Dishes & Drinks >>

• Best Sushi
  Osaka Japanese Restaurant
  Nestled into a small Montrose-area strip mall, this place has been a favorite of neighborhood patrons for some time. Osaka serves up some of the largest and freshest pieces of sashimi a person can find in the city. The salmon is always so magically fresh, you can't believe it's served at a sushi... More >>
• Best Milk Shake
  Cricket's Creamery and Caffe
  Next time you're on 19th Street riding your bike and window-­shopping with your best friend, stop into Cricket's Creamery and have a strawberry shake. Cricket's makes its own ice cream and gelato, so that's a good start for a really good shake. Ask for it to be extra-thick and with whipped... More >>
• Best Cheap Sandwich (1 Comment)
  Hoang Sandwich
  In the middle of the "food court" of the Kim Hung Mall is a Vietnamese sandwich shop that sells super­delicious sandwiches for $1.75. Sure, you can find a limp little burger at your local chain for 99 cents, but it won't have near the quality this sandwich does. First, Hoang uses a really... More >>
• Best Hot Dog (1 Comment)
  Katz's Deli and Bar
  Let's start with the buns here. Katz's uses a rich, yellow, brioche-style bun to hold an all-beef wiener that snaps when you bite it. Cover that with a wad of caramelized onions and sauerkraut, and you have the makings of a damn good hot dog. If you're a purist, you can order the dog plain and... More >>
• Best Onion Rings
  Little Hip's Diner
  Little Hip's pays homage to a now-defunct diner once located in San Antonio. Among its standout classic Texas-style (by way of Louisiana) dishes is the homemade onion rings. While most local diners settle for the frozen bag of prefab rings, Little Hip's shows the love by breading every one of... More >>
• Best Mac and Cheese
  T'afia
  We all know everything Monica Pope touches turns to gold: food, cocktails, locations, even her wait staff. Take her simple-but-elegant mac and cheese. On any given Tuesday, you can walk into T'afia and order a side of mac and cheese just like mom used to make — that's if your mom used bow... More >>
• Best Pizza (4 Comments)
  Antonio's Flying Pizza
  The gourmet pizzas at Dolce Vita on Westheimer are fine — if they cook them long enough to get them crisp. But if you find yourself craving a plain old-fashioned cheese pie, it's time to go to Antonio's Flying Pizza. Antonio Rosa really throws his crusts. Normally, he caters to... More >>
• Best Sangria
  Tio Pepe
  Sangria is translated from a Latin word meaning "thin out your blood before sex in the sun near the sea." Yeah, we know you and your older brother used to mix all of your dad's cheap wine with a bunch of fruit and booze and get totally shit-faced every summer. Grow up and head over to Tio Pepe... More >>
• Best Taco
  Taco Verde, Tacos a Go-Go
  Sure, they might not be the most authentic tacos in town — and heck, the entire establishment is puro bolillo — but we can't get enough of the tacos verde at Tacos a Go-Go, and we're not just talking about the times we stumble over there drunk from a night of carousing at the Mink or... More >>
• Best Guacamole
  Mucho Mexico Restaurante and Seafood Bar
  There are no secret ingredients to Mucho Mexico's guacamole — it's just avocado, onion and tomato smashed into a creamy dip that sits on top of a mound of lettuce. It isn't made in a showy tableside performance or served on any special dish, but Mucho Mexico's back-to-basics approach... More >>
• Best Enchiladas
  La Guadalupana Bakery and Café
  Ah, enchiladas, the cornerstone of all Tex-Mex combo plates. Most are good in the sidekick position, but there are a very few that can take center stage and demand the spotlight for themselves. The mole enchiladas at La Guadalupana are among them. A little different from the ordinary rolled... More >>
• Best Martini
  McCormick & Schmick's
  McCormick & Schmick's intriguing vibe and fantastic service don't begin and end with the restaurant portion of the building. One part Casablanca, one part fully stocked bar, this Uptown seafood restaurant enjoys paying homage to the history of the cocktail. Their "gin delicious" martini is a... More >>
• Best Fried Chicken (1 Comment)
  Barbecue Inn
  For the best fried chicken in town, there's nothing like homemade. But if mama's isn't available, there's always the Barbecue Inn. I know, you're thinking, BBQ Inn? Yep, BBQ Inn. When you order the Southern fried chicken, you will face two problems. The first is that it takes 25 minutes, because... More >>
• Best Bread
  Central Market
  Duomo means dome in Italian, as in the top of a cathedral. It is also the name of a loaf of bread and, as its name suggests, it is big and round. It is also so crusty that it hurts the inside of your mouth when you bite into it. It's not soft and squishy or limp and lifeless like some other... More >>
• Best Cheesecake
  Cheesecake Factory
  If you ate one slice of cheesecake every day, it would take you more than a month to make your way through the offerings here — not counting special holiday offerings, which might add a couple more days to your adventure. Of course, no one is suggesting you do that, unless you a) would... More >>
• Best Mollejas
  Taqueria Tacambaro Taco Truck
  Maria Rojas serves her mollejas (sweetbreads) on two griddle-heated corn tortillas with caramelized onion and chopped cilantro on top. She puts the sweetbread tacos and a half of a lime on a Styrofoam plate and sets out a little stone molcajete full of dark hot sauce beside it. The sweetbreads... More >>
• Best Desserts
  Dacapo's Pastry Deli
  If you have even the slightest sweet tooth, you will find this place irresistible, not only for the sheer quantity of desserts, but the way they remind you of homemade cooking — you know, the kind that happened before the microwave. If you're yearning for an old-fashioned raspberry and... More >>
• Best Kebabs
  Darband Shish Kabob
  Chances are, if you do only one thing, you're gonna do it right. At Darband, all they do is kebabs and, yes, they do 'em right, every time. This is a no-nonsense place, where six bucks buys you a kebab plate like no other. Here, you get in line, review the menu on the wall above the cash... More >>
• Best Ice Cream
  Hank's
  In many ice cream shops, the choices are so overwhelming that most people either take forever to order or just order vanilla, chocolate or strawberry so as not to hold up the line. At Hank's, the choices are not overwhelming — there's a manageable 16 flavors in all, which they rotate based... More >>
• Best Oysters
  Jimmy G's
  The oyster bar is the first thing you see when you walk in the front door of this Cajun seafood restaurant near Bush Intercontinental Airport. Belly up to the bar and get a couple dozen on the half shell and a cold beer. They serve half-shell oysters all year round, but if you're playing it safe... More >>
• Best Rum Drinks
  Slider's Bar & Daiquiris
  This Montrose-area hipster pool hall has a creative array of frozen daiquiris featuring our favorite Caribbean invention. Concoctions like the Slippery Climax and the Force Field go heavy on the rum and light on the everything else, including price. Their use of Bacardi 151 and Malibu rums makes... More >>
• Best Mussels
  Café Montrose
  'Twas a brave soul that first ate an oyster, and the same can be said of mussels. When it comes to mussels, or moules as they are called in French, no country does more with them than Belgium, where moules frites (mussels and fries), pronounced as one word, has become the national dish. At... More >>
• Best Tamales (1 Comment)
  La Mexicana
  Decent Tex-Mex may be as plentiful as traffic jams here in Houston, but when it comes to authentic Mexican tamales, one need look no further than 25-year-old La Mexicana. Their homemade tamales are nothing short of spectacular. They always taste fresh and have generous doses of pepper and chile... More >>
• Best Lasagna
  Patrenella's
  Eating lasagna at Patrenella's is like eating lasagna at the home of a kind Italian family. Wait a minute – that's exactly what this is. Sammy Patrenella welcomes guests to his home in the Heights, which his father built in 1938 and where the family has lived ever since. He's expanded it a... More >>
• Best Pork Chop (4 Comments)
  Perry's Steakhouse
  The pork chop at Perry's ain't no ordinary pork chop, it's a damn roast. It's known as the Seven Finger Pork Chop, 'cause when it stands tall on your plate, it's a full seven fingers high. Before carving it, your server will inform you that this cut has an eyelash, ribs and tenderloin and that... More >>
• Best Pho
  Pho Binh
  There's a ritual to eating the Vietnamese beef noodle soup known as pho that makes each bowl as individual as you are. It involves adding leafy vegetables and herbs such as cilantro, sweet basil and bean sprouts, an element of heat from jalapeños or Sriracha sauce, plus additional... More >>
• Best Hero Sandwich
  Jersey Mike's Subs
  You go up north, you can get in some pretty heated arguments about where to get the best hero. Hell, you can get into heated arguments about whether to call the thing a hero, a sub or a grinder. Here in Houston, though, the choice is pretty simple: Jersey Mike's. A national chain, it started out... More >>
• Best Fried Shrimp
  Café Annie
  "Chicken-fried shrimp" on the bar menu at Café Annie is one of the best fried-shrimp creations you will ever put in your mouth. Half a dozen big shrimp are butterflied and skewered together to form a "patty" which is then dipped in batter, deep-fried and served flat on a plate like a... More >>
• Best Salsa (1 Comment)
  Chuy's Comida Deluxe
  Though Chuy's serves pretty good salsas all year long, during the month of September, their green chile salsa is the best in town. The vibrant New Mexican-style green chile salsa served up during their annual "Green Chile Festival" is made with chiles roasted fresh in the parking lot for the... More >>
• Best Bloody Mary
  Mugsy's
  You might not expect to find a kick-ass Bloody Mary at a mini-mall, but Mugsy's, an Upper Kirby staple, offers just that. Sandwiched between a tanning salon and a drive-through bank, Mugsy's serves its Bloody Mary as a perfect blend of spicy and hot, with a kick that will leave you gasping for a... More >>
• Best Dumplings (1 Comment)
  Fu Fu Cafe
  Fu Fu's awesome soup dumplings appear on the menu disguised as "A26 Steam Pork Bun (4) $2.50." The only way to appreciate the true genius of the soup dumpling is to burst the whole thing in your mouth. That way, the soup combines with the soft dough and the loose meatball to form a wonderfully... More >>
• Best Dim Sum
  Kim Son (Stafford location only)
  The Hong Kong-trained chef at Kim Son's Southwest Freeway location in Stafford turns out more than 100 different dim sum dishes. His green-skinned xiu mai is gorgeous, and his shrimp-stuffed eggplant is divine. Ask for the photo-illustrated dim sum menu at the front desk; it will help you figure... More >>
• Best Chicken-Fried Steak
  Lankford Grocery and Market
  Lankford Grocery and Market started out as a grocery store, but it became so famous for hamburgers that at some point, it morphed into a restaurant. Today, this funky country-style café in an inner-city neighborhood is a Houston civic treasure. The breakfasts are excellent, the hamburgers... More >>
• Best Drink Special
  The Concert Pub
  While the heyday of the Richmond Strip has gone the way of slap bracelets and grunge, The Concert Pub's Industry Night Mondays are the best way to get drinks that are typically expensive on the cheap. With their $2 Kamikazes and $4 Bull Blasters, you can pull an Elvis and combine uppers with... More >>
• Best Cheeseburger
  Max's Wine Dive
  The city's best cheeseburger starts with a half pound of juicy ground Kobe cooked medium-rare. The cheese is nothing less than triple cream brie, troweled on extra thick. The bun is a ­custom-baked brioche fashioned by the artisan crew at Kraftsmen Bakery. Once the burger is mounted on the... More >>
• Best Baklava (1 Comment)
  Phoenicia Specialty Foods
  They bake seven varieties of baklava fresh every day at Phoenicia. There are Turkish ground-walnut triangles that ooze honey with every bite. And then there are the large Turkish cream and orange blossom syrup-filled baklava that taste a little like phyllo dough éclairs. The Persian... More >>
• Best Burger (2 Comments)
  T-Bone Tom's Steakhouse Restaurant
  T-Bone Tom's is a Kemah meat market that morphed into a restaurant. The burgers are exceptional, thanks in large part to the quality of the hamburger meat, which is ground fresh daily on the premises. The meat is formed into a distinctive square patty in your choice of a quarter-pound or... More >>
• Best Empanadas
  Venetian Bistro & Pastry Shop
  Houston is well-endowed in the empanada department. There are Colombian, Argentinean and Central American empanadas to choose from. But the richest, flakiest, tastiest in town are served at this Venezuelan pastry shop in Braes Heights. The half-moon-shaped meat pies come with a delicate yellow... More >>
• Best Fish and Chips (1 Comment)
  Wild Kitchen
  "Wild Kitchen, London and Cajun Style" reads the confusing sign in front of this wacky fish-and-chip stand. The Korean-American owner, Joon, explains that he moved to Houston from Northern California, where he had a 14-store chain of London-style fish-and-chip restaurants. But when he tried to... More >>
• Best Cheese Plate
  13 Celsius Wine Bar
  Cheese plates are popping up as fast as the wine bars that carry them, and the one at 13 Celsius is particularly delicious. Served with mostarda di prugne (plum mustard), apples and a piece of fig cake, the plate comes with a variety of local and foreign cheeses. The waitstaff is... More >>
• Best Shot
  The G.R.A.B.
  Featuring a healthy dose of self-deprecating humor and an army of oversexed twentysomething beauties on both sides of the bar, The G.R.A.B. manages to fit into a niche so many Houston bars have failed to grab hold of: the gap between the bohemian hipsters of Montrose and the gel-haired yuppies... More >>
• Best French Fries
  Laurier Café & Wine
  Laurier Café is a modern neighborhood bistro with some seriously addictive fries. Shoestring cut, they are always crispy, golden and piled high. Whether you choose the traditional steak frites, the steamed mussels and fries with a side of aioli, or one of the many outstanding sandwiches... More >>
• Best BLT
  Brasil
  Bacon is sacred. And there's no reason to go messing with the time-honored formula of the classic BLT...unless you're going to do it right. The BLT at Brasil treats bacon with the respect it deserves. The addition of blue cheese, herbed aioli and red onion does good things for this sandwich, as... More >>
• Best House-Made Pasta
  Divino Italian Restaurant
  The house-made Emily's goat cheese ravioli at Divino is heavenly. A fresh sage and brown-butter sauce with pine nuts and fresh parmesan nicely complements the sharp goat cheese and is well worth soaking up with a piece of bread after the ravioli is gone. Perfectly paired with a crisp white from... More >>
• Best Crawfish
  The Concert Pub
  Ask any native Louisianan and they'll tell you: Anyone can do crawfish, but not anyone can season and prepare them like a true Cajun. Fortunately, The Concert Pub manages to do both — and it doesn't skimp on the size. While others might cut corners with the seasoning or mix in some... More >>
• Best Risotto
  Gravitas
  The risotto at Gravitas is full of contrasts. Although the ingredients change with the menu, there's always a balance between textures, flavors and temperatures. Recently, the risotto had English peas and was topped with lightly dressed greens, red onion and a pecorino crisp. The acidity of the... More >>
• Best Calamari
  Mi Luna
  The menu at Mi Luna tapas restaurant in the Village has no shortage of things to choose from. It's helpful to have a glass of sangria in hand before even trying to make a decision. On this impressive list, there are two calamari dishes, one fried and one grilled. The fried calamari comes with a... More >>
• Best Nachos (2 Comments)
  Pico's Mex-Mex
  Pico's is known for many things, but Nachos Jorge should be near the top of the list. Piled high with savory cochinita pibil (Yucatan-style roasted pork), pickled onions, refried black beans, Chihuahua cheese, guacamole and jalapeños, these nachos are exceptional. More than enough for a... More >>
• Best Veggie Burger (2 Comments)
  Rudyard's
  Rudyard's has some of the best bar food in Houston, and their veggie burger with cheese is no exception. The patty is not of the homemade variety, but on a toasted bun with cheddar and honey mustard, it's really quite tasty. The fries have something about them, too, especially when accompanied... More >>
• Best Breakfast Tacos (5 Comments)
  El Ultimo Taco Truck
  Look for a shiny taco truck parked in front of a do-it-yourself car wash. The big fat breakfast tacos are $1 a piece and you get your choice of scrambled eggs with bacon, ham, potatoes, nopalitos, machacado (shredded beef), chorizo or roasted peppers on a corn or flour tortilla. The flour... More >>
• Best Doughnuts
  Shipley Do-Nut Shops, several locations
  As with Dunkin' Donuts fans in the Northeast, there's something about Shipley's that Texans can't get enough of. Started in 1936 in Houston, Shipley's is in just about every Texas town and throughout the South. The offerings here are always fresh and, if your timing is good, the hot glazed... More >>
• Best Japanese Snack Food (2 Comments)
  Takoyaki Tea House
  Houston is long on sushi restaurants, but Japanese street food is hard to come by. The expanse of Asian-melting-pot strip malls that are popping up seemingly overnight in Bellaire Chinatown seem to have forgotten about the Japanese entirely. Takoyaki Tea House is one of the exceptions. The menu... More >>
• Best Mojito
  The Flat
  Don't let the dentist's office exterior fool you — The Flat is open for business, and contains one of the city's best-kept secrets: Their signature frozen mojito manages to improve upon perfection, taking a mojito and making it even more enticing through the miracle of osmosis. The... More >>
• Best Ceviche (2 Comments)
  Amazon Grill
  Take raw fish, in this case tilapia, and marinate it in lime juice until it is "cooked," add finely diced hot peppers, shrimp, avocado, tomatoes, onions, cilantro and pineapple. Toss it all together and pile it high on a bed of shredded red cabbage and carrots and you have ceviche, a simple,... More >>
• Best Margarita
  Tony's Mexican Restaurant
  The margaritas at Tony's Mexican Restaurant always seem to stir up an endless series of questions, including, "What the hell is this secret ingredient?" and "Where the hell did you put my car keys, you asshat!?" This family establishment never seems to be anything less than packed, and for good... More >>
• Best Croissants
  Croissant Brioche French Bakery
  In the heart of Rice Village is a little French bakery that serves an almond-crusted monster of a croissant. These things are huge. Somebody had the ingenious idea of making an almond sandwich out of a croissant and almond paste. The croissant is big, buttery, flaky and a rich dark color. Almond... More >>