Eat Your Way Through Houston On This Foodie Adventure

27.05.2024 - 11:15 / forbes.com

Priceline just discovered what we Houstonians have known for a long time – Houston is a pretty awesome city. The travel company named Houston the number 1 most affordable getaway this year and a trending Memorial Day destination. That’s because Houston’s diverse population creates a true melting pot of cultural events, activities, and dining. With food tourism on the rise as travelers seek fine cuisine they might not be able to access in their hometown, Houston has earned its number one spot. The city’s food offerings are vast and award-winning, and they’re less expensive than what you’ll find in other foodie cities like New York.

In honor of Houston’s most recent distinction, I’m sharing some new, stand-out Houston restaurants that will please every kind of traveler and even the most discriminating palate.

When you’re traveling with the girls, you’ll want to visit River Oaks, a posh neighborhood known for its upscale shopping, beautiful mansions on streets shaded by live oaks, and chic restaurants, many of which draw groups of well-heeled women. PostScript, celebrating its one-year anniversary, is a party in pink. From the moment you pull up to the rose-colored building, you’ll notice the hue carried throughout – from the flowers that frame the patio to the splash of the agate bar top to the piano centered in the dining room, PostScript drips with femininity. The food and cocktails are so good that they draw men and women alike, and the just added happy hour has created a fun, buzzy atmosphere you don’t want to miss. Be sure to order the Beluga martini and the tempura shrimp, then sit back and wile away a few hours under bird-themed chandeliers.

Arguably one of the most beautiful new restaurants in Houston, Andiron delivers on all counts. It serves woodfired steaks and seafood cooked to your liking, with enhancements like anchovy or black truffle butter, and all of it melts in your mouth. The open kitchen gives you a window into the robata-style cooking that serves up the best filet you’ll ever taste. Start at the exquisite bar with its Cipollino marble bar top reminiscent of smoke wafting under your cocktail. Then move to the dining room and immediately order the caviar tartlets – they are buttery, savory, and transcendent. After your meal, do your group a favor and insist on the chocolate roulette, a feast for the eyes and the mouth that is absolutely Instagram worthy.

Houston’s first truly elevated Thai restaurant is a marvel of taste and design. Opened by two multi-award-winning Thai chefs, one of which has won the Ultimate Chef Challenge several times, MaKiin is a lesson in attention to detail. Let's put it this way – Chef Bell said that she's recently discovered ways to "whittle down the