Best Seafood Restaurants

Towers of delight: Houston restaurants serve up spectacular mountains of seafood, artfully displayed

Consider the lobster. It's just one of many items typically found on an iced seafood tower. Yes, that staple of '90s dining has always been a fixture at steakhouses, but the collection of oysters, shrimp, crab and more is having a bit of a resurrgence at some of 2014's hottest new bars and restaurants.

Liberty Kitchen and Oysterette executive chef Travis Lenig, who serves both $65 and $140 iced seafood platters, has a theory about why the dish has become so popular recently. "(It) offers a variety of seafood and a great way for guests to interact with their group and a way to splurge on a visually exciting menu item while enjoying the fruits of the sea," he writes in an email.

Looking for something more decadent? Chef/owner Mark Holley's three-tier "Holleywood" tower includes two ounces of Royal Siberian caviar and two bottles of Delamonte Brut champagne.

Whatever one's price point, Houston restaurants have options. At only $49, Midtown seafood restaurant Reef wins the award for best value.

"We don't make a lot of money on it," chef/owner Bryan Caswell explains. "In order for something like that to be successful, it's got to move."

Looking for something a little more decadent? Over at Holley's, chef/owner Mark Holley's three-tier "Holleywood" tower includes two ounces of Royal Siberian caviar and two bottles of Delamonte Brut champagne for an eye-popping $400. Of course, someone could put together a tower-style tasting from Holley's selection of oysters, ceviches, crudos and raw items, but that wouldn't be as much fun.

Find even more options below with recommended beverage pairings. Happy eating and drinking.

Caracol: Ceviche Acapulqueno, 1/2 dozen roasted oysters with chipotle butter, 1/2 dozen raw oysters, 2 bay scallop shells filled with scallop ceviche, 1 stone crab claw. 2 pieces King Crab, 1 long and 1 small, 2 shrimp, small Brazilian lobster tail, Salsa Bruja and cocktail sauce, Chocolata clams (as available), $80.

Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse: 2 jumbo stone crab claws, 4 jumbo shrimp, 4 oysters on the half shell, 1/2 lbs of Alaskian king crab legs, $77 or double for $148. Recommend pairings, Pighin pinot grigio, $11/glass; Cakebread chardonnay 2012, $109/bottle; Veuve Clicquot, $93/bottle.

Eleven Eleven: 12 East Coast oysters, 5 Gulf shrimp cocktail, 1 whole chilled lobster, 1 king crab leg, $80. Or, 18 East Coast oysters, 10 Gulf shrimp cocktail, 2 whole chilled lobster, 2 king crab leg, $150. Recommended pairing: Delamotte NV Blanc de Blancs or French 75 cocktail.

Holley's: 2 oz. Royal Siberian caviar and crabmeat & corn blinis, 18 Blue Point oysters with spicy ponzu sauce and escabeche mignonette, 2, 3.75 bottles Delamonte Brut Champagne, 12 Creole boiled Gulf shrimp with horseradish cocktail sauce, 12 baked clams casino, 12 Florida stone crab claws, 4 oz. seafood campechana, $400.

Julep: 1 1/2 lb lobster, half Dungeness crab (seasonal), 6 snow crab claws, 1/2 lb cold boiled shrimp, 6 oysters, marinated bay scallops, marinated fluke with meyer lemon and sea salt, serrano and garlic aioli, cocktail sauce, fresh grated horseradish, champagne vinegar mignonette and lemons, 1 bottle “La Guita” manzanilla sherry, $120.

Liberty Kitchen & Oysterette: 6 oysters, 4 jumbo shrimp, 6 clams, 1/2 lobster, Lulu's seafood salad, $65. Or 12 oysters, 8 jumbo shrimp, 12 clams, 1/2 lobster, tuna poke, daily sushi, king crab legs, Lulu's seafood salad, $140. Recommend drink pairing, Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut, $18.

Prohibition: 12 Gulf oysters, variety of East coast oysters, smoked oysters, lobster and green mango salad, tuna poke, shrimp cocktail, mignonette, pickled horseradish, cocktail sauce, Half order, $65; Full, $110. Recommended beverage pairing: Shrub Collins cocktail.

Reef: 6 oysters, 6 shrimp shooters, blue crab claws, kinilaw ceviche, seaweed salad, chili mango shrimp salad, migionette, cocktail sauce and mustard sauce, $49. Recommend beverage pairing: Delamotte by Salon.

Vallone's: 4 East Coast oysters, 4 jumbo Gulf shrimp, Maine baby lobster, colossal lump crabmeat, housemade remoulade, mignonette, and cocktail sauces, $95. Recommended pairings: Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut and Unibroue La Fin Du Monde.

Vic & Anthony's: 8 oz. Alaskan king crab, 4 U12 shrimp, 4 oysters on the half shell, shrimp and crab martini (3 U12 shrimp, 3 snow crab claws in kimchi slaw), 1 poached chick lobster tail, fried plaintain strips, cocktail sauce, MP (currently $92).

The seafood tower at Julep comes with a bottle of sherry.

Photo by Julie Soefer

The seafood tower at Julep comes with a bottle of sherry.

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Let's Get Boozy

Houston restaurant celebrates 3 years with new cocktail program

Photo by Luke Chang Jia Media

To celebrate its third anniversary, Jun has introduced a cocktail program to its menu with a newly-acquired liquor license.

Heights restaurant Jūn has an additional reason to celebrate its third anniversary this year: liquor is officially on the menu.

The Heights restaurant, led by owners Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lu, has built a loyal following and earned major recognition since its 2023 opening, including a 2026 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards nomination for Restaurant of the Year and two James Beard Award semifinalist nods.

But one complaint has remained consistent throughout the years.

“People will give us one star because we don't have the whiskey they want or we don't have a martini,” Lu tells CultureMap. “They're like, ‘Food is great. Service is amazing. We'll never come back here.’”

That’s about to change.

With a newly acquired liquor license, patrons can pair dishes like mussels with sour chorizo or tandoori-marinated lamb belly with drinks like the Pink Lady — a reimagining of the Texas classic White Lady made with beet-infused gin, citrus, and egg white.

Several drinks are closely tied to Lu and Garcia’s own stories, including the Post/Shift, an homage to the spicy margarita that Lu has sipped nightly at 9 pm for the past 15 years. The Jūn iteration adds ginger and tamarind, with mezcal as the spirit.

“We want to bring in things that are special to us, like the artwork in (Jūn), the food, the pottery — it all means something,” Lu says.

Other creations include the Good Old Fashion Fun, Very Dirty Martini, and The Bronx, a play on The Manhattan.

Before opening in 2023, Lu and Garcia looked into obtaining a liquor license but learned that installing a fire sprinkler system would be required due to an undefined occupancy limit. The pair planned to move forward with the installation, until they learned the wait time was at least a year.

“We're a legitimate mom and pop restaurant — I cannot delay this project for a year. We wouldn’t have opened,” Lu recalls saying.

After chatting with an industry colleague who had recently secured a license, Lu decided to revisit the process. With construction complete and an established occupancy limit, the restrictions had changed and a liquor license was easy to obtain. Jūn was in business.

When Jūn opened, Garcia and Lu developed a low-ABV “cocktail” program focused on wine and sake, emphasizing flavor through smoke and infusions of herbs and spices.

“We ran with what we had and we were really proud of it,” Lu says. “It really spoke of the creativity that this whole team strives for.”

That approach to flavor development carries into the expanded program, such as the carajillo, Jūn’s twist on the beloved coffee cocktail. The addition of smoked sake to the tequila-forward drink nods to the restaurant’s earlier beverage program.

“It gives it this well-rounded, beautiful, smoky flavor,” Lu says. “It's very homey. It's very reminiscent of a warm summer day.”

To mark both the restaurant’s third anniversary and the addition of liquor, Lu and Garcia are inviting the community to a celebration on Tuesday, March 31.

Attendees will find food by chefs Suu Khin of Burmalicious, Nina Fonte of Aleng Nina, and Ivan Chavez of Chavos BBQ, all regular pop-up participants at Third Place, Jūn’s daytime cafe and coffee concept.

A live sketch artist will capture portraits of guests for a group composite illustration that will hang on the restaurant’s wall. A photo booth, mariachi band, and live DJ are a part of the festivities, with drag bingo occurring later in the evening. The event begins at 6 pm. Tables are first come, first served, and RSVPs are required through OpenTable.

Jūn is open Wednesday through Monday from 5 pm to 10 pm at 420 East 20th Street, Suite A. Cocktails are not being served at Third Place.

To celebrate its third anniversary, Jun has introduced a cocktail program to its menu with a newly-acquired liquor license.

Photo by Luke Chang Jia Media

To celebrate its third anniversary, Jun has introduced a cocktail program to its menu with a newly-acquired liquor license.

news-you-can-eat the-heights cocktails

Best Seafood Restaurants

Towers of delight: Houston restaurants serve up spectacular mountains of seafood, artfully displayed

The seafood tower at Julep comes with a bottle of sherry.

Let's Get Boozy

Houston restaurant celebrates 3 years with new cocktail program

To celebrate its third anniversary, Jun has introduced a cocktail program to its menu with a newly-acquired liquor license.

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