Intro to Dining in H-Town
Let’s get started with some background on the Houston restaurant scene - it’s a good one, folks! It’s extensive, original, varied, affordable, and dynamic. Within easy reach of my suburban neighborhood (in addition to all your typically accessible cuisines), I can enjoy Pakistani, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Ukrainian, Uyghur, or Uzbek…and that’s just two letters’ worth! Syrian-Venezuelan fusion is a legitimate choice. There are multiple Bosnian options. You get the idea. With so many good places to eat, I had to make up some rules:
Rule #1) No chains. Ever. If I can get it somewhere else, there’s no need to waste that meal opportunity here. Buy local!
Rule #2) Keep it fresh. Try one brand new (to me) place every month or so. I’ve always got a backlog of at least 20 or so places to get to, but your ideas are always welcome!
Rule #3) Spread the love. No multiple repeats in any year. No matter how good it is. By my count, in 2017 I went out to eat at 56 different Houston restaurants, only 10 of them twice.
Rule #4) Quality rules. It’s all about the excellence of the food and experience, not the quantity or the price. Cheap is great, but only if it’s good. Expensive is fine, but only if it’s fun.
With that in mind, I’m adding a “Houston Favorites” page with a list of my current “Top 50”. I’m not claiming these are the 50 best restaurants in Houston…just the ones that I’ve been to often enough and recently enough to recommend. Check them out…and tell them Hungry Dad sent you!