The HTX food scene is a hidden gem. Honestly competes with places like NY, DC, LA.
Eat.
Hando $$: Handroll sushi, very fresh! Prepared/served one bite at a time, right in front of you. There's also a "secret" bar, Kanpai Club, inside where you can grab a drink while you wait to be seated. Very fun cocktails and some goofy novelty cups. Open lunch and dinner.
Squable $$$: A more casual Justin Yu venture. Hosts a creative menu of fresh flavors. Open dinner and Sunday brunch.
La Lucha $$: Delicious “fancy” fried chicken and other southern/gulf coast treats including popcorn shrimp deviled eggs, fresh biscuits and jam, Viet-cajun chicken wings, etc. Dinner daily, brunch on weekends.
Kau Ba $$: Vietnamese with cajun flair, 10/10 cannot recommend enough! Also have super fun and tasty cocktails. Features a cute patio with a floral mural. Menu favorites includs Grandma's Subsidy, Vietnamese pizza, and truffle banh cuon. Open lunch and dinner.
March $$$$$: Houston's bid for a Michelin Star. Elegant six or nine course tasting menus with selected wine pairings. Dinner only, book a reservation well in advance.
Nobie’s $$$: A local favorite! The menu changes often but there is never a dud! The perennial "winner winner chicken dinner" is usually on-menu and always a crowd pleaser. Also suggest their famous dilly bread or beer-battered sweet potato tots with goat cheese and harissa. Rotating selection of pies baked daily. Open dinner only.
Torchy's Taco $: Competitor to Velvet Taco. Multiple locations throughout Houston. More focus on Tex-mex than fusion. Really great queso and breakfast tacos. More great vegetarian taco options. Open breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Blue Nile $: Really good shareable Ethiopian food. We like to share the vegetarian combo to-go and eat around the corner at Levy Park, where you can grab a beer and sit on the grass. Open lunch and dinner.
Velvet Taco $: Competitor to Torchy's Tacos. Fast, casual, delicious Tex Mex fusion tacos. Multiple locations throughout Houston. The Tikka Masala Chicken Taco is their most popular, but you can’t go wrong. Great vegetarian taco options. Open lunch, dinner, and late.
Roots $$: Dozen of wines on serve-yourself taps! Try to resist the urge to press all the buttons and make yourself a "suicide." Taster pours for $2-3 or full pours for $5-15. Good small plates for sharing. Open for lunch on weekends, dinner Wed-Sun.
Leeland House $$: Solid casual brunch spot, surrounded by a mural park so lots of photo ops for before or after.
Nancy’s Hustle $$$: Very popular spot for southern comfort foods and concept fusion. Seasonal menu but always have their famous "Nancy cakes." Dinner only, book a reservation well in advance.
Tiny Champions $$: Same owners as Nancy’s. This place has crazy good pizzas. Mitch doesn't like pineapple on his pizza, and even he raves about their pineapple, speck, & jalapeño pizza (it's just that good). They also have some tasty pastas, snacks, homemade gelato and sorbet, etc. Only open for dinner.
Monchy's Tacos $: Authentic Mexican street tacos, arguably in Houston. A hole in the wall location with no fixed menu and made to order corn or flour tortillas. Absolutely delicious, albeit greasy. Open lunch only.
Theodor Rex $$$: Tiny restaurant with modern concept dishes. Run by Justin Yu, James beard winner and fusion food phenom. Dinner only, book a reservation well in advance.
Maize $$$: Mexican contemporary small bites. A little less grilled street taco, a little more aguachile ceviche.Open Lunch and Dinner weekdays, Saturday dinner, Sunday brunch through dinner.
Drink.
Anvil: Best cocktails in HTX. James Beard finalist and periodically ranks among the best bars in the world. Pretty crowded on weekend nights but the lines move quick and the quality never suffers.
Present Company: Indoor/outdoor bar with bites. very colorful, very instragram. One of the most popular spots in Montrose, just down the street from Anvil.
The Heights: Take a crawl down 19th street, home of Wicklow Heights, Bungalow Heights, Drift Bar, Mcintyres, and many more.
Johnson Space Center: Take a tour of JSC and check out various exhibits in the heart of the US Space Program. See a complete assembly of the Saturn V, a a rocket the size of a skyscraper that carried astronauts to the moon.
Cidercade: An Eado barcade with ciders on tap and a food truck outside. Air hockey, ping pong, guitar hero, and unlimited classic arcade cabinets after a $10 cover.
Eado Mural Park: A scattered cooperative of graffiti art installations. Admire massive art installations from locals.
Texas Shaped Lazy River: Even if you're not staying at the Marriot Marquis Downtown, you can purchase a day pass for their rooftop pool.
The Menil Collection: Free private art gallery, includes pieces by Picasso, Rothko, Warhol, etc.
The Cistern: An obsolete underground reservoir turned art exhibit, take a guided or self-guided tour, or catch one of many concerts in The Cistern's unique acoustic environment.
Bike the Bayou: Rent yourself a bike and pick one of the many paved trails through the urban greenspaces surrounding Houston's bayous.