15 upscale rooms in Houston, editor-picked. occasion rooms in Houston: destination kitchens for celebrations and visits. All Houston food.
Bludorn ★ 4.7
montrose · 807 Taft St, Houston, TX 77019
Bludorn in Houston is Aaron Bludorn's New American room on Taft Street since 2020, with a lobster pot pie and Gulf-seafood menu that defined.
Tip: Book three weeks out for a Friday or Saturday. Bar seats open up at 5pm if you walk in early.
Theodore Rex ★ 4.7
eado · 1302 Nance St, Houston, TX 77002
Theodore Rex in Houston is Justin Yu's bistro on Nance Street, the warmer sequel to his now-closed Oxheart, with a tomato toast and seasonal blackboard menu.
Tip: The bar is walk-in only and the best seat. Get there at 5pm Thursday or Sunday.
Xochi ★ 4.7
downtown · 1777 Walker St, Houston, TX 77010
Xochi in Houston is Hugo Ortega's Oaxacan room on the ground floor of the Marriott Marquis downtown, with seven moles, masa-based tlayudas and a James Beard.
Tip: Sit at the masa bar to watch the corn pressed fresh. The lunch tasting is the value at $48.
Refuge ★ 4.7
1424 Westheimer Rd, 2nd Floor, Houston, TX 77006
Refuge in Houston is Bobby Heugel's reservation-only cocktail apartment above Anvil on Westheimer, with a four-stool bar, stirred cocktails and a slow-paced.
Tip: Reservations only via the website. Two seatings a night. The price is steep; the cocktails are the city's most precise.
Anvil Bar & Refuge ★ 4.6
1424 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77006
Anvil Bar & Refuge in Houston is Bobby Heugel's Montrose cocktail bar on Westheimer since 2009, the city's modern cocktail-bar template with the Brave.
Tip: Order off the 100-cocktail wall list at the back. The Brave is the house drink; the 9th Ward Daiquiri is the next pick.
Better Luck Tomorrow ★ 4.5
544 Yale Street, Houston, TX 77007
Better Luck Tomorrow in Houston is the Heights cocktail bar on Yale Street from Bobby Heugel and chef Justin Yu, with stirred drinks, the BLT burger.
Tip: The BLT burger is the food order. Sit at the bar to see the cocktail program in action.
Light Years ★ 4.5
1304 W Alabama St, Houston, TX 77006
Light Years in Houston is the Montrose natural-wine bar on West Alabama Street in a converted craftsman bungalow, with skin-contact pours, small plates.
Tip: Sit at the bar to talk through the list. The kitchen runs late; bring an order of bread and cheese.
Rosie Cannonball ★ 4.5
1620 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77006
Rosie Cannonball in Houston is Goodnight Hospitality's casual Italian wine bar on Westheimer (sister to March), with wood-fired pizzas, pastas and natural.
Tip: Walk-in only at the bar. The wood-fired pizza of the day is the order; the half-bottle list is the value.
Hugo's ★ 4.4
montrose · 1600 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77006
Hugo's in Houston is Hugo Ortega's regional Mexican room on Westheimer since 2002, with cochinita pibil, chiles en nogada in season. Located in Montrose.
Tip: Sunday brunch buffet is the city standard. Reserve the noon slot; it sells out by Tuesday.
Da Marco ★ 4.4
montrose · 1520 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77006
Da Marco in Houston is Marco Wiles's Italian dining room on Westheimer since 2002, with hand-rolled pastas, a salt-baked branzino and Houston's most serious.
Tip: Sit upstairs in the smaller dining room. The downstairs window seats are the loudest in the house.
La Carafe ★ 4.4
813 Congress St, Houston, TX 77002
La Carafe in Houston is the Market Square dive wine bar on Congress Street in an 1860 building, the oldest commercial structure in the city, candlelit.
Tip: Cash only. Bring exact change for a bottle of Vinho Verde. No food; eat first.
13 Celsius ★ 4.4
3000 Caroline St, Houston, TX 77004
13 Celsius in Houston is the Midtown wine bar on Caroline Street in a 1932 cleaners building, with European old-world pours, cheese boards and a candlelit.
Tip: Sit at the back banquette under the brick wall. The cheese board with house-made membrillo is the order to anchor a flight.
Poison Girl ★ 4.3
1641 Westheimer Road, Suite B, Houston, TX 77006
Poison Girl in Houston is the Montrose whiskey dive bar on Westheimer, with a deep bourbon selection, a backyard patio with skee-ball and Hi-Life longnecks.
Tip: Bring a friend; play skee-ball in the back. Cash and card. The bourbon list is the actual reason to be here.
Brennan's of Houston ★ 4.2
montrose · 3300 Smith St, Houston, TX 77006
Brennan's of Houston is the 1967 Texas Creole dining room on Smith Street from the New Orleans Brennan family, with turtle soup, bananas Foster tableside.
Tip: Sunday jazz brunch at 10am or noon books fast.
State of Grace ★ 4.0
river-oaks · 3258 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77098
State of Grace in Houston is Ford Fry's River Oaks dining room on Westheimer Road, a Southern-and-steakhouse menu in a glossy room with limewashed brick.
Tip: The bar serves the full menu and is the quickest seat at peak. Sunday brunch is the local routine.