HLW 2022
Houston's Latin Restaurant Weeks returns with plenty of sabor across the city
Houston's annual celebration of Latin-owned food businesses has returned. Latin Restaurant Weeks will take place from Friday, June 17 through June 30.
Now in its fourth year, Latin Restaurant Weeks shines a spotlight on Latin-owned chefs, restaurant owners, caterers, and bartenders and the broad range of Latin culinary traditions and techniques. More than 50 local restaurants, coffee shops, food trucks, and caterers will serve dishes and menus featuring their signature dishes at prices ranging from $3 to $45.
Co-founded by Karinn Andréa Luckett, the event serves as a marketing campaign for the participants, raising awareness and drawing attention to their offerings. Since beginning in Houston — a city where more than 43 percent of residents identify as Hispanic, according to the Census Bureau, Latin Restaurant Weeks has expanded to Miami, Chicago, and Atlanta.
This year's participants include both new restaurants that diners may be visiting for the first time as well as a few classics that are well known to Houstonians with a passion for food. For example, Maize, a Mexican restaurant in the Energy Corridor, will be serving a two-course, $35 menu that includes choices such as flautas with pork carnitas, shrimp cocktail, chicken enchiladas, and a rotating catch of the day. At Chivos in the Heights, the three-course, $35 menu consists of a ceviche tostada followed by roasted half chicken and Xoclatl tamal with cajeta and vanilla ice cream.
Both locations of Ostionerias La Reyna will serve a $40, three-course menu that's designed to be shared by two people. Choices include shrimp empanadas, ceviche mixto tostadas, and an entree that features different protein and cooking style choices.
Those looking for something less expensive may opt for Cochinita & Co.; the East End restaurant's signature cochinita pibil entree costs $14 during LRW. Similarly, Henderson & Kane in the Old Sixth Ward will feature its Texana taco — an heirloom corn tortilla filled with pasture raised eggs, housemade chorizo rojo, and breakfast papas — for $6.50.
“You can learn a lot about a country’s culture through their food and we want to create a story around the diverse Latin options to support the melting pot that is Houston,” Luckett said in a statement. “This year, we’re especially excited to round up not only different Latin countries but regions within those countries while taking it a step further by highlighting the complexities of those cuisines. LRW’s ‘Tour de Sabor’ provides a path for Houstonians to discover a hidden gem or visit an old favorite restaurant, coffee shop, food truck, bakery, and even a caterer.”
The Paella Valenciana is one of the most popular dishes at Mi Luna.Photo by Dylan McEwan
No TVs to distract diners at Mi Luna.Photo by Dylan McEwan