Clark's Oyster Bar - Houston

We had a really nice experience at Clark’s Oyster Bar! Everything was excellent—the service, the atmosphere, and the food. While we didn’t explore the entire menu, we focused on oysters and appetizers. They have a great selection of oysters, all of which were incredibly fresh and flavorful. If you don’t have a favorite yet, this selection will give you a great opportunity to find one. We also tried the Crudo Plate and the Octopus, both of which were outstanding. The octopus, in particular, was the best I’ve had in a long time. I would definitely recommend this place and can’t wait to return to explore more of the menu!

Trendy New England interior ambiance, spacious outdoor patio seating, fresh well prepared dishes, friendly services. While all dishes are well prepared, highly recommend its lobster roll (well toasted bread, fresh lobsters, delicious); the wedge salad is crunchy and tasty with the right touch of blue cheese dressing. And of course do sample various oysters. Some reviews said slow services, but we didn’t have any issue. Tried 6 dishes, an enjoyable lunch (got in and out in 1.5 hr). P.S. Valet only (complimentary).

My family has been coming to this restaurant for 30 years, visiting about five times a year for all of our birthdays. If you do the math, that’s a significant investment—roughly $85 per person per visit. Tonight, we were celebrating my brother’s birthday, and I had flown in from out of town to surprise my family. They had already been seated at a booth, after waiting an hour and a half. When I arrived, joining them made our party five. At this point, Sean Martin was notified of the change and informed us, in an unkind and apathetic manner, that it was not allowed. He gave us two options: either one family member had to leave, or we all had to wait another hour and a half for a table to accommodate five. This response was completely unreasonable. His justification was that seating five people in a booth would impact the “customer experience.” Ironically, we were having a pleasant experience until his intervention. The booth comfortably fit all of us, and his rigid approach felt dismissive and unnecessary. I work in the service industry myself, and I was appalled by his lack of professionalism and empathy. Instead of finding a reasonable solution, his behavior made us feel unwelcome and insignificant. After three decades of dining at this establishment without any issues, this was a shocking and disappointing experience. Let me be clear: we love Houston’s. The food is exceptional, and the servers have always been fantastic. We’ve never had a bad experience—until now. Unfortunately, the behavior of one individual has soured what was once a cherished family tradition. I urge management to reflect on this situation. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect, regardless of the circumstances. Sean Martin’s inability to communicate kindly and resolve this situation in a thoughtful manner was unacceptable. We understand that working in hospitality can be challenging, but that’s no excuse for making a loyal customer feel dismissed and disrespected. It saddens me to say that we won’t be returning to this location. After 30 years of wonderful memories, we’re walking away, not because of the food or servers, but because of how we were treated by someone in charge.

Our experience at Houston’s Pasadena, CA was appalling. First, we waited over 1.5 hours to be seated because they don’t take reservations for groups of five. The staff was unorganized and provided no updates during the wait. Once we finally got inside, I was kicked out for wearing a hat. The manager, Sean, claimed hats weren’t allowed, yet I saw at least four other patrons wearing hats without issue. When I pointed this out, the reasoning kept changing—from "no hats allowed" to "no baseball caps" to "only men can’t wear hats." To make matters worse, several people inside were dressed in pajamas and flip-flops, which raises serious questions about how this so-called “dress code” is enforced. It’s clear the rules are applied inconsistently and unfairly, and the whole situation felt discriminatory. The long wait time, unprofessionalism, and blatant double standards make this place a complete waste of time. If you care about being treated fairly, I’d strongly recommend avoiding this restaurant.