where to eat on Veteran's Day

Running list of Veteran's Day 2025 food and drinks deals in Houston

Both locally-owned, independent restaurants and some of the biggest national chains are offering special deals in honor of Veteran’s Day. The offer range from small discounts to free dishes and even free meals.

Unless noted specifically below, all of these deals are available on Tuesday, November 11. Both active duty military personnel and veterans should be prepared to show ID to claim the offers. Reservations are recommended at upscale eateries that take them.

CultureMap will update this list through Monday, November 10.

Midtown bar Axelrad offers both veterans and active duty personnel a 20 percent discount every day.

Azumi, a sushi restaurant in River Oaks District, will take 50 percent off the bill. Reservations are recommended.

Salad chain Bread Zeppelin will take 50 percent off any Zeppelin or Bowl 10 am-3 pm on November 11.

Comfort Foodies, Southern-inspired restaurant in Northwest Houston, is offering a free empanada — choice of beef, chicken, shrimp, or spinach — 11am to 8pm on November 11.

Hot dog chain Dog Haus will offer a free Haus Dog on November 11 at its three Houston-area locations. The deal is good for dine-in only.

Fielding’s Wood Grill, a fancy burger joint in The Woodlands, will offer veterans a free dessert from 11 am-3 pm.

Good God, Nadine’s, a casual bar near Washington Avenue, will give veterans a free order of its skillet cornbread.

The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, a Greek restaurant chain with a location in Baybrook, will offer 25 percent off all gyros and gyro combo meals on November 11.

IHOP will offer a free Red, White, and Blueberry Pancake Combo that includes two buttermilk pancakes topped with glazed strawberries, blueberry topping, and whipped topping, paired with two eggs, hash browns, and choice of two strips of bacon or two sausage links.

Kazzan Ramen will take 50 percent off a veteran’s bill at lunch and dinner (11 am-11 pm).

Get get one complimentary kolache at the Kolache Shoppe locations in Memorial and Greenway Plaza.

All locations of Kroger will take 10 percent off the total purchase.

Liberty Kitchen will serve veterans a free bowl of its signature gumbo.

Logan's Roadhouse, a casual restaurant with two Houston-area locations, will offer a free lunch from 11 am to 3 pm on November 11. Contact the preferred location for availability of deal.

All three locations of Molina’s Cantina will take half-off a veteran’s bill.

Both locations of The Original Ninfa’s offer veterans and active duty personnel a 50 percent discount all day every day.

Perry's Steakhouse & Grille will offer a free dinner-cut pork chop on November 11 from 4 pm to close when accompanied by a guest purchasing one dinner entree. If dining alone or with other veterans, veterans will receive a dinner-cut pork chop for half off original price. The deal is good for dine-in only.

Miami-based burger joint PINCHO always offers veterans a 25 percent discount.

Pizaro’s Pizza extends a 10 percent discount to veterans every day, including November 11.

Pluckers Wing Bar will serve a free meal — including an entrée, side, and non-alcoholic beverage (up to $16 value, dine-in only) — to eligible service members and veterans.

Raising Cane’s gives veterans, active duty military, and first responders a 10 percent discount when they mention the Hero Discount Program while ordering.

Third Ward favorite The Savoy will offer veterans a choice of the following free entrees from 4-6 pm: BLT, shrimp basket, Savoy burger, quesadilla (chicken or beef), vegan fried rice.

All three locations of Texas comfort food restaurant State Fare will offer veterans a free meal from a special menu that includes a cheeseburger, birria grilled cheese, smoked chicken Cobb salad, hot honey chicken sandwich, or fried shrimp platter. Reservations recommended.

Torchy’s Tacos will offer a free taco and non-alcoholic beverage at all of its Houston-area locations on November 11.

All seven Houston-area locations of Twin Peaks will offer a free lunch (11 am-3 pm) from a select menu on November 11.

Comfort food restaurant Willie’s Grill & Icehouse will offer a free bacon cheeseburger and regular side on November 11.

----

Alex Bentley contributed to this article.

Photo by Kimberly Park

All three Molina's Cantina locations are offering half-off to veterans.

food specials news-you-can-eat veterans day drink specials holidays

Let's Get Boozy

Houston restaurant celebrates 3 years with new cocktail program

Photo by Luke Chang Jia Media

To celebrate its third anniversary, Jun has introduced a cocktail program to its menu with a newly-acquired liquor license.

Heights restaurant Jūn has an additional reason to celebrate its third anniversary this year: liquor is officially on the menu.

The Heights restaurant, led by owners Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lu, has built a loyal following and earned major recognition since its 2023 opening, including a 2026 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards nomination for Restaurant of the Year and two James Beard Award semifinalist nods.

But one complaint has remained consistent throughout the years.

“People will give us one star because we don't have the whiskey they want or we don't have a martini,” Lu tells CultureMap. “They're like, ‘Food is great. Service is amazing. We'll never come back here.’”

That’s about to change.

With a newly acquired liquor license, patrons can pair dishes like mussels with sour chorizo or tandoori-marinated lamb belly with drinks like the Pink Lady — a reimagining of the Texas classic White Lady made with beet-infused gin, citrus, and egg white.

Several drinks are closely tied to Lu and Garcia’s own stories, including the Post/Shift, an homage to the spicy margarita that Lu has sipped nightly at 9 pm for the past 15 years. The Jūn iteration adds ginger and tamarind, with mezcal as the spirit.

“We want to bring in things that are special to us, like the artwork in (Jūn), the food, the pottery — it all means something,” Lu says.

Other creations include the Good Old Fashion Fun, Very Dirty Martini, and The Bronx, a play on The Manhattan.

Before opening in 2023, Lu and Garcia looked into obtaining a liquor license but learned that installing a fire sprinkler system would be required due to an undefined occupancy limit. The pair planned to move forward with the installation, until they learned the wait time was at least a year.

“We're a legitimate mom and pop restaurant — I cannot delay this project for a year. We wouldn’t have opened,” Lu recalls saying.

After chatting with an industry colleague who had recently secured a license, Lu decided to revisit the process. With construction complete and an established occupancy limit, the restrictions had changed and a liquor license was easy to obtain. Jūn was in business.

When Jūn opened, Garcia and Lu developed a low-ABV “cocktail” program focused on wine and sake, emphasizing flavor through smoke and infusions of herbs and spices.

“We ran with what we had and we were really proud of it,” Lu says. “It really spoke of the creativity that this whole team strives for.”

That approach to flavor development carries into the expanded program, such as the carajillo, Jūn’s twist on the beloved coffee cocktail. The addition of smoked sake to the tequila-forward drink nods to the restaurant’s earlier beverage program.

“It gives it this well-rounded, beautiful, smoky flavor,” Lu says. “It's very homey. It's very reminiscent of a warm summer day.”

To mark both the restaurant’s third anniversary and the addition of liquor, Lu and Garcia are inviting the community to a celebration on Tuesday, March 31.

Attendees will find food by chefs Suu Khin of Burmalicious, Nina Fonte of Aleng Nina, and Ivan Chavez of Chavos BBQ, all regular pop-up participants at Third Place, Jūn’s daytime cafe and coffee concept.

A live sketch artist will capture portraits of guests for a group composite illustration that will hang on the restaurant’s wall. A photo booth, mariachi band, and live DJ are a part of the festivities, with drag bingo occurring later in the evening. The event begins at 6 pm. Tables are first come, first served, and RSVPs are required through OpenTable.

Jūn is open Wednesday through Monday from 5 pm to 10 pm at 420 East 20th Street, Suite A. Cocktails are not being served at Third Place.

To celebrate its third anniversary, Jun has introduced a cocktail program to its menu with a newly-acquired liquor license.

Photo by Luke Chang Jia Media

To celebrate its third anniversary, Jun has introduced a cocktail program to its menu with a newly-acquired liquor license.

news-you-can-eat the-heights cocktails