As long as there are deadlines, as long as there are parties until 2 a.m. — heck, as long as there are college students — there will be late-night food. Houston has a plethora of all-night establishments of varying cuisines and qualities, almost to the point that the discerning 24-hour gourmand might well blanch at the possibilities, but never fear! Houstonist is here with some of our favorite late-night options.
Katz's: Katz's, the sign tells us, Never Kloses, which is darn lucky. A huge menu of tasty — though somewhat pricey — deli food is a little slice of the Big Apple itself. Or, rather, it's a giant slice, since the portions are huge. Try the sinfully good fried pickles, served with ranch dressing, or the fantastic Rubens (both regular and vegetarian). Nothing soothes the savage beast (or the terrible grade, or the horrific blind date) like Katz’s matzo ball soup with its big pieces of white meat chicken, and make sure you don’t walk away without cheesecake: Katz’s serves it both conventionally and blended into their delicious shakes. You can feel your arteries hardening, of course, but at 3 a.m. it just might be worth it. (616 Westheimer, just east of Montrose)
Ruchi’s Taqueria: When nothing else will do but grease and cheap drinks, Ruchi's is the place. Several locations around town ensure that the signature green awning is visible no matter which part of the city you find yourself in, inebriated at four in the morning. The locations vary slightly, but all share the same yummy quesadillas (made with your choice of meat), taco platters and other Mexican favorites, all for less than the price of a movie ticket. The Shepherd location has particularly crave-able flan, and if you’re lucky, you’ll end up at one of the Ruchi's branches that can provide the elusive holy grail: Mexican Coca-Cola made with real, unrefined sugar. Not only will you taste the difference, you may well find yourself shaking your fist at those familiar red cans. When you can get the real thing 24 hours a day, why settle? And if you’re not a fan of carbonation, there are always those huge, $4 margaritas. (seven locations around the city)
If deli or Mexican doesn’t appeal to you, here are two more late-night options:
Mai's: OK, Houstonist cheated. Mai’s isn’t actually open 24 hours, but the giant menu of Vietnamese food both traditional and, for the timid souls, Americanized, is so good that it had to go on the list. Mai’s is a friendly place, a beacon of good noodles that shines in downtown until 4 a.m. Check out the spring rolls just to get a bowl of the most delicious peanut sauce in the city, and try the salt-toasted tofu: even non-vegetarians will be converted by the flavorful dish. Finally, get some sticky rice — it’s an interesting blend of sweet and savory that makes a perfect end to a meal. One final note? Bring friends! Mai's is great at accommodating large parties, even on the spur of the moment. (3403 Milam)
Of course, no list would be complete without House of Pies. The founders of Compaq sketched the idea for their first PC on a placemat at the Westheimer location in 1982, and not much has changed since (well, for the HoP, anyway — a lot has happened at Compaq). Many people go just for the desserts, but you shouldn't pass up the full menu. The Monte Cristo (a sandwich of ham, turkey, and cheese fried up like French toast and served with strawberry jam) sounds odd, but is revelatory junk food. Try the chili or homemade soups while you people watch. The crowd encompasses grandmas and businessmen, and there's always the "House of Guys" rumors ... but whatever your scene, we're sure you'll agree that the pie is orgasmic. (3112 Kirby and 6142 Westheimer)
Photo credits, top to bottom: flickr users auchard, arny johanns, vacationtime
add to digg
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
email this
add to facebook
add to del.icio.us
Ruchi's at one time would also serve beer after hours, which came as quite a surprise to yours truly - at 3 AM and following a rather lenghty drinking session - when I took a long swig from a big green plastic cup and got a mouthful of Miller Lite instead of refreshing H2O.
Not that I was complaining, mind.