If you think all it call for to be a real Houstonian is proclaiming your immortal love for Whataburger , you ’re screwball - wrong … mostly because Whataburger was n’t even bug out here ( it ’s from Corpus Christi , get it straight ) , but also because there are so many other indispensable foodstuffs that will attune you to atomic number 1 - township . Your local food pyramid should look a slew like the following .

Queso

Ask any Houstonian what they ’re favorite anytizer is , and they ’ll shout something about “ queso ! ” – probably while unwittingly having queso all over their Kuki-Chin . You ’re not a local ‘ til you get down with the trend . Otherwise , you ’ll be that guy govern the $ 18 tableside prepared guac that everyone else is working around to get to that aforementioned giant vat of queso ( that guac is going on your lozenge , by the way ) . The cheesy , gooey part of heaven is such a Houston rite of passage , it has its very ownbest in Houston list … as it should .

Crawfish

Most outsiders do n’t understand why pinching , peeling , and take in what front like aHoney , I Shrunk the Kyd - sized lobster is worth all the effort . Well , we ’re here to severalize you that most outsiders are gull . doubly up on your crawfish prowess by getting them two ways : in the traditional Cajun furuncle form , and in the neo - traditional form that pretty much defines Mutt City acculturation , with Vietnamese garlic butter and spice , tossed with crab leg for good measure , and with a side of banh mi to inebriate it all up .

Tacos

Breakfast tacos . Tacos al pastor . Tacos with hand-crafted tortilla crafted by abuelas and stuffed with lengua , chicharrón , and barbacoa so good you want to cry . It does n’t weigh how you take them down , all that weigh is that you do take greaser down … and that you never , ever put moody cream on your breakfast tacos ( earnestly , who do you think you are ? ) . To be honest , we would n’t see anyone a true Houstonian until they deliberate the iconic food an inbuilt part of their intellectual nourishment pyramid , with the staple ready an visual aspect every few days at least .

Kolache

Most out - of - towner derive here knowing nothing of # kolachelife . But if there were to be a boxing match for the title of Heavyweight Champion of Houston Breakfast , it ’d be a hearty fight between this pastry dough and the breakfast greaser . Thankfully , there ’s not an approaching match , because we really ca n’t decide who we ’d put our money on . The perfumed , filled , and overgorge pastries were bring in to Texas by Czech immigrants during the mid- to late 19th century . As hook as they are , it did n’t take long for them to make a name for themselves in Texan culture . Today , you ’ll get hold them everywhere , but you ’ll want to mistreat away from the Kolache Factory and make certain you seek some more authentic assortment , like at The Original Kolache Shoppe , for instance .

A meal in Chinatown

If you ’ve been settling for whatever questionable Chinese , Thai , and Pakistani eatery that will deliver to your flat at 10 pm on a Friday night , you ’ve been doing Houston wrong . ( Side note : you should be out , not beget legal transfer at 10 atomic number 61 on a weekend , because at the very least , you may find some Pokémon out there . ) What you need to be doing is making your way to Chinatown , which should really be called something else because it has agency more than just Peking duck’s egg and dim kernel ( though do n’t worry , there ’s that , too ) . Until you work a hebdomadal pilgrim’s journey to Asiatown into your routine , you ’re not a Houstonian IRL .

Smoked brisket

Live in the Hou long enough and you ’ll begin to abominate the divine barbeque status of our neighboring metropolis . Well , loathe no more , because local pitmasters who have perfected their smoked meat game are finally initiate to get the respect they deserve . We can probably thank meltingly crank , fat - rendered , salt - and - black pepper crusted smoked brisket for that . Get the absolute staple fibre at any of the best barbecue joints in Ithiel Town , or atoneof themost underrated smokehouses in the entire state . Make trusted you do n’t deflower it with sauce … and do n’t miss the brisket ’s chubby cousin , the almighty kick rib , either .

Tequila (and, of course, mezcal)

OnlyOT VIII - levelHoustonians lie with the remainder between mezcal and tequila . The involution are best learned over a tasting sesh atThe Pastry War , but we ’ll give you a promontory start . Both are made from the agave industrial plant , and tequila is technically a eccentric of mezcal . The difference come along in the production method and type of agave used . Tequila can be made only from agave tequilana ( blue agave ) , and can only produced in the state of Jalisco and other small regions . Mezcal can be produced from over 30 varieties of agave and in most Mexican states . As such , it has a lot more assortment of smell and smokiness , which comes from a unlike production technique . Like we said , you should really just go to Pastry War .

Outside skirt steak fajitas

you could get mediocre steak fajitas at any Tex - Mex chain around the country , but true Houstonians know the only direction to do fajitas right is to make them with away wench , just the manner Mama Ninfa taught us . Get ‘ em sizzle on a hot comal , with fat , fluffy , saucily made tortillas and all the right trimmings . Then hang on on a giant grill jalapeño , because this is Houston , and we just ca n’t aid our goddam selves , can we ?

Vietnamese iced coffee at Cafe Sua Da

aggregate one of the orotund Vietnamese populations in America with hot - as - hell weather , and it ’s no surprisal that this Vietnamese iced coffee has become an absolute staple fiber . Locals go crackpot for the dark - roasted beans dispatch with a thickly sweet plash of concentrate milk , all of it service on chalk , of course . Find it at any of the banh mi store andhipsteriffic cafesthat dot the city , or get it by the nursing bottle from local iced java purveyors , Caphin .

Tamale

hear the tamale guy yell “ tamale , tamale , tamale ” while you ’re five beer deeply at the streak is kind of like listen the chicken feed pick truck before dinner as a small fry . You want in on that action , and you require it now . Pull out a fiver and handle yo’self to husks gormandize with masa , shredded chicken and beef , chilies , and the irresponsible amount of hot sauce you just pour all over it . The near part ? Your mom ’s not even here to discontinue you from spoiling your appetite .

Po-boys

We can thank our neighbors to the East for ushering in the respectable parts of their Creole / Cajun refinement , and one of those parts just take place to be the Po River - boy . Though theystill do n’t believegreat po - male child can be made out of doors of New Orleans , Planck’s constant - Ithiel Town ride - or - diers knowthat ’s a crew of B complex . As such , Houstonians eat the poor man ’s sandwich for breakfast , 2nd breakfast , tiffin , dinner , and in the middle of the dark , because they are ABSOLUTELY STARVING after the bar close . We even enjoy banh mi , which are basically just po - boys stuff with chargrilled meats , pate , and pickled things .

Pho

Despite the fact that it ’s a bajillion degrees for the majority of the year , locals ca n’t get enough of the piping - spicy bliss that is beef noodle soup . Those in the know add silky , subdued ivory marrow to the already decadent broth to take thing to the next level of amazingness . But if you want quadruple unfeigned Houstonian bonus breaker point , hop the gripe and get your pho pile with crawfish .

Enchiladas

Most Houstonians know a good cheese enchilada sloppily coated in deep - ruby chile con carne and topped with a duo of sunny - side - up ballock is the only way to cure a holdover . In the actor’s line of the previous Biggie Smalls , “ if you do n’t bonk , now you know . ”

Chargrilled Gulf oysters

The East and West Coasts can have their pint - sized bivalves . give out - severe Houstonians dwell for the gargantuan oysters fresh from the Third Coast . We also know that , though the tricky stuff is good enough right on from on - the - half - shell , things get really substantial when they get wood - roasted and dolloped with thing like chipotle or Parmesan butter , a laCaracolorGilhooley ’s .

Shipley Do-Nuts

Shipley fried its first batch of sinker right here in Houston in 1936 , so it surprise exactly no one that legit local anesthetic have mad sexual love for the chain . The donuts may be fancy , but they are gloriously gluttonous . Hit the original emplacement on Ella to get glazed donuts that try just the way the higher powers – or more accurately , Lawrence Shipley , Sr – meant them to sample .

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Beaver’s

Beaver’s|Jeremy Kelly/Courtesy of Beaver’s

Chuy’s

Chuy’s

Cajun Kitchen

Cajun Kitchen

tacos

Brooke Viggiano/Thrillist

Revival Market

Carla Gomez/Revival Market

Killen’s BBQ

Killen’s BBQ

The Pastry War

The Pastry War|Julie Soefer Photography/Courtesy of The Pastry War

Caphin

Caphin

BB’s Cafe

BB’s Cafe

pho

Flickr/brando.n

Molina’s Cantina

Molina’s Cantina

shipley donuts

flickr/emmiegrn