Restaurants >>

• Best Restaurant in the Tunnels
  Panini
  If you think good tunnel food is an impossibility, and if you think the only stuff you can find down there is doled out by chain fast-food eateries, stop by Panini for a pleasant lunchtime surprise. Homemade soups. Freshly baked pizzas. Wonderful salads. Terrific sandwiches (we particularly like... More >>
• Best Restaurant for Lunch
  Ouisie's Table
  Many will say this category is too broad. Do we mean best power lunch? Best place for ladies who lunch? Best place for a quick bite -- alone? How about all of the above? No longer a tiny cafe in an old house, Ouisie's has moved to more upscale digs, where it offers Southern comfort in a rustic... More >>
• Best Hunk o' Meat
  Capital Grille
  If you like your meat well hung -- gastronomically speaking, that is -- you'll love the dry-aged, certified Angus porterhouse steak ($30) at the Capital Grille. The dry-aging process takes place in an environment where the temperature, humidity and airflow are controlled. The meat cures for up... More >>
• Best Cajun Restaurant
  Floyd's Cajun Kitchen
  The low-slung white building with its spreading porch housing Floyd's Cajun Kitchen almost looks like a home you might find in South Louisiana. Inside, the aromas of food definitely put you in Cajun Country. The five-page menu covers everything from crawfish boulettes (crawfish stuffing rolled... More >>
• Best Indian Restaurant
  Bombay Brasserie
  With its dark wood furniture, abundant greenery and well-stocked bar, Bombay Brasserie exudes a glory-days-of-the-British Empire sort of elegance. The $9.95 lunch buffet is one of the best samplings of Indian food we've seen. The long line of chafing dishes reveals one excellently prepared... More >>
• Best Latin Grill
  Elvia's Latin Grill and Bar
  At this time last year, Charles Clark was making an impressive name for himself as head chef at Tasca Kitchen and Wine Bar. These days Clark heads up the kitchen at the new downtown Elvia's, where he proves he is a master of many culinary disciplines. The killer bee menu includes grilled sea... More >>
• Best Tex-Mex Restaurant
  Felix Mexican Restaurant
  With south-of-the-border fare having gone gourmet, Felix is often dismissed by highbrow naysayers. They forget that it's the good old-fashioned grease factor that makes true Tex-Mex. It's in abundance here, although it's a little sad to see the disclaimer: "We cook with cottonseed oil only!"... More >>
• Best Drive-thru Breakfast
  Kolache Factory
  There's nothing quite like rolling through the drive-thru around 7:30 a.m. at the Kolache Factory, the morning sun in your eyes and the mouthwatering prospect of imminent kolaches teasing your palate. Even better, should you have a spare moment, step in just as a warm batch of sausage-and-cheese... More >>
• Best Late-Night Spot
  Mai's Restaurant
  All the bars are closed, there's no life on the streets, but you and your friends aren't ready to trundle home. Plus, you're all starving. Usually late-night fare is limited to those 24-hour egg-and-bacon places or the drive-thru lane at a fast-food joint. But you want real food. Mai's... More >>
• Best Neighborhood Spot in the Village Area
  The Raven Grill
  Don't be too quick to quoth "Nevermore," upon a first visit to The Raven Grill. This tribute to Edgar Allan Poe's famous poem and the nearby elementary school bearing his name has taken flight as a neighborhood haunt. The flock of fans may be due to the trendy industrial decor with the huge... More >>
• Best New Restaurant
  Amazon Grill
  Nuevo Latino gets funky at this new outlet for Michael Cordúa’s cooking, located in the back of a shopping mall in the Galleria area. At his nearby fine-dining restaurant, Américas, Cordúa uses traditional South American and Central American dishes as jumping-off points for exciting upscale... More >>
• Best Un-Diner
  Fox Diner, 905 Taft, (713)523-5369
  If you're looking for a chicken-fried steak covered in cream gravy with a strawberry shake on the side to wash it down, this is not the place for you. And you won't find the sparkly blue vinyl booths or garish neon signs that good old Americans have come to expect at the local diner. No,... More >>
• Best Chef's Table
  Rainbow Lodge, 1 Birdsall, (713)861-8666
  Some restaurants feature a table, generally in the kitchen, where you can experience the hustle and bustle of the back room firsthand. Others feature small intimate rooms or cozy nooks for a private get-together, away from the common folk. All of this, in an effort to make the dining experience... More >>
• Best Restaurant to Impress a Date
  La Colombe d'Or
  Start out at the intimate bar, then move on to the elegant and sumptuous dining room, where you'll experience not only first-class classical French cuisine but service to match. If the evening is going well, and you're feeling lucky, upstairs rooms with names like Renoir and Cezanne go for $195... More >>
• Best Alfresco Dining
  Backstreet Cafe
  Nestled between La Griglia on West Gray and Tila's on Shepherd, amid a sea of lofts that are sprouting like weeds, you'll find a quiet oasis on the patio of the Backstreet Cafe. Flowers are plentiful and always in bloom, and there's plenty of shade from a huge oak tree, although umbrellas cover... More >>
• Best Chinese Restaurant
  Hunan's
  It doesn't attract much attention to itself in the large strip center in the 3800 block of Bellaire, but Hunan's food is worth coming back to -- again and again. Go before you're really hungry. You'll need the extra time to wade through the eight-page menu in the understated but elegant... More >>
• Best Italian Restaurant
  Osteria d'Aldo
  In a city proud of Texas-size portions, the waitstaff at Osteria d'Aldo still feels obliged to explain to patrons that the serving sizes are like Italian tapas -- we prefer to call them civilized. And with such manageable portions, one can do a multicourse Italian meal just as the good Lord... More >>
• Best Middle Eastern Restaurant
  Cedars Mediterranean Cafe
  We're always happy to walk into Cedars, see that splendid buffet line and remember how very little it's going to cost us to dine royally. For meat lovers, there's terrific roast lamb served up simply with just its natural juices, or a nice piece of red snapper with tahini sauce. But as with most... More >>
• Best Pizzeria
  Star Pizza
  Americans spent more money last year on pizzas than they did on computers and software combined, or so says an industry trade group. At any rate, pizza is one subject about which nearly every American can be counted on to have an opinion. Why Star Pizza? It is not a chain, a "concept" or theme... More >>
• Best Thai Restaurant
  Taste of Thai
  Taste of Thai is one of those restaurants whose whole is far greater than the sum of its parts. Sure, the food is wonderful, whether it's the soups, the angel wings, the roast duck curry with pineapple and tomato, the chef's special duck, the pad thai (last year's Best of Houston winner) or the... More >>
• Best Drive-thru Eatery
  Miyagi Bowl
  From the looks of all the new drive-thrus dominating roadway vistas, this car-crazy city craves speed -- in food as much as commute times. What's been missing is obvious: variety. Menu boards may have expanded, but the basic choices seem so limited. How many ways can a chicken or cow or codfish... More >>
• Best Deli
  Kenny & Ziggy's
  Until recently, Houston lacked an authentic New York-style deli, despite the size of its Jewish community and a natural customer base (a million people who like eating giant heaps of meat in one sitting). Sure, we had our share of fine sandwich shops or bagel joints, but nothing that combined... More >>
• Best Family Restaurant
  Tokyohana
  The current Asian invasion has revived a classic form of entertainment: the Japanese steak house. Family groups, especially those covering a wide age span, are the perfect audience for the sleight of hand of Tokyohana's master table chefs. Though elitists may find the show a little cheesy,... More >>
• Best Neighborhood Spot in West University
  Edloe St. Cafe & Deli, 6119 Edloe, (713)666-4302
  With its rows of tract mansions and commercial urban sprawl, it's easy to forget about West U's quaint town square. Anchored by the Little League field and surrounded by the school, the grocery store, the library and the courthouse is the Edloe St. Cafe & Deli. There, in the cramped but cozy... More >>
• Best Service
  La Griglia
  It should come as no surprise that a Vallone Group restaurant would claim the coveted prize of best service. Tony Vallone, the patriarch of Houston's most elite dining dynasty, has instilled this work ethic in all his progeny, who provide a horde of servers, from captains to busboys, to surround... More >>
• Best Value
  La Vista
  The regulars lined up outside this tiny sidewalk cafe don't want the secret to get out, but too bad. La Vista is too good to keep quiet. Not only are aptly prepared modern American, Italian and even south-of-the-border dishes offered at a fraction of what they could be, but this is also a BYOB... More >>
• Best Comfort Food
  59 Diner
  Solace and comfort can be found in the chicken pot pie from the 59 Diner, but be sure to bring a healthy appetite, since the serving is substantial. As you break through the crispy biscuit crust, allowing the steam to dissipate, you'll reach plenty of chunks of white chicken meat along with... More >>
• Best Kids' Meal Toys
  Mission Burritos
  Day care has left you broke, but still you have your pride. You hate the fluorescent-lit, Formica-table fast-food experience. You don't want the kids to eat rubbery deep-fried poultry by-products. And please, no more of those offensive, licensed-character-du-jour Happy Meal toys. What you need... More >>
• Best Vegetarian Restaurant (1 Comment)
  Madras Pavilion
  Unless they have chosen a vegetarian way of life, some people won't let anything green cross their lips. An easy way to see some of the magnificent things that can be done with vegetables is at the lunch buffet ($6.95 weekdays, $8.95 weekends) at Madras Pavilion. This vegetarian-only South... More >>
• Best Cuban Restaurant
  Cafe Piquet
  Waiters with white shirts and black mustaches, wonderful photos and memorabilia of Cuba, and an air of quiet sophistication make Cafe Piquet the No. 1 choice for Cuban dining in Houston. The buttery black beans and gooey sweet bronze plantains are perfect, and the Cuban sandwiches are... More >>
• Best Japanese Restaurant
  Kaneyama Japanese Restaurant
  The difficult truth is this: Most native Japanese never, ever have a chance to dine in a truly great Japanese restaurant, of the sort one finds in Kyoto and a few other locations in Japan. The classic kai-seki-ryori dinner is an aesthetic experience that even the most decorated of Michelin... More >>
• Best Place to Indulge Anglophilia
  The Black Labrador
  This redoubt of vintage Britannia is dead-on in every sense but two: The pub grub is not the slightest bit grubby, and the pints are cold. Shepherd's pie, beef Wellington, fish and chips, and West Highland cheese soup are but a few of the outstanding victuals. The steamed mussels would draw an... More >>
• Best Vietnamese Restaurant
  Nga's
  Houston has the best Vietnamese restaurants in the country -- the problem is picking one. We like Nga's, a little unassuming joint with a friendly atmosphere and a hip clientele. There are all kinds of discoveries on this menu, but the waiter tells us the most popular thing to order is No. 123,... More >>
• Best Sit-Down Breakfast
  Goode Co. Texas Burgers & Taqueria
  A weekend breakfast at Goode Co. is a manly meal, but the women like it, too. After all, some mornings call for some serious sustenance, and this place answers with its own call of the wild. Thrillseekers rustle up the Buck Fever, which is venison sausage and eggs. Also paired with the breakfast... More >>
• Best Neighborhood Spot in Bellaire
  Auntie Pasto's
  Sinatra's music bellows through this quaint corner cafe featuring floor-to-ceiling windows and Chianti in diner juice glasses. Such a place easily could be found in the Little Italy section of New York, but this bistro overlooks Bellaire's Paseo Park and its newly reconstructed Trolley Pavilion.... More >>
• Best Neighborhood Spot Outside the Loop
  Barcelona
  Yes, Virginia, there is a great restaurant outside the Loop (way, way outside the loop, to be precise). It's in Katy, its name is Barcelona, and it is a truly excellent Spanish restaurant. Gracious service, charming atmosphere and the best Spanish food this side of -- well, maybe not the... More >>
• Best Atmosphere
  The Mercantile
  Atmosphere is a deeply subjective thing. What may delight Zippy the Pinhead could depress Bug-Eyed Earl. Or vice versa on a different day. Additionally, Houston tends to celebrate the shiny and new and to destroy the mellow and old, where atmosphere has had time to develop. Thus, the recent... More >>
• Best Cheap Lunch
  Cahill's on Durham
  Cahill's owner Martin "Cahill" Hammer honed his chops down the road at Kenneally's Irish Pub, where he was a bartender and chef. Now that he has had his own place for a few years, Hammer has taken a page out of Kenneally's steak night by having a Wednesday steak lunch: a ten-ounce New York strip... More >>
• Best Place to Eat When You Can't Decide What You Want
  Super Steak & More
  When you're with a large number of people, or have the kids in tow, and nobody can decide exactly what they feel like eating, our suggestion is Super Steak & More. Sure, there are steaks on the menu, but where else in Houston can you get (all at the same place) chili dogs, cheese steaks and... More >>
• Best Restaurant Playground
  Joe's Crab Shack
  Yes, your kids like those giant plastic Habitrails that loom over every fast-food burger joint. But wouldn't the little rowdies like a real playground even better? One that's outdoors? One with sand, shovels and buckets? One where they can keep their shoes on? Joe's Crab Shack has thought of all... More >>
• Best Barbecue Joint
  Pizzitola's
  This is one of the oldest barbecue joints in the city. When legendary pit boss John Davis founded the place in the early 1930s, it was called Shepherd Drive Bar-B-Q. Davis's secret recipe for zingy sauce died with him, but the business, including the original pit, was sold to Jerry Pizzitola,... More >>
• Best Greek Restaurant
  Mykonos Island Restaurant
  Opa! You can't go wrong ordering Greek food at Mykonos. The only thing the restaurant doesn't have is crashing plates. The traditional dishes of this long-standing mom-and-pop eatery are all top-notch. Start with the skordalia, a blend of garlic, potato, olive oil and lemon for $4.50. This... More >>
• Best Korean Restaurant
  Seoul Garden
  Someone has written a comment in ballpoint pen on Seoul Garden's menu: "Yum!" It's right beside the thinly sliced, marinated beef ($12.95). They might as well have gone down the entire menu, writing the same comment. Other favorites in the barbecue section of the menu are the beef ribs ($14.95)... More >>
• Best Taqueria
  Gorditas Aguascalientes
  There are so many fabulous little taco places in Houston, it is difficult to single one out. And so we picked a fabulous big taco place instead. Gorditas Aguascalientes makes antojitos of all kinds, not just tacos. The fresh masa huaraches and gorditas are real stand-outs. And the soups are... More >>
• Best Restaurant
  Mark's American Cuisine
  If ever there was a "temple of cuisine," this cutting-edge American restaurant located in a former church must be it. There are stars painted above the former altar, and the bar runs where the communion rail used to be. Here, in this Montrose church-turned-restaurant, an un-solemn congregation... More >>
• Best Hole-in-the-Wall Burger Joint
  Someburger Hamburger Stands
  This is a no-frills experience all the way. These two little Heights-area huts have been around forever and, despite occasional turnover in staff, continue to serve up the best greasy burgers in town. You can either walk up or phone in your order. Most people get their food to go, as there's no... More >>
• Best Neighborhood Spot in Montrose
  Baba Yega
  This cozy cafe, named after a Slavic witch, has been a favorite for locals ever since Montrose became the capital of the bohemian culture. Now, the homey converted bungalow -- with patio seating and a lush herb garden, complete with trilling birds -- serves Houston's largest gay population, as... More >>
• Best Diner
  Avalon Diner II
  Given that the historic Avalon Drug Co. and Diner is more authentic -- even if it, too, is in a newer spot -- many Houstonians consider it blasphemous to name the also-ran as the best diner. After all, what says "diner" more than screaming fry cooks and surly, seasoned waitresses? Well, let's... More >>
• Best Cafeteria
  Cleburne Cafeteria
  Sure, the local institution that once sported a retro, school-cafeteria feel has given way to the neotraditional design trend of West University Place. But the food is still good, and the company is even better. Cafeteria standards like roast beef, chicken-fried steak and a really tasty piece of... More >>