Reel Luxury Cinema
We have been on the hunt for a new movie theater so we wanted to give this one in The Woodlands a try. Their website boasts about a boutique, dine-in cinematic experience with heated reclining seats, blankets and private pod seating. They show new movies as well as special events with older movies on their five screens. We were definitely intrigued so I bought tickets for date night and we set out to see if the experience was as luxurious as advertised.
The Location
Reel Luxury Cinema is located within the Market Street shopping center in The Woodlands. That means there is plenty of surface lot parking throughout the shopping center as well as a parking garage located behind the theater. If you park on the third floor of the garage, there is a ramp directly down to the theater’s front desk. After your movie, you can head downstairs to walk the shopping center, making this theater’s location truly fantastic.
The interior is gorgeous with bright wallpapers, soft carpets and beautiful chandeliers. The seating in each theater is grouped into pods of two or three seats affording you and your date/friend some privacy while enjoying the movie. Each seat comes with a blanket, reclining ability, a light that can be turned on and off, a service button and a QR code to access the theater’s menu. The tray table located over each seat is fully adjustable so you can place it exactly where you want it which I really appreciated.
How it Works
We arrived a little over 20 minutes before the movie to peruse the menu and order before the movie started. When you are ready, you hit the service button and a server will come by to take your order. The server will ask for a card up front to create your tab to prevent you having to dig for payment during the movie. Everything you order will be brought right to your seat for you to enjoy. You can hit the service button at any point during the movie to order refills and/or your next course. When the movie is almost over, the server will bring your tab to the table for your signature before you leave. I want to note that there is a line for additional gratuity, but 20% is automatically added to your bill so take that into consideration when deciding whether to add additional gratuity. You are not required to purchase food/drinks with your movie, but it’s important to note that they do not allow any outside food or drinks.
The Food
While the menu is not extensive, there are definitely options for everyone. My husband ordered the pretzel bites and California roll with tofu off of the appetizer menu. He loved and inhaled both of those plates. He highly recommends both of those options, noting the house-made sauces are unmatched. While he didn’t order any entrees, there are a few vegetarian options available such as pasta and flatbreads. I ordered the lobster bites and the crab cake trio off of the appetizer menu. The portion size for the appetizers is large so after two of those, both of us were full. The lobster bites were fried to perfection with crispy breading and a dipping sauce that I wanted to bathe in. The crab cakes come on a plate smothered in a dill sauce that I also wanted to bathe in. Between each cake is a small vegetable salad that is also smothered in the dill sauce. I think it goes without saying that I would highly recommend both of these dishes if you enjoy seafood.
Our Impressions
Overall, this experience exceeded our expectations, but there is always room for improvement. We both said we wished the lights over our seats were dimmable so you could adjust it to the brightness you wanted. We needed the lights to see what we were eating, but they were slightly…..aggressive when turned on. This theater is also not a budget-friendly option if you plan to order food and drinks as the prices are higher than you would imagine. Their prices are listed on their online menu though so it’s not a surprise mid-movie. They also list the mandatory gratuity all over their website as well as inside the theater so that is also not a surprise. I do appreciate when a business if up-front about all of that instead of you finding out after the point of no return and feeling duped. We will definitely be going back and highly recommend it as a special date night for you and your partner.
There are links below to the Reel Luxury Cinema website as well as the Market Street website to help you plan your perfect night out. Let me know in the comments below if you have been to this cinema and how you found your experience.
Until Next Time,
Happy Watching
