Restaurants >>

• Best Late-Night Restaurant (4 Comments)
  Spanish Flowers
  Generally speaking, anyone out at 4:30 a.m. is up to no good. Be they druggie, thief, insomniac or just seriously craving some queso, night owls can direct themselves to this eclectic Heights establishment. Spanish Flowers dishes up authentic Mexican cuisine for an impressively affordable price.... More >>
• Best Greasy Spoon (2 Comments)
  Poppa Burger
  Late-night gangsters, early morning landscapers and afternoon hangovers have all come to depend on Poppa's grease. Grease can be like a starter for sourdough bread: A little is carried over from the previous batch to increase flavor. Poppa must have, like, heirloom grease or something. There's... More >>
• Best Gay-Friendly Restaurant
  Baba Yega
  Many members of Houston's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered communities consider Baba Yega to be the heart of Montrose. Just a few feet away from hotspots JR's and The Mining Company, Baba Yega certainly sits in the middle of everything Montrose. But more than that, the restaurant has... More >>
• Best Family Restaurant
  Cavatore Italian Restaurant
  Cavatore's has been serving Houston families for generations. A warm, friendly staff, excellent food, reasonable prices and Michaelangelo on piano make this one of the most popular Italian restaurants in town. (Folks drive in from the suburbs to dine on Cavatore's scrumptious spaghetti and... More >>
• Best Drive-Thru Seafood
  Baytown Seafood
  Can't wait for your seafood? Then order ahead and use the drive-thru at Baytown Seafood. Here you'll find glorious gumbo, sensational shrimp (both grilled and fried), fresh oysters, catfish and red snapper, to mention but a few of the items on the extensive menu. Need a quick lunch? Try the... More >>
• Best Neighborhood Spot Outside the Loop
  Burn's BBQ
  Why would you pick a place where you can't actually sit down and eat? Because of the food, the people-watching and the atmosphere. Besides, there's always the trunk of your car or, for most people, take-out. And there's one or two picnic tables, too. Finding the place is difficult, because it's... More >>
• Best Middle Eastern Restaurant (2 Comments)
  Café Rita
  If you've ever wanted to eat in a Middle Eastern home, now you can: at Rita's. This small, one-of-a-kind neighborhood spot is owned and operated by the husband-and-wife team known to all as George and Rita, an elderly Armenian couple who are eager to display their natural hospitality as well as... More >>
• Best Chain (4 Comments)
  Chili's Grill and Bar
  Chili's is the kind of place where you can take anyone — grandma, fussy kids, your golfing buddies, a date. Okay, maybe not a date, but the menu is so wide and varied, and the food so predictable, there's something for everyone to enjoy. Chili's is a casual restaurant with a great bar. Or,... More >>
• Best Pre- or Post-Theater Restaurant
  Damian's
  One of the great things about dining at Damian's — in addition to the fact that it's one of the best Italian restaurants in town, with service to match — is its shuttle service. When you make a reservation, let them know you'll be attending the theater, symphony or any other show... More >>
• Best Filipino (1 Comment)
  Gold Ribbon Bake Shop
  Buffets can be a wonderful way to sample the cuisine of a particular country, especially if you're not familiar with it. At Gold Ribbon, names of dishes appear above each item on the buffet, which helps to identify the choices. White rice and fried rice anchor the buffet offerings, where you... More >>
• Best Brunch (3 Comments)
  Hugo's
  Forget nachos, tacos and Tex-Mex in general. At Hugo's, the brunch features regional Mexican cuisine at its finest. Set the scene with Bloody Marias or a pomegranate mimosa and enjoy the live music coming from the upstairs balcony before venturing to the elaborately decorated buffet. It contains... More >>
• Best Neighborhood Spot in Sugar Land (1 Comment)
  Amici
  Jeff Vallone is following in his father's footsteps with his new restaurant in the 'burbs. Now southwest suburbanites don't need to trek into town to enjoy the Vallones' legendary food and service. Whether it's on the expansive patio or in the nicely appointed dining room, you will enjoy fine... More >>
• Best Cheap Seafood Restaurant
  Captain Benny's Half Shell Oyster Bar
  Want to vary your fare from hardtack and salmagundi but don't want to reach too deep into your chest of doubloons? Climb aboard this old-school Houston survivor. Housed in what looks like a shrimp boat broken from its moorings and marooned on South Main, Captain Benny's serves raw oysters that... More >>
• Best Vietnamese Restaurant
  Kim Son
  If you turn your nose up at buffets, stop here. The newest Kim Son has over 150 feet of buffet space devoted to serious Asian food. It all centers on the "hot pot" concept, where a pan of steaming broth is placed on a personal hot plate situated on every table. To this broth you add any number... More >>
• Best Cuban Restaurant (3 Comments)
  La Vina
  If you're looking for atmosphere, don't go here. You will be disappointed in this hole in the wall, whose only wall decorations are pictures of Cuba. However, if you want simple, authentic, homemade Cuban food, and lots of it, you won't find any finer or any cheaper. Start out with mariquitas,... More >>
• Best South American Restaurant (2 Comments)
  Nelore
  Nelore is the name of Brazil's most famous breed of cattle, so it's no wonder that it's all about the meat here, and lots of it. Oh sure, there's a fabulous salad bar with copious amounts of smoked salmon, extra-large shrimp, huge asparagus stalks and Brazilian cheese puffs galore. But why... More >>
• Best Soul Food
  Soul on the Bayeaux
  At this small, colorful, converted old house, you're bound to get personalized service because there are but a few tables. Here, they churn out crispy catfish, glorious gumbo, sensational smothered pork chops and exciting étouffées, all of which will make you want to hug yo' mama... More >>
• Best Deli
  Kahn's Delicatessen
  Kahn's Deli is a Houston institution, and as you sit and wait for your sandwich you'll soon figure out why. This old-school deli in the Village makes one hell of an amazing Reuben sandwich, and almost everyone in line will be ordering the original or some variation of it. The rye bread is... More >>
• Best Expense Account Restaurant
  Tony's
  Everything about Tony's exudes class, and if you're entertaining an important client, you'll want everything to be executed flawlessly from the moment you arrive to the moment you leave. That's precisely what you'll get here. If you're into "over the top" and have a limitless expense account,... More >>
• Best Sommelier
  Andrea Lazar
  Andrea Lazar prefers the title of "beverage director" to sommelier, but whatever you call her, she has changed the way Houston drinks. Lazar is a firm believer in the naturalistic notion of terroir, and a champion of underappreciated wines. One page of her wine list is devoted entirely to... More >>
• Best Steakhouse (5 Comments)
  Bob's Steak & Chop House
  The wet-aged USDA Prime porterhouse here is one of the best steaks in the city. But it's the lack of snobbery that puts Bob's ahead of the steakhouse pack. The Houston Bob's is a clone of the original Bob's in Dallas, where the bar always seems to be crowded with flirty blonds and Bubbas in... More >>
• Best Vegetarian (1 Comment)
  Baba Yega
  The menu may not be strictly vegetarian, but most of the second page of Baba Yega's menu is devoted to meat-free fare. It's not all soy protein, either, although the veggie club, stacked with provolone and fake bacon and turkey, is one of the best choices. If actual vegetables are what you're... More >>
• Best Wine List
  Catalan Food & Wine Bar
  The best thing about Catalan's wine list is the prices. They aren't much higher than what you pay at a retail store. But good luck finding most of these rare, highly allocated wines at the local bottle shop. Charles Clark and Grant Cooper from Ibiza, former Brennan's chef and sommelier Chris... More >>
• Best Burger Joint (2 Comments)
  Armadillo Palace
  The walls are covered with buffalo heads, cowboy memorabilia and giant photos of Jim Goode's chuck-wagon cooking team. The live music comes from Texas singer/songwriters, and the ice-cold draft comes in frozen cannonball schooners. The bar stools are shaped like saddles, and the bartenders spin... More >>
• Best Comeback (1 Comment)
  Armandos
  The new Armandos is even better than the original. That's because it's been reincarnated in the former location of the River Oaks Grill. What a place to dunk tortilla chips in chili con queso! The walls are elegantly paneled, the doorways are set off by lavish carved arches and the main dining... More >>
• Best Atmosphere
  Brennan's of Houston
  Brennan's of Houston calls its cuisine "Texas Creole," and seldom do you find a cooking style and a restaurant atmosphere so perfectly in sync. When people walk into the old mansion on Smith Street, they look at the dark wooden bar and the magnificent brick courtyard outside and remark, "It... More >>
• Best Restaurant (1 Comment)
  Da Marco
  Year after year, meal after meal, plate after plate, no chef in Houston is as consistently brilliant as Marco Wiles. Try his velvety eggplant soup with a bruschetta crouton, his meaty braised duck ravioli served in a pile of wild mushrooms or his simple shaved celery salad topped with a slice of... More >>
• Best Chinese Restaurant
  Fung's Kitchen
  There's lots to choose from on the 400-item menu, but don't confuse this with your average Chinese take-out joint. Chef and owner Hoi Fung comes from a long line of Hong Kong chefs. He is also a pillar of the Houston Asian community. When visiting Asian royalty comes to Houston, they eat at... More >>
• Best Indian Restaurant (5 Comments)
  Indika
  Hidebound types sputter and fume, "That's not Indian food!" when confronted with Indika's innovative cooking. There's no chicken tikka masala here. But they do have foie gras with fig preserves and trout stuffed with nuts. If this isn't what you usually think of as Indian food, then it's time to... More >>
• Best Taco Truck
  Jarro Cafe
  The bistek taco and the cochinita pibil taco at the Jarro taco trailer are transcendental. After the cook in the Jarro uniform passes your taco through the window, the real fun begins. On the stainless-steel counter that runs along the front of the trailer, there are assorted salsas and... More >>
• Best Persian (1 Comment)
  Kasra Persian Grill
  It's the intensity of the flavors that sets Kasra apart. Take Kasra's khorake bademjan, a long-cooked lamb shank, for instance. The meat falls apart at the touch of a fork, but it's the tart sour grape and tomato sauce with the gooey eggplant slices that makes it shine. Even the rice is amazing.... More >>
• Best Tex-Mex (2 Comments)
  La Fiesta Mexican Restaurant
  There's a Schlitz beer poster with a photo of a caballero in a huge sombrero astride his horse hanging above La Fiesta's front door. (When was the last time you saw a Schlitz ad?) And then there's a mural of a Mexican village on the back wall. The original La Fiesta at Katy Freeway and Bunker... More >>
• Best Dry Restaurant (6 Comments)
  Dry Creek
  Sure, you can't drink here — but beer and wine will only fill you up, and you want to have plenty of room for all the delicious menu items at Dry Creek. Try a flavored limeade instead of a mixed drink as you dip into their fried goodies, tasty ­burgers and a great salad (order it with... More >>
• Best Taqueria (1 Comment)
  Matamoros Meat Market #4
  Matamoros Meat Market used to sell the best carnitas and barbacoa in the city, but you could only get them by the pound to go. Then they added the taqueria a few years ago, so now you can get your barbacoa or carnitas on a taco and then sit down and eat it. The dining area consists of six high... More >>
• Best Mexican
  Mexico's Deli Tortas & Tacos
  Mexico's Deli on Dairy Ashford is a humble little eatery with walk-up counter service and exceptional food. The tacos al pastor are made with marinated pork and bits of pineapple carved from a trompo (a cone of meat on a vertical roaster) on display beside the grill. The tangy pork is served on... More >>
• Best Bistro
  Mockingbird Bistro
  After an up-and-down career in the fine-dining arena, Chef John Sheely has found a home in the more relaxed bistro category. Mockingbird Bistro is a perfect example of what a bistro is supposed to be — a place that's both comfortable enough to get a beer and a burger while dressed in blue... More >>
• Best New Restaurant (1 Comment)
  Reef
  Chef Bryan Caswell, formerly of Bank by Jean Georges in the Hotel Icon, has struck out on his own with this hip new eatery in Midtown. The seafood is not only local, it's unique. Where else can you get triple tail and croaker? Dishes like crispy-skinned snapper and pompano a la plancha are... More >>
• Best Barbecue Restaurant (9 Comments)
  Pizzitola's Bar-B-Cue
  Originally known as Shepherd Drive Barbecue, this is the restaurant where the legendary John Davis once presided as owner and pit boss. When John Davis died in 1983, the current owner, Jerry Pizzitola, bought the place from the Davis family so he could preserve it. The old-fashioned pit burns... More >>
• Best Neighborhood Spot in Galveston
  Sonny's Place
  This quintessential neighborhood hangout is a longtime favorite of island folk. Larry Puccetti has been tending bar at Sonny's Place for 30 years. His dad, Lawrence "Junior" Puccetti, has been there almost 60 years. He inherited the place from his father Lawrence "Pappa" Puccetti, who opened the... More >>
• Best Italian Restaurant (2 Comments)
  Damian's Cucina Italiana
  This time-honored Tuscan-style restaurant has been purring along for decades, turning out classic Italian cuisine. The grilled seasonal vegetables are a favorite appetizer, and there's a wide variety of antipasti. The pasta with seafood in cream sauce is stellar, and the veal chops are... More >>
• Best Service (1 Comment)
  Oceanaire Seafood Room
  The restaurant is designed to resemble an art deco ocean liner, and the pampering service fits right into the theme. The staff is extremely well-trained. They know the oyster list and can explain the differences among every variety of fish on the menu. The waiter will select a white or black... More >>
• Best Seafood Restaurant (2 Comments)
  Jimmy Wilson's
  Try a cup of the dark brown crawfish bisque — you couldn't finish a whole bowl. The flavor of Lafayette, Louisiana, lingers on in Houston at Jimmy Wilson's. Denis Wilson and his partner Jimmy Jard swapped first and last names to rechristen the old Denis's Seafood on Westheimer. It's either... More >>
• Best Greek Restaurant (1 Comment)
  Biba's One's a Meal Restaurant
  There's so much more to Biba's than the food — the retro-trash decor, for instance, and the fact that it's open 24 hours. Sometimes, when you're drunkenly stumbling across the street from Cecil's and you just have to have a delicious gyro, it's nice to know that someone's got your back.... More >>
• Best Bang for the Buck
  Kim Hung Market
  In the corner of the Kim Hung Market is a gem of a to-go counter filled with Asian-style barbecue ribs, fried rice and pig stomach. Really, you could feed an entire village for about 18 bucks! The deals here include an entire roasted duck for $12 or the barbecue lunch special, which includes... More >>
• Best Breakfast (3 Comments)
  New York Coffee Shop
  The location next door to New York Bagels, the best bagel bakery in town, gives this New York-style coffee shop a major advantage over other breakfast venues — if you like bagels. These bagels at New York Coffee Shop aren't just fresh, they're hot out of the oven. And they come in such... More >>
• Best Wine Bar Food
  Cova Hand-Selected Wines
  Cova is one of many wine bars that have quickly populated the Houston bar scene over the last couple of years. What sets it apart is the food. Cova's menu is always fresh, inventive and delicious. In addition to the typical cheese-and-meat plates that other wine bars offer, Cova's seasonal menu... More >>
• Best Thai Restaurant (7 Comments)
  Kanomwan
  Kanomwan has a cult following that speaks for itself. Sometimes the people who eat here communicate with each other using menu item numbers like a secret code. They also insist that the owner puts an addictive substance in the food that keeps them coming back at least once a week. There's a... More >>
• Best Korean Restaurant
  Seoul House
  Seoul House is the laid-back little brother of the huge cook-your-own-food Korean restaurants that populate Spring Branch and parts of Bellaire Chinatown. It's less of an ordeal to eat here (they cook the food for you and, consequently, you don't walk out smelling like a short rib), and the food... More >>
• Best Comfort Food (1 Comment)
  Mama's Oven
  Comfort food can be a lot of things to a lot of different people, depending on their childhood. However, if your idea of familiar fare is oxtail, rice, cornbread, macaroni and cheese with sweetened ice tea, then welcome to Mama's Oven. A hole-in-the-strip-mall kinda place, Mama's offers meat and... More >>
• Best Tapas
  Oporto Cafe
  If you're looking for a swanky wine bar that'll impress a date, Oporto is your place. The tapas here aren't snacks; they're huge. There's nothing better to nibble on while quaffing a glass of wine than the "Oportobello." It's a marinated portobello mushroom topped with spinach and artichoke... More >>
• Best Neighborhood Spot Downtown
  The Flying Saucer
  Ask any downtown dweller where you can get a cold beer and a sandwich at any time of the day or week, and they will tell you The Flying Saucer. Said dweller may or may not mention the waitresses in short skirts, the wide selection of beer, the tasty bar food and the fact that it's open late on... More >>
• Best Neighborhood Spot in Bellaire (2 Comments)
  Yia Yia's Roadster Grill
  The Roadster is a family-owned burger joint with a Greek twist. ("Yia Yia" is Greek for "granny.") A lot of times, hybrid restaurants fall flat on one side of the equation or the other — think of all those barbecue/burger joints with great burgers but lame 'cue. Not the Roadster; not only... More >>