Sometimes, a hearty breakfast is what’s in order to start the day. This post is for that: sit-down breakfasts with an emphasis on the big American breakfast, and Mexican breakfasts beyond breakfast tacos. Some, or most, of these spots will also serve breakfast tacos, though. It’s Houston, after all. Extra consideration given for those establishments open for breakfast daily or nearly so. And, weekend brunch is something completely different, of course – more elaborate and far more boozy – and will warrant its own section.
 
Houston is a car-centric city on the go, and there seems to be fewer diner-style restaurants here than most big metropolitan areas and older parts of the country. The offerings at this city’s morning places can be more diverse than diner fare, in addition to those Mexican and Tex-Mex preparations. Similar to almost everywhere these days, chicken and waffles, once unusual, are widely found during the mornings. And avocado toast has made it nearly everywhere in the past decade, even most of the greasy spoons that can be found here.
 
Listed in order of preference.
 
The Best
 
Goode Co. Taqueria – Friday from 7 to 11 AM; Saturday and Sunday 8 AM to 12:30 PM – It might be not an understatement to write that Goode Co. Taqueria serves the best breakfasts in the city, the state, the country; etc. This comfortable, counter-service Goode family restaurant has been fashioning gustatory masterpieces with large eggs, potatoes, mesquite-grilled meats, butter, nicely discernible manteca de cerdo, a bit of salt and pepper, and the ancillary grease, cholesterol and fat for years during, once only on weekends and every morning in recent years. The place has long been busy on weekends, but those patrons must come solely from the nearby neighborhoods because, from unscientific polling on my part, seemingly too many people beyond the 77005 are still unaware of the amazing breakfasts here. The breakfasts are Texan and Tex-Mex in nature. Strongly influenced by Mexico and south Texas ranch cooking, these are consistently exceptional and hearty. But, it is all done in a distinctively Goode Co. manner and better than elsewhere. It begins with top-notch ingredients, which are well-executed no matter how busy the place gets, and an understanding how to improve upon the familiar. Dishes seem both more robust and refined than typical. Really tasty pecan waffles, too. West U
The Breakfast Klub – Weekdays 7 AM to 2 PM; Saturday and Sunday 8 AM to 2 PM – 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 and Ham and Katfish and 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. Midtown
Picos – Monday to Saturday 9 AM to 11 AM, Sunday brunch 10 AM to 3 PM – It's easy to forget that this very adept, long running Mexican restaurant also serves breakfast each day, one of the best breakfasts in the city, in fact. The wide-ranging menu is mostly Mexican morning classics like migas, huevos rancheros, chilaquiles with a choice among five sauces, proteins and whether or not you want an egg, and an especially well-done huevos con machacado. Plus pozole rojo or verde and menudo daily. There's also pancakes, fresh fruit in a couple of ways, and a design-it-yourself omelet with four items, common and less so, including huitlacoche and fresh serranos. The execution and presentation of any of the dishes, in line with its later service, are both much better than you'll typically find at other places serving similar fare. Sunday is a brunch buffet that's both morning and afternoon preparations, and more of an enticement to drink. And Picos has been for decades regarded as one of the top margaritas shakers around. Upper Kirby District
Buffalo Grille – Weekdays from 7AM, Weekends form 8 AM – Open since 1984, and seemingly crowded during Saturday and Sunday morning hours since then, with folks stretching well outside the restaurant waiting to order food at the counter during peak times. The lengthy weekend line usually moves quickly because the friendly counter staff and kitchen are quite efficient at dealing with crowds. Breakfast, served all the time, features the basic Houston-area morning meal options: pancakes called hot cakes here, French toast, bacon, potatoes, a variety of omelets, and several Mexican egg dishes. Some things work better than others. The French toast, large whole slices of thick bread that is surprisingly light, is among the best around. The pancakes and the create-it-yourself omelets with three very large eggs are generally good, too. The hash browns, though not the home fries that are often served under the guise of hash browns, should usually be avoided. Too often these can be strangely gray in color, and rather listless and unappealing. The thickly sliced pecan-smoked peppered bacon, however, is excellent, if not cheap. It’s diner fare, but this provides some nice touches that you would certainly not find at a diner like heated syrup and the option of regular coffee and that flavored with a little bit of cinnamon, which are both quite palatable. West U, Briargrove
Black Walnut Café – Daily from 7 AM – Breakfast is what this small, locally sprung counter-service chain does best. There is a wide range of offerings from playful versions of Eggs Benedict – Nashville Hot Chicken, Avocado Bacon, and Bacon Jam Cheeseburger – omelets, pancakes and French toast, combination plates and a few popular Mexican items. You can expect perfectly cooked eggs, thick, flavorful bacon, well-done pancakes served with warmed maple syrup. Handsome, inviting and friendly places, there’s even a bar area and a whole slew of alcoholic morning drinks, every morning. The lame breakfast sausage might be the only demerit here. Order more bacon. Rice Village, Memorial Park, The Woodlands, Katy, Cypress
Kenny & Ziggy’s – Daily from 8 AM – Toward the end of the lengthy menu at this amazingly popular restaurant-deli, there is a lengthy list of breakfast dishes, with all the expected American favorites along with Jewish-American ones – including more than lox among the preserved fish options – and more, often fun and caloric. But, healthy can be done, too with a quinoa bowl and granola with fruit and yogurt. No one really comes here to eat healthy, though. Galleria Area
Cucharita – Tuesday through Saturday 7 AM to 3 PM – The little sister to Cuchara, just a half-block away, is an extension on the motif of excellent, truly Mexican cooking that is lighter and more vibrant than most, this one only for breakfast and lunch. The menu is short but tempting and all done in a little more refined fashion than typical: several egg dishes, chilaquiles changing weekly, a tasty rendition of Huevos Montuleños with a patty of plantains and black beans substituting for tortillas, enchiladas filled with shredded chicken breast and topped with a creamy, green poblano sauce, waffles, and breakfast tacos served with corn tortillas. Portions are quite sensibly sized, as at Cuchara. There is also a pastry counter filled with tempting baked-in-house goodies that change daily plus the requisite coffee drinks and even a list of breakfast cocktails beyond just mimosas, bloody Mary’s, and micheldas. It is a pretty place – the food is pretty, too – with pinks and aquas, much different, much better, than when it housed Cooking Girl (which begat Pepper Twins and the acceleration of Sichuan cooking in Houston). Cucharita seats just about thirty, some is communal seating, helping quickly to make this feel like comfortable and appropriate part of this neighborhood that actually has some pedestrians. Montrose
Weights & Measures – Tuesday through Friday 8AM to 11 AM; Saturday-Sunday brunch 8 AM to 3 PM – One of Midtown’s best does a service with nearly daily breakfast that’s heavy on the eggs and breads; the excellent Slow Dough Bake Shop is a part of the show. The very small menu includes a take on Avocado Toast, of course, but with smoked bacon, fried eggs, and chimichurri sauce on ciabatta bread, and also preparations like smoked salmon with truffle scrambled eggs, dill-flavored cream cheese, purple onions and pumpernickel bread. Though there should be something for everyone including those eating healthy at this bright, inviting space, interestingly, pancakes and French toast are available only as sides. Midtown
Frank’s Grill – Daily from 7 AM; 6 AM in Spring Branch except on Sunday – Now a trio, these are very proficient greasy spoons that serve high quality diner-style food quickly, and usually with a smile. With the low prices and all-American fare, yet very humble setting, it’s the type of the place, you will readily expect to see a parked patrol car in the parking and both police and thieves enjoying the food (well, maybe not the latter). The breakfast offerings here are the basic American diner breakfast items with some concession to the region like breakfast tacos and the biscuits and gravy. Those biscuits are nicely made on-site. The S.O.S. on the menu is actually the biscuits and sausage-inflected gravy, and worth an order, as are the hash browns, which should be given a thought along with any of the morning mains: egg combination plates, omelets, pancakes, waffles, French toast and breakfast sandwiches. If you like the type of caloric, not-so-heart-healthy breakfasts that help make this country fat and happy, this a place for you. Spring Branch, West Houston (2)
Blacksmith – Daily from 7 AM – Though the breakfast / lunch offerings are limited, these are done well enough to encourage repeat visits, along with the serious coffee, at this very casual counter-service outpost of the acclaimed Underbelly Hospitality Group. Befitting that connection, the offerings are a bit offbeat, interesting and spot-on for present-day Houston. There is the Vietnamese Steak and Eggs that’s served with house pâté, French bread and a side salad, house-made biscuits or croissants with crème fraîche and jam, or bacon or sausage, egg and cheddar. Eating healthier but enjoyably is easy here, with oatmeal and yogurt headliners, and even the couple of breakfast tacos feature black beans. Montrose
Empire Café – Daily from 7:30 AM – For almost thirty years now right on Westheimer, this counter-service stop serves most of the local breakfast staples, which includes some Tex-Mex ones, tempered with some flair. Packed on weekend mornings for the four-egg omelets, and packed a great many mornings, its version of French Toast made with an Italian-style of bread and topped with mixed berries, and range of other items you’d expect in a Montrose restaurant with some personality. A true café, it’s popular for a coffee with work to do on the laptop. Montrose
La Guadalupana – Tuesday through Sunday 7 AM to 2 PM – Though the kitchen is reliable for all meals, breakfast have been the most enjoyable of the hot items and this tiny and still-not-so-attractively-adorned spot on Dunlavy that’s become popular in recent years. The breakfast tacos served in the mornings are still quite popular can be quite good, if maybe not once they once were. A judicious amount of fillings – eggs, bacon, etc. – are ladled into either a thin flour or corn tortilla, which are then rolled fairly tightly around the fillings. The salsas, a nice complement to these and most dishes, are fiery and packed with flavor. The other breakfast preparations like Huevos Rancheros, Huevos a la Mexicana, and Machaca Norteña featuring dried beef are also commendable. Don’t forget about the breakfast croissant as this is a bakery foremost. Then there are an array of tempting items in the display case by the door that can make this a quick stop for pastry-centric breakfast on the go. Montrose
Dot Coffee Shop – Open 24 hours – The Dot Coffee Shops were the restaurants that got the Pappas corporate juggernaut rolling in the 1960s. The only location left is the one just off the Gulf Freeway, near the Gulfgate Mall. This is an skillful interpretation of the traditional American diner, done more nicely. As with most of the Pappas establishments, the restaurant is quite large, even big for a diner. It seems spacious, though it’s usually crowded with patrons. The service is usually a little better than other similar places. The kitchen does not quite have the deftness of the much humbler Frank’s Grill, but it does well enough and there are enough variety to satiate everyone in the group: pancakes, French toast and omelets in a variety of ways along with eggs that can be paired with a number of proteins including chicken fried steak and catfish. The egg dishes are the best breakfast items, featuring eggs are noticeably large and even the simple eggs over-easy have a surprisingly amount of flavor. The French toast is nearly as good; some of the best around, in fact. The small-sized regular pancakes are nothing special, the bacon at times can seem like it has spent too much time under a heat lamp, and, annoyingly, vegetable oil spread is used instead of butter. No matter, this is still worth a visit for your breakfast cravings, and at any time.
Pondicheri – Daily from 9 AM – The Indian-influenced breakfasts dished counter-service in this smart upscale urban retail setting will likely entice about any Houstonian who enjoys well-done breakfast. There are about a dozen hot items all arriving quickly from the proficient kitchen plus several of the tempting breakfast pastries. It’s not your diner breakfast. There is a coconut pancake that’s also made with almond and rice flour, a fermented dosa waffle, the French toast is brioche with cardamon, chocolate and bananas, and the Morning Thali. That’s uppma, sambar, saag paneer, a fried egg, and a potato cake that’s served with a carroty paratha. Among the knowing, international patrons you’ll probably hear an expensive English accent or two and have a sense that you’ve made a keen choice. Upper Kirby District
Barnaby’s / Baby Barnaby’s – Fairview, weekdays from 7 AM to noon, weekends 8AM to 2PM; Shepherd, Tuesday to Friday 7 AM to 10:30 AM, weekends 8 AM to 11 AM; Heights and Binz, weekends 8 AM to 11 AM – Not every location of this comfortable big food local chain serves breakfast, which is quite good, though does not seem as satisfying as the lunch and dinner offerings. As with those, the fare is diner-esque with nods to our locale. A couple of the pluses are that the bacon is thick, crisp and excellent, and coffee is charmingly served in small individual pots. Montrose, River Oaks, Museum District, Heights
Lankford Grocery – Daily – Here you get the basic American breakfasts plus, requisite for this city, a few Tex-Mex items: three eggs and toast with bacon or sausage and sautéed potatoes or grits; French toast; biscuits and gravy and sausage; omelets; oatmeal; Chilaquiles served with eggs and either bacon or sausage, and breakfast tacos on flour tortillas. Also the unique and messy Lonestar Tostadas, layered crispy corn tortillas, refried beans, Monterey Jack cheese, eggs, fried or sunny-side-up and choice among bacon, sausage, or ham and ranchero sauce. These are all generally quite fulfilling, filling and nice values. The hearty biscuits and gravy, which are served with a couple of good breakfast sausage patties, might be the best in town. Fresh, butter-laden biscuits and thick flavorful gravy complement each other very well, if not your arteries. Service is always very friendly here, as are the regulars. Montrose, Bellaire

Carne asada and eggs at Goode Co. Taqueria

More so than ever, there’s some really good sushi to be found in Houston, growing in part as alumni of Uchi spread out and open their own restaurants. And there’s plenty of money here to be spent on it; excellent sushi and sashimi are usually expensive, of course. Many of the top places fly some of their seafood in regularly from the famed Toyosu market in Tokyo and other sought-after items elsewhere, which can help ensure both quality and a hefty size to the check. Then the increasingly popular set-course omakase meals add to the sense that a sushi dinner is best for special occasions. But there’s at least one very good value option in Houston.
 
Listed alphabetically.
 
The Best
 
5kinokawa – The latest addition to what has become a destination for sushi, White Oak, joining Handies Douzou and Ume. From Chef Billy Kin, who help start Hidden Omakase, this also easy-to- miss fourteen-seat spot offers creative set-course omakase dinners of nigiri sushi and a good deal more – it helps to be somewhat open-minded here – with two seatings a from Thursdays through Sundays featuring ingredients flown in weekly from Toyosu in Tokyo and elsewhere that’s $150 per person. Heights
Aiko – On a section of Washington just west of downtown that’s become somewhat restaurant-heavy in recent years, chefs Patrick Pham and Daniel Lee have opened their third and grandest well-received sushi venture following Kokoro and Handies Douzo. Offering sushi, sashimi, hand rolls and crudos, it’s somewhat a combination of both those concepts and in a more comfortable space. The restaurant also offers three options for omakase at three fixed-price points that are more affordable than most. Sixth Ward
Aya Sushi – Off the beaten path for most serious sushi fans, this nonetheless joins a few other worthy dining options in the heart of commercial Bellaire featuring a kitchen led by Chef Yoshi Katsuyama, who some might have seen behind the sushi counter at the acclaimed Soto in Montrose. Sushi, sashimi, and maki and omakase often with seafood flown in daily are draws here complemented by other plenty of non-sushi preparations in a more suburban address that, unusually for a sushi restaurant, has a good-sized patio. Bellaire
Handies Douzo – From the folks at Kokoro and now Aiko, this handroll specialist can be an easy stop for the quick raw fish fix that has certainly resonated, expanding to a second location on Montrose. Especially good nori – crisp, thin and more flavorful than usual – is first thing you’ll notice with the handrolls, the specialty. There’s also sashimi and crudos, which are worthy of attention, too. Heights, Montrose
Hidden Omakase – Led by an alumna of Uchi who’s also cooked in Spain and Thailand, this cheekily obscured spots offers only set course visits with two seatings of no more than eighteen folks nightly from Thursday through Sunday, which are $175 a head these days, for just the food, though you can add to that, too. 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. The terrific Burger Chan located nearly adjacent won’t be open when you depart, unfortunately; though delicious, you might need that after dinner here. Galleria Area
Kata Robata – With a kitchen led by Manabu “Hori” Horiuchi, certainly one of the city’s top chefs in the city in any genre, this restaurant still excites for its sushi, featuring a long list of seasonal specialties, and much more from its range in Japanese cuisine that’s “both traditional and modern.” An omakase from Hori is a real treat, worth the expense and effort to score a reservation at night. Sushi and Japanese food doesn’t get any better in Houston than this. Upper Kirby District
Kokoro – The first effort from Uchi alumni, which has since led to other worthy sushi stops, Handies Douzo, now in duplicate, and Aoki. A more casual counter-service place in Bravery Chef Hall that serves some serious sushi offering an array of the popular Edomae sushi, makimono, sashimi along with fun sides and other preparations like chicken fat rice and Wagyu Toast. Downtown
Kuu – This very attractively appointed, modern Japanese restaurant just in front of the Memorial City medical complex has been led since it opened about a decade by Addison Lee, a veteran of the famed Nobu chain who decamped to several well-regarded stints at Houston sushi restaurants and that experience shows. There’s plenty to entice at the sushi counter, and plenty of sushi and makimono option. You can also treat yourself to the Toyosu sashimi box or a piece or several of Seared A5 nigiri. Memorial
MF Sushi – Chris Kinjo, like Ford Fry of State of Grace, has managed to easily translate acclaim in Atlanta to the larger, more diverse and more demanding Houston market. He did that first on Westheimer near the Galleria a couple of years ago, and then in a beautiful, sleek space in the Museum District. As their name suggests, sushi is the specialty, and its impressive array of raw fish accompanying vinegared rice are among the very best in the city. A special treat is the omakase, a chef’s choice of small, mostly seafood preparations, maybe twenty or more, that is served at the twelve-seat sushi bar and might require some advance planning. Museum District
Neo – Another omakase concept from alumni of Uchi, this is more than sushi and fish and might impress even someone who is no a sushi devotee. 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
Nippon – Around since 1986 and unlike the vast majority of area Japanese restaurants, Nippon is Japanese-owned and -staffed. And, the comfortable dining room is usually peppered with ex-pat Japanese clientele, a sure sign of its authenticity and quality. It‘s also one of the best value Japanese restaurants in the city. Separated from the main dining room, the sushi bar of soothing, light wood and the small tables that flank it, provide an enjoyable place to enjoy some of the better sushi in Houston, for which Nippon has long been known. The sushi is reliably very good and has been expertly prepared by a friendly Japanese sushi chef; the senior one is a certified master. Nippon features a similar array of fish in the sashimi, nigiri sushi (the popular version with fresh fish sitting atop vinegared rice and wasabi) and the related rolls that is found in most area Japanese restaurants. You can order here without hesitation. Montrose
Nobu – The local outpost of the famed global chain, now with almost sixty restaurants, this might interest visitors more than locals and it’s not one of it’s star locations, but some excellent sushi can be had, lightening the wallet a fair ways in the process. There’s nigiri, mako and sashimi and omakase for $185 a pop, plus plenty more here like A5 Wagyu and famous non-sushi preparations like its Black Cod with Miso, Hamachi with Jalapeño, Soft Shell Crab rolls, and the cooked New-Style Sashimi plus the fun Nobu tacos. Galleria
Oishii – Not much of all from the outside, in a tiny older strip center, and not much on the interior, either, the sushi and restaurant nonetheless draws a lot of Japanese food fans, even occasionally attracting some students from Tokyo. This is the value choice among sushi lovers and the oft-filled dining room is a testament. Greenway Plaza
Roka Akor – Sushi shares billing with the robata-cooked steak and seafood, an expansive of nigiri sushi, maki and sashimi draws fine-dining aficionados to gorgeous local spot set in a skyscraping residential tower from this small upscale chain. A table is likely in order here, as there are only a half-dozen seats at the sushi bar. Greenway Plaza
Shun – 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. 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. Montrose
Soto – A transplant from Austin sporting a gorgeous dark interior, 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. But, it’s one of the top handful of sushi purveyors in town. Montrose
Teppay – The owner has recently turned over the reigns of this longtime sushi specialist just off Westheimer on Voss, but doesn’t seem to have missed a beat. If not as flashy nor as modern as some others, it can satisfy at maybe a little lower key. Briargrove
Uchi – 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. Happy hour daily from 4:00 to 6:00 is way to experience some of the excellence here for just a little less. Montrose
Uchiko – “Uchiko, child of Uchi,” is likewise a transplant from Austin, if not quite a replication of its namesake there, with its full bar and grander setting. Located along a glittery stretch of Post Oak Boulevard, it is like its parent, a “non‑traditional Japanese concept,” and has an emphasis on sushi, while also “bringing smoke and char” to some of the creations. That sushi is Uchi-level, superb, in a variety of forms. The Toyosu section showcases the ten to twenty items recently flown in from that market in Tokyo, the successor to Tskuiji, and the home of the most prized pieces at sushi counters worldwide. Regardless of the provenance, the preparations here are deeply flavorful, and often creative and fun. Boquerones, rolls with soft shell crab and nuon mam, and post oak-grilled pork belly were just a few of the temptations on a recent visit. The menu is updated daily and posted on its site, highlighting the attention paid to the ingredients here, and taken with the restaurant, overall. To note, you can certainly spend some money for a meal, even without considering the bluefin tuna and caviar selections. The décor is in line with the high bar of the kitchen. It’s clean-lined and beautifully brown that’s accentuated with abstract works from local artists. With the notably adept service, too, this is a terrific addition to the city’s dining scene. Galleria Area
Ume – From Chris Kenjo of MF Sushi and his team, this quaint-for-Houston space with about sixty seats, a small sushi counter and a good-sized bar with plenty of light wood and clean lines, is very well-suited for present-day Heights: attractively and intelligently designed, bustling, and serving excellent, upmarket fare. Heights

Bluefin nigiri sushi at Uchiko

Though seemingly all of the Great American Steakhouse national chains of any significance have, or had, outposts in Houston – and are usually quite satisfying, some are overpriced destinations with indifferent or worse steaks and fare like Mastro's to my experience – there are a few homegrown steakhouses that might be of greater interest to discerning local diners, hence this post.

It's interesting to note that high-priced steakhouses seem to draw the greatest disagreement among diners, at least it's been among the folks I have queried for articles in the past. That appears to be for a few reasons: the considerable expense involved in visiting an pricey steakhouse leaving little room for error in the diner’s mind; that steak is a dish often cooked at home creating strong ideas about how it should taste; then steaks at a steakhouse are really a slightly different product, it’s aged longer, usually featuring more marbled, better quality beef, and cooked at much higher temperature than can be employed at home. Though nearly all of the upscale steakhouses, certainly those national chains, for the most traditional and popular steaks, feature the same type of grain-fed USDA Prime beef from the Midwest and wet-aged, usually for a similar amount of days, the differences in cooking temperature – broiled at 1,200 versus 1,800 degrees, for example – can make a lot of difference for some diners. Because of this, some might believe that Ruth's Chris is the best steak around, plied with melted butter as it is, while others much prefer Morton's, among the national chains.
 
The steakhouses recommended below offer some diversity in cooking methods, but all done well. Listed in order of preference.
 
The Top Local Steakhouses

Georgia James – 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. The current roster is a 100-Day Hanger Steak that’s a true steak onglet, Wagyu Zabuton, Ribeye, Texas Strip, Porterhouse, and the Long Bone Ribeye, plus the now-requisite A5 Wagyu per four-ounce slice. An excellent wine list complements the beef and everything else on the menu, on which Cabernet is not king. With the steaks, one nearly and a couple well over three-digits, wines, and the other temptations here, make sure there is ample credit on your cards before visiting. River Oaks
Pappas Bros. Steakhouse – Boisterous, always loud and often delightfully indulgent and even excessive, this is the locally grown version of the prototypical, clubby masculine steakhouse, on steroids. These two and Georgia James are clearly the best 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 usually stands out. Galleria Area, Downton
Vic & Anthony’s – A take on the upscale Italian-American steakhouse concept that has resonated locally since opening some years ago. Even people who swear never to eat at any of the numerous Landry’s properties seem to really like Vic & Anthony’s. Located in a bunker-like building catercorner from the ballpark, it sports a proper bit of refined raffishness that comes with the Italian-American steakhouse turf. That feel not forced, as Landry’s capo Tilman Fertitta is a nephew of the Maceos, the Sicilian-American businessmen who ran the gambling and entertainment operations in Galveston decades ago. Even more of a reason for a visit is that the food, the steaks, especially, are seemingly always spot-on. There are all the expected expensive steakhouse cuts that are USDA Prime, even the filet. There’s also Japanese Wagyu, even an A4 Ribeye, and several steaks from a respected American wagyu producer in central Texas, HeartBrand Beef. Terrific wine list, too. This is the one Landry's concept you can visit without having to apologize for yourself. Downtown
Saldivia's – This comfortable family-run Uruguayan steakhouse serves the best value steak in the area, by a wide margin, too. Imbued with considerable skill at the grill, years of steakhouse experience, and a deep tradition of beef and grilling from their native Uruguay, the steaks at Saldivia’s are serious business. The entraña is the signature cut and the star here. It is the rather humble outside skirt steak – coming from the plate section, below the rib and between the brisket and flank and whose fat has been trimmed off by the restaurant – that is always cooked to perfection, typically medium-rare. It remains juicy and remarkably tender for the cut, while being extremely flavorful, rich and beefy. If you like steak, you will love the entraña at Saldivia’s. You can’t go wrong with the other cuts of beefsteak: the tira de asado, boneless beef ribs, vacio, a thin flank steak, bife de lomo, a filet of the tenderloin, and bife ancho, the ribeye. No assist is necessary to the steaks, but the oily and garlicky house-made chimichurri sauce is an excellent accompaniment that can make them even more enjoyable. Tannants from Uruguay, especially, and Malbecs from Argentina get nearly all the attention from the customers to complement the meaty offerings. Westchase
Killen’s STQ – Barbecue star Ronnie Killen brings his smoking and grilling skills along with his penchant for robustly favored regional fare to the big city from suburban Pearland, offering a slightly different take on steak – a wood-fired grill rather than a broiler here – and the steakhouse experience in a fairly quaint setting a few miles west of the Galleria. You can still do it up really big here, though, as you can hope for at any pricey meat palace. For steaks, there are a number of choices, familiar cuts that are wet- or dry-aged, Japanese A5, and domestic and Australian waygu. This top restaurant is good for more than just steak-lovers with a menu that includes local seafood preparations, some Tex-Mex and fun Texan dishes like chili and a chicken fried ribeye. Briargrove

The entraña at Saldivia’s

Cocktails have really drawn attention and have been much more of a draw, both at bars and restaurants, since the cocktail revolution had its first significant sparks in the mid-aughts in Manhattan and San Francisco and then began spreading. That modern era in Houston really began with the opening of Anvil by Bobby Heugel and team on lower Westheimer in 2009, the first bar dedicated to serious mixology. It proved to be a fairly momentous event here that spawned other excellent cocktail-centric bars as its owners opened other concepts as did former employees.
 
The emphasis in this list is on the quality of those cocktails. The scene is secondary, if that. For those cocktails, it’s been my experience – too many cocktails to count, as my liver gets plenty of exercise – that the classics with superb ingredients, and updated, slightly revised versions of those are the best. Many of the classics have around 150 years on them; there’s a reason why they are still on menus. I’ve almost never been wowed with an extremely creative cocktails. Disappointed, yes, and far too often.
 
Listed alphabetically.
 
The Best
 
Anvil – Bar – Still Houston’s premier destination for serious mixing and one of the best cocktail bars in the country, the highly trained, very proficient and usually engaging staff paired with the excellent materials going into in an innumerable array of cocktails help make for a terrific time. The loud space adds to the energy as do the soon-to-be-dulled senses caused by the easy drinking drinks. Montrose
BCN – Restaurant – Primarily a fine-dining restaurant, the gin and tonics here are revelatory, some of the best cocktails in town, in fact. As many as twenty different versions of the Spanish-influenced gin and tonics might be on the menu at any time, often with unusual ingredients in seemingly odd combinations that all manage to work, usually grandly. It’s fun just to try to score one of the nine seats at the bar for the wonderful gin-tonics a small plate or two, even if a full dinner experience is not in the cards. Montrose
Better Luck Tomorrow – Bar-Restaurant – A bar with good, fun food, this is a partnership with Bobby Huegel of Anvil fame and top toque Justin Yu. That attention to quality is evident in the creative and expertly crafted cocktails, especially so. Easy prices before 5:00 and a fair amount of patio space make this a popular choice for early imbibers of some discernment. Heights
Captain Foxheart's Bad News Bar & Spirits Lodge – Bar – An industry favorite for a few years now on the Main Street bar row, it’s place to unwind with boozy delights after climbing stairs a bit from the nightly hubbub below. Downtown
Double Trouble – Bar – Subtitled, “Caffeine and Cocktails,” this nicely-worn dual-duty spot is set long the strip of walkable neighbors near the light-rail including Winnie’s. It touts a “small but special selection of quality spirits” used in its cocktails that include fun frozen creations and coffee-based ones, as might be expected. Among the enticing specialty concoctions is Captain's Orders, with rye, a French vermouth, allspice dram, orange bitters and absinthe. Midtown
Grand Prize – Bar – The old house at the northern edge of the Museum District has been a bar for decades, and this one since 2010 drawing attention to its cocktails. And it’s nicely got fully stocked mixing and serving stations on two floors that serve an ever-changing list of libations. Museum District
Lei Low – Tiki Bar – The city’s premier tiki destination, this does a terrific job with those fun drinks of yesteryear properly updated when necessary, but served in those great cheeky old school-style vessels. Parking can be very tough here so it might be best to use a ride-sharing service. Plus, it’s really easy to get plastered during a visit. North Side
March Lounge – Bar – The gorgeous spot upstairs from Rosie Cannonball is your first stop for the set-course meal at March with a necessarily exquisite and exquisitely priced cocktail, but you can probably sneak up before or after a meal downstairs, too. Montrose
Miss Carousel – Bar – Tucked behind two other welcome sister property’s, Vinny’s and Indianola, on St. Emmanuel, this subdued space mixes slight twists on the classics and also some fun originals among its regular selections between $13 and $18. EaDo
Johnny’s Gold Brick – Bar – The cinder block building off Shepherd just south of 610 is fitting place to enjoy more than one of the dozen classic cocktails like an Old Fashioned, Manhattan, etc. for just $8 all the time and open until 2:00 AM each day. There’s more to imbibe here, too. Heights
Julep – Bar – On a more sedate, but busy enough stretch of Washington Avenue is one of the city’s most serious cocktail destinations and another Anvil offspring. Owner Alba Huerta and the bar have won some national attention and the very well-composed cocktails include a wide range of classic and more contemporary ones that’s not as Southern-themed as in the past, but there’s still a selection of juleps, of course. Washington Corridor
Nancy’s Hustle – Restaurant – This eclectic modern American bistro seems to do about everything well and that includes and excellent, interesting cocktail program to get a visit started. One of the current creative offerings is the Black Manhattan made with rye, strawberry amaro, aperitif, amaretto, and Angostura bitters. East End
Refuge – Bar – Anvil’s slightly smarter sibling and next-door neighbor, it’s also an event space and you can make reservations. The small list of riffs on classics and originals – and the handful of “Excessives” like the El Presidente for $34 mixed with Samaroli 2002 Barbados rum, Dolin Blanc, Grand Marnier Cuvee Louis Alexandre – are all Anvil-quality. Montrose
Riel – Restaurant – This wonderful neighborhood boîte has a bar that’s almost as serious as the kitchen and a small bar area where terrific mixtures and service are nearly guaranteed. Montrose
Squable – Restaurant – Exceptional cocktails are part of the package at this Heights star. The nearly ten house specialties feature some twists on the classics like a clay-aged Negroni over a rock that are among the best of breed in the city. You can enjoy them half off each weekday from 4:00 to 6:00, an incentive to stop working early. Heights
Tiny Champions – Restaurant – You are coming here from the food, the top-notch pizza, the pasta, the ice cream, but the small bar area is a nice place to repair to, provided you can find a seat, for an excellent cocktail from the folks who did the same at Public Services previously. A half-dozen well-informed and fun cocktails are on its menu – like the Nordic Thunder with aquavit, vodka, guava and Cocchi Rosa vermouth and lemon – but it can do a bang-up rendition of a classic, too. You can enjoy these at the table, too, of course, and one is recommended to start. East End
Toasted Coconut – Tiki Bar – The palapa near Richmond marks an appropriate setting for this tiki-inspired place with good grub from the folks at nearby Nobie’s. One of the dozen fun featured cocktails is the Captain’s Grog with several overproof rums, passionfruit, allspice, lime, and honey. Montrose
Under the Volcano – Bar – Classics and much more are crafted quite well at this longstanding place with a comfortable vibe north on Morningside from the Village proper that’s far more than the frozen screwdrivers of yore. Rice Village
Winnie’s – Bar / Restaurant – This enjoyable spot along the light-rail does a few things well anchored by its well-made cocktails, many just $7 before 5:00 during the week, which help make this one of the best options for day drinking. Divided among Frozens, Shaken or Stirred, Staff Cocktails, Treasure Chest, a cooler with ice. For $25 that will make either a couple pours of a Fancy Cognac Old Fashioned or a French 75 or a quartet of frozen cocktails or some beer. Cocktails here are just $11 during the more traditional drinking hours. Midtown
Wooster's Garden – Bar – A handsome indoor-outdoor setup and nearly fifty house cocktails helpfully explained by brief descriptions of the components that are competently and attractively mixed and sporting an Anvil heritage makes this a user-friendly spot to enjoy a tasty drink or more. Midtown

Big batches of boiled crawfish have been a big thing in the area for at least a couple of decades at casual bars and restaurants. Those flavors and fun have really caught on. As popular as they are now, it’s odd to think that I helped to throw the very first crawfish boil held at the West Alabama Ice House back in 1995. The newer Viet-Cajun-style boiled crawfish has struck a chord and spread, too, moving beyond just Vietnamese-owned restaurants. Though as messy as ever, there’s a lot more going on in addition to those Viet-Cajun dipping sauces, including the prices. Most places now charge for the traditional corn on the cob and potatoes. And there’s many more items being thrown into those pots. Mushrooms, sausages, Brussel sprouts and additional types of shellfish like shrimp, crabs of various types and lobsters, as restaurants try to keep the boil going year-round beyond just the six months or so of crawfish season here.
 
Listed alphabetically.
 
The Best
 
BB’s – They’re serious about crawfish here, and not too constrained by tradition, offers it in a variety of ways helping set the pace for the enjoyment of crawfish in Houston. You can get the crawfish done in their signature Tex-Orleans fashion or the more familiar Louisiana way, you can get butter or another sauce for dipping, and you can add a whole slew of items beyond corn and new potatoes to the boil: an array of different sausages, boudin, mushrooms, Brussel sprouts, greens, edamame, boiled eggs. You can also add those meatier crustaceans, shrimp, and Dungeness and snow crabs. And for the crawfish, you can now even select the sizes, like shrimp. Market price. Montrose, Heights, Upper Kirby, Briargrove, Katy, Pearland, Cypress, Oak Forest, Energy Corridor, Kingwood, Tomball, Clear Lake
Boil House – Driving on 11th Street between Studewood and Heights, there’s a good chance you won’t not notice this single-story structure. It’s small and always seems closed, but it springs to life during the season from Wednesday through the weekend with its traditional southern Louisiana-style featuring crawfish delivered daily that’s $9.99 per pound this year. A boil can be enhanced with the almost necessary corn and new potatoes, and also mushrooms and link sausage for a little more. A dipping sauce, too. Another regional specialty, shrimp, can also be boiled. Heights
Crawfish & Noodles – Near the western part of Chinatown on Bellaire Boulevard, this busy and easily enjoyable outpost helped to introduce and popularize Viet-Cajun crawfish in the area so much so that it’s drawn national attention to the restaurant and proprietor and chef, Trong Nguyen, along with making the dish one of Houston’s signature culinary offerings, a testament to Houstonians love of the Louisiana-instigated mudbug culture and Vietnamese flavors. Even more, their crabs, wings and more show that casual, communal fare done very well can make the day that much more pleasurable and rewarding. A new location is in the commercial farmers market. Chinatown, Heights
Crawfish Shack – Serious boiled crawfish aficionados have been making the trek all the way to Crosby for a couple of decades now, and even forming long lines of cars at times for its drive-thru operation, and the output of the boil served with a choice of spiciness: Mild, Medium or Spicy, Med LA, Spicy LA, or Mo Spicy, and Mo Mo Spicy. For an additional amount, there’s corn, new potatoes, a spicy boiled egg, mushrooms, and sausage links. You can dine in, too, just remember to bring your beer, as it is only BYOB here. Crosby
Crawfish Café – The Viet-Cajun boil crawfish is the real draw at this expanding concept, though an array of other shellfish are also available for the pot, where a three-step order process is employed. You choose the shellfish, the spice level and the sauce among Cajun, Kickin Cajun, Garlic Butter, Lemon Pepper, Thai Basil, and Coco Loco. Blending those is encouraged. Heights, Chinatown, The Woodlands
Orleans Seafood Kitchen – A destination for boiled crawfish in season way out west, done in the familiar way, and just $8.99 now. Katy, Fulshear
Ragin’ Cajun – One of the first in the area to regularly offer boiled crawfish, the first time in 1976, the season is a clarion call for many mudbug lovers. Crawfish are in its logo, after all. Done in the familiar fashion, you can also get them boiled with new potatoes, corn, sausage and then butter after for dipping. Greenway Plaza
T-Bone’s Sports Pub – This no-thrills spot in a no-thrills part of town on TC Jester and 19th Street has been a go-to spot for those in the area for some years now, available seven days a week from open until close, and $9.99 a pound this season. Timbergrove
The Boot – Along the row of bars on 20th Street just west of the Heights proper, the Duplechin brothers who run the place know crawfish boiling it for years before opening this joint less than a decade ago. Their father even has a business delivering it here from farms in Louisiana. With plenty of leafy patio space and picnic tables, this can be the perfect place to enjoy them. Heights
The Patio at Pit Room – The friendly, kind of dumpy bar with plenty of outdoor space adjacent to The Pit Room with plenty of cold beer on the ready is an appropriate setting for a messy crawfish meal during the season. Thursday through Sunday starting early and $12.95 a pound, which comes with corn, potatoes, mushroom and a half link of andouille sausage. Montrose
Willie’s Grill & Icehouse – This Houston-bred chain of casual eateries now has nine suburban area locations and crawfish shipped from Louisiana is found at each. Boiled with corn, potatoes, mushrooms, onions, and sausage, and then tossed in your choice of flavors: traditional, Crazy Cajun, garlic butter or Texas BBQ butter. Conveniently for home, you can even order one or pickup in a  reusable thermal bag, three, four and five-pounds, from $35 to $55. Katy, Jersey Village, Cypress (2), Spring, Pearland, Sugar Land, 1960, The Woodlands
Winnie’s – A couple versions are served here at this useful and adept bar and restaurant with strong Louisiana roots in the kitchen. There’s the classic and Viet Cajun with butter, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and Cajun spices at $11 and $12 a pound. Potatoes, corn, sausage, lots of spice and a side of Viet Cajun butter are also $1 a more extra, though. Midtown

At our boil at the West Alabama Ice House a few years ago