In a recent article entitled “The Most Exciting Place to Eat in America is Right Here in Texas“, Food & Wine praised Houston as a premier destination for diverse, world-class dining.
Written by award-winning writer, Boris Fishman, the article describes Space City as a premier culinary destination driven by our rich, diverse immigrant communities. As such, its primary focus is how the city’s vast diasporas – including Vietnamese, South Asian, and Central American populations – have enriched Houston’s culinary landscape.
The piece highlights how this has lead to the city’s famed culinary mash-ups. To this point, Fishman highlights Viet-Cajun hotspot, Cajun Kitchen, as well as Cambodian-inspired coffee shop and kitchen, Koffeteria.
As the article points out, many Houston chefs are focusing their interests on traditional cuisine. For the example, the piece highlights CasaEma and Maximo – both of which are Michelin Bib Gourmand recipients and James Beard Award semifinalists.
Conversely, other Houston chefs are making their own traditions. Citing Agnes and Sherman, which Texas Monthly named the 2026 best new Texas restaurant:
“The only heritage Nick Wong and Lisa Lee are honoring at the upscale Asian American diner Agnes and Sherman, where they serve crawfish egg foo young and cheeseburger fried rice, is their own”.
Fishman also highlights Ishtia, a Kemah restaurant by Choctaw chef David Skinner. Hailing its as “some of the most dazzling Indigenous cuisine in America”, the piece notes how Skinner initially incorporated Native dishes into his menu without explicitly advertising them as such, only to find that they consistently became his customers’ favorite meals.
The article also features a top 12 list of restaurants to eat in Houston right now, listed here below:
- Aga’s
- Agnes and Sherman
- CasaEma
- ChopnBlok
- Ishtia and Eculent
- Josephine’s
- Koffeteria
- Latuli
- March
- Maximo
- POST Houston
- Truth BBQ
