Gianni Greene

The 8 best restaurants around the Galleria.

We appreciate the simplicity of Vuji Cafe. There are no flashy attention-grabs at the counter-service Heights restaurant—just a menu of eight delicious sandwiches and a few cold brews. Like chopped chicken sandwiches coated in ginger sauce, and dessert-style sandos layered with ube, all tucked between two pieces of fluffy Texas toast. We love the bulgogi ribeye that combines griddled meat, spiced kimchi, and corn cheese—which tastes like a crash course in KBBQ. And the sandwiches with salmon roe and tuna belly remind us that straightforward bites are still intricate.

ChòpnBlọk in Montrose is the second location of a popular West African food stall.

All of the turkey and none of the dishes? Yes, please.

Here are the best hot pot restaurants with unlimited beef, solo burners, and buffets in Houston.

The best restaurants for noodle soup, chicken soup, and hot soup in Houston.

In 2024, we ate at hundreds of new restaurants, ranked a lot of tartare, and experienced nearly every over-the-top tableside service possible. Some of the best spots offered precious small plate menus. Others focused only on one thing—like a sandwich served eight different ways. Almost everyone explored the world of baked bread, like blue corn conchas or foie gras-stuffed toast. This year brought practically every type of restaurant imaginable, and we visited them all. Here are the best.

We visit new restaurants at an alarming rate every year. And after hundreds of meals and a dozen tableside experiences, these dishes have been etched into our memory. If you haven’t tried them all yet, consider adding them to your resolution for next year.

Milton’s, an Italian restaurant in Rice Village, puts all its energy into perfecting pasta. You’ll see this in their “100 Layer Lasagna,” which is a rich slab of tender oxtail ragu pressed between bubbling dollops of ricotta cheese. Or the cresta di gallo with puffed noodles surrounded by parmesan froth that makes the dish feel like savory Dunkaroos. It’s the execution of the menu’s mainstays that keep us excited for the entire meal, which is why every seat at Milton’s is filled with couples spooning up tartare or groups passing around plates of bolognese in rounded booths. Appetizers like the spicy “Tuna N’duja” are welcome complements to the meal, but it’s the pasta that will stay with you long after finishing your dinner. Be sure to secure a reservation at Milton’s in advance, unless you plan on trying your luck at the bar.

The best private dining rooms and best spaces for special occasion private dining events in Houston.