Niko Niko

Top 10 Restaurants in Downtown Houston

New restaurants and bars are opening in downtown Houston faster than we can keep up, thanks to a renaissance around the Market Square Park area that's bringing new life to downtown's north side. But that's not the only part of downtown that's blossoming -- nor are those new restaurants the only game ... More >>

A Pleasant Patio Lunch at Batanga, Leading the Second Wave of Market Square's Redevelopment

The first news that many people heard of Batanga came before the downtown tapas restaurant even opened its doors. Late last November, a local resident was infuriated to find that Batanga's owners had moved into the long-vacant space at the corner of Travis and Congress and chopped down some of the ... More >>

8 Ways to Have a Bad-ass Valentine's Day, No Date Required

I'm not here to tell you how Valentine's Day is a corporate crock, nor am I here to tell you that the only refuge of a single person on V-Day is burning a box of your past lovers' memorabilia while sobbing into a pile of old mixtapes. Both of those ideas are gross, as are most of the Lonely Hearts-s ... More >>

Keep Those Resolutions

20 terrific restaurants for eating healthy while staying social.

Where the Chefs Eat: Christine Ha and Alvin Schultz

This week, our Where The Chefs Eat series turns to two amateur chefs turned television reality stars: Christine Ha and Alvin Schultz. Both living in Houston and Vietnamese by descent, they each snagged a spot on the TV reality show, MasterChef. Schultz, who was featured on Season 2, is known for ... More >>

Niko Niko's: What Urbanspoon Thinks Is Houston's Most Kid-Friendly Restaurant

Now listen: I love Urbanspoon. I love that it links directly to professional food critics reviews of restaurants, so that I have a real sense of a place when I'm in an unfamiliar city. I love the map feature that allows you to find restaurants in different areas of town (this is especially handy on ... More >>

OKRA-Run Charity Bar to Open Downtown

Imagine a bar run by Houston's best bartenders and mixologists where 100 percent of the proceeds would be donated to a local charity at the end of each month. It's not just a wild-eyed fantasy; it's about to become a reality in the former Red Cat Jazz Café location at 924 Congress. That's where th ... More >>

The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 5 Chicken Soups

For the next 20 weeks, we'll be rounding up the runners-up to our 2011 Best of Houston® winners. In many categories, picking each year's winner is no easy task. We'll be spotlighting 20 of those categories, in which the winner had hefty competition from other Houston bars and restaurants.

The Astros Allowing Outside Food Inside Next Season: Our Suggestions

The minor explosions you may have heard yesterday were the heads of Astros' fans imploding over news that new owner Jim Crane could possibly change the name of the franchise next season -- as well as its uniforms, ticket prices and Minute Maid Park's food policies. It's starting to feel like the beg ... More >>

The 7 Deadly Queues: Restaurants Where You'll Always Have to Wait in Line

Photo by Ronald WoanThe longest line of them all...​I greeted last week's news of a second Banana Leaf with a bittersweet kind of joy. It's sad to lose the only good Chinese halal restaurant in Chinatown, but if the trade-off is getting another Banana Leaf location...then I guess it's almost a ... More >>

The 6th Annual Feast with the Beasts at the Houston Zoo

Photos by Mai PhamFestive zoo-goers wearing "beastly" caps, all smiles in the VIP lounge​Check out all the tasty-looking dishes in out slideshow from Feast With The Beasts. For the last six years, the Houston Zoo has been home to an autumnal fundraiser and eating extravaganza cheekily referre ... More >>

My Table's 15th Annual Houston Culinary Awards

"This is a great city to work in," said Hugo Ortega as he accepted his award for Chef of the Year at last night's My Table's Houston Culinary Awards. "And this is truly a great country," he finished to loud cheers and applause. It was well-deserved recognition for the man who fought his way out of o ... More >>

The Five Best Places to Break Up

Andrew Fischer & B.ViggianoHave a coffee break...up​With summer flings coming to an end, it's time to put up or break up. And as we all know, breaking up is hard to do. Just ask Neil Sedaka. So, I'm about to make it easier with a list of Houston's top spots to ditch your sweetheart-turned-slig ... More >>

Upcoming Events: Cooler Heads Prevail

See if you can guess what I am now.​The cool weather is finally on its way, and that means movie nights in Market Square Park will be gearing up once again. This month, look for a screening of Animal House presented by the Alamo Drafthouse Rolling Roadshow starting at 8 p.m. on Friday, Septemb ... More >>

Upcoming Events: Support Local, Eat Bacon

Coming up next weekend: Gird your pork-loving loins.​At Georgia's Farm to Market, SLGT doesn't just mean "Support Local, Grow Together." It also means "Saturday Local Get Together," when the market hosts its weekly Local Life Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This Saturday, chow down on Georgi ... More >>

Upcoming Events

Photo courtesy of Tookie'sAll your honking finally paid off, folks!​It's a busy weekend across the city, from a pub crawl downtown to a flash mob in Clear Lake. But first things first, tickets are still available for the Hats Off to Hospitality gala this Sunday, June 26, at Haven. The gala wi ... More >>

DEFCON Dining: Niko Niko's

Photos by Nicholas L. HallPita quesadillas: an unexpected hit.​I didn't grill on Memorial Day. I spent the day celebrating a family member's birthday, in an apartment too small for the extended gathering it held. There was only cake to eat. By the time the festivities were over, the entire fam ... More >>

Upcoming Events

Photo by rdpeytonThis gumbo is from Emeril's in New Orleans; the gumbo at Under the Volcano will likely be just as good.​If you've been missing Robb Walsh, here's your chance to catch up with our former food critic outside the busy environs of his new restaurant. On June 7 and again on July 12 ... More >>

Upcoming Events

Photo by Katharine ShilcuttYou can even pose outside a mockup of Air Force One with a Secret Service dummy at the TAFR cookoff.​Last year, the Texas Association of First Responders (TAFR) Wild Game Cookoff at Sam Houston Race Park was by far the best barbecue cookoff I attended all year. With ... More >>

Seis Ways to Celebrate Cinco de Mayo

hispanicallyspeakingnews.comWow. I think I just felt my liver twitch. ​While many view Cinco de Mayo as a Mexican holiday, the United States was very much involved in the events that took place on May 5, 1862 in Puebla, Mexico. American Union soldiers fought side by side with the Mexican army ... More >>

Houston's Best Patios: The 10 Best Unexpected Treasures

Photo by GroovehouseGet your tropical drink on at Kata Robata's intimate patio.​Over the last four weeks, we have been guiding you around Houston's best patios in several different categories: The best places to catch up with friends The best places to bring the kids The best places to pr ... More >>

Favorite Three: Breakfast Spots

New York Bagel & Coffee Shop.​Over the past few weeks, some readers have taken offense to certain Top 5 lists, and how they only reflect the opinions of the writer constructing each list. With the help of my fellow food bloggers, we'll now bring you a slightly different take on the Top 5s -- a ... More >>

Pita in the Park

Niko Niko's outpost offers standards, surrounded by skyscrapers.

Niko Niko's on Market Square Is the Next Chapter In a Restaurant's Long, Storied History

Photos by Troy FieldsNiko Niko's already draws a healthy lunchtime crowd.​Back in 2001, Wendy Grossman wrote "Elbow Greece," a feature for the Houston Press on the long and fascinating history of what was -- at that time -- already a stalwart Houston favorite: Niko Niko's. Eleni Fetokakis run ... More >>

This Week in Deliciousness

Arrrrgh. Must... remember... to eat... before... writing... this column.​Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we're down to only the one or two mystery pieces filled with truly nasty gunk in our traditional assortment of Valentine's Day chocolates. We started the ... More >>

Breakfast in the Park at Niko Niko's Market Square

​In an ideal world, the breakfast pitas that Niko Niko's (301 Milam, 713-224-4976) serves would become as omnipresent as breakfast tacos -- Mexican and Greek breakfast wraps taking over Houston one pita and one tortilla at a time. Until that happens, though, I encourage you to do your part in ... More >>

Wing It for Super Bowl

Photo by Rick Audet​I go to Super Bowl parties every year. Not for the football, mind you. I didn't even know who was going to be in this year's Super Bowl until last night (my mother nearly stroked out upon realizing this about her only, sports-retarded child). I go for the food. My favorite ... More >>

Openings & Closings

Jellies out for tasting at the new Kraftsmen Cafe in the Heights.​The biggest news of the week seems to be the revolving doors at some of Houston's more popular restaurants: BRC Gastropub, Caffe Bello and the Inn at Dos Brisas (which, okay, is up the road in Independence, but we still claim it ... More >>

Dimitri Fetokakis on the New Niko Niko's in Market Square

​When I met Dimitri Fetokakis on the patio of his Montrose Greek-American cafe on Labor Day morning he was calm, cool, and as bright as one of the sunny side-up eggs that come nestled in the pitas on his new breakfast menu. He didn't seem at all like a restauranteur on the brink of opening da ... More >>

Market Square Park: Reopened And Repurposed Tomorrow

Photo by Troy SchulzeMarket Square Park will be THE place to go for dog sculptures​Houston officials have tried for years to make a go of Market Square Park, but it never seems to take.The latest effort, a $3 million one, gets unveiled tomorrow at 2 p.m.The park has been closed for December for a ... More >>

Openings & Closings

No more ceviche at the Midtown outpost of Lemon Tree.​A reader alerted us via Twitter to the fact that the Lemon Tree (207 West Gray) had closed its doors sometime in the past week. We went by to check it out and it is, indeed, closed. A call to Lemon Tree's original location on Whittington re ... More >>

World Cup: Get in the Spirit

zota​If you couldn't care less about the World Cup, that's fine, because basically the ENTIRE REST OF THE WORLD is excited, and we'll make up for your lack of enthusiasm. But should you be looking to get into the World Cup spirit, here's a brief list of Houston restaurants where you can enjoy ... More >>

Openings and Closings

Losing our Voice.​Although it technically isn't a closure, it's the end of an era for Voice, the critically-acclaimed restaurant at the Hotel Icon. Chef Michael Kramer is leaving as the hotel has decided to take the restaurant in a different, slightly less upscale direction. It's a huge blow f ... More >>

What Not to Order at Niko Niko's: Athenian Mushroom Burger

​Niko Niko's is a god among Greek restaurants, the Zeus of all feta cheese delicacies in Houston. But even Greek gods falter at times. This mistake is more than likely a diner's error, because ordering something that doesn't contain oregano or lemon juice at a place known for its traditional ... More >>

This Week in Deliciousness

Sadly, that cooler is filled with Listerine, and not Exxxtreme Blue Thunder Capri Sun.​ Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we've borrowed six or seven fondue pots but have yet to return a single one. We started off the week with an adventure into the world of ne ... More >>

Top Ten Places to Pick-up Picnic Provisions

​Why does taking one's food outside to eat it on a blanket elevate its relevance and romanticism so dramatically? Who knows, but as Houstonians, we truly relish these fleeting moments when the weather allows us to have a picnic. Here are our suggestions for ten great places to get delicious pi ... More >>

Eating Our Words Exclusive: What New Mayor Annise Parker Likes to Eat

Photo by Katya Horner​We know President Obama likes hamburgers. The national press made sure to tell us both times he went out to buy some. But what about Annise Parker? Our history-making new mayor is famous, too, darn it. She's been all over TV. But the media has been too distracted by p ... More >>

Openings and Closings: Market Square Edition

​By now, most Houstonians have heard of the efforts to once again revitalize downtown's Market Square. The city block, which is bounded by Travis, Milam, Congress and Preston, has long been a park but has also long been ignored, despite many past efforts to revive it to its former glory. Plan ... More >>

Lamb Shank at Niko Niko's

​The Food Network's hugely successful show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives recently visited Niko Niko's Greek restaurant in Montrose. Amidst owner Dimitri Fetokakis's banter with hyper host Guy Fieri was this little nugget of information: Niko Niko's no longer slow-marinates its legendary lamb sha ... More >>

This Week In Deliciousness

Liven up your Halloween parties this year with some carne asada con silly string.​ Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we defiantly eat summer sausage in the winter and we don't care who knows it. We kicked off this week at a sort of cookout triathlon with a plot ... More >>

Food Fight: It's All Greek to Us

​This week's food fight was determined by our Twitter followers to be Battle Gyro. And because we don't want them to have all the fun, we're letting our readers decide which two restaurants in Houston will do battle this week. The easy money is on Niko Niko's, or even Al's Quick Stop as the d ... More >>

This Week in Deliciousness

Golden-brown is the proper tone for any loaf of sourdough / Hollywood starlet.​Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where today we're bitterly sniffling at the fact that everyone else from the office is at the Austin City Limits festival. It's cool! There's lots of fun ... More >>

Diners, Drive-Ins and...Pubs?

Guy Fieri Once again, a national eye has turned to Houston, which the rest of the country tends to dismiss out of hand as not being a food town. Guy Fieri's popular Food Network show -- Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives -- has spent the last few weeks filming at various restaurants around town, lead ... More >>

Dining Out For Life

On Thursday, April 30th, restaurants in over 50 cities across the nation are inviting patrons to dine out for life. The event was created in 1991 to support AIDS research in Philadelphia and has since spread to the rest of the United States. Last year saw more than 3,500 restaurants participati ... More >>

Slideshow: World Gyro Eating Championship at Festival of Greece

Houston's Food Nazis

Some are curmudgeonly but intriguing. Others are just a bad trip to S&M land.

Niko Niko's

Ancient Cuisine

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

Best Pork Chops

Niko Niko's

Inner-City Suburban

Despite its trendy locale, Riva's caters to urbanites with a taste for uncomplicated Italian