13. Pearland

Though Pearland may not have a ton of standout restaurants , what it lacks in amount , it makes up for in quality , big time .   It plays home to Ronnie Killen ’s absolute human dynamo trio , which are help up arguably the best meat - centric menus in town . There’sKillen ’s Steakhouse , where you ’ll find melting - in - your - mouth USDA Prime and a must - have creamed corn;Killen ’s Burgers , where monster , succus - dripping patties sit alongside fry cheeseflower curds in a nod to Killen ’s sidekick , JJ Watt ; andKillen ’s Barbecue , where you ca n’t not get the dino - sized , expertly smoked gripe costa that you ’ll woolgather about ( and mayhap sense like ) for days . weather sheet on aGerman biergartenanddonut heavenand things are appear up for this vicinity .

12. Woodlands

If there was ever an satisfactory suburbia to move to for the dining - out scene , it ’d be the Woodlands . Hubbell & Hudson Bistrowas quite nice on its own , but when it tally anentire other restaurantwith an familiar , 25 - seat chef ’s table and invariably refresh eight - form sample experience , things get serious . Things are just as serious over atRobard ’s , the chophouse on a wooded recourse that bluster an in - family butchery and dry - senesce way ; andLevure Bakery & Patisserie , your go - to hold on for croque monsieur , petit fours , and pain atomic number 79 chocolat . Even in - the - eyelet spots likeAméricas , Local Pour ,   andCRISPknew it was a good idea to open up shop in the Woodlands . With an influx of new development and hotel , the ever - expanding neighbourhood is becoming unstoppable .

11. EaDo/East End

The unassuming E side of township is n’t all about tacos , except when it is . For morning aureole , you ’ll need to hit upVilla Arcos . Then there ’s the OGNinfa ’s on Navigation , show up tacos al carbon ( aka fajitas ) need nothing more than salt , Madagascar pepper , and a slather of soy to shine . OK , and maybe some treble - the - persuasiveness margaritas , lolly - made tortillas and stretchable queso fundido , too . Moving outside the Tex - Mex / Mex - Mex world , you ’ll recover amorning - to - night cafe , a craft beer yard withwild game frank and sloppy Cheech & Chong hamburger , a brewery with a killer solid food truck , and cheap as hellburgersandbánh mì .

10. Washington

It ’s strong to keep up with this constantly changing strip , but there are enough mainstays to garner it an official “ eating region ” designation . Starting with the one-time of the bunch , Stanton ’s City bit :   the resto has been griddling up the greasy clobber since 1961 , and it has been qualification its way ontobestburgerlistsever since . Moving along , gastropubs likeBeaver’sandMAX ’s Wine Diveare where you require to lunch , brunch , and Edvard Munch , andLaredo Taqueriais where you desire to line up for breakfast tacos starting at like , 6 am ( the line moves tight ) . Then there ’s relative newcomersNinja Ramen , B&B Butchers , and the come - shortly renascence ofKitchen 713 , which all examine Washington Ave ai n’t ready to give up just yet .

9. Rice Village

Do n’t let the parking sitch dissuade you from eating in this take ' strong-armer ( you’re able to always just admit defeat and pay off for the Arcade service department like we do ) ; it ’s worth every bit of momentaneous stress to feast on pork gyros and feta - brined chicken over Hellenic wines at the James Beard nom’dHelen Greek Food and Wine ; or to loiter over household - made pastas and Italian wines atCoppa Osteria . To get your sandwich fix , all - star lunch stopLocal Foodsis it , and for world - year delights , there ’s French bistro eat atCafé Rabelais , Turkish classic atIstanbull Grilland coastal fare atSud Italia . The only thing this ‘ hood does n’t have is anice cream shop dream up Willy Wonka - esque flavors like smoked corn and hazelnut tree - miso . Oh wait …

8. Greenway/Upper Kirby

This trendy shuffle - use ‘ hood is a bonafide destination for high - ending shopping , but it ’s the mellow ( and low)-end eat we care about . Start thing out with a morning thali atPondicheri , the Indian street nutrient and bakery concept that ’s so tasty , it spread a store in the Big Apple . When you need an good afternoon pick - me - up , spicy crawfish pho atLA Crawfish , margs and enchiladas atArnaldo Richards ’ Picos , fat bao atFat Bao , and one of the hands - downbest new burgers in the citywill keep you satisfied . For dinner , it ’s razor - crisp cuts of sashimi and juicy miso ramen atKata Robata , or an exuberant Naples - inspire fete at Houston institutionTony ’s .

7. Galleria/Uptown

Upscale adult box steakhouses likeDel Frisco’s , Morton ’s , andThe Palmline every nook and cranny of this shopping territorial dominion , though there ’s plenty of homegrown joints showing off Houston charm , too . There ’s coastal Mexican grub atCaracol , French three agency atLa mesa , and authentic New York - fashion deli sandwich that are bigger than your psyche atKenny & Ziggy ’s , for starter motor . Then there ’s the legitimately goodrestaurant inside Saks , afish marketplace and eating place with a “ seafood sommelier,”and a saucy new look from an old favorite , Café Annie . The ' hood is even about to have the first Houston location ofShake Shack , and perhaps more importantly , thefirst in - the - metropolis - limit offshootfrom Chef Ronnie Killen .

6. Midtown

Yes , Midtown is known for its severely - partying bar panorama . You ’d be surprised , however , that the restaurants lining the street go equally as unvoiced . you could eat around the cosmos on the Midtown superblock near Elgin , with oysters and seafood from the cryptical South atHolley ’s , all - you - can - eat gnocchi and PIE fresh from Italy atPiola , gamey tonkotsu and gyoza atJINYA Ramen , and fancy Gallic menu at the always elegantArtisans . Down the street , go for banana Foster and a Creole - studded everything at powerhouseBrennan ’s , and just a stone ’s throw away , you ’ll find all the banh mi you could inquire for in Little Vietnam , plus hotspotsReef , Ibiza , andthe breakfast klub . With sexy neophyte likeOporto Fooding House & Wine , Izakaya , Weights + Measures , andMidtown BBQ(because barbeque is aphrodisiac , too ) , it ’s time to start guess of Midtown as a culinary destination .

5. River Oaks

We ’re including the haute new River Oaks District as part of River Oaks ( because it ’s refer the damn River Oaks District , stop fighting it ) . Thanks to a self-coloured roster of eatery , with prominent gas includingSteak 48,Hopdoddy Burger Bar , Toulouse Cafe & Bar , Le Colonial , and the presently - to - open obtuse join tea parlour , Yauatcha , this already posh ‘ toughie just got a whole lot posher . Outside the district , things are just as hot . Backstreet Cafeis where you should be brunch ( preferably with aBloody Maryin hand ) , and bothBrasserie 19andState of Graceare the spots to see be ensure . Just make certain you wipe the huitre juice off your chin .

4. Chinatown

Driving through Chinatown is sort of like walk through a mall nutrient motor hotel . It ’s cartoon strip after strip of eatery waft smells to draw you in ( if only they could somehow throw free samples to your railroad car ) . The is where you ’ll find the city’sbest goddamn dim kernel , the hot Sichuan beef cattle and pot - roast Pisces , the most cleanly crispy Peking Duck , utterly beautiful , fat - rim chasu and perfect Hakata - trend noodles , addict Pakistani - spiced chicken , andAsian - Cajun crawfish DRIPPING IN GARLIC BUTTER . essentially , it ’s where you need to be .

3. Downtown

You ’d think Houston ’s epicentre would take the No . 1 spot . As it turns out , Houston has a whole good deal of epicenters ( that ’s urban sprawling for you ) . That ’s not to say Downtown does n’t have an excellent food scene . It does , and with therevamp of the Avenida de las Americasstrip , we only expect it to get better . For now , you could satiate your craving with everything fromFusion Taco’sglobally osculate taco andMKT Bar’sLebanese queso to Amerindic pies andBombay Pizza . That ’s a lot of nuclear fusion reaction , though there ’s also straight - up deliciousness in the shape of dry - of age bone - in boeuf atPappas Bros. Steakhouse , Vic & Anthony ’s , andIII Forks , treble - Thomas Dekker burgers atHubcap Grill , South African pub transportation atThe Springbok , the Texas trinity atJackson Street BBQ , and a biz - change tasting menu at the James Beard award - succeeder , Oxheartover in the Warehouse District . Or , if you prefer to spend the entire daylight underground , go down under atConservatory , a food hall and beer garden that hosts a crepe store , ramen prevention , BBQ sales booth , and a Greek cafe .

2. Heights

In the retiring few years , the Heights restaurant panorama has gone from “ yeah , it ’s reasonably upright , ” to “ hot damn , why did n’t I bribe a theater in the Heights five old age ago ? ” Treadsack has been run biz , withDown HouseandD&T Drive Innbeing joined by a few novel smasher , includingBernadine’s , Foreign Correspondents , Morningstar , andHunky Dory , where your pork chop and 40 oz côte de bœuf amount with mashed white potato AND Gallic Christopher Fry . The ‘ hood also make garden - to - table eateryColtivare , an offshoot ofPho Binh , southerly charmerSouthern Goods , VPN - certified Neapolitan pizza slingerCane Rosso , huggable donut shopHugs & Donuts , andArthur Ave , a Little Italy - esque Italian concept from the squad behind Helen Greek Food & Wine that will kindly make you the creamiest penne alla vodka you ’ve ever had ever . When new restaurants are pop up , like it or not , it ’s usually in the Heights .

1. Montrose

While Heights is sure gaining momentum , there are so many Brobdingnagian name restaurants in our No . 1 smear , it ’s almost not even a fairish combat . It seems like every restaurateur , sommelier , and chef that wants a James Beard nod get here to fend ground , including neighborhood favorites like interior Mexican stapleHugo’sfrom Chef Hugo Ortega , Chef Chris Shepherd ’s “ love letter to Houston,“Underbelly(and sister beer pub , The Hay Merchant ) , Chef Anita Jaisinghani ’s inspired Indian eatery , Indika , Houston - kissed Austin importUchi , andPass & Provisions , the dual - construct beauty from Chefs Seth Siegel - Gardner and Terrence Gallivan . Heavyweights likeDa MarcoandMockingbird Bistrocontinue to keep locals well fed , while jr. guns likeRoost , Pax Americana , andBCN Taste + Traditionkeep up the surface area ’s well - merit street cred . There are alsoburgers , barbecue , andtacos , because this is Houston and this is what ’s authoritative to us .

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The Hay Merchant

The Hay Merchant|Julie Soefer Photography

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Killen’s BBQ

Killen’s BBQ

Hubbell & Hudson Bistro

Hubbell & Hudson Bistro

The Original Ninfa’s on Navigation

The Original Ninfa’s on Navigation|COOPER + RICCA

B&B Butchers & Restaurant

B&B Butchers & Restaurant

Helen Greek Food and Wine

Helen Greek Food and Wine|Shannon O’Hara

Pondicheri

Pondicheri

La Table Houston

La Table Houston

Oporto Midtown

Oporto Midtown

State of Grace

State of Grace|Courtesy of State of Grace

Cajun Kitchen

Cajun Kitchen

Vic & Anthony’s Steakhouse

Vic & Anthony’s Steakhouse

Bernadine’s

Bernadine’s

The Hay Merchant

The Hay Merchant|Julie Soefer Photography