Easter is right around the bend (it’s on Sunday, April 16, in case you were wondering) and Houston restaurants are gearing up for some festive celebrations. From Mexican and Indian-inspired holiday spreads to prix fixe menus with live jazz and Easter eggs for the kids, here’s where to celebrate Easter Sunday in Houston this year:
Arnaldo Richards’ Picos, 3601 Kirby, 832-831-9940
Easter brunch hours: 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost: A la carte breakfast or $42 buffet brunch ($29 for seniors 65+, $18 for children six to 12, children under 6 free)
For a grande brunch buffet packed with Mexican classics, this Upper Kirby haunt is a consistently tasty choice. And if it’s not a full spread you’re after, the kitchen offers the full breakfast menu beginning at 9 a.m. But back to that buffet…chow down on chilaquiles, mahi mahi, slow-roasted carne guisada, moles, fresh fruit and salads and an awesome dessert bar. Then wait about ten minutes and get ready for round two.
Backstreet Cafe, 1103 South Shepherd; 713-521-2239
Easter brunch hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost: $48 per person, $15 per child age ten and under
Sitting pretty with one of Houston’s most charming patios and a cozy, quaint dining space perfect for lazy day chatter, Backstreet Cafe is a local favorite for brunch year-round. On Easter, the restaurant offers live jazz, a special Easter egg hunt for the kiddos and a three-course feast, starting with cheese straws for the table and moving on to multi-choice starters — think oyster chowder with crumbled bacon and a Texas grilled peach salad with silky burrata and crisp prosciutto. Entrée options include seared scallops with cauliflower puree and cucumber relish; braised lamb shank with spring vegetable risotto, and artichoke crawfish Benedict, among others; and for dessert, you’ll have to make the hard choice between butterscotch bread pudding, rhubarb strawberry cobbler and chocolate-mandarin mousse cake. Perhaps your dining companions will want to share?
Brennan’s of Houston, 3300 Smith, 713-522-9711
Easter brunch hours: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Cost: $56 per person
This luxe Creole stalwart offers a feel-good jazz brunch that is practically made for the holiday. Chef Danny Trace and his talented team focus on the flavors of New Orleans, with a Texas twist, of course. Easter brunch is a multi-choice, three-course affair, beginning with a little Southern hospitality: a crawfish boiled deviled egg lagniappe. The appetizer lineup includes smoked rabbit and sausage gumbo, wood-grilled Matagorda Bay oysters, and the Brennan family’s famed snapping turtle soup, splashed with sherry and made brighter than the original with a kiss of lemon. Entrées run the gamut from speckled trout amandine and cast-iron veggie scramble to blue-crab-and-corn-stuffed and bourbon-lacquered Hill Country quail. And then there’s dessert. Choose between deliciousness like petite beignets, Mississippi mud pie and Brennan’s bananas Foster, a show-stopper that gets flambéed and finished tableside.
Bonus: If you can't make it on Sunday, you can bring the kiddies to Brennan’s for brunch with the Easter Bunny, offered from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Friday, April 14. The day includes photo ops with the bunny, live bunnies on the patio, Easter goodies on the bunny trail, and brunch favorites, including a biscuit, muffin, choice of starter, entrée and dessert ($30 for children, $45 for adults).
Harold's Restaurant, Bar and Terrace, 350 West 19th, 713-360-6204
Easter brunch hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost: A la carte or $45 per person (kids menu available upon request)
With a laid-back Southern vibe and a terrace overlooking 19th, Harold’s makes a choice spot for Easter brunch. The kitchen will be offering a four-course stunner, beginning with a complimentary mimosa and some crispy shrimp étouffée balls for the table. Other highlights include savory crepes stuffed with goat cheese and topped with crawfish, Black Hill Ranch braised pork debris, and the “Big Nasty Biscuit,” a splurge-worthy biscuit sandwich featuring buttermilk fried chicken and a cheddar cheese and sausage gravy. For a more casual dining experience, the brunch menu will also be available à la carte in the restaurant and downstairs in the Tap Room.
Kiran’s, 2925 Richmond, 713-960-8472
Easter brunch hours: seatings at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m.
Cost: $75 per adult, $35 for children under 12, complimentary for children under 5
The new and improved Kiran’s offers an eclectic Easter menu, starting with scratchmade papadums and chutneys at the table. Wake up to waffles with spiced poached fruit and cinnamon cream, or try a 62 degree poached egg with lamb bacon and aloo methi hash (a hash made with potatoes and fenugreek leaves); then go for leg of lamb with au jus and apple mint slaw or tandoori salmon. Other highlights include a varied selection of vegetables and a dessert thali for the table.
The Kitchen at Dunlavy, 3422 Allen, 713-360-6477
Easter brunch hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost: $65 per adult, $12 per child 12 and under
Does it get any cooler than spending Easter Sunday in a glass tree house overlooking the bayou? We think not. The bright and airy, chandelier-adorned space is downright beautiful, and the festive Easter spread has something for everyone. Fill up on mixed berries and mint, coffee cake, zucchini bread, and jalapeño cheddar drop biscuits at the pastries and fruit table; go for toasts topped with salmon gravlax, fig and brie, and avocado or Caesar, Tuscan kale and heirloom tomato salads; rise and shine with breakfast classics, from made-to-order omelettes to maple breakfast sausage and French toast; hit the carving stations, with chicken cordon bleu, cedar plank salmon and rotisserie lamb roulade; and don’t forget the sweet stuff. You can expect brownie bites, Meyer lemon tarts and soft serve ice cream.
Quattro, 1300 Lamar, 713-650-1300
Easter brunch hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost: $98 for adults, $49 for kids
Those who want to go all out can do so at Quattro at the Four Seasons Hotel, which puts on an extravagant family-friendly Easter celebration year after year. The grand buffet features more than 90 items, including holiday favorites like honey-glazed ham, roasted leg of lamb and a full roster of desserts that will certainly keep the entire family happy.
Rainbow Lodge, 2011 Ella, 713-861-8666
Easter brunch hours: 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost: $55 per person
Set in a historic 113-year-old log cabin on an acre of absolutely gorgeous grounds, Rainbow Lodge makes a picturesque setting for a holiday brunch. For Easter, enjoy a three-course Gulf Coast-inspired menu, with highlights including a divine eggs benny made with braised buffalo short rib and jalapeño hollandaise; duck ham and deviled eggs; crisped trout with jumbo lump crab and pecan brown butter; grilled spring lamb chops and lemon icebox pie. For the kids, Easter eggs will be scattered across the patio and lawn area. Dinner will also be available from 5 to 8 p.m., featuring the lodge’s regular $15 Sunday Supper with half-price wines.
Ritual, 602 Studewood, 832-203-5180
Easter brunch hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost: A la carte
Have a thing for Cadbury Eggs? Then you’ll probably want to try Ritual’s Cadbury Egg cocktail, made with crème de cacao, Baileys and vanilla bean vodka infused in-house, plus a Cadbury Egg half and shaved chocolate garnish. Other eye-openers include mimosas with a variety of in-house, fresh-pressed juices and special Easter eats. Dig into a chicken biscuit gooey with Redneck cheddar and citrus honey butter; or a smoked tomato chicken with a rosemary and white wine braise nestled in a bed of Jefferson County rice. The regular brunch menu — which features soulful plates like sourdough hush puppies, stockyard hash and a bourbon-jalapeño-pimiento burger — will also be available.
Xochi, 1777 Walker, 713-300-4440
Easter brunch hours: 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Cost: $42 per adult and $15 per child (ages 12 and under), plus tax, gratuity and beverages
The latest gem from restaurateurs Hugo Ortega and Tracy Vaught, Xochi is one of the hottest tickets in town. And like Hugo’s and Caracol, the downtown stunner offers a bountiful Sunday brunch buffet. Plus, it has the added bonus of being in the heart of downtown, right outside the picturesque Discovery Green. Expect a bright, vibrant lineup of Oaxacan cuisine, from huevos to ceviches and cabrito. Don’t forget to save room for the buffet of Mexican pastries and desserts, several of which incorporate housemade chocolate.