Final Four: The best of Houston dining, sights and hotels

America’s fourth largest city is a big, sprawling tangle of strip malls, freeways and McMansions drenched in sticky Bayou heat. It’s also an undeniably multicultural hub boasting a terrific arts scene, excellent food and unpretentious and friendly locals. Whether you’re in Space City for business, pleasure or a little Final Four action (which we believe would fall under the category of pleasure), here is the best of Houston.

Also: The insider’s guide to Austin

WHERE TO DINE

Tacos Tierra Caliente
Before you visit this celebrated and totally delicious taco truck located located next to the Alabama Ice House in the Montrose neighborhood, waltz into the nearby Hollywood Food Store and get yourself a mighty tall bottled water. If you dip so much as an ounce of one of these mouthwatering street-style and dirt cheap tacos into the truck’s hot salsa you’re going to thank us for coming prepared. They also serve amazing breakfast tacos, but know in advance that items sell out.

Oxheart

Oxheart
This may be Houston’s best restaurant. We found the food, service and ambiance at this nook of an eatery in the city’s warehouse district to all be pitch perfect. The locally sourced edibles are broken into either a carnivorous or vegetarian multi-course tasting menu including an optional beverage pairing. But although the offerings at Oxheart are artful and upscale, the crowd and atmosphere are downright casual and the staff are simply the best.

Common Bond

Common Bond
The lines are literally out the door on weekends so don’t say we didn’t warn you. But relax, it’s all worth it. Charming Common Bond gets it just right from its scrumptious selection of macaroons, tarts, brioches, cookies, brownies, croissants and spreads to its light bite menu featuring crunchy granola, puffy bialys and meaty ham tartines. The space is bright, cheerful and airy and exactly the kind of place that could give San Francisco‘s famous Tartine a run for its money.

Coltivare

Coltivare Pizza and Garden
Another reason why we like the Heights neighborhood, this unfussy and unpretentious but totally delicious Italian and American eatery exudes the kind of confidence we look for in a kitchen. Not only are the thin crust pizzas dynamite, but everything else we tried on the menu equally impressed. Coltivare doesn’t take reservations but it’s in exactly the kind of neighborhood you won’t mind hanging around in while waiting for your table.

WHERE TO DRINK

Boheme Cafe and Wine Bar
Montrose, the city’s most vibrant and eclectic neighborhood is home to this former junk shop that’s been transformed into sleek nightlife hub for hipsters, young professionals and the ‘hood’s expansive LGBT community. At Boheme, the lights are dim, the cocktails are fantastic and there are plenty of nooks and crannies in which to steal away with a cocktail in one hand and a slice of handcrafted thin crust pizza in the other. On warm nights, everyone hangs outside.

The Pastry War
Sounds like a bakery, right? Hardly. The Pastry War—so named for an 18th century skirmish that broke out after a French pastry chef in Mexico City had his store looted by Mexican officials—is a hip mezcaleria serving agave spirits imported from family owned distilleries in Mexico. The margaritas are awesome and the Pastry War is one of several businesses breathing new life into downtown’s Main Street.

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PJ’s Sports Bar

If you’re not sick and tired of this place after singing your heart out on karaoke night every Friday, return Saturday or Sunday to watch the big game. One of Space City’s charms is that lots of bars exist in stand alone buildings and bungalows and that includes PJ’s, a classic neighborhood sports bar where the TV is always on, the local teams are rooted for fiercely and the outdoor patio beckons on picture perfect days.

WHAT TO DO

Manready Mercantile
The trend toward serving stressed out shoppers all you can imbibe libations has made us window shoppers out of the best of us for sure, but we hardly need booze to tempt us to Manready Mercantile, a masculine men’s boutique in Houston’s Heights district (the city’s most charming neighborhood for sure). Peruse a fine selection of menswear, accessories and skin care goods. Items from the pantry such as Whiskey Soaked Campfire Jerky and White Cheddar Carolina Corn are Texas made.

Memorial Park

Memorial Park
On a gorgeous sunny afternoon it’s like a convention of the active and outdoorsy as all of Houston it seems gathers at this nearly 1,500 acre green space which offers a much needed respite from the hustle and bustle of the city. Memorial Park includes an 18-hole golf course, a very popular 3-mile running loop, facilities for tennis, softball, croquet and volleyball, bike trails and so much more. The Houston Arboretum and Nature Center also sits within the park.

Space Montrose
One of the cutest boutiques in town, Space Montrose is unique in that all the goods in this Montrose charmer and so called “Happiest store in town” are made in the USA and 50% of the merchandise is made locally. Items include cute paper products, charming t-shirts, chic handbags, picture frames, fine art and so much more.

Menil Collection

Menil Collection
We told you Houstonians love their art and we’re not kidding. The Menil Collection, a free museum housing more than 16,000 pieces of fine art stretching from the Paleolithic era to present day is as good an introduction to the city’s cultural scene as any and even better, it’s just one part of a 30-acre campus that also includes single artist buildings devoted to Cy Twombly and Dan Flavin and also the contemplative Rothko Chapel.

WHERE TO STAY

The Houstonian

Houstonian Texas is the kind of state where tradition still rules and this country-meets-city retreat and spa could double as the setting for a Southern belle’s coming of age party. Located a stone’s throw from the Galleria mall, but nestled on 18 acres of land, this combination hotel, spa and sports club kind of has it all. And by that we mean numerous restaurants, beautiful grounds for racquet sports, swimming and other activities and a lavish spa all in a country chic setting.

Hotel Derek

Hotel Derek
Boutique chic near the Galleria, the Hotel Derek is that perfect combination of whimsy, affordability and style. Squished between several busy intersections, it nevertheless feels like a little oasis with its intimate pool, legitimately tasty onsite restaurant Revolve and handsome guest rooms. We like that even standard rooms are generous in size and also that the Derek is central to Space City’s best shopping.

Tagged: Hotels, Uncategorized