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Eat
Houston has outstanding dining options, and is widely considered the most restaurant-oriented city in the United States, with a wide variety of ethnic restaurants, superb Tex-Mex, a great number of steakhouses, fine dining, as well as chains. For some of the best surprises, stop by any nondescript taqueria and order nearly anything at random.
Budget
- Brooklyn Pizzeria, 1960 Bypass Rd. West (Suite 300). 281-446-5500, 11:00-10:00, 100% Authentic New York Style Pizza
- Lenox Barbecue & Catering, 5420 Harrisburg Blvd., 713-926-2649
- Goode Company Barbeque, 5109 Kirby Dr., $5-10. One of the city's most reputed barbecue restaurants.
- 100% Taquito, 3245 IH-59 (Southwest Fwy. at Buffalo Spwy.), 713-665-2900. Trendy, authentic Mexico City-type taco joint.
- Tokyo Bowl, 2402 Bay Area Blvd., 281-480-5311, $10, Japanese fast food.
- Mai's, 3403 Milam, 713-520-7648, 10-3am Su-Th, 10-4am Fr-Sa. $10 [1] Vietnamese food, popular with the late night crowd
- Pappas Bar-B-Q, 1217 Pierce St., [2] Texas barbeque by the Pappas brothers.
- Chuy's, 2706 Westheimer Rd., [3] Tex-mex with flair.
- Taqueria Del Sol, 8114 Park Place Blvd., Authentic Mexican food.
- Mission Burritos, 2245 West Alabama, A few (two?) locations, but 2245 West Alabama has more charm. Biggest, best burritos in town; they always have a 'Burrito of the Month' that is a sure bet
- Amy's Ice Cream, 3816 Farnham (Off Shepherd, just north of US-59), 713-526-2697, 11:30-midnight Su-Th, 11:30-1am Fr-Sa, $5. [4] Texas' own super premium, all natural ice cream.
- Nee Hao, 5797 N. Belt East, 281-442-3402, Mon-Sat, 11:00-8:00. Chinese Food & Fried Chicken
- Aloha Joe's Grill, 1960 Bypass Rd W, 281-540-0110. Authentic Hawaiian & Chamorro Style Food
Mid-range
- Kanomwan, 736 1/2 Telephone Rd., 713-923-4236. Wonderful Thai restaurant in historic 3rd Ward; home of the Thai Nazi (a la Seinfeld).
- Taste of Texas, 10505 Katy Freeway (IH-10 between BW-8 and Gessner). [5] The finest steaks and prime rib (only Certified Angus Beef) money can buy. Award-winning wine list, lobster, freshly baked breads, etc. Menu is translated into 12 different languages.
- Nit-Noi, 2426 Bolsover, 713-524-8114. [6] Thai cuisine. Several locations.
- Chabuca's, 316 NASA-1, Webster, 281-554-8000, reservation@chabucas.com [7] South American style food and buffet, great atmosphere.
- Kim Son, 2001 Jefferson St., 713-222-2461, info@kimson.com, 11-midnight Fr-Sa, 11-11 Su-Th. [8] Houston's biggest Vietnamese restaurant, several other locations.
- McGonigal's Mucky Duck, 2425 Norfolk (Near Shepherd and US-59), 713-528-5999, theduck@mcgonigels.com, $10-15. [9] Pub atmosphere and great food.
- Ruggles Grill, 903 Westheimer Rd., 713-524-3839, [10] An American bistro, several locations.
- Mystery Cafe, 2400 West Loop South (Sheraton, IH-610 at Westheimer), 713-944-2583, $52.95/person. [11] Where MURDER is always on the menu!
- Niko Niko's, 2520 Montrose, 713-528-4976, 10-10 Mo-Th, 10-11pm Fr-Sa, 11-9 Su. [12] Greek food.
Splurge
- Mark's American Cuisine 1658 Westheimer Rd., 713-523-3800, Lunch: 11-2 Mo-Fr, Dinner: 6:00pm-11:00pm Mo-Th, 5:30pm-midnight Fr, 5:00pm-midnight Sa, 5:00pm-10:00pm Su. [13] Award-winning four-star restaurant by owner and chef Mark Cox. Housed in an old church for a unique atmosphere. Reservations required.
- Tony's 3755 Richmond Ave., 713-622-6778 [14] Houston's ultimate dining experience. Tony Vallone has set the tone for fine dining in Houston for decades. Parisian chef Olivier Ciesielski interprets contemporary cuisine with classic French care. Reservations required.
- Da Marco 1520 Westheimer Rd., 713-807-8857 [15] One of Houston's best restaurants--known for great wine and Italian fare. Reservations required.
- Cafe Annie 1728 Post Oak Blvd, 713-840-1111 [16] Insanely expensive prices, but very good American cuisine. Reservations required.
- Monarch Restaurant & Lounge 5701 Main Street, 713-527-1800 [17] A fine dining option at Hotel ZaZa Houston serving seafood and steak entrees with Mediterranean flair. The Lounge is available for dancing and Monarch Terrace overlooks Main Street & Mecom Fountains.
- Catalan Food and Wine 5555 Washington, 713-426-4260 [18] Catalan offers a Spanish-influenced menu and an extensive wine list. Reknowned restaurateurs Grant Cooper and Charles Clark have been wowing Houstonians and food critics alike at Catalan. Reservations required.
- Rainbow Lodge 2011 Ella Blvd., 713-861-8666, [19] Raindow Lodge serves wild game dishes and seafood selections in a 100 year old log cabin perfect for the dining experience. Reservations required.
- VOICE Restaurant & Lounge 220 Main Street, 832-667-4470, Breakfast: M-F 7am-10:30am, Sat. 7am-11am, Sun. 7am-12pm; Lunch: M-F 11:30am-2:30pm; Dinner: M-Thurs. 5:3-pm-10pm, F-Sat. 5:30pm-11pm; Lounge Menu: M-Thurs. 11:30am-10pm, F-Sat. 11:30am-11pm, Sun 12pm-10pm http://www.hotelicon.com/voice-restaurantHotel Icon’s new restaurant, VOICE, offers a fine dining experience and contemporary American cuisine with private rooms for events and special occasions, in room dining and a luxury wine vault.
Drink
- West Alabama Icehouse 1919 West Alabama, Open since 1928, is a bar that provides outdoor seating and free hot dogs. Because of the outdoor seating, people are allowed to bring their dogs, play horseshoes, and basketball. There is usually live country music on Friday nights.
- Little Woodrow's 2301 W Alabama St (between Kirby and Greenbrier), 713-529-0449. Serves beer and wine. Steak night once a week. Pool tables and Golden Tee.
- Gingerman 5607 Morningside Dr., 713-526-2770, $4/pt [20] The original of a small chain, has a loyal community following. Serves lots of local and specialty beer, including hard-to-find and cask ales.
- McGonigal's Mucky Duck 2425 Norfolk (Near Shepherd and US-59), 713-528-5999, theduck@mcgonigels.com, $4/pt. [21] Local bar, probably the best bet to find a variety of special and cask ales.
- The Outpost Tavern 18113 Egret Bay Blvd., (At NASA-1), 281-333-1235, OutPostFriends@ATT.net, [22] Dingy local bar with a colorful crowd, (inaccurately) portrayed as an astronaut hangout in movies like Space Cowboys and Rocketman (but no less worth the visit).
- BJ's Restaurant and Brewery 515 W. Bay Area Blvd., Webster, 281-316-3037, 11 am - 12 am MO-TH, 11 am - 1 am FR, $4/pt [23] A brewpub with several house brews and a variety of microbrews available.
Local Beer
- The Ginger Man, located in Rice Village, near Rice University, is the oldest pub in the Ginger Man family. Since 1985, The Ginger Man pub has been serving up great beer with great themed events, such as: Oktoberfest, Holiday beer tastings and live entertainment.
- The Saint Arnold Brewery, located in Houston, is billed as Texas' oldest microbrewery. Their brews are often sold in local bars. Very popular beers are the Texas Wheat, Oktoberfest (August through October), and Christmas Ale (November through December).
- BJ's Restaurant and Brewery has a location in Webster. Until recently, all their beer was brewed on site, but it is now subcontracted to the Saint Arnold Brewery. The Jeremiah Red, Tatonka Stout, and Berry Burst Cider are loved by locals. There are other locations in Houston including Bay Area Blvd. in Clear Lake.
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