Where to Eat on Valentine's Day

14 best Houston restaurants to love for dining out on Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is less than two weeks away, so it's time to start making plans to celebrate the occasion with your beloved.

With an array of multi-course dinners, as well as a few more casual options, we've rounded up the 14 best Valentine's celebrations Houston has to offer. As with any Valentine's Day, we highly recommend reserving your seats in advance.

Emmaline
Get cozy and celebrate with four courses and a glass of champagne at this stylish Montrose restaurant. Prix fixe options include squid ink linguini with lobster fonduta, seared fresh sea scallops, and lamb chops, as well as delicious desserts including a buttermilk panna cotta and a dark chocolate espresso torta. Guests can add a romantic floral arrangement from Petals and Palette Design Co. for an additional $75. The menu costs $75 per person. 3210 W. Dallas St.; 713-523-3210

Verdine
Celebrate at Verdine with a completely vegan menu inspired by traditional steakhouse fare. The three-course, prix fixe menu includes choices like Maryland “crab” cake, Beyond Meat filets, and tempeh piccata, as well as dessert options like a brownie banana split and white chocolate cheesecake. The menu is $60 per person and reservations are required. 449 W. 19th St.; 713-876-4768

Le Colonial
Enjoy a romantic dinner at hotspot Le Colonial with a three-course, prix fixe dinner highlighting the restaurant’s upscale Vietnamese cuisine. The menu presents decadent options such as tuna tartare, truffle and squash dumplings, pan-seared sea bass, and roasted Hudson Valley duck. The menu is $85 per person and reservations are suggested. 4444 Westheimer Rd.; 713-629-4444

Arnaldo Richards’ Picos
At Arnaldo Richards’ Picos, guests can take a culinary adventure without the travel. A special Valentine’s menu showcases the traditions of Spanish cuisine and features paella, tapas, charcuterie, and dessert. The menu is $85 per person. 3601 Kirby Dr.; 832-831-9940

Bistro Menil
Bistro Menil offers a special prix fixe menu on February 14 and 15, allowing for a bit of flexibility with your Valentine’s plans. The four-course menu includes entree options like seared diver scallops with beurre blanc, caviar, and creamy lemon risotto or sous vide duck breast with tart cherry sauce and savory roasted chestnut puree. The menu is available for $110 per person or $79 without wine pairings. 1513 West Alabama; 713-904-3537

The Annie Café and Bar
For an unforgettable evening featuring dinner, drinks, and dancing, check out Supper Club at The Annie on Sunday, February 16. The restaurant will present live musical entertainment from the Richard Brown Band, as well as a three-course, prix fixe menu from executive chef Robert Del Grande. Tickets are $150 per person and seatings take place at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Reservations are required. 1800 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 6170; 713-804-1800

Helen Greek Food and Wine
Head to Rice Village hotspot Helen Greek Food and Wine for a cozy Valentine's dinner for two. The special menu, available on February 14 and 15, features three shareable courses, including an entree of either lamb shank or whole plaki fish. The menu is $90 for two people or $115 with a bottle of wine. 2429 Rice Blvd.; 832-831-7133

State of Grace
Enjoy a romantic evening at State of Grace with a special, prix fixe menu from Chef Bobby Matos. The menu features dishes like tuna carpaccio, smoked chicken and andouille gumbo, and chargrilled oysters, as well as entrees like pan roasted diver scallops, pancetta-wrapped monkfish, Berkshire pork cheeks, and petit filet mignon. The menu is $85 per person and reservations are recommended. 3258 Westheimer Rd.; 832-942-5080

Davis Street at Hermann Park
Join Davis Street at Hermann Park for a four-course, prix fixe menu highlighting chef Mark Holley's Southern fare with pan Asian flair. The menu features offerings like grilled lamb chops, Thai-style fried snapper for two, or harissa-dusted Cornish hen, as well as decadent desserts including their down south coconut cake. The menu is $80 per person. 5925 Almeda Rd.; 877-328-4778

La Lucha
Enjoy a cozy evening at La Lucha with a three-course, prix fixe menu to share with your loved one. The menu features Southern dishes with an upscale flair, including potato pancakes with caviar, fried chicken with roasted winter squash, and sweet potato spoonbread. The menu is $49.95 per person. 1801 N. Shepherd Dr.; 713-955-4765

Verandah Progressive Indian Restaurant
Celebrate Valentine's Day with an exotic tasting menu at Verandah Progressive Indian Restaurant in Upper Kirby. The four-course, prix fixe menu features dishes representing all of India's regions and includes a glass of champagne for each diner. The menu is $75 per person and wine pairings can be added for an additional cost. 3300 Kirby Dr.; 281-501-0258

BOH Pasta
Chef Ben McPherson's Italian restaurant at Bravery Chef Hall offers a four-course, prix fixe menu that's designed to be shared by two people. Dishes include beef carpaccio, lobster and crawfish ravioli, and Borolo-braised short rib. The meal costs $105 per couple and seatings are available at 5:30, 7:30, and 9:30. 409 Travis St.; 713-364-5502

Politan Row
The nine food vendors and cocktail bar at Rice Village's food hall unite for an evening dubbed "Solamente Amor: Single Bites from Around the World." Designed for people who are singled or coupled up, the menu features dishes such as lemon cake from Italian restaurant Bronson's House, Peruvian ceviche from Pasha Nikkei, and crispy chicken dumplings from Kin. Tickets are $50, and the party starts at 7 pm. 2445 Times Blvd.; 713-489-2546

Street to Kitchen
Make it a vegan Valentine's with a five-course menu of dishes from chef Benchawan Painter, who serves authentic Thai flavors using locally-sourced ingredients. Her menu includes garlic chive pancakes, royal pad Thai and black truffle dumplings, and mango sticky rice. Tickets, $85, also include mimosas made with sparkling wine and freshly-squeezed juices from Juice Girl owner Gretchen Todd. 2424 Times Blvd.

Celebrate with a cozy four course dinner and champagne at Emmaline.

Photo by Becca Wright

Celebrate with a cozy four course dinner and champagne at Emmaline.

holidays dinner

we gotta go

Beard Award-winning Houston chef's new restaurant now open in Montrose

Photo by Kirsten Gilliam

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Houston may be home to an ever-increasing number of James Beard Award-winning chefs, but a new restaurant from a JBA winner is still a special moment in the city’s culinary landscape.

Which means the city’s dining enthusiasts are undeniably excited to welcome House of Louie, the new project Justin Yu, winner of Best Chef: Southwest in 2016 for Oxheart, his groundbreaking, vegetable-focused tasting menu restaurant. He placed it with Theodore Rex, a modern American restaurant that holds a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide. Part of Thorough Fare, the company he co-owns with Anvil founder Bobby Heugel, House of Louie is the group’s first new restaurant since Squable opened in 2019 and first opening since Heights cocktail bar Donna’s debuted last year.

As Yu explained on a July episode of CultureMap’s “What’s Eric Eating” podcast, the decision to open House of Louie came about from the opportunity to buy the property at 1931 Fairview that had been home to the original location of healthy-eating concept Vibrant.

“The real estate came at the right time. The space is beautiful. We’re so lucky to be part of this neighborhood,” Yu explained.

As for the name, Yu is honoring a Chinese restaurant his aunts operated in Southern California for more than 30 years. The original House of Louie hosted many family celebrations, and it’s also the first restaurant he worked in as a dishwasher.

“It was one of those places where there was a little more to it than what you expected. That’s the restaurant I want to have here,” Yu said. Later, he added, “It’s how I fell in love with restaurants.”

Inspired primarily by French and Italian cuisine, meals at House of Louie begin with cold dishes such as the house salad with lettuce, cheese, charcuterie, and quail eggs; marinated plums; yellowtail crudo; or “Nervetti,” thinly-sliced beef tendon with onions that’s finished with sherry and vinegar.

“I think beef tendon is really accepted in Houston, especially because we have a strong pho culture. Tendon can be a little out there, but it has a beautiful melting texture,” Yu said.

From there, diners may choose from a selection of shareable small plates such as mushroom and peppers with spicy ratatouille, squash with king salmon, or one of three pastas, all of which are made in house. The pici pasta is a thin, handmade pasta that gets some crunch from crispy chicken skin.

Entrees lean classic, with items like red snapper with beurre blanc, grilled duck that gets a boost of umami from colatura (an Italian take on fish sauce), and a Texas wagyu couotte that’s served with a sauce of madeira and onions. The French dip from Yuston’s, Yu’s homage to celebrated American grill Houston’s, is also available.

“The type of place we want to be is — if you feel like you’re a little underdressed, it’s okay to come in and get amazing service and great food. And also spend hours ahead of time picking out your outfit and coming out for a date night or a friend’s night or a night out with the guys,” Yu said.

“It’s a place that’s going to have a sandwich and makes its own fries. We’re also going to have really aggressive dishes that swing for the fences and push the limits of creativity, even though its slightly rustic.”

Yu worked with Garnish Design (Milton’s, Tiny Champions), ObjektFab, and Ford Design Finishes to transform Vibrant into House of Louie. Overall, the room has a modern feel — almost like your cool uncle’s living room. The design speaks to the kind of atmosphere Yu is aiming to achieve.

“More than anything, I want people to connect with the restaurant. If we accidentally get a Michelin Star because we do all the things the right way, and cook excellent food, and take care of all the little details . . . I wouldn’t be mad. That’s our goal in the first place,” he said.

Joining the project are general manager Tyler Jay Wang (most recently of Donna’s) and executive chef Kirk Thompson, who worked for various Underbelly Hospitality concepts and served as the executive chef at Leo’s River Oaks when it won Best New Restaurant in the 2025 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards. Diners may also recognize bartenders Lainey Collum (most recently of Monkey’s Tail) and Máté Hartai (Lee’s, Refuge).

House of Louie is currently open for dinner daily beginning at 4:30 pm. Friday lunch and weekend brunch service will begin in the coming weeks.

Photo by Kirsten Gilliam

House of Louie is now open in Montrose.