Himalaya Restaurant in Houston is Kaiser Lashkari's Pakistani-and-Indian room on the Southwest Freeway since 2004, with lamb biryani, hunter's beef and Anthony Bourdain provenance.
Signature dishes: Lamb biryani, Hunter's beef
Must order: Lamb biryani (slow-cooked dum style), hunter's beef and one of the chai-glazed lamb chops.
Tip: Lunch buffet runs weekdays and is the value entry. BYOB; the corner liquor store across Hillcroft is the run.
Address: 6652 Southwest Fwy, Houston, TX 77074
Phat Eatery in Katy (west of Houston) is the late Alex Au-Yeung's Malaysian street food room in Katy Asian Town, with beef rendang, roti canai and a Buckthorn Place second location in The Woodlands.
Signature: Beef rendang, Roti canai
Order: Beef rendang, roti canai with curry chicken dip, char kway teow.
Tip: Katy is 30 miles west of downtown Houston; combine the trip with H Mart and Asian Town. Lunch is quieter.
Pondicheri in Houston is Anita Jaisinghani's modern Indian room at WestAve on Kirby Drive since 2011, with masala omelette breakfasts, thali plates and a Bake Lab pastry counter upstairs.
Signature: Masala omelette and roti, Thali plates
Order: Masala omelette with roti at breakfast. The thali plate at dinner. The Bake Lab's masala chai bun for the road.
Tip: Breakfast (7am to 11am) is the lesser-known peak. The thali changes daily; ask what is on it before you order.
Killen's Steakhouse in Pearland (south of Houston) is Ronnie Killen's white-tablecloth room on West Broadway, with a 1,200-bottle wine tower, 44-Farms wagyu and a bone-in ribeye.
Signature: 44-Farms wagyu, Bone-in ribeye
Order: The bone-in ribeye and the 44-Farms wagyu sampler. Order one of the dry-aged cuts off the side menu.
Tip: Reserve four to six weeks ahead for Saturday. The bar serves the full menu and is the easier seat.
Pappas Bros Steakhouse Downtown in Houston is the McKinney Street steakhouse from the Pappas family, with a 4,000-bottle wine list, dry-aged ribeyes and a James Beard outstanding wine program.
Signature: Dry-aged bone-in ribeye, Wine cellar selection
Order: A 28-day dry-aged bone-in ribeye and creamed spinach. Ask the sommelier for one of the older Bordeaux by the glass.
Tip: The wine list is the reason. The downtown room is quieter than Westheimer; both serve the same kitchen.
Pho Binh on Bellaire Boulevard is the original 1983 Houston pho counter from the Le family, with clean broth, rare-beef pho tai and the city's pho-as-everyday-meal tradition still in place.
Signature: Pho tai (rare beef), Banh mi
Order: Pho tai (rare beef) or pho dac biet (combination). A Vietnamese iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk.
Tip: Cash strongly preferred. Bellaire location is the original; the four other branches (Westheimer, Heights, Sharpstown, Katy) are family-run.
Truth BBQ in Houston is Leonard Botello IV's Heights Boulevard smokehouse, the Brenham original relocated in 2019, with post-oak-smoked brisket Texas Monthly's Top 50 list backs every year.
Signature: Brisket, Pulled pork
Order: Brisket fatty, sliced thick. Pulled pork. A side of pinto beans and a slice of the strawberry cake.
Tip: Open Wed to Sun, lunch only until they sell out (usually 2 to 3pm). Get there by 11am for brisket; the line moves fast.
