I'm not gonna lie: Finding good eats around Intercontinental Airport (or, if you must, Bush Intercontinental Airport -- true Houstonians still say "the Summit," "Transco Tower" and "Intercontinental Airport") is tough. This isn't like eating around Hobby Airport, where you're smack in the middle of the city and interesting dining neighborhoods like South Houston abound.
No. Greenspoint and the surrounding areas near Intercontinental are mostly a wasteland of chain restaurants, mediocre hotels filled with exhausted business travelers and one of the city's saddest malls.
That said, it is still possible to eke out some good food in the area. This is Houston, after all. If you can't find at least 10 decent restaurants within 10-mile radius, you're not trying hard enough.
Even more promising is the fact that many of those good, decent restaurants serve some of the city's most iconic cuisines -- Tex-Mex, seafood, Vietnamese, Cajun and Southern -- so you can direct those sad-sack business travelers to experience a little of Houston while they're in the area. I know from experience: Room service gets real old after a few trips.
10. Waffle House
Go on ahead and hate. I don't care. Waffle House is a beacon of sanity after a long plane ride into an unfamiliar city. Cheese grits and syrup-drenched waffles from this diner chain are one of my favorite indulgences -- especially on the road, where the familiarity of the food can afford the same relaxation as a hot bath or a fluffy hotel robe.
9. Pappasito's
Again, keep on hating. Sure, this is a chain restaurant. But it's a Houston chain, and a successful one at that. Successful because the Tex-Mex dishes are good and the service is friendly -- even if the food itself is overpriced. Your out-of-town guests won't care, though. Pappasito's gives the people what they want: strong margaritas, tender fajitas on fresh flour tortillas, crunchy chips and gooey queso.
Still not supporting Chick-Fil-A? Super Chicken has you covered. This homegrown restaurant (with only one location, up in Greenspoint) boasts a mostly chicken menu featuring the fowl in numerous applications: chicken tenders, chicken sandwiches, chicken salads and chicken soup. Instead of waffle fries, Super Chicken has sweet potato waffle fries. Instead of carrot salad, broccoli salad. And thin-sliced roast beef that's roasted in house.
