There’s not much that costs a quarter anymore, and at a fine-dining restaurant? Forget it. Well … almost. One of Houston’s oldest restaurants says its 25-cent martini lunch is the “best-kept secret in town,” and they might just be right.
For decades, Brennan’s at 3300 Smith St. has been where Houstonians have toasted to life’s major milestones including anniversaries, graduations and birthdays, like the group of women seated a table over from me during a recent visit, sharing gifts and dessert inside the sprawling space.
Meanwhile, I settled in for a solo lunch and discovered Brennan’s is just as good for celebrating nothing at all. Thanks to its weekday lunch special, even an ordinary afternoon can feel like a special occasion.
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Diners during lunch service at Brennan’s.
Chyna Blackmon
‘Crown jewel of Texas Creole cuisine and Southern hospitality’
Brennan’s has long been an institution in Houston’s restaurant scene, bringing a blend of Louisiana flavor to the city with its Texas Creole cuisine. The restaurant’s 25-cent martini lunch has been part of that tradition since the beginning.
The original Brennan’s opened in New Orleans’ French Quarter in 1956. Roughly a decade later, the Brennan family expanded to Houston, transforming the former Junior League building into what they describe as a “near-identical replica” of the New Orleans restaurant.
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Brennan’s is located at 3300 Smith St.
Chyna Blackmon
Since then, the Houston restaurant has weathered more than five decades of change. In addition to watching Midtown transform around it, Brennan’s has survived floods, tornadoes and Hurricane Ike, and the devastating fire that occurred just before that storm.
More than 50 years after its opening, the Midtown spot is still drawing regulars and first-time visitors—like me—for its creative Creole dishes like classic turtle soup and desserts like tableside bananas Foster. The latter was invented at Owen Brennan’s French & Creole Restaurant, which would evolve a block away into the current-day New Orleans Brennan’s.
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Gulf Fish Borgne made with lump crab, shrimp and crispy Gulf oysters over Parmesan mushroom rice with Brennan’s special Creole butter.
Chyna Blackmon
But from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every weekday, guests can order a classic gin martini or vodka martini, or a Cosmopolitan, melon martini or Commander’s Palace martini (vodka with blue curaçao and other ingredients) for 25 cents with the purchase of an entrée. The lunch menu includes everything from salads and pasta to shrimp and grits, crawfish étouffée and fresh Gulf fish, including the Gulf Fish Borgne, which my server said is one of Brennan’s most popular dishes.
While I was lured in by the affordable drink price, it was the food that made the relative splurge worthwhile.
To pair with a fruity, refreshing cosmopolitan, I got the Gulf Fish Borgne along with another fan favorite: the crabmeat cheesecake, a rich and creamy New Orleans-style quiche. To finish the meal, I took the birthday party’s advice and ordered the Creole bread pudding for dessert.
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The courtyard bar at Brennan’s.
Chyna Blackmon
The crabmeat cheesecake is listed as a “Creole Beginning”—Brennan’s take on an appetizer. Though it resembles a traditional cheesecake, its savory blend of sweet Gulf crabmeat, mushrooms and a pecan crust was rich enough to stand on its own as a meal.
It served as the perfect opener to the Gulf Fish Borgne, which was just as flavorful. With lump crab, shrimp and crispy Gulf oysters over Parmesan mushroom rice with Brennan’s special Creole butter, the dish brings the bold, spicy flavors you’d expect from a restaurant with deep New Orleans roots.
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Crabmeat cheesecake made with Gulf crabmeat, earthy mushrooms and a pecan crust.
Chyna Blackmon
Like most fine-dining restaurants, Brennan’s has prices to match, with entrées ranging from about $24 to $41. But the restaurant has kept its quarter-martini lunch tradition alive for years, making a splurge feel a little more attainable in a city where some cocktails can cost you upwards of $25 instead of 25 cents. Whether you’re sitting down in the dining room or at the courtyard bar, for a milestone or just a midday drink, Brennan’s is the kind of place where the service, atmosphere and menu can make any day feel worthy of celebration.
Creole bread pudding from Brennan’s.
Chyna Blackmon Chyna Blackmon
Brennan’s new bar menu features New Orleans-inspired dishes.
Chyna Blackmon
A Cosmopolitan martini from Brennan’s.
Chyna Blackmon
Travel Houston through its food scene with reporter Chyna Blackmon. In Unsung Eats, Chyna discovers the very new, the very old-school and the always under-the-radar.