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    Where To Eat Right Now

    Where to eat right now: 10 hot, must-try restaurants for April

    Ruthie Miller
    Ruthie Miller
    Apr 8, 2013 | 10:04 am

    April is here! Need a lunch or dinner recommendation? Here’s where you should eat right now in Houston.

     

     Batanga
    With live music, sharable Latin American dishes, and a patio that’s already earning praise, Batanga has opened just in time to capitalize on Houston’s best weather months of the year. Stop by to revel in a festive atmosphere and fun food.

     

    The menu features plenty of things that “oink, moo, fly, or swim,” but we especially love the long list of veggie dishes — like the marinated beets, Swiss chard and eggplant fries.

     

     Goro & Gun
    While there’s not much Houston lacks in the way of ethnic cuisine, we’ve been noticeably light on ramen. Good thing the new Goro & Gun downtown has arrived to fill that niche.

     

    This small restaurant features two ramens (go with the veggie!), though the menu’s other options are just as worthy — like the roasted Brussels sprouts with pickled raisins and pine nuts and the 72-hour tempura short ribs.

     

     Saint Arnold
    It’s onward and upward for our beloved brewery Saint Arnold, which is now serving lunch five days a week (two courses for $17.55). Be sure to check the menu before you go …

     

    Chef Ryan Savoie creates his lineup far in advance, and there are no substitutions, so you’ll want to find the daily offering that appeals most to you. Don’t worry, beer tastings are available as well.

     

     MuSuBi
    My adoration of Asian food trucks continues with the Vietnamese MuSuBi. The roast duck and garlic beef banh mi was a dream with its tender meats, generous toppings and killer bread. But my favorite part was the actual musubi, a gourmet’d up Japanese/Hawaiian treat. Mine featured shrimp and crab in a spicy sauce.

     

    Follow @MuSuBiHOUSTON on Twitter for a schedule and location.

     

     Killen’s BBQ
    Good news for those who can’t wait for Ronnie Killen’s new BBB (BBQ, burgers and beer) restaurant to open this summer: The new concept is operating as a weekend pop-up until then. Stop by Killen’s Steakhouse in Pearland, on Saturdays and Sundays starting at 11 a.m., to sample the smoked meats and sides that won raves at the recent Houston BBQ Festival.

     

     Mighty Sweet Mini Pies
    This new family-run mini-pie shop in the Heights has already developed a loyal following, thanks to homemade crusts and old-fashioned ingredients. The owners make hundreds of mini-pies a day in five fresh flavors that rotate.

     

    We’re always too slow to catch the Key Lime and Peanut Butter Chocolate, but heartily recommend the Tangerine Chess.

     

     Michiru Sushi
    The best sushi places are often the most expensive (with reason), but the new Michiru Sushi in Greenway Plaza offers a solid sushi lineup at reasonable prices. While I wasn’t able to try these tuna-on-tuna dumplings, the fish and hot dishes offered a nice take on your favorite Japanese favorites.

     

    It may not blow you away, but the portions are fresh and large, and the atmosphere is upbeat and fun.

     

     The Good Life – Midtown Bar & Kitchen
    Midtown’s got a new go-to spot in The Good Life, a neighborhood bar and patio that opened in March. In addition to a nice selection of craft beers and cocktails, the Good Life offers what it calls edible cocktails — gussied up Jello shots basically.

     

    There’s also a nice menu (designed by Roost’s Kevin Naderi) featuring things like brats in a blanket, brisket sliders and nachos.

     

     Oxheart
    The unique Oxheart has captured all kinds of accolades in its one-year existence. Most recently chef Justin Yu was a semifinalist for a James Beard award, while pastry chef Karen Man was nominated for Food & Wine’s Best New Pastry Chef.

     

    Reservations for the tiny restaurant are hard to come by, but you can often snag a spot on a Sunday or Monday night.

     

     Underbelly
    While Underbelly could probably sit atop this list every month, we try to spread the love. After all, you already know about Underbelly, and you’ve probably eaten there.

     

    But chef Chris Shepherd was just named a Best New Chef by Food & Wine, which is kind of a big deal — for him, for his restaurant and for Houston. So for those of you who haven’t made it over there yet, by all means go now.

     

    Need more recs? Try our where to eat right now lists from previous months:
     
     October – November – December – January – February – March

    The inventive Oxheart is worth the trouble it takes to get in.

    Oxheart, beets from Emile Street Garden with savory granola, wheatberries and bitter almond
      
    Oxheart Facebook
    The inventive Oxheart is worth the trouble it takes to get in.
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    HRW Menu Day 2025

    10 eateries participating in Houston Restaurant Weeks for the first time

    Eric Sandler
    Jul 15, 2025 | 12:22 pm
    Kitchen Rumors restaurant lobster dumplings
    Photo by Chris Furia
    These lobster dumplings are available as a supplement at Kitchen Rumors.

    One of the most eagerly anticipated days of the year for people who love Houston restaurants has arrived. Houston Restaurant Weeks has released the first wave of menus for its 2025 event.

    Held from August 1 until Labor Day (Monday, September 1), the charity dining event recruits as many as 400 Houston restaurants to serve two, three, or four-course, prix-fixe menus at set prices — $25 for lunch and brunch and $39 or $55 for dinner. HRW organizer The Cleverley Stone Foundation collects a $1 donation for every $25 menu sold, $3 for every $39 menu sold, and $5 for every $55 menu sold. It uses that money to make a substantial donation to the Houston Food Bank — just over $2 million from the 2024 event alone and over $22 million in the event’s 22-year history.

    Prior to her death in 2020, HRW founder Cleverley Stone described the event as a “win-win-win.” That is, a win for the restaurants who turned the traditionally slow month of August into a busy time. A win for diners who got good deals on meals at some of the city’s top restaurants. And a win for the Houston Food Bank, which turns every dollar raised into three meals for Houstonians in need.

    Now under the direction of her daughter, Katie Stone Cappuccio, Houston Restaurant Weeks maintains its status as the city’s premier charity dining event. Participating restaurants include all four restaurants in Bludorn Hospitality — Bludorn, Navy Blue, Bar Bludorn, and Perseid — all four of James Beard Award winner Hugo Ortega’s restaurants — Hugo’s, Caracol, Xochi, and Urbe — and two of the five Houston restaurants that hold one Michelin star — BCN and Le Jardinier.

    For diners, one of the most exciting aspects of the event is the opportunity to try a new restaurant with the certainty of a fixed price (plus beverages, tax, and tip). Towards that end, CultureMap has compiled a list of many of the first-time participants to help guide people’s selections. Diners are encouraged to keep checking the HRW website, because more establishments will be added between now and August 1.

    Bar Bludorn
    Aaron Bludorn’s Memorial-area tavern is serving a three-course, $55 dinner menu. Starter choices consist of shrimp tartine, chilled corn soup, or arugula salad with watermelon. For an entree, select ricotta gnocchi, branzino, or pork loin. Finish with blueberry cake, chocolate mousse, or ice cream.

    Barbacana
    Chef Christian Hernandez’s downtown restaurant that celebrates Houston’s diversity will serve both a two-course lunch and a three-course, $55 dinner. Choices include jicama salad, wagyu carpaccio, mushroom donburi, and grilled vermillion snapper. Supplements include octopus with mole poblano and a Texas wagyu Denver cut steak.

    Derby
    Located at a storage facility for collector cars, this restaurant is serving a three-course, $39 dinner menu. Choices include bacon with maple glaze and cayenne, apple walnut salad, fried green tomatoes, blackened chicken pasta, and a wagyu burger.

    Doko
    Part of Duckstache Hospitality (Handies Douzo, Aiko, etc.), this sushi restaurant in Autry Park is serving a four-course, $55 menu. Start with scallop aquachile, scallop ceviche, or a tomato salad. Choices for the second and third course include yakitori-style skewers with proteins such as short rib, chicken meatball, and wagyu ribeye as well as one of three sushi rolls — wagyu beef, avocado, or fried shrimp. Finish with one of three desserts.

    Kitchen Rumors
    This inventive, Indian-inspired restaurant from the team behind acclaimed Woodlands restaurants Amrina is serving a three-course, $55 menu. The first course offers five regular choices and two supplements, including lamb keema infladita, blue cheese chicken kebabs, scallop ceviche, and lobster dumplings. Choose from seven different entrees such as pan fried paneer, goat biryani, prawn curry, and bison short rib nihari.

    Maven Coffee & Cocktails
    This neighborhood restaurant that touts Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr as one of its owners will serve a four-course, $55 menu. Choices include a gazpacho shooter, bread and butter, “Caesar cups,” deviled eggs, steak au poivre, spicy rigatoni pasta, and a cheeseburger.

    Okto
    Part of Sof Hospitality (Doris Metropolitan, Hamsa), this Mediterranean restaurant in the Montrose Collective mixed-use development is serving a two-course brunch and a three-course, $55 dinner. At brunch, look for dishes such as ricotta toast, frena bread with pistacchio butter, beet-cured lox, and shakshuka. At dinner, the choices include hamachi tartare, octopus carpaccio, squid ink linguini with crab, and steak frites.

    Perseid
    Bludorn Hospitality’s French restaurant at the Hotel Saint Augustine is serving both a two-course lunch and a three-course, $55 dinner. Both menus include options such as white gazpacho, smoked salmon dip, tomato risotto, and the signature chicken paillard with fingerling potatoes and arugula salad. Dinner adds three desserts, including a chocolate entremet with salted caramel and coffee ice cream.

    Pizzana
    The Los Angeles-based, neo-Neopolitan pizzeria is serving a three-course, $39 menu that includes one of three pizzas — margherita, pepperoni, or the signature cacio e pepe — paired with a choice of three salads and three desserts. We recommend the little gem Caesar and the tiramisu, but that’s entirely up to you.

    Solarium
    Lance McCullers’ pickle ball bar in Midtown is also participating in HRW with a two-course brunch and a three-course, $39 dinner. Both meals include choices such as a chicken skewer with jalapeno-dill yogurt, Caesar salad, and cheeseburger. Brunch adds breakfast options such as pancakes or an egg sandwich, while dinner adds chicken tenders, a pulled pork sandwich, and choice of dessert.

    Kitchen Rumors restaurant lobster dumplings
      

    Photo by Chris Furia

    These lobster dumplings are available as a supplement at Kitchen Rumors.

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