RESTAURANT REVIEW: Aga's
Alright y'all, this is the one you've been waiting for. Aga's was ranked the #1 eatery in the city by the Houston Chronicle in their 2025 Top 100 Restaurants list, a subject which I have previously devoted several paragraphs to. I won't rehash everything, but let's just say I remain a bit skeptical about the new food critic's methods, especially in relation to other Indian spots around town that seemingly suffered due to Aga's meteoric promotion. Technically this is Pakistani cuisine, but there's enough overlap and straight-up Indian dishes on offer that I think you can safely lump them into the same Indo-Pak category, as I will do in my rankings later (sorry if this offends, I'm not going for the FIFA Peace Prize here).
There's a lot about this place that at first glance definitely does not scream "best restaurant in Houston". First off, the location: a random strip mall near the intersection of Beltway 8 and Interstate 69 in southwest Houston... the neighborhood is technically Brays Oaks, but since literally nobody who doesn't live there knows where that is (apologies, English is my first language, but you wouldn't know it based on that sentence), we'll call it north Stafford. Second, the space: an enormous, rather spartan dining room with an even larger adjacent ballroom, which was surprisingly poppin' for an early January Tuesday night. And third, the Cheesecake Factory-esque MASSIVE menu. A general rule of thumb is the more items a restaurant offers, the lower the quality of each individual one. Fortunately, this was the exception that proves the rule.
That tome of ordering options, available via scanning a QR code at the table or a large physical piece of paper by request, can be a bit daunting and confusing to navigate (for example, one section is called "Apps Sides Kids"). Fortunately I had (obviously) done some research ahead of time, and was dining with two subcontinental companions, so we were able to fashion the perfect family-style dinner. For such a gargantuan restaurant, the service was stunningly fast. Our first plates came out just moments after the waiter left our table, and the pacing was borderline breakneck (in a good way) from there on out.
An ideal shared appetizer is the Chicken Lollipops: chicken drumsticks marinated in a house blend of rich spices, deep fried and served with homemade chili sauce. These hefty specimens were nearly glowing a fiery red color, with the remarkable blend of seasonings accentuating the juicy, sumptuous dark meat. Dip one in the slightly sweet, slightly spicy condiment, and you end up with a spectacular bite. I'd like to go on record and say that, despite my trepidation about getting my hands dirty, I am a huge fan of any meat (lamb, etc..) in lollipop form, and I think we should find a way to do this for more proteins, even if it might not be anatomically feasible.
Another starter, the Samosa Chaat had smashed vegetable samosas, yogurt, onions, tomatoes, chickpeas, and sweet tamarind chutney. I've had a lot of chaats in my day (bring back the Texas Shrimp Chaat at Pondicheri, please!), but I'm still not entirely positive what defines one: I guess multi-layered/textured street food with some sort of fried items and chutneys? This one was a nice refreshing snack, with hunks of samosa carcass providing another fun lamina of texture and starchy goodness. The cool yogurt and the tangy chutney brought it all together. Probably a top-three lifetime chaat for me!
Let's be real: you're coming here for the Aga's Goat Chops. They are described on the menu as "the most popular grilled goat chops in Texas", and I'll be honest, it's difficult to argue with that. Lauded by the New York Times as one of the 26 best dishes in the country in 2024, these T-bones are served fajitas-style, on a sizzling hot platter with sliced onions. Goat can be famously tough, but not here: these are preposterously tender, and the blend of intoxicating spices imparts the most perfect flavor you will ever taste. I'm not embarrassed to admit that I licked my fingers clean after tearing every last hunk of meat off the bone. One of those times where the hype is considerable, and yet is somehow exceeded by a remarkable preparation.
Chicken Biryani, made with seasoned long-grain rice layered with poultry cooked in a thick gravy, was solid, but probably the least strong entree of the night. It didn't eat dry like biryani often does, but I still prefer a much higher sauce-to-rice ratio than this arrangement by definition provides. The fowl was solid but unspectacular... maybe we should have gone with the goat as initially discussed, but that would have been three consecutive mutton courses (fun fact, in South Asia, this term generally refers to goat rather than sheep), and, if I may paraphrase Wu-Tang Financial... you need to diversify your proteins, homie. Anyway, if you like this type of thing, this is definitely a well-made version, so feel free to order... it just isn't necessarily my cuppa tea.
I couldn't leave without trying a curry, and the Goat Karahi Keema did not disappoint. This tomato-based variant hailing from Pakistan consisted of hand-chopped goat prepared with ginger, garlic, tomatoes, and cilantro, served in the eponymous wok-like pan (karahi). Extremely flavorful, with whips of smoke and delightfully unexpected amounts of heat (foreshadowed by the garnish of sliced chiles) glazing the incredible chevon, this ended up being the best dish of the evening, if we don't count the goat chops which were always going to be #1.
As you might expect, the breads here are exquisite: we sampled the Garlic Naan and Bullet Naan (tandoor-baked white flour breads, the former seasoned with garlic and the latter with jalapeño and cilantro, brushed with a touch of butter), and the Tawa Paratha, a wheat flour, multilayered flat bread prepared on a round, slightly curved metal pan (the so-called tawa). All excellent for sopping up the last bits of rice and curry. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty (he said, somewhat dishonorably)!
There's no alcohol here, which is a bit of a disappointment (though I guess positive if you were doing a Dry January), but there are some spirit-free beverages, including a splendid Mint Lemonade, available by the glass or pitcher, which had an almost slushy-like consistency that made for a great cooling agent against the intense spices of the meal. Unsurprisingly, I also dug the Chai, which is available straight up, or sweetened with jaggery.
Is this the best restaurant in Houston? No. Is it the best Indian/Pakistani restaurant in Houston? You'll have to skip down to the next paragraph to find out (spoiler alert, no). But it is VERY good, with lightning-quick service and really excellent food. Perhaps if the ambiance was a bit more refined and there were some cocktails on offer this might truly contend for a spot amongst the top spots in the city, though it's still a definite recommend from me. And, huge breaking news, they are opening a second location (takeout/delivery only) in Katy, so my hometown readers will have ample opportunity to try it for themselves.
RANKING UPDATE: Previously slotted at #10 on the (recently renamed for better inclusivity) Best Indian/Pakistani section of my Houston Restaurant Guide, now that I've had the full experience I am moving it up to #4, just behind the holy trinity of Musaafer, Pondicheri, and Kiran's.
NEXT UP: You're not going to believe this, but the greatest neighborhood restaurant opened up less than five minutes away from my house.