Macaw Cafe

Reviews

• Jyreka N.

  star star star star_border star_border 28 June 2026

  It's pretty descent. We got there maybe an hour and a half after zoo opened? Wasn't packed, it wasn't dirty. I appreciated that. The cashiers were pretty helpful and knowledgeable when my husband had questions. The good didn't take long to come out because it was cooked maybe a few mins prior and put under a heating lamp. (I say this because another reviews mentioned this.) I didn't taste old, it didn't taste bad just bland. *shrugges*  It's pretty much what you'd expect from here and highly what you'd expect as the very first food place you come across upon entrance. I would recommend chicken tenders over the fries from here and the cypress cafe, a bit further in, over this one.

• Leslie D.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 28 June 2026

  I rate Macaw Cafe with 2 stars because it is located inside of the zoo.  I love the Houston Zoo's mission and what it stands for - we've got the membership and will continue to have one for the entirety of our stay in Houston.
  
  Were Macaw Cafe extrapolated from zoo proximity, it would be deservant of 1 star.
  
  I've been here quite a bit and nothing has changed.  
  Please make note that this review rates both the restaurant and the satellite location in the center of the zoo.  
  I have historically made excuses for the staff's outright rude behavior - "Well, it's hot outside, they must be miserable," and "It's so crowded here with all of these customers, they must be overwhelmed."  
  I've often wondered, who is responsible for this place?  Is it run by zoo management?  What is the affiliation exactly.  Can I see the contract?  I've never wanted to write a review because I didn't want the poor service of the cafe to reflect negatively on our beloved Houston Zoo but this place along with all of it's staff has got to go.
  
  Macaw Cafe needs to go.  
  We need to give other restaurateurs the opportunity to service the public.  
  Let's veto them out and open up the floor for some bids.
  
  Just yesterday, we decided to go to the zoo.  
  We've figured out that if a crazy storm clears up into blue skies, it's the perfect day to go to the zoo.  There's parking, the animals are out, and it's not as crowded.  This was just the scenario yesterday.  At around 11AM, a black sky turned blue so we headed to the zoo.  Parking was a dream.  Nobody was there - we even got front row bleacher seats to the sea lions.  Only thing was, we had not eaten.  
  
  There it was, right around noon, and would you believe, not a single soul was inside of the restaurant.  The sun was out, it was a beautiful day, and not a person in sight to service beside myself, my partner, and two kids.  There could not have been a better opportunity to make up for all of the lousy service experiences in the past.  
  
  The staff was truly annoyed to have us in front of them.  We were urged to get beverages elsewhere (none of the vending machines worked, we otherwise would have).  They were just about out of everything besides bottled water.
  
  We really need to join forces and get this establishment evacuated from our zoo.
  It's a bummer to have to always plan around bringing our own food because the option there sucks so bad.
  We are Houston - we are known for our food selection.
  Can you imagine all of the local eateries that would bid for an opportunity to exclusively serve public at one of the prized destinations in all of Houston?  
  Niko Nikos, Barnaby's Cafe, Barry's Pizza, El Real ... we've got all of these local gems why settle for the piss poor Macaw Cafe?
  
  Evacuate them now and open the bid for other restaurateurs.

• Peter C.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 27 June 2026

  Unfortunately we decided to stop by at the macaw grill instead of going outside the zoo. Wasn't expecting much from a park restaurant but this was well below expectations. We tried to stay with the safe choices of tenders, burgers, and fries but sadly everything came out in a matter of 30 seconds. Nothing here was made fresh, seriously I've never had a bad Chicken tender until today. My burger also looked anemic, tenders were more batter than chicken, and fries were stale and stiff. Zero stars would of been more accurate but the staff was decently friendly.