• Home
  • popular
  • EVENTS
  • submit-new-event
  • CHARITY GUIDE
  • Children
  • Education
  • Health
  • Veterans
  • Social Services
  • Arts + Culture
  • Animals
  • LGBTQ
  • New Charity
  • TRENDING NEWS
  • News
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Home + Design
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Innovation
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • subscribe
  • about
  • series
  • Embracing Your Inner Cowboy
  • Green Living
  • Summer Fun
  • Real Estate Confidential
  • RX In the City
  • State of the Arts
  • Fall For Fashion
  • Cai's Odyssey
  • Comforts of Home
  • Good Eats
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2010
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2
  • Good Eats 2
  • HMNS Pirates
  • The Future of Houston
  • We Heart Hou 2
  • Music Inspires
  • True Grit
  • Hoops City
  • Green Living 2011
  • Cruizin for a Cure
  • Summer Fun 2011
  • Just Beat It
  • Real Estate 2011
  • Shelby on the Seine
  • Rx in the City 2011
  • Entrepreneur Video Series
  • Going Wild Zoo
  • State of the Arts 2011
  • Fall for Fashion 2011
  • Elaine Turner 2011
  • Comforts of Home 2011
  • King Tut
  • Chevy Girls
  • Good Eats 2011
  • Ready to Jingle
  • Houston at 175
  • The Love Month
  • Clifford on The Catwalk Htx
  • Let's Go Rodeo 2012
  • King's Harbor
  • FotoFest 2012
  • City Centre
  • Hidden Houston
  • Green Living 2012
  • Summer Fun 2012
  • Bookmark
  • 1987: The year that changed Houston
  • Best of Everything 2012
  • Real Estate 2012
  • Rx in the City 2012
  • Lost Pines Road Trip Houston
  • London Dreams
  • State of the Arts 2012
  • HTX Fall For Fashion 2012
  • HTX Good Eats 2012
  • HTX Contemporary Arts 2012
  • HCC 2012
  • Dine to Donate
  • Tasting Room
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • Charming Charlie
  • Asia Society
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2012
  • HTX Mistletoe on the go
  • HTX Sun and Ski
  • HTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • HTX New Beginnings
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013
  • Zadok Sparkle into Spring
  • HTX Let's Go Rodeo 2013
  • HCC Passion for Fashion
  • BCAF 2013
  • HTX Best of 2013
  • HTX City Centre 2013
  • HTX Real Estate 2013
  • HTX France 2013
  • Driving in Style
  • HTX Island Time
  • HTX Super Season 2013
  • HTX Music Scene 2013
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013 2
  • HTX Baker Institute
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • Mothers Day Gift Guide 2021 Houston
  • Staying Ahead of the Game
  • Wrangler Houston
  • First-time Homebuyers Guide Houston 2021
  • Visit Frisco Houston
  • promoted
  • eventdetail
  • Greystar Novel River Oaks
  • Thirdhome Go Houston
  • Dogfish Head Houston
  • LovBe Houston
  • Claire St Amant podcast Houston
  • The Listing Firm Houston
  • South Padre Houston
  • NextGen Real Estate Houston
  • Pioneer Houston
  • Collaborative for Children
  • Decorum
  • Bold Rock Cider
  • Nasher Houston
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2021
  • CityNorth
  • Urban Office
  • Villa Cotton
  • Luck Springs Houston
  • EightyTwo
  • Rectanglo.com
  • Silver Eagle Karbach
  • Mirador Group
  • Nirmanz
  • Bandera Houston
  • Milan Laser
  • Lafayette Travel
  • Highland Park Village Houston
  • Proximo Spirits
  • Douglas Elliman Harris Benson
  • Original ChopShop
  • Bordeaux Houston
  • Strike Marketing
  • Rice Village Gift Guide 2021
  • Downtown District
  • Broadstone Memorial Park
  • Gift Guide
  • Music Lane
  • Blue Circle Foods
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2022
  • True Rest
  • Lone Star Sports
  • Silver Eagle Hard Soda
  • Modelo recipes
  • Modelo Fighting Spirit
  • Athletic Brewing
  • Rodeo Houston
  • Silver Eagle Bud Light Next
  • Waco CVB
  • EnerGenie
  • HLSR Wine Committee
  • All Hands
  • El Paso
  • Avenida Houston
  • Visit Lubbock Houston
  • JW Marriott San Antonio
  • Silver Eagle Tupps
  • Space Center Houston
  • Central Market Houston
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Travel Texas Houston
  • Alliantgroup
  • Golf Live
  • DC Partners
  • Under the Influencer
  • Blossom Hotel
  • San Marcos Houston
  • Photo Essay: Holiday Gift Guide 2009
  • We Heart Hou
  • Walker House
  • HTX Good Eats 2013
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2013
  • HTX Culture Motive
  • HTX Auto Awards
  • HTX Ski Magic
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2014
  • HTX Texas Traveler
  • HTX Cifford on the Catwalk 2014
  • HTX United Way 2014
  • HTX Up to Speed
  • HTX Rodeo 2014
  • HTX City Centre 2014
  • HTX Dos Equis
  • HTX Tastemakers 2014
  • HTX Reliant
  • HTX Houston Symphony
  • HTX Trailblazers
  • HTX_RealEstateConfidential_2014
  • HTX_IW_Marks_FashionSeries
  • HTX_Green_Street
  • Dating 101
  • HTX_Clifford_on_the_Catwalk_2014
  • FIVE CultureMap 5th Birthday Bash
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2014 TEST
  • HTX Texans
  • Bergner and Johnson
  • HTX Good Eats 2014
  • United Way 2014-15_Single Promoted Articles
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Houston
  • Where to Eat Houston
  • Copious Row Single Promoted Articles
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2014
  • htx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Zadok Swiss Watches
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2015
  • HTX Charity Challenge 2015
  • United Way Helpline Promoted Article
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Fusion Academy Promoted Article
  • Clifford on the Catwalk Fall 2015
  • United Way Book Power Promoted Article
  • Jameson HTX
  • Primavera 2015
  • Promenade Place
  • Hotel Galvez
  • Tremont House
  • HTX Tastemakers 2015
  • HTX Digital Graffiti/Alys Beach
  • MD Anderson Breast Cancer Promoted Article
  • HTX RealEstateConfidential 2015
  • HTX Vargos on the Lake
  • Omni Hotel HTX
  • Undies for Everyone
  • Reliant Bright Ideas Houston
  • 2015 Houston Stylemaker
  • HTX Renewable You
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • HTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Kyrie Massage
  • Red Bull Flying Bach
  • Hotze Health and Wellness
  • ReadFest 2015
  • Alzheimer's Promoted Article
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Professional Skin Treatments by NuMe Express

    where to eat right now

    Where to eat in Houston right now: 9 ghost kitchens delivering the best to-go experience

    Eric Sandler
    Nov 19, 2020 | 1:01 pm

    The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the trend towards food delivery via third party apps. Diners appreciate the convenience, and some people see it as a way to support restaurants when they might not feel comfortable sitting around strangers in a dining room.

     

    Of course, food that travels in boxes comes with certain compromises. First, it’s difficult for food to arrive as hot and fresh as it would if it were served inside a restaurant. Second, delivery companies claim as much as 30 percent of each item’s cost, which cuts into a restaurant’s already thin margins.

     

    Ghost kitchens (or cloud kitchens, as most operators seem to prefer) have emerged as a popular way to resolve these issues. As restaurants that are dedicated to delivery and to-go service, their dishes have been designed to travel, and they frequently utilize packaging that’s been designed to preserve a dish’s freshness during travel. On a similar note, the costs of delivery are built into their margins, making it a relatively guilt-free experience for customers.

     

    The list below includes some of Houston’s established cloud kitchen concepts as well as a few promising newcomers that have emerged on the scene in the last month or so. The Inner Loop focus reflects what’s available to me within a typical delivery radius, but the success of these concepts will undoubtedly spur them to expand their reach.

     

     Click Virtual Food Hall 
    Chef Gabriel Medina’s cloud kitchen stands apart with both its diversity and its consistently high quality. Click offers 10 different concepts from one ordering platform — everything from burgers and pizza to Japanese curry bowls and Filipino cuisine that nods to Medina’s heritage — all carefully packed in a distinctive, gold-colored insulated bag to ensure everything arrives hot and fresh. The recent addition of dishes from two established restaurants, burger-chan and Ninja Ramen, demonstrates that the Click can serve as a viable platform for even more concepts to expand their reach.

     

     The Courageous Chicken 
    Houston fast casual staple Cafe Express worked with chef Jennifer Hoffman (Leeland House) to develop this cloud kitchen concept devoted to chicken sandwiches. Currently available from the River Oaks location — but coming soon to the three other outposts — Courageous Chicken serves a supersized chicken breast with a range of sauces that include Nashville Hot, General Tso’s, and a sweet and spicy Valiente Chili Lime. A grilled option exists for those looking to save on calories, or for those looking who want to indulge in the loaded fries that come topped with bacon, jalapenos, cheddar, and three cheese sauce.

     

     Gunso Japanese Kitchen 
    Yakitori Gunso may not have survived the pandemic, but its been reborn as a cloud kitchen at the Blodgett Food Hall. The menu covers a range of Japanese comfort food from takoyaki and chicken karaage to rice balls and ramen. Chicken katsu paired with a sweet and savory Japanese curry emerged as a highlight, as did the lip-smacking heat from spicy karaage.

     

     Hako Bento 
    Chefs Naoki Yoshida (Shun Japanese Kitchen) and Yosuke Motozawa have teamed up to create this lunch-only concept that operates out of the Shun Kitchen. For approximately $20-25, diners build custom, four-item bento boxes from a range of choices that include a fried item, a rice, a salad, and a protein. For example, protein choices include chicken or beef teriyaki, stir-fried tofu, grilled salmon, and a Japanese hamburger. The five fried items range from egg rolls to cornflake-crusted pork katsu. Offering a diverse array of choices and slick packaging helps elevate the experience.

     

     Horn Dogs 
    Rudyard’s chef Anthony Calleo showcases his affection for hot dogs with this new concept. Built around massive, half-pound all-beef dogs, Horn Dogs offers a number of toppings that range from traditional Texas chili with cheddar, onions, and mustard to a Japanese katsu dog that’s panko-crusted and fried then topped with kewpie mayo and tonkatsu sauce. Calleo offers a few different sides, but choosing Rudyard’s tater tots is always a solid option.

     

     Louie’s 
    Rather than gripe about Houston’s relative lack of good sandwiches, Riel chef Ryan Lachaine took matters into his hands and launched this lunch concept. Louie’s covers an array of cravings with options ranging from a vegetarian mushroom melt to classics like the turkey club and chicken parm. Thankfully, Riel’s signature butter burgers are also available. The concept has been such a success that some of the sandwiches have graduated to Riel’s happy hour menu.

     

     Phat Kitchen 
    Rather than attempt to open a second brick and mortar location of his Malaysian restaurant in the middle of a pandemic, Phat Eatery chef Alex Au-Yeung launched this cloud kitchen in Third Ward’s Blodgett Food Hall. Phat Kitchen’s menu offers almost all of the signature items that have made its sibling successful, including roti canai and beef rendang, as well as the dim sum dumplings Au-Yeung introduced earlier this year. Even better, Phat Kitchen also offers a full selection of dishes from Yelo, the Vietnamese concept Au-Yeung developed with chef Cuc Lam (Sing) that won’t open its own dine-in location until 2021.

     

     Porchetta & Sandwiches 
    Ben McPherson takes his porchetta seriously. For the lunchtime concept he operates out of BOH Pasta & Pizza, McPherson uses pork loin from Black Hill Meats, seasons it with salsa verde and roasts it slowly. Served with a lemon-caper aioli, arugula, and sliced fennel on a ciabatta bun from Bread Man Baking Co., the end result is a juicy, satisfying combination of textures and flavors. Don’t dig on swine? The concept also offers a mix of other hot and cold sandwiches including a gooey meatball sub and a vegetarian option made with roasted eggplant.

     

     Saigon Hustle 
    Like burger joints or taco stands, Houston will always have room for another casual Vietnamese restaurant, provided its staple dishes like egg rolls, vermicelli bowls, and banh mi are properly delicious. This cloud kitchen (and future brick and mortar) offers a few fun twists like a roll inspired by banh xeo and the opportunity for diners to build their own goi salad with a range of proteins that range from chicken to salmon to ribeye. A location in the Blodgett Food Hall ensures efficient delivery to most of the inner loop.

     

    Louie's offers an array of sandwiches and sides.

    Louie's menu items Riel Restaurant
      
    Photo by Kirsten Gilliam
    Louie's offers an array of sandwiches and sides.
    where-to-eat
    news/restaurants-bars
    series/where-to-eat-houston

    Matcha News

    TikTok star Keith Lee crafts matcha latte for Hill Country flood relief

    Teresa Gubbins
    Jul 11, 2025 | 9:30 am
    Keith Lee and matcha drink
    Instagram
    Keith Lee hoists his special matcha drink.

    The devastating floods that swept across Central Texas on July 4 are bringing out all kinds of charitable endeavors — and that includes a limited-edition beverage from Texas-based TikTok food influencer Keith Lee.

    Lee, a social media sensation whose online food reviews have benefited hundreds of small restaurants, is partnering with La La Land Kind Cafe on a special drink: Called the La La Land X Keith Lee Latte, it's a matcha drink in which 100 percent of the proceeds will go towards Kerr County flood relief.

    La La Land is the coffee chain founded in Dallas in 2019 with a mission to provide opportunities for fostering youth and individuals in need. It has three locations in Houston, along with 10 across Dallas-Fort Worth and six in Southern California.

    The new Keith Lee Latte will consist of double ceremonial matcha, with secret syrup, matcha cloud, a whole fresh strawberry, flaky salt, and matcha powder. (See Lee enjoy the latte in the video below.)


      
     
     
     
     
     
     
    View this post on Instagram
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    A post shared by Keith Lee (@keith_lee125)
     


    Matcha is the Japanese green tea powder that has experienced a surge in popularity, appearing in everything from drinks like the matcha latte to desserts like matcha mousse.

     Keith Lee Latte Keith Lee Latte is a matcha drink.Instagram 

    Lee, who relocated to Dallas in 2024, has been on a matcha kick ever since he tried it in Chicago, which he says "led me down a rabbit hole," and it has become his trademark drink. In May, he visited seven cafes across DFW in search of the perfect matcha in town, and that included La La Land, where he ordered a matcha with almond milk.

    He also has a charitable history, including a special visit he made to Taste Project in Fort Worth to donate $4,000 to support the nonprofit's mission to fight food insecurity.

    The Keith Lee Latte will be available at all La La Land cafes beginning Friday July 11, for a limited time only. From July 11-27, 100 percent of all proceeds will support flood relief efforts in Kerr County — "a community in our home state that’s hurting," La La Land Cafe says.

    mediaweathercelebrities
    news/restaurants-bars
    series/where-to-eat-houston

    most read posts

    Houston is one of America's most overpriced cities, study finds

    Netflix chef's modern Mexican restaurant opens in Houston this month

    More rain brings further flood risk as Texas death toll tops 100

    Loading...