Goods & Services >>

• Best Dry Cleaner
  McGowen Cleaners Young professionals in the know swear by this particular dry cleaner, which is nestled in the Montrose area just west of Dunlavy. And it's not because McGowen offers any gimmicks or a particularly sexy product; it's simply good at cleaning, dryly. One customer swears they can... More >>
• Best Florist (1 Comment)
  Heights Floral Shop Established in 1935, Heights Floral Shop is one of the oldest florists in Houston. Age doesn't always indicate excellence (just ask any Hollywood agent), but this family-owned and -operated flower joint is thriving more vibrantly than ever. Take this summer, for example.... More >>
• Best Spectacles/Glasses/Optometry
  Spectacles on Montrose Like the librarian type? Then pop out those contact lenses, man. LASIK is vanity, but eyewear is fashion, and the folks at this friendly boutique can fix you up with the sexiest specs in town. Spectacles on Montrose offers a sprawling variety of über-chic styles, and... More >>
• Best Place to Buy Coffee Beans
  Central Market At Howard E. Butt's megamart, Central Market, there are enough varieties of coffee beans to make Starbucks and Juan Valdez very jealous. The coffee buyers at Houston's gourmet paradise scour the globe to bring you the finest in roasted bulk beans. Blends from Zimbabwe, Kenya and... More >>
• Best Delivery
  Takeout Taxi For those times when getting dressed to go out takes too much effort and yet you're tired of zapping your food, you may think your only option is Domino's or Chinese. But you don't have to settle for oversalty kung pao chicken or limp pizza ever again, since the good folks at... More >>
• Best Place to Buy Fish
  Village Tropical Fish Don't tell these guys you accidentally killed your kid's pet goldfish -- you're not likely to get a laugh. The staffers at Village Tropical Fish think fish are people too and treat them like best friends. They can tell you what type of fish would be happiest in your tank,... More >>
• Best Mexican Bakery
  Arandas Bakery Sure, the breads are delish, but it's the sweets that get us salivating every time we walk in the door of an Arandas Bakery. The place is truly Tex-Mex, featuring a variety of desserts from Mexico and the States -- although, when it comes down to it, most the stuff actually... More >>
• Best Liquor Store
  Spec's Liquor Where else in Houston can you get a case of Guatemalan lager, a bottle of Italian Pinot Grigio, a towering pastrami sandwich and a big, stinky Arturo Fuente Churchill cigar for the ride home? Nowhere, that's where. In fact, calling Spec's a "liquor store" is like calling the Taj... More >>
• Best High-End Resale Shop
  Mid-Century Pavilion At a time when most hip furniture is inspired by the modernism of the '50s and '60s or by the clean lines of old-school Danish designers, why not head to Mid-Century Pavilion for the originals? Instead of dropping $2,000 for a Sam Cocker chair out of the pages of Wallpaper,... More >>
• Best Watch Repair
  The Little Watch Shop How many businesses can you think of in this town that have been around for more than ten years? How about 25? And you can forget about 50, right? Well, since 1947, the dedicated specialists at the aptly named Little Watch Shop have been hunched over their desks, working... More >>
• Best Pawnshop
  Valu The most oft-used phrase inside these four walls must be "They don't know what they have." If they did, they'd be certified eBay millionaires. Think you're too cool for a stinking pawnshop? Maybe a drill, a gun, an obsolete stereo and a copy of Predator 2 on Beta aren't on your current wish... More >>
• Best Video Store
  Audio Video Plus Places like Hollywood and Blockbuster do a great job of making sure you get your copy of Terminator 3 if you want it. But when you're looking for a tougher find -- like, say, Schwarzenegger's American film debut as Hercules living in NYC -- you have to go to Audio Video Plus.... More >>
• Best Grocery Store
  Central Market With a full-time sommelier and a bevy of wine stewards overseeing more than 3,000 vineyard varieties, on-site cheese mongers caring for the more than 700 different products, and bakers by the dozen, you'll be well cared for at Central Market. From the colorful produce department... More >>
• Best Reweaving
  Jimmie's Reweaving & Alterations Damn. You only wore that delicate pink merino sweater one time, and now you discover that "machine-washable" doesn't mean you can throw it in with a load of jeans and sneakers. You've maimed the previously perfect thing with two ugly holes, and your sweet,... More >>
• Best Bartender
  Jen Eberhardt It's all about attitude. And we're talking about lack thereof. Jen has been serving up drinks at this Midtown watering hole for a couple of years now -- without a trace of the I'm-hot-you're-not poutiness that plagues other bars. Some drink-slingers around town will act all... More >>
• Best Comic Book Store
  Bedrock City Comic Company From 1940s superhero comics to underground Freak Brothers books to hot-off-the-press mainstream affairs, Bedrock City is the place to satisfy your inner geek. The folks there know how to treat customers, too. You can sign up for their subscription service and they'll... More >>
• Best Greeting Cards
  sloan/hall If you like your greeting cards dripping with hearts, flowers and sentimentality, you'll be just fine at the drugstore. But if you want something a little more subversive, there's no better card selection than the one at sloan/hall. In a strip mall that straddles the Montrose and... More >>
• Best Plants
  Joshua's Native Plants Got crabgrass out back? Critters in your chrysanthemums? Then get your homegrowns some professional help at Joshua's in the Heights. The specialists at this nursery can tell you how to ward off molds and pests, but they also let you wander the aisles without pushing... More >>
• Best Sexual Health Clinic
  Montrose Clinic Let's face it: No one wants to take an HIV test. But the folks at Montrose Clinic make it as pleasant as possible. A friendly staff member leads you into a small room that somehow seems both warm and antiseptic at the same time. Once there, all of your options will be explained... More >>
• Best Magazine Selection
  Issues In this Webby world, the idea of a store stocking nothing but magazines might seem quaint. But the recently opened Issues on Shepherd just north of Richmond proves beyond a doubt there's still life left in the dead-tree trade. More than 3,000 titles line the walls, and the owners are... More >>
• Best Vintage Clothing
  Retropolis From the sidewalk, Retropolis looks like a sliver among the boutiques and antique shops on the Heights' main drag -- a skinny little closet of a boutique worth a quick peek on your way to the nearby gelato parlor. But step inside, walk up the wood-plank stairs at the back, and the... More >>
• Best Art Supply Store
  Texas Art Supply Longtime Houston staple Texas Art Supply wins by sheer volume. And since its only real competition -- Montrose's other locale for all things arty, Utrecht -- shut its doors earlier this year, Texas Art reigns supreme in anything an artist needs: rubber stamps, canvases, paints,... More >>
• Best Barber
  Salon Essie It's been almost 20 years since Essie set off for a three-month vacation from Iran. She decided to stay here, and seven years ago, she opened her salon on Richmond. You'll still catch the enchanting lilt of Farsi fluttering through the store in between casual banter with her... More >>
• Best Music Store
  Cactus Music and Video Regulars stop by Cactus to browse used vinyl and check out the magazines, clothing and rock-music action figurines. They also show up when local or touring musicians drop by to perform. Oh, yeah, and they go to Cactus to buy CDs. During the past 12 months, general manager... More >>
• Best Window-Shopping
  The Galleria While the fashionistas burn up Daddy's credit card and waddle under the weight of their bagged purchases, you'll be the practical one. There's no guilt when it comes to window-shopping, and the Galleria is the hottest spot for it. All the names are here: Betsey Johnson, Kenneth... More >>
• Best Used CDs
  Soundwaves So, yeah, the commercials are horrible and the Hummers a bit gauche, but when it comes to selling used CDs, Soundwaves reigns supreme. They offer as much as $5 for newer CDs, so it's a good place to get the albums you never listen to off your hands -- it's like a pawnshop full of... More >>
• Best Bakery
  French Gourmet Bakery French Gourmet Bakery serves up a bounty of goodies: warm loaves of cinnamon-apple bread, strudels, decadent chocolate cakes (great for parties) and box lunches containing buttery croissants with chicken salad. Need treats for the office or classroom? You can't beat the... More >>
• Best Place to Get a Tint Job and a Taco
  Adas Window Tint Pimpin' ain't easy, least of all when it comes to your ride. If you've got to score your ground effects in Pasadena, your alloys in Tomball and your LEDs and hydraulics in Katy, you might not have time to brake for lunch. That's why today's busy gangstas head down the East... More >>
• Best Head Shop
  Smoke N' Toke This place is the epitome of stoner chic. Spread out in five rooms of a converted house, the joint has an ample selection of pipes, bongs, hookahs, nargiles, dugouts, smoke stones, papers…hell, just about anything you could ever need to smoke your, um, stuff. The staff is... More >>
• Best Asian Grocery
  Viet Hoa Here in Houston you can find Asian foods in most any mainstream grocery store. But if you're hankering for fish sauce, Peking duck or some restaurant-style bowls for serving pho, you're best served traveling to Viet Hoa in southwest Houston. A massive warehouse-sized temple of Chinese... More >>
• Best Tofu/Soy Products
  Rice Epicurean Markets Sometimes we all need a break from chicken-fried steak and baby-back ribs smothered in mesquite barbecue sauce. And, well, some of us don't like to eat dead stuff. So when your inner hippie's stomach starts grumbling, hightail it to Rice Epicurean for Houston's... More >>
• Best Car Wash
  Carriage Glass & Detail Co. Brothers Andy and Craig Deas don't just run a car wash -- they offer an "automotive cosmetic repair facility." Price-wise, this may not be where you wash your car every week, but the service is far and away the best in town. Hand-washing and -waxing will leave your... More >>
• Best Farmers' Market
  Houston Farmers' Market Two years ago, choosing the best farmers' market in Houston would have been impossible because there weren't any. Now, the problem has flipped the other way: In addition to visiting the Houston Farmers' Market in the Heights, the intrepid produce shopper could venture to... More >>
• Best Bike Shop
  Daniel Boone Cycles Thirty-five years ago, Dan and Joy Boone started refurbishing secondhand bikes in their backyard for extra grocery money. Today, they have one of the most popular bike shops in the city. The shop is still in the backyard, but they now have everything from $300 city bikes to... More >>
• Best Chiropractor
  Kenneth Lester Comedian Eddie Izzard once had this to say about a chiropractor: "They could have their fingers in your nostrils, one foot on the back of your underpants, and they're pushing your spine away with a broom." While you won't find any brooms at Lester's office, you will find a... More >>
• Best Local Designer
  Tina Knowles Destiny's Child has an image and a style that's recognized worldwide. In her new book, Destiny's Style, Tina Knowles, the creator of the world-famous Destiny's Child look, shares her (and the group's) shopping, sewing and lifestyle secrets. Her designs have graced the covers of such... More >>
• Best Mechanic
  Tracy Writers know their mechanics. Driving around this city in search of hot stories puts a lot of strain on our old jalopies. And most of us certainly aren't getting rich, so we need a mechanic who's honest and affordable. According to statistics, there are only about ten such folks left in... More >>
• Best Gamble for Junk
  The Guild Shop Walking through the doors of the Guild Shop is like being on stage with Monte Hall. On the price tags you'll find three prices. Next to each price is a date. The price goes down as the dates progress. So if you think you can hold out for a few days on buying that wicker wheelchair... More >>
• Best Place to Buy a Gun
  Academy Sporting Goods Whether you're looking for a Mossberg Maverick 12-gauge 28-inch synthetic shotgun or a Beretta U22 Neos 4.5 handgun, Academy is your place. With low daily prices on all hunting and protective firearms ($219 for a Smith & Wesson 22A; Rimfire is practically unheard of),... More >>
• Best Place to Buy an Engagement Ring
  I.W. Marks A quarter-century in the making, this jewelry emporium in Braes Heights Center has ten -- count 'em -- ten cases of engagement rings. There are diamond solitaires set in platinum, loose diamonds and the wildly popular three-stone engagement rings. Want to treat her like J.Lo with a... More >>
• Best Kids' Clothes
  Andree's Corner This consignment store is no secret to thrifty Inner Loop 'rents. Located at the busy corner of Kirby and Sunset, it has trendy items for every stage of a kid's life. Andree's knows every mommy (and daddy) needs more time, so the old house is divided into different rooms for... More >>
• Best Bookstore
  Half Price Books Half Price Books rules this town when it comes to getting quality reads on the cheap, and the Rice Village store is the chain's monarch. Here you'll find volumes on just about any subject imaginable -- thanks to the area's college students, who consistently trade in their... More >>
• Best Clothes for Your Dog
  Haute 2 Trot If your pooch is tired of being in the doghouse of fashion, browse the Web site of local canine couture outfit Haute 2 Trot. Founded four years ago by interior designer Elise Winslow Kelly after she couldn't find any decent clothes for her pampered Chinese crested, Haute 2 Trot has... More >>
• Best Tobacco Shop
  My Cigar Shop: Cigar Factory Sure, there are a lot of tobacconists around town who have nicer stores and more selection than Reno Bayo, but the man wins out because of the little things. His shop is nestled in a strip center between a pedicure place and a tattoo shop, making la-di-da pretension... More >>
• Best Costume Shop
  Arne's Located in a spooky, red brick factory building in the industrial strip between Montrose and the Heights, Arne's is the perfect department store for all of your ghoulish needs. Hike up the stairs and past the still-operating conveyor belt and you'll find enough freakish fashion options to... More >>
• Best Flea Market
  Flea Market Row Driving up Airline past I-45 and 610 on a Sunday afternoon, you might think you're approaching a Rolling Stones concert or a sold-out Houston Texans game. But nope. You would have known if the Stones were coming to town, and the Texans play in that building down by the Dome. So... More >>
• Best Dog Trainer
  Jim Burwell Rover Oaks Pet Resort offers boarding, grooming, classes and all the other amenities available at today's high-end pet facilities. But more important than the expensive clippers and gourmet dog food is owner-founder Jim Burwell, who has an uncanny ability to communicate with dogs.... More >>
• Best Wine Store
  Christopher's Fine Wines The former Christopher's Wine Warehouse may have a new name and location, but the selection, ambience and staff expertise carry on in the tradition of excellence that longtime customers appreciate. Christopher Massie has been in the business for 20 years, so he knows his... More >>