The 10 best places to eat in Houston right now

The Houston dining scene mirrors its urban sprawl: ever-expanding. Visitors are often surprised by the range of traditional restaurants of cultures around the world serving authentic plates that haven’t been watered down in flavor or spice to suit a mild American palate. 

While you can expect world-class BBQ and Tex-Mex, some of the dishes that will stay with you long after you visit are the fusion foods made from a mashup of ingredients from immigrant cultures, traditional Mexican and smokehouse cooking methods, and fresh Gulf seafood, all melting together in the fourth-largest US city. Wherever you go, bring a toothpick. Dishes here are as likely to stick in your teeth and guts as they are in your heart. Here’s where to find the best traditional and fusion food in Houston.

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1. Hear the sizzle of fajitas at Pappasito’s Cantina 

The crackle and smoke of Pappasito’s fajitas hit your senses long before arriving tableside at this over-40-year-old Tex-Mex staple. Pappasito’s didn’t originate tacos al carbon (fajitas) in Houston (the original Ninfa’s on Navigation did), but they make them the best. Fajitas were traditionally prepared with skirt steak for vaquieros (Mexican cowboys). Order the beef option in their honor. The plate includes guacamole, frijoles a la charra (stewed pinto beans) and freshly made tortillas, cooked in the tortilla oven just steps away from the bar where diners sip massive margaritas.

Part of the Pappas family’s fourth-generation Houston restaurant dynasty, the original Pappasito’s is located on Richmond and Hillcroft Aves.

Make it happen: Go on Wednesdays after 4pm when shared fajita plates are discounted.

2. Delve into the Mexican traditions of maize and pan dulce at Casaema

Casaema’s three founders honor their ancestral roots by doing exciting things with heirloom corn, bread and coffee at this Heights cafe and bakery. The maize goes through nixtamalization to increase both its nutrients and flavor, as evidenced by the taco de zanahoria (the blue corn carrot taco).

Their baking program, which has qualified them as both a James Beard finalist and a Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient, produces conchas and guava donuts. However, it’s the horchata berlinesa (a sweet corn-tasting brioche Berliner filled with horchata cream) that should be your first bite.

Make it happen: There’s usually a long line, but it moves quickly. Come as early as you can; the most famous pastries tend to sell out fast.

3. Dunk a beef pho kolache in sriracha at Koffeteria

Kolaches, the savory pastries that Czech immigrants brought to Texas in the 1800s, are usually made with sausage or bacon. However, Koffeteria, the American-South-East-Asian fusion bakery in East Downtown, combines a medley of cultures in theirs by stuffing pho-style stewed beef into milk rolls. When combined with the hoisin and sriracha on the side, the creation becomes sweet and tangy, tasting fresher than the typical kolache. Though a two-time James Beard Award semifinalist, Koffeteria feels approachable. The outside looks industrial-chic, but the inside is filled with sunlight and cozy, slightly mismatched chairs.

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Make it happen: Reserve your pastries in advance, as they can sell out quickly. Koffeteria has three free parking spots in front.

4. Nourish your soul with the fried chicken and waffle at Breakfast Klub

The all-day breakfast is as famous as the perennial line around the block of this soul food spot. Located in Midtown, the Breakfast Klub has consistently served some of the city’s best fried chicken since 2001, attracting area college students, construction workers, local politicians and even Beyoncé. The Breakfast Klub has two signature dishes: “katfish” and grits, and chicken and a waffle. The Belgian waffle, lightly dusted with powdered sugar and slices of strawberry, arrives framed by six fried wings – so crispy, juicy and well-seasoned, you won’t even need sauce.

Make it happen: Waiting in line is almost guaranteed here, but the kitchen moves fast. Orders typically only take around 10 minutes once placed.

5. Make your tongue go numb with Mala’s Sichuan street food snacks

China’s numbing berry 花椒 (or peppercorn if you want to get technical) is the key ingredient at Mala Sichuan Bistro: from the sauce of the dan dan noodles with their spiced pork and fermented greens to the oil of the red oil dumplings filled with ground garlic and pork. Started by a native of Sichuan (a province known for some of China’s spiciest food) in Bellaire’s Chinatown, it’s now expanded to five locations in Houston and has been named a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant.

Make it happen: Go with a group to eat family-style to try more dishes.

6. Transport yourself in time with Luby’s LuAnn platter

Houston has a long lineage of cafeterias (Greek-leaning Cleburne Cafeteria and Lebanese-leaning Fadi’s Mediterranean Grill), and nary a Houstonian doesn’t know (and maybe secretly love) Luby’s. Luby’s isn’t sexy and tends to favor a more senior clientele, but it offers some of the city’s finest southern homestyle cooking. Here, lunch lady-esque servers dole out baked haddock almondine with tangy tartar sauce, carrot and raisin salads, and green beans cooked in bacon grease. All can be sampled via the value meal, the LuAnn platter, which gives you a choice of a main, two sides and a roll.

Make it happen: Grab your tray when you walk in, tell the staff which food you want as you pass it and pay at the cash register before eating.

7. Taste the mashup of world flavors in the sides and glazes of Blood Bros. BBQ

The three friends who started Blood Bros. BBQ grew up in Alief, one of the most ethnically diverse areas of Houston, and it shows in their grilling. The sides, sauces and glazes highlight the communities that make Houston what it is in all its melting pot glory, pulling from Caribbean, Mediterranean and Korean influences. Menu items will feel familiar yet new to barbecue buffs: creamed corn and coleslaw with jalapeño, ribs glazed with gochujang and peach habanero pork belly burnt ends.

Make it happen: Come before 6pm for the regular menu, or go after 6pm Thursday through Saturday for Happy “Nhau”-er, when even more experimental dishes are served.

8. Scoop up succulent tibs at Bahel Ethiopian Food Mart

Founded by sibling Ethiopian refugees, Bahel Ethiopian Food Mart is a restaurant focused on community (Houston City Council just recognized their work with the current refugee population), as much as it is a place to eat in community – the portions are enormous. Order from the tibs (Ethiopian stir-fry) portion of the menu. Solid choices are the lega tibs (beef cubes sautéed with rosemary and jalapeño) and the awaze tibs, made with lamb and pepper, eaten by using Ethiopian flatbread, injera, to scoop up the meat.

Make it happen: Ethiopian food is traditionally eaten with your hands and not silverware, but cutlery is available, if needed.

9. Warm yourself with the boat noodles of Sao Lao Thai Café

At this small counter-service restaurant on Houston’s Northside, food is part Thai and part Laotian, just like the owner and noodle innovator Souli Phaduangdet. While Houston has other Thai restaurants, it’s only at Sao Lao Thai Café where you’ll find Phaduangdet’s version of boat noodles, the soup sold from boats in Thailand. It took her years to master and is a complex concoction of 40 ingredients – including beef broth simmered up to 10 hours in pig’s blood, a healthy amount of rice noodles, ribeye steak, Asian kale and bean sprouts. Wash it down with a Thai iced tea or BYOB.

Make it happen: Come when Sao Lao opens at 11am to ensure you get a bowl.

10. Savor seasonal ingredients at farm-to-table restaurant Season’s Harvest

Houston can be difficult to eat healthily in, especially if you’re looking for organic options. Self-proclaimed “backyard to table restaurant” Season’s Harvest is doing its part to change that. Many of its ingredients are grown in the onsite farm where goats, chickens and curious patrons roam. The menu changes with the seasons here, but organic chicken breakfast and grass-fed Wagyu beef are bound to pop up. Vegan and vegetarian options are available, usually in the form of hearty soups and smoothies.

Make it happen: Season’s Harvest is in Cypress, meaning it could take an hour to reach it if you’re coming from central Houston.