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    Where to eat on Valentine's Day

    More than 20 Houston restaurants serving romantic Valentine's Day meals

    Holly Beretto
    Jan 31, 2025 | 12:05 pm

    Love is in the air across the city. Whether couples are looking for romance and fun, or gal pals are seeking a spot for a Galentine's bash, restaurants all over Houston have something for everyone celebrating this day dedicated to love.

    Leo's River Oaks Valentine's Day

    Photo by Andrew Hemingway

    Enjoy a decadent, five-course meal at Leo's River Oaks.

    Artisans
    Give Valentine’s Day a French flair at this Galleria-area spot. The restaurant’s French Kiss Menu includes dishes like foie gras torchon au cognac, beef Wellington, fromage chaud et sa micro-pousses salade, and un gâteau Napolitain glace à la pistache. The cost is $189 per person, and the menu is available from 5 to 10 p.m. Seating is limited. Book on Open Table or by calling 713-529-9111.

    Aya Sushi
    Celebrating Valentine's Day with the West University restaurant’s True Love Omakase experience. Chef Yoshi’s menu includes 20 different bite plates for two. Bottles of wine or sake are 50 percent off. The cost for dinner is $298.00 for two or $149 per person. A $50 deposit per person to secure reservations. Refunds can be made only if the reservation is cancelled 24 hours to the reservation time. Reserve online.

    Chez Nous
    Head to the intimate Humble restaurant for “A Culinary Poem,” a three-course dinner with a trio of choices for each course. Selections include shrimp and lobster chowder, a berry salad, steamed flounder, roasted Berkshire pork loin, and triple chocolate cheesecake. The cost is $95 per person, and dinner is available on Friday, February 14 and Saturday,February 15. The full menu and reservation details are on the restaurant’s website.

    Doves
    The Midtown spot offers Valentine’s Day deals from Wednesday, February 12 through Sunday, February 16. The dinner package is $175 and includes a rose and a bottle of wine, along with two entrees and a dessert. Diners can select from options like Asian smokehouse double-cut pork chop, Szechuan salmon with stir-fry vegetables, Opelousas pasta, and other Asian-inspired fare. Reserve online.

    Guard and Grace
    From Thursday, February 13 to Saturday, February 15, enjoy a thoughtfully curated special menu designed for two to share. Selections include crispy Gulf oysters, duck nuggets with a trio of dipping sauces, and a Wagyu Filet Flight of three four-ounce filets in a variety of preparations. A la carte selections are also available. Reserve online at Open Table.

    Haywire
    Head to this Shadow Oaks-area restaurant along I-10 and share a 32-ounce Porterhouse steak for two. It’s accompanied by creamy crab mac and cheese, grilled broccolini, and a zesty chimichurri with roasted garlic. The cost is $125 and the special is available from Wednesday, February 12 through Sunday, February 16. Reserve online.

    Hidden Omakase
    Celebrate Valentine’s Day with an intimate candlelight dinner inspired by the classic Disney Lady & The Tramp. A special shareable 15-course menu crafted by chef Marcos Juarez will be available on Thursday, February 13 and Friday, February 14. Dinner highlights include four specialty oysters per couple, a shareable house made pasta, a sweet takeaway dessert, and complimentary wine. The cost is $225 per couple. Two seatings are available at 6 and 8:30 p.m. Book reservations through resy.com.

    Hugo’s
    The iconic Montrose Mexican spot helmed by chef Hugo Ortega has a special four-course couples menu available from Wednesday, February 12 through Sunday, February 16. Share pan-fried potato tacos, then select from items such as sliced yellowtail; braised short rib; pan-seared scallops; and grilled lamb chops. The cost is $120 per couple. See the menu and make reservations online.

    JŪN
    For Valentine's Day, the Heights restaurant is serving a four-course prix fixe menu that's yet to be revealed. The cost is $110 per person, with the option to add a $55 wine pairing. Reservations can be made at Open Table.

    Late August
    Chris Williams' Michelin-recommended Midtown restaurant will serve a three-course, $85 prix fixe menu. Selections include Gulf oysters, tomato salad, gumbo, strip loin, roasted fish, chile relleno, and a dessert for two. Add a champagne ($35), wine ($45), or cocktail pairing ($45). Available from Thursday, February 13 until Saturday, February 15, reservations are available online.

    Le Jardinier
    Dinner at the Michelin-starred French restaurant is already sold out, but diners still have the options of a four-course lunch menu. Priced at $120 per person, the choices include chestnut ricotta agnolotti, poached Maine lobster, and choice of dessert. Make reservations online.

    Leo’s River Oaks
    The neighborhood’s newest restaurant offers an exclusive five-course chef’s tasting menu, featuring indulgent dishes such as an East Coast oyster trio, lobster ravioli, and a chocolate tart. The cost is $199 per person or $375 per couple, and is available Thursday, February 13 through Monday, February 17. Reservations are highly recommended and can be made online.

    The Marigold Club
    Revel in romance with the Mayfair-inspired restaurant’s selection of special menu items for Valentine's Day. Options include caviar service, Duck Wellington, a raw bar, and an expertly curated wine collection. Make reservations on Open Table.

    Musaafer
    The Indian restaurant has a Kama Sutra-inspired, six-course Valentine’s Day dinner. Each course is named for a different hormone, and diners will scratch off a scratch-and-sniff sticker that reveals the sexual position which releases that hormone. Dinner selections include beetroot with Faggotini cream cheese; sea bass or trumpet mushroom tikka; and a lotus dessert of Opalys 33 percent dark chocolate. The cost is $165 per person, and reservations can be made on Open Table.

    Mutiny Wine Room
    Those looking for something elegant and approachable, whether spending the holiday with friends or lovers, will appreciate Mutiny’s three-course dinner, available from Friday, February 14 through Sunday, February 16. Choose from dishes like fresh East Coast oysters with a Thai twist, house-smoked Peking duck breast served with ginger fried rice, and a decadent chocolate and red wine pot de crème. The cost is $75 per person and reservations are available between 4-9 pm. The full menu and reservation details are online.

    Októ
    The Mediterranean restaurant in the Montrose Collective has two specials for Valentine’s Day. Diners can opt for squid ink pasta topped with fresh crab meat and Israeli caviar for $60, or surf and turf with a 10-ounce steak and four-ounce lobster tail for $130 that’s perfect for sharing. Beluga vodka shots with caviar are also on the main menu for the holiday, along with a couple of specialty cocktails. All prices are a la carte. Reservations can be made online.

    Perry’s
    All locations of the popular steakhouse are offering a Valentine’s Candlelight Dinner for Two. Love is in the air with this menu. Tables will be decorated with rose petals and illuminated by candlelight. Dinner begins with a choice of individual salad, followed by filet mignon, lobster tails, and sides for two. It finishes with a half-dozen chocolate-dipped strawberry kisses. The menu is available from Tuesday, February 12 through Sunday, February 16 and the cost is $185 per couple, Reserve online.

    Picos
    On Valentine’s Day, Picos has a mariachi band serenading couples, photographers from 6-9 pm, and backdrops for photo ops. There’s also a specialty menu with dishes including charbroiled oysters, lambchops, tomahawk for two, and concha bread pudding, and a shaker margarita to share. All prices are a la carte. The Valentine’s menu is available from February 13 through the 16. Make reservations online.

    Roma
    The cozy Rice Village Italian spot offers a three-course dinner on Friday, February 14 that includes a choice of appetizer, entree, dessert. Options include Caesar salad, caprese salad, spaghetti with fresh vegetables, chicken breast with lemon and capers, a limoncello tart, and tiramisu. The cost is $59 per person. Reservations are available between 4-10 pm and can be made online.

    Rosie Cannonball
    The restaurant’s Abba-inspired Mama Mia Valentine’s Day dinner for two is a pre-fixe including a shared Caesar salad, choice of a heart-shaped pizza or Focaccia di Recco, chicken parmesan or truffled white lasagna, and a choice of dessert. Expect red-and-white checkered tablecloths and a real red sauce vibe. The cost is $85 per person and the menu is available on February 13 and 14. Make reservations via Open Table.

    Sixty Vines
    Grab gal pals and head to any of the wine bar’s locations on February 13 for the Galentine’s Day party. The event includes a featured rosé flight, a specialty No Strings Spritz cocktail, and a Carajillo Tasting Station. Additional pop-ups may include vendors such as a jewelry bar, build-your-own bouquet station, and a friendship bracelet kit. Make reservations online.

    State of Grace
    Enjoy a four-course dinner including selections such as beef tartare, redfish on the half shell, lasagnette with black winter truffle, and more. The cost is for $145 per person, and wine pairings are available for an additional $65 or $125. Reserve online.

    Tony’s
    Go with old-school elegance on Valentine’s Day with the restaurant’s three-course dinner. Select from items such as long-stem Roman artichoke; burrata Pugliese; butternut squash-filled pasta; fettuccine with jumbo lump crab; branzino; and beef filet with black truffle butter. The first seating is from 5-7 pm and costs $120 per person. The second seating is from 7:45-11 pm and is $155 per person. Reservations are a must. See the full menu and reserve online.

    Urbe
    The Mexican street food kitchen has a special Valentine’s Day three-course menu, available every evening from Wednesday, February 12 through Sunday, February 16. Selections include corn soup, chipotle adobo shrimp, Yucatan-style slow-cooked pork, and heart-shaped churros. The cost is $85 per couple. An optional beverage pairing is an additional $33. See the full menu and reserve online.

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    firing up Montrose

    New Houston seafood restaurant adds live-fire flair to Japanese flavors

    Eric Sandler
    Dec 3, 2025 | 10:02 am
    Casa Kenji restaurant
    Photo by Becca Wright
    Spanish sea bass, scallop crudo, nigiri, bluefin binchotan, and bluefin crudo.

    An ambitious new seafood restaurant is coming to Montrose next week. Casa Kenji will open on Tuesday, December 9.

    Located in the former Andiron space (3201 Allen Pkwy), Casa Kenji is the first Houston project for New Orleans restaurateur Malachi DuPre, a former LSU standout who played briefly in the NFL before establishing Kenji and Kenji Kazoku restaurants in New Orleans. Together with former LSU teammate John “B-John” Ballis and Houston chef Bigler “Biggie” Cruz, Casa Kenji will blend Latin and Japanese influences while also incorporating live-fire elements into the restaurant’s dishes. Cruz, whose resume includes a lengthy stint at Uchi as well as working at critically acclaimed Houston seafood restaurant Golfstrømmen, tells CultureMap that Casa Kenji’s approach is the first time he can be himself in the kitchen.

    “My perfect restaurant was always based on the live fire and sushi combination,” Cruz says. “My mom cooked with wood for my entire life. The live fire creates completely different flavors. The smoky flavors, the sear from the charcoal — they create a different type of memory for me.”

    The use of live fire techniques will permeate Casa Kenji’s menus in ways both big and small. For example, diners will be able to feast on prawns grilled directly on charcoal and served with yuzu chili garlic, or savor lightly seared Japanese wagyu tataki paired with mushrooms. Even raw dishes will benefit from the restaurant’s wood-burning grill and stove.

    “Every vegetable we peel, we make into an ash that’s a topping for the dishes. It adds a different layer of flavor,” Cruz says. Look for it in the scallop aguachile, among others.

    Even vegetables get a smoky component, as in a cabbage dish that’s braised with dashi and soy sauce before being roasted and served with an onion soubise that Cruz says he developed based on techniques he learned from Golfstrømmen chef Christopher Haatuft.

    “It’s rich, super savory, with smoky layers, and you get brightness from the shiso gremolata. I think it will be a signature dish for us,” the chef says.

    One change to the interior is the addition of a six-seat omakase counter that looks into the kitchen. Cruz promises those diners will have an even more elevated experience than the restaurant’s regular menu, including ingredients such as Japanese wagyu and premium fish flown in from Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market.

    Beyond its cuisine, Casa Kenji hopes to stand out with its spacious outdoor patio. Since very few Japanese-inspired restaurants in Houston offer outdoor seating, it should appeal to diners who want a little vitamin D along with their tuna crudo.

    “We’re proud to showcase the craft and creativity that defines Casa Kenji,” co-founders Cruz, Ballis, and DuPre said in a statement. “With chef Bigler Cruz at the helm — blending live-fire technique with the discipline of Japanese tradition — we’re equally honored and excited to share a unique concept that is truly rooted in passion, culture, and community.”

    Casa Kenji will be open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday beginning at 4 pm. Reservations are available on Resy.

    Casa Kenji restaurant

    Photo by Becca Wright

    Spanish sea bass, scallop crudo, nigiri, bluefin binchotan, and bluefin crudo.

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