Editor’s note: The time has come to look back the most-read CultureMap articles of 2025. As always, Houstonians take a lot of pride in seeing our city’s institutions and personalities shine on the world stage, so it’s no surprise that readers responded to news about Rice being ranked among the best universities in the world and Sugar Land nearly topping a list of the best places to live in America. Restaurant news remains at the core of our coverage, which is reflected in six of this year’s top 10. Elsewhere, we celebrated Houston companies that are great places to work and embraced our city’s richest billionaire.

Photo courtesy of Rice University

Rice University is one of the best in the world.

Read on for the 10 most popular stories of 2025.

1. 2 Houston universities named among world’s best in 2026 rankings. QS (Quacquarelli Symonds), a London-based provider of higher education data and analytics, compiled its World University Rankings 2026 by using factors such as academic reputation; employer reputation; faculty-student ratio; faculty research; and international research, students, and faculty. Rice, ranked No. 2 in Texas, moved up more than 20 places, and the University of Houston climbed about 100 to No. 556 globally.

2. Houston chef breaks his silence on sudden exit from Woodlands restaurant. Chef Austin Simmons spoke to CultureMap exclusively about his decision to resign from his role as executive chef and partner of Tris, a fine dining steakhouse in The Woodlands. Since then, Simmons has devoted his attention to Chef & Rancher, his cattle business, and burger pop-ups. He’ll open a new restaurant, Charlois by Chef Austin Simmons, in the spring.

3. Totally sweet Houston suburb triumphs as No. 3 best place to live in U.S. Livability.com ranked Sugar Land No. 3 on its list of "the 100 Best Places to Live in 2025." Limited to cities with populations between 75,000 and 500,000, the study considered criteria such as average rent and home prices relative to income. Across the eight main categories, Sugar Land ranked the highest for its health (89), housing and cost of living (88), and economy (85).

4. Pioneering Houston Mexican restaurant will shutter after 44 years. Citing an overall downturn in business and more personal factors, chef-owner Armando Richards said he would close his restaurant Picos this fall. However, a surge in demand has delayed the closure until early 2026. That means Houstonians have a little time left to get signature items such as chilorio, duck with mole, and tamales.

5. 11 Houston companies named best places to work by U.S. News. The annual "U.S. News Best Companies to Work For" report examines thousands of publicly-traded companies around the world to determine the best employers based on six metrics. Chevron, American Bureau of Shipping, Calpine, Hines, and others represented Houston on the list.

6. Houston restaurant served Beyoncé a Southern feast for her first meal in H-Town. When Beyoncé Knowles-Carter returned to Houston for two sold-out shows at NRG Stadium, she and her family turned to downtown restaurant Taste Kitchen + Bar for a Southern feast. The epic spread included jerk lamb chops with deep-fried lobster, smothered chicken with collard greens, and the restaurant’s signature chicken and waffles. Later that weekend, Taste chef-owner Don Bowie shared a photo with Jay-Z.

7. Shaquille O'Neal leaves $1,000 tip at Houston Tex-Mex institution. The NBA Hall-of-Famer, media personality, and restaurateur dined at Ninfa’s Uptown in July. Sitting in the main dining room, he posed for pictures with both fans and the restaurant’s staff. After dining on crispy tacos, he left his server a very generous tip.

8. James Harden's Houston restaurant locked out over $2.2 million in unpaid rent. The former Houston Rocket’s tenure as a restaurant owner came to an abrupt end in September, when the building’s landlord locked out Thirteen for non-payment of rent. Harden opened Thirteen in 2021, shortly after he left the Rockets for the Brooklyn Nets. In July, he signed a two-year, $81.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Clippers.

9. Award-winning Houston steakhouse will close after only 2 years. Although it has achieved success and spots in the Michelin Guide with both Candente and The Pit Room, Sambrooks Hospitality couldn’t find an audience for Andiron, its live fire steakhouse in Montrose. Even after pivoting to a more affordable menu, Andiron wasn’t financially viable. New Orleans restaurateur Malachi DuPre claimed the space for Casa Kenji, a new seafood restaurant that blends Japanese and Latin influences.

10. Richard Kinder is Houston's richest billionaire in 2025, Forbes says. The Kinder Morgan chairman is the 11th richest Texas resident, and ranks as the 108th richest American. Kinder also dethroned Tilman Fertitta to claim the title as the wealthiest Houstonian. The publication estimates Kinder's net worth at $10.6 billion, up from $8.1 billion in 2024.