In its latest edition of “Texas’s Best New Restaurants”, esteemed publication Texas Monthly named three Houston-area restaurants, including a vinyl-spun Japanese sashimi haunt, a Mexican bakery and lunchery, and a Kemah-based Indigenous-focused restaurant.
Kira
Coming in at number four on the Texas Monthly ‘Best New Restaurants’ list is Kira, an intimate, 15-seat counter Japanese restaurant in Upper Kirby. Opened in August 2024, Kira emulates a Japanese record bar while harmonizing dishes with state-of-the-art sound from its McIntosh stereo system.
Lead by Chef de Cuisine Mark Wong, the menu is broken down by sashimi, donburi, and temaki along with divine desserts and pitch-perfect cocktails.
Here’s what Texas Monthly had to say:
“[T]he masu (cherry trout) and ikura (king salmon roe) donburi is heaven, the blue-black ceramic bowl a canvas for vibrant pink fish, vivid orange roe, and a yellow, chive-sprinkled egg yolk.”
2800 Kirby Dr.
Ema
Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient and present contender for the James Beard Award ‘Best New Restaurant’ category, it’s no surprise to find Ema on Texas Monthly’s list.
Ranked at number 6 on the list, Ema is a Mexican bakery, coffee bar, and lunch restaurant in The Heights. Since opening in March of last year, Ema regularly draws eager crowds seeking the restaurant’s exquisite options ranging from horchata berlinesa to suadero chilaquiles.
Here’s what Texas Monthly had to say:
“In the morning, customers down espresso drinks and seductive baked goods such as airy, brioche-like berliners, jam-filled doughnuts as round as billiard balls.”
“At lunch, they queue up for the pambazo de puerco, an over-the-top toasted sandwich featuring a substantial sesame-seed bun; the pork filling is swaddled in glorious morita chile-flecked mayo, splats of guacamole, and refied black beans.”
5307 N. Main
Ishtia
At number 5 on the list is Kemah’s Ishtia. Notably, the restaurant is one of the few in the area that honor the cuisine of indigenous cultures. The restaurant is an intimate, 18-seat dining concept from Chef David Skinner.
Skinner leads patrons through a culinary exploration of Native American culture and cuisine over an imaginative 20-course tasting menu, reflecting traditional ingredients, techniques, and also sometimes blow torches.
Here’s what Texas Monthly had to say:
“Drama and magic were never far away: Dry ice was involved in one dish, a blowtorch in another. Skinner’s most impressive feat was persuading guests to drive thirty miles from downtown Houston to coastal Kemah for a twenty-course tasting menu. No wonder he’s been called the Willy Wonka of food.”
709 Harris Street, Kemah, Texas
See also: 16 spectacular new restaurants in Houston