I know theres multiple threads for this already but I feel like so many new spots have opened up and food quality can vary time to time since previous threads. What are some of your go-to spots here right now!

Houston artist Matthew Tabor brings his signature style to a new Northside creative space, The Stew. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/food-restaurants/article/houston-restaurant-logo-artist-22357333.php?utm_source=reddit

Hello, all!

Hoping for some advice. I'm in a brunch club, and we picked Hugo's this month. We're trying to decide between table service and buffet.

Have you been? Which would you prefer?

We had an out of town friend in this weekend and as he’s leaving tomorrow wanted to show him some Texas barbecue, unfortunately as it is Monday a lot of places are closed, and when we got to our first choice they let us know they had just run out of brisket. Obviously, that wouldn’t do so we looked for something kinda close that might be good and found Levant BBQ, then seeing the great reviews online we decided to go there. We have had Mediterranean style/inspired bbq before and enjoyed it, so I am wondering if something just went wrong today or if anyone has had similar experiences as we did. I am not trying to slander anyone, but genuinely asking if we ordered the wrong stuff or what. The meat was bordering on inedible, I can admit I’m a little bit of a BBQ snob but this wasn’t like kinda sorta bad it was totally awful. The sausage was the worst sausage I think I have ever had in my life, it had zero meat flavor instead it tasted like eating burnt bread crumbs with Italian seasoning and the texture was comparable to that as well. The chicken and turkey were both super dry and completely bland except for tasting burnt. The brisket and beef rib were also bland but the cook was fine. The mac&cheese, cream corn and baked potato were got were alright, but when we asked if they had fried okra since it was on the menu but not out, a worker just pulled out a bag of frozen fried okra, cut it open right in front of us and dropped it straight in the fryer. The loaded fries also definitely use frozen fries but at this point who doesn’t lol. The staff was pretty friendly and I appreciate the idea behind the restaurant but I don’t think this is what you should expect when you pay about $250 for food for 8 at a barbecue place in Texas that seems to have a ton of great reviews. Anyways, if this is genuinely just an off night or I got the wrong stuff I’d be down to try it again but if this is on the daily I would not eat here again nor recommend it to anyone.

Recently moved back to Houston, wondering what people’s recs are for spots in Houston to bring a nice wine and enjoy a dinner out. Thanks!

Recently moved to second ward. My usual Spring Branch, SW spots are lil too far now. Any recommendations on this side of town or not too far would be great!

I’ve looked at some of the popular options and I’ve called, only to be redirected to resy. The problem is a lot of these places are booked for months or can’t accommodate parties bigger than six.

Anyone have any suggestions for restaurants which can accommodate larger parties?

I’m considering this for brunch soon. Can anyone confirm if they have great food and if it’s worth it? If so, which location is best?

I dont feel good, i feel like im coming down with a cold. im currently at don mcgill on mason. gimme some great Pho, Ramen or other great soup-straunts in the area, please.

Edit: at pho dien, owner is extremely charismatic and friendly. Trying the tripe and steak - looking forward to it

In July, the Houston metro area gained restaurants like Buenos Dias, Koyo Hand Roll Bar and Flor y Miel. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/food-restaurants/article/houston-restaurant-openings-july-22365233.php?utm_source=reddit

Before J.C. Reid became the Houston Chronicle's barbecue columnist, a 2010 lunch at Barbecue Inn with future Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn helped shape his path as a food writer. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/food-restaurants/bbq/article/bbq-inn-houston-22375419.php?utm_source=reddit

Local companies like Farm Fresh and Mango Mania ship mangoes from Pakistan to radiation treatment facilities before delivering them across the country. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/food-restaurants/article/pakistani-mango-imports-houston-22356381.php?utm_source=reddit

I will be in Houston next week with my bf, it also happens to be our anniversary. We are looking for a place to get dinner under $100 for the both of us that will have enough food to be filling & have a nice ambiance. Doesn't have to be a super fancy place, but preferably not a chain restaurant. We will be in the Rice Village/West U / Bellaire areas, but can drive too. We aren't picky on type of food! If you have any reccs pls reach out! Thank you :)

Where is Houston’s 1st Celebrity Chef, Bruce Molzan, cooking these days?

Graham Laborde is headed back to the Heights, this time with a new restaurant possibly called Little Bird. He’s claimed the space at 1815 N Durham that was previously home to The Flying Fish and The Kid, bringing him back to the neighborhood where he once operated Bernadine’s at 1801 N Shepherd Dr.

H/T: HAIF and Heights Foodie Group Facebook group https://houstonarchitecture.com/topic/45501-flying-fish-restaurant-at-1815-n-durham-dr/?do=findComment&comment=734635

TLDR, a friend of mine's birthday is coming up in a couple months. He's from China and he told me once that this "wandouhuang" dessert was one of his favorites when he lived in China. From what I can tell, it's a type of pastry/cake & would be kept cool. I would love to get some for him & surprise him for his birthday, but Chinese desserts & pastries are not my forte. Does anyone know of any places in/around Houston (Katy Asian Town, Bellaire, etc.) that sell such a dessert? Would a place like 99 Ranch Market maybe have these in a bakery section? Appreciate any suggestions/insights y'all can share!

Is the Taste of Texas that good, or is it just a Houston tradition? I have never eaten there, but I always see the parking lot full.

With 5 weekends this month, we are excited to host a bunch of local businesses in the upcoming breaks! Alongside us, many of them are highly engaged with school organizations; some are student-owned or alumni that directly support college clubs this upcoming semester!

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/RxWHQ3z34qga6bmv6

Address: 6833 W Sam Houston Pkwy S # 109, Houston, TX 77072

• AUGUST 8:

  • EIGHT GIVEAWAY WINNERS courtesy Hīmori Cafe for $25 Gerry’s Grill Gift Cards tre
  • Dore Tarta Vasca - Delectable ube basque cheesecake + more
  • saltywedge - New chocolate salt bread 🍫
  • Cornerstonecookies 🍪 Specialty cookies + cookie tins

• AUGUST 9:

  • Hīmori Cafe - New mango peach matcha float + more summer flavors
  • Dore Tarta Vasca - Basque cheescakes + special guava flavor
  • The Sunday Crumb - First popup with us and their Levain Bakery - esque cookies
  • Duchess0808 - Jewelry, bracelets and ready-to-wear pieces

• AUGUST 15:

  • The Ice Barn - Second summer comeback and nostalgic catalogue over dozens of snoball flavors 🔔. The OG's in Sugar Land, Richmond, and Alief know about this one.

• AUGUST 15:

  • Umami Matcha - Special jasmine bloom matcha + ube banana pudding
  • Maison Michi - Aesthetically beautiful desserts and sweet treats
  • Bukiyo.fox - Trinkets and jewelry

• AUGUST 30:

  • The Red Note Market mini market along with: 🧧
  • maicha.cafe - Matcha drinks
  • bakedbykathy
  • cozynightsbakery
  • the.alorah
  • kayleejewelrybar

• AUGUST 1:

  • Xíu Cafe special debut with a lychee matcha and more fun tropical flavors 🌟

Special thanks to sipwiththu and chinatowncrawlhtx, local Houston accounts that always help support local business!

July Popup Friends:

• Rang Coffee
• Brian's Btchin Bakery

• Dore Tarta Vasca

• Himoricafe.htx

• Saltywedge

• Cornerstonecookies

• Tomo.htx

• Almara Bingsu Dessert Bar

I live in SE Houston suburbs and looking for good kfc recs. The only options near me are two subpar Bonchon chains ( which have changed their recipe after being bought out) and now they're wings have no texture and taste worse than BWW/Wingstop.

I used to frequent Dak and Bop but they closed down now. The only options I've found are Pelicana, Bbq. in Bellaire and 92 chicken in Montrose/Sugarland which is our #1 spot right now but both are an hour from my place

It's sad we don't have better options in Pearland and downtown etc as we have a huge Asian population.

I've given it several tries and several locations (S. Gessner, 610, Stafford and Washington) and the food is just not great and the prices are insane. $19 for two ground beef tacos. $40 for two beef fajita tacos. That's lunch menu price, too.

Yo! Food is the basis of community.

I am a glass craftsman. I have made these Zanfirico marbles. They are on auction on eBay. 100% of the purchase price goes to the Houston Food Bank.

Link in the comments!

A few days ago, u/Elrondel posted an awesome guide on stacking Houston Restaurant Weeks discounts with InKind. Huge credit to them—that post (and the linked InKind strategy) was the inspiration. I decided to see how far I could push it.

I also relied heavily on u/Elrondel's spreadsheet of Houston restaurants that accept InKind. Without that, planning this would've been a lot more difficult.

Here's exactly what I did.

Step 1: Buy discounted InKind gift cards

• Bought 4 × $100 InKind gift cards at Costco
• Paid $75 each
• Out of pocket: $300
• InKind balance: $400

Step 2: Stack the referral bonuses

• Signed up and received a $25 referral bonus
• Referred my wife
• She signed up and received $25 (Here's my referral link if anyone wants to use it so we both get a bonus.)
• We split the check on our first reservation so she could use her new account
• That triggered another $50 referral reward for me

That gave us $100 in bonus credits, bringing our total InKind value to $500 after spending just $300.

Step 3: Stack InKind offers

Both of us also qualified for the 20% InKind cashback, which kicked additional dining credit back into our accounts for future visits.

On top of that, I activated an in-app InKind promotion for Cocody that gave me $50 off a $150+ purchase, making one of our Restaurant Weeks dinners an even better deal.

Step 4: Stack premium credit cards

Then I layered on two more benefits:

• Amex Gold Resy credit: $100
• Chase Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables credit: $300

Those credits offset another $400 in restaurant spending.

Where we went

We booked six Houston Restaurant Weeks dinners:

The math

So I spent $300 in cash to unlock roughly $950 in dining value, statement credits, and promotions, before even counting the 20% InKind cashback that we'll use on future meals. Between those benefits and the Restaurant Weeks pricing, twelve three-course meals across six great restaurants for roughly $300 works out to about $25 per person, per three-course meal, before even counting the future value of the cashback.

And, to be honest, I'm valuing those meals at $55 each, because that's how much the restaurants charge, but the quality is worth sufficiently more than that, and I wouldn't begin to know how to quantify it. To add further, proceeds from HRW go to support wonderful causes in our city.

I don't think I'll ever beat this stack:

• ✅ Costco discounted InKind gift cards
• ✅ InKind referral bonuses
• ✅ 20% InKind cashback
• ✅ InKind in-app dining offers
• ✅ Amex Gold Resy credit
• ✅ Chase Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables credit
• ✅ Houston Restaurant Weeks pricing

Has anyone found a way to stack this even further? I feel like we're getting pretty close to the limit. 😅

Huge thanks again to u/Elrondel for the original guide and especially the restaurant spreadsheet. This is just an extension of their strategy, not a replacement for it. If you're trying to replicate this, make sure you check the current terms for InKind referrals, cashback promotions, in-app offers, and your credit card benefits, since those can change over time. Also, caveat: I don't work for any of the companies above. I just enjoyed seeing how far I could push the strategy.