The best location of this popular chain is right off Morningside Drive, nestled among Rice Village’s quaint shops. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Black Walnut’s menu options include tacos, burgers, wraps, pastas, salads, and sandwiches. Make sure you leave room at your table for the vegetarian in your life, as the restaurant serves a bevy of vegetarian fare, including a Beyond Burger.

A visit to this Rice Village staple, open for nearly two decades, is akin to taking a quick vacation to France—only you don’t have to go through the hassle of boarding a plane to get your authentic French café experience. Staples like the Prince Edwards Island mussels served in a white wine cream sauce are a must, as is the boeuf Bourguignon.

Standouts at this restaurant include the beet carpaccio, the Houston Dairymaids cheese board, the chicken parmesan, the pepperoni and goat cheese pie, and the lightly creamy spaghetti carbonara with salumi toscano and an egg that’s broken tableside by your server. If you have a larger party (up to 20 people), be sure to book the “dough room,” the former pasta- and pizza-making space that now serves as a private dining room.

This small bakery and café’s coziness is part of the draw for local regulars who’ve made it a go-to gathering place. Croissant-Brioche sells satisfying French pastries like croissants and pains aux raisins, and has a great coffee program to boot. It’s a perfect place to catch up with a friend or read the Sunday newspaper.

Get that Italian feel without having to hop on a plane. This restaurant serves authentic Northern and Sicilian food while also boasting an imported market featuring items straight from Italy. A romantic covered patio adds to the overall cozy-digs feeling. Paninis, gelato, or wood-fired pizza—take your pick—D’Amico’s has all the options if tonight’s mood is relaxed Italian.

While French cuisine has developed a bit of a stuffy reputation, there’s something refreshing about Benjy Levit’s new contemporary French restaurant Eau Tour—from its beautiful retro decor to its creative food and cocktails. Start with the smoky hamachi crudo and the leek salad then progress to the grilled octopus or beef Bourguignon. End your meal with a scoop of the seasonal sorbet.

Sof Hospitality has a track record of doing outstanding things. First came steakhouse Doris Metropolitan, then Badolina Bakery and Cafe, one of the best places for pastries and a coffee in Houston. Hamsa, the group’s new modern Israeli concept, is no less impressive. Chefs Sash Kurgan and Yotam Dolev’s menu offers a world of possibilities, from the flavorful salatim to a hummus that blows any other local options fully out of the water. Rounding out the menu are several options for grilled skewers, whole grilled branzino, and the unforgettable Baladi eggplant, whole roasted and served on a bed of tahini with pine nuts and pomegranate.

You’re in for an authentic Greek experience in this snug dining room. Start with the feta-rich htipiti dip and the Greek salad made with heirloom tomatoes, Persian cucumbers, and feta. Follow that with the greens and cheese pie (it’s like spanakopita but even better) and the feta-brined chicken. The extensive wine list, all Greek, includes selections from the mainland as well as islands like Santorini.

The lahmacun—a cheesy, thin-crust Turkish pizza—is a specialty at this friendly spot with red-checkered tablecloths and a covered patio. It’s perfect for sharing, as are the grilled kebabs, from lamb to chicken to eggplant. Start your meal with the lebni, a yogurt with dill, garlic, and walnuts, and finish with the baked rice pudding.

Local Foods is part of Benjy Levit’s family of restaurants. The modern cafe mini-chain is especially famous for its decadent sandwiches like the truffle egg salad or the famous “crunchy” chicken, stacked with as much local produce as two slices of bread will hold. The salads here are also worth writing home about. The Rice Village location also has a small gourmet food and gift market among the restaurant’s booth seating.

Another success from the Bludorn team, Navy Blue matches the excellent food and service from the first concept in Fourth Ward and put a seafood spin on it in the former Politan Row food hall space. Settle in for a full dinner with a branzino, red snapper, or Ora King salmon, or simply take a seat at the bar and dig into a smoked mahi mahi dip with pineapple chow chow, and the satisfying grouper sandwich with tomato and caper aioli.

In 2019, owner Shanon Scott rebranded the eatery Sud Italia, which opened at the corner of Morningside and University in 2015 with cuisine of southern Italy, as Roma Ristorante, now focusing on covering food from multiple regions of the country. The menu hews to classic and modern Italian cuisine, bringing in traditional pastas and recipes unique to each region, while incorporating proteins of land and sea.

Sweet Paris boasts savory and sweet crêpes of every type: Choose from extensive options such as apple cinnamon crème brûlée crêpe or a simple ham and Gruyère as you sit on the sunny patio. Take a chance and order something that the crêperie is less known for, such as a full lunch with the Croque Madame, a plate complete with scrambled eggs, Gruyère, smoked ham, and béchamel sauce.