1901
The City of Houston
Bans tamale vendors from Market Square; street vendors are banned from downtown to this day

1918
Ye Olde College Inn
Popularizes “fusion” cuisine like Shrimp Polynesian

1923
James Coney Island
Begins serving Greek-style chili recipe, never stops

1927
Kaphan’s
Impresses as one of the city’s first fine dining establishments to have an integrated dining room

1930
Moeller’s Bakery
Begins serving petit fours, still the prettiest in town

1935
Shepherd Drive Bar-B-Q (now Pizzitola’s)
For a time, white patrons eat in the parking lot of what’s originally a black barbecue joint

1938
Guy’s Meat Market
Sells “hambergers” with “pickols, unyuns and jalipinos” to this day

1941
Old Monterrey (now Molina’s)
Produces a great bowl of chili, then and now

1942
Triple A
Somehow convinces Houston that chicken-fried steak should be offered at breakfast, lunch, and dinner

1946
Barbecue Inn
A perpetual misnomer; the fried chicken’s what they come for

1948
Felix Mexican Restaurant
Creates city’s most divisive bowl of queso

1949
Three Brothers Bakery
Bakes rye bread, challah, and bialys using Eastern European recipes

1949
Maxim’s
Teaches Houston how to eat with a knife and fork

1952
Nielsen’s Delicatessen
Concocts the best homemade mayonnaise in Houston

1952
City Café
The once and future place to smoke over your chicken-fried steak and coffee

1954
Doyle’s
Makes pizza popular in Houston

1965
Tony’s
Goes from fancy, fussy French to modern Italian in four decades

1967
Brennan’s
Generations are raised on its turtle soup with sherry

1967
Dot’s Coffee Shop
A 24-7 diner that has rarely closed its doors

1967
Look’s Sir-Loin Inn
Opens as the third largest restaurant in the country, next door to the 8th Wonder of the World

1969
China Garden
Will continue to make egg rolls from scratch till the Apocalypse

1970
Los Tios
Gives the city its first frozen margaritas

1972
Hobbit Café
Serves up vegetarian cuisine and all the Tolkien you can tolerate

1973
Ninfa’s
Creates tacos al carbon, launches fajitas craze

1976
Don’s Seafood
Sparks Houston’s love affair with crawfish

1977
Niko Niko’s
Surprises the city with dolmades, lamb shanks, and tzatziki sauce made the old Greek way

1977
Goode Co. BarbeQue
Pairs pecan pie with ’cue, makes them inseparable

1978
Mai’s
Brings first taste of Vietnamese food to many Houstonians

1980
Cafe Annie
A young Robert del Grande helps invent Southwestern Cuisine

1981
Pappas Seafood House
A young Tilman Fertitta briefly waits tables

1982
Kim Son
Founded on 250 recipes brought straight from Vietnam

1983
Pho Binh
Serves pho for breakfast, and from a double-wide trailer

1988
Churrascos
Introduces South American steaks to the city

1990
Fung’s Kitchen
Authentic Chinese dim sum now spreads across 25,000 square feet

1994
Boulevard Bistrot
Orchestrates collision between local ingredients and modern fusion

1997
Mark’s American Cuisine
Brings fine dining at last to Lower Westheimer

2002
Hugo’s
Proves that Mexican can go upscale

2007
Reef
Promotes bycatch from trash fish to main course