This month, the travel website TripSavvy launched its first-ever Editor’s Choice Awards, a curated list of restaurants, hotels, and tourist destinations. Out of the 60,000 U.S. businesses and venues surveyed, multiple Houston spots made the list — which should come as no surprise to Bayou City dwellers who have long known Houston is a terrific place to eat, shop, stay, and be entertained.

Houston’s Famous Deli represented in the casual dining category, sited for its “wide range of soups, sandwiches and salads…made with fresh ingredients,” with a special call-out to the muffalettas. Within the Best Specialty Restaurants listing, Izakaya WA found a home on “The Best Sushi in Houston” list, with MF Sushi grabbing a spot in the “Restaurants in the Museum District” subcategory. When it came to romantic dining, Uchi got the shout-out for “…food that brings couples together,” citing chef de cuisine Chris Davies’ adventurous menu that’s perfect for sharing.

Longtime local favorite The Breakfast Klub was named to the Best Breakfast and Brunch list, with a nod to the Midtown stalwart’s old-fashioned comfort food (we’re looking at you, chicken and waffles). Baby Barnaby’s was also cited in that category.

Miller Outdoor Theatre, one of the Bayou City’s most beloved spots, came up on the Best Music & Performance list, which shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s taken in a concert, musical, or kids’ show at the Hermann Park venue. Miller’s neighbor, the Houston Museum of Natural Science was ranked on the Best Science Museums and Attractions list.

Speaking of parks, the newly revamped, meandering Buffalo Bayou Park took a place on the Best Parks & Gardens subcategory of Urban Parks, and the Buffalo Bayou Cistern placed on the Best Historic Attractions list, lauded as “easily one of the coolest – and perhaps most underrated – historical sites” inside the Loop. And family favorite Children’s Museum of Houston was named to the Best Family Attractions list.

TripSavvy Editors' Choice Awards took a two-pronged approach to choose winners. The site’s data team used machine-learning technology to pinpoint outstanding businesses from data across the web, including internet reviews and audience metrics from TripSavvy, according to a release. They then matched those against TripSavvy's expert content to identify those that outranked competitors in quality, considering elements such as customer service, value, and category fit.

Finally, a team of TripSavvy editors and writers scoured the results, highlighting the most special, noteworthy, and trustworthy businesses.

The Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern won in the Best Historic Attractions list.

Photo by Katya Horner

The Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern won in the Best Historic Attractions list.