-
A smudge stick salad opens the meal, which tells you most of what you need to know about Ishtia's ambitions. This intimate tasting menu in Kemah builds a multicourse experience around Indigenous American ingredients and tradition, run by a chef who also operates a molecular gastronomy restaurant nearby, because apparently one mode of cooking wasn't enough. Seating is limited to Thursday through Saturday, so reservations are not optional.
Six honors, in evidence:
The record strongest first
- Texas Monthly #5 · Texas’s Best New Restaurants
- Eater The Best New Restaurants in America
- Eater Best New Restaurant
- Houston Chronicle #17 · Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- Houstonia Houston’s Best Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · David Skinner
One number, weighted & current 85
How we scoreThe dishes from the writeups
Nearby in the record closest first
- Fish and Chips Houston Eat · 64
- Tookies Seafood Seafood Eat · 65
Something wrong with this entry? Tell us — closed, moved, miscategorized, we want to know.