Frederick McBride, a former orchestra director turned commercial fisherman, has spent years providing fresh-caught Gulf Coast seafood to well-known Houston restaurants. Now, he’s opened his own spot in the same neighborhood he grew up in. Best known as Captain Fred, McBride opened his flagship fast-casual seafood spot on May 7 in Third Ward. The premise is as straightforward as it gets: Captain Fred and his team catch black drum and blue crab in Galveston Bay, bring them straight to the kitchen, and fry them up. The menu is intentionally tight—fried fish, fried popcorn shrimp, fried crab fingers, po'boys, and crab cake sandwiches, each served with two sides and a drink for under $20. McBride tapped local chefs for various parts of the menu. Chris Williams of Lucille’s helped craft the crab cake recipe. James Beard Award-winning Chris Shepherd provided guidance on the remoulade, and chef Joe Cervantez on the tartar sauce, which rounds out the plates. 

Chef Benchawan Jabthong Painter of Street to Kitchen—better known as Chef G—has built a reputation on unapologetic Thai cuisine with spice levels she won’t alter for anyone (Madonna included), earning her the 2023 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Texas. Street to Kitchen, the East End restaurant she and her husband, Graham Painter, grew from pop-ups and homesickness into one of Houston's most celebrated dining destinations, is just the beginning. Now, the two are back with something entirely different. Hosted in an intimate space next door to Street to Kitchen, Jantra is an eight-seat tasting concept where Chef G plates dishes untethered from cuisine, geography, and expectation. Graham’s beverage pairings follow the same instinct—flavor, contrast, memory, and storytelling over conventional wine service. It’s not a Thai restaurant. It’s not any one thing. That’s the point.

Considering the abundance of great Tex-Mex and Mexican restaurants and institutions in Houston, it’s not uncommon to give a newly opened restaurant some serious side-eye. We were skeptical, too, but Johnny Rita’s holds its own. This Northside restaurant combines Tex-Mex classics with Oaxacan traditions and Baja-inspired seafood. Find the most toothsome sopes topped with trompo pastor, juicy carnitas, tlayudas, and fajitas, plus the standard complement—a solid margarita. Order one of its various combinations to sample three of the hits—tacos, enchiladas, sopes, quesadillas, or carnitas, all of which are served with rice and beans. Go classic with tres leches, or try chocoflan, a delicious blend of chocolate cake and flan reminiscent of cheesecake. Drive in, or take the MetroRail. It's located right off the line.

Most Houstonians associate Mac Haik with car dealerships, but his legacy runs deeper than that—he helped shape the Energy Corridor, caught the first touchdown pass ever thrown in the Astrodome, and played for the Houston Oilers. Now, his family’s restaurant group is channeling all of that into Kirkwood, a modern clubhouse that opened May 11 inside Energy Tower II. Gin Design Group translated that history into the space beautifully: an Astrodome replica greets you at the door, and Oiler-era nods are woven throughout, making the room feel less like a restaurant and more like a love letter to Houston. Chef Stephen Chiang, who came up at Per Se and the NoMad before making his mark locally at UB Preserv and The Blind Goat, leads a menu of upscale American fare that delivers where it counts. The truffle Parmesan ravioli is the kind of dish that follows you home. The steaks are serious business, and the Club holds its own. Cocktails play into the theme with an Oiler 86—Kirkwood’s riff on a French 75 that’s a nod to Haik’s old jersey number.

The owners behind the East End Italian restaurant Mimo opened this charming, tiny neighborhood shop serving sandwiches with big flavor. The options are focused and fresh, with two stars served on a toasted rosetta roll: mortadella layered with a beefy slice of fior di latte, arugula, and homemade pesto, and a formaggio, where mozzarella stars alongside corn and zucchini fritters. Plus, a special that's rotated often. Pair with a soda or flavored sparkling water and chips or Italian cookies. Then double back to the counter for a scoop SweetCup's rose milk or fig-and-goat-cheese gelato (Affogatos are also available). Tables are limited, but luckily, all sandwiches are wrapped to go. Bring a card or tap payment option with you. La Rosa is cashless. 

Boasting cowboy cuisine and a family-friendly atmosphere, this Heights restaurant opened with a bang, prompting neighbors to complain about the ruckus. We can see why. The noise and hype are real. Though deemed family-friendly, the food doesn’t cut corners. All breads and pastries are made in-house, resulting in irresistible Cowboy milk buns with honey butter, a sundae served with a warm cookie, peach cobbler, and an elk burger served on fresh buns. Other highlights include the hefty mustard-black-pepper-crusted rotisserie Heritage-style chicken with warm potato salad, wood-fired prime cuts of beef, and homemade pizzas. For parents like me, they’ve thought of everything—a sprawling back patio, TVs, and a playground, a pond with turtles that will keep the littles entranced, and a live music stage. Inside, there’s a mix of table and bar seating, plus a pizza oven area with counter seating so folks can watch the pizza-making in action. Visiting during the day? Check out the front breakfast cafe, which has its own arts-and-crafts station, a coloring area, and some of the best brunch in town.

If you’re a fan of Love Croissant, brace yourself. Chef Omar Pereney opened this all-day bistro and bakery in Market Square in June. Freshly made croissants and breads are the foundation, with pastries, lemon blueberry French toast, and smoothie bowls for breakfast, and chicken club, Croque Monsieur, and smoked salmon avocado toast for lunch. Feeling fancy? Dine al fresco in the park with a caviar set or steak frites with a glass of Champagne. Cool down with a scoop of butter pecan ice cream or raspberry sorbet.

Texas knows its beef, and there are plenty of steakhouses to choose from. Add this one by Chef Ford Fry to your list. Start with the shrimp cocktail and the potato skins, then move on to the steak dinners—all of which come with unlimited sides of salad, onion rings, fries, and warm, buttery house milk rolls. For those who don’t eat beef, try the chicken-fried chicken or blackened redfish. If you’re willing to put your stomach to the test, try the 76er Challenge and earn a free meal and a photo on the wall if you finish a 76-ounce steak with one round of sides (note: only one person successfully completed the challenge as of our recent visit). End with brown-butter saltine-crunch soft-serve ice cream or a slice of pie à la mode. Bonus: Those missing Superica can still score its cult-favorite pancakes during brunch.

Comma Hospitality—the group behind omakase restaurant Neo and vinyl listening bar Kira—opened its fourth concept in just two years on April 21. Located next door to Kira in River Oaks District, the yakitori and izakaya spot is rooted in binchotan charcoal cooking and the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, which embraces imperfection as a form of craft.

Skewers are meant to be the main attraction: meticulously sourced whole chickens butchered in-house yield juicy cuts of oyster, neck, and tail, all grilled over Japanese charcoal. Beyond yakitori, the menu gets more playful—with a menchi katsu curry, a Wagyu burger worth the visit alone, and an udon carbonara that almost every patron at the bar ordered on a recent visit. The light and airy space is a nice contrast to the dark and immersive Kira next door, and makes for an easy visit for drinks and small plates.