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Hours
Sun
11:00 am - 3:00 pm
Mon
11:30 am - 9:00 pm
Tue
11:30 am - 9:00 pm
Wed
11:30 am - 9:00 pm
Thu
11:30 am - 9:00 pm
Fri
11:30 am - 10:30 pm
Sat
11:30 am - 10:30 pm
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Ratings and reviews
4.5
RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Food and ambience
Mexican, Latin, Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
Menu
CRUDOS
Ostiones en su Concha*
raw oysters, tomatillo mignonette
Aguachile de Mandarina
spicy yellow fin tuna, mandarin aguachile, mezcal, cucumber, onion
$20.00
Robalo*
striped bass, aguachile verde, cilantro, avocado, serrano, corn, red onion, cucumber, plantain tostada
$19.00
ANTOJITOS
Queso de Rancho
housemade queso de cincho, chicharrones, duo of insects (chicatanas, chapulines), huaxmole rojo
$18.00
Memela
toasted masa pancake, roasted pork rib, refritos, crema, queso fresco, tomatillo-avocado sauce
$16.00
Taquitos Dorados
chicken picadillo, mole coloradito, crema, queso fresco
$16.00
Molotes de Xoxocotlan
oval masa cakes, filled with potato, chorizo Istmeño, mole coloradito, crema, queso fresco, chapulin garnish
$16.00
Does this restaurant allow dogs or considered pet friendly?
Details
About
Xochi (so-chee), from Xochitl, Goddess of the Flowers, meaning to bloom or catch fire, is a creative endeavor of award-winning Chef Hugo Ortega and the H Town Restaurant Group team. Xochi celebrates the culinary and indigenous richness of Oaxaca, Mexico and its varied geographic regions and preservation of primitive customs with an unrivaled menu of Oaxaca-inspired food and drink.
Oaxaca is known for mole, chocolate, mezcal and insects, which are all highlighted in Xochi's menu. In keeping with tradition, everything is made from scratch, from cheeses, salsas, exotic moles, handmade tortillas and masa items fresh from the comal, and cacao beans roasted and ground in-house to create authentic Mexican chocolate.
A variety of meats, seafood and vegetables are prepared in the wood-fired oven. There are even a few types of edible insects - delicacies in Mexico - on the menu! Xochi's mole menu offers varieties from classic mole negro to mole de chicatana (ant mole).
CUISINES
Mexican, Latin
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
Meals
Dinner, Brunch, Drinks
FEATURES
Takeout, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Private Dining, Seating, Parking Available, Street Parking, Valet Parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Wine and Beer, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Dog Friendly, Non-smoking restaurants, Gift Cards Available
Contribute
4.5
396 reviews
Excellent
287
Very good
69
Average
24
Poor
10
Terrible
6
Priscilla P
Toronto130 contributions
Feb 2020 • business
Very nice modern restaurant with extensive cocktail menu and nouvelle Mexican cuisine that pays homage to traditional Mexican cooking. Loved the starter platter with all sorts of goodies including a guacamole that has toasted crickets included! Tried the crispy duck that was indeed crispy but the very generous portion size meant I could not finish it. I did not have room for dessert but others in my party enjoyed this highly share-able and beautiful white chocolate “papaya” that opened up to reveal chocolate and other ice creams and dessert bits. What a clever, tasty and artistic dessert. Definitely worth a second visit to check out all of the moles. Oh, and excellent service, too!! Two thumbs up!
Written 12 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1_HRG
Priscilla, thank you for taking the time to leave this review. We are glad you enjoyed our services!
Written 11 February 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Andrew B
Baton Rouge46 contributions
Jan 2021 • none
Our group enjoyed an excellent dinner here. The waiter was very knowledgeable about the cuisine and was also able to give us some history of the food and restaurant. Each dish was unique and we enjoyed a few menu items that we had never tried before. The cocktails were also unique and tasty. Great experience. Can't wait to go back.
Written 3 January 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1_HRG
Andrew, thank you for taking the time to leave this review. We appreciate your kind words!
Written 11 February 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Abigail
New York93 contributions
Jan 2022 • family
Amazing!! Truly enjoyed my dinner at this restaurant. Very well made and flavourful. You can also tell how passionate the chefs and hosts are about the meals as they explain and guide you through every course. My favourite dish was the Cocoa dessert, which was a medley of chocolate and corn sweets in a white chocolate cocoa pod.
The ambiance was great and the noise level was perfect (not loud at all), would recommend this place to anyone for dinner.
Written 19 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1_HRG
That is really great to hear. Thank you for joining us!
Written 10 February 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
pilotbill
The Woodlands1 contribution
Dec 2019 • none
Other than a pleasant waiter and an interesting wine list, there is nothing good about this restaurant. The atmosphere is terrible. Noisy, crowded, with basketball games flashing on televisions 10 feet from our table. Feels like a tacky sports bar rather than fine dining. I am a foody, and my wife loves mole, but their selection of moles was totally inedible. We had the mole tasting, which was 4 little bowls of disgusting liquid to smear on dry tasteless cold tortillas folded over a dab of dried up beans and cheese. We tried two other appetizers which were almost as bad, and then asked for the check without ever ordering a main course. The manager came over and asked how we were doing, and when we told him what we thought he was defensive and unresponsive.
Written 2 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helene S
Houston1951 contributions
Dec 2022 • none
As a huge fan of Hugo's and Caracol, I have had Xochi on my radar for a while. I was quite excited to have a work meeting scheduled there, but then, unfortunately, was quite disappointed in the food and service during our meeting.
Part of the disappointment could have been in the menu selection. I have read the Houston Restaurants Week (HRW) menus and know the variety that they have for vegetarians (like taquitos de papa and quilites and cauliflower enchiladas with mole de amarillo) and pescatarians (like the fresh catch of the day) and the choices look amazing. I also know how they can customize menus as the chef is so creative.
The appetizers were good. The ceviche al tuna was fresh. Could have used more than one large round chip as it was being shared family style. The chicken was good. Chef Hugo Ortega is the Master of Mole and I could have scooped up the mole with a spoon. So delicious. If you were a vegetarian, you were out of luck as no other appetizer options were available.
For dinner, I asked the waiter for his recommendation between the seafood/fish enchilada and the memelas de vegetales as the other options all had beef, pork or shellfish. Even the poultry choice was wrapped in bacon. Vegetarian enchiladas were not an option. The waiter highly recommended the memela. The memelas de vegetales tasted like two cold thick corn/masa pancakes covered with an assortment of cold vegetables, like mushrooms, zucchini and corn, with crema and queso fresca covered with a salsa albanil. It seemed more like a salad than an entree and several my vegetarian colleagues were surprised that this was literally the only vegetarian option on the entire menu for the evening other than the black beans, rice and peas and the desserts.
Ordered a Mexican hot chocolate which was delicious (although it took an hour to get), they forgot one of my colleague's meals (which had to be reordered) and I took the chocolate tres leches to go.
The acoustics in the banquet room were poor. You could hear the noise from the restaurant and as the microphone was not working, it was impossible to hear the speakers during their presentations.
Parking is available for $12. Free street parking is available if you are lucky to find a spot near Discovery Green.
Would I come back? To Hugo's or Caracol, definitely. To Xochi, I'm not so sure. Hopefully, it was just an off night, but I would not recommend the banquet room at Xochi for a work meeting where you had to be able to hear multiple speakers.
Written 9 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1_HRG
We're so sorry to hear that your experience was disappointing. We will talk to the chef about adding more vegetarian options to our dinner and banquet menus. We do, however, have a daily vegetarian menu as well, which the server should have offered to you. We will look at the dishes you mentioned and make necessary improvements. Apologies for the loud atmosphere and slow service. We will bring all these topics up during our weekly meeting and work to implement these changes. Thank you for bringing these issues to our attention, so sorry again.
Written 15 December 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
texanscot99
Houston35 contributions
Jul 2022 • none
Dinner for four on a Thursday evening. Restaurant graciously allowed us to push our reservation back a little as one of our party was running a little late.
Waiter took the time to explain that dishes represent the food of Oaxaca and talked us through the different types of mole. We started with the Mole Tasting plate, a delicious way to understand the different flavors of mole from this region, together with the Aguachile de Fresa (spicy yellow fin tuna, strawberry, cucumber, lime). Both were delicious!
Proteins for the entrees were duck, barbacoa, scallops and striped bass, all of which were beautifully plated and cooked to perfection.
This is not a place to go to find Tex-Mex, rather it's a location to visit to for a culinary exploration of the Oaxaca region.
The food isn't cheap bu is definitely highly recommended!
Written 15 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1_HRG
Thank you for taking the time to critique your meal. We're pleased you enjoyed our offerings!
Written 11 September 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
taliward
Warwick2172 contributions
May 2022 • couples
The food here is great as is the service; it's friendly and very professional. We booked a table and are so glad we did as we arrived about 5 minutes early and saw a few people being told about the long wait times for a table and so booking is necessary (even on a Tuesday night!).
Despite booking we did have to wait about 20 minutes for our table. We were not offered a drink or anything whilst waiting but the Maitre D' did seem very conscious of our wait and a little embarrassed. We could have had a table inside sooner but we wanted the outside one we'd booked as we prefer eating outside and also, we found the air con throughout Houston very cold!
The food was good value, tasty and plentiful and our best meal in Houston. The veggie options were very good and they also had a separate menu for veggies which was nice. Try the sides too.....the asparagus was delicious!
It was absolutely worth the wait and the service and food were really good so the initial wait was forgotten. Definitely add it to your list!
Written 29 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1_HRG
Oh goodness! I am sorry you had to wait. We did run late on that day. We try to get the timing right but sometimes we miss the mark. We are pleased to hear that our team made your experience pleasant and you approved of our services!
Written 1 June 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
John D
Austin2 contributions
Jul 2021 • none
Perfect spot to get some quality grub before an Astros game, FYI. I'm tired of waiting in line for mediocre food at the ball parks, and Biggio's has some of the worst service we've ever experienced (in 2019), so we went to Xochi at 5pm.
Terrific service, very attentive but not over bearing.
Yellowtail ceviche was stellar, very fresh, not sweet (they used pineapple juice but must have added lime juice). Halibut was perfectly cooked and a big portion (good for sharing).
The white and rose by the glass wine list was very frustrating. The Rose was Miraval (Brad & Angelina property) - this is a common grocery store rose, and it didn't smell remotely fresh either. The only Chardonnay was Stag's Leap from California. Yawn. There was just little creativity in the white and rose by the glass list, which is the kind of wine that goes with that food.
Written 10 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1_HRG
Thank you for taking the time to leave this review. I will alert our GM about your wine comments.
Written 10 August 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Cara
6 contributions
Jan 2022 • none
Our experience at Xochi last weekend was incredible. Our server was excellent - he was attentive without hovering, and his course timing was perfect. Everything we were served was artfully presented and absolutely delicious.
I would recommend dining here to anyone who is open minded and receptive to the idea that "real" Mexican food is much different than the Tex Mex standard to which many people in the US have been exposed. This is not Tex Mex. This is modern, Oaxacan cuisine, and it was incredible.
Do plan ahead to ensure you get the time you want - we made a reservation two days in advance and the only spot left was 5:30. That worked perfectly in our situation, as the next morning was very early, but I know most people prefer to dine later in the evening.
Written 18 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1_HRG
That is really great to hear. Thank you for joining us!
Written 10 February 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Reviews
West Kilbride146 contributions
Jan 2020 • business
Food is exceptional, well worth a visit, service typically excellent too. This is an upmarket Mexican restaurant in what is becoming a hip part of town..If you like Mexican food don’t miss it and if you don’t like Mexican food there’s a good chance you will still like it..
Written 26 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1_HRG
That is great to hear. Thank you for joining us!
Written 1 March 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Munro1954
San Francisco549 contributions
Jun 2022 • none
Xochi presents the culinary tastes of Oaxaca, Mexico and its varied geographic regions with a d menu of Oaxaca-inspired food and drink.
I had Barbacoa de Res de Zaachila which is grilled rolled skirt steak, hoja santa, guajillo puya and costeño pepper broth, potato, carrots, masa dumplings
The service was excellent and they provided appreciated guidance on the unique menu items.
This was a most enjoyable culinary adventure of Mexican Cuisine
Written 14 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1_HRG
That is really great to hear. Thank you for joining us Munro!
Written 30 June 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Cruz
McAllen7 contributions
Sept 2022 • couples
My wife and I went here for our anniversary dinner. WHAT A EXPERIENCE!! This is not traditional Mexican cuisine or something you will find in most cities, so if you’re in Houston for a short time, take advantage of this restaurant. Our server Villasenior provided wonderful attention and precise care to our table and needs. He also gave us some tips with the menu based on our interests and preferences. The decor of restaurant is very modern and elegant, nothing crazy but definitely provides a nice feel to the whole experience. The food, well it was different from any other Mexican place in Texas and that includes the Valley in South Texas. Most of the cuisine hails from southern Mexico. Given this was a once in a lifetime thing, we definitely went in the adventurous side and ordered the ant mole with crispy crickets. The dish presentation was flawless and the quality of the product is noticeably different than any other Mexican restaurant I’ve tried. Definitely a must visit when in Houston, you will not regret it!!
Written 25 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1_HRG
We greatly appreciate your kind words! We're pleased to hear our team made your experience pleasant and you enjoyed the food. Thank you for joining us!
Written 26 September 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
davemh333
Houston571 contributions
Oct 2021 • none
Everything we've tried on the menu has been fantastic. There are dishes here that you can't find anywhere else in Houston, and they're all delicious. Service is friendly, but sometimes at peak hours it can be a bit slow. It can also get pretty loud, but that can contribute to the overall high energy of the place. Great to go before a basketball or baseball game.
Written 30 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1_HRG
That is really great to hear. Thank you for joining us!
Written 8 June 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Robert G
Houston1080 contributions
Jun 2022 • couples
Very interesting menu with happy and great servers.
Ordered 6 items - to share.
Grilled oysters and octopus - cooked with hot stones.
Octopus was tender and tasty.
Oysters were tasty. Only drawback they were not hot.
Cabrito tacos were very tasty but small.
Guacamole was also very tasty and nice.
The corn soup was fabulous. Mole sampler plate had 4, quartered quesadilla were large and allowed ya to try sauces (mole).
Very nice.
Written 10 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1_HRG
That is really great to hear. Thank you for joining us Robert!
Written 30 June 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
CASS
Houston2 contributions
Feb 2022 • none
Xochi never fails to surpass our expectations, this is our fifth visit to this restaurant and it feels different every time. Keep up the amazing job of keeping the food and service exceptional. We love how they prepare a cohesive menu from the appetizer to the dessert as well as the right wine to match the meal. It takes the Mexican cuisine to a level that is beyond the popular belief that is all spicy, beans, and tacos. Xochi has become our go to place for all of our special occasions. Their attention to detail is second to none.
Written 15 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1_HRG
That is really great to hear. Thank you for joining us!
Written 1 March 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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