The battle of Houston BBQ was waged in our recommendations, and the first to emerge victorious was the new school version of classic Central Texas BBQ - Truth. Started as a roadside spot in Brenham, outside of Houston, they opened up shop in the south of the Heights neighborhood in 2019 and got people’s attention quick. It’s classic, take-your-time Texas pitmastering — 1,000-gallon offset barrel smokers, 18-hour oak burns, sides made from scratch. The lines tell you how good it is. So do the accolades — a Michelin Bib Gourmand, a Texas Monthly Top 50. Like any elite BBQ, go early and savor the wait: it’s part of the experience.

Fans Recommend: Brisket. Tater tot Casserole. ALL THE SIDES.

Our fans’ other pick among the BBQ big dogs of Houston? Pinkerton's. From a hometown pitmaster who left Houston and came back to build one of the city’s BBQ icons, Pinkerton’s has been winning awards and making the major lists since 2017. Also a Michelin Bib Gourmand, also a Texas Monthly Top 50 (for seven straight years), AND a three-time World BBQ Champ. What sets Pinkerton's apart is their range: the brisket is A++, beef ribs sell out before noon, the pork ribs come in both dry-rub and sweet glazed, the turkey and burnt ends are both worth it on their own. Full cocktail bar, communal picnic tables, deer heads on the walls. Also, great news…they opened a second location in January in Upper Kirby. Take your pick.

Fans Recommend: Brisket. Burnt ends. Glazed pork ribs.

The fans rounded out our Houston BBQ trio with a curveball, and it’s an excellent one — Blood Bros. BBQ. Three childhood friends — Terry and Robin Wong and Quy Hoang — have infused the Asian flavors they grew up on with their love of Texas BBQ to create a completely unique spin on the big-meats-and-sides game. We’re talking Gochujang-glazed ribs, brisket chow fun, pho-rub beef belly banh mis, and brisket fried rice. They started as a backyard BBQ truck, but now they’ve got a brick-and-mortar spot in a strip mall in Belleair. Rog went there. His mind was blown.

Fans Recommend: Brisket. Pig Moe sandwich. Brisket fried rice.

Once we got past the BBQ, the spot our fans recommended most was the Breakfast Klub. Since 2001, the Breakfast Klub has been serving the community some of the best soul food in Houston from their spot Midtown, usually with a line around the block (don’t worry, it moves). They do a whole lot of delicious things, but the two standouts are their Wings & Waffles and Katfish & Grits. If you want to know how good the latter is, the Klub’s IG handle isn’t their name - it’s just @katfishandgrits. Don’t sleep on the coffee, either: they consider themselves a “Koffee shop that happens to serve great food.”

Fans Recommend: Wings & Waffles. Katfish & Grits. Pork chops & eggs.

The place where fajitas were born: The Original Ninfa’s. In 1973, Mama Ninfa Laurenzo started grilling skirt steak and tucking it into handmade flour tortillas out of her family's struggling East End tortilla factory. She called them tacos al carbon. The rest of the world eventually called them fajitas. 50 years later, the original location is still here, still making tortillas by hand, and still serving the dish that started it all. A James Beard Award semifinalist. A Houston institution. Come for the OG fajitas, stay for the margaritas.

Fans recommend: Beef fajitas. The Ninfarita. Shrimp diablo.

A new entry onto the Houston food scene that our fans recommended like crazy — CASAEMA HTX. An upscale, traditional-Mexican-inspired breakfast and coffee spot that’s been racking up the plaudits and awards since it opened in March 2024, including a James Beard finalist nod for Best New Restaurant. The two chefs built the menu around an obsession with heirloom corn and an ancient Mexican practice of making masa. The result is a Mexican restaurant unlike anything else in Houston. Brisket chilaquiles, mushroom tétela in salsa verde, hoja santa French toast, and an unreal horchata cream donut. This is a spot you’ll probably need a reservation for, but from what locals have told us, it’s very much worth it.

Fans Recommend: Horchata berlinesa. Brisket chilaquiles. Guava-queso empanadas.

When you’re in Houston, you eat kolaches. The sweet, round, stuffed Czech pastry is to Houston what the breakfast taco is to Austin. And the Texas version has evolved to also include - of course - MEAT! Enter the Original Kolache Shoppe, one of the OG Houston kolaches that does it both ways: sweet and savory. Founded in 1956, this third-generation Czech bakery has been around since the kolache became a thing, and they still make them - and all their iterations - as good as anyone in H-Town. The beef fajita kolache, combining the whole Houston food experience, has earned them top bakery nods from Yelp and Food Network. You need to have as many kolaches as you can while in Houston, and this is the place our fans recommend starting at.

Fans Recommend: Beef Fajita Kolache/Croissant.

The Houston food scene is one of the most diverse in the country, which is why you get absolute bangers like Aga’s, the self-proclaimed “#1 Indian-Pakistani Restaurant in North America.” Our fans agree. The Houston Chronicle also agrees, naming Aga's the #1 restaurant in the city in 2025 - not best Indian, not best Pakistani…best RESTAURANT. Open since 2001 in southwest Houston near Chinatown, Aga's serves 100% zabiha halal cuisine in a massive dining room that seats up to 700. The goat chops were named one of the best dishes in the US by the New York Times in 2024. Houston is crazy spread out, and you’ll have to travel to get to it, but from what our fans are telling us…get to it.

Fans Recommend: Goat chops. Lamb biryani. Chicken karahi.

More essential Houston food boxes or fans had to check: crawfish and Viet-Cajun food. That’s where Crawfish & Noodles comes in. This eclectic Bellaire spot was our most recommended place to get crawfish in an elite crawfish city. Chef Trong Nguyen is widely credited as one of the Viet-Cajun pioneers, opening this spot in 2008 and earning a James Beard nomination along the way. Order the crawfish by the pound, pick your spice level, and eat with your hands. Crawfish season runs through June, so we’re hoping we get a little extension for the tourney. But if not, dabble in the rest of the menu for some of Houston’s best Viet-Cajun.

The tour around Houston’s insane food diversity continues with a fast-casual West African restaurant that just got named to the NYT’s Top 50 in the US - ChòpnBlọk. With the largest Nigerian population in the country, a top-tier traditional African restaurant from the son of Nigerian immigrants makes complete sense in Harris County. Chef Ope Amosu started with a stall at Post Houston in 2021, earned a James Beard Emerging Chef nomination and opened his Montrose brick-and-mortar spot that our local fans absolutely love. The menu goes top-to-bottom. The atmosphere  is great. Grab a reservation in case.

Fans Recommend: Motherland Curry. Polo Club Suya. Golden Tasters.

A dope little pizza and pasta spot that’s within walking distance from the stadium, you rec’d a dual threat you love in Tiny Champions. A great place to eat, a great place to drink, and a low-key pre and postgame spot for matches. The name refers to the natural fermentation process behind their leavened (and delicious) pizza dough. And their IG handle is @giantlosers, so you can get a sense of this place’s oeuvre. The room is cozy and eclectic - string lights, mismatched chandeliers and cartoon alligator portraits. They’ve got an awesome back patio. The menu changes seasonally and stays short. Happy hour runs Monday through Thursday with half-price pizzas.

Fans Recommend: Pizzas.

An extra sub off the bench — our fans had to include a 24/7 classic Houston diner, the late-night legend, the only pastry domicile better than IHOP…House of Pies. Open since 1967, this classic American diner — counter stools, vinyl booths, fluorescent lighting — has been feeding Houston at all hours of the day for a very long time. They do breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And of course they do pies. The Bayou Goo is the signature: a sweet cream cheese, crushed pecan, and chocolate-vanilla custard situation that is exactly as good as it sounds. Summer nights in Houston tend to get late, so our local correspondents had to give people an option that will be open no matter what. Any of their six locations will be there for you when you need them.

Fans Recommend: Bayou Goo pie. Texas Pecan Fudge pie.

Toros HTX describes itself with three words: “Coffee + beer + futbol.” That’s about as perfect as it gets for this list, and local fans recommended it accordingly. Toros is a truly unique spot — it’s a coffee shop, bar, beer garden, and soccer facility all rolled into one, tucked inside Sawyer Yards in the city's Arts District with a downtown skyline view. It’s been Houston's soccer culture hub since 2010. During the day, it's a proper café with coffee, espresso, and pastries. At night, it becomes a bar showing live matches. And out back, pickup games and rec leagues run nearly every day of the week. A HTX futbol triple threat.

Our fans rec’d a couple great Houston dive bars, and the first up is the Montrose neighborhood’s Poison Girl Cocktail Lounge. Dive bar lighting, dive bar paraphernalia on the walls, and a row of vintage pinball machines. Throw in a backyard patio with a giant Kool-Aid Man, and maybe one of the best whiskey/bourbon collections in the entire state, and it’s no wonder locals love this place. The drinks are cheap. The music is great. Open every single day — including holidays — until 2. Happy hour runs until 7. The neon sign advertising the bar is mounted inside, facing inward. Your perfect dive bar vortex.

If you’re looking to find out what a classic, two-stepping Texas bar is really like, Shady Acres Saloon is your spot. Right in the heart of the city, Shady Acres is an old-school cowboy bar with a saloon inside and a giant space outside — a half-acre under pecan trees with food trucks and a stage for live music Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Locals love it, our fans recommended it for newcomers to the Lone Star State, and it will surely be in full honky-tonk mode for the summer. Texas forever.

Open since 1983 and possibly untouched since, Lola's Depot is a small purple building on a Montrose corner with no sign, no windows, and an entrance that looks like a warehouse loading dock. It’s great. Inside is a jukebox, a pool table, walls covered in stickers (among other things), and the best kind of cheap drinks. It’s an OG spot in a great Houston neighborhood that’s been slowly upscaled around it. There will be no soccer watching at Lola’s. But there will be fun. And chaos. And PBRs. They don’t have an Instagram, but there was a fan account called “the creatures of Lola’s”...that kind of sums the whole thing up.

A great bar that doubles as an awesome pregame spot - Monkey’s Tail in Lindale Park is a local gem you guys made sure to include. It’s appropriately named after the lever used to switch train tracks - the Metro Line runs right past the front door. Perfect to jump on and get to the stadium. The place is a Mexican-American neighborhood bar that opened in 2019 and can kind of do it all - $2 Miller High Life Ponies alongside some of the best Mexican-inspired craft cocktails you’ll find. New York-style pizza, barbacoa tacos, and an elite smashburger called The Chango. A cool inside space, a great outdoor patio - picnic tables, fans, TVs. A great IYKYK Houston pregame spot.

Houston gets an extra player on their 5-a-side squad because we couldn’t possibly break a dive bar draw when one competitor is called Voodoo Queen Daiquiri Dive. The best ‘quiri since Xherdan, Voodoo Queen is a dive bar/beach bar hybrid covered in murals and neon and yes…daiquiri machines. And they’re mixing strong ones. The food is also A+ bar fare — po boys and chicken strips were both namechecked specifically. Happy hour every day, and all day Monday (!). An excellent list of “100% hand-shaken boat drinks.” An elite oasis of good vibes hidden inside Houston’s East End.

Houston has an easy first pick off the board for Watch, and that’s the soccer mecca Pitch 25. Founded in 2018 by Dynamo legend Brian Ching, Pitch 25 is a 25,000 sq ft soccer bar, beer garden, restaurant, and indoor pitch rolled into one. It has all the screens in all the sizes, including massive projectors. It has every beer on tap you could possibly want, including a ton of local brews. And it’s a quick Metro Rail directly to the stadium — this is THE pregame hub. The food is legit: the Brian Ching Burger is served with fried spam and pineapple as a nod to his Hawaiian heritage. In general, our fans say to pregame in EaDo and then hit the light rail to the stadium - this is option #1.

Our #1 H-Town soccer pub was also an easy call, with the Phoenix on Westheimer being fans’ overwhelming favorite. Originally opened in 2006 as the Firkin and Phoenix and still run by the same owner nearly two decades later, it's an American sports bar/enhanced English-style pub with 20+ screens and multiple projectors. It’s the sports-pub king of Houston and one of the heartbeats of soccer in the city. Its supporter group lineup includes the Dynamo, the Dash, the American Outlaws, Man City, Arsenal, Palace, Everton, Bayern and Celtic. The die-hards will be here.

Houston’s longest running and most authentically British pub is our next spot — the Red Lion Pub. Opened in 2003, the Red Lion is proper classic British — wood-panelled walls, red leather booths, fireplace. They’re also a proper neighborhood gathering spot that prides itself on treating all its guests and weary travelers the same. As they say, they welcome “deep thinkers and power drinkers, preachers, teachers, and mythical creatures.” Our fans love the game-watching setup and raved about the food - traditional English with some Indian and American thrown in for good measure. And the only stamp of approval you need: it’s been featured on Mayor Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

We go from fans’ two favorite English pubs to their favorite Irish pub — Hugh O’Connor’s. Run by two lads from Cork, Hugh's is an authentic Irish pub that somehow mixes in the Texas of it all perfectly — an ode to their namesake, an Irish-born Spanish colonial official who administered Texas in the 18th century. They bring a carefully curated selection of Irish and local craft beers, a premium whiskey collection, and a food menu that blends Irish classics with classic bar food. It’s also the Liverpool home of Houston. They’ve got two locations now, both of which are equally great for watching games.

We even out the UK pub tally with fans’ other favorite Irish boozer — Johnny McElroy’s. Opened since 2016 in a converted bungalow in Montrose, Johnny’s wraparound patio is the value prop here, a perfect space for watching a game on a warm Houston night. Inside, 57 taps, an extensive Irish whiskey selection, and a full kitchen — add them to the Houston crawfish list. It’s the home to Houston’s Chelsea supporters and University of Georgia fans, and it’s a main hub for Houston’s rugby scene. An eclectic mix of locals to say the least. One of our favorite spots in one of our favorite neighborhoods.

Houston is Space City, and locals weren’t going to let us recommend its greatest hits without the Space Center. The official home of NASA's Johnson Space Center: where Mission Control has operated since the Gemini program in 1965, where the Apollo 11 crew radioed back "The Eagle has landed" in 1969, and where US astronauts still train today. Over 400 space artifacts, a full-scale shuttle replica mounted on a 747 carrier aircraft, multiple flown spacecraft from Mercury through Apollo 17, and a SpaceX Falcon 9. The crown jewel is the Historic Mission Control tour, a meticulously restored room frozen in 1969 with original rotary phones, ashtrays, and coffee cups at every console. Book that in advance, or just go wander and be blown away. Give yourself a few hours to soak it all in. It's about 30 minutes southeast of downtown, so you’ll need a car or Uber to get there. A truly singular Houston experience.

Houston also happens to have one of the great museums in the country, one locals love to show off - the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Founded in 1909 and now the seventh most-visited museum in the United States, HMNS sits in the heart of Hermann Park and is the anchor of Houston's remarkable Museum District. The Morian Hall of Paleontology is the largest dinosaur hall in the country, a floor-to-ceiling parade of prehistoric skeletons including a T-Rex and a Triceratops. The Hall of Ancient Egypt, the Texas Wildlife hall, the African Wildlife hall, and the Burke Baker Planetarium fill out four floors of permanent exhibits. It’s reachable by Metro Red Line to the Museum District stop, making it one of the most accessible major attractions in the city.

Houston's oldest independent record store is your next spot to EXPLORE - Cactus Music. With roots stretching back to 1946, when Harold "Pappy" Daily - the founder of D Records and the man who helped launch Willie Nelson's career - opened Daily's Record Ranch. His sons Bud and Don opened Cactus in 1975 as one of the country’s first music superstores. They still have an ode to the Record Ranch inside - an 1,800 sq foot vinyl-only store and gallery. Free weekly in-store performances bring touring artists through the intimate stage, often with complimentary beers. Past performers include Julian Casablancas, Steve Earle, Nipsey Hussle, and Snow Patrol. This is where Houston's music scene lives between shows.

Another iconic institution of Houston our fans made sure not to miss - Brazos Bookstore. The city’s oldest independent bookstore, founded in 1974 in Rice Village, the neighborhood down the road from Rice University. The store is now owned by a collective of Houston residents after they bought it from the original owner in 2006. They’ve kept the history of the place intact - a carefully curated selection of books, poetry, and art, with some of the best historical Texas literature in the state. Author events as often as three times a week and the city's oldest reading series.

Rounding out our H-Town icon treble is the most unique of the bunch - Third Planet SciFi. Founded in 1975 in a 300 sq ft space in the back of a t-shirt shop, Third Planet has grown into a cathedral of sci-fi and fantasy in the legendary red-and-blue building off Highway 59. It’s one of the oldest stores of its kind in the US. New and back-issue comics, graphic novels, manga, anime, action figures, Gundam models, trading card games, board games, VHS tapes, vintage posters, rare collectibles, and a jet fighter signed by Mark Hamill. The only sci-fi superstore out of all 11 host cities in the entire Guides. If this kind of stuff is your jam, take advantage of the opportunity to go to one of the GOATs.