Houston's Best New Restaurants 2019

From neo-soul to Saigonese food, elevated comfort classics to Mexico City–style tacos, hipster ice cream to so-good-you-wouldn’t-know-it’s-vegan vegan fare, Bayou City’s 39 best new restaurants are the spots to try right now. Houston's 39 best new restaurants of 2019. Plus: The best private schools in Houston, road trips through haunted Texas, and more.

In this issue:

Arts & Culture

Grand Design

Galveston's Legendary Grand 1894 Opera House Turns 125

The Romanesque Revival theater on Postoffice Street has been a beacon for the island city’s artistic life since its doors opened in January 1895.

09/25/2019 By Chris Gray

Eat & Drink

Best Restaurants 2019

The Best New Restaurants in Houston in 2019

The 39 restaurants featured here show that there’s never been a better time to eat in Houston than at this very moment.

09/25/2019 By Timothy Malcolm, Gwendolyn Knapp, and Alice Levitt

Food News

These Houston Incubators Are Nurturing Cool New Concepts

How Houston’s would-be restaurateurs are developing and testing their concepts before investing in fully building out new eateries.

09/25/2019 By Timothy Malcolm

Virtual Reality

Virtual Restaurants Are the Future of Food

Click Virtual Food Hall doesn't have any hosts, servers, or dining tables. And it—and other "ghost restaurants"—are taking off in Houston.

09/25/2019 By Timothy Malcolm

Best Restaurants 2019

The 6 Best New Breakfast and Dessert Spots

Wake up and wind down at these eateries.

09/25/2019 By Timothy Malcolm and Gwendolyn Knapp

Best Restaurants 2019

The Perfect Heights Food Crawl

Four new restaurants in one night? Oh, it can be done.

09/25/2019 By Timothy Malcolm

Best Restaurants 2019

4 Houston Chefs to Watch Out For

These culinary stars share their thoughts on their awesome year—and what they've planned for year two.

09/25/2019 By Timothy Malcolm

Best Restaurants 2019

The 20 Best Things We Ate in Houston This Year

These dishes from 20 new restaurants are already Houston classics.

09/25/2019 By Timothy Malcolm, Gwendolyn Knapp, and Alice Levitt

Best Restaurants 2019

Houston's Food Scene Has Never Been Better

Okay, we were denied James Beard Awards in 2019. But as the incredible new restaurants we've featured this year attest, we’re writing our own history, and lucky Houston diners are the better for it.

09/25/2019 By Timothy Malcolm

Editor’s Note

Editor's Note

Superica Is Our New Favorite Houston Restaurant

Pappasito’s, who?

09/25/2019 By Catherine Matusow

News & City Life

Texas, Our Texas

The Battleship Texas, By the Numbers

As a historic ship faces an uncertain fate, a look at its history.

09/25/2019 By Dianna Wray

Politics

Breaking Down Houston's 2019 Mayoral Race

This year’s field is even more crowded than usual. As such, it can be hard to keep everyone straight and make an informed decision. Here are a few key things to know about the most eye-catching candidates.

09/25/2019 By Dianna Wray

Drilling Down

How, Exactly, Should We Remember George Mitchell?

A new book explores the complicated figure who championed fracking, worked to save the endangered whooping crane, and founded The Woodlands.

09/25/2019 By Morgan Kinney

No Sweat

Are E-Bikes the Future of Transit in Houston?

They have all the benefits of bicycling, none of the back sweat!

09/25/2019 By Morgan Kinney

The Past Is Present

Uncovering Frost Town, Houston's First Working-Class Community

A sneak peek at a few of the most interesting artifacts from the neighborhood established at the same time the Allen brothers founded Houston, and what they reveal about a neglected part of Houston’s past.

09/25/2019 By Gwendolyn Knapp

The Ring

Meet Houston's Very Own Sumo Wrestler

Ichiro Kendrick Young is a normal 21-year-old from Humble who, just after graduating high school, decided What the heck, I’ll go to Japan and become a sumo wrestler. And now he is one.

09/25/2019 By Timothy Malcolm

Perfect Party

October's Perfect Party: Hey-We-Made-Vows Edition

We don't know about you, but we always get excited when one of our own makes the New York Times Vows section.

09/25/2019 By Catherine Matusow

Puppet Master

Where Did Those Sexy, Larger-Than-Life Puppets Come From?

For 30 years Greg Ruhe’s been the man behind more than 150 giant, walking, talking puppets he’s created for his Houston-based party-entertainment company, Puppet Pizzazz.

09/25/2019 By Abby Ledoux

Bayougraphy

Tilman Fertitta Shares His Playbook

Houston's celebrity billionaire chronicles his ascent in Shut Up and Listen!, his first book, released last month.

09/25/2019 By Abby Ledoux

Haunted Texas

Where Are Houston's Ghosts?

This tour will show you the Bayou City's own haunted past.

09/25/2019 By Chris Gray

A Nightmare In Houston

A Very Houston Haunted House

Where a mutant half-man, half-crawfish creature will chase you from behind, out for revenge after years of watching his mudbug friends get boiled alive.

09/25/2019 By Schaefer Edwards

Private School Guide

Houston’s Best Private Schools in 2019

The 25 best private schools in Houston, ranked. Plus: The 2019 valedictorian of St. Thomas High School shares his tips for success as he heads off to college.

09/25/2019 By Laura Furr Mericas

Private Schools Guide

The Best Houston-Area Private Schools in 2019

Niche.com ranked the best private schools in Houston —these are the top 25 this year.

09/25/2019 By Laura Furr Mericas

Private School Guide

How to Succeed in Private School, According to This Valedictorian

Kellin McGowan graduated from St. Thomas High School in May with a 4.57 GPA, becoming the school’s first African American valedictorian in its 100-plus-year history.

09/25/2019 By Laura Furr Mericas

Style & Shopping

Clutch City

Gold Standard: Bright, Shiny Metallics Are Having a Major Moment

From home goods to fine jewelry, it’s never been easier to stay golden.

09/25/2019 By Abby Ledoux

Travel & Outdoors

Haunted Texas

Separating Facts from Phantoms at Jefferson’s Excelsior House Hotel

You can visit the room that spooked Steven Spielberg himself and inspired Poltergeist.

09/25/2019 By Morgan Kinney

Haunted Texas

An Evening of Revelations at Galveston’s Hotel Galvez

Some say the hotel was built atop the graves of victims from the Hurricane of 1900. Since then, there have been rumors of strange happenings.

09/25/2019 By Dianna Wray

Haunted Texas

Searching for Spirits at Seguin’s Haunted Magnolia Hotel

A small town with a rich history—the perfect breeding ground for ghosts.

09/25/2019 By Abby Ledoux

Haunted Texas

A Tour of Haunted Texas

In honor of Halloween, we visited three of the spookiest hotels in Texas—in Seguin, Galveston, and Jefferson—to spend the night where spirits (supposedly) dwell.

09/25/2019 By Morgan Kinney, Abby Ledoux, Dianna Wray, and Chris Gray