houston's culinary stars

10 unique Houston eateries land on inaugural OpenTable Icons list

The Marigold Club was one of 10 local restaurants that appeared in OpenTable's inaugural Houston Icons list.

Photo by Arturo Olmos

There's no denying Houston is full of high quality restaurants and talented chefs, and now 10 local restaurants are earning new recognition in OpenTable's inaugural Houston Icons list.

The OpenTable Icons lists, which first launched in July 2024, highlight local eateries in 25 cities across the U.S. and Canada, from award-winners to trendy hotspots and all types of cuisine. Chosen restaurants must have recently earned Michelin stars, James Beard Awards or nominations, positive reviews from diners and critics, and more.

The Houston list is a combination of fine dining establishments and international culinary experiences. In a fitting representation of Houston's diverse dining scene, no single cuisine dominated the list. However, six out of 10 restaurants were located in Houston's Montrose, Washington, and Upper Kirby neighborhoods.

The list also includes acclaimed cocktail bar Julep, which won a James Beard Award in 2022 and was also named one of the 50 best bars in America that same year. OpenTable's editors praised owner Alba Huerta for her use of "unusual ingredients" to create her innovative cocktails.

"Sip [Julep's cocktails] in an airy, floral-strewn parlor that also serves up an elegant menu of seasonal small plates like Gulf Coast oysters and tomato 'caviar' with watermelon," the editors wrote.

Here is the full list of Houston Icons:

Uchi Houston, an Austin-based sushi restaurant in Montrose
The Marigold Club, a French restaurant in Montrose
Turner's Cut, an opulent steakhouse in Montrose
Kiran's, an Indian restaurant in Upper Kirby
Jūn, an eclectic restaurant in the Heights
Julep, a cocktail bar on Washington Avenue
Hamsa, a Middle Eastern restaurant in Rice Village
Lucille's, a Southern restaurant in the Museum District
March, a Mediterranean restaurant in Montrose
Street to Kitchen, a Thai restaurant in Second Ward

Interestingly, OpenTable leaned toward trendy new restaurants for its inaugural Houston list. Ben Berg's latest venture, Turner's Cut, and Goodnight Hospitality's French-inspired restaurantThe Marigold Club have only been operating since summer 2024. Notably absent are classic Houston restaurants such as Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, The Original Ninfa's on Navigation, or The Annie Cafe — all of which are also OpenTable clients.

Houston restaurant enthusiasts will recognize James Beard Award-winning restaurant Street to Kitchen, which also won Restaurant of the Year in CultureMap's 2022 Tastemaker Awards. Owners Benchawan "G" Painter and her husband Graham have been serving up traditional Thai dishes made with locally sourced ingredients since 2020.

"Expect updated takes on classics, like pad Thai with Gulf shrimp, along with showstopping natural wines and cocktails curated by G’s husband and sommelier, Graham Painter," OpenTable's editors wrote.

Pioneering establishments like Jūn, which opened in February 2023, also rightfully made the list. Jūn's Latin- and Asian-inspired fare and its dynamic chef duo have earned national attention from the James Beard Foundation.

"Top Chef alum Evelyn Garcia and co-owner Henry Lu’s international roots and innovative cuisine are on full display at this James Beard Award-nominated hotspot," the editors wrote. "In a cozy warehouse-like space outfitted with tropical plants, the pair serve shareable Latin- and Asian-influenced dishes like fried chicken with shrimp paste and Thai chile or beef tartare with a sesame buñuelo, plus excellent sake-based cocktails."

More information about OpenTable's Houston Icons list can be found on OpenTable. Texas travelers can also find OpenTable icons in San Antonio, Dallas, and Austin.

restaurants cocktail bars awards houston news-you-can-eat

the more things change

Houston's essential Jewish diner looks better than ever after refresh

Photo by Sergio Trevino

The dining room has more light than ever.

It’s tricky to renovate a restaurant that’s as essential to its community as New York Deli. A staple of Houston’s Jewish community for almost 50 years, the tiny restaurant near Meyerland will serve as many as 400 people during a busy Sunday brunch.

Still, the time had come, as the tape on the deteriorating banquettes and peeling wallpaper illustrated. With the restaurant’s lease up for renewal, co-owner Michael Saghian saw an opportunity for some updates.

“I couldn’t be the new guy who ruined the place by moving it,” he tells CultureMap. “We worked out a deal with the landlord [to stay] and did a big refresh.”

The most noticeable change is the removal of the restaurant’s front door and vestibule. Instead, diners enter through the restaurant’s companion bagel shop. Separate entrances made sense when the bagel shop was certified kosher by local religious authorities, but now that designation only applies to the Bellaire location that opened in 2020. Not only is the new setup easier for people with mobility issues to navigate, it allows more light into the dining room, brightening the place considerably..

Saghian and co-owner Riana Sherman worked with interior designer Erin Hicks on the refresh. Tables, chairs, and banquettes are all new, but the color scheme remains the same. The process yielded 10 more seats, and the furniture is a little more durable, too.

“People have flipped chairs because they’re so lightweight,” Sherman says. “We got a sturdier chair.”

Behind the scenes, an expanded kitchen allows for the restaurant’s cooks to work faster and more efficiently. An additional egg cooker should cut down the amount of time people wait for their food to arrive.

“The kitchen had one of everything. Now we have two of everything. We can pump out a lot more food,” Saghian says.

Photographs on the walls honor longtime customers such as the “bagel girls,” a group of woman who’ve eaten breakfast at the restaurant since the ‘80s. A piece of old wallpaper has been framed and hung on the wall, too, as a nod to the space’s history.

New York Deli interior changes Photographs on the walls honor longtime customers.Photo by Sergio Trevino

Photo by Sergio Trevino

The dining room has more light than ever.

Saghian says he suffered from sleepless nights as he worried about people’s reactions to the changes, but so far his customers have been effusive.

“It still feels like an old school diner,” Saghian says. “It has pieces you remember. Even the new stuff is old school.”

While the physical environment is new, the staff remains the same. To ensure he kept the same team of cooks and servers, Saghian paid their wages for the two weeks the restaurant was closed for renovations.

Even more importantly, the prices are the same. That’s something that will make even the oldest regulars happy.

news-you-can-eat openings