TxMo Best New Restaurants

Houston sushi star's Montrose eatery tops Texas Monthly's best new restaurants list

Texas Monthly editor Patricia Sharpe has published her list of Texas’s Best New Restaurants in 2024. Numbered one to 10, the 23rd edition of the magazine's list is open to establishments that opened between December 1, 2022 and November 30, 2023, and it must be a restaurant's first Texas location.

As it did last year, Houston not only leads the way with three entries in the top 10 but also takes the top spot for the second year in a row. Katami, the upscale Japanese restaurant from the team behind Kata Robata, ranks as the state’s best new restaurant. It’s joined in the top 10 by Gulf Coast seafood restaurant Josephine’s Gulf Coast Tradition (fifth) and Midtown pizzeria ElRo Pizza & Crudo (ninth). Jūn and Little’s Oyster Bar earn honorable mentions.

Sharpe praises nearly every aspect of Katami, calling it “the most exciting restaurant to open in Texas this past year.” In her review, she hails the “polished and coolly contemporary” environment, its “spectacularly fresh” seafood, and traditional Japanese dishes such as chawanmushi and okonomiyaki.

At Josephine’s, she recognizes chef Lucas McKinney’s redfish dip and barbecue shrimp as well as pastry chef Emiy Rivas’s corn flan. ElRo Pizza & Crudo earns her admiration for its sausage and rapini pizza and the chopped tuna crudo on toast.

Dallas is represented by French restaurant Quarter Acre (third) and Italian restaurant Via Triozzi (eighth). Sushi restaurant Naminohana earns an honorable mention.

Le Margot (second), a French restaurant from former Masterchef judge Graham Elliot, and Italian restaurant 61 Osteria (fourth) give Fort Worth two spots in the top five.

Bureau de Poste (sixth), a French restaurant from Top Chef contestant Jo Chan, and Ezov, an Israeli restaurant, represent Austin. Top Chef winner Gabe Erales’s Mexican restaurant Bacalar earns an honorable mention.

Turning to San Antonio, its sole representative in the top 10 is Peruvian restaurant Leche de Tigre Cebichería Peruana (seventh). Japanese restaurant Nineteen Hyaku and Padadar, a Mexican and Cuban restaurant, land honorable mentions.

“The Texas restaurant scene is as delicious as it’s ever been,” Sharpe declares, but the writer has some concerns about the present dining moment. Her complaints include the push towards ever more prominent (and more expensive) cocktail lists and the vibe dining trend, but her introduction ends on an optimistic note.

“But even though drinking while dining is fast becoming the new normal, I’m glad to report that kitchens are as disciplined and chefs as talented and ambitious as ever,” she writes.

The full list in order is as follows:

1. Katami, a Japanese restaurant in Houston
2. Le Margot, a French restaurant in Fort Worth
3. Quarter Acre, a French restaurant in Dallas
4. 61 Osteria, an Italian restaurant in Fort Worth
5. Josephine’s Gulf Coast Tradition, a seafood restaurant in Houston
6. Bureau de Poste, a French restaurant in Austin
7. Leche de Tigre Cebichería Peruana, a Peruvian restaurant in San Antonio
8. Via Triozzi, an Italian restaurant in Dallas
9. ElRo Pizza & Crudo, a pizzeria in Houston
10. Ezov, an Israeli restaurant in Austin

Photo by Casey Giltner

Chef Hori-san leads Katami.

lists news-you-can-eat

Raise the Steaks

12 special Houston steak nights served Monday through Thursday

Photo by Kristen Gilliam

Turner’s "Prime Affairs" night offers steaks ranging from an eight-ounce American Wagyu ($88) to a 22-ounce prime dry-aged bone-in ribeye ($123), served with sides and choice of enhancement.

Houstonians love a deal, especially when it involves a juicy steak. Thankfully, Houston's bars and restaurants devote lots of to creating compelling steak night specials. These are a few that caught our attention, mostly new additions with a few familiar favorites thrown in as a reminder of their consistent excellence.

Monday

EZ's Liquor Lounge
This award-winning, retro-inspired cocktail bar in the Heights serves a 12-ounce strip with a salad and mashed potatoes for $32 every Monday beginning at 6 pm.

Memorial Trail Ice House
After reopening in June, Memorial Trail Ice House added a steak night on Mondays. Dig into a ribeye steak with bacon-smashed mozzarella potatoes and salad for $21. Take advantage of industry night, too, with $5 Espolon, $5 Jäger, $5 Maniball Peanut Butter Tequila, and $8 Good Boy seltzers.

Tuesday

Griff’s
The steak night at this beloved Irish pub has a loyal following. The $24 plate comes with a marinated steak, giant baked potato, a visit to the full potato-fixings bar, and a draft beer.

Toga
This Japanese-inspired pub offers a $29 steak night deal on Tuesdays from 4-10 pm. Diners get an eight-ounce steak with housemade chimichurri sauce, plus sweet potato mash with chili garlic and a house salad topped of frisée, cabbage, and tomato that's topped with creamy ginger dressing and sesame seeds.

Turner’s
For an elevated take on steak night, Turner’s "Prime Affairs" night showcases three cuts on Tuesdays: an eight-ounce American wagyu filet mignon ($88), an 18-ounce prime dry-aged bone-in New York strip ($76), and a 22-ounce prime dry-aged bone-in ribeye ($123). Each comes with a choice of True Madeira, smoked chimichurri, or au poivre, along with potato purée and grilled asparagus. For the whole table, the “After Dark” board serves three to four guests and includes all three steaks for $275.

Wednesday

The Blind Goat
The Spring Branch eatery from MasterChef winner Christine Ha serves a steak frites special on Wednesdays for $27.

Confessions
It’s all-you-can-eat ribeye and fries for $45 on Wednesdays at this hookah bar and restaurant. Diners can also get $5 glasses of wine and $20 bottles.

KP’s Kitchen
Wednesdays bring all-day happy hour and prime rib night to the Spring Branch restaurant. Diners can pair the steak with their first glass of red wine for $1, or take advantage of $7 drinks and $7 appetizers during happy hour.

Yuma
Known for its Brazilian and Cuban sandwiches, Yuma gets in on the steak night trend on Wednesdays. A slab of picanha, also known as top sirloin cap, is coated in a housemade dry rub, smoked slowly, and sliced like prime rib. It’s served with yuca fries, sautéed mustard greens, and chimichurri.

Thursday

Johnny Ritas
It’s “Noche Asado” at Johnny Rita's on Thursdays from 5-9 pm. The $27 plate comes with a 12-ounce carne asada served with salad and elote. Diners can also take advantage of $2 off frozen margaritas and signature cocktails.

Jonathan’s The Rub
Stop by either the Campbell Place ($35) or East End ($30) locations of Jonathan’s The Rub on Thursdays for a 16-ounce New York strip paired with a vegetable and smashed potatoes.

Starduster Lounge
The casual Heights spot's steak night comes with a steak, butter poached potatoes, and rotating veg with cowboy butter for $30. Add a margarita for $5.

Turner’s "Prime Affairs" night offers steaks ranging from an eight-ounce American Wagyu ($88) to a 22-ounce prime dry-aged bone-in ribeye ($123), served with sides and choice of enhancement.

Photo by Kristen Gilliam

Turner’s "Prime Affairs" night offers steaks ranging from an eight-ounce American Wagyu ($88) to a 22-ounce prime dry-aged bone-in ribeye ($123).

news-you-can-eat steak night the-heights