A curated set of standout tables and local favorites.
Local favorites & classics
Xochi. Downtown · Oaxacan Mexican — Chef Hugo Ortega's award-winning restaurant inside the Marriott Marquis celebrates the culinary richness of Oaxaca with house-made moles, toasted grasshoppers, heirloom…
The Original Ninfa's on Navigation. East End / Navigation Boulevard · Tex-Mex — Widely credited as the birthplace of the fajita, Mama Ninfa Laurenzo's 1973 original on Navigation Boulevard is a Houston institution. The tacos al carbon…
Crawfish & Noodles. Bellaire / Asiatown · Viet-Cajun — The restaurant credited with pioneering Houston's signature Viet-Cajun style since 2008, serving buttery-garlicky boiled crawfish seasoned with lemongrass, Cajun…
Hugo's. Montrose · Regional Mexican — Chef Hugo Ortega's flagship Montrose restaurant — open since 2002 — dives deep into Mexico's regional cooking traditions with moles, cochinita pibil, and an acclaimed…
Truth BBQ. Washington Avenue / Heights · Texas barbecue — Pitmaster Leonard Botello IV's Houston outpost earns consistent top rankings from Texas Monthly for its long-smoked brisket, brown-sugar bacon, and…
Theodore Rex. Midtown / East End · French-inspired modern American — A tiny 28-seat Bib Gourmand restaurant from chef Justin Yu that earns outsized national attention for its precise, seasonally driven cooking —…
Taste of Texas. 10505 Katy Fwy · 4.7★ (11,035 reviews)
La Fisheria. 213 Milam St · 4.8★ (4,934 reviews)
Fine dining & Michelin
March. Montrose · Mediterranean tasting menu — Houston's Michelin-starred restaurant from chef Felipe Riccio offers a rotating 6- or 9-course tasting menu dedicated to a different Mediterranean region each…
Pinkerton's Barbecue. Houston Heights · Central Texas barbecue — Pitmaster Grant Pinkerton's flagship Heights location earns both Michelin recognition and Texas Monthly acclaim for its post-oak- and mesquite-smoked prime…
Nancy's Hustle. EaDo (East Downtown) · Eclectic bistro and wine bar — A Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient with a devoted local following for its cultured butter bread service, bone marrow fries, and inventive shared…
Mala Sichuan Bistro. Bellaire / Asiatown · Sichuan Chinese — A Michelin-recognized Sichuan restaurant that has anchored Houston's Asiatown since 2011, celebrated for its dry-pot fish, dan dan noodles, and numbing-spicy…