I don’t want to waste any of your time. So, here’s my list of Houston’s hidden restaurant gems:
•Blood Bros. BBQ, Bellaire
•Loz Takoz Lokoz, Champions
•Marmo, Montrose
•Pho Dien, Chinatown
Everybody knows about Brennan’s and Original Ninfa’s and The Breakfast Klub. If you want coverage of those places, every blog and news outlet in the city has done excellent work in the past.
I wanted to cover the lesser-known diamonds in the rough.
I always have people asking me where they should eat in Houston. These days, I don’t suggest one of the usual suspects like Kata Robata or Turkey Leg Hut. I try to send them to a restaurant that’s further off the beaten path.
Below is a breakdown of my four favorite Houston restaurants that nobody else is really talking about.
1 – Blood Bros. BBQ
5425 Bellaire Blvd.
(713) 664-7776
visit their website
Blood Bros. BBQ is doing things differently and that’s why I love them. This place blends traditional Texas barbecue with flavors that can range from Hawaiian to Chinese all in the same dish.
I wouldn’t call it BBQ Fusion so much as a new way of making Texas barbecue.
The last thing I had from Blood Bros. was an unbelievably juicy char siu pork banh mi. This Chinese-Viet fusion leans heavily on flavors familiar to any fan of a good backyard Texas grill.
I love that Blood Bros. posts a new menu everyday to reflect what’s at the market and what the chefs and owners are excited about on that given day. One day you might find sliced togarashi spam, and the next it’s an overstuffed smoked pimento cheese-burger.
If you’re headed to Houston and want Texas barbecue, Blood Bros. BBQ is the most exciting (and one of the most delicious) things in town.
2 – Loz Takoz Lokoz
14519 Walters Rd.
(346) 316-7191
If you ask me about Tex-Mex in Houston, I’m not sending you to Hugo’s to spend hundreds of dollars on fancy queso. I’m sending you to a taco truck.
Not just any taco truck. I’m sending you to a taco truck at the edge of Houston’s suburban sprawl. I’m sending you to a taco truck that’s technically part of an ancient and disused carwash structure.
Loz Lokoz Takoz wins the award for most ridiculous name. It also happens to be slinging the best and most consistent taco menu anywhere in a Houston area code. If you disagree with me, I’ll just plug my ears and sing the national anthem.
The hero here is barbacoa, made as close to the traditional way as possible. For whatever that’s worth. All I know is their perfectly-greasy, perfectly-spicy barbacoa love bombs are cheap and they absolutely slaughter a hangover.
Grab a Mexican coke and a half-dozen barbacoa tacos con todo and watch as every slice of life pulls through to grab their lunch.
3 – Marmo
888 Westheimer, Suite 109
(832) 626-3400
visit their website
Marmo is designed to be a traditional Italian chophouse plunked down into one of the hippest Houston neighborhoods. I don’t think Marmo will stay a hidden gem for long. It’s new–that’s why a lot of folks haven’t heard of it.
Located inside the Montrose Collective, Marmo has one of the longest wine lists in the city. Paired with creamy pasta dishes and thick steaks cooked to order–what could go wrong?
Marmo is the most traditional “sit down in a restaurant and eat” listing here. Check it out for a slow and satisfying meal with great views of Houston’s weirdest.
4 – Pho Dien
11830 Bellaire Blvd.
(281) 495-9600
visit their website
Houston has the best Vietnamese food outside of Vietnam. This is a known thing. No city outside Saigon has as many pho shops as Houston. They’re sprinkled everywhere. There’s not really a “little Vietnam.” You can find pho from downtown to Spring, from the Woodlands to the Museum District.
Pho Dien is the place I send anyone looking to experience a true Houston sensation.
The broth, which cooks for no less than twelve hours, is silky and perfect. It can cure what ails you.
Meats and sides are as fresh as any you’ve ever experienced.
For my money and my taste, no restaurant in Houston beats a simple dish of Pho Dac Biet at Pho Dien in Bellaire.
Conclusion
Once you’ve lived in Houston for a while, the novelty and appeal of the “big name” restaurants wears off. Everyone I know that’s been in the city for more than a few years has their own list of hidden secret gem restaurants.
The places on this list are definitely off the beaten path. They don’t have much in common aside from the fact that they’re serving some of the best food in one of the best food cities in the world.
