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External photo - The Federal Grill - Downtown, Houston, TX

The Federal Grill - Downtown

4.5
4.5
168 Reviews
$30 and under
American

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 6 times today
  • Good for business meals
  • Good for groups
  • Lively
Dress Up or Dress Down. A Bourbon or a Beer. A Ribeye or a Burger. Where precision cooking meets quality ingredients in a tribute to classic American cuisine. Dining experiences are complemented by an exceptional whiskey and cocktail list—the essence of the Federal Experience. This location also will serve lunch, happy hour, and dinner, as well as weekend brunch – and will offer catering to our downtown neighbors. New to this location will be a grab-and-go coffee bar, which will offer pastries, sandwiches, and salads throughout the day – and a variety of locally owned 4WD Coffee drinks.

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    American, Comfort Food, Contemporary American
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Thu 11:00 am–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:00 am–11:00 pm Sun 10:00 am–9:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (832) 930-5577
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Executive chef
    Matt Brice
  • Neighborhood
    Downtown
  • Cross street
    VALET<br />Mon- Thur 5pm-10pm<br />Fri & Sat 5pm-11pm<br />3 Hrs $10<br
  • Parking details
    Valet
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Delivery, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, View, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Offers

  • Social Hour Monday - Friday | 3:00 - 7:00 pm

    Multiple dates available
    Mon - Fri - 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM
    From 3 pm - 7:00 pm every Monday - Friday, experience elevated service at a bargain price! Enjoy $8 Happy Hour Specialty Cocktails along with $6 Liquors including Jack Daniels, Makers Mark, Flor De Cana Rum, Hendricks Gin & many more! Delight in our lively social hour fueled by whiskey, wine, & good times. Stop in for an Old Fashioned, Socialite, or one of our Perfect Margaritas before dinner and you'll realize why we just can't limit these deals to one hour!

    Social Hour Monday - Friday | 3:00 - 7:00 pm Photo

What 168 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.5
4.5 based on recent ratings
  • 4.5Food
  • 4.5Service
  • 4.6Ambience
  • 4.4Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
The Federal Grill - Downtown offers an outstanding dining experience with "phenomenal service" and "delectable food." The ambiance is both upscale and welcoming, perfect for both business and casual gatherings. Guests rave about the "best salmon dish" and the "bang bang shrimp," with attentive servers like Jason and Juan enhancing the experience.

168 Reviews
  1. Phillip

    Detroit

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Nice ambiance, good food, good recommendations by the staff. Servers worked as teams and did a very nice job. Spoke to two of the managers which made it feel like an old school dean martin type place. Which makes sense as there were a fair amount of dean and frank pictures lining the walls. Will definitely eat here again.

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  2. ben

    VIP

    Manitoba

    132 reviews

    4.0

    132 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 5
    I had brunch today and loved my Eggs Benedict with crab cake. The potatoes were too salty and spicy and could not eat them. Great coffee. Service was adequate but slow at times.

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  3. Catherine

    VIP

    Houston

    9 reviews

    5.0

    9 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Met friends for lunch & had a fantastic overall experience! Food & service was excellent. Could have conversation at the table without excessive noise. Great atmosphere!

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  4. Selina

    Houston

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 2
    We were excited to spend Valentine’s Day at Federal. They had a three-course meal for $75 per person, and we thought that was a decent price since it was Valentine’s Day. We arrived a little earlier for our reservation but were seated anyway. However, our waitress, who was handling the entire bar area herself, wasn’t as attentive as we had hoped. We waited for our drinks for a good 8-10 minutes, then another 10 minutes for a sugar caddy, and an additional 5 minutes for her to return to take our order. The first course came out, and the portion size was comical. We had three shrimp and a crab cake the size of a Hostess donut. It took us all but 2 minutes to eat the first course, and we still hadn’t received our bread. We waited again, and when the waiter brought the bread, he mentioned that it took so long because it was “in the oven.” The bread was cold, so that didn’t make sense. The next course’s portion was somewhat okay, but they added the extra $12 crab meat we had asked to go on our steak to the crusted fish instead. When the dessert came out, it was even more comical that the portion size of the butter cake was also the size of a Hostess donut. All in all, we felt ripped off. Our bill was a total of $234 for subpar service and tiny portions. Although we will be back, we will never go on a special occasion again. need!

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  5. Becky

    Cincinnati

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    Went for valentine's day, special 3 course menu was way overpriced and the food was mediocre. No lava in the lava cake. Cocktail tasted like water.

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  6. Jack

    Houston

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    Was not thrilled with the overall experience, especially for Valentine’s Day. Took at least 10-minutes from sitting down before our waiter greeted us (had to ask for a drink menu). Drinks were good. The table cloth had stains on it. $75 per person (Valentines menu) but was an additional $15 for both steak options. 16oz Ribeye was probably half fat. A $300 bill that felt like a $100 experience.

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  7. Charles

    Houston

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    My wife and I loved our experience at the Federal American Grill Downtown for Valentines 2025. We heard about the restaurant from Michael Berry Radio show. The Fresno pepper Jelly was my favorite! We will be returning t that establishment more often. Capt Charles Coursey

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  8. OpenTable Diner

    Houston

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    My wife and I attended Valentine's Day dinner. Everything was wonderful. To begin, we had such an amazing Waitress, Reina! Thank you for your hospitality! So, if you're a bourbon or whiskey drinker, this is definitely the place for you! With over 200 selections, you're sure to discover a new favorite bourbon or whiskey. Make it a memorable evening, with the Smoking Gun Old Fashoined and the Flaming Oldie. I had both, and they're amazing! My wife loved the Pecan Crusted Snapper, and I had an amazing 16oz Black Angus Ribeye (Medium). Both, superb! It was a memorable evening. We definitely plan to return. Especially to attend their happy hour specials.

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  9. Julie

    New York City

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We were a large group. Abby was our waitress and she was fantastic.
    The Federal Grill - DowntownResponded 2 days ago
    Thank you for the great review, Julie! We’re so happy to hear that Abby took such great care of your group. We truly appreciate your feedback and hope to see you again soon for another wonderful dining experience!

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  10. Clarissa

    Austin

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food and service were exceptional. Every dish was prepared with such attention to detail, and the flavors were perfectly balanced. From the appetizers to the dessert, each course exceeded my expectations, and the presentation was just as impressive. The service was equally remarkable — the staff was attentive without being overbearing, friendly, and knowledgeable about the menu. They made sure our dining experience was comfortable and seamless from start to finish, always checking in at the right moments without interrupting our meal. It was truly a memorable experience.
    The Federal Grill - DowntownResponded 2 days ago
    Thank you so much for your kind words, Clarissa! We’re thrilled to hear that everything from the food to the service exceeded your expectations. Our team works hard to ensure every detail is perfect, and we’re so glad it made your experience memorable. We can’t wait to welcome you back for another exceptional meal!

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FAQs

The Federal Grill - Downtown offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (832) 930-5577.

The Federal Grill - Downtown is rated 4.5 stars by 168 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 6 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for The Federal Grill - Downtown

1221 McKinney St ste g100, Houston, TX 77010-2011

Additional information

  • Cross street
    VALET<br />Mon- Thur 5pm-10pm<br />Fri & Sat 5pm-11pm<br />3 Hrs $10<br
  • Neighborhood
    Downtown
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Thu 11:00 am–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:00 am–11:00 pm Sun 10:00 am–9:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    American, Comfort Food, Contemporary American
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Valet
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Matt Brice
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Delivery, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, View, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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