Start with the Coppa Caesar or fried mozzarella, then spring for a margherita pizza and pasta dishes such as spaghetti carbonara and penne alla coppa. The drinks menu has something for everyone with cocktails, mocktails, and wine.

Helen’s menu of great Greek food and wine would make Dionysus himself descend from Olympus. What they accomplish with simple roasted and grilled vegetables is true art. We love the trip of dips—red peppers and feta, chickpea, and tzatziki—and the roasted beets with olives, pistachios, and sesame-mint dressing. And you should definitely try the sparkling Greek orange wine.

Sof Hospitality brought stellar Israeli cuisine to Houston when the group opened Hamsa in Rice Village in 2022. Expect lamb hummus with caramelized onions and pine nuts; an Israeli salad featuring cucumber, tomato, red onion, parsley, cilantro, and mint; Baladi eggplant with pomegranate; and meat skewers on actual swords. Pair your meal with one of Hamsa’s cocktails, like one made with arak, a Middle Eastern anise spirit.

Although open for lunch and dinner as well, Hungry’s takes particular pride in its Sunday brunch menu, which features a selection of classic benedicts and breakfast plates. Best of all, vegetarians and vegans can enjoy options other than salad and french fries.

While you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu here, Istanbul receives the most raves for its pide, a Turkish flatbread with various toppings. Even if you’re wanting something light, the lentil soup, an appetizer (we love the leeks), and a Turkish coffee that hits like a truck (in the best possible sense) is all you need to feel happy here.

This fan favorite has four locations in Houston and is a great spot when looking for a quick bite while on the go. Local Foods uses fresh ingredients to make a variety of sandwiches, salads, entrees, and sides. The “harvest” salad and sandwich options change with the seasons, as does the lemonade, and you should definitely add the potato salad side to any order. At the Rice Village location, remember to check out the LFM Market adjacent to the restaurant, which sells plenty of goodies from small food makers to take home—think fancy Canadian tinned fish and Japanese barbecue sauce.

Chef Aaron Bludorn opened his second Houston restaurant in Rice Village in 2022, a celebration of the Texas Gulf Coast and all it has to offer. From daily oyster offerings to classic clam chowder, crab cakes, and blackened red snapper, you’ll be sure to find something that satisfies that seafood craving. Navy Blue also serves brunch on weekends, with menu items like a crab benedict with green beans, tomato jam, and Dijon hollandaise.

Pasha has graced Rice Village for 20 years and is the best of the best for Turkish food alongside its venerable neighbor Istanbul Grill & Deli. The restaurant serves a wealth of kebab options as well as specialties like manti, Turkish ravioli stuffed with ground lamb. Pasha also has plenty of vegetarian dishes, and don’t sleep on the dessert menu, particularly the Turkish flan known as kazandibi.

Some might know this spot by its previous name, Sud Italia—which opened in 2015—but in 2019 owner Shanon Scott rebranded the restaurant. Roma explores all the flavors of Italy’s various regions, from small pasta plates like the spaghetti al limone made with roasted lemon and a creamy pecorino sauce to larger entrées like the sweet corn and caramelized onion ravioli topped with lobster.

This speakeasy bar, tucked away above Local Foods, is the perfect place to get some much-needed rest after a long day of walking around the shops at Rice Village. From 4 to 6pm, Lees Den offers a happy hour menu full of light bites, cocktails, and wines by the glass. Or stop by a little later to indulge in a whole bottle and dinner, featuring dishes like a crab roll with aioli and smoked trout roe and salmon skewers with tzatziki, dill zhoug, and sumac.

This chain is basically the grackle of bars, considering a Little Woodrow’s pops up everywhere there’s space to be found in Texas. It’s the sort of place most people will agree on when organizing a spontaneous post-work drink hangout—especially if there’s a big game playing on one of the numerous HDTVs. With its smaller size, the Rice Village location has a unique vibe differentiating it from the rest of the chain’s spots in the Houston area. It will make you feel like you’ve walked into a college dive bar—which is fitting considering the proximity to Rice University.

Named after the Rice mascot, this friendly neighborhood watering hole provides free popcorn and jukebox selections to accompany a game of darts or shuffleboard. On Tuesdays the bar offers tango classes, Wednesdays feature $6 wine specials, and Geeks Who Drink stops by on Thursdays for trivia night.

If you’re a sucker for Texas T-shirts, Houston hats, greeting cards, cute and relatable prints, magnets, and stickers, this is the place for you. Anvil carries some original designs from local artists, while others are from independent card shops and letterpress card studios from across the country. The shop is great when you’re in need of a quick gift for a loved one or simply have the itch to treat yourself.

Whether you’re a Brit looking for a taste of home (literally and figuratively), a shopper seeking unique gifts for loved ones, or a collector of British pop culture memorabilia, no trip to Rice Village is complete without a stop at this lovely import shop. Hours could be lost on browsing the tea section alone. We come here for the Tunnock’s and Penguin chocolate bars, the pork pies from the frozen section, and minced pies and crackers around the holidays.

While many stores in Rice Village are meant for splurging, relative newcomer Crossroads offers fashion at affordable prices. The thrift store always has cool resale pieces, with plenty of Madewell and Zara as well as a small designer rack. Hot tip: around rodeo time, the shop stocks up on cowboy boots and other western wear.

If you fancy a fine writing instrument or stationery, Dromgoole’s is a must. If you don’t, well, Dromgoole’s can make you a believer. This charming store promotes a love for the art of penmanship and keeping calligraphy alive through pop-ups, Space City Pen Club meetings, pen convention appearances (in-person and virtual), and more. At the shop, you can spring for items like an heirloom fountain pen, but even if you’re looking for a simple ballpoint that won’t stick when you jot down notes, Dromgoole’s has your back.

The beloved Fundamentally Toys specializes in tactile children’s entertainment with a focus on the educational. Handy kids and teens will especially love the selection of science-minded kits allowing them to build simple trebuchets, robot hands, and planetary models. However, there’s quite literally something here to appeal to curious, imaginative minds of all ages. Yes, even adults.

The Rice Village Farmers Market happens on the first and third Sundays of the month from 9am to 1pm and offers a range of packaged goods and some produce. As with most farmers markets, the vendors can change from week to week, so you may want to ask your favorites when they’ll be headed to Rice Village next and keep an eye out on the market’s social media for the lineup.

If pets are the new children, then plants are the new pets. Though known primarily as a florist designing date night and wedding bouquets outside the Village, River Oaks Plant House also offers a lush selection of topiaries (the hanging monkey is a delight), succulents, orchids, and other gorgeous flora. The shop even sells packages with flowers and an appropriate wine selection, because of course it does.

A sister concept of Hamsa and Doris Metropolitan, this bakery offers excellent Middle Eastern and fusion baked goods. Choose from one of the croissants (butter, pistachio, almond raspberry, and chocolate), the bakery’s various cookies and cakes, or try a savory treat like the sambusak. Make sure to stop by on a Sunday for the “crioches” or on Fridays for a whole babka. If you find yourself with a craving for fresh bread, buy some of the bakery’s classic or seeded baguette sourdough. Better yet, grab a coffee too and sit out on the patio to watch the world of shoppers go by.

Croissant Brioche serves sandwiches, soups, quiche, and French pastries. A beloved community gathering space, it’s perfect for catching up with a friend, doing a little bit of work, or reading the Sunday paper.

Since 1975, Main Street Theater—which makes its home in both Rice Village as well as the MATCH in Midtown—has featured notable Houston playwrights, directors, and actors in daring, challenging productions. These days, it provides fellowships to ensure that underrepresented BIPOC creators receive equal opportunities in the theater arts.

Opened in 2017, the Moody Center for the Arts on Rice University’s campus is not as well-known as Houston’s older museums, but it packs a punch. There are always ambitious and thought-provoking shows here, from local artists like JooYoung Choi to national and international talent. Best of all? The Moody is always free.

If you’ve seen a mural featuring gorgeous women in a midcentury comic book style redolent of Jack Kirby, that’s the colorful work of Houston’s own Michael C. Rodriguez. Located behind Shake Shack at the corner of Kirby and Amherst, this lovely piece pays retro-futuristic homage to the city’s integral role in the nation’s space program.

Blocks away from the Village, Rice is without a doubt the most picturesque campus Houston has, the only one with stately old brick buildings and ample green space. The university was founded in 1891 and opened in 1912 with the fortune of William Marsh Rice—although this almost didn’t happen, if his assassinators had had their way. Today, taking a stroll here feels like being in a New England college town. Rice’s most popular attraction is by far James Turrell’s Skyspace.

James Turrell’s Twilight Epiphany Skyspace is an icon of Houston arts, a gorgeous geometric pavilion that changes colors dramatically every day at sunrise and sunset. Rice’s Shepherd School of Music, as well as local dance and performance companies, often use it as a space to showcase their students’ skills.

This three-mile loop surrounds both Rice Village and Rice University, providing just as much of an aesthetic experience as a workout. Just try not to run into one of the many photographers frequently chronicling the magnificent oaks lining the path.