Award-Winning Restaurants

The best of the best

We don't mean to brag, but it's hard not to when our restaurants are consistently being recognized. Read on for some of the city's most-loved spots.

51Fifteen

Named one of 10 sexiest new restaurants and bars by Zagat (2016).

Adair Kitchen

Named one of 50 hot restaurants for summer by Nation's Restaurant News (2013).

Al Aseel Grille & Cafe

Included in Southern Living's list of The South's Best Fried Chicken (2013).

Antone's Famous Po' Boys

Best Sandwiches in America

Backstreet Cafe

Named one of 50 hot restaurants for summer by Nation's Restaurant News (2013).
Chef Hugo Ortega named James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef: Southwest (2013).
Chef Hugo Ortega named James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef: Southwest (2012).
Sean Beck named Rising Star Sommelier by StarChefs.com (2011).

Barbecue Inn

Included on Southern Living's list of 100 Places to Eat Now (2013).
Included on Southern Living's list of The South's Best Fried Chicken (2013).
Included on Travel + Leisure's list of America's Best Fried Chicken (2010).

Blacksmith

Included on Garden & Gun's list of the Best Breakfast Joints in the South (2014).
Vietnamese steak and eggs Included on Details magazine's list of the Best Breakfast Dishes of the Moment (2013).

The Breakfast Klub

Included on Texas Monthly's list of the 40 Best Breakfast Spots in Texas (2011).
Named one of Zagat.com's Best Bets for Breakfast in the U.S. (2010).
One of Good Morning America's four finalists in the America's Best Breakfast search (2010).
Included on Esquire's list of the 59 Best Breakfast Places in America (2009).

Brennan's of Houston

Food & Wine’s 40 Most Important Restaurants in America (2018)
Top 100 Brunches in America, Open Table (2019)
50 Best Southern Restaurants in America, Parade Magazine (2018)
Food Arts Silver Spoon Award (Brennan Family) (2014)
#1 in Service and Décor in Zagat (2012)
Nation's Restaurant News Fine Dining Hall of Fame (2011)
Exxon Mobil four-star rating (2000-2014).

Cafe Annie

Chef Robert Del Grande named a James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Chef (2011).
Chef Robert Del Grande named a James Beard Award Semifinalist for Outstanding Chef (2010).
Rated by MSN.com and Gayot.com as one of the 10 best new U.S. restaurants (2010).
Chef Robert Del Grande won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest (1992).

Caracol

Named in “Houston’s Best International Restaurants", Southern Living (2016)
Featured in “Food Cities: Searching for America’s Greatest Food Cities,” Washington Post (2016)
Chef Hugo Ortega named James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef: Southwest (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015).
Wine Spectator Best of Award Of Excellence (2015)
Included on list of “120 Tacos to Eat Before You Die,” Texas Monthly (2015)
One of Houston’s Top Four Latin American Restaurants, Forbes Travel Guide (2014)
Top new restaurant in Texas, Texas Monthly, (2014)
Five New Restaurants with Stunning Design, Zagat (2014)
Houston 10 Hottest Restaurant, Zagat Houston (2014)

Churrascos

Included on Travel + Leisure's list of the Best Steakhouses in America (2013).
Chef Michael Cordua named James Beard Award semi-finalist for Best Restaurateur (2011).
Chef Michael Cordua was inducted into Food & Wine's Hall of Fame (2008).

Coltivare

Included on Bon Appetit’s list of the 50 best new restaurants in America (2014)
Named one of Texas Monthly’s 10 best new restaurants in the state (2014)
Chef Ryan Pera named one of Food & Wine magazine’s People’s Best New Chef for the Southwest region (2015)

Dolce Vita

Named one of the Top Pizzerias in the Country by Every Day with Rachael Ray (2010).

El Meson

Winner of Wine Spectator magazine's Award of Excellence (1999-2016).

Feges BBQ

Named one of the 25 Best New Barbecue Joints in Texas by Texas Monthly (2019)
Named one of the 33 Best BBQ Joints in America by Thrillist (2018)

Fluff Bake Bar

Named one of the South's Best Bakeries for Cookies by Southern Living (2012).
Chef Rebecca Masson competed on season 2 of Bravo's Top Chef Just Desserts (2012).

Fung's Kitchen

Listed in USA Today as one of 10 Great Places to Welcome Prosperity for the Chinese New Year (2009).

Gatlin's BBQ

Named one of the 50 best BBQ restaurants in Texas by Texas Monthly (2013).
Featured on Eater.com's list of Where to Eat Right Now (2011).

Georgia James

Named one of GQ’s Best New Restaurants in America (2019)
Named the No. 1 Best New Restaurant in Texas by Texas Monthly, tied with UB Preserv and One Fifth (2019)

Gilhooley's

The 21 Best Oyster Bars in the Country, according to Thrillist (2014)

Goode Co. Barbecue

Named one of America's best BBQ joints by National Geographic Traveler (2013).
James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurateur (2013).
James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurateur (2010).

Goode Co. Seafood

Campechana Extra was featured in Garden & Gun's list of 100 Things You Simply Must Eat Before You Die (2008).

Goode Company Hamburgers & Taqueria

Named one of the top burger joints in the U.S. by USA Today (2013).

Goodnight Charlie’s

Named one of the Best New Bars in the South by Garden & Gun (2018)
Chef Felipe Riccio was named an Eater Young Gun (2014)

Green Seed Vegan

Named one of the Top 20 Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurants in the U.S. by Food & Wine (2013).

Helen Greek Food and Wine

Featured in Texas Monthly's list of "Where to Eat Now 2016."
Executive Chef William Wright named Zagat’s 30 under 30 for 2017

Hugo's

Featured in “Food Cities: Searching for America’s Greatest Food Cities,” Washington Post (2016)
Wine Spectator Award of Excellence recipient, 2003-2015
Chef Hugo Ortega named James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef: Southwest (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015).
Included on list of “120 Tacos to Eat Before You Die,” Texas Monthly (2015)
Named No. 3 on Gayot's Top 10 Best Mexican Restaurants in the U.S. (2014)
Included on Travel + Leisure's list of the Best Mexican Restaurants in the U.S. (2013).
Sean Beck named Rising Star Sommelier by StarChefs.com (2011).
Named one of the Top 5 Mexican Restaurants in Texas by Texas Monthly (2010).

Irma's

Winner of the James Beard Foundation's America's Classics Award, as a "small, regional restaurant that has carved out a special place on the American culinary landscape" (2008).

Kata Robata

Chef Manabu "Hori" Horiuchi named James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: Southwest (2012).
Chef Manabu "Hori" Horiuchi named a Houston Rising Star by StarChefs.com (2011).

Kenny & Ziggy's

Featured on The Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (2010).
Named one of North America's 10 Best Jewish delis by Maxim (2009).

Killen's Barbecue

The Daily Meal – America’s Best Barbecue Restaurants, According to Prizewinning Pitmasters (2016).
Better Homes & Garden – 10 Best Places to Eat Barbecue in Texas (2016).
Named the #2 Best BBQ in America by Food Network (2015).
Featured on GQ Magazine's list of the Best Restaurants of 2015 (2015).
Included among the 15 Best New BBQ Joints in America from Thrillist (2014).
Featured in the Texas Barbecue Roundup: 30 Must-Try Spots by Zagat (2014.
Among the 50 Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings of 2014, Eater.com (2014).

Killen's Burgers

The Daily Meal – The 9 Best New Restaurant Burgers of 2016 (2016).
Texas Monthly – The 50 Greatest Burgers in Texas (2016).

Killen's Steakhouse

Thrillist - The 31 Best Steakhouses in America (2019). Robb Report -
The 21 Best Steakhouses in America (2018).
Restaurant Magazine - The 100 Best Restaurants for Wine Lovers in America (2018).
Taste of Home - The Best Steakhouse in Every State (2018).
Thrillist - The 31 Best Steakhouses in America (2018).
Forbes Travel Guide - 5 Sensational Houston Steakhouse (2018).
Thrillist - The 31 Best Steakhouses in America (2017).
Travel & Leisure - The Best Steakhouses in the United States (2016).
The Daily Meal - America’s 50 Best Steakhouses for 2016 (2016). Open Table - 100 Best Steakhouses in America for 2016 (2016).
Named #13 on The Daily Meal's list of America's 50 Best Steakhouses (2015).
Included on Gayot's list of the Top 10 Steakhouses in the U.S. (2013).
Included on The Daily Meal's list of America's Top 20 Steakhouses (2013).
Included on Travel + Leisure's list of the Best Steakhouses in America (2013).
Included on Food & Wine's list of the Best Steaks in the U.S. (2012).
Included on OpenTable.com's list of the 100 Restaurants with the Best Service in the U.S. (2012).
Creme Brulee Bread Pudding made Food & Wine's list of the Best Restaurant Dishes of 2008.

Killen’s STQ

Texas Monthly - Best Texas BBQ Bites of 2017 (2018)

Kim Phat Hu Tieu Nam Vang

Named to Conde Nast Traveler's "Where in the World to Eat" 2016 list (2016).

Kiran's

Named Best New Restaurant of 2005 by Zagat.

Lankford Grocery

Featured on The Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (2010).
Included on Gourmet magazine's list of 20 Burgers to Eat Before It's Too Late (2009)

Le Colonial

Named one of 10 sexiest new restaurants and bars in Houston by Zagat (2016).

Lucille's

Named one of 50 hot restaurants for summer by Nation's Restaurant News (2013).

Max's Wine Dive

Included on Southern Living's list of The South's Best Fried Chicken (2013).
Named one of the "Hot 10" wine bars in the country by Bon Appetit (2008).
Named one of Texas Monthly's Top 10 Places to Eat Now (2008).

Molina's Cantina

The 21 Best Nachos in America, Thrillist (2018).
The Best Tex-Mex Restaurants in Texas, Thrillist, Robb Walsh (2016).

Niko Niko's

Featured on The Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (2010).

One Fifth

Named the No. 1 Best New Restaurant in Texas by Texas Monthly, tied with UB Preserv and Georgia James (2019)

Pappas Bros. Steakhouse

Named #9 on The Daily Meal's list of America's 50 Best Steakhouses (2015).
Included on Open Table's list of Best Steakhouses in America (2014).
Included on Travel + Leisure's list of Best Steakhouses in the U.S. (2013).
Included on The Daily Meal's list of America's Top 20 Steakhouses (2013).
Included on Eater.com's list of the 22 restaurants with the best value wine lists in the U.S. (2012).
Recipient of the 2010-2014 Grand Award from Wine Spectator magazine, the highest award granted from the magazine. It's one of 78 restaurants in the world with this distinction, and the only holder of the award in Texas.

Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen

Named Top Seafood Restaurant by USA Today (2014).
Named among the Best Airport Restaurants in America by GQ magazine (2014).

Pondicheri

James Beard Award semifinalist for Best New Restaurant (2012).
Chef Anita Jaisinghani named James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: Southwest (2012).
Named one of the 10 Best New Restaurants in Texas by Texas Monthly (2012).

Red Lion Pub

Featured on The Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (2010).

Roost

Named one of the 12 Best New Restaurants in Texas by Texas Monthly (2013).

State of Grace

Featured in the New York Times feature, "36 Hours in Houston"

Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen

Named one of 10 great Mexican restaurants across the USA (2013).

Taste of Texas

Included on The Daily Meal's list of America's 50 Best Steakhouses (2015).

Three Brothers Bakery

Owner/chef Bobby Jucker competed in Food Network's Cake Challenge (2011).
Pecan pie named one of five best mail order pies in America by Country Living (2010).

Tiny Boxwoods

Vanarin Kuch competed on season two of Bravo's Top Chef Just Desserts (2011).
Vanarin Kuch named a Rising Star Pastry Chef by StarChefs.com (2011).

Tony's

Chef Grant Gordon named James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: Southwest (2012).
Named one of the Top 10 U.S. Restaurants for a Power Lunch by Forbes (2012).
Included on Esquire's list of the Top 10 Destination Restaurants in the U.S. (2011).

Uchi

Named one of 50 hot restaurants for summer by Nation's Restaurant News (2013).
Chef Tyson Cole named James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef:Southwest (2013).
Included on GQ's list of the 12 Outstanding Restaurants of 2013.
Included on Bon Appetit's list of the Top 50 Best New Restaurants in the U.S. (2012).
Included on Bon Appetit's list of the Best New Sushi Restaurants in America (2012).
Included on OpenTable.com's list of the Top 100 Restaurant Hot Spots (2012).

Underbelly Hospitality

Chef Chris Shepherd was named Chef of the Year by Robb Report (2019)
Chef Chris Shepherd was a semifinalist for Outstanding Chef by the James Beard Foundation (2019)
Chef Chris Shepherd won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest (2014)
Chef Chris Shepherd was named one of the Best New Chefs in America by Food & Wine (2013)

Vic & Anthony's

Rated by MSN.com and Gayot.com as one of the 10 Best Steakhouses in the U.S. (2010).
Received an Award of Ultimate Distinction from Wine Spectator magazine for "impeccable service, outstanding food, alluring decor and imaginative and energetic wine programs" (2006).
Recognized by Food & Wine as one of ten new restaurants with a stellar wine list-the first time for a Houston restaurant to be included.

Virgie's

Named one of the 50 best BBQ restaurants in Texas by Texas Monthly (2013).