Dishes & Drinks >>

• Best Mussels
  Farrago For a complete Farrago mussel experience, lean over the large bowl of steaming shells and inhale the broth when the dish comes to your table. If you close your eyes, you'll be transported to an exotic locale. Open them, and you'll find yourself at the bright little spot in Midtown that... More >>
• Best Pho
  Pho Nguyen There's a whole lot of slurping going on at Pho Nguyen, where $4.50 gets you a regular-sized bowl of the heartwarming Vietnamese beef noodle soup known as pho. Don't be put off by the ingredients of the 16 or so different kinds of soup available. Tripe, soft tendon and fat brisket... More >>
• Best Sushi
  Kubo's Japanese Restaurant Chef Kubo was the best sushi man in Houston. Unfortunately, he left town several years ago, but he trained his replacement, chef Hori, very well. The new sushi master is doing an admirable job of filling Kubo's sandals. There's always something interesting on the... More >>
• Best Salsa
  Jarro Cafe Houston hot sauce has been in a slump lately. Maybe they toned down the heat level for visiting All-Star Game fans and forgot to zip it back up again. If you've gotten used to insipid picante sauce, Jarro Cafe's salsas will open your eyes -- wide. At this bright and sunny little taco... More >>
• Best Empanadas
  Marine's Empanadas When you name your business after yourself, you'd better be good at it. The empanadas ($2.35 each) at Marine's are better than good -- they're outstanding. Marine's offers 47 different versions; most are savory, but some are sweet, distinguished by a dusting of powdered sugar.... More >>
• Best Pimento Cheese Sandwich
  Brown Bag Deli You get a brown bag and a pencil when you walk into this busy lunch counter. On the bag are a series of commands like "Choose Bread," "Choose Meat" and "Choose Cheese." Oddly, the fabulous sandwich filling of a Southern childhood, pimento cheese, is listed under the meats. Not... More >>
• Best Nachos
  Pico's nachos Jorge If you're looking for something light to snack on, hit the road. Pico's nachos Jorge are a mountain-sized heap of smoldering ingredients. The plate of tortilla chips comes piled high with the restaurant's trademark marinated pork roast, shredded for your convenience and... More >>
• Best Breakfast Tacos
  La Unica Bakery Declaring the best breakfast taco in Houston is kind of like choosing the best hot dog in Chicago, the best pizza in New York, or the best boob job in Los Angeles. We know that the big yellow truck at the corner of Houston Avenue and Center Street serves a fine breakfast taco,... More >>
• Best Mojito
  Beso In a city steaming with heat and humidity, the competition is keen for the best mojito. Beso's classic Cuban concoction will chill out the city's sweatiest soul, combining the acquired expertise of its owners to capture the mojito crown, elbows down. Master chef Arturo Boada insists on only... More >>
• Best Fried Chicken
  Frenchy's The lines have died down at Pollo Campero. Its zesty Latin version of fried chicken is still excellent, but it isn't new anymore. And while the old-fashioned Southern fried chicken at Barbecue Inn on Crosstimbers is still as crunchy as it used to be, the crust is admittedly bland. If... More >>
• Best Atkins Chic
  Barnaby's Just flip on the tube or try dodging a pop-up ad and it's clear: This is the year of the Atkins and South Beach diets. But Barnaby's has done the high-protein, low-carb thing for years. Owner Jeff Gale (who named the eatery after his dearly departed sheepdog) understands his... More >>
• Best Hangover Coffee
  Buffalo Grille "Man, it feels like someone jammed a shard of glass through my forehead. What time is it?" "It's, like, noon, dude." "Ugh. It's bright out. What the hell were we drinking last night, anyway?" "Bartender called it Gulps Gone Wild. I think I saw him put 151, SoCo, some kind of... More >>
• Best Doughnuts
  Christy's Doughnuts Spanish and English mingle easily in this Montrose corner shop. Smiles and morning banter come easily, too; cops and kids mix with every-darned-day regulars who sip coffee and take the entire morning to read the paper, and if your server thinks you're cute, he might throw a... More >>
• Best Popsicles
  La Paletera Picture a Dreamsicle made with fresh fruit and real cream, and you can begin to imagine what La Paletera's Mexican popsicles taste like. Except they call them paletas, and they only have one stick. Unlike American popsicle makers, La Paletera never uses artificial flavorings or... More >>
• Best Bread
  Central Market's Irish soda bread Weighing in at well over a pound, the Irish soda bread at Central Market ($2.49) is an extremely dense, hearty and heavy loaf, especially since it's compact in size -- about that of a deflated volleyball. It's leavened with baking soda (hence its name) and mixed... More >>
• Best Kabobs
  Bijan You order at a walk-up counter, but the high ceilings and polished marble floors at this Persian kebaberie give the place an upscale feel. Tops on the menu is the chelo kebab barg, consisting of garlicky lamb chunks grilled on a skewer until they have a little char on the outside but are... More >>
• Best Martini
  Mo Mong When it comes to martinis, all it takes is gin, vermouth and an olive or three. But if you're looking for something special, you won't find a better twist on the classic than the infusion martinis at this Montrose-area Vietnamese hot spot. Mo Mong's martinis are dry and properly bitter... More >>
• Best Oysters
  Gilhooley's Raw Bar Gilhooley's, which has been described by its detractors as a biker bar, has an admittedly rough-hewn ambience. Signs on the wall that prohibit the admittance of children and encourage patrons to "show us your tits" probably don't impress the Mobil Travel Guide folks much. But... More >>
• Best Margarita
  Mi Cocina These folks are pushing the national frozen drink of Texas to dizzying new heights. The frozen mango margarita is quite good, with lots of rich tropical-fruit flavor and not too much sugar. The "mambo taxi," made by alternating layers of frozen margarita and sangria, is excellent as... More >>
• Best Cabrito
  El Hidalguense Baby goat is incredibly tasty and tender. Old goat is not. At El Hidalguense, it's not hard to guess which they serve. Their cabrito is offered in one of two ways: naked or dressed. The naked version, cabrito asado al pastor ($17.99) is simply skewered and grilled, infused with a... More >>
• Best Mariscos
  Tampico Seafood & Cocina Mexicana There are a lot of Mexican seafood restaurants in Houston, but none is as consistent as Tampico. Named after the seaside city on the Mexican Gulf Coast, this little oyster bar and grill has brought the best of our neighbor's seafood traditions to the north side... More >>
• Best Mac 'n' Cheese
  Cleburne Cafeteria Many of the faithful who line up at West U's Cleburne Cafeteria can afford to eat at fine restaurants where the food isn't served on gray plastic trays. But Cleburne owner George Mickelis seems to have tapped into their inner eight-year-old with his macaroni and cheese. The... More >>
• Best Chocolate-Covered Anything
  The Chocolate Bar The Chocolate Bar has chocolate-covered ice cream, chocolate-covered fruits (the bananas are to die for), chocolate-covered potato chips, popcorn, fortune cookies and nuts. There's even chocolate-covered chocolate -- but let's not get greedy. This Montrose-area sweetery has... More >>
• Best Tamales
  Berryhill Baja Grill It's fat. It falls easily from the corn husk wrapper, revealing a generous layer of sweet, steamed cornmeal. But what lies inside is even better: tender strands of pork. If you want a vegetarian tamale, you can be certain it also will be stuffed. Berryhill's hefty tamales... More >>
• Best Ice Cream
  Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream It's not just novelty that drives the masses into the tiny Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream shop on Kirby Drive. This veteran institution of ice cream and righteous causes has shops just about everywhere nowadays, but only since May has Houston been able to delight in Ben &... More >>
• Best Croissants
  Panera Bread Company The croissants at Panera Bread Company look like they're on steroids -- almost twice the size of normal ones, they dwarf the side-dish plates they're served on. When you bite into one, you can immediately tell that it's made with real butter. A second bite reveals that it's... More >>
• Best Pasta
  Giannotti's Pasta Factory Fresh pasta is common at upscale Italian restaurants and in Italian family homes, and it's easy to see why. One taste of the stuff at Giannotti's Pasta Factory is enough to convert anyone from the dry boxed kind. The beauty of fresh pasta, apart from its incredibly... More >>
• Best Crawfish
  Goode Co. Texas Seafood Come crawfish season, this fixture on the Houston dining scene is packed with cravers awaiting bright red piles of mudbugs. It's no wonder: Goode Co.'s homemade fresh Creole seasoning of garlic, onions, celery and dried chiles is hot and flavorful. And these crawfish are... More >>
• Best Club Sandwich
  Edloe St. Deli This club sandwich is the best because it's the plain-Jane real deal. And you can only find it inside the ever-so-quaint, breakfast- and lunch-only Edloe St. Deli in West U. Served up with a fruit bowl or an onion-y scoop of creamy potato salad, the traditional double-decker... More >>
• Best Onion Rings
  Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar These ain't your Jack in the Box fried rings. Fleming's stacks a towering plate about six inches high with fresh, thick slices of white onions fried lightly so they're crispy on the outside and juicy inside. The golden batter -- made from Japanese bread... More >>
• Best Chicken-Fried Steak
  Barbecue Inn The batter-fried steak at this fabulous old Houston dining institution features the crunchiest crust and juiciest meat combination imaginable. The bright white cream gravy might be a tad sweet for some. It's that old-fashioned variety that tastes like it was made with evaporated... More >>
• Best Gelato
  Nundini Food Store At Nundini Food Store, $1.50 will get you a scoop of real Italian gelato. Gelato has less air churned into it than ice cream, so it's creamier and a whole lot denser. It also stays cold longer and doesn't melt as quickly as its U.S. cousin. At Nundini, it's hard to recommend... More >>
• Best Mint Julep
  Cotton Exchange Bar We like toasting our balmy weather with a light beer in a cheap koozie. But sometimes we feel more genteel, and that's when we head to the Cotton Exchange Bar for a mint julep. A true speakeasy marked only by the "808" on a black awning, the bar/lounge is housed in the... More >>
• Best Ceviche
  Pezcalato Peruvian Restaurant If you think ceviche means rubbery chunks of mystery fish in a lime juice marinade, Pezcalato is going to spoil you. When you order ceviche at this mom-and-pop Peruvian restaurant on Richmond, you have to specify your fish. There's grouper or snapper ceviche ($14 a... More >>
• Best Wings
  Wing Stop Chicken wings fly out of this Dallas-based franchise. After placing your order at the counter, be prepared to wait precisely 14 minutes, since everything is cooked fresh. Their original wings are similar to those at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York (which purportedly invented... More >>
• Best Veggie Burger
  Rudyard's A few years back Rudyard's Pub was given Best Burger honors. This year we salute their burger sans viande. The generous, tasty and never-dry patty made from nature's goodness sits on a perfectly toasted bun alongside crisp lettuce, ripe tomatoes and thin slivers of red onion. You call... More >>
• Best Burger
  Christian's Tailgate Bar & Grill Swaddled in tissue paper and laid in a plastic cradle full of french fries, this burger seems to glow. Maybe it's just the grease sheen on the upper bun reflecting the fluorescent lights. Or maybe there really is an aura surrounding the burgers at the convenience... More >>
• Best Dim Sum
  Kim Son When you crave steamed pockets of Asian goodness, a drive to Kim Son's Stafford location is more reasonable than a 14-hour flight to the Orient. Truth is, once seated and eating at Kim Son, you might start believing you've left the United States. The palatial neo-Chinese-style restaurant... More >>