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Behind Canino’s is an open-air Hispanic market called Airline Farmers Market. While it doesn’t offer hyper-local products, the brush with this part of Houston‘s culture makes up for it. You’ll find things like fresh produce, all sorts of dried chilies, plants, and spices. Bring cash if you plan to buy, and take advantage of the taco trucks in the back! Open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

Yes, there might be a line. Yes, you need to go anyway. The Breakfast Klub is a Houston institution for good reason—you’ll find simple food, done right. Choose from classic breakfast dishes like French toast, omelettes, and biscuits and gravy, or order a more imaginative combination, like the Wings & Waffle (six chicken wing pieces and a Belgian waffle topped with a fresh strawberry and powdered sugar) or the Katfish & Grits (catfish fillet with grits, potatoes or eggs, and a choice of toast or biscuit). Despite the restaurant’s name, breakfast isn’t served all day here—catch it from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Helmed by Chef Danny Trace, a New Orleans native whose resume includes stints at Commander’s Palace and Cafe Adelaide, Brennan’s is the kind of place you go to for well-executed classics: Oysters Rockefeller, Shrimp and Grits, Gulf Fish Pontchartrain. But should you happen to venture into less predictable territory, you’ll be just as pleased. Still, every meal should end with bananas foster prepared tableside.

Here you’ll find very authentic Sichuan-style Chinese food in the heart of Houston‘s sprawling Asian community. The chef is a Sichuan native who’s not bashful about his use of the region’s distinct peppercorns and chili oil. Mala seems to be the restaurant that has everyone venturing out to Chinatown and has picked up a lot of press in local papers and magazines.

An anchor in CityCentre (the 37-acre, mixed-use development unveiled in west Houston in 2009), Hotel Sorella has an intimate, boutique feel with graphic interior touches and contemporary furnishings. Guest rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows, walk-in showers, and custom beds with Egyptian cotton linens and non-allergenic goose down and foam pillows. Amid 22 upscale shops (Lululemon, Kendra Scott, Anthropologie, Free People, Paper Source, and H&M) and an eight-screen Studio Movie Grill, the hotel’s back door is an outdoor plaza with green space where kids can run around. Musicians play Wednesday through Saturday. The open-air, European-style development caters to pedestrians and alfresco dining.

Ah, Tiny Boxwood’s—this place is super relaxing. It’s a bit tucked away, inside a plant nursery complex, but absolutely lovely once you find it. It’s a great place to get brunch and a delicious lemonade.

What we love: A true five-star stay in the heart of a booming city

The Highlights:
- Diverse on-site dining options
- Spacious rooms with thoughtful details like sink-side ring holders
- The best hotel spa in town

The Review:
Thank Tilman Fertitta—the billionaire visionary behind the Landry’s Inc. restaurant group, the Houston Rockets, and numerous entertainment and hospitality ventures—for Houston’s only AAA Five Diamond hotel. Determined to give his booming hometown the luxury hotel “it deserves,” Fertitta oversaw every detail of The Post Oak’s creation, from choosing the art (you’ll find pieces by Frank Stella, Robert Motherwell, Donald Sultan and others, many from Fertitta’s own collection) to working with the designers and adding useful touches to the rooms (like sink-side ring holders and shaving mirrors in the showers). The 250 rooms and 20 residences are spacious and sophisticated, crafted with top-quality materials and furnishings (Fertitta estimates that about $1.5 million was spent per room, and it shows). All have showers and tubs, tablet control systems, and original photography on the walls; residences have full kitchens and dining rooms. For added perks, book a room on the Concierge Level and gain access to a food-and-drink-stocked lounge that overlooks the surrounding Uptown neighborhood.

As befits a restaurateur of Fertitta’s level, there are several drinking and dining options on site, including the locally inspired Bloom & Bee, Mastro’s Steakhouse, Willie G’s Seafood, H-Bar, Craft F&B for wood-fired pizza and pub grub, and Bouchee Patisserie for homemade sweets. When you’ve inevitably indulged in a meal or two, work it off on the hotel’s 20,000-square-foot wellness level, which includes a state-of-the-art gym and a spa with treatments both decadent (like pampering two-hour rituals) and high-tech (facials performed using the latest machines). If you really want to visit like a VIP, know that the hotel also features a helipad on top of the building, a pet salon, a 30,000-bottle-strong wine cellar that hosts private dinners, and a two-story auto showroom lined with Roll-Royces.

Houston’s first boutique hotel, the Lancaster is also the oldest continually operating hotel in town. Built in 1926 by Sicilian-born Houston investor Michele DeGeorge, it’s now owned by Texas-based hoteliers Matthew Newton, Jay Shinn, and their respective families, all of whom work hard to maintain the hotel’s reputation for personalized service and classic style.

Extensive renovations following Hurricane Harvey brought classic Regency style to the traditionally Italiante property, from clean, elegant lines to a more-open floor plan. The hotel also added a focus on visual arts, bringing in a collection of more than 200 contemporary works by renowned Texas artists to be displayed throughout the public spaces, suites, and 93 guestrooms. Rich in Houston history, the Lancaster was named a Texas historic landmark in 1984 and is now the city’s only member of Historic Hotels of America. Rooms are comfortable and immaculate—albeit cozy quarters. And just as if you were a guest in a friend’s home, there’s complimentary Wi-Fi and a full-service American breakfast buffet with coffee, housemade scones, granola, fruits, farm-to-table eggs, bacon, and sausage. At on-site restaurant Cultivated F+B, guests can also look forward to contemporary American dishes like deviled eggs, braised short rib tacos, and cast iron–seared scallops.

If you’re a sucker for chalkboards, simple design, local products, and good food and coffee, Revival Market is your place. Everything served at this café is homemade, from the flaky chocolate croissants and kolachs (fruit-filled pastries) to the breakfast tacos and sandwiches. While you’re there, you can also drool over the artisanal charcuterie and other local products.

Max’s Wine Dive asks, “Champagne and fried chicken? Why the hell not?!” which pretty much sums up their concept of pairing comfort foods with wine or champagne. This place gets packed at peak hours, yet the waiters stay attentive and friendly. If you want to experience Texas’s “classy comfort food movement,” Max’s is a great place to do it.

This is a fantastic high-end restaurant near the Galleria mall, housed in an elegant, modern building with an open but warm atmosphere. Open for lunch, brunch, and dinner, RDG features a menu that is contemporary, with a great deal of international influence.

A recent makeover of the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago from Houston-based Rottet Studio did away with the dark and clubby vibe common in older Chicago hotels in favor of a brighter natural palette. Today, the lobby is open and bedecked in oversize floral arrangements; the open-plan lounge there, with its modern glass chandelier, has become a high-end local watering hole known as the Social Bar. The new Adorn restaurant is now a big-night-out dining destination courtesy of chef Richie Farina’s creations that range from a perfectly prepared filet mignon to caviar and eggs. Upstairs, the 345 guest rooms—more than half are suites—feature understated grays and pale greens and come with deep soaking tubs and (if you ask) unimpeded views of Lake Michigan.

People love the inclusive, hill country (i.e., Austin-like) vibe of Cedar Creek. It has a solid food menu, wide selection of beers, and refreshing frozen cocktails. The Frozen Mimosas are a brunch must, or if you’re there later in the day, go for a Country Ass Tea. Photo via Cedar Creek Facebook page

Fitzgerald’s has been around since 1977, and has hosted some of the biggest names in music—like James Brown, Tina Turner, and the Ramones—in addition to giving a start to many local bands. The first floor of the two-story building has a full bar, small stage, and large back cobblestone patio with a separate bar. Upstairs is the main stage, accompanied by a full bar, balcony seating, and an inviting hardwood dance floor. Buy tickets online or at the door for shows several nights a week.