Understory

Awesome place for lunch - multiple places with various foods, coffee shop and a bar - all underground in the Bank of America tower. Also a lot of great space to study or work. And a great hangout area with lots of chairs, shuffle board, kicker and ping pong table - free for public. Empty on weekends. This was an awesome discovery for me in Houston!

Very nice spot! I really only explored the few areas surrounding the Bank of America, but it was really cozy. There is a good court with plenty of options, casual games, and tunnels that lead to various other building in Houston. Hoping to explore more in the future! Parking ar Bank of America parking garage was about $25.00.

Lots of good options for lunch and the building smells nice inside. Very pretty layout and clean. Fun markets regularly.

Great place to meet and grab a bite or just relax while downtown and walking the Houston tunnels. There's always some type of display or activity going on that changes frequently. The photos I posted were from a food drive can building competition.

Great location to grab lunch and grab a drink! I'm new to houston and the first time I sat down at the bar, the bartenders were so welcoming and made me feel at home. They also made a special effort to get to know me and make me some fun drinks. Now, I bring everyone I know there. Highly recommend!

This underground food court has about 5-6 different food choices . From Italian to Mexican is available within one area . Downtown is up and coming and this location is also perfect for those that work downtown and don’t want to drive around looking for a place to eat . For those that don’t work parking was kind of hard to find , they do have a garage but you are charged hourly and it took me about 10-15 minutes to arrived . The area is clean , fresh and open which is why I love it . A place to gather and take a break

Had an amazing and delicious Mexican brunch. All the food was amazing, not sure if the owner was there, but if it was him, he was so attentive and such a humble person even tho the wait is long I'm willing to visit again !!!

What a fun way to exercise and explore the city of Houston. There are several places to sit, eat, and enjoy yourself. There is something for everyone. You can escape the elements of Houston (especially the heat). I'm a native Houstonian, and today was my first day going down under. Most places were closed, most likely due to the approaching holiday. I plan to revisit with my walking shoes as it is approximately 3 miles of walking or more.

Food / 10 Ambiance / 10 Service / 10 Very lively workspace and eatery. I spent a WFH day here and had ample space to work while enjoying coffee, lunch & an after-hour cocktail

I came here to work so this review is for working vibes only!! The coffee was good and standard pricing, pretty strong. The service for the coffee shop was fine but I actually hated this place for working remotely. Zero outlets unless you want to sit on the steps, extremely loud music and echoey -- great for lunch downtown but not it for a cool working vibe. Besides all that downtown parking stinks. Wouldn't be back to work but thank you.

It's a unique experience it's a food hall in the underbelly of a downtown building. I do prefer the food choices here over post. However, there aren't as many options. I tried Arribatta from the Italian shop (don't whomp out on the spice & add the sausage) & lumpia from the Filipino/burger fusion stop. I very much enjoyed both! So much that I forgot to take a photo of it!

Not really sure what was the problem.. came here to find food and sit around, but couldn't find anything which was ok. I'm guessing one of the managers or staff members had a problem and was being very rude making smart remarks and following us the whole time. Definitely not coming back

Cool place to "work from home" at when you need a break from home. Great place to people watch too especially during happy hour. lol. They have multiple restaurants to choose from and a bar.

I came here for a free Saturday yoga class in the AM. When you enter on either side take the escalator to get to the understory. They have free yoga April-June of 2023. They also have zumba classes! The food court had actually not yet opened at that time. I was surprised the entire space was so large. It has many options for the food court, but it's really also a great event space as well. It's very modern, clean, and nicely designed located in downtown. Parking - they did have an attached garage. However, it was not accessible as there was construction that was going on at the entrance, so I could not enter this way. I parked on the street with metered parking. This is a great way to enjoy the space, bring your family, and then check out the food court and then explore downtown afterward. Tip- sign says the meter is Monday - Saturday. Don't forget to pay even on a Saturday!

I usually go for bingo and taco night on Tuesdays. It is on floor T! The parking is in the Bank of America building and can be kind of steep when you are going up to their parking garage. After 4 pm, your parking can be validated as long as you make a purchase at one of their vendors and ask them to validate it for you. I would recommend going for $1 tacos at the La Taqueria, get your parking validated, then join some free bingo. The bingo is free and you can win $10 gift cards to the vendors around like Mona and Flip n Patties. There is a very modern feel to the seating and decor. You can walk around to check out the tunnels and see what is available. It was so fun to explore! You see a lot of business people coming down for happy hour, food, or a break. Some people are also studying if they don't mind the noise. It was not crowded at all on a Tuesday afternoon. There are also scattered games like a small basketball hoop, pingpong, and corn hole.

Very cute place to come and visit, we went to boomtown, not crowded at all on a Monday Morning with tons of places to sit and study or just hang out with friends.

Good space to work and easy access to a few restaurants. Got a poke bowl. Service was quick and fast. Quiet environment and lots of space.

ANOTHER pretentious, overpriced, liminal-spacey "dining hall" invading the offbeat funky wonderland that used to be downtown Houston. This place has a fun, lively atmosphere during the day at least. At night - the only good things about this place are the two coin-operated arcade machines in the corner, and La Tequiza. Absolutely nothing in Understory is remotely worth the price point, with the sole exception of La Tequiza's Taco Tuesday special. And even then, they try and charge SEVEN DOLLARS for a large lemonade. Lmao. Just. What?! (And no, it's not alcoholic. Just obscenely overpriced). All the food here is actually really good though, so if you have extra money to spend and it's not Tuesday, you can at least still get yummy food. AVOID AVOID AVOID the Italian place. I believe it's called Mona. Mediocre at best, and massively deceptive pricing. They have a reasonable-sounding base price list on the menu, and then charge you extra for EVERY LITTLE THING that would normally come with the meal itself. The end result is you spend twice as much as you intended. The bar... they're trying. I think. Their Tuesday tequila happy hour special is a disappointing joke though, because the special only counts if you're doing shots. If you try to order the exact same amount of the exact same tequila bu and mixed with juice or something, it doesn't count. Service has either been friendly or nonexistent, with no in between. This place also has games on Tuesday afternoon that end just as people are able to make it there after work. Overall takeaway? Understory is a waste of time and money.

It's such a neat space. I came here to work remotely. There's ample options for seating both upstairs and downstairs. The food options are also pretty bomb! Overall, it's a cozy spot in the heart of downtown. I personally took an Uber to avoid having to deal with parking. There's also recreational things to do in case you need a break from work, like foosball, ping pong tables.

Understory has become our new place to undwind.The ambience is very laid back and I love the food options offered.I have tried all the restaurants and was not disappointed. There is always something happening from live music to special loteria which is played on Tuesday absolutely free and they have gi$t cards.We one twice and used the card for tacos which are only 1 dollar on Tuesdays .If ever downtown check out understory for some great service and food.I highly recommend .

Even with covid - they've made improvements to understory. Great overall atmosphere and perfect for catching up with your friends / coworkers downtown. There's enough seating (though you don't want to go too late or you may not get to sit together). If you work downtown then Understory is a must try for your work crew to try out.

There are lots of different food options & lots of seats The only downside is parking

I've been here a bunch of times, mostly during weekday lunchs but also on weekends. I really like the ambiance. This is a huge place with one bar, about 7-8 food stalls, a lounge area with foosball and ping-pong tables. There are cute little tables everywhere where you can chill with friends and study/work. It's not a place where I feel obligated to buy something to be able to sit down. Only reason I'm taking a star off is b/c outside of the weekday lunch time, this place is kind of dead. That may be a plus for some but most of the food stalls are also closed early.

Beautiful indoor sanctuary. I love the modern vibe to the space, particularly all of the art everywhere! There is a wide variety of good options, including both coffee and alcohol options. And ample seating galore! Lots of fun spaces to sIt and sip or catch up with a friend. Connects with the rest of the underground tunnel system of restaurants downtown, so it is highly convenient. Be careful though...it's easy to get lost in the maze if you're not used to it.

Very nice food hall with of course food court and a game room area where you can play some games. It has a varied of food places to choose and price range is way below from bravery hall. The atmosphere is nice with big open space. If you haven't been then you must.

Been multiple times nothing is ever opened. Nice space that's about it. Better off just going to Conservatory they seem to always be open. The businesses that are there are great , I love boomtown and Flip N Patties but they have other locations you can go to.

I would have left more stars but didn't get a chance to explore the whole place. This is my story: It was a hot day in July & I made a couple of "mistakes" before I arrived. 1. I saved money on parking by finding a spot a few blocks down and had to walk 15min in the heat to get there. 2. I decided to wear a black concert shirt with jeans!! After walking a few blocks, I had no choice but to put my hair in a messy bun. Red as tomato & sweating profusely, I confidently walked into the building and down the escalators - which might have been my 3rd mistake. I immediately noticed the place swarming with corporate folks & a cop off to my right. There was a large staircase with the ability to sit & work right in front of me. As I continued walking through, I saw a couple of restaurants, a coffee shop, a gym, plenty of seating areas, a ping pong table, a corn hole game, & tunnels that connected to different buildings. Once I found my spot, I put all my stuff down to cool off & decide on a place to eat but noticed that the cop was still following me from the entrance. I was hoping he would make eye contact to give a friendly smile, but he couldn't even look me in the eye when I noticed him following me. It completely altered my sense of safety & discouraged me from further exploring. I quickly worked on my assignments for the day & took off shortly after. Why would I give money to a place that makes me feel unsafe & discriminated against me before I even got a chance to show my character? I can look past another patron treating a patron in a particular manner, but damn, not even the security made me feel safe. Aesthetically cool spot to do work 8/10 Safe work environment 0/10

I checked out Understory for dinner with a friend on a Saturday evening. Understory is a food hall which is all the rage these days. Think of a food hall as an elevated food court. In Houston, it's one of several food halls in town in addition to Conservatory, Bravery, Finn Hall, and Politan Row. When rating the experience here, I compare it to the other food halls as I've been to them all with the exception of Bravery. Understory is located downtown in the Chase tower so street parking is your best bet. Each food hall has its own twist on the concept and Understory is no different. As you take the escalator down to the food court, you'll see a centralized bar. This is where we posted up. We were able to catch happy hour and they have drink specials every day of the week, including weekends. I got a discount off of one of their happy hour craft cocktails and they have some interesting ones to choose from. As far as the food, you have six or so options but several were closed on the weekend which was a bummer. We ended up only being able to choose from three spots: Flip n' Patties, a make your own pasta spot, and a Mexican spot. Regardless of what's open, do yourself a favor and order from Flip n' Patties. This food truck turned brick and mortar is magical. They're Filipino and they serve some of the best burgers, specialty fries, and more in town. They have a dedicated location in the Energy Corridor but that's pretty far from me so I was excited when they opened up shop inside the loop. You won't be disappointed! When comparing Understory to Conservatory, Politan Row, and Finn Hall, I'd put them in third place. 3.5 stars in my book but I'll round up because having Flip N' Patties elevates them.

Variety: Italian, Mexican, Pinoy Burgers, Japanese, a happy hour bar, and Boomtown coffee makes this the international understory. A common theme I'm starting to see in downtown are more and more places like this that offer multiple restaurants under one roof, plenty of seating, and a place to socialize. I still wish they had better variety of restaurants but I understand the cost down here could be preventing folks from opening shop. Amenities: They have table tennis or ping pong tables. They have fussball tables. They have patio chairs. They sometimes also have lounge chairs and a projector. They have an Amazon delivery and pickup box here called the Veterinarian and I've actually used it twice and is super convenient since we live amongst porch pirates. Cleanliness: The place has lots of seating and the tables and floors are always clean. I don't know why there is a smell here but it might just be the grease traps getting heated up in the morning.

Amazing food hall in downtown. A little more affordable options compared to bravery chef hall. Located in the basement of a business tower, understory is ultra modern and clean. Great options all around with East Hampton sandwich, seaside poke, and flip n patties.

Understory is the latest chef hall to arrive in downtown Houston, and it's great! It has some steep competition with the other food/chef halls in downtown Houston (Conservatory, Finn Hall and Bravery Chef Hall), but Understory is a great addition and generally has a lot more space and seating than the other food halls. The space is also very pretty, and it connects to the tunnel system. We tried the Filipino burger place, and it was great--I'll leave a separate review on Flip 'n Patties' page.

This sounds like such a cool concept! Photos look great! I have attempted twice now to enjoy the space, but both times everything has been closed. First time I went was a weekday afternoon, the second was on a Saturday midday. Their Instagram suggests they are lively and active, but I haven't seen it that way. There's so much potential here, looking forward to when it comes together.

Came during covid times, not many place was open, but wishing them the best and hope they can optimize this place again, looks like an awesome place to hang out and grab food and drinks with co-workers and friends.

The Silver Lining Bar at Understory, Janeena, is the best bartender downtown. I love her creativeness and ability to come up with new seasonal drinks.

So I'll start by saying, great concept. Our experience as a whole was VERY average. I am not opposed to paying $10-$12 for a good cocktail; I am however not ok with false advertising. According to their Facebook page and the bartender, they had reverse happy hour until 12. We ordered said drinks on happy hour and they were charged to us at full price. Actually, the bartender didn't even bother to tell us the price before asking for our card and just charged whatever amount she decided to charge. That's not a huge issue, actually really not at all since the prices are on the menu, but it is when they aren't honoring. Again, the price isn't an issue just the deception and I absolutely can't stand that. On top of this, the bartenders were VERY slow. It truly wasn't very busy when we were there, but the bartender on our side of the bar couldn't keep up, was not organized and didn't know who to serve first. If you are Bartending in a fast paced environment, you should be able to have a keen eye and know what to do. As a customer, it is not my fault that she may have been inexperienced or maybe was having a bad day, especially opening week. It really made my experience bad having to wait 15 min to be served while being skipped twice. Side note: after I paid, she gave me the receipt to sign. I literally had to flag her down because she gave me the receipt sign without my card.......... Positive- atmosphere was chill, liked the vibe. The food!!!! So many options for food, love it. Everything looked good, I wish I could have eaten it all. This experience doesn't deserve 3 stars, but the atmosphere and food bumped it up. Honestly, I may just stick with the conservatory. Seems I'd have a much better time based on this visit. Was looking forward to the opening so it's really disappointing.

Beautiful design and very trendy places. One of them being Boomtown Coffee. It has games and tunnel access and just looks super clean. It's not yet fully open, only 3 places so tables were a bit dirty and not being cleaned fast and they don't have tap water available at Mona or at the hall like they do at Finn Hall so we had to walk to Boomtown to request. But the place is so pretty and full of light that we will for sure come back when fully open.

Super cute place! Good restaurants, and there's ping pong, shuffleboard, and cornhole in the back. There's a lot of space and has a cool atmosphere. The only thing that sucks is that none of the restaurants offer tap water. You have to buy water, or if you get a drink at the bar you can get water there. If you go to the bar, Janeen the bartender is the best! Even though the system wasn't ringing up the happy hour deal properly she took care of us. Also, they have cans of Italian spring water which was probably the most delicious water I've ever tasted in my life. Go to the bar. Ask for Janeen. Buy a $4 can of Italian spring water from her so that you don't act like a drunk fool trying to walk up the down escalator. Security will look out for you and stop you to make sure you don't hurt yourself.

Excellent place for work day lunch and to bring the family on the weekends. The food is actually hot and varies from Filipino fast food to homemade pasta to tex-mex, poke and sandwiches as well as beer/wine and gourmet coffee. Would give 5 stars if they had high chairs and booster seats (and 6 is they can manage changing table in men restroom).

Brought 2 of my friends from out of town here. It was my first time too. Place: we kinda had a hard time looking for a parking, and coming back to the parking lot lol Service: was great. We tried the Flip N Patties. All the shops were very busy probably because it was around lunch time. Food: was good as usual. Flip N Patties make good chicken plates Price: most of the places were a bit pricey

A beautiful food Hall with so many tunnels leading to different areas of downtown. A variety of options from Filipino to Italian to American, they have it all! I really enjoyed the ping pong tables and cornhole games they had! Super spacious and a great place for photos also! It was extremely clean and was a great spot to hang around or study.

This place is cool. The space is amazing and has lots of seating options. Great lunch spot downtown with lots of differing food options. Seaside Poke's serving sizes are TINY. Be warned. The food is quality you're just not going to get a ton of it. Coffee spot is tasty and quick. East Hampton makes great sandwiches. I will definitely keep going back to Understory

I love the place's aesthetic! It's the perfect place to study alone or with friends with cornhole or foosball as study breaks! The restroom is so clean. I love the plentiful table/seating options and natural light that comes in.

weekend hours not right but good potential for the tunnels. downtown so clean, will be a great space if people ever get back to the office

super clean and nice area, wish the restaurants were opened longer I believe every restaurant except the coffee shop closes after lunch time around 2?? plenty of seating, would be great for studying

Closes too Damn early , for downtown residents,not opened on weekends , Yet to try, but not liking it already What a shame

Another very cool food hall for downtown. Very open with several unique options in a modern, clean, airy space. A table for a group is hard to find at lunch time, which is to be expected. Also, it doesn't have the water options or real china/flatware that are available at Finn Hall.

Love this place!! A few restaurants inside and we definitely went to go to Flip N' Patties. It was great and delicious food. The parking of course was a struggle but all worth it. The area is clean and seemed brand new too. Hopefully they will come up with a mini area for kids to play at since the area is pretty big.

Great drinks. Clean atmosphere. Easy access to the theater district. They have daily drink specials at silver lining. Definitely a great new addition to the Houston dining experience. Will visit again.

Love the foodie vibe, love the ambience, love watching the action. Great people watching too.

Silver Linings bar at Understory has fantastic ambiance, in the center of a food court at tunnel level, with wide open views of downtown street level.. Staffed by super friendly, knowledgeable bartenders. Great spot, highly recommended!

We came here for dinner before the symphony. It's 6:30 and only a couple restaurants are open. It's totally dead. For some reason there's a DJ blasting music so loud we can't even have a conversation. And there are no people here. Leaving

I love the vibe of this place. So far I've tried the Filipino patties and the Italian fresh pasta and both were delicious. They just need to advertise more, nobody knows about this place that's why is empty during the weekends!

The space is great; really like it... service and selection at the bar really needs to improve in order to get people there... 18$ for a glass of bubbles seems excessive especially in comparison with their competitive happy hour offers. It's not consistent.