Unwind along with your besties at Good God, Nadine’s.
Summer season is winding down, which makes now the proper time to collect your crew collectively for a giant catch-up earlier than fall settles in. The toughest half? Getting a gaggle to agree on a single spot or delicacies, particularly in a metropolis with as many eating choices as Houston. Luckily, loads of eating places make eating with a gaggle of 4 or extra really feel easy and pleasing. To assist, Houstonia has rounded up the most effective spots on the town for group eating, from full of life meals halls to spacious patios.
Midtown, briar forest
This fashionable Korean BBQ restaurant creates an interactive eating expertise, making it an interesting and inexpensive hangout for teams excited to get in on the cooking motion. Gen Korean’s All You Can Eat format (about $22 throughout lunch and $32 throughout dinner) permits diners to select from a choice of uncooked beef, rooster, or pork—all of which is cooked on a grill in the course of the desk. Diners can get pleasure from their meal with limitless banchan or sides, together with cucumber, potato salad, kimchi, or further rice. For an extra cost, pair the meal with soju or one of many home cocktails. If the considered cooking the elements is intimidating, no worries—the restaurant’s servers will assist stroll you thru the method.
Order sesame guacamole for the desk at Good God, Nadine’s.
Washington Hall
This newer scorching spot on Washington Avenue is already a high vacation spot for smaller teams in search of someplace to chill out after an extended week. Whereas the cocktails are definitely a draw—chamomile old-fashioneds; vodka-fueled mango sticky rice drinks made with coconut milk, mango, and pandan; nonalcoholic Freshtails; and the Carajilla, a carajillo infused with the selection mezcal or tequila,—the meals menu is simply nearly as good. Diners can select from the cast-iron corn bread, sesame guacamole, and a $7 smashburger deal earlier than 7pm. Hold this one in thoughts for the cooler climate: Good God, Nadine’s spacious patio is a primary spot for a gaggle blissful hour.
downtown
Nobody advantages extra from a meals corridor greater than buddies with totally different cravings. Head to this Downtown meals corridor and peruse its 9 totally different stalls till one thing speaks to you. Diners can get pleasure from a wide range of cuisines, together with Korean dishes from Nyam Nyam; burgers from Correct; tacos from Papalo Taqueria; Hawaiian dishes from Maui Bowls; freshly squeezed juices from Cranky Carrot Juice Co.; and a choice of European-inspired dishes with a Texas twist from Artistry. If in search of a boozy reprieve, go to HiFi, the Finn’s Tokyo-inspired cocktail bar and lounge. It boasts vinyl beats, various drinks, and bar bites like sliders and dumplings.
Oasis’s menu has acai bowls, parfaits, smoothies, and a matcha latte.
downtown
Just like the Finn, buddies don’t must agree on the place to dine at this downtown meals corridor. As a substitute, they will head to the Lyric after which cut up as much as discover its many choices. Diners can discover sandwiches at 1929 Po-Boy Kitchen; Mexican delicacies at Mexology; Belgian waffles with candy and savory toppings at Press Waffle Co.; refreshing smoothies, acai bowls, and parfaits at Oasis; and Szechuan, Hunan, and Cantonese delicacies at Shun Kitchen. After you have bought your meal, convene at certainly one of its many tables to dine collectively. Then, seize a drink on the Lyric Bar, the place wine, draft beers, and cocktails like an espresso martini and Lychee Love Potions (with vodka, grapefruit, lychee liqueur, and mint) are on provide.
heights, higher kirby
Seeking an informal spot that’s nice for mingling? Look no additional than Loro. This Asian smokehouse and bar presents loads of seating, immaculate vibes, appetizing dishes, and refreshing cocktails and mocktails. Begin with wonton chips and dips, smoked wings, oak-grilled edamame, or the rooster karaage for the desk. Then, dive into certainly one of Loro’s entrées, which embrace plates of smoked meats, pulled pork sandwiches, cheeseburgers, and rice bowls constructed with proteins like Malaysian curry rooster, oak-smoked grilled steak, and curry-marinated shrimp. Sip on cocktails just like the mandarin margarita, made with tequila, mezcal, tangerine, and yuzu, or go for a basic Moscow mule. These skipping alcohol can strive certainly one of Loro’s zero-proof drinks, such because the spicy cucumber with lime, yuzu, and ghost agave, or the blackberry Thai margarita, a mixture of Ritual tequila various, lime, and Thai basil.
Paella is certainly one of many strong selections on the family-style menu at Mi Luna Tapas Restaurant and Bar.
montrose
An evening out in town in Montrose nearly at all times ensures time, and Mi Luna is a good place to begin. With its family-style menu, this Spanish restaurant permits diners to gasoline up on loads of shareable dishes and cocktails, together with its signature home made sangria. Whet your urge for food with tapas, together with basic croquettes, serrano ham and cheese on brioche, marinated octopus in sherry French dressing, and shrimp in lemon garlic olive oil with pink chili peppers, earlier than having fun with a few of its bigger plates. You possibly can’t go unsuitable with the Moroccan rooster, branzino asado, or its paellas. Try Mi Luna’s intensive wine checklist, too, which options bottles from Catalonia and the Basque Nation.
On the Kirb is a scorching spot for good friend teams.
a number of places
Massive high-top tables and mimosa towers on weekends (brunch is served till 4pm Saturdays and Sundays) make this Houston restaurant a favourite for good friend teams. Its each day menu options juicy burgers just like the Houston Cowboy, a thick patty topped with cheddar, Marieke gouda, tomato-bacon jam, bacon, sambal mayo, guacamole, and jalapeños, all of which comes loaded on a challah bun. For different handheld objects there’s shawarma or rooster membership wraps and tacos stuffed along with your selection of beef, rooster, shrimp, or fish. Weekend brunch hits on the classics, with steak and eggs, avocado toast, and pancakes, plus hearty dishes, together with three forms of skillets. The Cowboy skillet options bacon, sausage, and floor beef; the Harvest is made with spinach, asparagus suggestions, mushrooms, and bell peppers; and the comforting chilaquiles skillet options pink salsa, corn tortilla chips, avocado, queso fresco, pink onions, cilantro, bitter cream, and eggs.
The woodlands, katy
This Malaysian restaurant rapidly gained reputation after the late Alex Au-Yeung opened it in Katy in 2022. Now, its spacious location in The Woodlands has develop into a handy go-to for diners entertaining bigger teams and households. Its eating room options floor-to-ceiling home windows that peek into close by wooded areas, and invitations friends to get pleasure from family-style diner favorites, together with award-winning beef rendang, roti canai, curry laksa, egg tofu, stir-fried noodles, and rice dishes, with newer additions together with dim sum. The cocktail menu, which options an assortment of specials and mainstays, is one other draw that showcases Asian diasporic flavors.
Phat Eatery’s Katy location is briefly closed as a consequence of surprising water points.
eado
For an evening stuffed with nostalgia and comforting meals, cease by certainly one of Houston’s latest pizza joints. Stuffed with retro, neon decor and naturally, pinball video games, Pinball Pizzeria presents a enjoyable place to devour tacky slices. Although it’s on the smaller facet, the upstairs can accommodate a smaller group of about 4 individuals. Start your go to with an order of mozzarella or breadsticks, adopted by a build-your-own pizza or a signature pie just like the buffalo rooster or ham and pineapple.
You possibly can bask in a savory pie from 2 Phat Bastard Pies whereas visiting Put up Houston.
Put up Houston
downtown
Houston’s former post-office-turned-multiuse-entertainment-hub is a tried-and-true vacation spot for hungry locals, particularly these eating in teams. Put up Houston’s meals corridor, Put up Market, is greatest explored with firm because of its array of various cuisines. Diners can bask in West African delicacies from ChòpnBlọk, South American delicacies from Andes Café, Filipino staples from stall Soy Pinoy, and sushi from KWO. Seeking to strive all of it? Make a plan to divide and conquer. Every individual in your group can order from a distinct restaurant and unleash the bounty on one of many communal tables to share. Try the bar seating and cocktails at twin postal-themed bars: Return to Sender and Handle Unknown. Finish your Put up journey with a scoop or a cone from Flower & Cream.
Traveler’s Cart presents all kinds of cocktails and international road meals.
montrose
With cubicles indoors and desk seating on a patio that seems like an escape, Traveler’s Cart is a superb possibility for teams of 4 or extra. The menu at this Montrose restaurant hedges on international road meals, making it a really perfect selection for teams with various palates. Cease in for road snacks like Colombian cheese bread, butter rooster samosas, or pan-fried cumin lamb dumplings, or go for entrées just like the shrimp pad Thai, Vietnamese betel leaf wraps, Mediterranean rooster and quinoa bowl, or the pappardelle with brisket ragu. The drinks and desserts equally stand out with tropical frozen choices, an Unpack Your Baggage cocktail (tequila, prickly pear syrup, lemon juice, soda) sipped out of a plastic bag, and a heat chocolate sticky toffee pudding served with vanilla ice cream. Benefit from the weekday blissful hour, when road choose snacks are $5, small plates are $8, and sandwiches with fries are $12 from 3pm to 6pm.
