The Original Marini's Empanada House in Houston is the Argentine family kitchen on Westheimer in Westchase since 2007 (1971 in Montrose), with 80 savoury.
Editorially verified May 18, 2026 by Elliot Marsh, TableJourney editor. Source.
2 hours
Pipe your candle. Pick your song! Create scented dessert candles with whipped-wax swirls and decorative wax toppings, then enjoy karaoke in a relaxed Houston studio.
1 hour
Create a candle that looks as sweet as it smells. Blend your fragrance, pipe whipped-wax swirls, and add decorative wax toppings in a beginner-friendly Houston workshop.
Guided tour · 5 hours
Discover the best of Houston with a local guide on a private tour. Explore the city's unique neighborhoods and communities, see some of the hidden gems in Htown, and l...
Address: 10001 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77042
Lankford Grocery & Market in Houston is the 1939 corner-store-turned-burger-shack on Dennis Street in Midtown, with the Grim burger, weekday breakfast.
OrderThe Grim (a Hatch chile burger with American cheese, jalapenos and house sauce).
TipCash and card. Closed weekends. Sit at the picnic tables outside; the indoor counter is a single bench.
Eight Row Flint in Houston is the Heights icehouse from Agricole Hospitality in a converted Citgo gas station on Yale Street, with brisket tacos.
OrderBrisket tacos, the frozen-tied-with-Topo-Chico margarita, queso fundido.
TipThe patio under the old gas station canopy is the seat. East End second location for a different crowd.
El Tiempo Cantina on Navigation in Houston is Roland Laurenzo's Tex-Mex room (son of Ninfa Laurenzo) next to the Original Ninfa's, with fajitas.
OrderFajitas, the beef rib parrillada, a stacked margarita.
TipThe Navigation flagship is the original; other locations exist citywide. Patio in cool weather.
Tiny Boxwoods in Houston is the garden-cafe on West Alabama in the Thompson + Hanson nursery, with a chocolate chip cookie that became a Houston object.
OrderThe chocolate chip cookie warm with milk. Whichever pizza is on. Salad of the day at lunch.
TipBrunch on weekends draws a 90-minute line. Weekday lunch is the move. Order an extra dozen cookies for home.
Cali Sandwich & Pho in Houston is the Travis Street Vietnamese counter in Midtown, a Houston banh mi institution since 1979 with bo luc lac.
OrderBBQ pork banh mi. Bo luc lac (shaking beef) over rice. A Vietnamese iced coffee.
TipCash strongly preferred. Closed Sundays. The pho here is solid but the banh mi is the reason.
Goode Company Barbeque on Kirby Drive in Houston is Jim Goode's 1977 mesquite-smoked barbecue room, the city's introduction to commercial Texas barbecue.
OrderBrisket and a jalapeno pork sausage link. Jambalaya. Pecan pie to close.
TipMultiple Goode Company locations across Houston exist. The Kirby flagship is the original and the only one with the screened porch.
