Near the coast, Houston has long had a tradition of the raw bar and oysters on the half shell. My father remembers fondly having them at Grand Central Oyster Bar in Manhattan early in the day before traveling to Houston and eating oysters on the half shell again that evening at the Rice Hotel several decades ago. Here, the raw bar mostly means those raw oysters on the half shell; oysters, just shucked and served on a metal tray atop a bed of rock salt and with a couple lemon quarters, usually a vinegary mignonette sauce and always the simpler cocktail sauce along with a side of some horseradish, typically served as a dozen or half-dozen.
 
The oysters found locally are largely oysters from the Gulf, sometimes from nearby, more often from further east, Louisiana, Alabama and Florida. The more flavorful oysters from the northeastern waters and the Maritime provinces of Canada are also pretty widely seen, though more expensive, even up to $4 an oyster now. Nicely, most places that serve oysters also have a happy hour with cheaper prices, and an easier way to sample the more interesting appellations.
 
And raw oysters lend themselves to happy hour, with a cold, lager beer or several at a comfortable, humble bar. I prefer a crisp white wine, its classic companion featuring plenty of salinity, Muscadet, or something a little heftier. At a Bordeaux tasting recently, a producer described his basic white wine as something that’s perfect the morning after a long night when you are having a dozen oysters to start the day.
 
Continuing the French inspiration, the local raw bar description includes seafood towers that originated in the plateau de fruits de mer – found at the more expensive restaurants here – an array of mostly raw and chilled shellfish with accompanying sauces, most compositions having some nods to the area. One can be a spectacular way to start a meal, if necessarily pricey.
 
The best twenty-five raw bars in Houston are listed alphabetically below.
 
Posted on February 27, 2023.
 
The Best
 
Acme Oyster House – Though the mostly fried fare on the menu at this outpost of the touristy French Quarter spot can easily be ignored, the utilitarian dining space of this former theater works well as a place to slurp freshly shucked Gulf oysters. Montrose
Brasserie 19 – The bar remains a popular destination here and East Coast, Gulf and even West Coast oysters on the half shell can complement the wines. For the table, there are also the seafood towers with oysters, lobster, tuna tartare, shrimp, and blue crab claws. River Oaks
Brennan’s – A fixture just off the spur in Midtown since 1967, with roots in New Orleans, oysters are part of its DNA. Top appellation Gulf oysters are now $36 a dozen and the East Coast ones are $40. The freshly shucked raw oysters, boiled jumbo shrimp, crab fingers, Crab Ravigote, and a red snapper ceviche are features in the seafood platters and towers. Midtown
Caracol – This is the seafood specialist in the quartet of H-Town Restaurant Group’s top-flight Mexican restaurants and you can expect it’s raw bar selections are interesting. The Gulf oysters on the half shell come with salsa bruja, a spicy flavored vinegar, and a charred lime half, $18 for a half-dozen and $36 for a dozen. It’s grand Seafood Tower have raw oysters, mussels, jumbo shrimp, ceviche, a Mexico City style campechana, lobster tails, crab fingers, clams, costeño aioli, a canario mignonette and cocktail sauce. Galleria Area
Eugene’s – Gulf oysters on the half shell with cocktail sauce and horseradish are always worth a consideration to start here. For the daily happy hour – Monday through Friday from 4:00 to 7:00 and Saturday from 2:00 to 5:00 – these are $1.25 each and a dozen for $15. Montrose
Eunice – Featuring a purposed perch emblazoned with “Fresh Shucked Oysters,” those bivalves are taken seriously at this very adept, attractive Louisiana-inspired space. The well-sourced oysters aren’t cheap: $30 for a dozen with the “Specialty” ones are now $46. Oysters make it on to their seafood platter, of course, which also has tuna tartare, Royal Red shrimp, smoked fish dip, and a crab salad. Greenway Plaza
Gatlin’s Fins & Feathers – You can see the oysters being shucked here that come with horseradish and cocktail sauce and can be a good way to begin an evening meal. North Side
Golfstrømmen Seafood Market – With catch from the North Sea arriving at the start of the week, the seafood served here can be impressive, even the food court setting is not. The oysters can be quite interesting like the Belon oysters, though likely from Maine rather than Brittany. A dozen coming with lemon mignonette and a chili oil will set you back $38 now. Cheap oysters on Monday evenings. There are plenty of other raw options – bluefin tuna, salmon, red drum – and platters, too. Its Classic Seafood Platter has bluefin tuna, oysters, scallop, salmon, and crab and there are a couple grander options, too. This is a must-visit for a seafood lover. Downtown (Post Market)
Goode Co. Seafood – There’s always an attractive display of area Gulf oysters on the ready at these long-loved locally attuned spots. The chilled seafood towers in two sizes have a regional bent: Gulf oysters, jumbo Gulf shrimp, smoked redfish dip, the superb Campechana Extra, and blue crab fingers. West U, Memorial
La Lucha – With inspiration from the long gone San Jacinto Inn – a staple of many of our childhoods – in the hands of a skilled restaurateur, you can expect the oyster service will be of interest. A February menu had five Alabama appellations: Admiral, Grand Batture, Mon Louis, Murder Point, and Point Aux Pins. That’s not inexpensive, $3.75 a pop, from the Gulf. Served with cocktail sauce, pickle juice mignonette, fresh horseradish During happy hour, select oysters are $1.50 each, until 6:00 daily; opens at 4:30 during the week, but 10 in the morning on the weekends. Heights
Liberty Kitchen & Oysterette – A duo of pretty places with Gulf oysters for $3 a piece and the more flavorful East Coast ones at $4, or $48 a dozen. The seafood towers in a couple of sizes have mixed raw oysters, cocktail shrimp, a one-pound poached lobster, and an avocado crab cocktail. River Oaks, Memorial
Loch Bar – Fittingly plush spot for the address but that can still feel like it’s part of an out-of-town chain, this serves Maryland fare like cream of crab soup and crab cakes, but also in a grand way with striking chilled seafood towers in three sizes and up to $295 filled with East Coast oysters, clams, shrimp cocktail, mussels, king crab, Maine lobster and ceviche. East Coast oysters and River Oaks District
Margaux’s Oyster Bar – In Bravery Chef Hall just off Market Square, this features a well-informed staff, expert shucking and terrific oysters from the East Coast and elsewhere. Happy hour is Monday through Friday from 4:00 to 7:00 with $1 Gulf oysters. Downtown
McCormick & Schmick's – It’s been part of Landry’s for over a decade now, but it still sources an array of excellent oysters. Pink Moon from Prince Edward Island, Heart’s Desire and Johnny Shucks both from Massachusetts were recent offerings at the downtown location. These can be enjoyed a little differently, with yuzu jalapeño granita, pomegranate mignonette, house-made cocktail sauce.  Downtown, Uptown Park, CityCentre
Navy Blue – The best of the city’s seafood-centric restaurants also does a very creditable job with oysters on the half-shell, at price, of course. The kitchen likes to cook here, so that’s the only raw preparation. Rice Village
Pappas Seafood House – A dozen Gulf oysters will be sure to satisfy at one of the trio left of the long-satisfying Pappas family seafooders. North Houston, Humble, Clear Lake 
Ragin’ Cajun – The casual setting makes this an appropriate place to enjoy some freshly shucked Gulf oysters and you likely won’t be alone doing so while there. Greenway Plaza
Riel – The only menu option for freshly shucked oysters is four for $16 topped with an appealing coconut lime granita. Montrose
Relish – A handsome, comfortable place on Westheimer right near Kirby that might be too often overlooked by many dedicated diners. This includes its oysters on the half sell both from the Gulf and East Coast, $2.75 and $3.75 each, respectively, that are served with lemon, crackers, cocktail sauce, horseradish and a changing mignonette. River Oaks
State of Grace – Sporting The Oyster Room, a separate, beautiful tiled outlet apart from the rest of the restaurant, this River Oaks eatery, certainly has the most attractive and conducive setting for oysters and other chilled creatures from the ocean. There are a couple of enticing seafood platters and items like boquerones and a tuna crudo, but the emphasis is on oysters here. At the end of February 2023, a full dozen of oyster appellations were on hand, half from the Gulf, half from the East Coast. Pushing $4 each now, several are just $1.50 during happy hour that’s from 5:00 to 6:00 Monday through Thursday but much longer on Friday, from 11:00 to 6:00. River Oaks
The Oceanaire Seafood Room – Befitting its name, this upscale seafood chain’s shiny outpost in the Galleria takes the oysters and the raw bar concept seriously. The oyster offerings in late February were Cape Cod Bay, Mill Creek, Oceanaire Pearls, Shiny Sea, and West Port, all from Massachusetts and all $4 a piece. Quality is not cheap. There is also the Grand Shellfish Tower with oysters, shellfish cocktails, and much more. Galleria
Tommy’s Seafood Restaurant & Oyster Bar – Featuring Galveston Bay oysters…. The mignonette here is Champagne vinegar, white wine, crushed white peppercorns, diced shallots, diced jalapeños and chopped cilantro. Clear Lake
Weights + Measures – It’s just Gulf Coast oysters here, served with honeydew mignonette and micro mint. A dozen is $36. During happy hour is just $14 for a half-dozen and that’s Tuesday through Saturday from 3:00 to 6:00. Midtown
Winnie’s – Oysters can make a fine and well-sourced accompaniment to your cocktails at this casual, fun bar-restaurant. The Gulf Coast oysters are $18 for a half-dozen and the East Coast are $21. Montrose
Xochi – The Gulf oysters on the half shell come with a tomatillo mignonette and a charred lime half, $15 for a half-dozen and $29 for a dozen. Yet another temptation at this upscale Oaxacan-themed place and sibling of Caracol across from Discovery Green. Downtown

A seafood tower at State of Grace

For many Houstonians of a certain age, Tex-Mex was among the first restaurant loves with its spicy, slightly exotic dishes that were hearty and eminently gratifying, and always nicely affordable for the parents. The world of dining in Houston has expanded dramatically in the last three decades or so, and what most of us thought was Mexican food has also grown in terms of knowledge about and experiences with the wide range of more truly Mexican flavors and dishes. Taco trucks and humble taquerias serving primarily the million-plus Hispanic residents here, and then Hugo’s opening in 2002 and its successors helped show that Mexican food was not really humble, mostly brown-colored combination plates prefaced by thin corn chips and a bowl of melted orange cheese-food.  
 
Chips and salsa, nachos, cheese enchiladas, fajitas and frozen margaritas haven’t gone away and can still provide a satisfying and fun evening, if not so cheap anymore, especially if fajitas are involved. Fajitas can still be terrific; there is a reason fajitas, properly beef fajitas, became a restaurant sensation across the country and even Europe in the 1980s and remain popular. There is still a demand for Tex-Mex. Local Tex-Mex restaurants have incorporated many more traditionally Mexican dishes in recent years and the distinction is often blurred as to what is a Tex-Mex versus a Mexican restaurant here. This also has meant better preparations are on the menus.
 
Something interesting is that Tex-Mex restaurants lend themselves to successful replication, maybe more so than most cuisines or concepts. These places are typically not chef-driven, most notably, and the preparations can be easier to execute. Most of the recommended restaurants have more than one location, which is usually a good thing with these.
 
Listed in order of preference.

Updated on June 19, 2023.
 
El Mejor
 
Goode Co. Kitchen & Cantina – With their experience and aptitude with Tex-Mex and Mexican dishes at other concepts, it was natural that Goode Co. would finally expand into a full-service Tex-Mex restaurants. Thankfully, they did. These are among the very best in the area. The Mexican seafood cocktail Campechana is a refreshing, wonderful way to start while the mesquite-grilled fajitas in one of its many iterations here is another crowd-pleasing order found on many tables. Any of the enchiladas or old school combination plates are done better than what you had growing up and the preparations with that require some more expertise like local Gulf favorite redfish cooked on the half-shell or bacon-wrapped, stuffed and roasted jumbo shrimp are a reminder that this is from a top area restaurant group. Memorial, Heights, The Woodlands
El Tiempo –  Though it might not be as important on the dining scene as it was years ago, Houstonians still love Tex-Mex and the occasional fajita, and the best place to enjoy it is at the restaurants from the family that popularized the fajita and made it an international star, El Tiempo. The mesquite-grilled fajitas here can be terrific and the robustly flavored – and some very robustly priced – dishes of all sorts along with the still-potent-enough house margaritas can make for a fun visit. Unfortunately, the chain has slipped as the number of locations have increased.  And some locations are better than others and the one on Navigation in the East End across from where the Laurenzo family got their start is always a good choice, if not quite as enticing as in the past. It’s still actually a value choice for a weekend breakfast, too. East End, Montrose, Greenway Plaza, Washington Corridor, Briargrove, Timbergrove, Westchase, Katy, Kingwood, Stafford, Clear Lake, Cypress, The Woodlands (2)
Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen – Though the currently handsome spaces are a far cry from the humble spot on the western edges of Westheimer where it started a couple of decades ago, the specialty, and the draw for many patrons, remains one of the numerous enchilada creations. All named after cities and towns in Texas and Mexico, some of the highlights are the McAllen, which is a basic chicken enchilada plate topped with Sylvia’s Signature Chile Gravy – which is notably tasty – the similar Donna, but filled with ground beef, Crystal City, especially good spinach-filled enchiladas topped with a slightly sweet tomatillo-based salsa, and the San Miguel, enchiladas suizas. It’s really tough to go wrong with any of the many municipalities here, though. And there’s a lot more of the regional comfort fare done well from soups, quesadillas, chalupas, fajitas with either beef or chicken grilled over mesquite, chile rellenos, flautas and carne guisada. If you’ve got room for dessert, flan and sopapillas from childhood. Briargrove, Energy Corridor
Lupe Tortilla – In the 1990s, it was fashionable for many Inner Loopers to drive out to Highway 6 for fajitas at the original location. That was high praise given that there were many noted fajita purveyors, much closer. Available with beef, chicken and shrimp, or a combination, the fajitas are served with guacamole, pico de gallo, char-grilled green onions and unusually very thin, large, tasty freshly made flour tortillas. The beef is moist and quite flavorful. The beef fajitas, and the similar tacos and steaks are still a prime draw. The rest of the offerings and ethos are a little less brash than years ago, but still an easy call for an enjoyable Tex-Mex. And there are plenty of area locations, mostly suburban, for Lupe Tortilla now, even elsewhere in the state. Upper Kirby District, Washington Corridor, West Houston, Katy, Sugar Land, Missouri City, Clear Lake, Pearland, 1960 Area, Spring, Cypress, The Woodlands, Humble, Tomball  
Goode Co. Taqueria – This longtime casual counter-service stalwart shines brightest for its breakfasts – combinations featuring eggs scrambled with a choice of items like bacon, chorizo, and nopalitos, and the migas; huevos rancheros; huevos a la mexicana – but it’s really good for its daytime Tex-Mex offerings, too. The chicken enchiladas filled with thick strips of grilled and slightly smoky chicken breast are tempting, as are the cheese versions. The expected sides, beans and rice, are first-rate, as expected from Goode Co. Actually, there is not an unappealing choice on the short menu. Like their restaurants, there is their renowned pecan pie, if you need a sweet finish. That’s Tex rather than Mex, but it’s delicious. West U
Flora – Very pleasantly perched above Buffalo Bayou and sporting a clean, contemporary look, it’s an appropriate setting for the often excellent, vibrant and upscale Tex-Mex cooking that reaches far and often into Mexico. There is traditional queso, chips and salsa, nachos, and fajitas but also a starter featuring the trendy octopus, an array of ceviches and several seafood-topped tostadas – seafood is a strong suit here – a quinoa-centered dish, and barbacoa with lamb. Portions are on the small side, probably the smallest of any Tex-Mex restaurant in the area, so order more than usual, provided your budget can afford it. The attractively plated food here is pricey and overpriced, like all of the Big Vibe restaurants (Coppa, Graffiti Raw, Gratify); chips and salsa are not free, even a single fish taco is $13, and a pound of fajitas is well north of $50 – the latter not unusual these days. But you’re also paying for the atmosphere and the overall enjoyment of a visit. There is a reason its parking lot has seemingly always packed since opening in early 2022. River Oaks
Lopez – A very popular place in Alief since 1978, it’s still usually packed during the weekday lunchtime hours, and evenings on the weekend. The compendium of quality, familiarity, service, décor, location and price makes Lopez a pleasant and regular value dining option for many. You’ll be disappointed if you are looking for “authentic” or regional Mexican food. The menu is basic Tex-Mex; comfort food for a great many in the area and well-suited for suburban southwest Houston. Lopez’s popularity is due in large part to the adept execution of the familiar, satisfying Tex-Mex items. The basic tomato-based salsa is tastier than average, and better than what might be expected, flavorful and spicy, with the pepper seeds very evident. The chips are consistently fresh. The cheese in the enchiladas is cheese, cheddar cheese. The refried beans are thick and heavy, as those used to be at most Mexican restaurants in years before the greater prominence of cardiologists. Just a few of the hallmarks here. Alief, Richmond
Superica – This engaging, casual restaurant sharing a building with its sibling La Lucha is a version of a concept begun in Atlanta, albeit by a native Houstonian; this is Tex-Mex done just a little differently. It can be quite good, though. All of the familiar local Tex-Mex dishes are found here: nachos, queso and queso fundido, enchiladas in all the expected forms, quesadillas and fajitas. There’s also some more, with an aguachile appetizer, street-style tacos, the childhood favorite hard-shell tacos and a few more upscale beef and fish preparations. This can make for an easy choice for Tex-Mex done nicely when near the Heights. Heights  
El Patio – More than the home of the cheeky, fun Club No Minors where food is usually an afterthought though not fake IDs, the Tex-Mex dishes here are actually fairly well done plus it’s got some of the legacy Felix dishes including the strangely addictive queso. Keep the cheese enchiladas in mind because of that. The menu is lengthy enough, and with a very high rate of dishes that will appeal to discerning Tex-Mex patrons of a certain age. It contains most items from the familiar, local Tex-Mex repertoire, and these are conceived with a heavy-hand. That’s meant as a compliment. Dishes are satisfyingly hearty here. The old timey combination plates are done well here such as surprisingly good tamales, a dish that is rather forgettable at too many restaurants. Briargrove
Ninfa’s – Not what it once was, but bears inclusion for its historical importance and also some fun can still be had here. This was where the fajita was popularized by namesake and former owner Ninfa Laurenzo, first in Houston and then the world. Those fajitas, and the similar tacos a la Ninfa, have been filled with slices of beef that are tougher and less flavorful than they should be for at least a dozen years now. This hasn’t really dimmed the crowds too much on Navigation who have seen it featured on one of the national food shows, though a great number of former regulars now head across the street to El Tiempo for similar and better Tex-Mex which Ninfa’s son and grandson run. See above. If here, the non-traditionally Tex-Mex items might be a better bet, as that is where the kitchen’s heart seems to lie these days. East End, Galleria Area

Some of the mesquite-grilled delights at Goode Co. Kitchen and Cantina

Featuring slightly sweet, slightly yeasty dough and traditionally topped with fruit preserves or cream cheese, though now the pigs in a blanket, technically called klobasniky in the plural in Czech, and scrambled egg-filled versions and others also lay claim to the moniker – much to the chagrin of only the editors of Texas Monthly – this breakfast pastry with roots in Czechoslovakia has been a much-loved Texas staple for years. Most versions are rather lacking here and throughout the state, to be honest. Don’t bother stopping at any of the five or six kolache shops that draw travelers on I-35 en masse in West, Texas, just north of Waco, for example. A recent whirlwind tour of the five then open confirmed previous visits. My mother who was with me, and who grew up with kolaches from her Slovak grandmother, might have been even more disappointed.
 
Mediocre kolaches like those can actually have a function, though. Mediocre kolaches for breakfast on the weekends, cheap calories gotten via a drive-thru when possibly hungover, have been a guilty pleasure for me over the years. Several of the convenient Kolache Factory locations. Don’t go there if you don’t have to.
 
Thankfully, and in start contrast, Houston is also home to what I believe is the very best purveyor in the entire state and this really is only place to regularly get kolaches in the area. And here are three locations now. Monica Pope’s Sparrow stand at the farmers market on Saturday mornings at St. John’s School also does a great job with kolaches, too, including sometimes one filled with a Filipino pork stew that is a delicious multi-cultural mash-up. Unfortunately, her kolaches are often not available, but it pays swing by every time, just in case or for something else.
 
The Best and Only Recommendable
 
Kolache Shoppe – Originally opened in 1970, the kolaches in common parlance are the best of breed here across all versions: the traditional Old World-derived fruit-or-cheese-filled pastries, those sausage-centric pigs-in-a-blanket, the nicely caloric breakfast ones often with Tex-Mex fillings along with the newer styles featuring beef brisket or boudin inside. The quality begins with the dough, just slightly sweet, not overly yeasty, airy, fresh-tasting, and flavorful, unfailingly complementing whatever filling it surrounds. It’s the best kolache dough I’ve found.
 
Then those fillings are usually terrific, too. All the numerous versions here are excellent. You really can’t go wrong, even the one topped with prunes, though that requires a special order. Breakfast sausage, egg, pickled jalapeño and cheddar cheese; excellent Pinkerton’s brisket, egg, cheddar cheese and pickled jalapeño; Kiolbassa brand sausage link and cheddar cheese; Prasek’s venison and pork sausage with cheddar cheese and jalapeño; blueberry, and strawberry and lemon cream, the last three topped with a judicious amount of sugar, are several of the ones I’ve really enjoyed in recently. The only real competition to Kolache Shoppe that I’ve encountered in the entire state is Weikel’s in La Grange, which is worth a stop when driving to from Austin on Highway 71. Nicely, there is a drive-thru at Kolache Shoppe’s spiffy Heights location where the wait can be pushing thirty minutes on weekend mornings. You won’t mind when you finally get the kolaches, though. Greenway Plaza, Heights, Kingwood

Blueberry

The city center has seen some tumult with the pandemic with more folks working from home that has hurt the restaurants, seemingly mostly the cool food halls that have arisen in recent years. The Post Market and Bravery Chef Hall, especially, have places that are worth the effort to visit. Otherwise, downtown is still heavy on the chain steakhouses with the once and future frequency of business travelers, who still lean heavily to the larger meat-and-potatoes types, but not all. To note, this is for downtown proper; the adjacent Midtown and EaDo areas have their own lists.
 
Listed alphabetically.
 
The Best
 
Brasserie du Parc – French – A lower-key, but still white tablecloth, offering from Philippe Verpiand of Étoile that offers an enticing range of largely well-known French dishes both day and night. There might be more of an emphasis on seafood, but there are several steaks; it’s Texas, after all, plus it needs to satisfy those (mostly male) business travelers that might be congregating at the George R. Brown just a short walk away. It’s an airy and approachable place, that sense might be enhanced by the charmingly cheap-looking reproductions of French poster artwork on the walls.
Georgia James Tavern – American – This handsome spot with a clubby feel across from Market Square and part of the Underbelly Hospitality Group has cycled through a few chefs before Tim Reading took the helm in early 2022. With an accomplished resume that’s included heading the kitchen at the top Mexican seafooder Caracaol, the team here delivers in refined fashion on the upscale American fare like pan-seared salmon, brick chicken and a ham-brined pork chop. This also works well in tavern fashion before an event nearby for cocktails and upscale bar snacks like crispy duck fat potatoes, East Coast oysters with a cucumber jalapeno mignonette or warm marinated olives. The short wine list skews heavily red and food-friendly, most priced well under $100.
Golfstrømmen Seafood Market – Norwegian Seafood – The name is quite appropriate, meaning Gulf Stream in Norwegian, as this seafood spot from a duo of acclaimed chefs, one from Norway and the other in Texas, employs products, inspirations and preparations from there and here. It begins with excellent fish and shellfish sourced nearby and the north Atlantic, the bounty of the Gulf Stream and the Gulf. In the Post Market development downtown, the food hall setting isn’t much, but there is usually a tempting display of seafood set on ice that can be gastronomic eye-candy that might include fish not commonly seen and not like langoustines, scallops, and oysters like the delicious and different Belon (though from Maine rather than Brittany). Christopher Haatuft, from coastal Bergen where his restaurant Lysverke has a Michelin star, and Paul Qui, a James Beard Award-winner who once had the excellent Aqui on lower Westheimer, have a kitchen that highlights the high quality of their sourcing with mostly straightforward creations in ways usually familiar to locals that can be absolutely delicious. A seemingly simple open-faced sandwich featuring plenty of the slightly sweet lump Jonah crab meat with melted lightly herbed butter, a bit of mayonnaise and some welcome strands of raw onion atop a toasted, tasty sourdough loaf with a side of crisp, freshly made potato chips is excellent. A nice array of wines, too, to complement, that have a welcome strong French accent.
Pappas Bros. Steakhouse – Steak – Boisterous, always loud and often delightfully indulgent and even excessive – these and Georgia James are clearly the best two steakhouse concepts in the city. Not only is the food excellent, especially the nearly unparalleled wet- or dry-aged steaks, most importantly, but the compendious wine list is the most impressive in the city. The Westheimer original has around 5,000 labels and 28,000 bottles, and the downtown branch slightly less, so there is seemingly everything you might want at a fine dining restaurant with depth in Champagne, Burgundy – both colors, with pages of Grand Cru and Premier Cru – Bordeaux, Napa, Super Tuscans, Barolo, Rhone, and much, much more. You can spend a small fortune on just drink here. Along with the kitchen and cellar, the wait staff here, is also a cut above among the local steakhouses. The attentive, friendly and proficient service stands in stark contrast to the casual, not-so-professional or informed service you might find at Mastro’s, another expense account steakhouse, for example.
Perbacco  – Italian – Featuring approachable Southern Italian cooking geared toward local sensibilities from a longtime restaurateur from Capri, off the coast of Naples, the fare is generally lighter and better prepared than similar dishes elsewhere. Set in pleasantly utilitarian fashion in the ground floor of an office building, albeit Philip Johnson and team’s landmark Pennzoil Plaza, the emphasis is on enjoyable eating rather than fine dining. There are several, somewhat hearty, baked pasta dishes such as lasagna and cannelloni, a dozen other pasta and sautéed items such as penne with Gulf shrimp, veal Marsala, and gnocchi with eggplant in a tomato sauce, and several straightforward grilled proteins. Their version of the traditional, simple linguine and clams is one of the best around. Entrées are served with a small salad, helping to make this an especially nice value for lunch. Open for dinner on Friday and Saturday, too.
Potente – American Italian – The preparations here are Americanized Italian with a luxurious bent, as the caviars topping the menu might indicate, it has a top chef at the helm, Danny Trace formerly of Brennan's and Commander's Palace, and uses approachable preparations inspired from Italy with excellent ingredients to a welcome, if quite expensive result. Trace’s kitchen is very adept with seafood and those preparations occupy much of the menu, but it is tough to go wrong here; decadent pastas, a few steaks and dried porcini-braised veal cheeks are some other options. Directly across from the ballpark, this is owned by Jim Crane, owner of the reigning World Series champions Houston Astros.
Rosalie’s – Italian-American – Houston has historically been tough on out-of-town restaurateurs and hotel dining, but things might have changed, as West Coast-based television chef Chris Cosentino has channeled his Italian-American roots into what has been a popular and adept smallish spot in a refurbished and now surprisingly hip hotel – the C. Baldwin was a setting for the “The Bachelor” airing in early 2022 – at the southwestern edge of downtown. Chef-created Italian-American might be the best description of the offerings here. The crab cannelloni features Sauce Americane, a French concoction featuring cream and lobster shells. Fairly rich and redolent of the sea, it’s quite tasty if not what any Italian-American family (or restaurant) makes. The menu is enticing with other pastas, spot-on sides such as roasted cherry tomatoes with garlic and breadcrumbs, and protein-centered preparations like a spicy Shrimp Fra Diavolo, a hanger steak Pizzaiolo also with peppers and capers, and a milanese with chicken – there’s no veal on the menu. There are pizzas, too. Though the crusts are not nearly flavorful nor soft enough to pull off a successful margherita, but the other toppings might work well. This cab be a fun stop, and it’s in a hotel!
Theodore Rex – New American – In an out-of-the-way part of downtown, the Warehouse District – it might be a bit far, and too interesting, to walk from any of the hotels – Justin Yu has drawn (mostly) raves in a couple of versions with a technically impressive personal cuisine that draws on a variety of influences, often French, and that gives plants some prominence. A few pastas are usually on the menu like thin strands of freshly made noodles warmed in cultured butter, seasoned with oyster liquor and mignonette, and another not-at-all-Italian creation with fermented radish crisp, mushroom and dill. Larger plates might include a Gulf snapper with soupe au pistou. The restaurant is not for everyone but it’s a destination for those interested in meticulous and informed preparations done with “a little sense of humor,” attentive service and an excellent wine list largely of low-intervention labels.   
Vic & Anthony’s – Steakhouse – Catercorner from the ballpark and set in a hefty, bunker-like building, this is actually one Landry's concept you can visit without having to apologize for yourself and it’s one of the best steakhouses in the city that checks all the proper boxes, and with an Italian-American accent.
Xochi – Mexican – This opened in 2018 in time for the Houston-hosted Super Bowl – there has never been a Houston team in the Super Bowl, of course – with an array of enticing Oaxacan-themed offerings, most well-suited for sharing that was something a both little different and also quickly familiar. There are crudos, roasted oysters, an array of moles, as Oaxaca is the land of seven moles, after all, and other preparations, all bolstered by excellent sourcing. There are even a few insects on the menu, for the adventurous, even if these tastes might not be too far out. As at their other restaurants, Sean Beck puts together compelling wines and cocktails that makes this a clear winner both dining and imbibing. Located in the Marriott Marquis across from Discovery Green downtown, the interior is quite attractive, more so the further you are from the lobby, though the patio seating can be an invitation to be pan-handled. The cooking is as good as Hugo’s – and maybe more consistently so – though it is less of a value. 

Good at the bar at Georgia James Tavern

Montrose dining has taken some hits in recent years with excellent chefs shuttering or moving their restaurants. Chris Shepherd and company have almost entirely vacated lower Westheimer and gone are the terrific Underbelly, its successor UB Preserv, Georgia James and several enticing iterations of One Fifth. Marco Wiles closed Dolce Vita, the best pizzeria in Houston for the entirety of its fifteen run, and a good Italian restaurant otherwise. Olivier Ciesielski, one of the city’s most underrated chefs had two successive eateries at 240 Westheimer over the years, but did not make it through the pandemic. But Montrose still has a few of the top restaurants in all of Houston in March, BCN, Da Marco, Hugo’s, Uchi, Soto and Rosie Cannonball, and still the highest concentration of destination eateries. There’s also a number of more casual gems.
 
Here are the best listed alphabetically.
 
The Best
 
BCN – Spanish – Set in a handsome older house, this provides locals with a very well-executed glimpse into Spanish fine dining that is both contemporary and deeply rooted in the traditions of Barcelona. The kitchen is headed by Chef Luis Roger, who had years of experience in kitchens in his native Catalonia including a stint at El Bulli. Before proceeding to think much about the entrées and something from the excellent all-Spanish wine list, it’s a great idea to start slowly here, with one of the nearly fifteen or so tempting pintxo-esque appetizers like seared bluefin tuna, crispy baby artichokes with romesco sauce and boquerones and one of the fun, revelatory gin tonics like the signature BCN: Hendrick's gin, Indian Fever-Tree tonic water, juniper berries and cucumber. A few of the tempting mains are: Spanish hake with bomba rice cooked in cuttlefish’s black ink, baby squid and scampi, suckling Ibérico pig “a la Segoviana,” and grilled duck breast served with quince, Idiazábal cheese sauce, pine nuts and balsamic vinegar reduction. Then there are desserts….
Bistro Menil – New American – The focus seems to be on refined versions of healthy, high quality fare that is interesting and also accessible. Chef Greg Martin mentioned that he wanted the restaurant to be able to aptly serve patrons who visit the museum from all other the world, as do the restaurants associated with the Louvre in Paris and the Prado in Madrid, and that here was no need to be overly ambitious with the offerings. No need for foams. The result is that the menu is rather eclectic, but seemingly well-suited to potential diners: there are meaty, rich crab cakes; a quiche with a terrific, sturdy, crumbly crust; crepes filled with crab and mushroom; risotto; an excellent charcuterie plate; salads and much more, including many familiar French-inspired items.
Cuchara – Mexican – Self-described as a Mexico City-style bistro, the preparations here are vibrant, often surprisingly light, and always enjoyable from a menu that highlights dishes not often found in Houston. Portions are sensibly sized, maybe more so than large appetites might appreciate. The setting is comfortable with an industrial and minimalist, urban feeling highlighted with whimsical cartoons that dot the wall from the chef’s sister that is well-suited to its address on Taft and Fairview near the heart of Montrose.
Da Marco – Italian – In a small house with gated parking on Westheimer, Marco Wiles’s Da Marco serves truly excellent food that represents the best of many of the northern Italian regions. It is appealing and sometimes eclectic, if seemingly less so these days, but always flavorful and sometimes sublime. Da Marco is much like a very proficient, upscale trattoria whose cooking is not tethered to a particular locale. True to form, here you are expected to dine in the Italian fashion with antipasti, a first course, a meat or fish entrée, and separate sides. It’s all done expertly here, and this has been one of the best restaurants in the city for years. Along with the cooking, the top-notch wine list is strictly Italian, and pricey. Among its accolades, back in 2006 Gourmet named among the top 50 restaurants (number 29) in the country and the restaurant might be better these days.
Eugene’s – Gulf Seafood – Inspired in part by the robust regional Gulf Coast cookery of yore along with a healthy dose of influences from neighboring Louisiana, this dark-wooded, clubby-looking space in the heart of a neighborhood, can delight in a number of ways with its updated presentations. Redfish stuffed with a blue crab dressing and broiled, several baked crabmeat dishes straight out of New Orleans, and the Oysters Kyle, green onion sautéed in a seasoned lemon garlic butter sauce are a few of main plates. The highlight here might be a starter, the very dark roux-based gumbo filled with shrimp, crab and oysters and served with white rice that quickly set the local and, for some critics, the gold standard anywhere for a dish that has been locally popular since soon after the first person with a French surname moved west from the Crescent City here. There’s a lot from which to cheese including fish and shellfish that can be cooked grilled over oak and hickory, fried in peanut oil, pan-broiled or blackened. Plus, it always pays to note the daily specials like locally caught red snapper, ling, mahi mahi and grouper and  crawfish and soft-shell crabs in season.
Hugo’s – Mexican – The restaurant that introduced the authentic fine dining Mexican restaurant to Houston in 2002 is still going strong and a fixture in the heart of Montrose that works well as a stop for dinner, lunch and brunch. Approachable, lively and easily appealing and most everything works well from a menu that takes inspiration from much of Mexico across meats, seafood, vegetables and even chapulines. Crispy duck in mole Poblano, grilled octopus, delectable carnitas, lamb barbacoa and the decadent churros stuffed with dulce de leche served with thick Mexican hot chocolate are just a few of the enticements.
Kau Ba – Vietnamese – A hip and friendly spot serving personalized Vietnamese cooking including some Viet-Cajun accents and preparations at dinner that’s attractively presented and a welcome addition to the city and the neighborhood. at dinner. Creative cocktails, too.
March – Mediterranean (Spanish, Italian, Portuguese) – This is the best of breed of the quartet of pricey set-menu-only restaurants that came on the scene in 2021. The most ambitious offering in the Goodnight Hospitality Group (Rosie Cannonball, Montrose Cheese & Wine), and one of the most ambitious around, March is staffed by a very capable and broadly experienced team led by executive chef Felipe Riccio that can pull off Michelin-starred-quality creations inspired by top restaurants around the Mediterranean. It’s only dinner here in six- and nine-course meals that begins with snacks of the fanciest kinds and drinks in the lounge area. A seafood escabeche cooked in piquant harissa sofrito and aided with Jamón Ibérico, and blood sausage paté with black currants are a couple of past items. The food is exquisitely rendered and served in a nicely understated setting along with informed and attentive service to make this one of the premier dining experiences in the city. One of the two wine pairings might be the easiest way to proceed but if you want to use the wine list you will be rewarded: a hundred pages put together by Master Sommelier June Rodil has plenty of Burgundy or Bordeaux, but also lot from the finest cellars in Piedmont and a number of wines from top Italian and Spanish producers like Quintarelli, Fontodi and López de Heredia.
Neo – Sushi – Another omakase concept from alumni of Uchi, this is more than sushi and fish. The setting is also different, in a menswear showroom. It can be tough to get a ticket and that will cost $260 for the twenty or so courses, drinks and tip, along with something to brag about, if successful.
Nobie’s – New American – This eclectic spot is a cool, eclectic, chef-driven spot featuring local and regional ingredients, of course, but with global influences, including a number of dishes from restaurants in Chicago, or riffs on them. The accessible, if often refined cooking includes giant smoke-kissed ribeye named after a consumer of legendarily sized chops, Fred Flinstone, meant for sharing, a date dish inspired by Chicago's acclaimed Avec, a mild, yet very flavorful house-made chicken liver mousse featuring the flavors of an Old Fashioned cocktail, a terrific, an entire fried chicken (or more) nicely presented, excellent rich chocolates and more. Even the fresh pastas can draw raves. The setting is an old house that was occupied by Au Petit Paris for a decade and seems perfectly appropriate for the seemingly, personal, fun fare, except for the horrific lack of parking. Good acoustics and vintage speakers (speaker technology has not changed much in a quite a while) supply a steady stream of late 1960s and 1970s guitar-heavy rock over the airwaves from old school vinyl. An enthusiastic bar staff can provide an enjoyable cocktail starter or finish, too, after you've enjoyed the well-edited wine list for the meal.
Ostia – Americanized Italian – Italian-esque that also has roots with a top Manhattan toque, this one Jonathon Waxman and his well-regarded Barbuto in the similar vein. Worthy of a visit solely for the pizzas, which are just a red and white – no tomato sauce – and just at lunch. The red might involve a margherita with a protein the white cheese and maybe an egg. Both feature a properly enjoyable, fairly flavorful soft crust with ingredients that are noticeably higher quality and so tastier than usual. You might want a little more integration between the toppings and crust, but these are still pizzas were returning for.
Poscol – Italian – Poscol, which is the dialect name for the main thoroughfare in Udine (Via Poscolle), Wiles’ hometown in the northeastern Italian region of Friuli, might be described as an all-Italian wine bar supported with enticing small plate preparations, many meant to be shared. The roughly 50-item menu will be comprised of regional Italian specialties. There are risotto dishes, baked pastas, bruschetta, a well-chosen selection of Italian cheeses, and seafood including salmon, braised calamari and braised octopus. Its longtime Sunday special of porchetta, a roasted pork preparation, has even thrilled a native of Umbria, where the dish was born. The food has a strong northeastern Italian influence along with impeccably Italian sensibilities that have worked extremely well for Houston diners at Da Marco, not far down Westheimer. The pizzas do not, though.
Riel – New American – The description on their website seems quite apt: “Globally Inspired Gulf Coast Cuisine,” as its offerings include items and inspirations commonly from Japan to Canada to Eastern Europe and especially nearby, as executive chef Ryan Lachaine seemed to gain much from his stints at Reef and Underbelly, home of the two best executors of our contemporary regional Gulf Coast cooking, Bryan Caswell and Chris Shepherd (coincidentally, both above). This thin usually energetic spot, quaint for Houston at about sixty seats, has an appropriate setting and atmosphere for its eclectic but sensibly assembled mix of savory preparations numbering about fifteen or so, most easily shared. A stellar trio of which, that have been on the menu in some form since its opening exactly a year ago, include snapper ceviche, a seafood karaage, a fairly delicate Japanese-style fried preparation, and a hanger steak with terrific, salty crust encasing the moist, deep-red interior that is served sliced for sharing along with a horseradish cream sauce. Excellent sourcing for both proteins and plants are readily evident along with the precise techniques. A solid cocktail program and wine list help complement the kitchen’s efforts.
Roost – New American – A cozy 50-seat spot set in a house on Fairview, the eclectic, often fun menu – like Coffee n’ Donut Holes for dessert – changes frequently, but some commonly found highlights include fried cauliflower with toasted pine nuts and bonito flakes in a miso dressing, mussels, steak, shrimp, and a really good burger, often with flavors from the Middle East, Asia, and our part of the world. The ingredients here come mostly from top local and regional producers and the small well-chosen wine list is largely food-friendly Old World with a Pieropan Soave, a Rioja Reserva from Beronia and even a white Côtes du Rhône.
Rosie Cannonball – Italian / Spanish – Italian preparations including well-done fresh pastas and pizzas plus a few dishes ranging to other southern European spots. The second of five concepts, four serving food, to open in a very smart and neat complex – March – is just above this is essentially an Italian restaurant with a more than a few nods to the Iberian peninsula on the short menu. There are some very well-crafted, if possible precious, fresh pasta preparations in the Emilian tradition, excellent pizzas, plus breads and greens and other vegetables, and a quartet of proteins including the requisite steak and seafood preparations. These crowd-pleasing dishes and stylish space have made it an attractive stop for the ladies who lunch and a busy spot at night. The wine list is expansive and mainly Old World and fun for almost any wine lover.
Shun – Japanese – From the son of the owners of longtime favorite of Japanese transplants and visitors, Nippon, also in Montrose, Shun is something nicer, hipper and more ambitious than his parents’ comfortable stop. A little less traditionally Japanese, too, with locally attuned flavors and ingredients make their appearance in some of the dishes. With a mix of sushi and sashimi, grilled robatayaki items, and a grab-bag of Japanese small plates, the menu might be tough to navigate for some, but the servers are helpful guides. One of the highlights we were directed to on a recent visit was the Lengua Gyoza, a trio of big, soft and delicious dumplings filled with tender tongue meat from wagyu cattle – a far cry from what’s in cheap lengua tacos – and served with salsa verde in a ponzu mignonette. The pricey, but large pieces of nigiri sushi and sashimi are excellent, as you might expect with the experience at Nippon, with some sourced from more exotic waters. Fun and delectable rolls like the Sun Blast filled with salmon, apple, tobiko, micro cilantro, lime, spicy aioli and topped with a piece of crispy salmon skin might have more wide-ranging appeal. Shun can seemingly appeal to a range of customers with familiar items like tempura, miso soup, pork katsu, and sushi rolls, those interested in a meal of mostly sushi and sashimi, and there’s a separate sushi counter, or those wanting something more unique. The customers appeared to reflect that, with families with young children, middle-aged Inner Loopers along with plenty of Japanese folks. They all looked as happy we were, the highballs and well-compiled sake list helped see to that.
Soto – Japanese / Sushi – A transplant from Austin sporting a gorgeous dark interior, unrecognizable from that of the previous tenant Bistecca on the lowest of Westheimer, this offers an approachable, well-executed, well-sourced take on the popular Tokyo-style sushi occasionally spiked with some regional favorites like jalapeño, avocado and even tacos of a sort. Truffles and foie gras make appearances, too. Some items arrive from Tokyo’s Toyosu seafood market; the uni here is from Hokkaido rather than Santa Barbara. Japan Express menu changes daily and with often about ten seasonal available as nigiri or sashimi. One of the omakase menus, at $150 and $250 a head, offers an indulgence. In that vein is the A5 Wagyu beef that’s one of the fairly numerous hot dishes on the menu that can be worth visiting even if sushi is not part of the meal.
Uchi – Japanese / Sushi – Serving a creative take on modern Japanese food and known for its sushi and sashimi preparations, this is a version of the most acclaimed restaurant in Austin that won Chef Tyson Cole a James Beard Award several years ago. It quickly became part of the restaurant firmament in Houston after opening in early 2012, and remains a top destination for sushi and seafood, period. Terrific service, too.

One of the elaborate preparations at BCN

I think that most of us appreciate a value when it comes to dining. Me, maybe more so than most. I authored three editions of Houston Dining on the Cheap – A Guide to the Best Inexpensive Restaurants in Houston in the past. The last of which was published in 2007 and today, like then, banh mi, pho, and tacos are three of the best options in Houston for a tasty meal that typically won’t set you back much. But there is a lot more to enjoy for a comparative song in this sprawling metropolis.
 
The twenty best, relatively inexpensive dining values are listed alphabetically below.
 
The Best
 
Aladdin – Middle Eastern – Picking up a tray and gazing across the partition into an expanse of enticing, mostly vegetarian preparations – roughly 30 items most lunchtimes well beyond the two types of creamy hummus and baba ganoush – is just a preface to an enjoyable and very affordable meal, as the dishes often taste even better than they look. A well-cooked meat like chicken shawarma, lamb gyro or one of the day’s stews, comes with two sides on filling platter for just $13.99 and usually a dollar cheaper during lunch. Not only the best value Middle Eastern restaurant, Aladdin is one of the best in Houston. Montrose, Garden Oaks
Angelo’z Po Boys – Sandwiches – Serving the once-ubiquitous Houston-style cold po boy better than anywhere else, these feature an airy, crusty roll filled with a just-enough amount of lunch meats or other fillings, usually a thinly sliced cheese, and complemented with its distinctive piquant chow chow that just works really well when done well. They also assemble a top-notch warm muffaletta, with bread from Royal Bakery, which also supplies the rolls for its po boys. NRG area
Baguette and Tea – Banh mi – A tiny place in a small strip center with wretched parking on West Alabama across the street from the Ice House, it can also be quite slow to get an order fulfilled here, but the sandwiches, which all come with a light smear of chicken pâté, are so good and such a fine value that it is worth any possible hassle. Reflective of a large part of its clientele, who might have never ventured to Bellaire Boulevard, you might even be asked if you want jalapeño on your sandwich. Montrose
Don Café – Banh mi – This modest stand-alone structure along Bellaire Boulevard has served up some of the very best banh mi in Houston for about a couple of decades now, and it remains one of the top values with the sandwiches; still costing just $3.50 or so. Don Café serves all of the requisite Vietnamese sandwiches plus the somewhat unique versions with char-grilled beef (banh mi thit bo nuong). In addition to the sandwiches, there are about two dozen items on the menu and a few brightly colored packaged items near the counter. Though take-away is very popular, you can actually linger here – not that it is that comfortable nor charming – as many of the polyglot patrons do. Chinatown
Istanbul Grill – Turkish – Interesting, well-prepared Turkish food in a pleasant, informal setting, often lively atmosphere, and noticeably friendly and eager service. Many of their traditional Anatolian items are baked in a brick oven that is evident in the somewhat open kitchen, including the distinctive Turkish pizzas that can provide a filling meal for $12-$17. The kabob platters are a great value here, easily worth the $16.50 tariff for the beef and lamb doner kabob and $18 for the lash shish kabob. The portions are generous and served with a large amount of moist rice and grilled tomatoes and bell peppers. Fresh and warm house-made thin pide bread nicely complements every table. Beer and wine, too. Rice Village
Laredo Taqueria – Tacos – The lines running out the door of the original location on Washington of this air conditioned taco stand from about 7:30AM to 1:30PM and often beyond, are a testament to its popularity which derives in large part because of healthy-sized tacos on fresh flour tortillas that are just $3 with a range of fillings prefaced by a smear of refried beans. Three is enough for most, and four for a gluttonous meal. Never mind the occasional piece of cartilage or gristle, as these are never enough to ruin a toco. The locations on the near north side operated by other family members might be more consistent – or just less crowded – especially the one on Patton, but this location is far more convenient for most. Washington Corridor
La Chingada – Mexican – The humorous, or somewhat crude, name – the successor to its previous cheeky one –  obscures that this fairly humble spot serves some seriously good cooking that often references Mexico City and Oaxaca and is a terrific value on Cavalcade just north of the Heights proper. Made to order breakfast tacos provide a draw in the mornings, then there is an array of chilaquiles dishes, excellent enchiladas verdes, milanesas, tacos in a variety of ways, tortas and much more, with nothing topping $20 except for the fajitas and mixed grill. Margaritas, micheladas and other libations, too. Heights
La Guadalupana – Mexican – Though not much to look at, and really not much at all in terms of size, this is nonetheless an excellent neighborhood place for a pleasing Mexican meal in the morning or afternoon, or to grab some attractive and scrumptious pastries in about two dozen varieties, Mexican and otherwise, and coffee. The dumpy little dining room has become increasingly more crowded, and little less dumpy, in recent years as more have discovered the considerable charms of the inexpensive breakfast and lunch spot. For just $11 you can get lighter-than-typical enchiladas verdes or poblano enchiladas – with a proprietor from Puebla, the mole poblano are worth ordering – or, for about the same price, the terrific stewed pork slathered in a verdant spicy salsa, asado de puerco. The breakfast tacos are not what they once were, but the other, dine-in-type morning preparations are worth a stop. Montrose
Master Taco – Tacos – This food truck that’s been park on Richmond and Woodhead since March of 2020 is run by a friendly family originally from the state of Guerrero, home of Acapulco. “Taco” is in the name for a reason. With both the flour and corn tortillas made in-house and well-done, and with a well-prepared, interesting array of fillings, tasty salsas and the necessary lime quarters and chopped cilantro and onions to complement, the small tacos, taquitos, actually, are why you should stop here. An order of five or six will be necessary for most. Tasty but tiny. The non-taco items are not nearly as reliable. Montrose
Mexico’s Deli – Tortas – Excellent, hot Mexican-style sandwiches, which are not only delicious, but a tremendous value is the simple reason to visit here. There are roughly two dozen tortas, plus soups, tacos, burritos, grilled items (alambres), pambazos (tasty, but very messy guajillo chile-dipped stuffed sandwiches), and breakfast, all prepared to order on the flat grills and a meat-laden spinner in the open kitchen. This comfortable, low-key and informal small eatery with muted brass and copper hues has a proper modern Mexican feel for its torta-centric menu. These large sandwiches are served on airy telera bread, which is light, relatively thin and quite flavorful, if barely containing the bounteous filling. It might take a while to properly digest the very wide array of tempting sandwiches on this small menu. Don’t worry, it is tough to make a mistake here. West Houston
Nickel Sandwich Grill – Sandwiches / Barbecue – There is barbecue, plenty of deep-fried dishes, seafood, a juicy grilled hamburger, and Creole items, some of this is served in sandwich form, at two decade-old neighborhood standby on Lyons just north of I-10 in the Fifth Ward. It’s almost all very tasty, and a terrific value. Portions are large and prices are low, and the kitchen here is much better than most similar type of neighborhood places. The sandwiches are served on thick slices of buttered toast that works quite well, and the po boys on a small, crusty baguette-like roll. The Smoked Cajun Turkey and Chopped Beef are a couple of the sandwich stars here. Fifth Ward
The Original Marini’s Empanada House – Empanadas – This has been around the Houston area off-and-on since 1971 serving empanadas here made in the Argentine-style with wheat flour dough attractively rolled around any number of ingredients and baked until the sturdy, flavorful crust is golden. The fillings are more American, or more properly, Houstonian in nature, than Argentine. Of the nearly twenty savory empanadas and about the same number of dessert ones, there are ones filled with beef brisket and barbecue sauce, brisket and pickled jalapeños, avocado, broccoli and cheeses, refried beans, apples and cinnamon, and raspberry with cream cheese. Befitting the name Marini, there are a number with identifiably Italian ingredients such as mozzarella, provolone, Italian sausage, pepperoni, basil, tomato and oregano. The savory empanadas are served with a side of chimi-churri sauce, which seems to complement nearly everything. Three of the decent-sized empanadas should be more than sufficient for most and that will be around $10. Westchase
Pappa Geno’s – Sandwiches – Philly cheesesteaks with a Houston accent – thankfully, as the Philly one is quite awful, having lived across the river as a kid – these are the best cheesesteaks in town. Always moist flavorful beef stars in these oft-messy concoctions, with fresh rolls, and in local fashion can be nicely complemented with hot sauce that might be just in packages rather than the copious squeeze bottles that once topped every table. Montrose, Spring Branch, Timbergrove, Katy (2), Deer Park
Paulie’s Po Boys – Sandwiches – Not to be confused with Paulie’s on Westheimer, this one is still owned and operated by descendants of Antone’s and does a great job with that sandwich legacy in similar fashion to Angelo’z. Serving the once-widespread Houston-style cold po boy featuring those airy, crusty rolls filled with lunch meats or other fillings and a smear of the distinctive piquant chow chow and wrapped white paper, these are often sitting ready to grabbed with the low, open refrigerator. West U
Pepper Twins – Chinese (Sichuan) – A recent lunch special for just $11.99 featuring the namesake chicken dish showed what this mini-chain does at its best: a preparation rooted in Sichuan with typically spicy and often numbing flavors, recognizably high-quality proteins, fresh vegetables, evident skill in the kitchen, and a delicious result that can be an outstanding value. The meats are much better and much more flavorful than at most local restaurants in this price range, which is easy to notice. The chicken comes from Springer Mountain, no hormone and no antibiotics, and tastier thighs are used. The beef is Certified Angus Beef. The pork is from the Berkshire breed. Currently with three locations scattered around the Houston area, there are two inside the Loop, and these might be the best of the lot. It’s more fun to eat with others here to be able enjoy several of the many enticing preparations and there are a few of the missteps on the menu, but these spots rarely fail to satisfy. This is why there are often more than a few patrons from China dining here (or picking up now). River Oaks, Upper Kirby District, Galleria Area
Roostar – Banh mi / Vietnamese – Now with a trio of locations in various parts of town, this Banh Mi 2.0 operation is both slicker and better, overall, than its predecessors. What began as Vietnam Poblano in Spring Branch, an area with much higher Hispanic and Korean populations than Vietnamese, this has adapted to a growing clientele with a menu and preparations that are broadly popular. Jalapeños, shredded pickled carrots, cucumbers, cilantro with stems, soy sauce and garlic aioli help provide the sandwich platform along with rolls from excellent Slow Dough Bakery that are maybe more traditionally French than is found at other banh mi spots. Not just the bread, but the proteins are generally better quality than elsewhere, too. These are certainly worth a trip, which is now a little easier. Spring Branch, Galleria area, East End
Thien An – Vietnamese – The familiar, fairly lengthy old school Houston-area Vietnamese menu including spring and fried egg rolls, banh mi, rice plates, vermicelli bowls, and pho is provided here. It’s just done noticeably better than most other similar places, and not just budget options. The banh mi are just one longtime highlight, especially for the local favorite, the char-grilled pork, since the restaurant is more generous than most with the pork, which is nicely cooked, tender and richly flavorful, nestled along with the expected fresh, texture-providing accompaniments in a local-standard short Vietnamese-style baguette that is properly fresh, crusty and airy. The no-nonsense setting – often bustling with downtown office workers, Vietnamese-American cops and the occasional Catholic priest – provides an appropriate place for a tasty and wallet-friendly meal. Only opened until 6:00 every day but Saturday. MIdtown
Tio Trompo – Tacos / Tortas – A fairly bare-bones counter service taqueria with a limited menu that specializes in cuts of pork from the spinner, the trompo, the vertical spit used to cook pork al pastor, is a key attraction. That slowly roasted pork, which retains its moistness unlike at far too many taquerias in Houston, makes its way into traditional tacos, excellent tortas and the Torta Arabe, a type of gyro or doner kabob from the Puebla area. The Taco Oriental is another oddity from there that is also worth ordering. This is nicely across the small street from Polanquito on Shepherd just north of Memorial Drive. Washington Corridor
Uberrito – Burritos – What began as Mission Burritos a couple of decades ago is down to just one location inside the Loop, but their design-it-yourself burritos on giant 13” tortillas featuring a choice among now about ten proteins or vegetables as a centerpiece are also much tastier than the similar competitors as are the “Ten Tasty Tacos” are quite tasty, too. The creamy serrano ranch, especially, or fiery green salsa applied during construction seems to help with most burritos and tacos, but the results rarely disappoint, regardless. The burritos are still large, though maybe not as protein-packed as the in past, which is probably a good thing for most of us. Still pretty cheap, too, starting at under $8, and even cheaper on Mondays when the chicken and veggie burritos are just $5. Washington Corridor, Humble
Vieng Thai – Thai – About a mile-and-a-half west of the West 610 Loop, you are traveling there for the food, as there is not much else: décor, service, or alcohol. But the noticeably vibrant, always well-executed Thai fare that is seemingly more authentic than most and always worth the trip. This is “Thai homestyle cooking” and the setting is quite homey. A few of the highlights from the long menu are E-Sarn Sausage, Grilled Eggplant Salad, with shrimp, minced pork, scallion, red onion, cilantro and mint in spicy herb dressing, Green Chicken Curry, and Pad Prik Khing, thin pieces of pork sauteed in a red curry paste with kaffir lime leaves and long green beans. Just remember to bring your wine or beer, as it is BYOB-only and still no corkage fee. It might be a good idea to bring wine glasses, too, as the staff advised me to do before traveling there for a recent visit. Spring Branch

An order of the Pepper Twins Chicken

You can spend a lot of money in a quite a large number of restaurants in Houston: USDA Prime steaks aged for an appropriate amount of time and longer at steakhouses; the even pricier A5 Wagyu from Japan; sushi like from the belly of the blue fin tuna, uni, and a seasonal special just flown in from the famed Toyosu seafood market in Tokyo; white truffles from Alba, or labeled as such at least, at the end and start of the year; seafood towers; and, increasingly, caviar as a bump on a host of menus. But where are the best restaurants to spend much more money than you do typically, like for a very special occasion?
 
Here they are below, listed alphabetically. The approximate average prices for each reflect a typical dinner, which might be an appetizer, side or dessert in addition to the entrée – or a suitable number of small plates – a couple of drinks, if appropriate, tax and a 20% tip.
 
Alba – Italian – $175 – The latest concept at the Hotel Granduca features an updated rich, plush, green-hued setting, but thankfully has the old chef, Maurizio Ferrarese, who might be the top Italian toque in Texas and some ways beyond. At the new Alba, the “dishes are a balance between innovation and Italian traditions,” and with a very experienced hand and a big fan of the famed Michelin three-starred Piazza Duomo in Alba in Ferrarese, it offers a very enjoyable insight into the contemporary, refined and often indulgent cuisine of the region of the Langhe that surrounds that small city, which is highlighted by Barolo, Barbaresco, and white truffles. Even the region’s signature pasta dish, on Alba’s menu, ravioli del plin, is sometimes advertised in that area with being made with forty yolks of egg, for example. Terrific with fresh pasta like this and gnocchi, there is certainly no chef that does a better job with risotto that’s on the menu a couple of times, befitting one from Vercelli not terribly far from Alba, the European capital of rice production. You are in excellent hands here. The freshly made pastas and gnocchi are at least as good or better than I’ve had in most of the top trattorias and Michelin-starred restaurants I’ve dined in Italy in recent years. The setting is comfortable, attractive and usually quiet. Uptown Park
BCN – Spanish – $150 – Set in a handsome older house, this provides locals with a very well-executed glimpse into Spanish fine dining that is both contemporary and deeply rooted in the traditions of Barcelona. The kitchen is headed by Chef Luis Roger, who had years of experience in kitchens in his native Catalonia including a stint at El Bulli. Before proceeding to think much about the entrées and something from the excellent all-Spanish wine list, it’s a great idea to start slowly here, with one of the nearly fifteen or so tempting pintxo-esque appetizers like seared bluefin tuna, crispy baby artichokes with romesco sauce and boquerones and one of the fun, revelatory gin tonics like the signature BCN: Hendrick's gin, Indian Fever-Tree tonic water, juniper berries and cucumber. A few of the tempting mains are: Spanish hake with bomba rice cooked in cuttlefish’s black ink, baby squid and scampi, suckling Ibérico pig “a la Segoviana,” and grilled duck breast served with quince, Idiazábal cheese sauce, pine nuts and balsamic vinegar reduction. Then there are desserts…. Montrose
Georgia James – Steak – $200 – Beef is easily the most popular protein for Texans, and Houstonians, and this might be the best and most interesting address in which to enjoy it. Created by star chef and Houston cheerleader Chris Shepherd, this is a modern steakhouse that does things a little differently – steaks are not all the familiar cuts and are cooked in cast iron – but hitting all the right notes in a refined but user-friendly fashioned way. It’s a top steakhouse, so make sure there is ample credit on your cards before visiting. River Oaks
Hidden Omakase – Sushi – $225 –  Led by an alumna of Uchi who’s cooked in Spain and Thailand, this offers only set courses with two seatings of no more than eighteen folks nightly from Thursday through Sunday, which are $175 a head, for just the food. You need to bring your own wine or sake, BYOB is $20 per bottle. It will be fifteen courses of sushi with flavors that can go well beyond Japan. Burger Chan located nearly adjacent won’t be open when you depart, unfortunately; though delicious, you might need a burger after dinner here. Galleria Area 
Le Jardinier – French – $200 – The fine-dining star of the newest, grand addition to the Museum of Fine Arts complex, the Kinder Building, this also succeeds grandly serving fairly ambitious modern French restaurant fare that largely substitutes many non-Gallic influences for the tradition extending from Escoffier through Bocuse. The results are interesting, intelligently composed and artfully constructed while being delectable, most importantly, from the amuse-bouche through dessert. Maybe not cutting-edge – foams and edible flowers are frequent, not entirely au courant while working very well – but this is still something unique for Houston. The wine list is expansive enough, heavily French-laden and very food-friendly. A branch of a restaurant group with places in Miami and New York, both which carry a Michelin star, this place exudes professional competence and in an inviting way that makes a visit a real joy. The comfortably modern dining room looks out to the Isamu Noguchi-designed Cullen Sculpture Garden – always way too much concrete for my tastes – that does allow a gaze at a dramatic Rodin beyond the closest one of the flailing strumpet while dining, an additional pleasure not found elsewhere in town. Museum District (MFAH, Kinder Building)
March – New American – $325 / $575 – This is the best of breed of the quartet of pricey set-menu-only restaurants that came on the scene in 2021. The most ambitious offering in the Goodnight Hospitality Group (Rosie Cannonball, Montrose Cheese & Wine), and one of the most ambitious around, March is staffed by a very capable and broadly experienced team led by executive chef Felipe Riccio that can pull off Michelin-starred-quality creations inspired by top restaurants around the Mediterranean. It’s only dinner here in six- and nine-course meals that begins with snacks of the fanciest kinds and drinks in the lounge area. A seafood escabeche cooked in piquant harissa sofrito and aided with Jamón Ibérico, and blood sausage paté with black currants are a couple of past items. The food is exquisitely rendered and served in a nicely understated setting along with informed and attentive service to make this one of the premier dining experiences in the city. One of the two wine pairings might be the easiest way to proceed but if you want to use the wine list you will be rewarded: a hundred pages put together by Master Sommelier June Rodil has plenty of Burgundy or Bordeaux, but also lot from the finest cellars in Piedmont and a number of wines from top Italian and Spanish producers like Quintarelli, Fontodi and López de Heredia. Montrose
MF Sushi – Sushi – $250 for omakase – Set in a beautiful, modern space, an excellent setting for Chef Chris Kenji’s set-course omakase offerings that has won raves since he arrived from Atlanta several years ago. There is just one seating for that Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and you’ve got to call to reserve, but additional effort and expense is worth the two dozen or so creations. Museum District
Navy Blue – Seafood – $175 – The most impressive entry onto the Houston dining scene is this beautiful blue 7,000-foot-plus seafood place, palace, from the folks at Bludorn that opened around Thanksgiving following plenty of anticipation. It immediately became the best restaurant in the eatery-laden Rice Village. The moneyed set quickly followed from Bludorn, and reservations have been very tough since doors opened. Executive Chef Jerrod Zifchak arrived from New York where he was the last one at the Michelin-starred Café Boulud on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, succeeding Aaron Bludorn in that role. Notably for the cuisine, Zifchak also had four years in the kitchen at Le Bernardin, widely regarded as the top seafood restaurant in the country. There are other impressive CV’s on staff here, which quickly shows upon entry and with the first drink, as service is noticeably professional – unusually so for just opening and for the city in general – solicitous, knowledgeable, accommodating and friendly. The menu is actually quite approachable, ranging from oysters and clams (and caviar) to start with crab cakes, a mussel bisque en croute, fresh pasta preparations and fish. There is a swordfish steak served in a green peppercorn sauce, and an entire Dover sole is fileted tableside. With that and the lobster, you’ve got options; almondine, Oscar and Provençal for the former. A French accent is found in other items, too, a good thing, plus there are a couple of nods to our area with a blackened red snapper and a different-tasting take on seafood gumbo. Rice Village
Neo – Sushi – $282 – Another omakase concept from alumni of Uchi, this is more than sushi and fish. The setting is also different, in a menswear showroom. It can be tough to get a ticket and that will cost $260 for the twenty or so courses, drinks and tip, along with something to brag about, if successful. Montrose
Pappas Bros. Steakhouse – Steak – $200 – Boisterous, always loud and often delightfully indulgent and even excessive – these and Georgia James are clearly the best two steakhouse concepts in the city. Not only is the food excellent, especially the nearly unparalleled wet- or dry-aged steaks, most importantly, but the compendious wine list is the most impressive in the city. The Westheimer original has around 5,000 labels and 28,000 bottles, and the downtown branch slightly less, so there is seemingly everything you might want at a fine dining restaurant with depth in Champagne, Burgundy – both colors, with pages of Grand Cru and Premier Cru – Bordeaux, Napa, Super Tuscans, Barolo, Rhone, and much, much more. You can spend a small fortune on just drink here. Along with the kitchen and cellar, the wait staff here, is also a cut above among the local steakhouses. The attentive, friendly and proficient service stands in stark contrast to the casual, not-so-professional or informed service you might find at Mastro’s, another expense account steakhouse, for example. Galleria Area, Downton
Potente – American Italian – $175 – Americanized Italian with a luxurious bent, as the caviars topping the menu might indicate, it has a top chef at the helm, Danny Trace formerly of Brennan's and Commander's Palace, and uses approachable preparations inspired from Italy with excellent ingredients to a welcome, if quite expensive result. Trace’s kitchen is very adept with seafood and those preparations occupy much of the menu, but it is tough to go wrong here; decadent pastas, a few steaks and dried porcini-braised veal cheeks are some other options. Directly across from the ballpark, this is owned by Jim Crane, owner of the reigning World Series champions Houston Astros. Downtown
Soto – Sushi – $225 / $325 for omakase – A transplant from Austin sporting a gorgeous dark interior, unrecognizable from that of the previous tenant Bistecca on the lowest of Westheimer, this offers an approachable, well-executed, well-sourced take on the popular Tokyo-style sushi occasionally spiked with some regional favorites like jalapeño, avocado and even tacos of a sort. Truffles and foie gras make appearances, too. Some items arrive from Tokyo’s Toyosu seafood market; the uni here is from Hokkaido rather than Santa Barbara. Japan Express menu changes daily and with often about ten seasonal available as nigiri or sashimi. One of the omakase menus, at $150 and $250 a head, offers an indulgence. In that vein is the A5 Wagyu beef that’s one of the fairly numerous hot dishes on the menu that can be worth visiting even if sushi is not part of the meal. Montrose
Tony’s – Italian / New American – $150 – Though the restaurant has not been advertised as Italian since its early days several decades ago, Tony’s serves some of the most delicious Italian dishes in town, usually infused with a rich American exuberance. That remains after namesake Tony Vallone passed away in September 2020. His widow carries on with Katie McLean manning the kitchen, and Tony's seems more approachable than ever. More than half of the menu at Tony’s is Italian, and these items shine through with pan-Italian sensibilities that present the best of Italy, the best of prosperous, gourmet Italy, at that.  Flavorful, thin, fresh stuffed pastas, tender veal and impeccable seafood are just some of the attractions, not to mention the often excellent service, wine selection and intriguing modern setting punctuated with dramatic works by Rauschenberg and Jesus Moroles. Tony’s procures the excellent ingredients and has a chef that can translate these into magnificent Italian creations that are properly accompanied in all facets. The wide-ranging wine list is excellent, generally expensive, but in there is a customer-friendly section up front, "75 Wines at $75 and Under." Greenway Plaza
Uchi – Sushi – $250 – Serving a creative take on modern Japanese food and known for its sushi and sashimi preparations, this is a version of the most acclaimed restaurant in Austin that won Chef Tyson Cole a James Beard Award several years ago. It quickly became part of the restaurant firmament in Houston after opening in early 2012, and remains a top destination for sushi and seafood, period. Terrific service, too. Montrose

One of the delectable sushi creations at Uchi

The foods of New Orleans and southern Louisiana are certainly popular here with the proximity. Here are the best places to find those.

The Best
 
Brennan’s – This sibling of the famed Commander’s Palace in New Orleans has been a fine-dining fixture in Midtown since 1967, it’s long part of Houston. Its locally attuned Creole cooking, some Mexican flavors and preparations that might be a little less baroque, seems to be better than in any time since Danny Trace departed as executive chef in 2017. The emphasis is on the bounty of the Gulf cooked in butter, and turtle soup and any fish preparation usually makes for winning meal. A bountiful wine list, famous desserts, indulgent brunches and 25-cent martinis during weekday lunches are some other draws. Midtown
Eunice – Serving Creole or maybe more accurately Creole-inspired fare, Eunice is named after the southern Louisiana hometown of its executive chef, Drake Leonards. Set in the base of an office tower, it is a gorgeous space, clean-lined and modern, yet quite inviting, comfortable and with plenty of natural light. The menu includes roasted oysters with bits of shrimp, blue crab, and then brown butter breadcrumbs, that are excellent, with the toppings working well with the moist, milky Gulf oysters. Maybe even more pleasurable is the chicken liver mousse served with a fig jam and thin slices of quality toasted bread. Mild yet flavorful. The crispy Cajun Duck Poppers with “double smoked bacon, jalapenos, cream cheese” and Dan Dan Shrimp – named after a friend and former co-worker of the chef, not the Szechuan noodles – are also both worth ordering to sart. The first-rate entrées include steak frites for lunch and a ribeye for dinner, slices of duck breast, a sautéed Gulf black drum with some crab and brown butter, or a grouper filet in any guise when it makes an appearance, like sometimes in the Friday lunch special Court-Bouillon Grand Mere. Greenway Plaza
 
The Best of the Rest
 
Ragin’ Cajun – Though down to a single location, its original one, multi-ethnic crowds still happily wait in line at peak times to order at the counter for the robustly flavored fare of southern Louisiana at this relaxed, casual eatery that’s been serving Houstonians for almost fifty years now. Buckets and baskets quickly litter most tables, as the often ample customers enjoy feasts of raw oysters, boiled crawfish in season, gumbo, fried seafood platters and held-held fare that’s great for take away. The shrimp po boy is especially well done. It is made with properly battered and deep-fried, medium-sized shrimp inside a good-quality, properly crusty French roll with lettuce, tomato and tartar-like sauce. In addition to fried shrimp, there are a number of other possible fillings such as fried crawfish, fried oyster, fried catfish, fried soft shell crab in season, boiled shrimp, grilled catfish, seafood, roast beef with gravy, ham, boudin, chicken, smoked sausage, ham and cheese. In addition to those po boys, there are other sandwiches, including the New Orleans classic and a nod to the proprietors’ Sicilian roots, the muffaletta; served warm, it might be the best version in town. Greenway Plaza
Lagniappe – It’s better time than ever for discriminating diners living in the Heights. This very useful and adept casual south Louisiana-themed spot is more evidence and yet another tempting option right in the neighborhood. Layne Cruz, a Louisiana native, ran Revival Market, its previous tenant, before transforming the concept into something maybe more approachable, certainly more personal and more consistently satisfying. This is casual Creole fare like sandwiches – especially a po boy and one of the best muffulettas in town – red beans and rice, chicken and sausage gumbo, jambalaya that are done more artfully and playfully than typically found. The morning fare is a focus and includes grillades and grits and a coffee bread pudding French toast among the nearly ten options; a multi-part breakfast plate with especially good eggs and a quiche are also served through the afternoon for the late-risers. The admirable po boy features spicy blackened shrimp, medium-sized, with fried oysters tucked into toasted po boy loaf with green tomatoes, pickled onions and a flavorful remoulade sauce. There is just a wine and beer license, so it’s more sober here than the city that provides its inspiration. Opened daily for breakfast and lunch. Heights
Bayou City Seafood & Pasta – For over three decades this comfy spot just inside the Loop has been dishing up crowd-pleasing Cajun and Gulf seafood preparations along with hearty, zesty pasta dishes that have nothing at all do with Italy other than the name of the noodle – the heftier fettuccine is always a better choice than the angel hair, by the way. The lengthy menu has étouffée, bisques with either crab or crawfish, courtbouillons, and a couple gumbos along with Cajun toppings for fish that have been popular here at least since the days of Don’s Seafood including Pontchartrain and a half-dozen others, often with crab and shrimp. There should be something for just about everyone here with a kitchen that is user-friendly; like the seafood and chicken, even the frog legs can be had broiled, blackened or fried. Galleria Area
The Boot – A laid-back, largely open-air spot amidst the bars along 20th Street, this specializes in boiled crawfish during the season and New Orleans-style po boys throughout the year. Using the New Orleans favorite Leidenheimer French bread for the po boys makes a difference, even from par-baked form. Po boys with fried shrimp, catfish, oysters, and crawfish tails might be the most tempting, but you can also get the first two in healthier if still tasty form, grilled or blackened. All these and the others are properly fully dressed with mayonnaise, iceberg lettuce, tomato and pickle slices that make it all better. That and some Louisiana Hot Sauce. Heights
Gumbo Jeaux’s – A casual spot serving up Texiana fare, a Houston and East Texas version of south Louisiana cooking, it claimed, the quite tasty gumbo has more than just chicken and andouille sausage and features a “thick and dark, Texas style roux,” and the menu includes tacos and burritos that can include Creole shrimp or blackened fish. This is fun food that seems to hit the right notes for many locals, even if it is down to just one address now. There are plenty of sandwiches like a delicious Shrimp and Cake one that’s flavored with cilantro, chipotle mayo and a sweet relish, others on torta bread, burgers, along with fried shrimp, catfish and chicken platters, also. Blackened fish filets are specialty, so you can eat somewhat healthier here, too, if you must. IAH
Zydeco – The somewhat dumpy interior of a low-slung building has provided a hospitable setting for southern Louisiana home cooking, served cafeteria-style for weekday lunch since 1988. It is a steam table operation for most of the entrées here, which is actually the best way to serve these inherently stew-like preparations. Entrées change daily, and some, like the crawfish dishes, are just served seasonally. The featured steam table items are from a southern Louisiana culinary hit parade: Crawfish Étouffée, Shrimp and Crab Étouffée, Chicken and Sausage Creole, Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya, Snapper Creole, Fried Catfish Shrimp and Crab Sauce Piquanté, Stuffed Pork Chops with Jambalaya, Chicken Fricassee, Seafood Courtbouillon, and Baked Chicken. Downtown
1929 Po-Boy Kitchen – Among the sliver of spaces that is the food hall at ground level at the Lyric Center across from the Wortham, this counter-service newcomer serves up creditable and hefty po boys and more. The fryer gets a workout here, both for the po boys, a starter and all of the entrées. To be fair, a few of the po boys can also be filled with grilled and blackened proteins, instead. Though if just coming fully dressed – remoulade, lettuce, tomato, and pickles here – isn’t enough, the po boys can also be topped with crawfish étouffée, roast beef debris, or some fried avocado. There’s also red beans and rice, New Orleans BBQ shrimp, and gumbo in a few guises, chicken and andouille sausage, that with shellfish, and the vegetarian gumbo z’herbes that you don’t find here too often. Downtown
Abe’s Cajun Market & Café – As the name indicates, this two decade-old spot not only serves meals, but also sells Cajun-oriented products, attractively prepared and packaged foods for heating and eating at home such as stuffed chickens and turduckens, dips, sausages, and much more. But, most folks visit for the foods to be eaten at the inviting low-key restaurant, and Abe’s does a bristling lunchtime business.  The best things to order, and probably the best values, too, are the plate specials that change each day.  These can be very good versions of jambalaya, shrimp Creole and the like. Each are served with steamed white rice, good cornbread and a likely listless side vegetable. You don’t visit Cajun eateries for vegetables anyway. Clear Lake

The muffaletta at Lagniappe.

I find that Thai food is easy to love, more so than almost any other cuisine. My tastes for it are rather simple, to be honest, often one of the curries, panang, massaman or of the traffic light variety, green, yellow or red. Always piquant, sometimes incredibly spicy, and made mostly of coconut milk, these are creamy and usually delicious, and perfectly suited to its steamed rice accompaniment. These curries are found everywhere, studded with chicken, beef, and maybe pork, shrimp or tofu.  
 
At local Thai restaurants, you’ll also find the much-loved noodle-based trio of pad Thai, pad see ew – flat rice noodles stir-fried with garlic, eggs, Chinese broccoli, soy sauce – and pad kee mao – often Drunken Noodles on the menu – that are also served in seemingly every Thai place around the globe. Restaurateur Watcharee Limanon, originally from Bangkok, explained their popularity in a recent New York Times article was because these are “extremely inexpensive and legendarily delicious. It’s also because they have…the balance of tastes (hot, sour, salty, sweet and bitter), textures (crunchy and soft, chewy and crisp) and flavors (fishy and herbal, rich and light) that Thai cooks – and fans of Thai food – appreciate.”
 
Unfortunately, there are not that many really good Thai options in Houston. Too many, most, serve dishes with simple flavors and really cheap-tasting proteins. A longtime favorite and always a fun visit, Kanomwan, closed after several decades and Thai Gourmet, that was popular among Asian immigrants, also shuttered somewhat recently. But there are at least a few and these are worth the drives. Listed below in order of preference.
 
The Best
 
Vieng Thai – About a mile-and-a-half west of the West 610 Loop, you are traveling there for the food, as there is not much else: décor, service, or alcohol. But the noticeably vibrant, always well-executed Thai fare that is seemingly more authentic than most and always worth the trip. This is “Thai homestyle cooking” and the setting is quite homey. A few of the highlights from the long menu are E-Sarn Sausage, Grilled Eggplant Salad, with shrimp, minced pork, scallion, red onion, cilantro and mint in spicy herb dressing, Green Chicken Curry, and Pad Prik Khing, thin pieces of pork sauteed in a red curry paste with kaffir lime leaves and long green beans. Just remember to bring your wine or beer, as it is BYOB-only and still no corkage fee. It might be a good idea to bring wine glasses, too, as the staff advised me to do before traveling there for a recent visit. Spring Branch
 
The Best of the Rest
 
Songkran – Clustered near several other dining spots from some of the city’s top chefs – Hugo Ortega, Philippe Verpiand, and Maurizio Ferrarese – this has all the accouterments of the typical nice restaurant while serving Bangkok-style Thai food that is often excellent. Proprietor Chef Junnajet “Jett” Hurapan spent years in David Burke’s kitchens in New York and that experience shows. This is mostly more refined versions of the familiar, both the plating and complexity. The chef has said that he cooks traditional Thai fare, and without the filler – the excessive mushrooms, potatoes, sweet potatoes and the like – that is commonly served at American Thai restaurants for cost reasons, and the fact that diners don’t know the difference. That meatier fare here is also as spicy as spicy as it is in Thailand he has asserted, something that customers in New York could not take. Popular dishes abound including Tom Kha Gai, coconut soup with chicken, Chicken Satay, Yellow Curry, Green Curry and the dramatic Pla Tod, crispy whole red snapper those presented a little differently like the red curry that can be had with a crispy clay pot-cooked duck. It has been excellent, as has the Wagyu Braised Short Rib, especially tender, moist and very flavorful, probably not the first thing that comes to mind at a Thai stop. Uptown Park
Street to Kitchen – Probably the most unique and maybe ambitious of the local Thai restaurants, this is somewhat improbably set in a gas station near a light rail overpass along Harrisburg Boulevard a few miles east of downtown and has a much-used drive-thru window. If you can dine in, the tiny space is packed tight with noticeably happy customers; both because of the food and that they scored a reservation. The hospitality of the extremely affable husband of the married couple that own place helps, too. Portions are also on the small side, but are usually quite flavorful with a menu that changes regularly. The Pork Panang Curry and Red Curry with Chicken have been excellent in the past, and we can hope for a return. Those and the Green Curry Fish Balls are on hiatus and there are more restaurant standards like laarb, green papaya salad, Drunken Noodles, and green and massaman curries today. East End
Sao Lao Thai – A bright, ten-table counter-service café near St. Pius High School is inviting and engaging, featuring a friendly staff and a very short menu of attractively plated – in ceramic bowls – Thai and Laotian dishes that feature some preparations that are not widely found here. There’s only one of the common curry dishes, an easily likeable red curry with slices of tender steak and nicely firm purple Thai eggplant, but also green papaya salads, tom yum soup with shrimp, and also Drunken Noodles. Nam Kha, a crispy rice salad from Laos, is a great way to start when there are at least a couple of you, a beautiful plate with red curry, shreds of coconut, cilantro and fermented pork. No alcohol. North Side
Yi Ping – This handsome brick-lined space with a contemporary bistro-style vibe in the heart of CityCentre is the second restaurant from Chefs Jett and Jira Hurapan. The theme here is “traditional family dishes inspired by Northern Thailand cuisine.” Fetchingly presented, there is plenty from which to choose, both commonly found and not: Tom Kha Gaia and Pad Thai; Kang Hung Lay, a Northern Thai style curry with beef short rib with spiced pineapple; and Thai with Lobster Tail. Roti, too, which really is perfect with Thai curry, as the menu asserts. There’s a full bar and a chef’s table for a special experience for up to eight. Memorial

An attractive dish at Songkram

You can find excellent seafood preparations at nearly all of the best restaurants in town, but restaurants focusing on seafood are rare here. This is not unusual, even in other cities near the coast these days. In a review of a seafood-centric establishment in November 2021, Pete Wells, the restaurant critic in the New York Times, wrote, “New York has so few great seafood restaurants you’d think we were the largest city in Nebraska. Outside of the most exclusive sushi bars, kitchens that are entirely devoted to handling fish with care and finesse are rare.”
 
The seafood that is served here, at restaurants of many stripes, often highlights bounty from the nearby Gulf like shrimp, blue crab, oysters, redfish and red snapper. Influences from neighboring Louisiana are very common, and New Orleans, a city familiar with most restaurant-savvy Houstonians, is a seafood-loving place. The substantial Chinese population provides a different type of ethos and delights in several, usually large places. There are also a number of Mexican ostionerias that feature seafood cocktails, shrimp, oysters and tilapia, mostly in humble fashion. Below are the best of those restaurants that mostly, or largely, are devoted to serving seafood in Houston, across a few different cuisines listed in order of preference.
 
The Best
 
Navy Blue – American – The most impressive entry onto the Houston dining scene in 2022 was this beautiful blue 7,000-foot-plus seafood place, palace, from the folks at Bludorn that opened around Thanksgiving following plenty of anticipation. It immediately became the best restaurant in the eatery-laden Rice Village. The moneyed set quickly followed from Bludorn, and reservations have been very tough since doors opened. Executive Chef Jerrod Zifchak arrived from New York where he was the last one at the Michelin-starred Café Boulud on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, succeeding Aaron Bludorn in that role. Notably for the cuisine, Zifchak also had four years in the kitchen at Le Bernardin, widely regarded as the top seafood restaurant in the country. There are other impressive CV’s on staff here, which quickly shows upon entry and with the first drink, as service is noticeably professional – unusually so for just opening and for the city in general – solicitous, knowledgeable, accommodating and friendly. The menu is actually quite approachable, ranging from oysters and clams (and caviar) to start with crab cakes, a mussel bisque en croute, fresh pasta preparations and fish. There is a swordfish steak served in a green peppercorn sauce, and an entire Dover sole is fileted tableside, expensively. With that and the lobster, you’ve got options; almondine, Oscar and Provençal for the former. A French accent is found in other items, too, a good thing, plus there are a couple of nods to our area with a blackened red snapper and a different-tasting take on seafood gumbo. This is a must-visit for seafood lovers, at least those with some means. Rice Village
 
The Rest of the Best
 
Golfstrømmen Seafood Market – Norwegian – The name is quite appropriate, meaning Gulf Stream in Norwegian, as this seafood spot from a duo of acclaimed chefs, one from Norway and the other in Texas, employs products, inspirations and preparations from there and here. It begins with excellent fish and shellfish sourced nearby and the north Atlantic, the bounty of the Gulf Stream and the Gulf. In the Post Market development downtown, the food hall setting isn’t much, but there is usually a tempting display of seafood set on ice that can be gastronomic eye-candy that might include fish not commonly seen and not like langoustines, scallops, and oysters like the delicious and different Belon (though from Maine rather than Brittany). Christopher Haatuft, from coastal Bergen where his restaurant Lysverke has a Michelin star, and Paul Qui, a James Beard Award-winner who once had the excellent Aqui on lower Westheimer, have a kitchen that highlights the high quality of their sourcing with mostly straightforward creations in ways usually familiar to locals that can be absolutely delicious. A seemingly simple open-faced sandwich featuring plenty of the slightly sweet lump Jonah crab meat with melted lightly herbed butter, a bit of mayonnaise and some welcome strands of raw onion atop a toasted, tasty sourdough loaf with a side of crisp, freshly made potato chips is excellent. A nice array of wines, too, to complement, that have a welcome strong French accent.  Downtown
1751 Sea and Bar – American – From the folks at The Pit Room who took over operations in 2018, grandly improving this seafooder, which presents a broad range of items sourced from well beyond the Gulf including a raw bar featuring colder water creatures along with over 230 different gins spun into a number of different cocktails. Those are fun, if not nearly the magic concocted by the gin tonics at BCN and MAD. But the main draw is from the kitchen. Enticing small plates, oysters, seafood towers, stone crabs and caviar can start. These and the entrees reflect influences from around the globe, applied appropriately and interestingly. There is a section for proteins simply grilled over white oak then served with grilled lemon and butter, and more elaborate entrées including a slowly baked king salmon with artichokes and fried capers, and a seasonal whole fish preparation. Happy hour from 4:00 to 6:00 Tuesday through Friday is a popular choice to sample shucked oysters from several locales, crudo and a handful well-turned cocktails for low tariff. Heights
Goode Co. Seafood – Texas Gulf Coast – It’s tough to think about Goode Co. without its iconic, oft-copied Campechana coming quickly to mind. This Mexican-style seafood cocktail made with top-notch shrimp and/or blue crab meat that is very flavorful, refreshing, and features popular south of the border flavors that’s perfect for Houston. The entire restaurant, too, actually. Both locations. Shrimp, blue crab, oysters and fish from nearby waters served up enticingly be it raw, cured, grilled and even fried. The Mexican heritage of the Goode family extends delectably to other preparations like the remember-to-wait-for-it-cool-down empanadas filled with shrimp, and salsa and avocado on mesquite-grilled fish. Goode signature mesquite grilling can be had with several fish. Local coastal favorites like redfish on the hall shell, jumbo shrimp stuffed with jalapeño and cheddar, wrapped in bacon and roasted, can be terrific. There are oyster, enticing soups – their take on seafood gumbo and a blue crab, corn and poblano bisque – and even salads to start. For a quicker or more casual meal, the seafood po boys are excellent, and available mesquite-grilled in addition to fried. West U, Memorial City
Eugene’s – Texas Gulf Coast – Inspired in part by the robust regional Gulf Coast cookery of yore along with a healthy dose of influences from neighboring Louisiana, this dark-wooded, clubby-looking space in the heart of a neighborhood, can delight in a number of ways with its updated presentations. Redfish stuffed with a blue crab dressing and broiled, several baked crabmeat dishes straight out of New Orleans, and the Oysters Kyle, green onion sautéed in a seasoned lemon garlic butter sauce are a few of main plates. The highlight here might be a starter, the very dark roux-based gumbo filled with shrimp, crab and oysters and served with white rice that quickly set the local and, for some critics, the gold standard anywhere for a dish that has been locally popular since soon after the first person with a French surname moved west from the Crescent City here. There’s a lot from which to cheese including fish and shellfish that can be cooked grilled over oak and hickory, fried in peanut oil, pan-broiled or blackened. Plus, it always pays to note the daily specials like locally caught red snapper, ling, mahi mahi and grouper and  crawfish and soft-shell crabs in season. Montrose
Hai Cang Harbor – Chinese – Set in one of the many strip centers along Bellaire Boulevard that’s adorned with live sea creatures along the walls – fish, lobsters, crabs, large geoduck clams, spot prawns, and striking marbled goby swimming in the large tanks – that are primed to star in a meal. Dungeness crabs are a specialty along with one of the whole steamed fishes. Less grand, traditional preparations like Shrimp with Scrambled Egg and Walnut Shrimp with Mayo Sauce can also aptly satisfy. The menu is huge, but the helpful staff can provide recommendations or there are dinners for six, eight and ten that might be easiest of all with a group. Chinatown
Fung’s Kitchen – Chinese – Returning from an enforced two-year hiatus due to a fire in late 2022, the dim sum service hit its stride more quickly than its later-in-the-day seafood emphasis. Tanks hold lobster, a restaurant specialty, that can be prepared in a number of ways, featuring jalapeño and garlic, black pepper, black bean, coconut curry and even in a hot pot. Blue crabs appear in a number of preparations, even in soft shell form, as do another top local product, shrimp. The menu is voluminous; Peking duck, of course, a section highlighting free-range chicken, and a number of noodle and fried rice items that should be able to entice most palates. After the rebuild, the expansive setting is nicer, more inviting than ever, sitting at what is about the gateway to restaurant-mad Bellaire Boulevard. Chinatown
Segari’s – Texas Gulf Coast – Around for fifty years in various forms and since 2003 in its current spot, this homey, quaint spot is a throwback to days before Houston and its restaurant scene became so sophisticated and varied. The emphasis is on the bounty and flavors of this part of the Gulf Coast, largely shrimp, crab, oysters that come in a variety of ways. Grilled bacon-wrapped shrimp is a star, the seafood and sausage gumbo are found on many tables to start, while its signature platter featuring fried shrimp and oysters and cocktails with shrimp and another with crab. Though most entrées are grilled here, the fryer is put to good use at times, and the sauté pan on occasion. Décor is comfortable, to be charitable, except for the rollers on some of the chairs that once plied office space, the wine list is short and pathetic, and there are no prices on the menu. The last can be annoying to all but the regulars. Segari’s does have it charms, though, especially those succulent shrimp. Washington Corridor
Gatlin’s Fins & Feathers – Louisiana Gulf Coast – As you might expect with the name, this a sibling to the acclaimed Gatlin’s barbecue joint, which is just a couple of miles away. Similarly, this is very friendly and even homey, and family run, providing Southern-rooted comfort fare that goes a little beyond. The “Fins & Feathers” following the surname is quite descriptive, too, though shellfish is another theme here with oysters served grilled, fried and raw to start and crab and shrimp found in things like New Orleans style barbecue shrimp and additionally straight from the fryer, of course. The menu, actually a little less fish and seafood than land-borne, ranges even further beyond our neighbors to the east to Mexico for a few dishes and then to southeast Asia for a whole fish preparation that’s grilled with sambal. It all makes sense for today’s Bayou City. This is a comfortable stop, including the interior, which is a welcome contrast – much nicer – to the Mexicatessan, which occupied the building for years and the decidedly old-school Barbecue Inn that’s been down the street for even longer. North Side

One of the many delights found at Navy Blue.

In the shadow of downtown, Midtown is more of a destination for its bars and clubs geared toward a younger set, but there are a few restaurants worthy of a drive, also, if not nearly the number found in neighboring Montrose. And there are still some inexpensive, homey Vietnamese restaurants left in a section of the city that that had a heavy concentration of those for over a quarter of century until about a decade ago. The city’s best wine bar, 13 Celsius, also resides in Midtown, which will attract most of the  serious diners.
 
Listed alphabetically.
 
The Best
 
Artisans – French – This features a dramatic and attractive open display kitchen surrounded by about two dozen seats in somewhat of a flattened horseshoe fashion and a fairly concise menu of familiar French fare suited for the locals spiked with seasonal and more personal offerings all usually executed exquisitely, beautifully, and always expensively. Foie gras, duck rillettes, or cavibar can start, then there’s bouillabaisse, steak au poivre plus possibly even pan-seared Gulf redfish served with squid in pasta or red snapper with risotto and sauteed spinach. The $42 three-course lunch special counts as a deal here. In a city of smartly put-together beverage choices, the wine list here is unfortunately just functional.
Breakfast Klub – American – On the weekends, and seemingly most days during the week, lines form well outside the entrance; some evidence that this has become a local icon since opening in 2001. Deserving of its national attention, The Breakfast Klub serves excellent and interesting, fun and unpretentious food – Green Eggs & Ham and Katfish & Grits – for breakfast and lunch in an informal setting with a certain amount of cool. Though stylish, the staff are noticeably very friendly, and the restaurant always seems to have a warm vibe to it. Though not soul food in the traditional sense, the offerings have a noticeable African-American feel, and are divided neatly among breakfast plates, omelets, breakfast sandwiches, salads, and lunch sandwiches and larger format lunch specials, most with a fair amount of fat and a lot of flavor.
Brennan’s – Creole – This sibling of the famed Commander’s Palace in New Orleans has been an fine-dining fixture in Midtown since 1967 and its locally attuned Creole cooking seems to be better than in any time since Danny Trace departed as executive chef in 2017. The emphasis is on the bounty of the Gulf cooked in butter, and turtle soup and any fish preparation usually makes for winning meal. A bountiful wine list, famous desserts and 25-cent martinis during weekdays lunches are some other draws.
Damian’s – Italian-American – The cooking here might be described as an upscale Gulf Coast version of the country’s beloved Southern Italian-American fare. Flavors and portions are generous. In dining rooms made cozy by low-ceilings and lights, you can enjoy specialties like filet mignon grilled and finished with the piquant herbaceous Sicilian ammoghiu sauce, plump veal chops, Shrimp Damian, and Fra Diavolo Linguine, a medley of seafood including lobster and lump crabmeat in a piquant marinara sauce. It might not excite as it did many years ago, but can be a satisfying stop for a familiar cuisine.
Izakaya – Japanese / Pan-Asian – Riffing on the izakaya theme – small plates meant as an accompaniment to drinking in Japan and increasingly so in this country – this handsome, oft energetic spot near the bars in Midtown serves excellent, mostly Japanese-inspired cooking. There are also crudos, top-notch ramen, and fine-value bento boxes at lunch, plus some Chinese dumplings. Cuisine-appropriate cocktails, sakes and one of the city’s better lists of Japanese whiskies. It’s another jewel from the Azuma restaurant group the includes Kata Robata.
The Lymbar – Pan Latin – In in the Ion technology hub, this quickly became a busy lunchtime stop for those elsewhere in the building with its mostly pan-Latin offerings that are joined by Levantine-inspired grilled items and flavors. From David Cordua, whose father was responsible for the former ground-breaking local favorites Churrascos and Americas, that significant influence is found in the Central American-style chimichurri sauce in a few preparations along with the churrasco and tres leches and a welcome sense of whimsy. There is a list of specialty cocktails to aid that and a small selections of wines and beers. The setting is upscale and loungey with some sofas for dining and a kitchen bar and another bar for cocktails. The dark lighting, a prominent tree and a few large hanging plants might give the impression of gloomy forest here, but it's unique at least.
Oporto – Portuguese – An attractive outpost of a cuisine that’s underserved locally from veteran restaurateurs help make this an enticing addition to Midtown as it nears Montrose on Gray. There are plenty of small plates in the Portuguese fashion like grilled sardines, croquettes of bacalhau, and steamed mussels and also those emphasizing meats and vegetables, some from the once-colonial possessions in India and Africa; a few large preparations, too. The full bar can more than aptly complement the numerous types of bar bites and the nicely chosen well list highlights Portugal and includes a tempting array of madeiras and ports by the glass.  
Thien An – Vietnamese – The familiar, fairly lengthy old school Houston-area Vietnamese menu including spring and fried egg rolls, banh mi, rice plates, vermicelli bowls, and pho is provided here. It’s just done noticeably better than most other similar places, and not just budget options. The banh mi are just one longtime highlight, especially for the local favorite, the char-grilled pork, since the restaurant is more generous than most with the pork, which is nicely cooked, tender and richly flavorful, nestled along with the expected fresh, texture-providing accompaniments in a local-standard short Vietnamese-style baguette that is properly fresh, crusty and airy. The no-nonsense setting – often bustling with downtown office workers, Vietnamese-American cops and the occasional Catholic priest – provides an appropriate place for a tasty and wallet-friendly meal. Only opened until 6:00 every day but Saturday. 
Thirteen – American – From former Rocket star James Harden, who opened this just across the Pierce Elevated from downtown right as he was whining his way to a trade to seemingly-unbeatable-at-the-time Nets, engendering a lot of initial hostility and scads of poor online reviews. The restaurant, with a kitchen turning out boldly flavorful and jubilantly caloric dishes that resonated with many local diners, soon overcame the sourness of Harden’s departure and  has been a popular for weekend brunch and occasional celebrity spotting.
Wanna Bao – Chinese – Proclaiming itself on its signage as “Hearty Chinese Bistro / Dumpling House.” It is. And a good one at that, and in a hip, industrial-sparse bistro-like setting at the edge of Midtown is well beyond what would be typical of a similar place along Bellaire Boulevard, serving both dishes from Shanghai and the madly popular spicy Szechuan region, Wanna Bao seemingly succeeds with both – as with both ends of its signage, the dumplings for certain.
Weights + Measures – American – This can be an enjoyable stop for lunch, brunch, dinner and even a bake shop featuring the goods from the estimable Slough Dough, this multi-hued Midtowner appeals in several ways. There are doughy pizzas, duck confit tortellini and an aged bone-in pork chop among the well-executed evening offerings that pare well with the attractive, modern and usually energetic space. It might be better than ever as Richard Knight of Feast and Hunky Dory acclaim and one of the area’s top chefs is now manning the kitchen.
Winnie’s – American – On Main Street, fittingly set amid a cluster of other eclectic small venues, the menu here leads with cocktails, a draw for many patrons before 5:00 during the week with its nicely crafted libations for just $7, but there is really well-done food here, too. Graham Lahorde, who won plaudits when heading kitchen at Bernandine’s a few years ago, offers fun sandwiches, salads, snacks and a nice little oyster program, many items with a Louisiana accent.

One of the fine value bento boxes at Izakaya for weekday lunch.