Foodies from coast to coast know Houston is a prime place to eat. Find out the city’s best.
Houston is one of America’s most exciting dining destinations, thanks to our exhilarating diversity and rich indigenous culinary mix. Each year, the Chronicle’s James Beard Award-winning critic Alison Cook releases her list of the best 100 restaurants in the city. Here’s a taste of her current top 10. Hugo’s
Chef Hugo Ortega’s regional Mexican flagship has never been better than it is now. Ortega’s mastery of chiles makes his arsenal of salsas and moles hum with increasing depth and complexity. Flavors bloom even under the influence of chile heat: in a round, sunny mole amarillo accompanying seasonal squash-blossom empanadas; in a smoky pasilla chintextle sauce bathing rich, delicate slices of braised and wood-grilled tongue. Roll it up in the fragrant blue-corn tortillas that are made in-house. Desserts, cocktails and service never seem to stop improving here. 1600 Westheimer, 713-5247744; hugosrestaurant.net. Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri.Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sun. 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
The Pass & Provisions
Consistently smooth, wellinformed service eases the way for nine-course, $105 tasting menus at The Pass, co-chefs Seth Siegel-Gardner and Terrence Gallivan’s serene temple to modern technique. So do the rock ’n’ roll soundtrack and unusually well-chosen wines, beers and cocktails. Next door, in more casual Provisions, provocative wood-oven pizzas,
pastas, meaty lunch sandwiches and soft-serve creations make the retrofitted old Antone’s deli space user-friendly, as do an ambitious bar, a pleasant terrace and a bumptious Saturday brunch. 807 Taft, 713-628-9020; passandprovisions.com. Hours: The Pass, Tues.-Fri. 6-9 p.m., Sat. 5-9 p.m.; Provisions, L Mon.-Fri. 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., D Mon.-Thurs. 5-10 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 5-11 p.m., brunch Sat. 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. BCN Taste & Tradition Chef Luis Roger comes from Spain, where he worked under modern master Ferran Adrià for a time and where he draws inspiration from sources high and low, old and new for his stirring, immaculately executed cuisine. Lodged in a cool, pale redo of a grand old Montrose house, BCN looks as good as it tastes, and its phalanx of crisply dark-suited staff is as deft and attentive as any in town. The all-Spanish wine list and the scintillating Spanish-style gin and tonics continue to delight. What to order: fresh pickled anchovies, steamed shellfish in graceful broths and spicy patatas bravas. 4210 Roseland, 832-834-3411; bcnhouston.com. Hours: Tues.Thurs. 5:30-10 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 5-11 p.m. Killen’s Barbecue Thank goodness for the mighty oak that towers over this Pearland joint. It shades the barbecue pilgrims who queue faithfully for a taste of chef Ronnie Killen’s superbly detailed smoked meats and side dishes, no matter the season or the weather. The beauty’s in the beef here: prime brisket crusted in a soul-rattling, black-peppery char and imbued with a deep wood smokiness. For true beef voluptuaries, there may be burntend specials or a humongous beef rib that Killen aptly calls the foie gras of barbecue. 3613 E. Broadway, Pearland, 281-485-2272; killensbarbecue.com. Hours: Tues.-Thurs. & Sun. 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Pax Americana Bold seasonal cooking is all about contrast and surprise, whether it’s the tart/sweet stealth bomb of apple butter gracing a baba ghanoush of Louisiana green eggplant or its nutty jump of toasted pepita seeds and hazelnut vinaigrette. You can make a fine meal by sharing small plates — including some terrific charcuterie and vegetable dishes — or invest in entrees such a grilled whole snapper. The sourcing is passionately Gulf Coastal. And the service is so diligent and informed, it smooths out the feel of this noisy room, which is crowded for good reason. 4319 Montrose, 713-239-0228; paxamericanahtx.com. Hours: Tues.-Thurs. 5-10 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 5-11 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 5-9 p.m. Pondicheri What fun chef Anita Jaisinghani’s all-day Indian diner has turned out to be. From breakfast through lunch through afternoon tea, from happy hour to dinner through upstairs dessert at the Bake Lab, this colorful establishment has verve to spare. Flavor, too: The many South Asian customers who throng to this sophisticated room testify to Jaisinghani’s righteous seasoning, delivered with a sly Gulf Coast accent. The menus revolve here, but keep an eye out for any of the lacy stuffed dosas; the freewheeling thalis, a constellation of small dishes; and house-made paneer. 2800 Kirby, 713-522-2022; pondichericafe.com. Hours: 8 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5-10 p.m. daily. See website for Bake Shop hours. Caracol Hugo Ortega’s Mexican seafood restaurant seems to grow ever more crisp, cool and collected. The service is deft. The crowd is worldly and multilingual. The wine list and cocktails are exceptionally well-suited to the food. The kitchen handles a nonstop volume with aplomb, too: crucial when it comes to the split-second timing seafood demands. Bouncy little friedoyster tacos emerge just so, swaddled in pliant handmade corn tortillas and anointed with pico de gallo and chipotle mayo. You will crave the woodgrilled oysters with chile-spiked breadcrumbs. You will dream of the pan-seared striped bass with bracing tomatillo-caper sauce. 2200 Post Oak, No. 160, 713622-9996; caracol.net. Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri.Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Bernadine’s How good is this fresh Gulf Coast seafood restaurant? So good that even the house-made hot sauce is a minor miracle: bright, tart and hot in one cheerful burst. Apply a few drops to the well-chosen oysters on the half shell, or to one of chef Graham Laborde’s stupendous fried oyster-and-shrimp poboys, which employ a sharp Creole mustard vinaigrette and finely shredded cabbage as secret weapons. Laborde is as deft with big-ticket Gulf fish and meat items as he is with immaculate salads, buoyant seasonal soups and ingenious small plates. 1801-B N. Shepherd, 713-8642565; treadsack.com/bernadines. Hours: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. daily, 5-10 p.m. Sun.-Thurs, 5-11 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Himalaya
Chef Kaiser Lashkari’s plucky Pakistani restaurant represents so much of what matters about Houston’s food scene: its freewheeling diversity; its penchant for rambunctious flavors and chile heat; its strong bench of affordable mom-andpop establishments; its gleeful borrowings from our shared culinary traditions. Here, in a simple mango-hued room laid with clear plastic table coverings, Lashkari and his wife, Azra, turn out unusually consistent fare. Aromatic biryanis, gripping curries, stellar kebabs, glistening orbs of naan — it’s all part of the exhilarating South Asian flavor ride.
6652 U.S. 59 S., 713-532-2837; himalayarestauranthouston.com. Hours: Tues.-Thurs. 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri.-Sun. 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Coltivare It’s crowded. It’s loud. It doesn’t take reservations. The maximum party size is six. But people line up for seats inside this Heights gardento-table spot for compelling reasons. Chef Ryan Pera’s strikingly fresh small plates, pizzas and pastas have spring in their step. The all-Italian wine list is both personal and reasonably priced. And the cocktails devised have a real connection with the Gulf Coast Italian cuisine. 3320 White Oak, 713-6374095; coltivarehouston.com. Hours: Mon., Wed. & Thurs. 5-10 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 5-11 p.m., Sun. 5-9 p.m.