Downtown Houston does not sit still after dark. Skyscrapers, sports games, and a growing list of restaurants and bars now share the same streets, and a new guide to the neighborhood’s best spots shows how far the food scene has grown.
The lineup covers restaurants with Michelin-recognized wine lists, food halls built for groups, and bars with real history behind them. This edition adds Bandista, Concrete Rose, the Finn, Kokoro, Kulture, Reserve 101, and Zaranda. Dropped from the list: Lyric Market, Hearsay Market Square, Bungalow Downtown Dining, Osso & Kristalla, the Palm, and Grotto Downtown. Additional reporting came from Marcy de Luna and Brittany Britto Garley.
Post Market Gathers Many Kitchens Under One Roof
Post Market packs dozens of vendors under a single roof. It amounts to a tour of Houston’s food scene, all in one place.
Houston-raised founder Ope Amosu runs a counter serving seasoned beef skewers and rice cooked with West African seasoning. From there, visitors can try Thai Kun for noodles and curry, Soy Pinoy for Filipino barbecue and fried chicken, or KWO Sushi for hand rolls and fresh fish.
Lea Jane’s serves hot chicken, Ciccio’s makes pasta by hand, and sweets come from Gelu Italian Ice and Shakkar Bakery. Drinks are served at the hall’s bars, and a level above, Skylawn offers views out over Downtown.
Chef Chris Hernandez Runs Barbacana
At Barbacana, in the Bayou Lofts, Chef Chris Hernandez draws on his own history along with time spent cooking in New York and Mexico City. The menu changes often, mixing African, Middle Eastern, and Japanese influences with Texas ingredients. Recent dishes have included Denver-cut Texas Wagyu, fresh fish, and a sweet dessert built around ice cream and caramel.
Visitors can order individual dishes or choose the tasting menu for $125, with wine pairings available for $65. The counter seats near the kitchen are the best in the house.
Bars, Pizza, and Tex-Mex
Captain Foxheart’s Bad News Bar & Spirit Lodge sits behind a door at the end of narrow stairs in a plain building on Main Street. Its open deck looks out over Main Street, with the Metrorail rolling past below, and the drinks include a strong martini or Old Fashioned.
Frank’s Pizza, near Market Square Park, serves New York-style pies, with base and topping prepared fresh daily. The menu includes a pizza topped with meat and bacon and another topped with seasoned meat and hot peppers, alongside plain cheese pies and pies topped with cured meat.
Irma’s Original, in the Warehouse District, is a Downtown institution known for its warm welcome and Tex-Mex menu, including enchiladas, stuffed peppers, and hot meat plates, along with a house drink made from citrus fruit.
Guard and Grace features a high dining room with a large hanging lamp made of many thin rods, a bar popular for happy hour, and an open kitchen turning out New York cuts and Alaskan black fish. Potente is the fine-dining Italian restaurant for pasta downtown, offering plates worth a special trip.
| Spot | Known For |
|---|---|
| Post Market | Food hall, views from Skylawn |
| Barbacana | Chef Chris Hernandez’s tasting menu, Texas Wagyu |
| Captain Foxheart’s | Bar behind narrow stairs, Main Street deck |
| Frank’s Pizza | New York-style pies near Market Square Park |
| Irma’s Original | Tex-Mex institution in the Warehouse District |
| Guard and Grace | High dining room, open kitchen |
From food halls to bars tucked behind plain doors, Downtown Houston’s dining scene keeps changing, and this latest guide shows where the neighborhood stands right now.
Source: houston.eater.com
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