Restaurants in Houston, TX

One out of five Houstonians was born somewhere other than the United States. That means that in addition to its true-Texas BBQ, steak, and plate-lunch fare, it is a fount of meals that expertly reflect the cuisines of Mexico and South America as well as southeast Asia. A longtime city favorite for Mexican food is Irma’s, where tortillas are freshly made and dessert can be New Mexican sopaipillas topped with nuts and honey. Houston is especially rich with excellent hamburgers. They’re lunch-counter style at the Avalon Diner, which also offers squeezed-to-order lemonade and milk shakes delivered in silver beakers that hold at least 2-1/2 tall glasses full. Lankford Grocery, which has been flipping burgers since the 1930s, offers hand-pattied beauties that are fried to crisp-edged succulence and served singly as well as in stacks of two or three. Breakfast includes such Tex-Mex dishes a chilaquiles, migas, huevos rancheros, and breakfast tacos. Lankford’s house mission statement advises, “We have nothing small, nothing healthy, and nothing fast…. We have great food, but it’s not fast food.” Amen.

Houston’s Most Famous Dishes

Tacos filled with shrimp, salad, and jalapeno cream

Tacos

Four cups of salsa, ready to apply to a meal

Salsa

Fish tacos made with grilled mahi-mahi are dressed with cilantro-avocado sauce and sided by chunky papaya relish

Fish Tacos

Salad plate includes slices of orange drizzled with dark balsamic vinaigrette.

Salads

Houston’s Best Restaurants

La Mexicana

HOUSTON, TX

Frenchy’s Chicken

HOUSTON, TX

Irma’s Restaurant

HOUSTON, TX

Barbecue Inn

HOUSTON, TX

Lankford Grocery | Hamburger Best in Houston Texas

HOUSTON, TX

Sliced brisket on jalapeno cheese bread
Goode Co. Texas Bar-B-Q | A Lone Star BBQ Brisket Best

HOUSTON, TX

Avalon Diner | Lunch Counter Burgers at their Best | Houston

HOUSTON, TX

Laredo Taqueria | Taco Bests of Houston Texas

HOUSTON, TX

Helen | Modern Taste of Greek Traditions | Houston Texas

HOUSTON, TX

Houston Articles & Guides

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Double bacon cheeseburger, fully dressed

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Migas

Migas is one of the nation's great regional breakfasts. It is a Tex-Mex scramble of eggs along with broken-up tortillas that range from crunchy to cornbread-soft, and it also...

Urban Burgers

We Americans love our hamburgers, at home and on the road. From mischievous fried sliders to majestic beef pillows oozing juice over coals, burgers are a birthright coast to...

Chili Con Carne

As any patriotic Texan is happy to tell you, chili con carne means chili with meat. It does not include beans, peppers, or other vegetables, and such add-ons as...

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