Houston is full of good food! I’ve included all the best restaurants I enjoyed in Houston in this post. When you travel like a foodie as I do, you love thorough research about what restaurants you will enjoy. Houston was no different! It was impossible to visit all of the restaurants on my list and I’m still adding restaurants to this list, so check out my to-try list at the end of this post. Here are some recommendations of the best restaurants I experienced in Houston. Happy travel eating!
Oxheart
*EDIT* Oxheart closed in 2017 and Chef Justin Yu opened Theodore Rex.
The one reservation I made beforehand was at Oxheart. Chef Justin Yu won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest this year and was nominated in the previous years. Oxheart is lauded as one of the best restaurants in Houston. This unassuming restaurant on the corner of a quiet, empty street felt like a hidden gem. There was no sign on the door, and the interior holds 30 seats, including 11 counter seats, arguably the best seats in the restaurant. A record player (Leon Bridges, Lauryn Hill, and Marvin Gaye were some records we listened to) provides the entertainment if watching the chefs carefully construct the dishes isn’t entertainment enough. You’ll have two choices of 5-course tasting menus: Summer (or whatever seasonal it is), and Garden, the vegetarian version of the seasonal menu. Options for 3-drink and 5-drink pairings are available.
As the servers flow and present dishes with ease, every dish seems to be an interesting and somewhat unexpected combination of flavors and ingredients. We enjoyed the summer menu and my favorite dishes included: the mung bean crepe, the tilefish in basil broth, the chicken stuffed with rice and collard greens, and the creme fraiche cremeux with strawberries glazed in mushroom and sorghum.
Overall, a good meal and fun experience. This was one of my favorite meals enjoyed in Houston!
Offering: New American cuisine; prix-fixe menu; dinner; offering lunch soon
Hours: Thurs – Mon: 5:30 – 10pm; reservations required
Address: 1302 Nance St, Houston, TX 77002
Hugo’s
I was excited to try Hugo’s because they seemed to be THE spot for brunch. They’re an upscale Mexican restaurant with a buffet brunch on the weekends. Their selection was wide and it was really enjoyable. In fact, when I returned with my dessert plate, Boyfriend exclaimed, “wow, you’re not holding back there.” His plate looked the same when he returned a minute afterward. Ha! With all the good-looking options, it was hard not to fill up your plate to try a little bit of everything.
Offering: Mexican cuisine; lunch and dinner; happy hour; Saturday brunch; Sunday buffet brunch
Hours: Mon – Thurs 11am-10pm; Fri – Sat11am-11pm; Sun 10am-9pm
Address: 1600 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77006
8th Wonder Brewery
Loved this brewery! They have a lot of Houston pride, so the brewery and branding are decked out in Houston references, including the names of the beers. The brewery is very spacious with a huge outdoor area. There are plenty of picnic tables and they host a food trailer on site. They had about eight beers on tap. My favorite was the Astroturf, a dry-hopped cream ale. Their tasting options are $8 for a tasting flight of four; $10 for three pints; and $15 for three pints plus a souvenir glass.
Offering: craft beer on tap
Be sure to try: Astroturf – a dry-hopped cream ale
Hours: Mon – Sat 11am-10pm; Sun 11am – 6pm
Address: 2202 Dallas St, Houston, TX 77003
Fluff Bake Bar
I’ve enjoyed Fluff Bake Bar’s treats at Austin culinary events, so I was excited to visit their store! Of course, I had to try one of their cupcakes – the Veruca Salt. It was devil’s food cake with salted caramel buttercream, pretzel crunch, and milk chocolate crunch pears. Highly recommend! They also have cookies, bars, tarts, pies and more.
Offering: dessert
Be sure to try: Veruca Salt cake
Hours: Tue – Thu 10am – 10pm; Fri – Sat 10am – 12am; Sun 12pm – 10pm
Address: 314 Gray St, Houston, TX 77002
Pho Saigon
We spontaneously chose this restaurant because it was close. We arrived to find a packed restaurant, and we enjoyed pho and spring rolls. I found out later that this restaurant is part of a chain that has a location I’ve enjoyed in Austin. While I noticed their servers running around slightly unorganized, I thought their food was good!
Offering: Vietnamese cuisine; lunch and dinner
Hours: Every day, 8am – 9pm (time may vary by location, call to check)
Address: 4 locations in Houston area: 2808 Milam St, Suite D, Houston, TX 77006; 15754 FM 529 #300, Houston, TX 77095; 13610 W Airport Blvd #100, Sugar Land, Texas 77478; 890 South Mason Rd, Katy, TX 77450
Crave Cupcakes
Cupcakes, of course! They’ve got three locations in Houston to get your sugar fix.
Offering: dessert
Hours: Mon – Fri 8am – 8pm; Sat 9am – 8pm; Sun 10am – 7pm
Address: 3 locations: 1151-06 Uptown Park Blvd. Houston, TX 77056; 5600 Kirby Drive, Houston, TX 77005; 2501 Research Forest Drive, The Woodlands, TX 77381
Sinh Sinh
Every time my family passed through Houston, we made it a point to eat at Sinh Sinh. Their Chinese food is good!
Offering: Chinese cuisine; lunch and dinner
Hours: Every day, 10am – 2am
Address: 9788 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77036
Petite Sweets
Cupcakes, cake balls, cookies, macarons – they have a bit of everything!
Offering: dessert
Hours: Sun 12:30pm-10pm; Mon-Thurs 10am-10pm; Fri-Sat 10am-11pm
Address: 2700 W. Alabama, Houston, TX 77098
There are SO many restaurants on my Houston list that I want to try, especially because they have an abundance of unique restaurants. Here are some that I researched or were recommended:
BREAKFAST AND COFFEE
- Common Bond Café (baked good heaven)
- Morningstar (fancy donuts and breakfast biscuits)
DRINKS
- Captain Foxheart’s Bad News Bar (upstairs patio)
LUNCH/DINNER
- Fat Bao (Asian fusion cuisine, meat-filled buns)
- Foreign Correspondents (Thai cuisine)
- Coltivare (Wood-fired pizza, Italian cuisine)
- Caracol (Mexican coastal cuisine)
- Helen Greek Food and Wine (Greek cuisine)
- Ninfa’s (Casual Mexican cuisine)
- Tiger Den (Ramen)
- Pondicheri (Indian cuisine)
- Down House (New American cuisine)
SWEETS
- Sweet Bakery (macarons)
BREWERIES
What are your favorite restaurants in Houston? Please leave your recommendations in the comments below! I’d love to know for my next trip!
Want to read more about Houston? Check out my Houston Travel Guide and Best Things to Do in Houston.
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