The restaurant scene is understandably more diverse in Houston than our surrounding towns. Living in Houston is like a special target for entertaining out of town guests from places like Beaumont, Corpus Christi and other nearby towns. So, we've come up with a list of your not-so-typical-slightly-off-the-beaten-path restaurants to take your out of town guests when they demand a good, Houston-centric meal.
Our (and our guests’) favorites:
Café Red Onion
OK, so not quite off the beaten path, but their amazing plate presentations and creative menu are enough to impress the most refined palettes and please even unadventurous eaters. The best part is the price is also compatible with a wide range of budgets. Don't miss the Chicken Brazil: chicken, fried eggplant, queso and oh, so much more.
3910 Kirby Drive
12041 Northwest Freeway
1111 Eldridge Pkwy
El Tiempo Cantina
Also a Houston institution, also not quite a hidden gem (but those are coming soon, we promise). Everyone seems to want Tex-Mex when they visit from out of state, understandably, and El Tiempo is the one place that never seems to disappoint. Always a plus if the guests are around for their Sunday brunch. It seems on Sundays, there’s never a wait (at least the one on Washington), and if you ask for it, you can get a basket of their Mexican sweet breads (not to be confused with sweetbreads) along with your chips and salsa. Try their cheese enchiladas and the green rice. Anything with their brisket is also damn good.
3130 Richmond Ave
5602 Washington Ave
1308 Montrose Blvd
Super H Mart Food Court
Often referred to as the “Naughty Noodle” because of its proximity to an adult video store, it has the best pho in the city and awesome vermicelli dishes. Cheap, fast, and unfortunately only open on weekdays, it remains a standard lunchtime stop on our tour de Houston. Just beware of the creepy pharmacy next door. You can't go wrong with the pho here, or anything with their chargrilled pork.
2021 Mangum
The Original Marini’s Empanada House
Hands-down the best empanadas in this hemisphere. Seriously, they have perfectly crispy, Argentinian-style empanadas that are fried fresh when they are ordered. Old standbys are the gaucho (beef, boiled egg, olives, onions and spices) and the chuckwagon—don’t be fooled by the redneck name, it’s an amazing take on brisket that you won’t soon forget. Don't forget their hand-cut, perfectly crispy, hot and steamy curly fries. It's definitely a Houstonist favorite.
3522 S. Mason Rd, Katy
10001 Westheimer, #2570
Super H Mart
Not a restaurant in a traditional sense, but an Asian grocery store on Blalock between Westview and Katy Freeway. They have a great bakery inside called Tous les Jours where you can get the most delicious chocolate croissants (among many other traditional French and Asian pastries). There’s also a food court with several vendors with everything from fried chicken to sushi. Go when you’re cooking for your guests to let them pick up something from the massive produce and seafood sections (which are the least expensive in town). You can grab a bag of fresh mussels for $3.99 or a whole snapper for $5/pound — recession friendly seafood!
1302 Blalock Rd
If none of these restaurants are able to impress your out of town guests, leave them at your place with a peanut butter sandwich while you enjoy an authentic Houston dining experience (or, just send them to the nearest, boring chain restaurant and call it a day).
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