My Table magazine

Inside My Table #51 | Excerpt

100 Great Things About Houston Restaurants

We asked, and you told us. From a classic Spanish paella in Katy to waterside dining in Seabrook, local restaurants inspire—choose all that apply—passion, gratitude, devotion, pining and appetite in their customers. Here are 100 of the things our readers (and some of our regular contributors, too) told us make Houston restaurants great.

  1. Epicure French Bakery & Tea Room on West Gray is my office away from home. It’s great for a breakfast (but not before 8:30 am) because it is very quiet in the morning, and attractive. A server will bring your breakfast to the table and then leave you alone for as long as you like. And they bring the tea in a pot, not a cup.—Susan Lieberman
  2. The postcards that they give you when you go to Floridita. You write the message and a name and address and the restaurant does the mailing.—Stephanie Gusmeri
  3. At Lankford Grocery & Market, the cheeseburgers are so messy each table gets a role of paper towels.—Shelby Watson
  4. If you walk into Eatzi’s when the fresh bread is coming out of the oven, the baker will tear off a piece and let you taste it.—Jamie Mabile
  5. The abundant xeriscape garden in front of A Moveable Feast. With its stock-tank water garden and miniature windmill, it’s fun for little kids to explore.—Jesse Reynolds
  6. At the 59 Diner, the waitress leaves the steel blender cup with your leftover chocolate shake on your table.—Paula Murphy
  7. If you think the only truly outstanding foie gras in Houston followed La Réserve chef Mercer Mohr right out of town, you haven’t been to Quattro yet.—Robyn Tinsley
  8. The main deal for me is service. I absolutely love it when I am remembered. (What’s not to remember about the loud girl who talks and eats a lot?) Here are five of my favorite Houston places with great service.—Joanie Filippone
  9. I love that my husband and I can go in Tony’s Mexican Restaurant on Ella Blvd. and not even be through the door when a waiter/waitress will bring us a Dos XX and a frozen margarita no salt. Maria, the bartender, sees us coming. And Rigo knows I always want one chalupa con todo; my friend Lori calls it the Joanie Special.
  10. We eat at China Garden almost every Sunday with my in-laws. I love that we go in—usually seven of us—and sit at the same table, and Frank knows that there should be six waters—one water with a straw in it for my mother in law—and one iced tea for me. He knows we want sizzling rice soup for seven and eggrolls right away. And if Marian is there (she still calls me the new bride three and a half years later), you get a shoulder rub. You also get to hear the latest fishing report from Richard.
  11. My in-laws go to Mark’s American Cuisine every Thursday for lunch. The bartender knows: martinis with special vodka and a tray with olives (because my father-in-law loves olives) and onions (because my mother-in-law loves onions).
  12. The deliveryman for Hunan on Post Oak Blvd. knows we like extra hot chili oil. He always appears at our door step saying, “You like it hot!”

    At Ninfa’s on Navigation, the waitress Katy is the greatest, friendly to all. Not a soul goes in there that she doesn’t know. She remembers if I go with my brother, we need a pitcher of margaritas; if I go with my in-laws, she should probably ask before bringing a pitcher.
  13. The bread basket at La Griglia. The assorted goodies usually include crusty breads, flatbread and warm soft breadsticks.—Robyn Tinsley
  14. Helen at Demeris Barbecue on Shepherd knows my boys would rather eat hamburgers than barbecue. She lets me call in their burger orders when we are on the way to the restaurant so their dinners are ready at the same time as ours. We all love their real fresh-cut French fries. Why can’t everyone fry fresh potatoes?—Amy Williams
  15. I used to think the best French fries were at McDonalds or Goode Co. Hamburgers & Taqueria until I tried the pomme frites that come with the outstanding mussels in white wine at Montrose Cafe.—Susan Lieberman
  16. Complimentary pâté served at Rotisserie for Beef & Bird.—William Davis
  17. The way chef Hugo Ortega (Backstreet Cafe, Hugo’s) crosses the legs on his quail. They’re too cute.—Stephanie Gusmeri
  18. At Patrenella’s on Jackson Hill, chef Andrea greets our group with a big hello and always has us laughing and feeling welcome as soon as we walk in the door. Once we sit down to eat, it only gets better. I hate to single out one specific dish because everything he makes is so good. But if someone was holding a gun to my head and made me tell them what my favorite dish was, it would have to be his tortellini al panna. But if you’re going to Patrenella’s for the first time, definitely go family style and have chef Andrea cook you up some of his favorite dishes. You won’t be disappointed. My Italian mother wasn’t, and that says a lot.—Julie Coan
  19. I really like the way
    at the Last Concert Cafe,
    when you order a soft drink,
    it arrives with a “clink”
    and your straw never wobbles
    because they serve Coca-Cola in bottles.—Graham Gemoets
  20. At Chapultepec Mexican Restaurant I can get my cheese enchiladas fix 24/7—and a Spanish language lesson with each order.—Dick Dace
  21. I love those eateries where the owner seems always to be present. He may be the chef or general manager, but if he is filled with personality like the ones below, it makes for a really fine food-and-people experience. I’m convinced that the food always tastes better at these joints! Here are some of the bosses and places where I am treated like family.
    Ed Gavrila at New York Bagel & Coffee Shop * Asaf Kofli at Hungry’s in Rice Village * Frankie B. Mandola at Frankie B. Mandola’s Steaks & Burgers * Scott Chen at Scott’s Cellar * Demitrios Fetokakis at Niko Nikos * Frixos Hrisinis at Mykonos Island * John Marion Carrabba at Piatto * Ziggy Gruber at Kenny & Ziggy’s * Vincent Mandola at Nino’s and next door at Vincent’s and Grappino di Nino * Mickey Kapoor at Khyber North Indian Grill * Chris Mannery at Bayou City Seafood ?N Pasta * Paco Vargas at Rudy & Paco in Galveston
    I’m probably leaving out a bunch, but you get the idea.—Ted Powers
  22. Jalapeño cheesebread at Goode Co. Barbeque. Order it in a sandwich with chopped brisket.—Steve Bottoms
  23. Maggiano’s lasagna is just like you wish you could make at home. But why bother, when you can purchase it by the pan? Your guests will never know the difference.—Robyn Tinsley
  24. Weirdly chewy but delicious cheese bread at Fogo de Chão.—Carla Simpson
  25. The tortillas at La Mexicana always taste so fresh and light. If we wrap them around eggs, potatoes and ham and eat them on the un-chic but appealingly tacky patio under the thatched roof, the day is off to a good start.—Susan Lieberman
  26. I love the bean burgers at Mama’s Cafe. They start with a hamburger and then add refried beans and Fritos. Sounds terrible, tastes great. Everyone I’ve introduced to bean burgers loves them.—William Davis
  27. Arcodoro’s unusual Sardinian dishes.—Frances Lucas
  28. It’s like walking into a time machine at Ducho’s Steak House—they have not changed one thing from the original décor of 1970. Everything is orange and brown. All the food, even most of the salad dressings, are handmade. There are pictures of a much-younger Marvin Zindler and the owner on the wall and Houston Chronicle reviews of the place from, like, 1984.—M. Yvonne Taylor
  29. I love taking out-of-town guests to a place like Rainbow Lodge and watch their preconceptions about Houston being a concrete wasteland crumble to pieces.—Doug Thompson
  30. Biscuits and sausage gravy for breakfast at Fountain View Cafe.—Cynthia Anderson
  31. Ben Berryhill at Cafe Annie. When I’m feeling swell, I let him design the menu and Paul Roberts choose the wine.—Jesse Reynolds
  32. Doyle’s on West 34th Street has been in business almost 50 years. And the owner, who must be at least 80, still goes to the farmer’s market in the Heights every week to choose produce for the restaurant.—M. Yvonne Taylor
  33. Pesce has a bar scene that actually leaves you feeling better instead of worse. Great cosmopolitans and wines by the glass.—Robyn Tinsley
  34. At the new Los Tonyos Cantina, they make the guacamole fresh tableside, which means I can have all the onions and lime juice I want in my custom-made-to-my-taste guacamole.—Dick Dace
  35. Five minutes from our house is first-rate Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Flemish, French, English, Argentinean, American of every variety and more I’m sure I’ve forgotten. That kind of variety is a joy.—Susan Lieberman
  36. I can call Otilia’s from the car while traveling to her restaurant on Long Point, and she will have her special sangria ready when I arrive.—Chris Tripoli
  37. “Thank you” to the bars that keep their beer mugs in the freezer. When you pour in the beer, a thin skin of ice floats on top. It’s hard to top that refreshment on a Saturday afternoon in July.—Ron Henderson
  38. There are so many great restaurants around Clear Lake and Kemah. For example, at the Sundance Grill you can relax with a margarita, enjoy fresh seafood and watch the boats glide by as the sun sets.—Randy McCrea
  39. My kids like the little umbrellas and swizzle sticks in the drinks at Mikado Japanese Grill.—Tony Biancrosso
  40. Fadi’s Mediterranean has the best hummus and warm pita bread in town.—Ron Henderson
  41. Spinach and corn tamales at Berryhill Tamales & Tacos.—Chris Tripoli
  42. The Vietnamese sandwiches called banh mi at Givral’s. They are made with pork, pâté, pickled carrots and the best baguettes I’ve ever tasted.—Leslie Painter
  43. My husband thinks the greatest thing about Houston restaurants is that you can great food and great service without a tie.—Susan Lieberman
  44. I would like to swim in that big ol’ seafood martini at Pesce.—Joanie Filippone
  45. Greenbriar Chophouse brings five little containers of their different signature steak sauces so you don’t have to guess which one you like.—Rex John
  46. Hidden in the Mellie Esperson Building tunnel is one of the most promising restaurant operations I have encountered. Luchi and Jose Figueroa arrived here from Mexico a couple of years ago and bought an existing barbecue restaurant in the Esperson tunnel. They are young, brilliant, hard-working and they absolutely glow. When I met them, I told them that I thought they had to use their names on their business because their personalities are so much a part of it ... so they put “Luchi and Joey’s” on both the tunnel barbecue restaurant and their new line of Frontier Cocina BBQ sauces, which are now on the shelves of Whole Foods.—Kathy Heard
  47. Chef cards—like baseball cards, but with Houston chefs and recipes on them—that are given away at Central Market.—Janet Wright
  48. The Korean restaurants in Spring Branch where there’s a grill built into the middle of the table and you cook your own meat.—Anne Franken
  49. We love the chili cheese fries with bacon at Frankie B. Mandola’s Steaks & Burgers. They’re so-o-o-o bad for you. But once a year, we indulge.—Tony Biancrosso
  50. When the heat index is 110 degrees and it’s been an awful day at work, the secret fix is the Avalon Diner’s truly divine chocolate ice cream soda with vanilla ice cream. Not too sweet, with rich ice cream spilling over the side of the glass.—Susan Lieberman
  51. My favorite thing about Pico’s (besides the food) is the mariachis. They aren’t too loud and right in your ear like some places. They don’t stand there and stare at you like, “Don’t you wanna give me a song to play so I can take your dollars?” And, they play great songs like “Malaguena” and “Paloma Blanca.”—Joanie Filippone
  52. Best quick comfort food meal when you don’t feel like cooking: grilled salmon, the world’s best mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach from Whole Foods Cafe.—Robyn Tinsley
  53. Michael Cordúa always lets me have free extra cookies with my coffee at Américas.—Chris Tripoli
  54. I like at Capital Grille, when you order a martini, they bring it in a mini-shaker and shake and pour at your table. It’s absolutely as cold as it can be.—Ron Henderson
  55. What could be more Tex-Asian than the first-rate Chinese dumplings at Kam’s that come with rice vinegar, oil, soy sauce and chopped jalapeños.—Susan Lieberman
  56. In Katy, Barcelona Restaurant’s signature dish, Paella Barcelona, uses only hand-selected ingredients and requires 24-hours advance notice so the chef can shop. The dish must be made for at least two people, but it can be made in large paella pans for up to 20 people. The paella pan is brought to the table where it is served to each guest.—Rex John
  57. Thank you, Houston, for these fun spots where we can get great food and service and be together as a family. Lupe Tortilla’s, and not just for the sandpit. Our kids love the fajitas. We love the margaritas and even the wait for a table. It’s like date-night without having to hire the baby-sitter. We actually have great conversations on the edge of the playground for 45 straight minutes. When is the last time that happened? (Of course, that’s between yelling, “Don’t hit Sterling with a shovel!”)—Courtnay and Mark Elias
  58. Katz’s Deli is perfect: a great Jewish deli open after church. It makes the perfect Sunday brunch spot. One of the waiters even balances the kids’ milkshakes on top of his head as he parades to the table. Now that’s entertainment.—Courtnay and Mark Elias
  59. Avalon Drugstore … need I say more? Except having your kids in tow is a great excuse to order your own burger, fries, shake and real vanilla Coke.—Courtnay and Mark Elias
  60. The Flying Pig has the same owners as Skeeter’s Mesquite Grill without the crowd of baseball and soccer teams. Fun family dining, the right number of gumball machines in the “pig pen” and plenty of pizza dough to decorate.—Courtnay and Mark Elias
  61. Carrabba’s has the best bunch of waiters in the city. Our family tradition is to take baby here for first-ever restaurant visit after the newborn two-week check-up. They like kids (even screaming babies) and give them a great time, even making special cherry Sprites. Our five-year-old Brooks has been on a first-name basis with Jose at the Voss location for two years now. Our kids have grown-up here. —Courtnay and Mark Elias
  62. Paulie’s at Driscoll and Westheimer belongs on the list of favorite neighborhood eateries, and my favorite on the menu is the shrimp BLT and those heavenly shortbread cookies decorated for the season. They make a great cheer-up gift for a friend—or for yourself.—Susan Lieberman
  63. White chocolate concord cake, available by special order only at Dessert Gallery, is a dreamy layering of white chocolate mousse and meringue that will make you blush.—Robyn Tinsley
  64. The best crawfish on the planet are at the Ragin’ Cajun on Richmond.—Chris Tripoli
  65. St. Pete’s Dancing Marlin reminds me a bit of similar spots in New Orleans with some of the same type off-the-wall characters. They have the freshest oysters, and John Zotos’ tea-smoked tuna is different and delicious.—Sandra Lawson
  66. California Pizza Kitchen’s staff all wear name tags that includes their home towns. It sure is a conversation-starter.—Shirley Barr
  67. Spindletop, Houston’s only revolving rooftop restaurants, makes one complete revolution every 45 minutes. What a view!—Anna Charles
  68. Goode Co. Hamburgers & Taqueria may have good Mexican food. I wouldn’t know because I am always seduced by the hamburger with chili on top. (But if you don’t want it medium, be sure to tell them.) The burger is juicy and right off the grill, and the chili, spilling out the sides, is the perfect finish.—Susan Lieberman
  69. Dynamite maki at Miyako. It’s sort of the “mystery meat” of sushi rolls. Strangely mysterious, oddly comforting, definitely addictive.—Robyn Tinsley
  70. Brenda at Avalon Drugstore always says, “What can I do you for?”—Nancy Beck
  71. Steak tartare—so unfashionable and nutritionally incorrect—is outstanding at Aries. Just don’t tell the food police.—Samatha Rogers
  72. The owner at Kanomwan on Telephone Road is kind of the Thai version of the “soup Nazi” on Seinfeld. “You eat now—closing in five minutes.” Could I make a substitution? “No, you eat what’s on menu.” Let’s see, I think I would like the chicken basil. “You order by number.” Make him smile, and you know he has just been playing with you all the time. This is the greatest Thai food in town. But get there early, because he will close on you. Hint: Give him a pen or company hat, and you’re in.—Joanie Filippone
  73. At Kobe, sushi chefs Ben and Allen always make us a little freebie of broiled salmon skin strips (my brother calls it “salmon bacon”) and vinegary cucumber.—Taylor Dodge
  74. Ming’s Cafe on Westheimer and Fairview is definitely short on ambiance, right down to the paper plates. But their chicken curry is an outstanding take-out, especially if you call ahead and don’t have to wait.—Susan Lieberman
  75. Sunday brunch at Ashiana.—Jon Randall
  76. Get your year-round truffle fix—risotto with mushrooms and white truffle oil—at Ibiza.—Robyn Tinsley
  77. Traditional Irish music at McGonigel’s Mucky Duck.—Taylor Dodge
  78. One time at Anthony’s my escort and I ordered softshell crabs. The kitchen ran out of them and sent us a complimentary appetizer while the chef sent someone over to Tony’s for more softshell crabs. We in Houston owe Tony Vallone a lot. He raised the bar on restaurants in Houston, and every restaurant owner that I’ve ever talked to acknowledges his huge contribution to Houston dining.—Sandra Lawson
  79. It’s finally getting cool enough again to sit outside at lunch at Crapitto’s. A seafood salad and glass of white wine under those beautiful live oaks—to me this is what Houston dining is about.—Samatha Rogers
  80. The French House’s cucumber soup and chicken salad.—Paulette Howard
  81. Kim Son has the freshest, most healthful food. It’s always good.—Tony Biancrosso
  82. Classic hamburgers, the way you like ‘em, served wrapped in white paper at Southwell’s Hamburger Grill.—William Davis
  83. I love all those Mexican vendors who sell food from their carts and panel trucks: the roasted-corn guy outside Fiesta, the bicyclist selling ice cream treats over in Spring Branch, the woman who goes around to the various construction sites and sells her homemade tacos and sodas from the back of a truck. I’ve seen housewives in Memorial come out of their homes to stand in line with the roofing crew to buy her food.—Jon Randall
  84. Vietnamese coffee at Mekong River (formerly Dalat). It’s a mess to pour and mix, but worth it.—Robyn Tinsley
  85. I know there are lots of good bakeries in Houston, but the breakfast pastries at Andre’s Pastry Shop & Cafe are almost worth an extra hour on the treadmill. They are not sweet, but light and rich and very French.—Susan Lieberman
  86. Taste of Texas gives a tour of their restaurant with all its nutty Texana to hundreds of area fourth-graders every year. And then owner Nina Hendee treats them to lunch.—Taylor Dodge
  87. At This Is It! soul food restaurant, the server sizes you up and determines what portions you can handle. This has happened more than once. I’ve taken clients there and, say, if it’s a guy, she’ll give him a huge portion and two biscuits. I would order the same thing and get a much daintier portion. Don’t get me wrong, it’s plenty of food (whatever they decide you need). I think they’re all mothers and know what you need. I’ve even had them give me another vegetable for good measure. They said, “Here, honey, you need this.”—Shelby Watson
  88. Taco Milagro’s salsa bar and their plaza overlooking Kirby Drive. Very relaxing setting to people-watch and sip margaritas.—Beverly Long
  89. I like it when new restaurants that don’t yet have their liquor license offer you a glass of wine or beer on the house anyway. This happened to us most recently at the Empire Turkish Grill.—Jim Adams
  90. Pierogi, just like the ones we used to eat at New York’s Leshko’s restaurant back in the ‘70s, at Janina’s, the Polish restaurant.—Pete Wright
  91. The desserts at the Aquarium are garnished with wafers in the shapes of fish, sharks and other underwater creatures.—Jami Mabile
  92. You can get breakfast all day at the Buffalo Grille on Woodway.—Taylor Dodge
  93. Truluck’s menu is available in a variety of languages besides English, including Japanese, French, Spanish, Dutch and Braille.—Paula Murphy
  94. Boulevard Bistrot’s daily blackboard lunch specials are always inventive and delicious. And they seem to rarely repeat, which keeps me coming back to see what chef Monica Pope will come up with next.—Robyn Tinsley
  95. For a cheapo dive, Chacho’s has the best margarita in town.—Linda Hester
  96. When we need something to eat before an early movie on the weekend but not enough to spoil our appetites for dinner afterward, we like to get the big bowl of wonton soup at Canton Seafood at Richmond and Kirby and split it. It’s filled with light, fat wontons, vegetables and bits of chicken.—Susan Lieberman
  97. I love the mixed nuts at the bar in the Lancaster Hotel. Not just peanuts, but buttery cashews, Brazil nuts and pecans. They ease the effects made by lunchtime’s third martini sloshing around in my empty stomach.—Graham Gemoets
  98. You can get the best meal in town for the money at Luby’s.—Denise James
  99. Side-by-side sweetheart seating at Hugo’s—Paula Murphy
  100. The folks at Thai Cottage in Bellaire know I usually order a glass of a certain brand of Chardonnay after I sit down and they bring me a menu, so they have shortened my waiting time. We have a code when I walk in the door: They greet me as I enter, their eyebrows raised in inquiry. If I give them a nod, they hustle over with the Chardonnay—and their usual smile—when they bring the menu.—Carol Rust
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