“You know that we are a Jewish deli, don’t you?” That was the initial response my sister-in-law, Cara, heard from Kenny & Ziggy’s when inquiring about its catering options for the reception following my father’s funeral mass at a Roman Catholic church almost exactly three years ago.
 
We thought that deli fare might be appropriate since my father was a lifelong fan of it. He really enjoyed the delis where he grew up on the near west side of Chicago, and then later, ones in New York and Philadelphia where he worked as an adult. And for years in Houston, he would trek to a Three Brothers Bakery for a loaf of its rye bread. I believe that he probably would have enjoyed the thought of deli food at a significant reception in his honor. He certainly would have chuckled at the thought of any incongruity of serving classic Jewish-American items in the parish hall of the church where he was a member for decades.
 
Kenny & Ziggy’s turned out to be the best option among the restaurants my sister-in-law called. And it did a terrific job at the event. The food, small sandwiches and other finger foods, from what I remember in the haze after delivering the eulogy, was terrific and perfect for the mostly somber setting. Its small staff on site was professional, properly very respectful, and the service it provided, overall, was incredibly efficient. My other sister-in-law, Chandra, who does catering herself in Fort Worth, was notably impressed. For a while, Kenny & Ziggy’s has been easily the best there is for deli food in Houston; a gargantuan menu of tempting, caloric treats including gargantuan sandwiches, impeccably crafted, favorites of mine. Its exemplary work for this occasion for my father was yet another reason to tout Kenny & Ziggy’s.
 
As the reception was finishing, the food nearly all consumed, I mentioned to the celebrant, Father Niall, an immigrant from Ireland, that we were departing for a drink to ease the nerves and sorrow and that he should join the mass of us. He was Irish, after all, I said, trying to add some levity into a tough day. He replied smilingly: “contrary to the centuries-long propaganda of our English oppressors, not all of us Irish are beholden to drink.”
 
Some gentle fun with stereotypes, helpful on a difficult day.
 
Kenny & Ziggy’s
1743 Post Oak Boulevard (at San Felipe), 77056, (713) 871-8883
kennyandziggys.com     

The World Cup starts here on Sunday, June 14. Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Saudia Arabia are among the countries scheduled to play in Houston during the first round, and Brazil is likely for one of the knockout matches later. Though it was recently reported that bookings at hotels are down from what was expected and a million tickets remained unsold across all venues as of last week – because of FIFA’s attempt to gouge fans as much as possible – there should still be plenty of visitors to Houston from overseas. With steep ticket prices and the considerable cost and hassle of the travel, most of those who will make it can be expected to want to spend money on food and a surfeit of beer and other alcohol.
 
The country’s fourth-largest and most diverse city has large immigrant populations from across the world and many restaurants representing them. The city’s restaurants do a lot well, across a wide array of cuisines. You can get excellent steaks and hamburgers in Houston – and in every big city in America – but many visitors might want to try foods and cuisines that are most representative of the city. The ten most distinctive and emblematic foods found at Houston eateries are, alphabetically: banh mi – Vietnamese sandwiches; barbecue; breakfast tacos; campechana – a refreshing Mexican-style seafood cocktail; fajitas – grilled skirt steak and its near-brethren; Gulf Coast seafood; kolaches; Mexican food, regional and upscale; pho – the Vietnamese beef noodle soup; and Viet-Cajun crawfish.
 
Below is where to find those ten foods and more, if far from all to be recommended. The places suggested are generally closer to the cluster of hotels downtown and in the Galleria area. Chinatown in southwest Houston is tough to completely ignore for food lovers, though. The list below is also geared toward nicer spots, for the most part. The barbecue, banh mi, beer, breakfast taco, and crawfish spots, necessarily less so.


Banh Mi – The Vietnamese-originated sandwich on crusty French bread with a slather of house-made mayonnaise has been a Houston staple for many for well over three decades now. The signature Houston version of banh mi, at least for many non-Vietnamese locals, has been the one featuring slices of char-grilled pork, the banh mi thit noung. Some spots to sample this inexpensive treat are: Roostar (East End, Galleria Area, Spring Branch), Thien An (Midtown), Cali (Midtown), Les Ba’Get (Garden Oaks), Don Café (Chinatown), Nguyen Ngo (Chinatown), Khang (Chinatown), Parisian Bakery (Chinatown), Lee’s Sandwiches (Chinatown), and Baguettea (North Houston).

Barbecue – Texas barbecue is highlighted by slowly smoked beef brisket primarily, along with pork ribs and plump links of mostly pork sausage, also smoked. Expect at line at many of these: Truth (Washington Corridor), The Pit Room (Montrose, Spring Branch), Pinkerton’s (Heights, Upper Kirby District), Blood Bros. (Bellaire), J-Bar-M (EaDo), and Killen’s (Cypress, Pearland), which kicked off the local resurgence in barbecue here over a decade ago.
 
Beer – Excessive beer consumption and soccer go hand-in-hand. The two best local breweries have beer gardens. The setting at Saint Arnold (Near North Side) is attractive and comfortable, featuring a nice view of the downtown skyline, if appropriately marred with one of our elevated freeways. There is also one at Karbach (Spring Branch) further out and less sightly. Hopefully, the excellent, properly German-tasting Summer Pils from Saint Arnold will still be around come tourney time. And Karbach boasts a Wiehenstephan-trained brewer as a founder.

Breakfast – For the caloric American and Tex-Mex breakfast, there are some excellent, casual and fun choices that sport local flavor. The Breakfast Klub (Midtown), Goode Co. Taqueria (West University), Goode Co. Kitchen & Cantina (Heights, Memorial, River Oaks) and Cucharita (Montrose) are the most interesting. There is also Black Walnut Café (Rice Village, Memorial Park, etc.), The Buffalo Grille (West U, Briargrove) and Dandelion Café (Heights, Bellaire) for traditional American breakfasts and more done tastefully.

Breakfast Tacos – For a quick and even more casual breakfast that can be picked up, breakfast tacos can be a piquant and tasty morning start when time is a consideration. Breakfast tacos work very well both before beer and after a long night of beer. Tacos A Go Go (multiple), Tio Trompo (Washington Corridor), Urbe (Uptown Park), Laredo Taqueria (Washington Corridor, Near North Side), The Pit Room (Montrose, Spring Branch), and The Taco Stand (Montrose, Heights, Spring Branch), which has drive-thrus.

Brunch – If visitors desire a brunch day – plenty of alcohol before noon – the Hugo Ortega-Tracy Vaught restaurants do a great job with brunch and in different ways: Hugo’s (Montrose), Xochi (Downtown), Zaranda’s (Downtown), and Caracol (Galleria Area). On Sundays, the brunches at Hugo’s, Xochi, and Caracol are all-you-can-eat buffets. There is also the grand Creole brunch at Brennan’s (Midtown), a high-calorie and necessarily alcohol-laden morning feast  

Cocktails – For folks into cocktails or maybe at least before dinner, several of Bobby Heugel’s and alums’ spots can do the trick terrifically well, led by the trend-setting Anvil that is still going strong well into its second decade. Anvil (Montrose), Refuge (Montrose), Julep (Washington Corridor), Better Luck Tomorrow (Heights), Under the Volcano (Rice Village) for a cheaper option. Then for the Spanish gin and tonics, there is BCN (Montrose) and MAD (River Oaks District), and late afternoons at Squable (Heights) and The Marigold Club (Montrose).

Creole / Cajun – Creole as practiced in New Orleans hasn’t really found roots beyond Louisiana other than here, if with some local concessions that work well. Eunice (Greenway Plaza), Brennan’s (Midtown), Josephine's (Midtown), and also Ragin’ Cajun (Greenway Plaza, Spring Branch).
 
Fajitas – Grilled skirt steak stuffed into large flour tortillas, as fajitas are in its original form, might not be as popular as they once were, but these are a delicious, if now fairly pricey part, of Houston’s culinary history. El Tiempo (East End, Montrose, Upper Kirby District, etc.), Goode Co. Kitchen & Cantina (Memorial, River Oaks, Heights), Candente (Montrose), and Lupe Tortilla (multiple) are the best bets. For nostalgia sake, as it popularized fajitas nationally, you might also want to visit Ninfa’s (East End), though it is not what it once was.

Gulf Seafood – Seafood from the Gulf of Mexico can be something a little unique for visitors, with dishes like seafood gumbo, Gulf oysters, redfish on the half shell, grilled red snapper, stuffed flounder, and shrimp en brochette. A few spots are excellent with it. Goode Co. Seafood (West University, Memorial), Little's Oyster Bar (Montrose), Latuli (Memorial), Credence (Memorial), Eugene’s (Montrose), Segari’s (Washington Corridor) and Brennan’s (Midtown) for a taste of New Orleans tempered with some local flavors.
 
Indian – With a nod to visitors from Portugal that is playing two games here, the comely and cool Da Gama (Heights) features Indian food with an emphasis on dishes from the former Portuguese outposts in India. Musafeer (Galleria) is gorgeously decorated and boasts a Michelin star, while the very comfortable Pondicheri (Upper Kirby District) is a Houston favorite.

Italian – Italian doesn’t quickly come to mind with Houston, but there are a few places offering well-made truly Italian fare. Giancarlo Ferrara from Salerno has been doing it for over a decade at Amalfi (Briargrove) and Bari (River Oaks District), with Tuscan Renato Di Pirro heading the kitchen, serves food that more than matches the lively atmosphere. Da Marco (Montrose) and Poscol (Montrose), both from chef Marco Wiles, the former a formal white tablecloth venture, the latter offering small plates and more of a taste of northern Italy. Davanti (Greenway Plaza) offers a casual counter-service stop for authentic Italy cooking both from Rome and elsewhere. Maurizio Ferrarese continues to do great work at what is now Remi (Uptown Park) in the Hotel Granduca. Lynette Hawkins’s Giacomo’s (Upper Kirby District) is a local favorite and sports one of the most enticing and nicely-priced wine lists in the city.

Italian-American – Not the food of Italy, for the most part. The always bustling, fun original Carrabba’s (Upper Kirby, Briargrove) on Kirby and the one the family still owns on Woodway are well-run crowd-pleasers featuring robust flavors that have been popular for four decades.

Kolaches – This Czech breakfast pastry featuring a sweet yeast dough has been a Texas staple for well over a century, though most versions are rather lacking, to be honest. But Houston is home to the very best purveyor in the entire state, Kolache Shoppe (Greenway Plaza, Heights, Spring Branch), which even has a drive-thru at its Heights location.

Mexican, upscale and regional – Hugo Ortega is our answer to Chicago’s star Rick Bayless, except Ortega is from Mexico. He and Tracy Vaught’s now quartet of upscale Mexican restaurants are among the very best Mexican restaurants in the region. Hugo’s (Montrose), Xochi (Downtown) and Zaranda (Downtown) are across Discovery Green from each other, while Caracol (Galleria Area), Urbe (Uptown Park) are near another cluster of hotels near the Galleria. The tasting menu at Tatemó (Spring Branch) deservedly garnered it a Michelin star, while Maximo (West University), the beautiful Mayahuel (River Oaks) and Cuchara (Montrose) are also worth a trip. More humble and more regionally focused, among the scores, include: Tio Trompo (Washington Corridor), Polanquito (Washington Corridor), El Hidalguence (Spring Branch), and The Little Taco Shop (Upper Kirby District).
 
Pho – Steaming, long-cooked beef broth flavored with an array of aromatics and spices the stocked with rice noodles and served with an array of fresh herbs, this is a part of the city’s dining almost as much as Tex-Mex and barbecue. Almost. Thein An (Midtown) is the closest to downtown, and then there is Moon Rabbit (Heights) not far away. But most of the best located in Chinatown along Bellaire Boulevard in the city’s southwest. These include Hương Sen (Chinatown), Phở Sapa (Chinatown), Ði Ӑn Phơ (Chinatown), and a chicken soup specialist, Cơm Gà Thượng Hải (Chinatown).

Steak – The Great American Steakhouse template still holds across the country though it has evolved over the years, with the expensive Japanese cuts gaining menu space. A few to mention are: Pappas Bros. Steakhouse (Galleria Area, Downtown), which offers two of the top wine lists in the country, Georgia James (River Oaks), and for a more affordable, excellent steak, in the tradition of the pampas, is the family-run Uruguayan Saldivia’s (Westchase). It is the best value for steak in Houston.

Sushi – Manabu Horiuchi at Kata Robata and Katami is not only a terrific sushi chef and for Japanese cuisine in general, but he is one of the very best chefs in Houston regardless of cuisine. The folks from Austin with Uchi and Uchiko do a terrific job with a slightly Americanized interpretation. Katami (Montrose), Kata Robata (Upper Kirby), Uchi (Montrose), Uchiko (Galleria Area), Soto (Montrose), MF Sushi (Museum District), Hidden Omakase (Galleria Area) and Kira (Upper Kirby District) are some of the best in town.

Tex-Mex – The lines between Tex-Mex and Mexican continue to get blurrier, a distinction that will certainly be lost on most visitors from overseas, in any case. Goode Co. Kitchen & Cantina (Memorial, River Oaks, Heights) is the best around, but several others including the pricey and attractively set Flora (River Oaks) offers excellent dishes beyond Tex-Mex, Candente (Montrose), the comfortable Sylvia's Enchilada House (Briargrove, Energy Corridor), or one of the locations of El Tiempo (multiple) especially for fajitas.

Viet-Cajun (during crawfish season that will be certain to run through the World Cup matches) – A recently developed cuisine that has drawn considerable attention with its leading light an especially fun dining experience, and one that’s quite regional. This is the boiled crawfish tradition from neighboring Louisiana combined with garlicky butter sauces and Vietnamese spices and flavors. Crawfish & Noodles (Chinatown) is the progenitor and a very fun visit, and get the crabs, too, if still available. Other restaurants are: 88 Boiling Crawfish & Seafood (Chinatown), Crawfish & Beignets (Chinatown), South x Saigon (Chinatown), and LA Crawfish (multiple).

Wine – Houston has some nice wine bars, both in terms of selection and comfort, the best with a heavy Old World bent among the offerings, especially France and Italy, of course. One can be a fine way to began an evening or be the evening. 13 Celsius (Midtown), which is the best of breed, The Library (Spring Branch), Montrose Cheese & Wine (Montrose), VinSanto (West Houston), The Montrose Grocery (Montrose), Padre’s (Heights), Paul’s Wine Pix (Bellaire), and Roots (East End).

Other – A few other places to note mostly for their quality. These include the Spanish duo of BCN and MAD, the bistro-like Squable and Nancy’s Hustle, the comfortably ambitious and affordable Camaraderie, the upscale seafooder Navy Blue, and the family friendly Tiny Champions that also pours excellent cocktails. BCN (Montrose), MAD (River Oaks District), Nancy's Hustle (EaDo), Squable (Heights), Camaraderie (Heights), Navy Blue (Rice Village), and Tiny Champions (EaDo).

The mixed grilled featuring beef and chicken fajitas, jalapeño cheese smoked sausage, quail, jumbo Gulf shrimp, and pork carnitas at Goode Co. Kitchen & Cantina

Following up my article about the best restaurants and bars from the start of Westheimer then a mile or so west – the area’s best restaurant row – a number of notable chefs have led kitchens along this stretch in the last few decades. Here they are, chronologically:
 
Bruce Molzan – Ruggles – 1986 to 2012 – Ruggles was a pioneer in modern, high-quality dining in this part of town when it opened in the mid-1980s on Westheimer a block east of Montrose by Manfred Jachmich and chef Bruce Molzan. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Molzan came to Houston to work at the Hyatt-Regency downtown earlier in the decade. He gained inspiration during the 1980s with stints at Wolfgang Puck’s groundbreaking Spago in Los Angeles, with Jeremiah Tower at Stars in San Francisco, and in Paris, at the Michelin two-star from Michel Rostang and at Joël Robuchon’s. He would be known for his creative New Southwestern cooking here, as the Houston Chronicle would dub the style of its cooking along with that from other restaurants like Café Annie. That paper would rate it well over the years, with a star or two, denoting a level of exemplariness. It had some of the city’s most popular dishes among avid diners in its smoked duck ravioli, and risotto with stuffed quail. Almost everything came in “huge” portions. By the end of the century, it would also be known for “erratic service and relentless overbooking” where “reservations are almost meaningless unless you’re a regular or a celebrity.” There was also much more litigation and controversy than is typical at a restaurant during Molzan’s tenure at Ruggles, but the Chronicle would write in the mid-2000s that “his casual, lively spot has been a staple of the local scene for two decades now.” Molzan was a trendsetter in what would be the best restaurant row in the city and well beyond.
 
Lynette Hawkins – La Mora – 1991 to 2007 – On Lovett, just a block south of Westheimer at nearly Montrose, Hawkins opened La Mora. She had lived in Florence and this is the first of the area’s Tuscan-themed restaurants that really struck a chord among Houston diners. Esquire named it among the top new restaurants in country, and it continued to be regarded among the city’s top Italians during its tenure. She now has Giacomo’s further down Westheimer.
 
Aldo El Sharif – Aldo’s – 1996 to 2004 – Born in Cairo to a Sicilian mother and then raised in Milan, the restaurant earned critical praise locally for Sharif's rich, personal cooking that drew inspirations beyond the borders of Italy. The acclaim included the highest rating, three stars, from the Houston Chronicle a few years after opening. The restaurant garnered attention for its romantic setting, extensive menu and wine lists, plus prices that invariably run high.
 
Mark Cox – Mark’s – 1997 to 2016 – Soon after departing Tony’s as executive chef, Cox caused a sensation among the city’s most well-heeled diners when he opened Mark’s in what had once been a church in a somewhat derelict strip of Westheimer just east of Dunlavy. A glowing profile of the restaurant in Wine Spectator in its first year praised his New American cooking, which “serves big Texas flavor without overwhelming the seasonal ingredients.” It would also earn among the very top food scores from Zagat voters for most its two-decade tenure. Its building would house Chris Shepherd’s One Fifth restaurants in subsequent years.
 
Marco Wiles – Da Marco, Dolce Vita, Poscol – 2000 to present – Chef Marco Wiles had worked locally for Tony Vallone, Antonio Mingalone and Aldo El Sharif before opening his own place, the white tablecloth Da Marco that served truly Italian cuisine from much of its peninsula. It sported an unusual at the time, all-Italian wine list, and became one of the most lauded Italian restaurants in Houston’s dining history. That included food top scores from local Zagat voters, and a nod from Gourmet in 2006 as number 29 among the best restaurants in the country. Dolce Vita and Poscol were two other excellent Italian options from him along this stretch of Westhimer, both geared toward small plates, with the former serving as the city’s best pizzeria for years.
 
Hugo Ortega – Hugo’s – 2002 to present – The eponymous Hugo’s introduced Houston to an authentic fine dining Mexican restaurant in 2002. It is still going strong and a fixture in the heart of Montrose that works well as a stop for dinner, lunch, and brunch. Ortega and company have since opened four other excellent Mexican concepts downtown and in the Galleria area that explore other the cooking of other areas of Mexico.
 
Georges Guy – Chez Georges, Georges Bistro – 2005 to 2012, 2014 to 2016 – Operating at nearly the 12000 block of Westheimer – where it earned the top rating from the Chronicle for several years –  Chez Georges reopened in 2005 almost 13 miles east at its 200 block. Georges Guy, who “trained at some of France’s better kitchen,” continued to charm with his Provencal-accented French cooking, if “comfortably old-fashioned” and dished with “extravagant richness,” according to that paper in its first Montrose area stint.
 
Anita Jaisinghani – Indika – 2006 to 2017 – Jaisinghani started Indika a few years earlier on the western stretches of Memorial Drive before moving to the heart of Montrose in 2006. It was the city’s first modern Indian restaurant. During its heyday, Alison Cook in the Chronicle would name it among the top ten restaurants in Houston and proclaim that “Indika perches gracefully at the summit of Houston's mighty range of Subcontinental restaurants.” Jaisinghani would sell the restaurant in 2017 to concentrate on her Pondicheri on Kirby.
 
Richard Knight – Feast – 2008 to 2013 – Opened in the spring of 2008, Knight headed the kitchen at this contemporary British restaurant known for its superb snout-to-tail cooking. Frank Bruni, the former restaurant critic of The New York Times, wrote that Feast had “no real peer in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and other major cities.” Even with a surfeit of critical attention, this superlative spot shuttered in 2012. Knight would move on to more acclaim at Hunky Dory in the Heights, but its restaurant group suffered from funding problems, and its tenure was too short. Atlas Diner downtown followed that, but also had an abbreviated run.
 
Bryan Caswell – Little Bigs, El Real – 2009 to 2019 – Caswell is best known for his informed and skillful Gulf seafood creations at Reef and now at Latuli. In Montrose, his restaurants were much more casual and inexpensive. First was the tiny Little Bigs, a half-block north of Westheimer, serving tiny burgers and sandwiches, with Bill Floyd. Then the duo teamed with cookbook author and Houston Press restaurant critic Robb Walsh to open El Real in the spacious Tower Theater offering a menu of “vintage” Tex-Mex dishes. That had its ups and some downs, but was mostly a very welcome stop for a familiar food.
 
Chris Shepherd – Underbelly, The Hay Merchant, One Fifth, Georgia James, UB Preserv – 2012 to 2022 – Juxtaposing many of the city’s ethnic cooking traditions onto a menu and often on a single plate and usually succeeding in dramatic fashion brought Shepherd deserved national acclaim. Underbelly, his first restaurant, was boisterous and confident, interesting, and extremely competent. It also helped show that a meal built around small plates can work well. Underbelly led to other successful and laudable concepts from him, and to chefs working under him to succeed elsewhere.
 
Olivier Ciesielski – L’Olivier, Avondale – 2012 to 2021 – Ciesielski’s first gig after arriving from France in his twenties in the early 1990s was also in Montrose, at La Colombe d’Or. He eventually landed with Tony Vallone, and was “the best chef Tony’s ever had” according to John Mariani in Esquire. In 2012, with a goal to offer “an affordable fine-dining experience in the space that was a former adult DVD store,” on lowest Westheimer, he opened L’Olivier serving classic French bistro fare. Drawing good press, it ran for a half dozen years before becoming Avondale, a unique wine shop-cum-restaurant, with dishes still expertly crafted but from a menu a little less French.
 
Roy Shvartzapel – Common Bond – 2014 to 2015 – Working with Ferran Adria, Thomas Keller, and Pierre Hermé, once named the best pastry chef in the world, and as the pastry chef at the two-Michelin-star Cyrus in Napa Valley before starting Common Bond, Shvartzapel’s background was very evident in its breads, croissants, and all its baked goods. Leaving after just a year, he has since built a following for his panettone, the Italian dessert bread that is “the Mount Everest of baking.”
 
Alberto Baffoni – Bistecca – 2015 to 2020 – A native of the Marche in central Italy, Baffoni earned some national praise at Simposio in the late 1990s. John Mariani wrote in Esquire: “Before you judge Italian cuisine in America against its Old World counterpart, let Baffoni serve you his grilled calamari with tomato fillet dressed simply with lemon; his hand-rolled strozzapreti (“priest strangler”) noodles with sausage, spinach, and roast peppers; glorious trout cooked gently in white wine; breaded lamb chops with sweet-and-sour shallots.” The turn at Bistecca was not as consistently praiseworthy, unfortunately, but his food there was still good.
 
Paul Qui – Aqui – 2017 to 2018 – Qui won a James Beard Award for his work in Austin and received some regional notoriety, and had some baggage, in the years before opening his purpose-built spot on lower Westheimer that now houses Travelers Table. Aqui struggled to gain traction with its pan-Asian cooking, but the quality was there after a slow start, even though the restaurant did not last. Qui would go on to open several restaurants in the Post downtown, including as a partner with the excellent Golfstrømmen Seafood Market.
 
Nick Wong – UB Preserv – 2018 to 2022 – An alumnus of David Chang’s kitchens and Grammercy Tavern in Manhattan, Wong was the chef de cuisine at this successor to Underbelly. Inviting and comfortable, this was culinarily serious restaurant that turned out a wide range excellent dishes, and a worthy second act for the groundbreaking Underbelly. After Shepherd sold the restaurant group, Wong would go on to have his own restaurant, Agnes & Sherman. In 2025, Texas Monthly named as the best new restaurant in the state.
 
Felipe Riccio – March, Rosie Cannonball – 2019 to present – Riccio, the culinary director for Goodnight Hospitality and its several worthy restaurants clustered on Westheimer, including the Michelin-starred March, had an impressive resume in fine-dining before any of its doors opened. Locally, he worked with Frederic Perrier, Bryan Caswell, and at Pass & Provisions. In New York, at the acclaimed Dan Barber’s Blue Hill at Stone Barns and then time in Italy and Spain, including stages at Azurmendi and Osteria Francescana, both with three Michelin stars. This experience shows on the plates and in the restaurants.

Mark Cox during the heyday of Mark's

The opening and quick success of Underbelly in 2012 made me realize that there was now a critical mass of excellent and interesting restaurants and bars along a short stretch of a single road here. The length of Westheimer from Bagby, where it happens to start, west to Dunlavy is barely over a mile, which is an inconsiderable distance in car-happy Houston. This was a restaurant row, certainly in car terms.
 
So, I compiled a list of the best spots. I’ve updated it a few times, first for the Deep South publication two years later in 2014, and then a couple more times, as the establishments have changed. Here are my lists, snapshots in time, including one in an article I just posted. The number of recommendable places has grown in the past nearly fifteen years.
 
2012
 
Jeannine’s Bistro – 106 Westheimer – Belgian
Feast – 219 Westheimer – Modern British
L’Olivier – 240 Westheimer – French
Melange Creperie – 403 Westheimer – Crepes
Dolce Vita – 500 Westheimer – Pizza / Italian
Roots Bistro – 507 Westheimer – American
Osaka – 515 Westheimer – Sushi
Indika – 516 Westheimer – Modern Indian
Uchi – 904 Westheimer – Japanese
Aladdin – 912 Westheimer – Middle Eastern
Little Bigs – 2703 Montrose– Hamburgers
BB’s Café – 2710 Montrose– Cajun
The Hay Merchant – 1100 Westheimer – Beer Bar / American
Underbelly – 1100 Westheimer – New American
El Real – 1201 Westheimer – Tex-Mex
Anvil – 1424 Westheimer – Cocktail Bar
Da Marco – 1520 Westheimer – Italian
Hugo's – 1602 Westheimer – Mexican
Poscol – 1609 Westheimer – Italian
Mark’s –1658 Westheimer – New American
 
2014
 
Georges Bistro – 219 Westheimer – French
L’Olivier – 240 Westheimer – French
La Casa del Caballo – 333 Westheimer – Mexican Steakhouse
Melange Creperie – 403 Westheimer – Crepes
Dolce Vita – 500 Westheimer – Pizza / Italian
Indika – 516 Westheimer – Modern Indian
Katz’s – 615 Westheimer – Deli
Uchi – 904 Westheimer – Sushi
Aladdin – 912 Westheimer – Middle Eastern
Little Bigs – 2703 Montrose– Hamburgers
Blacksmith – 1018 Westheimer – Coffee Shop
The Hay Merchant – 1100 Westheimer – Beer Bar / American
Underbelly – 1100 Westheimer – New American
Anvil – 1424 Westheimer – Cocktail Bar
Da Marco – 1520 Westheimer – Italian
Poscol – 1609 Westheimer – Italian
Hugo's – 1602 Westheimer – Mexican
Mark’s –1658 Westheimer – New American
Common Bond – 1706 Westheimer – Bakery
 
2018
 
Bistecca – 224 Westheimer – Steak
Avondale – 240 Westheimer – New American / French
El Tiempo – 333 Westheimer – Tex-Mex
Dolce Vita – 500 Westheimer – Pizza / Italian
Pappa Geno’s – 515 Westheimer – Sandwiches
Indika – 516 Westheimer – Indian
Aqui – 520 Westheimer – Pan-Asian
Poscol – 608 Westheimer – Italian
Katz’s – 615 Westheimer – Deli
Uchi – 904 Westheimer – Sushi
Aladdin – 912 Westheimer – Middle Eastern
Blacksmith – 1018 Westheimer – Coffee Shop
The Hay Merchant – 1100 Westheimer – Beer Bar / American
Georgia James – 1100 Westheimer – Steak
El Real – 1201 Westheimer – Tex-Mex
Mala Sichuan – 1201 Westheimer – Sichuan
Anvil – 1424 Westheimer – Cocktail Bar
Da Marco – 1520 Westheimer – Italian
Ramen Tatsu-Ya – 1722 California (twenty yards north of Westheimer) – Ramen
Hugo’s – 1600 Westheimer – Mexican
UB Preserv – 1609 Westheimer – New American
Goodnight Charlie’s – 2511 Kuester (a half-block north of Westheimer) – New American
One Fifth Romance Languages – 1658 Westheimer – Spanish / French / Italian
Common Bond – 1706 Westheimer – Bakery
 
2026
 
Maderas – 120 Westheimer – Mexican
Xolo – 223 Westheimer – Mexican
Soto – 224 Westheimer – Sushi
El Tiempo – 333 Westheimer – Tex-Mex
Osaka – 500 Westheimer – Sushi
ChòpnBlọk – 507 Westheimer – West African
La Sicilia – 515 Westheimer – Bakery
Traveler’s Table – 520 Westheimer – Eclectic
Poscol – 608 Westheimer – Italian
Katz’s – 615 Westheimer – Deli
Fiora’s Bottle Shop – 888 Westheimer – Wine Bar / Wine Shop
Okto – 888 Westheimer – Middle Eastern
Uchi – 904 Westheimer – Sushi
Aladdin – 912 Westheimer – Middle Eastern
Blacksmith – 1018 Westheimer – Coffee Shop
Doc’s – 1201 Westheimer – Jazz Club
Mala Sichuan – 1201 Westheimer – Sichuan
The Montrose Grocer – 1340 Westheimer – Wine Bar / Wine Shop
Anvil – 1424 Westheimer – Cocktail Bar
Da Marco – 1520 Westheimer – Italian
Ramen Tatsu-Ya – 1722 California (twenty yards north of Westheimer) – Ramen
Hugo’s – 1600 Westheimer – Mexican
Montrose Cheese & Wine – 1618 Westheimer – Wine Bar / Wine Shop
Rose Cannonball – 1620 Westheimer – Italian / Spanish
March – 1624 Westheimer – European
The Marigold Club – 2531 Kuster (steps from Westheimer) – American
Common Bond – 1706 Westheimer – Bakery

The very fun wallpaper at The Marigold Club