Treebeards

I cannot decide which dish I liked more the seafood gumbo (delicious) or the beef pot roast (tender and juicy). This is a regular lunch time hangout of mine. Note, get there early or you will have trouble finding a table — traditional lunch hour crowd is ridiculous.

I love Treebeards! All their food tastes homemade and extra delicious! I can eat their red beans and rice everyday omg! Their yellow cake is the BEST in the whole wide world!!!

Old favorite. I try to get my rookie plate whenever I get to Houston.

At least once a week, I bring home an order of Treebeard’s Chicken Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes (gravy on the side) and red beans & rice for my son. I really think it’s the high point of his week. The staff here know when I get in line exactly what I want and that I’ll be taking it home many hours later and they make sure to put the gravy on the side and double-​bag my order. Extremely accommodating. Given the amount of food in an order (ginormous), the price is pretty reasonable. I try to stay away from fried foods so I can’t attest to how good it is but judging by the speed his food is consumed, I’d say it’s pretty darned good. I’ve had their gumbo, meatloaf (VERY good!), and red beans & rice — all very good.
The lines can be long if you go at prime lunch hour but they generally have at least 2 people taking orders so the line moves pretty fast and the kitchen gets the orders out quickly. My only problem with this place is that they won’t put one on the west end of town!

This is my go to place for lunch in this area of downtown. If I can’t decide what to eat, I know that Treebeards will leave me satisfied. I have been going here for 3 years and they have always been fast and consistent. Their menu is small which allows them to use high quality ingredients which I noticed immediately during my first visit.
Chicken fried chicken, dirty rice, and veggie soup with chicken or mustard greens. This is my usual. It’s hearty, but not too heavy and it always hits the spot. If this is your first visit, I’d recommend my usual order.
***Don’t forget the Treebeards hot sauce in the back.

I read the Eater article «25 Iconic Houston Dishes to Try Before You Die» which mentioned Treebeards red beans and rice so I decided to give it a try, knowing full well that Treebeards is essentially fast-​food pseudo cajun. That being said, I thought Treebeards did fast-​food pseudo cajun pretty well. If I were in the mood for this kind of meal again I would definitely return for a solid portion of pretty good food at a fair price. Note that there is no seating at this location — strictly take-​out.
I ordered the red beans and rice all the way (with sausage, onions, and cheese) from the extraordinarily jovial cashier and waited just a minute or two for my order. Going in I was most skeptical of the sausage, which I expected would be relatively bland and mushy, but that was not the case. The sausage was actually flavorful and had a healthy crisp which sealed in the juices. The rest of the dish was more or less what I expected and left me satisfied. I would have liked a few more onions in there, though, because it would have created more texture. The jalapeño cornbread, though, was disappointing. While I liked the combination, the jalapenos were scarce and the bread itself was super dry; I ended up tossing it after a few bites.
I’ve also eaten the yellow cake as someone brought some for a birthday in the office. It was decent cake — I enjoyed it but didn’t find myself clamoring for more.
As I said, if you’re looking for a quick, hearty semi-​cajun meal then I think Treebeards checks all the boxes without breaking the bank. As a tourist (here for just three weeks) I would say it’s worth checking out if you find yourself in the area of one, but calling it one of «25 Iconic Houston Dishes to Try Before You Die» is a stretch. Probably more 3.5 stars than 4 but I’ll round up this time.

I like this location because it is in the Park Shops, so plenty of seating everywhere and it is close to my work. I like the daily specials offered as well as their cajun staples such as red beans and rice, gumbo, etc. The Meatloaf on Monday is delicious and their sides are always so fresh. Perfect Southern comfort food.
I feel that they take pride in their food because whenever I get a salad, all the greens are FRESH and CRISP and full of color in just a side salad! Their desserts are decadent. Sure it may seem that YELLOW CAKE is basic, but let me tell you, they make that cake on point! Moist, buttery, mmmm. Not your Betty Crocker cake!
The best part to me is the bread that comes with the meal. They taken the liberty to slice the french bread and put a pat of butter in between and wrap it up in saran wrap for you. Now that is love. :)

it’s all so delicious and fattening

Great place for lunch and convenient location to walk to from the Convention Center. Loved the Shrimp Étouffée. Their salad is also very fresh and crispy and does not just have your boring greens but also some radishes, mushrooms, peppers. Nice dressing too. The only thing I would change is the ability to eat with non-​plastic plates and utensils when eating there and not taking the food out.

Mmmm love me some Cajun and southern style food! It is exactly what you expect, a very good and decently priced quick serve restaurant! I won’t label it fast food because it’s so much better than that!
I couldn’t decide what I wanted between the shrimp étouffée and the gumbo, luckily you can get an off menu item called «the rookie» and allows you to pick ²⁄₃ between jambalaya, gumbo, and étouffée. It comes with bread with a nice surprise tucked inside, butter!
The food was good and a good value, fast and efficient service too!
I would go back!

No seating, this TBs is just an order window in the mall. Same food as the TBs in the Tunnel.
After your order is placed, wait for your number and try to find a mall seat somewhere. Plastic utensils are thrown in your meal bag for you.
Quick and easy.
I had the rookie red beans & rice with shrimp étouffée. Same food quality and taste as the other TB locations.

Chicken fried Chicken with spicy gravy and mashed potatoes? Yes ma’am — that will work! This particular Treebeards is in the food court at Houston Center — and the menu is changed daily. They do offer the standards here — red beans and rice, jambalaya, and quite a few other tasty treats. However, I think they do their best with the Chicken fried chicken :) The chicken is nicely done, then they smother it with a fantastic gravy and give you some spicy mashed potatoes. You can also choose extra sides, if you want — just remember, they only make so much food, so when it runs out, its out. Get here early to avoid the long lines during the major lunch rush (11:30−12:30).
My only concern here is that while the food is good, it is more expensive than others around the food court. So I usually only eat here rarely, as the food quality is above average, but the cost isn’t.
Solid 4 stars — can’t go wrong with this place!

This is a place to talk about & recommend.
The food is yummy & always fresh, the service is excellent & they make you fell at home.
I wish they opened for dinner ;)

Its good. If you get stuck on a jury the bailiff will almost always take you here because they get it free. Red beans n rice w/​sausage is pretty much their thing.

I really like Treebeards for lunch. They have a rotating menu of 2 – 3 daily times and a fixed menu of étouffée and gumbo plus a few others. So far I have had the meatloaf, which was fantastic, and a lemon something chicken. The chicken left a little to be desired — hence the 3 stars. It was too dry and I really expected bone in chicken, not chicken breast. The seasoning was fantastic though. If it were bone in, it would probably be some the best lemon chicken I have ever had. Also, the mustard greens, Oh My, they are delicious. They were perfectly cooked and were an amazing shade of green. I topped it off with a bit of pepper sauce and felt like I was back in Georgia eating at some of my favorite places. I would go back her for the greens alone. They are by far the best I have had in Texas, and better than most I had in Georgia.

Red beans & rice with link sausage, side salad. A nice option for lunch!

This is my favorite lunch spot in downtown and I haven’t even everything on the menu. I tend to go towards the end of the week because they only serve their delicious bread pudding on Thursday and Friday.
This place is usually packed during lunch time, however, the line moves fairly quickly. Treebeards usually has a couple of lunch specials on one of the walls but I like to order the Red Beans and Rice with onions, cheese, and sausage (delicious), Shrimp Étouffée (excellent). The employees are friendly and the service is fast. Everything is given to you in a to go bag, however, there are plenty of tables around where you can eat. I will definitely visit Treebeards often.

I really really want to like Treebeards. I do, but the sad fact is that I can’t. Nor can I say that, to me, they represent cajun cooking. They’re close, but honestly, they don’t deliver.
I think their red beans and rice are ok, but they generally are over spiced with one or two spices and really kind of one note flavor because of it. Whaaa! That’s really my all time favorite cajun dish. Their other options are just as meh. I’ve had the gumbo, meh. I’ve had the creole, meh. I’ve had the chicken fried chicken/​steak and that was actually AOK. But, over all, meh.
This location also manages to make some of the most bitter iced tea I have ever drank. Meh.
The prices here are also a little more than I would expect to pay for this type of food at this caliber. Maybe you pay for the convenience of traipsing to the Houston Center shops and snagging grub. Meh. Especially for take out only, meh.
I guess the lines have died down, because I have not recently seen the line out the door. Maybe everyone thinks they’re kind of meh too.

This to-​go only Treebeards, located in the Houston Center Shops, has lines that begin forming before 11AM. The food is good, although it’s not quite as good as the Tunnel location or the Cloister (on Texas Ave) location.
The line gets pretty long during lunchtime, although it moves fast. The menu is limited compared to the Cloister location.
If you have the time, go to the Cloister location, which has better selection (and the food seems better also). But it’s a welcome addition to the Houston Center Shops.