16. Southwell’s Hamburger Grill
City: Houston, TX
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (713) 789-4972
Address: 5860 San Felipe St.
Description: Southwell’s isn’t anything fancy, but people keep returning because the burgers are solid—and cheap. You can even swap the meat patty on any burger for a veggie patty. Other options include chicken and salads, as well as tasty milk shakes. Be sure to try the waffle fries. Southwell’s has additional locations in Memorial, the Medical Center area, and the Heights.
17. Black Hole Coffee House
City: Houston, TX
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (713) 528-0653
Address: 4505 Graustark St. at Castle Ct.
Insider Pick:
Description: Once a convenience store, Black Hole has been reincarnated as a hip hangout and workspace for students and young professionals, who visit for the coffee but often stay for food and pastries. Black Hole tries to use locally sourced coffee and food whenever possible. Between the local art lining the walls and books by local authors available for purchase, and the Poison Pen Reading Series that’s frequently held here, Black Hole has a very artsy vibe—and a local one at that. The coffee shop is open daily from 6:30 a.m. to midnight.
18. Brasil
City: Houston, TX
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (713) 528-1993
Address: 2604 Dunlavy St.
Insider Pick:
Description: This funky coffee shop is a great place to caffeinate in the morning, unwind after a long day, or catch up with friends. In addition to the requisite coffee, tea, and Italian sodas, Brasil serves wine and beer, pizza, pasta, salad, burgers, and sandwiches. The menu includes several good vegetarian options. Local musicians often play here, and it can get loud. On cool evenings, take advantage of the patio seating. Brasil opens daily at 7:30 a.m. and closes at midnight Mon through Sat and at 11 p.m. on Sun.
19. Dirk’s Coffee
City: Houston, TX
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (713) 526-1319
Address: 4005 Montrose Blvd.
Description: Dirk’s makes some strong coffee, espresso, and specialty drinks. The shady patio makes this a great place to people watch, study, or, if you prefer, play board games.
20. Empire CafE
City: Houston, TX
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (713) 528-5282
Address: 1732 Westheimer Rd.
Insider Pick:
Description: More hip than your neighborhood Starbucks, this friendly neighborhood cafe is a great place to grab a cup of coffee—or wine, beer, or a mixed drink—with a friend. You can also order breakfast dishes, as well as pasta, panini, soup, salad, and an array of tempting cakes and other desserts. There’s tons of outdoor seating. Empire opens daily at 7:30 a.m. and closes at 11 p.m. on Fri and Sat and 10 p.m. Sun through Thurs.
21. Salento
City: Houston, TX
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (713) 528-7478
Address: 2407 Rice Blvd.
Description: By night, Salento is a wine bar, but by day, it’s a great coffee shop. In fact, it’s the kind of coffee shop where people linger, thanks to the good music, free Wi-Fi, a solid food menu, and good wine, beer, and coffee drinks made with only single origin and medium dark roast coffee.
22. The Hot Bagel
City: Houston, TX
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (713) 520-0340
Address: 2009 S. Shepherd Dr.
Insider Pick:
Description: The Hot Bagel is a bit of a dive, but the bagels more than make up for the surroundings. The shop bakes more than two dozen flavors of bagels, which range from sesame, poppy, and everything bagels to less mainstream flavors, like sea salt, sun-dried tomato, and cinnamon apple. All of these can be topped with about 10 different flavors of cream cheese, including fat-free, lox, and honey walnut varieties. Deli sandwiches are also available. This long-standing Houston establishment often has a line out the door on weekend mornings, so show up early or be prepared for a short wait. There’s very little seating, so you may want to order your bagels to go.
23. Katz’s Deli
City: Houston, TX
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (713) 521-3838
Address: 616 Westheimer Rd.
Description: Katz’s isn’t the best deli in town, but it’s certainly good—and open 24 hours, 7 days a week. The extensive menu includes half-pound deli sandwiches and loads of specialty sandwiches, including Meat Loaf Mania, Grilled Salmon Hero, and Yankee Pot Roast. Any sandwich can be made on Katz’s homemade rye, challah (braided egg bread), French, or whole wheat bread. The restaurant also serves a hodgepodge of American entrees like fried chicken, pasta, and salad, as well as traditional Jewish dishes like matzo ball soup, potato pancakes, bagels and lox, and kugel. Among the biggest draws are the fried pickles and the breakfast dishes, which are served all day. There’s a full bar. Katz’s has a second location with a less-extensive menu—and no late-night hours—in Conroe.
24. Paulie’s
City: Houston, TX
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (713) 807-7271
Address: 1834 Westheimer Rd.
Insider Pick:
Description: This neighborhood restaurant is worth a crosstown trip. The exposed brick walls and the art on them create a cozy atmosphere in which to eat and drink lemonade, beer, or wine. Paulie’s has a great selection of salads, soups, and sandwiches, ranging from Italian hoagies to grilled-shrimp BLTs, meatball sandwiches, and grilled portobello sandwiches topped with red bell peppers and goat cheese. Save room for dessert, whether you prefer cannoli or some of the prettiest sugar cookies in town. Paulie’s is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mon through Sat. Closed Sun.
25. Picnic
City: Houston, TX
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (713) 524-0201
Address: 1928 Bissonnet
Insider Pick:
Description: Looking for a quick, tasty lunch option near the Museum District? This cheerful neighborhood deli, bakery, and coffee shop is a good choice. Everything at Picnic is made fresh, including the delicious salads, sandwiches, breads, and cookies. Seating is true to the restaurant’s name: there are just a few long wooden picnic tables, and you’ll get your food in a plastic basket. Picnic is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon through Fri and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sat. Closed Sun. Picnic’s sister restaurant, The Raven, is just a few doors down in the same shopping center; it boasts a more extensive menu and slightly more upscale indoor and patio seating options.
26. Three Brothers Bakery
City: Houston, TX
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (713) 666-2253
Address: 4036 S. Braeswood Blvd.
Insider Pick:
Description: This family-owned kosher bakery has provided the sweets for local Jewish events for five generations, but non-Jews also know they can count on Three Brothers for stellar desserts. Three Brothers makes delicious petit fours, cookies, cupcakes, pastries, wedding cakes, and some creative sheet cakes, including some featuring the face of the person of honor. Three Brothers’ pecan pie was named “the best America has to offer” by Country Living. The bakery also makes bagels and Jewish baked goods like challah and, for Purim, hamantaschen. Diabetic? Good news: Three Brothers also makes sugar-free treats. Three Brothers recently opened a second location in Memorial across the street from Memorial City Mall.
City: Houston, TX
Category: Restaurants
Address: 1616 Post Oak Blvd.
28. Swirll Italian Yogurt
City: Houston, TX
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (713) 552-0863
Address: 5000 Westheimer Rd.
Description: At Swirll, you can serve yourself a dozen different flavors of frozen yogurt—pomegranate, green apple, cookies and cream, and country vanilla included. Top yours with fresh fruit, Fruity Pebbles, or mochi, then savor the taste and ambience while sitting in a big comfy orange chair. You can even bring your laptop and use the free Wi-Fi. Swirll has five additional locations around town.
29. Sweet Lola Yogurt Bar
City: Houston, TX
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (713) 521-1333
Address: 304 W. Gray
Description: Plenty of places in Houston dish out frozen yogurt, but no one does it quite like Sweet Lola. You’ll find only four flavors of yogurt here, and they vary from season to season. Among the recent flavors: Sugar Plum Berry, Cinnamon Crème, and Dark & Dreamy Chocolate. The real reason Sweet Lola has so many loyal fans, though, isn’t the yogurt itself but the toppings. Sure, you can choose fresh fruit or sprinkles, but why would you when faced with alternatives like homemade brownie crumbles, sea salted peanut butter croutons, and lollipops?
30. Sprinkles Cupcakes
City: Houston, TX
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (713) 871-9929
Address: 4014 Westheimer
Insider Pick:
Description: You’ll often find a line out the door at this tiny Highland Village cupcake shop. Flavors range from the expected red velvet to more unusual flavors like cinnamon sugar to dog cupcakes. Some flavors are available daily; others like the delicious peanut butter chocolate, as well as the mocha cupcake, are only available on certain days. Occasionally, Sprinkles whips up themed cupcakes (think s’more-flavored), which are available for a limited time. Cupcakes cost $3.50 each or $39 per dozen. Go online to order some for pickup or delivery.