Procrastinator's Guide to Father's Day

The Procrastinator's Guide to Father's Day brunch: 10 manly restaurant picks for dad

Forget the boring ties that will end up buried at the bottom of Dad’s closet or the stereotypical barbecue equipment that will end up shoved away in storage. Instead, give Dad a break from the grill by treating him to a meal he won't forget at one of these 10 Houston restaurants.

1. Kiran’s

Deals: The Indian-Latin brunch includes a four-course meal, starting off with Dublin or Narula iced coffee, followed by a fresh salad appetizer. The main course varies from ginger poached eggs over scafata to spiced ground lamb with braised turnips. Each course includes a vegetarian option for dads who aren't into feasting on huge hunks of meat. Finish the meal off with a Grand Marnier and pistachio chocolate mousse.
Available: 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Cost per person: $55 for adults, $25 for children under 12 and free for children under 5
Reservations: 713-960-8472

2. Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen

Deals: Chef/owner Sylvia Casares will offer Father’s Day specials at both Woodway and Westheimer locations. Diners can choose from an al a carte or buffet at the Woodway location. A la carte options include cabrito asado, tampiquena and carne asada, while the buffet stations include made-to-order omelets, salads, street tacos and, of course, the restaurant's namesake enchiladas. At the Westchase location the menu includes Mexican breakfast platters, scrambled eggs, skillet fried potatoes, Mexican sausage, carne asada and pork chops.
Available: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost per person: $19.95 per person for the buffet or $24.95 for the buffet with mimosas
Reservations: 713-334-7295 (Reservations for six or more are required)

3. Backstreet Café

Deals: Chef Hugo Ortega will offer a special three-course menu at his River Oaks restaurant. Start off with seafood or salad as an appetizer, followed by an entree such as soft shell crab Benedict. Save the best for last with dessert, including red velvet cake, lemon ricotta almond cake, strawberry and rhubarb hand pies, mocha meringue cake and peach and blackberry shortcake topped with buttermilk ice cream.
Available: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost per person: $48 per adult and $15 per child (plus tax and gratuity)
Reservations: 713-521-2239

4. Mockingbird Bistro Wine Bar

Deals: Chef John Sheely will offer a special three-course menu as well as a great selection of eye-opening cocktails, local and domestic beers, international wines and coffee drinks. Starter options include risotto and shrimp gumbo; main course includes steak and eggs, ruby red trout and the restaurant's signature American Kobe burger. Finish off with bread pudding, flourless chocolate cake or a lemon tart.
Available: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost per person: $59 per adult and $25 per child (plus tax and gratuity)
Reservations: 713-533-0200 (reservations highly recommended)

5. The Bistro

Deals: Head to Hotel Sorella in CityCentre for a buffet including pasta, omelet, salad and carving stations, as well as a dessert bar. Additional features include seafood paella, roasted rib-eye with barolo sauce and chicken parmesan.
Available: 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Cost per person: Buffet is $45 per person
Reservations: 713-827-3545

6. Latin Bites

Deals: Take dad on a mini-vacation to South America at this Tanglewood hotspot. All dads will enjoy a free beer at Latin Bites on Father’s Day. Brunch specials include $1.50 mimosas, $2 bellinis, $5 bloody Marys, $3 beers, $5 sangria, $4 micheladas and $10 cebiches.
Available: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost per person: Varies by item
Reservations: 713-229-8369

7. Américas

Deals: Américas Father's Day buffet includes a beef tenderloin carving station, prime rib or beef, whole roasted pig, plantain-crusted chicken, bahia-grilled chicken, assorted empanadas, omelet and crepe stations and tres leches and delirio de chocolate for dessert.
Available: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost per person: $49 per person at Americas, $15 for children ages 6-12 and children under 6 are free
Reservations: 832-200-1492

8. Tony Mandola’s

Deals: Beginning on Father’s Day, Tony Mandola’s launches its new Bloody Mary bar with a variety of garnishes. A selection of brunch specials, including a seafood tower, bacon-wrapped diver scallops, grilled hereford ribeye, Texas quail and crab cake and redfish on the half shell, is available, along with the regular brunch menu.
Available: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost per person: See brunch menu for individual prices
Reservations: 713-528-3474

9. Fleming’s Steakhouse

Deals: Fleming's Steakhouse offers a three-course meal brunch menu. Start off with your choice of an appetizer of lobster bisque, modern Caesar salad or fresh seasonal fruits, followed by your pick of an entree of signature eggs benedict, baked brioche French toast or prime rib with a trio of sauces or prime rib hash. After brunch, you will receive a $25 dining card to use on a future visit.
Available: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost per person: $39.95 per person
Reservations: 713-520-5959 River Oaks location or 713-827-1120 Town and Country location

10. Sparrow Bar + Cookshop

Deals: Join chef Monica Pope in the kitchen for a Father’s Day cooking class or make a reservation for a three-course brunch.
Available: Cooking class is from 9 to 11 a.m. and brunch is available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For brunch, start with your choice of an appetizer of Spanish octopus, asparagus barigoule or avocado sashimi. Then choose among entrees, including eggs "carbonara,"spicy braised beef brisket, vanilla-cured salmon or green curry strew. For dessert the menu includes carrot cake, brioche bread pudding or Turkish toffee.
Cost per person: $79 per person for the cooking class or $35 for brunch for adults and $15 for children.
Reservations: 713-524-6922

Latin Bites dining room

Latin Bites Houston restaurant dining room

Latin Bites Facebook

Latin Bites dining room

unspecified

service switcheroo

Street food-inspired Houston restaurant swaps counter service for servers

Photo by Andrew Hemingway

Traveler's Cart is add new dishes to its menu, including steak frites and chicken parm.

A globally-inspired Houston restaurant is making a big change to its service model. Traveler’s Cart will switch from counter service to full service beginning this Monday, November 17.

When owners Thy and Matthew Mitchell opened Traveler’s Cart last year as a more casual sister concept to Traveler’s Table, their globally-inspired Montrose restaurant, they decided counter service would match the restaurant’s street food-inspired menu and lower price point. With a year of experience, they’ve decided full service — where diners sit down and order from a server — will improve the customer experience in a number of ways.

First, they noticed that some of their online reviews go to great lengths to explain the ordering process. Moving to traditional table service will elimination that confusion.

“We want to be like a great brasserie or izakaya where people come and enjoy food and drinks at a reasonable price,” Matthew Mitchell tells CultureMap. “There’s a lack of intuitiveness about the process right now. Almost a year in, we’re still having to explain where you go and how you order. That tells you we probably missed the mark.”

He also recognizes that the inherent uncertainty of counter service — people are concerned about how long they’ll have to wait to order and whether a table will be available once they do — limits the restaurant’s appeal as a date night option or for larger groups who want the certainty of having a place to sit.

Even though the restaurant has been a financial success, according to Mitchell, he thinks Traveler’s Cart is missing out on revenue with its counter service model. “I think people order less at the counter. You may not order a cocktail, and you certainly won’t get back up and order more drinks,” he says.

Switching to full service will also help the restaurant’s perceived value. With entrees mostly priced between $15 and $25, the restaurant may feel expensive relative to other fast casual restaurants. Once servers are added, Mitchell thinks diners will appreciate the value, particularly since its prices are about half of sister concept Traveler’s Table.

“I feel like the food quality is outstanding for the price, but when it crosses that $20 or $30 threshold, people perceive it as pricey,” he says.

Traveler’s Cart has other ways to enhance the value of its offering, such as its $18, three-course lunch that includes iced tea or a fountain drink. Happy hour, available Monday through Friday from 3-6 pm, includes $8 cocktails, $3 drafts, $8 small plates, and more.

Along with the new service model, Travelers Cart is updating its menu with a number of new dishes. They include Thai chili queso, Baja shrimp tacos, salmon donburi bowl, chicken parmesan, and steak frites. The cocktail menu has also been refreshed with a Mexican espresso martini and a Tuk Tuk Old Fashioned, named for the vehicle that now sits in front of the restaurant’s entrance.

Recently recognized by the Texas Restaurant Association as Restaurateurs of the Year for the Houston region, the Mitchells hope that these changes will lead to even more success. With the service style refined and the menu dialed in, they’re already looking for another location.

Photo by Andrew Hemingway

Traveler's Cart is add new dishes to its menu, including steak frites and chicken parm.

news-you-can-eat

Procrastinator's Guide to Father's Day

The Procrastinator's Guide to Father's Day brunch: 10 manly restaurant picks for dad

Latin Bites dining room

5 Houston suburbs deemed best places to retire in 2026 by U.S. News

Houston restaurant veteran fires up pizzas and steaks in Garden Oaks

River Oaks Italian spot claims shuttered Woodlands steakhouse for new location

service switcheroo

Street food-inspired Houston restaurant swaps counter service for servers