Indigo

New American restaurant · Jensen

Indigo

New American restaurant · Jensen

517 Berry Rd, Houston, TX 77022

Highlights

Innovative Neo-Soul tasting menus served in a chic, intimate setting with a communal counter.

517 Berry Rd, Houston, TX 77022 Get directions

@eater

"Chef Jonathan Rhodes’s restaurant, Indigo, focuses on the history of soul food. As Rhodes puts it, “If you’re going to have soul food authentically, you have to have it from an authentic area, because soul food isn’t made from rich ingredients, it’s made from leftovers and things that are passed down and overlooked.” At Indigo, he cooks dishes like dry-aged pheasant filled with jollof rice, as well as candied yams with smoked pecan butter, granola, and torched marshmallows." - Sonia Chopra

Every Houston Restaurant Marcus Samuelsson Visits on ‘No Passport Required’ - Eater Houston

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@eater

"When Jonny Rhodes, Eater Houston’s 2018 Chef of the Year, announced that he would open his ‘neo-soul food’ restaurant Indigo, no one knew quite what to expect. At the time, Rhodes promised that he would use his Lindale Park restaurant to address stereotypes surrounding African-Americans and the cuisines of the African diaspora. Now, he’s quietly plotting an agricultural revolution. The success of Indigo, which has earned Rhodes national attention and local adoration, is something that even he was surprised by." - Amy McCarthy

Chef of the Year Jonny Rhodes Battles Soul Food Stereotypes at Houston’s Indigo - Eater Houston

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@eater

"Since its opening in June, Restaurant Indigo has emerged as a captivating dining spot. Chef Jonny Rhodes, a former Oxheart line cook, offers two tasting menus: a herbivore option and an omnivore menu featuring Gulf fish and smoked pastrami. The dining experience is educational, covering African-American history and social issues. Dishes like 'gold links' and 'Cornrows & Convictions' are both culinary masterpieces and social commentaries. The menu, which changes with the availability of ingredients, will soon include a 'carnivore' option featuring venison and other wild game." - Amy McCarthy

Houston Restaurant Indigo Serves Social Commentary With Stunning Dishes - Eater Houston

View Postcard for Indigo

Riya Santra

Google

My first fine dining experience which definitely exceeded all expectations! I'm not going to lie, the first 2 courses of an oyster and delicious creamy crab meat were good but did you wanting more. I thought that this would merely be a tasting experience as opposed to an actual meal, and I was very wrong. After the crawfish toast, the courses started picking up in heavier proteins. The meyer lemon drop was so refreshing against the fish. The turtle soup was a little bitter for my tastes but the ash cake was so delicious and worked beautifully as a taco against the fish. The shrimp in a sack and avocado parfait were so delicious as well. I cannot emphasize enough how many different flavors I experienced with beautiful plating. The courses were also put in a precise order to allow a palate cleanser in some form. So sad this place is closing but will always be forever grateful that I got to experience it. Thank you Chef Johnny! Can't wait for the grocery store!

Tim Farinholt

Google

Great unique menu, atmosphere, and service. My wife and I frequented Indigo for our birthdays and couldn't be happier with our choice. The restaurant layout is unique set in a large "u" shaped table facing a sliding bookshelf that hides the kitchen. I really enjoyed observing the team prepare our dishes over the wood fire. The service was great with each server being thoughtful and attentive. In addition, the chef made multiple appearances to meet everyone and give background on the unique menu that explores the history of African American cuisine. Which brings us to said cuisine. Since the menu changes I won't get into specifics but everything was phenomenal. The complexity and depth of flavor in every dish was incredible, with many of the flavors being new to me. We can't recommend Indigo enough for it's unique menu and fantastic service. Some logistics, the restaurant is easy to find with ample parking out front. Other people have mentioned they don't feel safe at the location. Don't be like those people. The location is perfectly safe.

Dr. T S

Google

Unique environment and great food. The small seating arrangement creates an intimate atmosphere. I highly recommend the pescatarian menu with the herbivore dessert. The green tomato cake with the cornflake ice cream exquisite. My favorite meals were the crab with crispy shallots and the crayfish goulash. With that being said everything was extraordinary. The dishes were exquisite, flavorful delicacies. The infusion of the flowers added beauty and an unexpected but tasty profile. Chef Johnny was welcoming and descriptive about the meals he created. I would like to suggest a microphone when discussing the meals and/or turning down the music. Overall a great experience and would definitely recommend this establishment and I look forward to attending again to see what Chef Johnny creates next. To those who complain about the price probably have not been to many fine dining places to experience the ambiance, creativity, and unique dishes. They do not stuff you with heaping mounds of food, but want you to enjoy the flavors and meal choices.

Mathu Sundaramoorthy

Google

An amazing journey through neo-soul cuisine. Each dish an ode to African American History. Chef Rhodes creates a very intimate dining experience, eloquently describing the cultural and historical elements of his tasting menu. In particular, the great depth of flavour and layering of multiple elements in the dishes was intriguing. The goulash had a deep rich flavour cut slightly by a bitter touch and the fish entree which was cooked to absolute perfection was complimented brilliantly with dill pickle and caramelized tomato. The ambiance was at first surprising considering this was a fine dining restaurant, however the intimacy of the guests and the chef and waiters actually supplemented the experience positively to create a homely and very personal touch. It felt as though the chef was a good friend inviting us all to dinner to showcase his talents and present a beautiful piece of work. I appreciated the look and vibe of the restaurant quite a lot. While the food was terrific and they are BYOB, I would truly love to have had a wine pairing or some selection of unique cocktails that further illustrates his message. Definitely one of my favorite restaurants in Houston, a must try.

Setul Patel

Google

Great food and a great EXPERIENCE.... This is about history, passion, and good food. Place is next to a convenience store in an old formerly abandoned building. Chef Johnny used to play on these streets growing up, and inspired him to open this restaurant in that same community. Fine dining in a totally unexpected neighborhood. Bravo for the effort!

Harry KQ

Google

Did not match expectations. Having booked several months in advance to dine in this highly-rated restaurant, we very much looked forward to our visit. We were excited by the design of the venue with the large horseshoe table, sliding bookcase and the welcoming staff. Regrettably, the experience did not live up to the hype. 1-Food The vision of the Chef was not apparent in the dishes and although conceptually interesting, they lacked execution. Sadly, for me, there is no dish that would make me go back for a second visit. 2-Wine selection At the time we booked, the restaurant had BYOB policy, which we were excited about, yet when we got to the venue we learned that the policy had changed. Unfortunately, the wine selection was very limited with only 1 red wine available by the glass. No wine was available by the bottle and naturally, wine came at an extra cost. 3-Cost This is a very costly tasting-menu restaurant ( about $100 + pp). You need to book (weeks ahead) and pay in-advance, including tip. Which we were OK with, however, the up-sale for bread/coffee (wine if you were planning on BYOB) detracted from the experience. Summary This restaurant is over-hyped and not worth the cost and advance-booking reservations. Fortunately Houston's dining scene includes top restaurants including James Beard Award recipients, which offer tastier dishes, reasonable availability and are much better priced.

Clay W

Google

Overall an overhyped experience. Poor (to none) communication from management on a change of BYOB policy. Multiple parties bringing in their own wine bottles to be told they weren’t allowed to drink them. For some reason we weren’t allowed to order bottles of wine... but there was a new wine pairing menu. Unfortunately none of the wines on wine pairing menu were on the by the glass menu. Further there were concerns in the party that the wine might of been partially cooked. Timing on the 5 courses appeared to be a challenge this night. 90 minutes in we were wrapping up the second course which seemed like a slow pace given the 2 seatings each night. Never been to a tasting menu where they try to up sell you on bread and then coffee. Service overall was good but if the spacing between courses is so long would think they could have the opportunity to build rapport. Food was good but didn’t have a dish that I would go back to experience. Was interested in how the food served keyed into the soul food theme but didn’t taste it or have the tie in explained. Ended up ordering some unadulterated soul food afterwards to scratch the itch. Ended up witnessing an old fashioned fist fight in the parking lot across the street (please see attached picture). Chef running out to breakup the fight was actually quite admirable.

Tom Hryhorysak

Google

Excellent...a creative, flavor filled evening intertwined with an exceptional Black American history lesson. Loved how Chef Rhodes took essential classic soul food and created such a memorable savory experience. It was their first sitting after the August break and the teams timing was a bit off resulting in a bit a rush on the last two courses but the staff were welcoming, helpful and accomodating. Thank you for providing me an opportunity to be immersed in such a gem within your community.