The Top 100 Restaurants Near Kwality Ice Cream
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Rank 4. Seafood City
Filipino
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Rank 5. Aga's Restaurant & Catering
Pakistani, Indian
- The New York Times 2024 · Goat Chops · The Best Restaurant Dishes We Ate Across the U.S.
- Houston Chronicle #1 · Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- Houstonia Houston’s Best Restaurants
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- Eater The All-Time Eater 38
- Eater The 38 Essential Houston Restaurants
- Houstonia Best Crawfish Restaurants in Houston
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Rank 8. Musaafer
Indian
Musaafer earns its Michelin star inside a Houston mall, which sounds like a punchline until you walk in and find yourself in something closer to a palace, all soaring arches and intricate patterns. The menu travels India region by region, and the cooking is genuinely precise and exciting, not just pretty. The crowd dresses up and means it. Yes, there's valet parking at the Galleria, and yes, it's completely worth it.
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Rank 9. Nam Giao
Vietnamese
A Bib Gourmand spot in Houston's Little Saigon serving the refined cuisine of Hue, central Vietnam, which is a whole different world from the pho joints you're used to. The room fills with regulars who clearly have a system, and you should steal it: order way more than you think you need. The server will tell you the same thing, and they're right. Delicate steamed cakes, crispy rice pancakes buried in herbs, grilled beef wrapped in vine leaves. Go hungry.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Houston Chronicle #22 · Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Ai Le
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Rank 10. Maximo
Texan Mexican
Maximo is a Tex-Mex neighborhood spot in West University that actually earns its Bib Gourmand, with a kitchen that takes both sides of that hyphen seriously. The vibe is warm and low-key, burnt orange booths, tile floors, and a covered patio full of locals who clearly come back a lot. The menu is creative without being showy, and the tasting menu is a genuinely good deal if you can't decide.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Winner · Emerging Chef · Adrian Torres
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Houstonia 2025 · The 10 Best Restaurants That Opened in Houston
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Rank 11. Tatemó
Mexican
A Michelin-starred tasting menu tucked into a strip mall next to a doughnut shop, which tells you everything and nothing about what's inside. The chef turns heirloom corn from across Mexico into something genuinely worth dressing up for, and the mole negro alone will make you rethink what a tortilla can be. Bring your own wine since they don't have a liquor license, and bring a friend who appreciates the joke of finding this here.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- Food & Wine 2023 · Best New Chefs · Emmanuel Chavez
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Nominee · Best New Restaurant
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Rank 12. March
Mediterranean
A Michelin-starred tasting menu spot on Westheimer that takes the whole Mediterranean as its syllabus, one region at a time. The kitchen works through the Maghreb, Andalusia, Greece, and beyond, with cocktails and small bites in the lounge before you move into the main room for the full show. It sounds academic on paper, but the hospitality is warm enough that you forget you're basically doing homework.
- World Culinary Awards 2025 · Nominee · World's Best Mediterranean Cuisine Restaurant
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
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Rank 13. BCN Taste & Tradition
Spanish
A Michelin-starred Spanish fine dining spot hiding in a white stucco bungalow off Richmond Avenue, which is exactly the kind of setup that makes Houston so weird and wonderful. The seafood is the move, the all-Spanish wine list is a flex, and the gin and tonic section on the menu is a very good idea. The crowd tends toward couples and regulars who know the staff by name, and the art on the walls is genuinely worth a look.
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Rank 14. Mala Sichuan Bistro
Chinese
Mala Sichuan Bistro is the kind of casual Sichuan spot that makes you wonder why you ever settled for lesser Chinese takeout. The kitchen treats the numbing heat as a flavor, not a dare, so you actually taste the food instead of just surviving it. Bellaire's Chinatown location is the original, and the room fills with families and regulars who already know what they're ordering. It's earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand, and the portions are genuinely huge.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Houstonia Houston’s Best Restaurants
- Eater The 38 Essential Houston Restaurants
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Rank 15. Le Jardinier
French
Tucked inside the Museum of Fine Arts, this Michelin-starred French fine dining spot earns its one star with cooking that's as pretty as the galleries next door. The seasonal set menu leans vegetable-forward in the most elegant way possible, with sauces that actually make you stop mid-sentence. The crowd dresses like they have opinions about art. Lunch is genuinely good value if your wallet needs a reason to show up.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- Houstonia Houston’s Best Restaurants
- Eater The 38 Essential Houston Restaurants
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Rank 16. Bar Bludorn
American Cocktail Bar
Bar Bludorn is a neighborhood cocktail bar and dining room that somehow makes you feel like a regular even on your first visit. Dark wood, warm lighting, and an open kitchen set the scene for a crowd that came for drinks and then quietly ordered way too much food. The menu runs from pasta to steaks, all built for sharing, and the beignets filled with ricotta and Benton's ham will ruin your plans to save room for dinner.
- Esquire 2024 · El Jardin · The Best Martinis in America
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Eater Place Where We Want to Be a Regular
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Rank 17. Nancy's Hustle
New American
Nancy's Hustle is a laid-back EaDo bistro that somehow makes every decision feel impossible in the best way. The menu jumps around confidently, from dumplings to wagyu to a cheeseburger on a housemade English muffin, and it all works. It's the kind of neighborhood spot where the regulars look like they never agonize over the menu even though they absolutely do. Michelin gave it a Bib Gourmand, which tracks.
- The Infatuation Infatuation’s Highest-Rated Restaurants In America
- Food & Wine 2025 · The Top 15 US Restaurants
- Wine Enthusiast 2023 · Forward 50 Restaurants
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Rank 18. The Marigold Club
British French
A swanky cocktail bar and dinner spot in Montrose that earns the dress-up effort. The vibe is Mayfair-meets-Houston, which sounds absurd until you're there and it just works. A player piano sets the mood, the oysters and caviar at the bar draw the see-and-be-seen crowd, and the French-ish menu has a British accent that keeps things interesting. Decadent without being precious, and the room knows it.
- Esquire 2024 · Mayfair Martini · The Best Martinis in America
- Eater Most Beautiful Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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Rank 19. Nobie's
New American
Nobie's is a cozy neighborhood restaurant tucked into an old Montrose bungalow, with vinyl records on the walls and a staff that makes you feel like you've been coming in for years. The food is creative without being fussy, the kind of New American cooking that makes you genuinely torn about what to order. It has a Michelin Bib Gourmand, and honestly the pie alone might justify the trip. The room is full of regulars who clearly know something you don't.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Eater The 38 Essential Houston Restaurants
- Houston Chronicle Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
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- James Beard Awards 2026 · Winner · Best Chef: Texas · Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lu
- Texas Monthly 2024 · Honorable Mentions · Texas’s Best New Restaurants
- Houston Chronicle #18 · Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
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- AAA Four Diamonds
- Wine Enthusiast The Wine Restaurant Hall of Fame
- Eater The 38 Essential Houston Restaurants
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Rank 22. ChopnBlok
West African
- Eater Buka Stew · The 8 Best Meals I Ate This Year, 2024
- Esquire 2025 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- The New York Times 2025 · The Restaurant List
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Rank 23. ChòpnBlọk
African
A fast-casual Nigerian and West African counter tucked inside The Post food hall, and it earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand, so yes, you're eating well without emptying your wallet. The rice bowls are the move, built around bold West African flavors that feel genuinely homemade rather than watered down for the crowd. The room has good energy, books and vinyls on the walls, and a line of people who clearly know what they're doing.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Best Chef: Texas · Ope Amosu
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- The New York Times 2025 · The Restaurant List
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- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Outstanding Restaurateur · Hugo Ortega and Tracy Vaught - H-Town Restaurant Group
- Houston Chronicle #23 · Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
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Rank 25. Credence
Contemporary American
Live fire is the whole point at Credence, a roomy Contemporary American restaurant where the open kitchen runs on flame and the menu leans hard into Texas. The chef is a fifth-generation Texan with classical training, which means the whole duck and dry-aged strip get the respect they deserve without anyone getting precious about it. The crowd looks like Houston actually dresses, which is to say comfortably well.
- Texas Monthly 2025 · Honorable Mentions · Texas’s Best New Restaurants
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Houston Chronicle #7 · Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
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- Texas Monthly 2025 · Honorable Mentions · Texas’s Best New Restaurants
- Houstonia Houston’s Best Restaurants
- Houston Chronicle Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
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Thai street food done with zero apologies and a Michelin Bib Gourmand to back it up. The chef pulls recipes from her grandmother and from regions most Houston menus ignore, so the menu reads like a road trip through Thailand rather than the usual greatest hits. The room is loud, the Thai hip hop is louder, and the papaya salad at even medium spice will test your confidence. Come hungry and maybe a little brave.
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Winner · Best Chef: Texas · Benchawan Jabthong Painter
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Houstonia Houston’s Best Restaurants
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Rank 28. Hong Kong Food Street
Chinese
A family-run Hong Kong dining room tucked into a Katy strip mall, which sounds like a setup but is actually the whole point. The menu is tight and deliberate, the kind of place where the kitchen actually finishes what it starts. The sleek room fills with multigenerational families working lazy susans, and the congee and wontons taste like someone's been perfecting them for years. On weekends, ask about the seafood specials.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Houston Chronicle #19 · Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- Houstonia Houston’s Best Restaurants
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Rank 29. Navy Blue
Seafood
- Texas Monthly 2023 · #1 · Texas’s Best New Restaurants
- Houston Chronicle #20 · Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- Houstonia Houston’s Best Restaurants
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Rank 30. Hamsa
Modern Middle Eastern
- Texas Monthly 2023 · #3 · Texas’s Best New Restaurants
- Houston Chronicle Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Itai Ben Eli and Itamar Levy - Sof Hospitality Group
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Rank 31. Perseid
French
A sunflower-yellow bistro attached to the boutique Hotel Saint Augustine that actually earns your attention rather than just your convenience. Aaron Bludorn's team turns out refined French-leaning comfort food, the kind of room where attentive servers make everything feel easy. Tall windows and a patio keep it bright and airy, and the crowd tends toward people who dressed up just enough to feel good about it. Breakfast all week is a genuinely nice touch.
- Wine Enthusiast 2025 · Top 50 New Restaurants
- Bon Appétit 2025 · America's Best New Restaurants
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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Rank 32. Agnes and Sherman
Asian Contemporary
A diner in Houston Heights where the menu grew up eating two cultures at once and never had to choose. The comfort food here leans into Asian American nostalgia with enough creative swagger to keep things interesting, whether you're sliding into a solo lunch or an easy first date. The crowd is laid-back, the vibe is casual, and nobody's dressed up for it. Order something, relax, and let the kitchen surprise you.
- The Infatuation 2025 · #12 · The Top-Rated New Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Best New Restaurant
- Texas Monthly 2025 · Dishes We Wanted Seconds Of: Bean-offee Pie · The Best Things in Texas
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Rank 33. Phat Eatery
Malaysian
- Houstonia Houston’s Best Restaurants
- Eater The 38 Essential Houston Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Alex Au-Yeung
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- Texas Monthly 2025 · #4 · Texas’s Best New Restaurants
- Houston Chronicle Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
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Rank 35. Baso
Live-Fire American
Concrete walls, moody lighting, heavy beats, and a glowing open hearth: Baso is a live-fire restaurant in the Heights that feels more like a party someone forgot to invite you to. The crowd is young and dressed like they know it, and the menu roams wherever it wants, from grilled oysters to Basque cheesecake. Bring a group, order everything, and plan to stay later than you meant to.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Houston Chronicle #11 · Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- Eater The 38 Essential Houston Restaurants
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- Houston Chronicle Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Itai Ben Eli and Itamar Levy - Sof Hospitality Group
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Rank 38. Kiran's
Restaurant
- Houston Chronicle Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- Houstonia The Best Indian Restaurants in Houston
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Kiran Verma
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Rank 39. Camaraderie
American/New American
- Houstonia 2025 · The 10 Best Restaurants That Opened in Houston
- Houston Chronicle #13 · Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- Houstonia Houston’s Best Restaurants
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- James Beard Awards 2022 · Nominee · Outstanding Hospitality
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Outstanding Restaurateur · Hugo Ortega and Tracy Vaught - H-Town Restaurant Group
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Rank 42. Theodore Rex
Contemporary
Justin Yu is a name Houston diners know well, and this cozy counter-service spot tucked off a highway is where he gets to cook whatever he wants. The food is hard to label, which is exactly the point: everything looks deceptively simple and then quietly knocks you sideways with how well it's seasoned. It's a sharing-plates kind of dinner, the room is elbow-to-elbow, and it has a Michelin Bib Gourmand to show for itself.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Eater 2018 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- Eater The 38 Essential Houston Restaurants
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- Houston Chronicle #2 · Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- Eater The 38 Essential Houston Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Mark Clayton
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Rank 44. da Gama Canteen
Indian
Portuguese and Indian flavors don't cross paths often, but da Gama Canteen makes a convincing case that they should. This casual tapas-style spot in Houston Heights pulls from the old colonial overlap between Portugal, Goa, and East Africa, and the result is genuinely unlike anything else in the city. It earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand, which means the food punches well above what you'd expect to pay. Bring someone adventurous and order a lot of small plates.
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Rank 46. Tacos Doña Lena
Mexican/Tex-Mex
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Rank 47. Annam
Contemporary Vietnamese
Annam earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand for good reason: it's a contemporary Vietnamese restaurant that manages to feel genuinely elegant without making you feel underdressed. The room is all cream and soft light, the kind of place you'd take a date or a group you want to impress without dropping a fortune. The menu leans French-Vietnamese, the portions are generous, and the whole vibe is relaxed confidence done right.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Houstonia 2025 · Honorable Mention · The 10 Best Restaurants That Opened in Houston
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Rank 49. Burger Bodega
Hamburgers
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Rank 50. Papalo Taqueria
Mexican/Tex-Mex
Tucked inside a food hall in downtown Houston, this counter-service taqueria punches well above its weight, earning a Michelin Bib Gourmand in a space barely big enough to swing a tortilla. The crowd is a happy mix of office workers and people who drove farther than they'll admit. Housemade tortillas come off the griddle all day, and the menu leans creative without trying too hard. Cash is probably a good idea.
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Rank 51. Candente
Tex-Mex Mexican
This sprawling Tex-Mex spot in Houston is big enough to feel like a destination, and the kitchen actually delivers at that scale. The fajitas are the move, prime beef arriving on a sizzling cast-iron with charred onions and tortillas made from brisket trimmings. The enchiladas pull their weight too. The crowd is festive and loud, the portions are enormous, and nobody's leaving hungry or particularly light on their feet.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Houstonia The Best Mexican Restaurants in Houston
- Houstonia The Best Margaritas in Houston
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Rank 52. Himalaya
Pakistani, Indian
Himalaya is a James Beard Award-winning Pakistani-Indian restaurant in Houston's Gandhi District, and chef Kaiser Lashkari is the reason people drive across town. The menu is gleefully hard to categorize, mixing Indo-Pakistani classics with things like Indian-spiced Southern fried chicken and Pakistani pastrami. The room skews casual, locals who know exactly what they're ordering before they sit down. Save room for the mango tres leches.
- Houstonia The Best Indian Restaurants in Houston
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Kaiser Lashkari
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- Houstonia The Best Mexican Restaurants in Houston
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Sylvia Casares
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Rank 55. La Lucha
Seafood, Hamburgers
- Houstonia Houston’s Best Restaurants
- Houston Chronicle Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- Houstonia The Best Margaritas in Houston
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- Houston Chronicle Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Chris Williams - Lucille's Hospitality Group
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- Houstonia The Best Mexican Restaurants in Houston
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Sylvia Casares
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Rank 60. Late August
New American
Late August sits inside a converted tech hub and somehow that fits, because the food here is quietly ambitious in the same way. This is a proper sit-down restaurant blending American, Mexican, and African flavors through a short seasonal menu, or a "surprise tasting" if you're feeling trusting. The crowd skews creative and curious, the room is bright and easy, and a lot of the produce comes from a farm the team actually runs.
- Esquire 2024 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Chris Williams - Lucille's Hospitality Group
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Rank 61. House of Bowls
Chinese
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Rank 63. Killen's
Southern
Ronnie Killen's Southern comfort spot in the Heights is the kind of place where every dish arrives looking like someone's grandmother made it with intention. Brisket, ribs, fried chicken, cornbread skillet, the works. It earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand, and the room fills with people who came hungry and ordered like it. Leave the calorie app at home, wear something with a forgiving waistband, and plan your afternoon accordingly.
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Rank 67. Ocean Palace
Chinese
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- Houston Chronicle Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- Houstonia The Best Mexican Restaurants in Houston
- Houstonia The Best Margaritas in Houston
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Rank 70. Villa Arcos
Mexican/Tex-Mex
- Houston Chronicle Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- Houstonia The Best Mexican Restaurants in Houston
- Houstonia The Best Tacos in Houston
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Rank 74. Maharaja Bhog
Vegetarian, Indian
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Rank 75. Momo House
Restaurant
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Rank 76. Old Alley Hot Pot
Chinese
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Rank 77. One Dragon
Chinese
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- The New York Times 2023 · The Restaurant List
- Texas Monthly 2023 · Honorable Mentions · Texas’s Best New Restaurants
- Eater The 38 Essential Houston Restaurants
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Rank 79. Taste Of Nigeria
African
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- Houstonia Houston’s Best Restaurants
- Houstonia The Best Mexican Restaurants in Houston
- Houstonia The Best Tacos in Houston
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Rank 81. Michy's Chino Boricua
Chinese, Puerto Rican
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- Houstonia The Official 50 Hottest Bars in Houston
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Sara Stayer and Martin Stayer
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El Hidalguense is a no-frills Mexican spot on a gritty industrial stretch of Long Point Road where the regulars arrive knowing exactly what they want and the newcomers spend ten minutes staring at the menu before a local talks them into the right call. That call is the barbacoa de borrego, slow-cooked lamb that arrives fall-off-the-bone tender with a consommé you'll be thinking about on the drive home.
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Rank 89. Latuli
Seafood
- Houstonia 2025 · The 10 Best Restaurants That Opened in Houston
- Houstonia Houston’s Best Restaurants
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Rank 98. Fung's Kitchen
Chinese
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Rank 100. Haii Keii
Sushi
- Houstonia 2025 · The 10 Best Restaurants That Opened in Houston
- Houstonia Houston’s Best Restaurants