where to eat on Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving procrastinators: Reservations remain at these Houston restaurants

Houstonians who still don’t have plans for where they’re eating on Thanksgiving, which will be observed this Thursday, November 27, need not worry. With more and more Houston restaurants open for the holiday, procrastinators still have plenty of choices available.

This roundup includes some fine dining options with prix fixe menus, a couple of decadent buffets, and a few lower priced, a la carte options, including one that can be picked up from a drive-thru. All of the establishments listed below had reservations available as of Monday, November 24, but that will change as Thanksgiving approaches.

Courtesy of Culinary Khancepts

Dine on a three-course meal at Leo's River Oaks.

Note that this guide focuses on restaurants serving a version of traditional Thanksgiving fare. Dozens of restaurants in Chinatown and other Asian-focused districts will also be open — and busy — on Thursday.

Amrina
Put a masala-spiced spin on Thanksgiving with this restaurant’s five-course, $95 menu. Choices include pumpkin-spiced pani puri, Mulligatawny velouté with turkey kofta, and turkey kebab. Entree choices — including roasted turkey breast, filet mignon, and tiger prawns — are matched with family-style sides such as mashed potatoes, cranberry chutney, and spinach and corn casserole. Pumpkin mascarpone cheese mousse leads the three dessert options.

Bar Bludorn
The Memorial tavern is serving a three-course, $75 menu that begins with starter choices such as oysters, steak tartare, endive salad, and squash soup. Entree selections include roast turkey, steak frites, and branzino, all of which can be paired with sides such as pommes puree, cranberries, and stuffing. Finish with one of three dessert selections.

Chardon
Visit this French restaurant in the Thompson Hotel for a three-course, family-style Thanksgiving meal. Priced at $75 per adult and $25 for kids five and above, it includes shareable portions of cornbread, deviled eggs, chestnut and celeriac soup, fennel and apple salad, and smoked duck and cranberry terrine. For the entree course, diners will share herb-roasted turkey, turkey leg cassoulet, and beef cheek bourguignon paired with traditional sides. For dessert, the restaurant will serve apple tart, maple profiteroles, and chocolate and hazelnut cake.

Cleburne Cafeteria
For those looking for a more affordable option, this Houston favorite will be open for both dine-in and to-go from from 11 am-8 pm with a full range of starters, sides, entrees, and desserts. Keep in mind that lines may be long.

Fielding’s River Oaks
The European-inspired restaurant will supplement its usual menu with Thanksgiving add-ons such as grilled turkey breast with garlic confit and sage gravy, orange cranberry chutney, brown butter sweet potato mash, and green bean casserole ($49), as well as Peking duck breast ($46), pumpkin spice parker house rolls ($18), and apple cinnamon crisp ($17).

Himalaya
On Thanksgiving, chef-owner Kaiser Lashkari adds masala-spiced turkey and dressing to his extensive menu of Indo-Pak fare. Remember, the restaurant is BYOB, so plan accordingly.

Juliet Steakhouse & Fine Dining
The Galleria-area restaurant will serve a Thanksgiving buffet from 12-9 pm. Priced at $59.95 for adults and $29.95 for kids, it includes a carving station with turkey, salmon, and filet mignon as well as sides such as mashed potatoes, green casserole, mac & cheese, and more. Additional items include lobster bisque, Caesar salad, and desserts.

King Ranch Texas Kitchen
The Galleria-area restaurant’s Thanksgiving Day buffet ($59 per adult, $25 per child), includes a carving station with turkey, ham, prime rib, and brisket, as well as spinach dip, Caesar salad, deviled eggs, King Ranch chicken empanadas, shrimp cocktail, and an extensive selection of sides and desserts.

King Steak
The recently-opened Galleria-area restaurant will serve a four-course, $70 Thanksgiving menu. The family-style meal includes shared appetizers including vegetable “charcuterie,” deviled eggs, and cornbread. Entree options include turkey, ham, and tenderloin ($10 supplement) paired with sides that include mashed potatoes, dressing, green bean casserole, candied yams, roasted carrots, Brussels sprouts, and cranberry sauce. Finish with pumpkin pie and pecan pie.

Kitchen Rumors
The eclectic, Indian-inspired eatery is serving a four-course, $65 menu. Begin with dishes such as lobster dumplings, crispy kale and wasabi peas, and blue cheese chicken kebab. Entree choices include turkey breast, filet mignon, shrimp and pumpkin stir fry, and two vegetarian options, all of which are paired with family-style sides such as mashed potatoes, cranberry chutney, garbanzo beans, and garlic naan. The meal concludes with either pumpkin halwa pie or chocolate cremeux.

Leo’s River Oaks
Winner of the Best New Restaurant in the 2025 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, the restaurant will serve a three-course menu that begins with lobster bisque or kale salad. Choose turkey ($75) or chateaubriand ($85) for an entree, both of which are paired with family-style sides that include pomme puree, brown butter green beans, butternut squash stuffing, cranberry sauce, and a parker house roll. Dessert is pumpkin pie.

Navy Blue
The Rice Village seafood restaurant is offering a three-course, $85 menu (children 10 and under, two courses for $55). Starter choices include shrimp cocktail, Caesar salad, seafood gumbo, or crab cake. For an entree, select turkey roulade with sweet potato and stuffing, hanger steak with bone marrow herb butter, branzino, seared scallops, or tagliatelle with mushrooms, plus optional sides. The meal ends with one of four desserts.

Pappas Bar-B-Q
Get a Thanksgiving plate with turkey, ham, and sides for $21.95. Served from 9 am-6 pm, it’s the only meal on this list that can be picked up at a drive-thru. The restaurant will also be serving its full menu, which means people can pick up brisket, ribs, or pecan pie to supplement their Thanksgiving table.

Perseid
This French-inspired restaurant at the Hotel Saint Augustine will serve a three-course, $85 menu. Starter choices includes chicory salad, sunchoke soup, duck terrine, and hiramasa crudo. Go traditional with turkey roulade or mix things up with mushroom risotto, hanger steak, or salmon. Dessert choices include pumpkin pie and maple cake.

Saltgrass Steak House
The family-friendly restaurant will serve a Thanksgiving plate that includes roast turkey breast, dressing, gravy, garlic mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and choice of salad or soup for $23.99.

Willie G’s
This seafood restaurant next to the Post Oak Hotel will serve an expansive Thanksgiving buffet that’s priced at $69 for adults and $29 for children. Expect a full spread of traditional Thanksgiving fare such as turkey, honey-roasted ham, stuffing, candied yams, and green bean casserole. In addition, diners will have access to a raw bar with oysters, smoked salmon, peel & eat shrimp, deviled egg, and spicy tuna rolls. Breads, pastries, and a couple of kid-specific dishes round out the offerings.

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Roll With It

9 Houston restaurants luring diners with fluffy, buttery dinner rolls

Photo by Bear Media Co

At the Green Room, diners can opt for a side of caviar to elevate the dinner rolls.

Dinner rolls are having a moment in Houston.

Perhaps it's because comfort food is necessary when life can feel so chaotic, or that ordering a basket of rolls for the table is more financially approachable than, say, a seafood tower — whatever the reason, rolls are back on the menu at some of the city's most exciting restaurants.

At Latuli, the Memorial restaurant by chef Bryan Caswell and Allison Knight, the bread service consists of house yeast rolls with jalapeño and roasted poblano jelly, alongside a gruyère corn bread with whipped sorghum butter.

“It’s our No. 1 seller every day, which is surprising given all the gluten-free diets and GLP-1 trends right now—it’s almost like its power is trend-immune,” Caswell tells CultureMap.

The same is true at Fielding’s Steak, where the restaurant’s in-house bakery delivers brioche dinner rolls served with cultured butter, honey, and sea salt from Galveston.

“Guests have always loved fresh-baked bread, even during the time when it was frowned upon,” CEO Cary Attar says.

Dustin Teague, executive chef and co-owner of Relish Restaurant & Bar, recalls when free bread service was a constant on tables around town throughout the majority of his industry experience.

“That was back in the good old days when rent, insurance, labor, and cost of goods were at reasonable numbers,” Teague says. “Now we don’t have any room for anything free but we still want to have it available for guests.”

The Parker House rolls at Relish are accompanied by compound butters, with the current creation featuring a garlic confit, fresh herbs, and red pepper flakes.

“Serving bread signifies welcoming guests into a home or establishment, hence the term ‘breaking bread.’ So it’s a must for any upscale dining experience,” Teague says.

The cowboy butter rolls at western-themed restaurant Long Weekend are a no-brainer pairing on a menu with hearty fare like hickory-smoked quail and a 24-ounce porterhouse. It’s also an easy order for the family-focused restaurant that is likely to have tiny, pickier eaters as patrons.

"We took a Texas staple and elevated it with duck fat, our house sourdough starter, and locally sourced Kelley’s Honey,” executive chef German Mosquera says.

At Star Rover, every entree is served with a basket of milk rolls, along with salad, fries, and onion rings. Diners who want to participate in the “I Ate the 76'er” challenge have to consume a 76-ounce steak and the sides — yes, including rolls — in under an hour.

“They are your fairly standard buttermilk yeast rolls,” executive chef Bobby Matos says. “We serve them because they’re delicious and a bit of a nod to Texas Roadhouse and that kind of vibe.”

Speaking of Texas Roadhouse, the chain restaurant's complimentary rolls helped propel its rise to America's highest-grossing casual dining restaurant. The fluffy buns are baked every five minutes, enticing diners with shiny butter-basted tops and cinnamon butter that's made in house.

The dinner rolls at surf-and-turf destination Truluck’s emerge from the kitchen as pull-aparts — brushed with butter and finished with a hefty dusting of parmesan.

The dinner rolls at The Green Room undergo an overnight bulk fermentation process. The next day, the dough is rolled and portioned by hand before resting and proofing at room temperature for four hours, then slid into the oven.

The newly opened 26-seat restaurant adds daily butters to the experience, with both a sorghum-and-sea salt butter, and a charred scallion butter currently in rotation. To make the dish even more luxurious, diners can add a caviar supplement to the bread service.

Chef and owner Shawn Gawle offers another elevated version of the dinner roll at Camaraderie. Here, the 2026 James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef: Texas has put his pastry expertise on display with pain au lait, which involves laminating together a regular Japanese milk bread with a purple sweet potato variation into a delicate, colorful roll.

“We wanted something where we could show value, substance and technique, but it also completes the meal,” Gawle says. “To share a meal with warm bread and butter is a universal, comforting experience.”

Photo by Bear Media Co

At the Green Room, diners can opt for a side of caviar to elevate the dinner rolls.

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