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Houston Restaurant Guide

Houston Restaurant Guide

Here is my comprehensive guide to Houston restaurants (heavily influenced by Eater, as you can probably tell). It includes a list of my "essential" restaurants, trying to cover as many cuisines, neighborhoods, and price points as possible to get a feel for the city, as well as my top restaurants in a number of different genres. This will be frequently updated as I explore more new spots around town, so check back often.

Essential 33:

  • B&B Butchers (Steakhouse – Washington $$$)
  • Bar Bludorn (New American – Memorial $$$)
  • BCN Taste & Tradition (Spanish – Montrose $$$)
  • Belly Of The Beast (Mexican - Spring $$)
  • Betelgeuse Betelgeuse (Pizza – Washington / Montrose $)
  • Blood Bros. BBQ (Barbecue – Bellaire $)
  • Burger Bodega (Burgers – Washington $)
  • Churrascos (South American – multiple locations $$)
  • Coltivare (Italian – Heights $$)
  • 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 $$$)
  • Koffeteria (Bakery – EaDo $)
  • Les Ba’get (Vietnamese – Oak Forest $)
  • Loro (Asian Barbecue – Heights $$)
  • March (European – Montrose $$$)
  • Marini’s Empanada House (Argentinian – Westchase $)
  • Musaafer (Indian – Galleria $$$)
  • Navy Blue (Seafood – Rice Village $$$)
  • Neo (Sushi – Montrose $$$)
  • Nobie’s (New American – 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 $$)

Honorable Mention:

  • The Blind Goat (Vietnamese – Spring Branch $$)
  • Bludorn (New American – Fourth Ward $$$)
  • BORI (Korean – Spring Branch $$)
  • Brennan’s (Creole – Midtown $$$)
  • ChòpnBlọk (African - Montrose $$)
  • Common Bond (Bakery – multiple locations $)
  • Credence (New American – Memorial $$$)
  • Hamsa (Israeli – Rice Village $$$)
  • Hidden Omakase (Sushi – Uptown $$$)
  • Kiran’s (Indian – Upper Kirby $$$)
  • Little’s Oyster Bar (Seafood – Montrose $$$)
  • MF Sushi (Sushi – Museum District $$$)
  • Nancy’s Hustle (New American – EaDo $$)
  • Oporto (Portuguese – Midtown $$)
  • Pizzana (Pizza – River Oaks $)
  • Rainbow Lodge (Steakhouse – Heights $$$)
  • The Rice Box (Chinese – multiple locations $)
  • Rodeo Goat (Burgers – EaDo $)
  • Traveler’s Cart (World Cuisine – Montrose $)
  • Truth BBQ (Barbecue – Washington $)
  • Xochi (Oaxacan – Downtown $$$)

Best Bakery:

  1. Koffeteria
  2. Common Bond
  3. Pondicheri Bake Lab
  4. Badolina
  5. Three Brothers Bakery

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. Perseid
  3. Le Jardinier
  4. Brasserie Du Parc
  5. Cafe Rabelais 

Best Indian:

  1. Musaafer
  2. Pondicheri
  3. Kiran's
  4. Himalaya
  5. Amrina 
  6. Verandah
  7. Kitchen Rumors
  8. Shri Balaji Bhavan
  9. India's
  10. Aga's

Best Italian:

  1. Coltivare
  2. Rosie Cannonball
  3. Da Marco
  4. Tony's
  5. Marmo

Best Japanese/Sushi:

  1. Neo
  2. Kata Robata
  3. Hidden Omakase
  4. MF Sushi
  5. Katami
  6. TINS
  7. Soto
  8. Oheya
  9. Kira
  10. Uchiko

 Best Mediterranean/Middle Eastern:

  1. March
  2. Rumi's Kitchen
  3. Hamsa
  4. Aladdin
  5. Helen Greek Food & Wine 

Best Mexican:

  1. Tatemó
  2. Belly Of The Beast
  3. Xochi
  4. Hugo's
  5. Tacos Doña Lena

Best New American:

  1. Nobie's
  2. Bar Bludorn
  3. Nancy's Hustle
  4. Credence
  5. Squable

Best Pizza:

  1. Betelgeuse Betelgeuse
  2. Tiny Champions
  3. Pizzana
  4. Star Pizza
  5. Pizaro's Pizza Napoletana 

Best Seafood:

  1. Navy Blue
  2. Little's Oyster Bar
  3. Caracol
  4. Goode Company Seafood
  5. Willie G's

Best Spanish/Portuguese:

  1. BCN
  2. Da Gama
  3. Oporto
  4. MAD
  5. Costa Brava Bistro 

Best Steakhouse:

  1. B&B Butchers
  2. Rainbow Lodge
  3. Doris Metropolitan
  4. Taste Of Texas
  5. Georgia James

Best Tex-Mex:

  1. El Tiempo
  2. The Original Ninfa's On Navigation
  3. Pappasito's Cantina
  4. Candente
  5. Verde Garden

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. Roostar