Where to Eat during Latin Restaurant Weeks
Image: Courtesy Becca Wright
Hurricane Beryl came barreling down on Houston July 8 and left devastation in its tracks, but once again, just like after May’s derecho, the city’s restaurant industry has proven its resiliency, and as the saying goes, the show must go on.
Latin Restaurant Weeks is back for its sixth year, a great way for Houstonians to support Latin restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, food trucks, and bakeries. The initiative, which began in Houston and is now in seven cities, aims to not only uplift the Latin food scenes of major metropolitan areas, but also educate the community on the differences these cuisines have to offer. More than 10 different Latin American countries are represented throughout Houston, which comes as no surprise—Hispanics make up nearly 45 percent of the city’s population.
“For the past six years, Latin Restaurant Weeks has worked tirelessly to elevate the visibility of our cherished local eateries, and this celebration takes place during a critical time,” says Karinn Chavarria-Luckett, cofounder of Latin Restaurant Weeks. “Our participants experience a decline in consumerism during the slow summer months, and many restaurants have to find creative ways to stay afloat.”
And then, of course, there’s the natural disasters. The initiative began July 5 and was only supposed to run until July 19, but due to the power outages brought on by Hurricane Beryl, it’s being extended through July 26. These outages, especially prolonged ones, mean losses to inventory and revenue, as well as Houston restaurant workers being left without their usual paycheck. Some restaurants that were without power most of last week and only just reopened will benefit from the extended time, such as fan favorites Ema and Cochinita & Co. Although the restaurant wasn’t able to participate in all LRW days as planned, you can still support Cochinita by purchasing either an e-card or placing an order from the market shop.
In the meantime, here are some of the best deals we think you’ll love at restaurants that thankfully have the lights back on. To check out the full list, visit Latin Restaurant Weeks’ website.
Image: Courtesy Paula Murphy
Backstreet Cafe
River oaks
Backstreet Café has been serving Houstonians for the last 40 years, and since 1995, has been under the direction of executive chef Hugo Ortega. With a menu full of Southern, Cajun, Creole, Hispanic, and Asian influences, this restaurant truly embodies what Houston means when we say we’re a diverse city.
For LRW, you can enjoy Backstreet’s hot chicken sandwich with fried chile-brined chicken, habanero salsa, coleslaw, dill pickles, and chipotle aioli. It’s served on a brioche bun with a side of fries. The sandwich is priced at $16, and you can add a Mexican Coke for $3.
Cafe Piquet Cuban Cuisine
bellaire
This traditional Cuban spot prides itself in creating a family-friendly atmosphere, while providing delicious meals that are influenced by techniques that have been used in Cuban culture since the 1950s.
The café is offering a $25 three-course meal during LRW. For the appetizer, you can choose either a mango shrimp cocktail or a “bruschetta Latina” topped with toasted almonds, cilantro sauce, and truffled pear slices. For the entrée you have a choice of either a traditional ropa vieja (shredded beef cooked in tomato and wine sauce) served with rice and maduros, or a marinated pork steak, topped with a tropical citrus salsa. And for dessert, take your pick of a flan or a natilla Catalana.
Image: Courtesy Rebekah Flores
Late August
midtown
This long-awaited restaurant by Chris Williams, chef-owner of Lucille’s, mixes southern Mexican dishes with West African influences. For this year’s LRW, the restaurant will be offering a lunch, dinner, and dessert menu. For lunch ($25), you can choose one appetizer between the Texas caesar salad or field pea hummus, and one of three entrées: chile relleno, a smashburger, or crispy puplo (red pepper romesco, yucca, mole crunch, shrimp chorizo, and corn velouté).
On the dinner menu ($55), similar to lunch, you can choose one appetizer and one entrée. The options for appetizers include a crudo (cobia, mignonette granita, mole crunch, orange, and chile de arbol), a 1913 salad (tomatoes, heirloom cucumber, sandia, and toasted sesame dressing) or the gumbo. For entrées, choose either the chile relleno, A1 braised strip loin, Louisiana BBQ shrimp, or the costillas pibil, which is made with a half-rack of ribs, achiote barbecue sauce, avocado cream, pickled red onion, and red corn tortillas.
And for dessert, Late August is offering its arroz con leche brûlée. At an extra cost, you can add a mocktail, wine, or cocktail pairing to either menu.
The Original Ninfa's Uptown
uptown
Although we love the Original Ninfa’s on Navigation, it’s time to show some love to the restaurant’s Uptown location. This year, the restaurant is offering a vast LRW menu. For $14, you can get a coctel costeño made with Gulf shrimp, blue crab, cucumber, avocado, jicama, and citrus juice. Other chef specials you can choose from include an asado estilo Nuevo León for $19, made with half a grilled chicken with salsa adobo, tomato, and cucumber salad, and served with tortillas; the costillas de res ($24), made with cross-cut flanken ribs, ensalada nopales, salsa molcajete, served with tortillas; or a margarita lime pie ($9) made with tequila, gingersnap crust, triple sec whipped cream, and a sprinkle of sea salt.
As for cocktails, you can order either a Paloma de Oaxaca for $13 or an El Diablo for $14. And for wine lovers, there are two options as well, either a Fillaboa Albariño for $12 or Las Nubes Garnacha for $13.
Tacos Doña Lena
Lazybrook/timbergrove, Spring Branch
This restaurant’s first location in Spring Branch quickly earned lots of love from the Houston foodie community since its opening in April 2020 thanks to its birria tacos, quesabirria, and authentic homemade salsas. Now, it’s expanded to a second location in the Lazybrook/Timbergrove neighborhood near the Heights and is continuing to increase its presence in Houston with the help of LRW.
For this year’s menu, the restaurant has pollo con mole for $18, which includes chicken topped with homemade mole and is served with Mexican rice, refried beans, and handmade corn tortillas. Or, also for $18, you can get enmoladas—three enchiladas filled with pulled chicken and queso fresco, topped with mole—with Mexican rice and refried beans on the side.
