I Returned to My Hometown of Houston — and Discovered Some of the Country’s Best

At some point in their formative years, many young people decide to leave their hometowns in search of somewhere they imagine to be more interesting and exciting. That was true for me growing up in Houston, where I also went to college. I loved my own hometown, to be sure, but I was eager to experience other parts of the world. I thought that somewhere, someplace, had to be better than Houston — a city that was, in my young mind, too slow, too familiar, too set in its ways.

But pretty quickly, all of this changed. As I began a career as a food and travel writer in my late 20s, I realized that my identity, my personhood, who I was — heck, the things I really liked about myself — were almost entirely rooted in my upbringing as a Black American woman in the Bayou City. 

When I returned recently to co-author a cookbook about African-American foodways in Texas, I realized the reason I had always been so inspired by international flavors is because I’d grown up with them. Asian, Mexican, and African immigrants are just a few of the groups that have made Houston one of the most diverse large cities in America; my aptitude as a food writer is rooted in decades of eating at extraordinary pho shops, trying every samosa I could get my hands on, and ensuring that I always cleaned the last bites of barbecue from my plate.

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Last summer, I returned home to explore Houston’s food scene — which has started to get national attention — from a traveler’s perspective. Eating well there is about more than visiting the taco joint everyone goes to on Tuesdays, or trying to get in to that cool new spot that mixes cuisines. It’s about finding a balance, neighborhood by neighborhood, between traditional and contemporary, and holding what’s different in deep regard. 

But First, Tacos…

Mexicans are the city’s largest immigrant population, so it felt only right to kick things off at Original Ninfa’s on Navigation, the restaurant that put Tex-Mex cuisine on the Houston map. The fajitas that Mama Ninfa Laurenzo first made in her family’s tortilla factory in 1973 are still the mainstays of the menu. Since her passing, the restaurant has continued to serve its sizzling strips of beef, cheesy enchiladas, and plenty of salt-rimmed margaritas. 

Another icon is Laredo Taqueria #4. In a city where breakfast tacos reign supreme, this low-key spot rises above the rest — Texas Monthly’s taco editor José R. Ralat included its refried-bean and barbacoa option on his list of “50 tacos to eat before you die.” After trying the spicy chicken and nopales (cactus) varieties, I had to agree.

For dinner, I went to Xochi, where James Beard Award–winning chef Hugo Ortega displays his Oaxacan heritage in dishes like fried grasshoppers with flying ants and tlayudas — crisp, gently fried tortillas topped with chicken, steak, or mushrooms. Ortega and his wife also operate Hugo’s, which features traditional dishes from across Mexico, in the Montrose neighborhood. 

In search of a nightcap, I wandered over to Julep, a sleek cocktail bar in Downtown owned by Alba Huerta. In 2022, it was awarded Texas’s first James Beard Award for an Outstanding Bar Program — and as I took a sip of a perfectly floral Aviation, and looked around at the eclectic crowd, the reason for the win became crystal clear.

Spice, Heat, and Texture

In the 1970s, many refugees fleeing the Vietnam War settled along the Gulf Coast, particularly in Louisiana and Texas. In the 80s and 90s, many of these immigrants — as well as people from countries including China, India, Korea, and Malaysia — moved to Houston’s Bellaire neighborhood and established “Asiatown,” where many of the cuisines intersect.

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Houstonians grow up knowing what makes for a good bánh mì, and where to get one, but I went to Bellaire specifically to indulge in Viet-Cajun cuisine. First I stopped in at Crawfish & Noodles, which is credited with kick-starting the region’s fusion trend, and dove into metal bowl of crawfish smothered in a fragrant spiced garlic and butter sauce, served with the requisite sides of boiled potatoes and corn on the cob. Another favorite is Crawfish & Beignets, which excels at those two things: crawfish, bathed in a sweet, citrusy Thai sauce and sautéed with white and green onions and oranges, and beignets, dusted with powdered sugar and served with generous helpings of honey and condensed milk. 

But the neighborhood’s offerings extend well beyond crawfish. At Blood Bros. BBQ, brothers Robin and Terry Wong and their childhood friend Quy Hoang serve up Asian-inspired smoked meats. After a turkey bánh mì and a generous helping of gochujang-glazed pork ribs, I went for dessert at Three Brothers Bakery, a family-owned Jewish chain known for its hamantaschen (triangular cookies that are typically stuffed with jam), fresh breads, and year-round gingerbread men. 

At Street to Kitchen, the dishes will take you on a bold journey through the flavors and spices of Thailand. Chef Benchawan Jabthong Painter and her husband, Graham Painter, who is also the beverage director, opened their original restaurant next to a gas station in Houston’s Second Ward in 2020; three years later, they brought home the James Beard Award for Best Chef in Texas. They’ve since moved to a new location closer to Downtown. I dipped in one lunchtime and ordered spicy fried pork belly topped with crunchy bits of fried shallots, porky larb, and a fragrant stir-fried beef with basil.

Another day, I met a friend for dinner at Theodore Rex, in the Warehouse District. Chef Justin Yu’s New American menu has elements of French and Asian cuisine, so we sampled both, with an order of beef-stuffed dumplings topped with flecks of Parmigiano-Reggiano and a roasted chicken leg with sorrel. 

In the Heights

Once a quiet part of town marked by Folk Victorian and Queen Anne–style homes, the Heights is now drawing diners. One of the places that initiated this change is Jūn, pronounced like the month, where Top Chef alum Evelyn Garcia, who is from Houston, and chef Henry Lu, who grew up in the Bronx, have crafted a distinctive menu that blends Asian and Latin American influences. “All our food at Jūn has the flavors and combinations that we grew up eating, but it might be presented differently,” Garcia told me. 

One showstopper was an appetizer of carrots glazed with layers of salsa matcha and Salvadoran cheese, served with a pickled quail egg. I also loved my entrée: pan-seared scallops doused in what they call Viet-Cajun butter and plated with pickled fingerling potatoes. 

I found a similar culinary perspective at Tatemó, where chef Emmanuel Chavez presents region-specific Mexican dishes with a modern touch. “We want to encourage the next generation of immigrants in our city,” Chavez said. “We want them to know that it is possible to achieve things on your own.” Empanadas stuffed with gooey Oaxaca cheese and enmoladas made from a plantain tortilla and dressed in a rich mole negro have become calling cards for the chef. “Very few places in America can do a tasting menu and execute it very well, at an old juice bar, with very little capital,” Chavez said, referring to the location where he opened Tatemó. “We value the landscape Houston provides for the kind of work we do.” 

If there’s one food you simply cannot skip when visiting Houston, it’s barbecue. Options are plentiful in the Heights, and my pick is Truth Barbeque, which makes a cheesy Tater Tot casserole. Next I got my fix of the Texas trinity (brisket, ribs, and sausage) at the Black- and family-owned Gatlin’s BBQ. I also stopped by the family’s newest venture, Gatlin’s Fin & Feathers, an ode to Houston’s Gulf Coast that serves fried shrimp, gumbo, crab nachos, and blackened catfish, plus fried chicken.

The Soul of Houston

One of my absolute must-visits is a restaurant I’ve loved since high school: the Breakfast Klub. Known for block-wrapping lines at brunch time, it’s essential to Houston’s large and deeply influential African-American community. Owner Marcus Davis celebrates the city’s music culture and jazz history by hosting visiting bands, who create a rich atmosphere that pairs well with the most popular dishes: “wings & waffles” and my personal favorite, “katfish & grits.” 

“We are Houston,” Davis told me. “If you come to Houston and you haven’t been to the Breakfast Klub, then you haven’t been to Houston.” 

For an inexpensive lunch option that occasionally includes a celebrity sighting, stop by Trill Burgers, co-owned by Bun B, a Houston transplant and former member of the Southern rap duo UGK (short for UnderGround Kingz). Their smashed, spiced patty, served on a potato bun, sells by the hundreds each day, and even won Good Morning America’s competition for the country’s best burger. (The vegan option is also a hit.)

Nearby, I spent an afternoon enjoying chili biscuits and oxtail tamales at Lucille’s, in the Museum District. It’s named for Lucille B. Smith, who, in the 1940s, created Lucille’s All Purpose Hot Roll Mix, the first packaged roll mix to be marketed in the United States. She is often credited as being the first African-American businesswoman in Texas.

Today, her great-grandson, chef Christopher Williams, a 2022 James Beard Award Finalist for Outstanding Restaurateur, carries on her legacy, serving Southern classics like smothered steak and fish fry with a refined touch.

“Houston isn’t a place where creativity and diversity are just welcomed; they’re embedded in the structure of the city,” he told me. “It allows for a dining culture that should be a learning experience for the traveler, and certainly a delicious one.” 

Color and Community 

I started my next morning in Montrose, a neighborhood that has long been known as a safe space for LGBTQ Houstonians and a hub of queer history. It’s also a place where businesses like Brasil, a café that has been a staple for more than 30 years, have become part of the fabric of the community. I ordered tamales — Brasil offers pork, chicken, and braised greens and beans — and enjoyed a quiet breakfast before grabbing coffee at the beloved two-story coffee shop Agora.

If I’m in Montrose for dinner, I’ll stop in to Mala Sichuan for outstanding baby-back ribs, which are smothered in sweet-and-sour plum sauce with Chinese spices, and dry-pot prawns with Szechuan peppercorns. Another of my favorites is March, chef Felipe Riccio’s 28-seat Mediterranean restaurant. On my most recent visit, the tasting menu had been inspired by Riccio’s travels in the Catalan provinces of Spain and included paella valenciana, a truffle-laden bowl of escudella de hortalissa, and braised short ribs with a chestnut purée.

Another standout dinner option nearby is Bludorn, where Aaron Bludorn, an alum of Netflix’s Final Table and Café Boulud in New York City, presents a fresh take on Gulf Coast cooking. I started with flash-fried octopus in a rich romesco sauce, but it was the lobster-and-chicken pot pie that stole the show: at the table, the server delicately cut it open and mixed in a dollop of citrusy crème fraîche.

Beyond the Loop

Houston’s sprawl is no secret, and at this point in the trip, you’ll likely have spent a lot of time on its numerous multilane freeways. While restaurants in the city center are excellent, it’s imperative to explore outside of what locals call “The Loop” (that is, everything within Interstate 610, which encircles the city). 

At Amrina, a restaurant in the Woodlands, Jassi Bindra takes visitors on a thrilling ride through India, his home country, with intriguing dishes like a watermelon and burrata salad with Kashmiri-chile sofrito and ostrich kebabs tempered with an avocado-and-cilantro chutney and masala-laced onions. 

“I marry traditional Indian recipes with the world’s ingredients,” Bindra told me as I ate a char-grilled oyster dotted with lemon and dill. “My goal is to show the flavors and the richness of Indian cuisine, the force of Indian cuisine, and the power of Indian cuisine.” 

On my last evening, it felt only right to go back to the beginning: Southwest Houston, where I grew up. When my parents arrived in the 1970s, the suburb was known for its affordable homes and public schools, and it has since become home to many immigrant communities. 

My final meal was a trip back home in more ways than one. Ghanaian, Nigerian, and Senegalese cuisines — the foundation of African-American foodways — are prepared with care and efficiency at Afrikiko. My meal of jollof rice with goat pepper soup was terrific, but it was impossible to leave without a bowl of their groundnut soup, a stew of ground peanuts and tender bites of poultry. 

As I lifted my spoon, inhaling the scent of dried herbs, cloves, and paprika, I was reminded that the world’s glorious culinary gifts have a forever home in the Bayou City. 

Where to Stay

C. Baldwin, Curio Collection by Hilton

Named for Charlotte Baldwin Allen, the so-called mother of Houston, this Downtown hotel celebrates Texan women with colorful illustrations, coffee-table books, and eclectic signage.

La Colombe d’Or

This 32-suite Montrose property is close to Houston’s Museum District and displays works by Georges Braque and Picasso, drawn from owner Steve Zimmerman’s private collection.

The Post Oak at Uptown Houston

Owned by Texas entertainment mogul Tilman Fertitta, this 38-story tower has Vegas-level amenities, with nine bars and restaurants, a helicopter pad, and a Rolls-Royce dealership. — K.S.

A version of this story first appeared in the August 2024 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline “Hot Hot Houston.”