HOUSTON RESTAURANT PRIMER
So I finally listened to the over two people who have asked me to start writing restaurant reviews online and created this site/blog. This is certainly going to be a work in progress as I have basically no idea how to manage a website, but I'll try to post consistent reviews and other content on a regular basis. Obviously this will be mostly Houston-based, but I will try to include places from my travels as well. As a noted fan of rankings and lists, I've been compiling and updating a guide of the best restaurants and bars in Houston with a variety of subgenera/cuisines for years (plus some non-Houston recommendations)... so I figured that would be the best place to start. Unfortunately I can't find a way to have a dedicated page for this, so I'll just post it every once in awhile when there are some major updates.
Top Houston Restaurants
Essential 33:
B&B Butchers (Steakhouse – Washington $$$)
Bar Bludorn (New American – Memorial $$$)
BCN Taste & Tradition (Spanish – Montrose $$$)
Betelgeuse Betelgeuse (Pizza – Washington / Montrose $)
Blood Bros. BBQ (Barbecue – Bellaire $)
Burger Bodega (Burgers – Washington $)
Churrascos (South American – multiple locations $$)
Coltivare (Italian – Heights $$)
Common Bond (Bakery – multiple locations $)
Crawfish & Noodles (VietCajun – Chinatown $)
Da Gama (Portuguese/Indian – Heights $$)
El Tiempo (Tex-Mex – multiple locations $$)
Étoile (French – Uptown $$$)
Eunice (Cajun – Greenway $$)
Kata Robata (Japanese – Upper Kirby $$$)
Les Ba’get (Vietnamese – Oak Forest $)
Loro (Asian Barbecue – Heights $$)
March (European – Montrose $$$)
Marini’s Empanada House (Argentinian – Westchase $)
Musaafer (Indian – Galleria $$$)
Nancy’s Hustle (New American – EaDo $$)
Navy Blue (Seafood – Rice Village $$$)
Neo (Sushi – Montrose $$$)
Phat Eatery (Malaysian – Katy $)
Pondicheri (Indian – Upper Kirby $$)
Rumi’s Kitchen (Persian – Uptown $$)
Street To Kitchen (Thai – EaDo $$)
Tacos Doña Lena (Tacos – Spring Branch $)
Tatemó (Mexican – Spring Branch East $$$)
Tatsu-Ya (Ramen – Montrose $)
Tim Ho Wan (Dim Sum – Katy $$)
Tiny’s No. 5 (Brunch – West University $$)
Xochi (Oaxacan – Downtown $$$)
Honorable Mention:
The Blind Goat (Vietnamese – Spring Branch $$)
Bludorn (New American – Fourth Ward $$$)
BORI (Korean – Spring Branch $$)
Brennan’s (Creole – Midtown $$$)
Caracol (Mexican – Uptown $$$)
Credence (New American – Memorial $$$)
Hamsa (Israeli – Rice Village $$$)
Hidden Omakase (Sushi – Uptown $$$)
Hugo’s (Mexican – Montrose $$$)
Kiran’s (Indian – Upper Kirby $$$)
Little’s Oyster Bar (Seafood – Montrose $$$)
MF Sushi (Sushi – Museum District $$$)
Oporto (Portuguese – Midtown $$)
Pizzana (Pizza – River Oaks $)
Rainbow Lodge (New American – Heights $$$)
The Rice Box (Chinese – multiple locations $)
Rodeo Goat (Burgers – EaDo $)
Soto (Japanese – Montrose $$$)
Traveler’s Cart (World Cuisine – Montrose $)
Truth BBQ (Barbecue – Washington $)
Best Barbecue:
1. Blood Bros. BBQ
2. Tejas Chocolate y BBQ
3. Truth BBQ
4. Feges BBQ
5. The Pit Room
Best Burgers:
1. Burger Bodega
2. Rodeo Goat
3. Underbelly Burger
4. Burger-chan
5. Trill Burgers
Best Chinese:
1. Tim Ho Wan
2. The Rice Box
3. Mala Sichuan Bistro
4. One Dragon
5. Pepper Twins
Best French:
1. Étoile
2. Le Jardinier
3. Brasserie Du Parc
4. Artisans
5. Toulouse
Best Indian:
1. Musaafer
2. Pondicheri
3. Kiran’s
4. Himalaya
5. Amrina
Best Italian:
1. Coltivare
2. Rosie Cannonball
3. Da Marco
4. Tony’s
5. Ostia
Best Japanese/Sushi:
1. Neo
2. Kata Robata
3. Hidden Omakase
4. Soto
5. MF Sushi
6. Katami
7. Kira
8. Uchiko
9. Norigami
10. Nobu
Best Mediterranean/Middle Eastern
1. March
2. Rumi’s Kitchen
3. Hamsa
4. Aladdin
5. Helen Greek Food & Wine
Best Mexican/Tex-Mex
1. Tatemó
2. Xochi
3. El Tiempo
4. Hugo’s
5. Tacos Doña Lena
Best Pizza:
1. Betelgeuse Betelgeuse
2. Pizzana
3. Tiny Champions
4. Star Pizza
5. Pizaro’s Pizza Napoletana
Best Spanish/Portuguese:
1. BCN
2. Da Gama
3. Oporto
4. MAD
5. Costa Brava Bistro
Best Steakhouse:
1. B&B Butchers
2. Doris Metropolitan
3. Georgia James
4. Steak 48
5. Taste Of Texas
Best Thai/Malaysian:
1. Street To Kitchen
2. Phat Eatery
3. Banana Leaf
4. Songkran Thai Kitchen
5. Nidda Thai Cuisine
Best Vietnamese:
1. Les Ba’get
2. The Blind Goat
3. Crawfish & Noodles
4. Hughie’s
5. Le Colonial
Best Beer Bars:
1. Flying Saucer
2. Cobble & Spoke
3. Axelrad Beer Garden
4. Moon Tower Inn
5. Heights Bier Garten
Best Breweries:
1. Saint Arnold
2. SpindleTap
3. Equal Parts
4. True Anomaly
5. 8th Wonder
Best Cocktail Bars:
1. Bandista
2. Julep
3. Anvil/Refuge
4. Better Luck Tomorrow
5. Captain Foxheart’s Bad News Bar & Spirit Lounge
6. Johnny’s Gold Brick
7. Permission
8. Clarkwood
9. Hidden Bar
10. Wooster’s Garden
11. Aye Candy
12. Santé
13. Bar Doko
14. Sidebar
15. Reserve 101
16. The Toasted Coconut
17. Eight Row Flint
18. Jethro’s
19. Double Trouble Caffeine & Cocktails
20. Kanpai Club
Non-Houston Restaurants:
Alinea (Chicago)
Belcanto (Lisbon)
Best Friend (Las Vegas)
Bo Innovation (Hong Kong)
Bosq (Aspen)
Commander’s Palace (New Orleans)
Gymkhana (London)
Hestia (Austin)
Indigo (Budapest)
Joe Beef (Montreal)
Majordōmo (Los Angeles)
Mikla (Istanbul)
Petrus (London)
Riverhorse On Main (Park City)
Spruce (San Francisco)
Teton Tiger (Jackson Hole)
Non-Houston Beer Bars:
16 Tun (Auckland)
The Avenue Pub (New Orleans)
Barley Cargo (Athens)
Beerselection Sörszaküzlet (Budapest)
Bierwax (New York)
ChurchKey (Washington DC)
Proeflokaal Arendsnest (Amsterdam)
Redlight Redlight (Orlando)
Non-Houston Breweries:
4 Pines (Sydney)
Anchorage (Anchorage)
Avery (Boulder)
Cigar City (Tampa)
Heart Of Darkness (Saigon)
Jester King (Austin)
Peticolas (Dallas)
Pure Project (San Diego)
Russian River (Santa Rosa)
Southern Grist (Nashville)
Non-Houston Cocktail Bars:
Attaboy (Nashville)
The Aviary (Chicago)
Bad Harriet (Aspen)
Civil Liberties (Toronto)
The Cloakroom (Montreal)
The Connaught Bar (London)
The Cooper Lounge (Denver)
Dutch Courage (Amsterdam)
Katana Kitten (New York)
The Library (Fairbanks)
The Manor Bar (Santa Barbara)
Penicillin (Hong Kong)
Scarfes Bar (London)
Schofield’s (Manchester)
Thunderbolt (Los Angeles)
The Washhouse (Manchester)