The Best Places to Eat and Do in Spring
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The best places to eat and do in Spring, according to the experts: James Beard Awards, Michelin Guide, and Houston Chronicle have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Belly of the Beast comes out on top.
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CorkScrew BBQ and Amrina hold the next two places. Houston Chronicle and Houstonia show up on more of this list than any other guide.
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Rank 1. Belly of the Beast
Mexican
Half-corn, half-flour tortillas land warm at the table while the menu does what it wants, which turns out to be Mexican cooking with detours through saag paneer, nori, and agnolotti. This casual restaurant in Spring won the 2025 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Texas and holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand, unlikely honors for a strip-mall dining room, but the food makes the argument without needing the room to help.
The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2025 · Winner · Best Chef: Texas · Thomas Bille
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Bib Gourmand
- Houston Chronicle Houston Chronicle: #4 · Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Winner · Best Chef: Texas · Thomas Bille
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Houston Chronicle #4 · Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
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Rank 2. CorkScrew BBQ
Barbecue
Red oak smoke colors the brisket a distinct hue that regulars clock before they even pick up a tray. This Michelin-starred barbecue spot in Spring runs Tuesday through Saturday until sellout, so the line forms before the doors open at eleven, and regulars order ahead. Creekstone Farms prime cuts and beef ribs that somehow justify a forty-minute drive from Houston are why Texas Monthly put it on their list of the state's fifty best BBQ joints.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: 1 Star
- Texas Monthly Texas Monthly: The 50 Best BBQ Joints in Texas
- Houstonia Houstonia: Houston’s Best Restaurants
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- Texas Monthly The 50 Best BBQ Joints in Texas
- Houstonia Houston’s Best Restaurants
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Rank 3. Amrina
Indian
The tandoori octopus with masala potato mash is a reasonable preview of where this modern Indian restaurant is headed. Chef Jassi Bindra, a Chopped champion, treats the menu as a place to be playful, moving from A5 wagyu skewers to quail biryani to a cocktail menu called "Drink My Dessert." The room sits in The Woodlands, polished and date-night ready, and the kitchen keeps pace with both the ambition and the occasion.
The awards
- Wine Enthusiast Wine Enthusiast: Forward 50 Restaurants
- Houstonia Houstonia: Houston’s Best Restaurants
- Eater Eater: The 38 Essential Houston Restaurants
- Wine Enthusiast Forward 50 Restaurants
- Houstonia Houston’s Best Restaurants
- Eater The 38 Essential Houston Restaurants
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Rank 4. Rosemeyer Bar-B-Q
Barbecue
A trailer parked beside a gas station on the highway, picnic tables only, no dining room in sight. That's the full setup at this BBQ shop in Spring, and Texas Monthly put it on their list of the state's 50 best joints anyway. The Michelin Guide added a Bib Gourmand, which is the kind of thing that happens when the brisket is smoked right. Check their social before you go; the daily specials move fast.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Bib Gourmand
- Texas Monthly Texas Monthly: The 50 Best BBQ Joints in Texas
- Houston Chronicle Houston Chronicle: Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Texas Monthly The 50 Best BBQ Joints in Texas
- Houston Chronicle Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
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Rank 5. Xalisko Cocina Mexicana
Jaliscan
Tortillas pressed from heirloom corn varieties anchor the menu at this lively Mexican restaurant tucked into a Woodlands strip mall. The chef, a James Beard semifinalist, grew up in Jalisco and cooks like it, with lamb shank slow-braised in agave leaf and a tableside al pastor that gets lit on fire, because apparently subtlety is optional. The crowd that fills this place on a Friday night suggests the mall address puts nobody off.
The awards
- Houston Chronicle Houston Chronicle: Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- Houstonia Houstonia: The Best Mexican Restaurants in Houston
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Beatriz Martines
- Houston Chronicle Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- Houstonia The Best Mexican Restaurants in Houston
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Beatriz Martines
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The awards
- Houston Chronicle Houston Chronicle: Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2022 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Alex Au-Yeung
- Houston Chronicle Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Alex Au-Yeung
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The awards
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The awards
- Houston Chronicle Houston Chronicle: Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
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Rank 9. Dessert Gallery
Dessert
This is a dessert shop in The Woodlands where the case does the talking, and what it says is carrot cake, tres leches, and chocolate-dipped chocolate chunk cookies. It began with a baker who spent years on a path toward law and then wisely got out. The seasonal cupcakes, truffles, and pecan pie bars rotate, and Houstonia has it on a list of the area's best bakeries. Come for a slice, leave with a box, and don't tell anyone how that happened.
The awards