Located about 20 feet below the streets of downtown is an underground system that spans more than six miles long and connects 95 city blocks. You can find direct street access at Wells Fargo Plaza and McKinney Garage on Main Street. Once inside, pick and choose from various fast-casual options like Bullritos, Kolache Factory, Tacos A Go Go, Adair Downtown, Seaside Poke, Flip ’n Patties, and more.

Irma’s Original doesn’t have a menu. Instead, the offerings at this homey Mexican restaurant change every day based on what the kitchen cooks up that morning. To wash it all down, no trip to Irma’s is complete without its famous lemonade. A downtown staple since 1989, Irma’s earned the James Beard Award for America’s Classic in 2008.

One of the many food halls in downtown Houston, Finn Hall is home to 11 dining options. Our favorites include Papalo Taqueria (from the team behind the new and already highly acclaimed Ema) and Craft Burger, which serves some of the best burgers in town. Diners can also find Pizza Zquare, Maui Bento, Swallow’s Nest, Cranky Carrot Juice Co., the Smoke, Three Keys Coffee, Artistry, Carol Kay’s Café, and Firenoodz Houston. The full elevated bar in the center of the hall is the perfect place to stop by in a moment of indecisiveness.

Celebrity chef Troy Guard brought the space located on the ground floor of One Allen Center to life with restaurant that’s worth the splurge. The beautiful space gives diners the opportunity to peep into the open kitchen from above, and enjoy their dinner from comfortable, plush dark-blue banquette. Start off with braised Wagyu beef wontons then spring for the filet flight to try four ounces each of prime, Angus, and Wagyu cuts.

Parking downtown can be a real nightmare—we know this all too well, but if you’re looking for a bite to eat and free two-hour parking, the relatively new Lyric Market is the place to be. This downtown food market is filled with nine restaurants and a full-service cocktail bar. You’ll find an array of options such as po’boys, sushi, Mexican cuisine, coffee, and more. If you’re a brunch person, don’t forget to stop by on a Saturday or Sunday from 11am to 2pm for waffles and a juice at Café JuJu.

If there’s one chef name to know in Houston, it’s Hugo Ortega, who built a thriving local restaurant empire with his wife Tracy Vaught that includes the flagship, Hugo’s, as well as newer spots like Urbe. The couple’s downtown restaurant, Xochi, focuses on the regional cuisine of Oaxaca. Start your meal with whatever aguachile is in season, then ramp up with one of the mole-drenched entrees like the pork ribs (costillas de puerco) in ant mole or the braised beef cheeks (cachetes de res) in mole pasilla.

Need a place to pregame before an Astros game? Stop by Angel Share for a drink (or two, since Minute Maid Park is pricey) and some bites, then hop on a free shuttle to the stadium. But that’s not all—this bar is about giving back. Some of the profits are donated to local organizations, so you can enjoy some original cocktails, non-alcoholic creations, and more while doing your part in supporting the bar’s larger mission.

This bar is the place to be for all fans of speakeasies who want to overlook the craziness of Main Street from a safe distance. Find the door that appears to lead to a law office and head upstairs to the moody, dimly lit Bad News Bar. The bartenders know their stuff, offering by far the best cocktails in downtown Houston. Slide into a booth or sit out on the small mezzanine patio outside.

If lounges are your scene, the former Dean’s Credit Clothing—now just Dean’s—serves amazing cocktails (try The Wall and The House Shot) and hosts movie nights, open mic comedy, karaoke, and other events. And even if there’s nothing else going on, you can snuggle down in the plush couches and chairs while enjoying time with friends.

If you’re a fan of history and haunts, this is the spot for you. Now a two-story bar, La Carafe was originally built in 1847 and is listed on the National Register for Historic Places. It began as a bakery and became a bar in the 1950s. With its dimly lit ambiance, cash only register, and jukebox, you’ll feel as if you’ve walked straight into a time machine. Some even say it’s haunted.

If you need proof that Houston is weirder than Austin, head straight to Notsuoh, a Main Street staple since 1996. This dive is more like a living museum of oddities than a traditional bar, and you kind of have to go there to see what we mean. The three-story building shows Notsuoh’s commitment to all things experimental and eccentric with its strange art, graffitied walls, taxidermy, mannequins, shelves of old books and shoes, chess board…there’s even a trippy dome in the middle of the second floor with bean bag chairs. Notsuoh is everything aficionados of all things curious appreciate in a watering hole. Keep Houston weird, friends.

This relative newcomer to downtown describes itself as a “listening bar,” and that’s actually kind of on the nose. The outside is made to look like a record store with rows of vinyl, but inside, it’s more like a clubby but chill lounge where the DJ spins nostalgic hip-hop and R&B hits. On any given night, everyone at Off the Record is really here to vibe and listen to some great music—a nice departure from some of the more…erm…basic clubs in downtown and Midtown.

This beachy dive seems plucked straight from the heart of Midtown or Washington Avenue and right into the middle of downtown’s skyscrapers. If you’re thirsty after a night of theater, dance, or live music and want something exuberant and unfussy to cap off your time downtown, head to Sunny’s for a few rounds of pool, darts, and foosball. You may even luck into some test tube or Jell-O shot specials.

If you really want to mix with the locals downtown, go find them at an Astros game. A word of advice for out-of-towners: this is not the place to invoke the cheating scandal, unless you want to get vigorously booed out of the stadium. Minute Maid Park has a retractable roof that very occasionally comes off (to much fanfare) when it’s nice out, but the ballpark mostly stays closed due to the heat. Enjoy the game in the A/C, try out some great stadium food, engage with hype man Bobby Dynamite and his choo-choo train full of (fake, we checked) oranges, and don’t forget to clap clap clap clap when “Deep in the Heart of Texas” is played during the seventh-inning stretch.

Located in Sam Houston Park, the Heritage Society overlooks the old buildings on the property and holds educational programming for kids and adults alike. Its permanent exhibitions include a replica of the Duncan General Store, a Model T Ford, and 10 different historic homes, churches, and playhouses. A variety of specialized tours are also available, focusing on Black history, women’s history, and architecture. It’s going to take more than one day for history buffs to really soak everything up, but if your time is tight, opt for the docent-led home tours, which last about two hours.

Let’s put this out there into the universe: Phoenicia stores should be as ubiquitous as H-E-B. This expansive Mediterranean market sells fresh produce, all kinds of meat, baked goods, and fish alongside imported specialty spices, teas, coffee, pasta, cheeses, olives, housewares, and other staples of Southwest Asian, North African, and Southern European cuisine. Phoenicia also serves hot and cold meals for those on the go. Phoenicia’s crowning glory, however, is the highly entertaining conveyor belt rolling out its amazing bread, piping hot and begging for a little feta and olive oil on the side.

If you’d like to sit down and eat, head to the adjoining MKT Bar, which serves great pizzas, charcuterie, and an all-day weekend brunch menu featuring Texas and Mediterranean interpretations of established classics—try the baklava pancakes and chicken and waffles with maple syrup infused with Moroccan spices.

From a farmers market to yoga classes, this post office turned culture and food hub has various activities for Houstonians of all ages to enjoy. If you’re looking to branch out and try new cuisines, dine at spots like Soy Pinoy, which is partly behind Houston’s growing Filipino food scene. We also love chef Ope Amosu’s ChòpnBlok, which highlights Nigerian and other West African flavors. Post often hosts events such as artisan markets and holiday light displays, and it’s connected to 713 Music Hall, where you can see a variety of concerts and shows. Before you leave, don’t forget to travel up to the rooftop (called “Skylawn”) for a picturesque view of downtown.

The Buffalo Bayou Partnership has put in a lot of work recently to revitalize the green spaces that are connected to our waterways. With Buffalo Bayou’s Hike and Bike Trail, you can explore Buffalo Bayou Park, Buffalo Bayou Downtown, Buffalo Bayou East, the Cistern, Eleanor Tinsley Park, and many more destinations, all in one go.

Discovery Green is one of the city’s premiere destinations for free and low-cost entertainment. Just take a peek at that calendar for live music, art, flea markets, yoga, a book fest, a temporary roller rink… and all of this in addition to a water park, pond, food vendors, the Lake House café, playground, and dog run. There’s always something, and it’s always worthwhile. Parking here can be a challenge, but that’s true of pretty much anywhere downtown.

This new park unveiled in 2023 (price tag: $26.5 million) was created to connect the city’s beloved Theater District with a central gathering space. Located across from Jones Hall, the green space spans 1.5 acres and includes a flexible performance lawn, gardens, a cascading water feature, seating, lighting and sound elements, and mini murals. Make sure to check out the park's event page for upcoming fun.

Though only a fraction of Discovery Green’s size, Market Square Park is no slouch when it comes to entertaining Houstonians in search of free or otherwise affordable entertainment. There’s always the dog park, street art by local artists, the Lauren’s Garden 9/11 memorial, and the Niko Niko’s food stand. The park often hosts movie nights, bingo games, and live music. Be sure to keep an eye out for other events such as Doomsday Wrestling shows (they’re an all-ages-friendly delight!) and arts markets.

Sam Houston Park offers an amazing array of programming to help residents get to know the city’s past. The Kellum-Noble House, built in 1847, was recognized by UNESCO as the city’s oldest-confirmed home as a Site of Memory associated with the country’s slave route. The house itself isn’t going to be a light and fluffy experience; history often isn’t. But it needs—demands, even—acknowledgment.

Tranquility Park commemorates the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing with appropriately midcentury sci-fi aesthetics. It’s a peaceful place to take a walk during the day and a beautiful, dramatic viewing experience at night.

One of the crown jewels of Houston’s world-class theater scene, the Alley hosts premieres and major highlights on its main stage in the Hubbard Theater, while the black box Neuhaus Stage focuses on more experimental shows. Every summer, catch one of the Alley’s signature murder mysteries to add a little chill to your sweltering nights. Not in the mood for theater? The Alley is also one of the spots where you can catch Inprint’s $5 Margarett Root Brown Lecture Series events.

As the name probably tipped you off, Bayou Music Center is one of the best destinations for seeing big-name music and comedy acts in Houston (but you might remember its former name, Revention Music Center). Depending on what act performs that night, the line to get in can stretch across the entirety of the Bayou Place. Don’t believe us? Drive by it sometime when a K-pop act swings into town. Reserved seating and standing-room-only general admission are both available.

Give your regards to Broadway without having to hop on a plane. Traveling productions for Broadway Across America - Houston and Theatre Under the Stars (which also produces local musicals) play here beneath the famed sparkling ceiling. TUTS also produces shows at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park.

Houston Ballet’s main productions are held at the Wortham Center, but dance fans can still enjoy other performances, often recitals, at the company’s 175-seat Margaret Alkek Williams Dance Lab. The organization also hosts classes for kids and adults at all experience levels, with financial aid options available.

Houston Symphony and Performing Arts Houston (formerly Society for the Performing Arts) both call Jones Hall home, though plenty of traveling lecturers, comedians, dancers, storytellers, and musicians also pass through to entertain the city. Please note that while PAH operates out of Jones Hall, not every event it holds is hosted here.

Though not in the part of downtown considered the Theater District, Rec Room still deserves accolades as a prime spot to watch daring, experimental work by emerging talent as well as established artists looking to try something new. On a tight budget? No worries, the theater sometimes host free performances in the bar.

Though mainly known as the home of Houston Ballet and Houston Grand Opera, the two different halls that make up Wortham Center also host live music, plays, comedy, and other performances. You can also catch a kids’ matinee where you can introduce your little ones to Shakespeare, musicals, and more.