Houston produced a nonstop crop of new restaurants in 2023, and there is everything from a croissant pop-up and seafood emporium to modern Italian and Mexican bistros.
If you are a hardcore foodie tired of frequenting the same places repeatedly, you are in luck. We have done the research and narrowed down 15 new restaurants in Houston you have to visit.
Chef Manabu Horiuchi is now on his second venture with Katami after nearly 15 successful years at Kata Robata.
Unlike the more rustic Kata, this new Japanese restaurant is a luxurious omakase dining space where guests can order a 9, 12, or 15-course omakase, plus à la carte nigiri and sashimi selections. Most of his seafood will be imported from Japan.
Location: 2701 W Dallas St
Comalito is bringing a slice of Mexico City to Houston with a taqueria that promises to serve authentic Mexican cuisine.
Chefs Luis Robledo Richards and Atzin Santos create their masa, a maize dough with corn imported from Central Mexico for the freshest tortillas and tostadas. These tortillas and tostadas will be filled with proteins like pork ribs, sirloin, and mushroom al pastor.
Location: 2520 Airline Dr Building C Suite C-315
In a city brimming with Neapolitan and New York-style pizzerias, Gold Tooth Tony’s is like a breath of fresh air with its Detroit-style pizza. It is the only restaurant in Houston TX, to do so.
They have classics like cheese, margaritas, and more decadent varieties that you should order with worthy sides, like General Tso’s chicken wings and pizza tots.
Location: 1901 N Shepherd Dr Suite 4
Stepping into Clark's Oyster Bar, you wouldn’t know if it is new or 20 years old with its old-school relaxed vibe. The seafood-themed menu features oysters from the East Coast, which may be ordered in a seafood tower with lobster, prawns, crabs, and mussels.
Aside from the seafood, this new seafood joint serves a great cheeseburger drowning in sauce gribiche (cold egg sauce) and Gruyere cheese.
Location: 3807 Montrose Blvd
Street Kitchen moved to the west side of the East End and is now bigger and better. The new location is bright and tropical, with a pink neon-lit bar.
The Thai restaurant also offers a new all-day menu, including top picks like Massaman curries, pad Thai, and more. The specials, however, are only available for dinner. And don’t forget to try out their new cocktails.
Location: 3401 Harrisburg Blvd Suite G
Named after Mississippi-born chef Lucas McKinney’s great-grandmother, Josephine's Gulf Coast Tradition pays homage to the woman who greatly inspired the chef’s love of cooking.
The menu reflects Mckinney’s journey so far, from the places he grew up in and later worked. Offerings lean heavily on the seafood side, including items like New Orleans-style BBQ shrimp and house-smoked redfish.
Location: 318 Gray St, Houston
For crispy, thin Neapolitan pizza, head over to Coastline Artisan Pizzeria. These pizzas are grilled first and then baked in a wood-burning oven. Hence, they’re only available at dinner, but you can always get the focaccia sandwiches at lunch.
The restaurant also serves a rotating monthly special to its menu with different styles of pizza every month like Detroit or Sicilian with different toppings.
Location: 1720 Houston Ave
If Chicago’s tavern-style pizza is more of your vibe, there’s always Nonno’s Family Pizza Tavern. The retro-inspired, family-style restaurant serves à la carte pizza, but its mainstay includes cheese versions like a pineapple pizza with spam or one pesto topped with kale and arugula.
They also serve classic appetizers like mozzarella sticks and crispy wings. For dessert, they offer a rotating selection of cheesecakes and cookies.
Location: 1613 Richmond Ave
Chef Fernando Rios and wine guru Mike Sammons have partnered to bring rustic-style Italian food to the city folks through Mimo. The unpretentious and romantic little restaurant serves thoughtful Italian fares from lunch through dinner.
During lunch, choose from panini sandwiches served on soft, rustic bread and pasta like fettuccine with peas and mortadella. Dinner is more amped up with a variety of antipasti and roasted red snapper.
Location: 736 1/2 Telephone Rd
You will not be disappointed with anything at Jun, a self-described "new Asian American" restaurant in the Heights. The menu reflects chef Evelyn Garcia’s Mexican-Salvadoran heritage and partner Henry Lu’s Chinese culture.
Every dish will blow you away, from the lamb shank curry to the roasted sweet potato with labneh. So next time you celebrate something special, remember Jun for a fabulous experience.
Location: 420 E 20th St Suite A
With over nine locations across New York, New Jersey, and Florida, Mamajuana Cafe established its new culinary haven in Texas in October 2023.
The cafe offers Latin cuisine offering dishes like mofongo (fried plantains) and churrasco (skirt steak). Also, enjoy mojitos, margaritas, and palomas to complement your meal.
Location: 909 Texas St, Houston
Hongdae 33 Korean BBQ is the new all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue restaurant with table-side grilling. As you work the meat on the grill, you work up an appetite and memories with your friends, families, and date.
At $33 per person for 90 minutes, diners can select from meats, seafood, and other specialties. They also have a full-service bar and cocktail program leaning towards South Korean spirits.
Location: 9889 Bellaire Blvd Suite D-229
Love Croissants is calling out all the buttery pastry lovers. It is a small pop-up bakery that serves soul-satisfying pain au chocolats and “crolache,” a mashup of croissant and beef sausage kolache.
You know they are not playing around when the menu proudly says they use European-style unsalted, cultured butter. It is well on its way to becoming one of the best bakery/restaurants in Houston Midtown.
Location: 2808 Caroline St
For Happy House madness, the new cocktail lounge, Roswell’s Saloon, is the place to be. With black and neon lights and intergalactic artwork and posters, you will be transported to space with your cosmic drinks.
And if you’re up for some adventurous fun, get "glow-in-the-dark" paint art on yourself. But to witness and experience the cosmic magic, you can only be there after 7pm as it won’t open before.
Location: 1417 Westheimer Rd Suite A
Vietnamese cuisine is synonymous with the world-famous Bánh mì, but there is so much more than the baguette sandwich like bánh xèo, a crispy, stuffed rice pancake, and nem nướng, Vietnamese grilled pork sausage.
If you want to venture outside of bánh mì and try these non-traditional offerings, Xeo Yum has all of it. They serve some of the best bánh khọt, mini pancakes with shrimp.
Location: 606 Dennis St Suite 1
