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Houston's 11 best neighborhood restaurants cater to daily cravings with diverse dishes

The Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year category in the 2024 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards recognizes restaurants that are almost always there for their customers — meaning that they serve both lunch and dinner and are open at least six days a week.

This year’s nominees cover a diverse range of cuisines that span the globe. From two of Houston’s top barbecue joints, to a burger staple and a couple of Montrose favorites, our nominees satisfy a wide range of tastes.

They’re united by their casual atmospheres, relative affordability, and flexible menus that serve many cravings, including vegan and vegetarian. They’re also friendly and welcoming, which is why they’re staples of their respective neighborhoods.

Who will win? Find out March 27 at our Tastemaker Awards ceremony. Dine on bites from this year’s nominees, sip cocktails from our sponsors, and witness as we reveal the winners. Buy your tickets before they sell out.

Aga's Restaurant & Catering
Houston’s South Asian community has embraced this Pakistani restaurant in Southwest Houston as a go-to for both family celebrations and regular dining. On any given night, hundreds of people pack the dining room — and hundreds more order to-go. The goat chops are must-order, but fans also know to indulge in curries such as the Peshawari karahi and the white karahi.

Burger Bodega
Abbas Dhanani traveled to New York and Los Angeles to research the perfect smash burger. He brought those lessons back to Houston and wrapped it in a colorful, whimsical design that recreates a classic NYC bodega. What sets Burger Bodega apart is the details — those thin, crispy patties, tangy sauce, thick but not too thick milkshakes — that show the care it puts into its food. Frequent collaborations with other Houston restaurants keep Burger Bodega in touch with its pop-up roots.

Cuchara
For more than 10 years, Ana Beaven and her team of female cooks have given Montrose a taste of Mexico City. From the range of corn-based dishes — everything from pork belly gorditas to a huiitlacoche tamal — to menu staples like ceviche and mole verde, diners count on Cuchara for flavorful, well-executed fare. A potent lineup of agave-based cocktails offers plenty of pairing options, and the lively patio fills up in nice weather. If someone really wanted to embrace the Cuchara lifestyle, she could have breakfast at sister concept Cucharita then wander over to the main restaurant for a leisurely lunch with a couple of margaritas, which sounds like a pretty good day to us.

Feges BBQ
Part of what makes this Spring Branch restaurant so appealing is the diversity of its menu. Sure, Texas Monthly ranked it as one of the state’s 50 best barbecue joints, but vegetarians could make a meal out of the restaurant’s creative sides or extensive roster of salads. Worthy takes on a smash burger and fried chicken sandwich add to the menu’s appeal, as does the well-chosen selection of wine and beer.

Gatlin's Fins & Feathers
Comfort food had always been part of the offerings at Gatlin’s BBQ, so it’s no surprise that proprietor Greg Gatlin created a dedicated restaurant to serve them. Fried chicken, fried shrimp, and fried catfish are the stars, but chef de cuisine Darius King keeps things lively with specials that could include everything from roasted oysters to seared redfish over risotto. The welcoming atmosphere, friendly service, and affordable prices make it a welcome options for residents of nearby neighborhoods such as Independence Heights and Garden Oaks.

Handies Douzo
This hand roll and crudo concept from Duckstache Hospitality — the team behind Tastemaker Awards 2023 Best New Restaurant winner Aiko — provides an affordable, efficient sushi experience. Maximize the value by opting for pre-fixe-style hand roll sets of three, four, or five rolls or splurge on one packed with Hokkaido uni. Either way, the crispy nori gives the rolls a satisfying crunch. A tidy menu of beer, wine, and sake pairs well with the selections.

Hando
At both its original location in the Heights and its recently opened second location in Spring Branch, this restaurant provides a more expansive hand roll experience. Not only does the menu include a lengthy list of both seafood and vegetarian hand rolls, it also offers hot and cold shareable plates such as Brussels sprouts, wagyu gyoza, and izakaya-style skewers. The full liquor license includes a selection of creative, Asian-inspired cocktails that complement the dishes. To-go only maki rolls and a steady stream of weekly specials further enhance the restaurant’s utility.

Kenny & Ziggy's
CultureMap columnist Ken Hoffman is fond of saying that if he could eat at one restaurant forever it would be this Jewish deli in the Galleria area. After all, it’s open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and has a menu with hundreds of items that could satisfy almost any craving. Deli classics like corned beef sandwiches and potato knishes are first rate, but so are the burgers, salads, and entrees. Moving to a new location in 2022 brought an expanded selection of desserts, an retro-style soda fountain, and a full cocktail program — because latkes taste better paired with a martini.

Ostia
This Italian restaurant in Montrose serves its customers’ needs well. Whether stopping by for a pizza at lunch or a multi-course, special occasion dinner, Ostia is ready to serve. Chef Travis McShane’s menu includes a selection of housemade pastas, a rotating array of seasonal small plates, and reference-quality takes on the Caesar salad and roast chicken. Different dining rooms — whether the main room with its open kitchen, the sunny greenhouse, or outdoor patio — allows diners to further customize their experience.

Paulie's
For 25 years, this counter service Italian restaurant has served Montrose well. Paulie’s affordable menu of salads, sandwiches, pastas, and entrees provides plenty of compelling choices, from one of Houston’s better takes on pasta bolognese to the iconic shrimp BLT. A smart, well-chosen wine list — no surprise coming from the owner of Camerata — and those signature iced shortbread cookies further enhance the experience.

Truth BBQ
Everyone knows Leonard Bottelo IV’s Washington Avenue restaurant serves some of the state’s best barbecue, but not everyone wants to stand in line for an hour or more for lunch. For the last year or so, the restaurant has been quietly serving dinner — complete with an enhanced menu that includes both a first-rate burger and an extensive cocktail menu. Thankfully, the signature smoked meats and sky-high layer cakes taste just as good after sunset as they do in the afternoon.

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The 2024 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards event runs 6-10 pm Wednesday, March 27 at Silver Street Studios (2000 Edwards St.).

Paulie's Restaurant Facebook

Paulie's has served Montrose for 25 years.

The Tastemaker Awards ceremony is brought to you by Stella Artois, Rías Baixas Albariño, Topo Chico Sparkling Mineral Water, 8th Wonder Cannabis, and more to be announced. A portion of proceeds will benefit our nonprofit partner, the Southern Smoke Foundation.

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eat real food

Houston DJ-turned-TikTok star cooks up a cult following one recipe at a time

Courtesy of Uncle Dibbz

Uncle Dibbz, a.k.a. A.H. Bowden, has built a devoted following for his viral recipes.

For the past month, Uncle Dibbz has been, shall we say, going ham on social media with the myriad videos of alternative Thanksgiving dishes. He’s dropped how-to clips for such recipes as Cajun-roasted turkey, honey-baked ham/hens, oven-bag turkey, and six-piece fried turkey (to go). Basically, if you don’t want to cook a bland ol’ Butterball this Turkey Day, Dibbz has you covered.

Who is Dibbz, you say? Well, he’s a North Jersey-born, Georgia-bred, Houston-based chef who’s been building quite the foodie rep online. Several videos across his TikTok, Instagram and YouTube pages, from his Cajun-boiled fried chicken (2 million on IG) to his “Propose to Me Pasta” (12.3 million on TikTok), has amassed millions of views. But Dibbz (government name: A.H. Bowden) wasn’t always a culinary content creator. He used to spin music back in Atlanta as DJ DiBiase, named after retired wrestler Ted “The Million Dollar Man” DiBiase. “DiBiase is a mouthful to say, so people just always call me ‘D’ or ‘Dibbz’ for short,” says Bowden, 37, during a Zoom interview.

@uncledibbz PROPOSE To Me PASTA 💍 🍝 Trust your Uncle! This SEAFOOD Pasta will seal the deal 👌🏽 Get my recipe below ⬇️ or on uncledibbz.com [@uncledibbz Link in Bio] 🌐 **Ingredients:** - 8 ounces spaghetti - 1 lb mixed seafood (shrimp, scallops, crab meat, etc.) - 2 tablespoons olive oil - Fresh chopped basil - 2 cloves garlic, minced - 1/2 cup white wine - 1/4 cup heavy cream - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter - Salt and pepper to taste - Uncle Dibbz Delta Dust [link in bio] - Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish) - Grated Parmesan cheese (for garnish) **Instructions:** 1. Cook the spaghetti pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside. 2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic, chopped basil and sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant. 3. Add the mixed seafood to the skillet. Season with Uncle Dibbz Delta Dust to taste and cook for 2-3 minutes until cooked through. Remove the seafood from the skillet and set aside. 4. Pour in the white wine to the skillet and let it simmer for 2 minutes, allowing the alcohol to cook off. 5. Stir in the heavy cream, butter, Uncle Dibbz Delta Dust seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. 6. Add the cooked spaghetti and cooked mixed seafood to the skillet. Toss everything together until well coated with the sauce. 7. Remove from heat and garnish with fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese. 8. Serve hot and enjoy the flavorful Seafood Spaghetti. That's good Shawty! #UncleDibbz #ThatsGoodShawty #Pasta #marryme #proposal #bride #wife #husband #relationshipgoals #datenight #easyrecipe #seafood #cajun #cooking #fyp #foryou #viral #houston ♬ original sound - Uncle Dibbz 🍴

He was making a nice living as a DJ, even serving as rapper Big K.R.I.T.’s touring DJ for a while. But when the pandemic hit, the gigs obviously dried up.

“I was living in Miami at the time,” he says. “And, you know, when you have a lot of time on your hands to think – but also need to figure out a way to, you know, sustain an income and everything like that – the ideas start coming,”

Like most DJs at that time, he was doing live mixes on Instagram. But his days throwing cookout parties in Atlanta inspired him to start doing his cooking videos, where he used his very own seasoning. Of course, he had a lemon pepper blend, which he used in a lemon pepper hot wings video that currently has over a half-million views on TikTok.

“I'm about to go live to DJ later that night, and my phone was just going off with orders,” he recalls. “So I'm like, where are these orders coming from? And it's not from my friends. I'm seeing the cities and the states. I don't know these people.”

Thanks to his videos, which usually end with him saying his signature line “That’s good shawty!” (that’s also the name of his cookbook he released last year), Dibbz went into the seasoning business full time. He eventually hired another person to help send out the piles of orders he was receiving.

He even got an order from former Dallas Cowboy Emmitt Smith, one of his favorite athletes. “I remember doing a book report on him when I was in fourth grade,” he boasts.

Although Dibbz has a flair for making meals that border on decadent, he’s an ardent practitioner of cooking with natural ingredients, especially in his seasoning. He has several low-sodium seasoning, including Bebe’s Salt Free – named after his mother, who had open-heart surgery a few weeks before the pandemic started.

“I don't think a lot of people understand the amount of toxins and chemicals that go into a lot of these seasonings,” he says. “You're starting to see it in the news now. A lot of the foods with certain dyes are being taken off the shelves and things like that.’

Soon, Dibbz moved himself and his new business to Houston, a favorite place to perform as well as a town whose hip-hop got him into music. He cites local chopped-and-screwed gods DJ Screw, Michael 5000 Watts, and OG Ron C as his holy trinity of influences. To give props to the music of his new home, he created a hot sauce – called HXT Sauce – whose uncharacteristically large bottle resembles Promethazine cough syrup (aka the key ingredient in lean, the preferred purple cocktail for the city’s rap community).

“It's not necessarily about promoting that usage,” he says. “But, at the same time, it’s just a homage to one of the factors and influences of screwed-and-chopped music.”

Dibbz still indulges in spinning records from time to time. The Waxaholics’ DJ Big Reeks has gotten him to break out the vinyl a few times during his Thursday-night sets at Alley Kat Bar & Lounge in Midtown. But creating new recipes, dropping delicious content and proving you can eat and live in a hearty, healthy fashion still remains his full-time mission.

“I’m not just talking about eating cauliflower rice all day and every day, but just eat real food,” he says. “We're eating fake food. That's the bottom line. We're eating fake food and my whole purpose is to inspire people to eat real food and that starts with real ingredients, real herbs, you know – real natural seasonings.”

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