and I relished my most excellent jumbo shrimp and grits under a blanket of well spiced sauce topped with two perfectly eggs. The kids grilled cheese was on thick toast and made with lots of real cheddar. Our server was friendly and engaging and very attentive. If brunch becomes a hot thing downtown this place will be packed!

I work pretty close to Springbok and have been meaning to try it for a while. Having saw the Groupon for lunch, I decided to force my coworkers into getting lunch with me so I could use it (no shame about it!).
Springbok is a very well-​designed restaurant; the furnishings give it an industrial feel, which I think makes the place quite charming. It wasn’t particularly busy when we went, but service was pretty spotty after we ordered our food.
I got the deviled eggs to split with my coworkers (I’m not TOO selfish!) and the boerewors roll (which I cannot pronounce for the life of me). Both were excellent — the deviled eggs were topped with a piece of candied bacon, and the boerewors had great condiments that packed the titan sausage sandwich with flavor.
Where service went wrong:
* I had asked for lemons towards the beginning with our drink order and had to repeat that request after our server took our food order.
* My coworker asked for mayonnaise and got an addictive garlic aioli, so I requested it. Multiple times. Never came.
* I paid my meal with my Groupon on my phone, and the server came back with my check sans phone. I asked where my phone was, and he gave me a skeptical look before going back to find it a couple minutes later. Never apologized.
None of the above are the end of the world, but just small things that amount to not the greatest experience I’ve had at a restaurant. It’s truly a shame, since Springbok has really good food. I do recommend you try it once, and hopefully service goes a little better for you.

We July 4^th afternoon had a couple of cocktails and the cheeseboard. They had only 2 burgers available on the regular menu and the appetizer menu was open. Bought the 30.00 for 15.00 however unable to use it due to limited menu. The Cheeseboard :(it was sad. It was not appealing to look at and appears to have lacked some items. The pâté was just strange. We asked if the chef was there and was told no. So it appeared someone dug around an put a few things on the board? Cocktails were good as was our waiter.
Hopefully I can get credit applied back for that purchase.