Fusion: The Taste of Houston

Where to embrace our storied cultural and culinary bounty. Plus: Fall arts preview, an Oaxaca getaway, farewells to Graffiti Park and Casa Ramirez, and the area's top doctors, as chosen by their peers.

In this issue:

Arts & Culture

A Legacy That Lasts

Main Street Theater Celebrates a Half Century in Houston

For five decades, Main Street Theater has nurtured Houston talent, challenged audiences, and built an enduring stage for the city's storytellers.

09/09/2025 By Holly Beretto

The Must List

Inside Houston’s Long-Running Reading Series That Costs Only $5

Since the 1990s, Inprint has brought literary legends like Margaret Atwood and Ta-Nehisi Coates to Houston stages—without breaking readers’ budgets.

07/24/2025 By Meredith Nudo

Sugoi

A MECA and JASH Collaboration Proves That Fusion Isn’t Just for Food

Working in tandem, the two organizations have created some interesting and unique crossovers between both Latin American and Japanese art, including printmaking and kendama.

07/01/2025 By Meredith Nudo

Dolla Dolla Bills

Houston Creatives Balance and Blend Their Day Jobs with Their Art

Being an artist can be financially precarious even for the most talented, but these creators show it’s possible to thrive even as they pursue careers elsewhere.

06/26/2025 By Meredith Nudo

Fundamental

These Houstonians Create Oases Among the City’s Literacy Deserts

In a county where one in three adults is functionally illiterate, Book Cycle, Class Bookstore, and Birthday Bash Box are all making books accessible to more people.

05/05/2025 By Meredith Nudo

Eat & Drink

Taste of Home

Michy’s Chino Boricua Brings Puerto Rican Chinese to Houston

At this Katy restaurant, crispy tostones and sizzling fried rice bring nostalgic flavors from Puerto Rico’s Chinese kitchens straight to Texas.

10/08/2025 By Meredith Nudo

A Family Affair

Oporto & Da Gama’s Blend of Cuisines Is Fueled by Life and Love

The restaurant in M-K-T Heights represents a new age of thinking in Houston that goes beyond the word “fusion.”

09/17/2025 By Emma Balter

A City Made for This

In Houston, ‘Fusion’ Isn’t a Fad—It’s the Future

These chefs aren't forcing cuisines together—they're cooking what reflects who they are, where they're from, and how they live in Houston today.

09/15/2025 By Sofia Gonzalez and Brittany Britto Garley

Fusion Follies

Yes Ma’am, No Ma’am: Houstonia’s Spiciest Takes on Houston’s Fusion Cuisine

Bao buns? No ma’am. Pho kolaches? Yes ma’am. Here’s what we’re loving—and side-eyeing—in Houston’s fusion food scene.

09/15/2025 By Erica Cheng

The Re-Mex

Beyond Tex-Mex: Houston Is a Culinary Mecca for Mexican Mash-Ups

Move over Tex-Mex. This new wave of Mexican mash-ups is helping to redefine the Houston culinary scene.

09/10/2025 By Brittany Britto Garley, Erica Cheng, and Sofia Gonzalez

Bayougraphy

Houston’s Top Chef Winner Tristen Epps Is Taking Diners on a Trip Through the African Diaspora

The James Beard Award semifinalist is bringing Afro-Caribbean fine dining to the Bayou City, with bold flavors and big dreams.

07/16/2025 By Sofia Gonzalez

A boozy destination

Botonica Blends Culture with Cocktails in River Oaks

The new bar from Julep alum Alexis Mjiares tells the story of the role Latin culture has played in cocktails since the 1600s.

06/25/2025 By Sofia Gonzalez

Sizzlin' Steaks

How Meat Mafia Became One of Houston’s Hottest Steak Nights

The group started as a drunken joke in 2019 and has since risen to culinary fame within the city’s beloved steak night tradition.

06/18/2025 By Sofia Gonzalez

Best of Both Worlds

Agnes and Sherman Gives Houston the Asian American Diner It Deserves

Look for dishes like a savory scallion waffle and al pastor fried rice at this highly anticipated new Heights restaurant by chef Nick Wong.

05/07/2025 By Sofia Gonzalez

Health & Wellness

Step By 10K Step

Where to Walk 10,000 Steps in Houston—And Why It’s Worth the Sweat

From heart health to longevity, the hype is real. Here's how to hit that number in Houston, even in the heat.

07/11/2025 By Mellanie Perez

Home & Real Estate

House Party

The Home Bar Has Made a Comeback in a Post-Pandemic World

In-house lounges are a place to entertain or just wind down.

05/28/2025 By Diane Cowen

News & City Life

Editor's Note

In Houston Restaurants, ‘Fusion’ Doesn’t Have to Be a Negative

The word used to feel like a slur. Not anymore.

09/16/2025 By Brittany Britto Garley

The Drawl

Rejected Houston Mottoes

Because there were actually some limits to "The City with No Limits."

09/08/2025 By James Glassman Illustrations by James Glassman

Landmark Lost

‘A Loss That Speaks Volumes’: The Life and Death of Houston’s Graffiti Park

Demolished for a freeway expansion, Graffiti Park was the beating heart of the city's street art community. The artists who built it now ask, What’s next?

07/09/2025 By Erica Cheng

Houstorian

The Spirit of the Montrose Is Alive(ish) on Lower Westheimer

A look at how the neighborhood’s vibrant artery has evolved over the decades.

05/23/2025 By James Glassman

Travel & Outdoors

Cultural Mecca

The Ultimate Oaxaca Travel Guide: Street Food, Mezcal, Markets, and More

Plan a weekend in Oaxaca, where mercados, mezcal, and culture collide.

09/18/2025 By Emma Balter