Got a Dirty 30, Twenty-Fun, or Twenty-Nine and Feeling Fine birthday party to plan? Look no further than Pour Behaviorin Midtown, where every Saturday they're turning up the nostalgia with a live DJ spinning your favorite new and old-school dance and hip-hop hits during Ladies Brunch Out.
Indulge in a brunch experience like no other, where delectable bites, wonderful company, and an electrifying party atmosphere combine to make special celebrations — or even just an ordinary weekend — a time to remember.
Picture this: custom party presentations, sparklers, and confetti cannons, plus a free mimosa tower for every ladies birthday party of six guests or more (or you can redeem a $100 birthday discount instead).
And your cravings are covered with a scratch-made brunch menu served from 11 am-4 pm. From mouthwatering classics to Instagram-worthy creations, there's something for every appetite.
Start things off with a jumbo cinnamon roll, baked fresh each morning and dripping with scratch-made icing. Keep feeding that sweet tooth with The Best Damn Pancakes, topped with plump blueberries and bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup and served with a side of crisp bacon.
Build-your-own omelettes utilize cage-free eggs and premium ingredients like Grafton Cheddar, caramelized shallots, and cremini mushrooms, and they're all served with a heaping helping of potatoes. The PB Slam is a hearty traditional plate of two eggs cooked your way, bacon, sausage, potatoes, and sourdough toast.
If you're seeking something on the healthier side, try the avocado toast with Spanish chorizo and queso fresco.
Ready to really indulge? Then it's time for Nashville hot chicken biscuits or breakfast tacos, a pair of house-made tortillas bursting with eggs, potatoes, Cheddar, roasted tomato salsa, and avocado tomatillo salsa. It is the weekend, after all.
And good news for vegans: Pour Behavior has two vegan pizzas on the menu, available all day, every day.
If you want a little more privacy for your party, book the glass-enclosed private dining room. There are also two large, greenery-covered and open patio areas for your group to enjoy.
Photo courtesy of Pour Behavior
Birthday brunches are a big deal here.
The bar boasts 30 beer taps, craft cocktails, and a seriously good wine selection, while two huge 250-inch HD LED video walls line the restaurant.
Go to Feges for barbecue, but don't miss that burger.
We have a strict definition for the Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year category in the 2025 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards. To be eligible, a restaurant must serve both lunch and dinner and be open at least six days per week.
The reason is that accessibility is an essential component of being a neighborhood restaurant. These are the places we turn to when we’re too tired to cook dinner — or when something went horribly wrong while preparing it. They’re there for us when a break in the day’s schedule allows for a quick lunch.
Naturally, we seek comfort in these moments, so it’s no surprise to see barbecue, pizza, and pasta represented more than once among this year’s nominees. We also like a well-made bite of sushi or expertly grilled goat chops. Whatever dish people choose to eat at this year’s nominees, it’s always going to be delicious, which is why our judges’ panel of Houston restaurant experts has included it.
Which restaurant will win? Find out at our Tastemaker Awards ceremony April 3 at Silver Street Studios. Dine on bites from this year’s nominees, sip cocktails from our sponsors, and witness as we reveal the winners. Buy your tickets now before they sell out.
Aga's Restaurant & Catering As the hundreds of people who pack its dining room nightly can testify — not to mention the hundreds more whose to-go orders flow constantly on a conveyor belt — this South Asian staple has become one of Houston’s go-to destinations for Pakistani cuisine. While no visit is complete without an order of the signature goat chops, devoted fans also know not to miss curries such as Peshawari karahi and the white karahi. While Aga’s once flew under the media radar, it’s drawing more attention, including a prominent feature on Chris Shepherd’s Eat Like a Local TV show and a shout out in the New York Times.
Feges BBQ Credit owners Patrick Feges and Erin Smith for being ahead of the curve of inner loop restaurateurs flocking to Spring Branch and Memorial. Their family-friendly menu of Texas barbecue and comfort food — everything from smoked brisket and Carolina-style whole hog to a top notch smash burger and the essential chicken wings — keeps diners coming back again and again. The husband-and-wife duo also use their platform to support a number of worthy causes, including the Southern Smoke Foundation and I’ll Have What She’s Having, Houston’s nonprofit that’s focused on healthcare for hospitality workers.
Gold Tooth Tony's Created by Houston pizza wizard Anthony Calleo, Gold Tooth Tony’s puts a Houston spin on Detroit-style pizza. The deep dish, rectangular pies achieve an ideal balance — sturdy enough to support hefty toppings without being so dense as to be chewy. As GTT grows, first to its sister concept Rudyard’s and more recently to a second location in Bellaire, the restaurant has also developed a round pizza with a thinner crust that allows it to serve pizza lovers of all preferences.
Handies Douzo While a no-holds-barred, wallet-busting omakase is a treat, sometimes people crave sushi without spending the price of a car payment on their dinner. Handies Douzo is there to satisfy those cravings with its tidy menu of hand rolls, crudos, and sashimi. The precise technique and high quality fish reflect the training that its founders, chefs Daniel Lee and Patrick Pham, learned during their stints at Uchi, while the come-as-you-are atmosphere and counter seating setup make it approachable for a quick lunch or a casual dinner.
Josephine's Gulf Coast Tradition At this Midtown restaurant, 2024 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards Rising Star Chef of the Year winner Lucas McKinney draws upon his personal history and time spent working for Chris Shepherd to serve a menu that’s inspired by the entire Gulf Coast. That means Cajun staples like boiled crawfish and shrimp po’ boys demonstrate just as much attention to detail as fusion style dishes like jambalaya arancini and the signature blue crab rice bowl. Save room for dessert to discover the reasons that pastry chef Emily Rivas is also nominated for Pastry Chef of the Year.
Kata Robata Now that Katami has firmly established itself as one of Houston’s best restaurants, the time has come to appreciate all the ways that its sister restaurant serves such a wide range of occasions. Whether it’s a casual lunch of ramen and California rolls or an all-out omakase with fish flown in fresh from Japan, Kata Robata is there. The recent introduction of to-go boxes loaded with premium nigiri and sashimi allows diners to have some of the Kata experience at home.
Nonno's Family Pizza Tavern Who else but Nobie’s owners Sara and Martin Stayer could have known that the pizzeria Houstonians had been craving was a retro-styled restaurant serving Chicago-style tavern pies? With the addition of lunch service, diners can now get the restaurant’s epic mozzarella sticks and crispy wings throughout the day. While the classic arcade games are a hit with kids, adults look to the restaurant for well-crafted cocktails and an eclectic wine list.
Ostia The Montrose restaurant has recently freshened things up with some small changes to its dining room and, more importantly, improvements in the kitchen that will allow it to serve pizzas at lunch and dinner every day. That’s great news, considering the wood-fired, Neapolitan-style pies are among Houston’s best, and they complement staples such as the roast chicken with salsa verde. The restaurant has also improved its hospitality with snacks and a sip of rosé to begin the meal, a nod to the way chef-owner Travis McShane greets visitors to his home.
Pondicheri Houstonians have come to count on chef-owner Anita Jaisinghani’s modern Indian restaurant to sustain them at all hours of the day, but the restaurant has added a new offering in the form of its first-ever happy hour. Introduced last year, happy hour showcases the restaurant’s renovated bar that opened in December. Weekly specials, including the iconic Meatless Monday and fried chicken Tuesday, keep diners coming back for more.
The Pit Room With the opening of its second location near Memorial City Mall, this barbecue joint has firmly established its place as one of Houston’s foremost smoked meat purveyors. Bigger and better than the original location (sorry inner loopers), the expanded space paved the way for a number of beneficial additions, including dinner entrees, housemade ice cream sandwiches, and cocktails — created by Tastemaker Awards Bartender of the Year winner Sarah Crowl. While those improvements are welcome, it’s the signature tacos — wrapped in flour tortillas made with rendered brisket fat — that helped the restaurant earn its Michelin Bib Gourmand award
Truth BBQ Widely considered Houston’s best barbecue joint, Truth is flying higher than ever. Not only did it earn a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide, but the restaurant’s smoked brisket, ribs, and housemade sausages are now available at NRG Stadium for both Texans games and the entire run of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. If that weren’t enough, pitmaster-owner Leonard Botello IV has been busy creating new dishes to make Truth even more appealing at dinner with new dishes such as confit lamb and a pork chop that’s cold smoked then lightly fried. Those dishes may not fit on a traditional three-meat plate, but that’s exactly the point, isn’t it?
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The Tastemaker Awards program is brought to you by Stella Artois, Topo Chico Sparkling Mineral Water, PicMe Events and more to be announced. A portion of proceeds will benefit our nonprofit partner, the Southern Smoke Foundation.
Photo by Ally Hardgrave
Go to Feges for barbecue, but don't miss that burger.
