What to order at Koffeteria

Must order
Beef pho kolache. Pistachio baklava croissant.
Editor tip
Get there by 9am Saturday for the full case. Closes at 2pm Mon, Wed-Sun, closed Tuesday.

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CuisineBakery
Price$$
Last verified

Why locals love it: An EaDo pastry shop on Hutchins Street with the beef pho kolache and Hot Cheeto croissants that won 2024 Houston Pastry Chef of the Year.

Location

Address: 1110 Hutchins St, Houston, TX 77003

More hidden gems in Houston

Himalaya Restaurant ★ 4.8

$$ Pakistani

Himalaya Restaurant in Houston is Kaiser Lashkari's Pakistani-Indian Hillcroft strip-mall kitchen, a James Beard semifinalist room hiding in a freeway.

OrderLamb biryani slow-cooked dum, hunter's beef.

Why locals goA Pakistani strip-mall room on the Southwest Freeway, with chef Kaiser Lashkari running the most precise biryani in Texas since 2004.

TipOrder the slow-cooked dum lamb biryani and hunter's beef. BYOB; corner liquor store across Hillcroft is the run.

Crawfish and Noodles ★ 4.6

$$ Vietnamese

Crawfish and Noodles in Houston is Trong Nguyen's Bellaire Boulevard Viet-Cajun crawfish room since 2008, a James Beard semifinalist. At 11360 Bellaire Blvd.

OrderCrawfish in lemongrass garlic butter sauce. Blue crab off-season.

Why locals goA Bellaire Boulevard strip-mall Vietnamese kitchen that serves the country's defining Viet-Cajun crawfish, unknown to most national lists.

TipCrawfish only in season (late February to early June). Off-season the kitchen pivots to blue crab and Dungeness; both are worth ordering.

Phat Eatery ★ 4.5

$$ Street food

Phat Eatery in Katy (west of Houston) is the late Alex Au-Yeung's Malaysian street food kitchen, a James Beard semifinalist room hidden 30 miles west.

OrderBeef rendang, roti canai with curry chicken dip, char kway teow.

Why locals goA Malaysian street food kitchen in a Katy strip mall 30 miles from downtown Houston, with rendang and roti canai most lists miss.

TipCombine the trip with H Mart and Asian Town. Lunch is quieter than dinner.

Tacos Tierra Caliente ★ 4.3

$$ Mexican

Tacos Tierra Caliente in Houston is the West Alabama Montrose taco truck, with al pastor from a real trompo and an after-hours chef-crowd reputation.

OrderThree al pastor with pineapple. Carne asada with consomme.

Why locals goA taco truck parked next to a Montrose ice house that draws the city's chef crowd at 3am for al pastor from a real trompo.

TipLate at night the line moves fast; the al pastor trompo is still spinning at midnight. Bring tacos into the ice house.

Shri Balaji Bhavan ★ 4.0

$$ Indian

Shri Balaji Bhavan in Houston is the Hillcroft South Indian vegetarian counter serving masala dosa, idli and vada in a no-frills strip-mall room.

OrderMasala dosa with coconut chutney. Vada-sambar.

Why locals goA vegetarian South Indian counter on Hillcroft Avenue serving the city's most precise masala dosa under $13, no English signage out front.

TipOrder the masala dosa and vada-sambar combo. Cash and card; the lunch buffet on weekdays is the value.

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