Food · Houston · United States
What to eat in Houston
The dishes, drinks and food experiences that define Houston, and where locals actually eat them.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Katie Haugland Brown, CC BY 2.0
Quick answer
Start with Viet-Cajun crawfish, Fajitas and Smoked brisket. From late winter into early summer, order crawfish by the pound in a Viet-Cajun spice blend and spend an hour peeling with friends; bibs and gloves are standard. Houston is built for driving to dinner; plan transport between neighbourhoods, as restaurants are spread out.
Key facts
- Signature dish
- Viet-Cajun crawfish
- Vegetarian-friendly picks
- 3
- Tipping
- Tip 18–20% at sit-down restaurants and bars, $1–$2 per drink at a counter, 15–20% for…
- Food experiences
- 4
9 foods to try
Dish
1.Viet-Cajun crawfish
Houston's Vietnamese community added garlic butter, lemongrass and chili to the Louisiana crawfish boil. Crawfish are served by the pound in plastic bags with corn and potatoes, to be peeled at paper-covered tables.
Where: Restaurants along Bellaire Boulevard in Chinatown and across the city during crawfish season, roughly January to June.
Dish
2.Fajitas
Grilled marinated skirt steak brought sizzling with onions, flour tortillas, guacamole and pico de gallo. Mama Ninfa Laurenzo is credited with popularising them in restaurants on Navigation Boulevard in the 1970s.
Where: Tex-Mex restaurants citywide, including the original Ninfa's on Navigation Boulevard in the East End.
Dish
3.Smoked brisket
Texas barbecue's centrepiece: beef brisket smoked for hours over oak, sliced to order and sold by the half-pound with sausage, ribs and sides such as beans and potato salad.
Where: Barbecue joints across the city; the most celebrated ones sell out early on weekends.
Breakfast · Vegetarian
4.Kolaches
Czech-Texan pastries of soft, slightly sweet dough filled with fruit or cream cheese, or wrapped around sausage and jalapeño. In Houston they are an everyday breakfast from doughnut shops.
Where: Doughnut and kolache shops everywhere, including the Houston-founded Shipley Do-Nuts chain.
Dish
5.Pho and banh mi
Houston has one of the largest Vietnamese communities in the US, and steaming bowls of beef pho and crusty banh mi sandwiches filled with pâté, pork and pickled vegetables are cheap staples.
Where: Bellaire Boulevard in Chinatown and the Midtown area once known as Little Saigon.
Breakfast
6.Dim sum
Weekend dim sum with carts or order sheets of har gow, siu mai, char siu bao and egg tarts is a big family outing in Houston's Chinese community.
Where: Large banquet-style restaurants in Chinatown on Bellaire Boulevard; arrive before 11am at weekends.
Dish
7.Gulf oysters and shrimp
Oysters and shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico appear raw on the half shell, chargrilled with garlic butter, fried in po'boys or in gumbo, showing the Louisiana influence on Houston cooking.
Where: Seafood restaurants in Houston, Kemah and Galveston; oysters are best in the cooler months.
Street food · Vegetarian
8.Mahatma Gandhi District chaat and biryani
Along Hillcroft Avenue, Indian and Pakistani restaurants and sweet shops serve chaat, kebabs, nihari and biryani, with saree and jewellery shops in between.
Where: The Mahatma Gandhi District around Hillcroft Avenue and Harwin Drive in south-west Houston.
Breakfast · Vegetarian
9.Breakfast tacos
Flour tortillas filled with egg and chorizo, potato and egg, bacon or barbacoa, sold from early morning at taquerías and drive-throughs all over the city.
Where: Taquerías across the East End, the Heights and every neighbourhood.
Food experiences
Crawfish season boil
From late winter into early summer, order crawfish by the pound in a Viet-Cajun spice blend and spend an hour peeling with friends; bibs and gloves are standard.
Bellaire Boulevard food crawl
Drive to Chinatown and share small orders across a few restaurants: banh mi, hand-pulled noodles, dim sum and a Taiwanese tea or bakery stop.
Barbecue run
Arrive at a well-known barbecue joint before it opens at weekends, order brisket and beef ribs by weight and eat at picnic tables.
East End Tex-Mex
Eat fajitas at a long-running Tex-Mex restaurant on Navigation Boulevard, then walk the esplanade and its murals.
Quick bites and street food
- Kolaches — Doughnut and kolache shops everywhere, including the Houston-founded Shipley Do-Nuts chain.
- Dim sum — Large banquet-style restaurants in Chinatown on Bellaire Boulevard; arrive before 11am at weekends.
- Mahatma Gandhi District chaat and biryani — The Mahatma Gandhi District around Hillcroft Avenue and Harwin Drive in south-west Houston.
- Breakfast tacos — Taquerías across the East End, the Heights and every neighbourhood.
Vegetarian options
Of the 9 foods in this guide, 3 are usually vegetarian: Kolaches, Mahatma Gandhi District chaat and biryani and Breakfast tacos. Check preparation with staff, as stocks and fats vary.
Eating out: tips and etiquette
- Houston is built for driving to dinner; plan transport between neighbourhoods, as restaurants are spread out.
- Crawfish prices change week to week; restaurants list a 'market price' per pound.
- Dim sum and barbecue are best early, before the most popular items run out.
- Strip-mall locations are normal for some of the city's best restaurants; don't judge by the car park.
- Sales tax of about 8.25% is added at the register and an 18–20% tip is expected at sit-down restaurants.
Tipping
Tip 18–20% at sit-down restaurants and bars, $1–$2 per drink at a counter, 15–20% for taxis and ride-hailing, and a few dollars per bag for hotel porters.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Y'all | You all, used for any group |
| The Loop / Inner Loop | The I-610 ring road and the central area inside it |
| H-Town | A nickname for Houston |
Questions travellers ask
+What food is Houston famous for?
Viet-Cajun crawfish, Fajitas, Smoked brisket and Kolaches. Houston's Vietnamese community added garlic butter, lemongrass and chili to the Louisiana crawfish boil.
+Is Houston good for vegetarians?
Several local staples are meat-free, including Kolaches, Mahatma Gandhi District chaat and biryani and Breakfast tacos.
+Do you tip in restaurants in Houston?
Tip 18–20% at sit-down restaurants and bars, $1–$2 per drink at a counter, 15–20% for taxis and ride-hailing, and a few dollars per bag for hotel porters.