Every six months or so, I list my ten favorite Houston restaurants. Those are the restaurants that I consider Houston's finest. But many of them are too pricey for me to eat there very often.
So where do I eat the rest of the time? This is a list of the restaurants where I eat at least four times a year. They may not all serve Houston's finest cuisine, but are my favorites for their combination of convenience, value, and quality.
Breakfast
59 Diner - nostalgia breakfast on Shepard at 59
Texas Cafeteria - blue collar breakfast in the Heights; good cafeteria lunch too
Breakfast Klub - soul food breakfast in Midtown, best grits in town
Lunch
La Jaliescience - wonderful cheap tacqueria in the Heights; not many gringos eat there; my favorite salsa in Houston
Teotihuacan - the best Mexican food north of I-10
Merida - Yucatanean food on Navigation
Berryhill Hot Tamales - prices are too high for what you get, but the original fish taco remains one of my favorite lunches
Taco Milagro - upscale River Oaks tacqueria -- I don't go for the food; I go for the salsa bar
Les Givrals - since the Original Givral's closed, this joint has midtown's best Bahn Mi sandwiches
Chinese Cafe - Richmond near 610 - some of the best cheap Chinese in town; wonderful steamed tilapia dishes
Bamboo House - Despite the overly-trendy pan-Asian menu at this Montrose restaurant, it serves simple dishes that are cooked with care
Pepper Tree Cafe - unusual vegetarian buffet in the Greenway Plaza area
Tapioca Express - my 8-year-old daughter loves this Hong Kong-style tapioca tea / fast food sushi cafe in West U
Shade - the best restaurant in the Heights; the best soups in Houston
Paulie's - quasi-Italian cafe on Westheimer; a hang out for ladies who lunch; great wasabi tuna sandwich and pasta with Italian sausage
Lankford Grocery - burger joint in a garage in Montrose; my favorite burger in Houston
Biba's / One's a Meal / Greek Village - A restaurant with many names, they make my favorite Greek salad, plus a lot of other good diner food
Ko-mart: strange Korean food court in Spring Branch
Dinner - BYOB restaurants
I frequent restuarants where I can bring wine. My favorites are:
Cafe Mezza - on Westheimer, possibly my favorite mid-priced restaurant in Houston; although it feels like a cheesy chain, the chef is a genius at bringing a new twist to standard American and Middle Eastern dishes
Mint Cafe - very good basic Middle Eastern food
Ruggles Cafe - Cafe in the Village with decent salads, good sandwiches, great desserts
Colinas - good, cheap red-checkered-tablecloth style American/Italian food
Dinner - not BYOB
When I go out for a nice dinner, I like variety. So I do not tend to go to the same restaurants frequently. Still, there are a few restaurants that I keep returning to for dinner:
Benjy's - Rice Village restaurant with my favorite salads in Houston, unusual pizzas, occasionally brilliant entrees
Backstreet Cafe - River Oaks restaurant with a seasonal American menu a bistro feel, and a great wine list
Kubo's - my favorite Japanese food in Houston; my family eats there at least twice a month
El Meson - a Rice Village restaurant with good Spanish tapas and Cuban dishes, fantastic Spanish wine list
Pico's - located in Bellaire, Pico's is my favorite Mexican restaurant anywhere, with some great standard menu items and innovative nightly specials
Houston's - it is painful to admit that I like this soulless Atlanta-based chain, but they have a smart small wine list (which often has hard-to-find Turley Zinfandels), plus some really good grilled food, and my favorite pork chop anywhere
I wish I went more often:
Fung's Kitchen - best Chinese food that I have had in Houston, but my wife does not like it
Indika - brilliant Indian fusion, bu reservations can be difficult to get
Dolce Vita Pizzaria Enoteca - we would go to this great Montrose pizzaria once a week, except that they don't take reservations and the wait for a table is often over an hour
Le Mistral - often I think this French bistro might be my favorite Houston restaurant; if only it were not outside Beltway 8
La Sani - A Pakistani restaurant with intense spices and dishes like curried goat. It is too bad that I have such a hard time getting anyone else to travel out 59 South with me to eat curried goat
I no longer live in Houston, but I miss the restaurants greatly. I take great pleasure reading your great blog. Keep up the good work and nothing can replace the Lankford Grocery.
ReplyDeleteAmen for Le Mistral. It's our hidden treasure out here on the west side.
ReplyDeleteYou should really give Blue Nile a try sometime, too. I'd be interested to see if it would make it onto your list.
La Sani is great! They have lunch buffet(T-F) for you curious folks to sample things. Most items r spicy so request some plain yogurt to add to your food. Desert there is very authentic. Mango lassi to drink is good but can b pricy. I think they r closed on Mon.
ReplyDelete