The Best Restaurants in Spring, by the Record
The best restaurants in Spring, by the professional record: 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.
Amrina and Xalisko Cocina Mexicana hold the next two places. Houston Chronicle shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with James Beard Awards next.
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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.
- 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. Amrina
Indian
- Wine Enthusiast Forward 50 Restaurants
- Houstonia Houston’s Best Restaurants
- Eater The 38 Essential Houston Restaurants
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Rank 3. Xalisko Cocina Mexicana
Jalisco Mexican
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.
- 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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- Houston Chronicle Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Alex Au-Yeung
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