Lists of the best
This an attempt to recommend the best restaurants in the Houston area in a number of categories. These lists might be a top ten, but sometimes there might be more or fewer places to recommend for a theme. These should be fun, as most "best of" lists are and, hopefully, even useful, unlike most of them. A terrific amount of eating and drinking has been involved in their creation. Unlike too many of these lists you find, I've been to every place touted, and a great many more not. I've been doing this for a while for Houston: I was the local editor for the Zagat Survey from 2007 until 2015 (when owner Google pulled the plug on those roles), and before that, the first edition of my Houston Dining on the Cheap guidebook was published way back in 2002.
The ones in red are done, and have been occasionally updated, but much more to do. It's been going slowly, but it will get there.
Last updated on May 21, 2022.
The ones in red are done, and have been occasionally updated, but much more to do. It's been going slowly, but it will get there.
Last updated on May 21, 2022.
- The 50 Best Restaurants in Houston - 100 was just too ambitious for me....
- Banh Mi
- Bakeries
- Barbecue
- Best Values
- Breakfast
- Breakfast Tacos
- Chicken Fried Steak
- Chinese
- Cocktails
- Crawfish
- Downtown Dining
- EaDo and East End Dining
- French
- Fried Chicken
- Fajitas
- French
- Galleria Area Dining
- Guinness
- Hamburger Joints
- Heights Area Dining
- Houston-centric
- Indian / Pakistani
- Italian
- Italian-American
- Japanese
- Kolaches
- Korean
- Middle Eastern
- Mexican
- Midtown Dining
- Montrose Area Dining
- Pasta
- Pho
- Pizzerias
- Pizza at non-Pizzerias
- Raw Bars
- Sandwiches
- See / Be Seen
- Seafood
- Splurge Worthy
- Steakhouses
- Sushi
- Tacos
- Tex-Mex
- To Take a Visitor
- Thai
- Trendy / Tough Tables
- Vietnamese
- Whisky / Whiskey
- Wine Bars
- Wine Lists