Every year, the “graduating class” of new Houston restaurants reveals a theme or trend. For example, ambitious tasting-menu and elegantly stylish restaurants opened in 2021 and 2022, providing special experiences to mentally and emotionally hungry diners who’d been cooped up in 2020. Now that Michelin has graced Texas with its own dining guide (financed by multiple city tourism boards), some of our Best New Restaurant picks for those years, such as MARCH and Le Jardinier, now boast Michelin stars. 

This year, our Best New Houston Restaurants list honors a Korean karaoke club that you might not have heard of, much less visited; a Heights restaurant that matches Houston’s wild culinary nature with its unabashed menu; a Japanese restaurant that never once sent us a press release (thank goodness for an industry friend who clued us in) and a few knockouts from big names in the industry from whom we expected no less. If this was a game of Jeopardy,  “We’ll take Eclectic Food Scenes for $500,” would be our play. 

Our writers are currently Phaedra Cook, Ryan Kasey Baker, Mario-Sebastian Berry and Minh Truong, and all have written for Houston Food Finder for two years or longer. Collectively, it’s one of the best groups of writers that I’ve ever had the privilege to work with. Minh and I are veteran food writers, having each covered the Houston food scene for about 13 years. Mario brings prior restaurant experience to the table, and Ryan lends his deep beverage knowledge and fascination with varied cuisines. Both entertain us with their irreverence and humor. Our selections for our Best New Restaurants lists are usually the result of more than one of us making separate visits and then comparing notes to eliminate any flukes — good or bad — or of one of us making at least two visits. (A case in point: one restaurant on the fast track to this list based on prior visits was eliminated when an incredibly smelly pot of bad mussels somehow made it from the kitchen, across the dining room and to my table. Additionally, a restaurant that recently received national acclaim from multiple arenas was visited by three writers on three separate occasions, and no one left feeling wowed.) 

Consistency in food, drink and service quality is notoriously difficult to achieve, but when it comes to recommending “best” restaurants to our readers, it’s a quality we need to see. In order to be considered, restaurants must have opened between December 1, 2023 and November 30, 2024. — Phaedra Cook, writer, editor and publisher

Andiron Grille & Patio, 3201 Allen Parkway: This restaurant from Michael Sambrooks, who also owns The Pit Room and Candente — Michelin Bib Gourmand and Recommended restaurants, respectively — got off to a false start in 2023. That’s not just in general, but also with us, as it did not make the cut for our Best New Restaurants of 2023 list. There are two periods of Andiron: before and after chef Michael O’Connor, who was at Vic & Anthony’s for 11 years before moving to Better Luck Tomorrow. O’Connor joined Andiron in December 2023, and just last month, Sambrooks Management Company announced that it was now more casual and less expensive. So we’re considering this a retooling that’s substantial enough to consider it a new start.

O’Connor has had plenty of experience with steak, and that’s still a centerpiece of Andiron’s menu. Our Niman Ranch ribeye, hand-cut and wet-aged for 28 days in-house, was one of the best steaks we’ve had this year. We were just as impressed with how he handled vegetables. For example, the grilled greens are sourced from Harvest Green’s Village Farm in Pecan Grove, Texas. The mix will change depending on what’s seasonal, and on one of our visits included Swiss chard, tatsoi, bok choy, Tokyo Bekana and romaine. These sound disparate, but the combined flavors and textures worked beautifully with the steak. The “glamor girl” side dish, though, unbelievably, is the halved-and-roasted zucchini, each vertically sliced half topped with a cloud of Parmigiano Reggiano. If you’re more in a snacking mood, the stout-and-meaty sausage rolls are great fun, and the Japanese-influenced veggies and dip, an assortment of seasonal raw and steamed vegetables accompanied by Burnt Miso Dip and whipped feta, will keep your hands busy and your mouth delighted. On our last visit of the year, we discovered the new patio is ready and sports plenty of lighting and a roof covering system. It will be great for garden parties in the spring. — Phaedra Cook

Baso, 633 West 19th: Hidden in plain sight in the historic Heights neighborhood, Baso is worth finding. Behind the doors of a non-descript building lies a unique culinary experience. Chefs Jacques Varon and Max Lappe met while working at Angler in Los Angeles, and between the two of them have years of impressive experience in the high-end dining scene. Angler was a live-fire seafood restaurant, and the chefs’ experience there plays a pivotal role in Baso’s Spanish-inspired menu (particularly Basque), where almost all dishes have some element of live fire in the preparations.

In a time where over-the-top interiors and lively entertainment overshadow what comes out of the kitchen, Baso’s contemporary space is understated yet sleek and keeps the focus on the food. The best seats are at the counter in front of the open kitchen and the hearth where the chefs fan the flames while pork ribeye and Wagyu cuts sizzle.

The menu is concise and changes occasionally to feature seasonal and local produce and protein, but mainstays include the “shrimp” — head on and grilled on the half shell with garlic and Calabrian chili — bursting with briny, charred flavor, and “seabream” with a savory anchovy pil pil (a Basque olive oil-based sauce). Non-seafood options include a bold and earthy venison tartare with sunflower and smoked yolk cream, and beef ribeye with a smoky and sweet burnt onion jus. All the dishes are also a feast for the eyes. Every plate comes to the table in striking presentations of colors and pristine ingredients. For dessert, it’s only appropriate that tarta de queso (Basque-style cheesecake) is featured on the menu. Top it with caviar to complete the indulgent meal. — Minh T. Truong

ChòpnBlọk, 507 Westheimer: Starting with a stand in POST Market, chef Ope Amosu and wife Janelle expanded their West African concept, ChòpnBlọk, to a standalone brick-and-mortar restaurant in Montrose. Going in, I was not very familiar with West African cuisine, and the restaurant’s small menu (of approximately 10 items, including salads and entrées) made exploring the cuisine much easier than expected. Also, the servers aid in the experience, and make the food selection less intimidating. For one visit, we went with the Motherland, a bowl of steamed rice, vegetables, Motherland curry (described as an East African coconut curry, mixed with West African influence) and sweet plantains. The bowl can be topped with your choice of protein. We went with grilled chicken, but you can also choose steak or shrimp.

Additionally, the restaurant offers a few jollof rice dishes such as Trad and Golden (which comes with the same curry as the Motherland) as well as a few fried rice dishes.  A portion of the menu is dedicated to small bites, which include the mini meat (or veggie) pies, suya (skewers) and deviled Scotch eggs.  Whether or not you’re well-versed in West African cuisine, ChopnBlok’s kindhearted service and small but well-chosen selection makes the prospect of exploring the whole menu irresistible.  — Ryan Kasey Baker

Credence, 9757 Katy Freeway: In a highly anticipated debut, restaurateur Levi Goode has unveiled his standalone project, a live-fire restaurant that exceeds expectations with its upscale take on regional Texan and American fare. Located on the ground level of The McKinley at Memorial City, the gorgeous space is matched by exceptional service and attention to detail.

The menu is recherché and inventive without being stuffy, with standout small p[lates including Deviled Crabs on the Half Shell, roasted Gulf oysters and parisa, a regional take on steak tartare. The raw bar is equally impressive, with a stunning seafood tower, caviar service, smoked tuna dip and Gulf shrimp cocktail, while signature entrées like the Pork Rib Chop Schnitzel, wild Gulf snapper, wood-fired steaks and heritage half-chicken are sure to please even the most discerning palate. A decadent dessert menu, impressive wine list and expertly crafted cocktails round out the experience making this restaurant a must-visit destination.  — Mario-Sebastian Berry

EMA, 5307 North Main: I have been raving about Marlén Mendoza’s Amanecer Coffee for at least four years now. When Mendoza joined forces with Stephanie Velasquez and Nicolas Vera of Tlahuac to create Ema, a pop-up elevating Mexican pastries, it only made sense that they would be successful. The trio has actually been beyond successful. Within a year of opening their brick-and-mortar café, Velasquez was a semifinalist for a James Beard Award in the national-level Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker category, and the restaurant received a Bib Gourmand from the inaugural Texas Michelin Guide.

With the café’s opening, Ema expanded its offerings beyond pastries, bottled coffee beverages and some of the best freshly made tortillas (which at one point I was buying weekly). In addition to expanded coffee offerings that now include hot drinks, the chefs created a menu of classic Mexican dishes with an elegant and respectfully modernized touch. (Feel free to message me for a rant on how much I, as a Mexican-American, have been let down by people modernizing Mexican food.)

On nearly every visit, I have ordered the Hoja Santa French Toast, a thick slice of brioche  dipped in hoja santa custard and topped with whipped cream, strawberry compote and fresh berries. The pambazo de puerco (pork sandwich made with bread dipped in red chile sauce before frying) is another personal favorite, as well as the Suadero Chilaquiles. (Suadero is a specific beef cut from between the belly and hind leg.) Do not miss out on the coffee. Mendoza has done an excellent job of highlighting unique, historically Mexican beverages and ingredients, like café de olla and atole (a masa-based ingredient). Considering what Ema has accomplished in such a short time, I greatly look forward to what it will do in the future.  — Ryan Kasey Baker

Ishtia, 709 Harris, Kemah: To say that owner and chef David Skinner has opened a destination-worthy restaurant is to evoke déjà vu. He did that when he opened eculent in 2014, earning the nickname “the Willy Wonka of food”, and he did it again when he opened th_prsrv, a collaboration with James Beard Award-winning chef Benchawan Painter and her beverage director and husband, Graham, and one of our Best New Restaurants of 2023. (Read Ryan Baker’s article about th_prsrv to learn more about the experience.) eculent never seemed to lose momentum — the ever-evolving menu kept it interesting — so it was surprising when Skinner decided to close it and turn it into Ishtia, a restaurant serving dishes made with Indigenous ingredients and inspired by his own Choctaw heritage. 

That sounds like an esoteric menu concept, but Ishtia offers something different from molecular gastronomy-driven eculent: comfort and warmth. Oh, there’s fun and magic here, too, like when Three Sisters, made with the important Indigenous ingredients corn, squash and beans, served on a shell and topped with a big diver scallop — is served amid a cloud of dry ice fog, and the dessert of Tres Leches, Meringue and Mousse — all made with corn — where the meringue is broken into iceberg-like pyramids, or when Skinner serves you a coral snake in chicken soup. (It’s not really a snake, but it sure looks like one.) Yet, my fondest memories are of the simpler dishes that lean into upscale presentations of comfort food: a warm pot of hominy spiked with smoked pork jowl, an earthenware container of deep brown heirloom tepary beans serving as a backdrop for a bright orange edible flower, and the simply plated but excellent steak and potatoes. I loved eculent, but Ishtia speaks more to my soul. Read my article to learn more about the charms that Ishtia offers. — Phaedra Cook

Itaewon Pocha, 1444 Blalock: From hole-in-the-walls to all-you-can-eat and even several upscale options, Houston is fortunate to have dozens of Korean barbecue restaurants. However, the cuisine has much more to offer, and this year’s unsung trend of non-barbecue-centric Korean restaurants opening in Houston has been refreshing. With several soju bangs, karaoke bars and Korean comfort food spots joining the scene over the last two years, Itaewon Pocha has consistently delivered the best food of the bunch.

Located down the street from the Spring Branch H-Mart location, Itaewon Pocha is the sister restaurant/karaoke bar to KRISP Korean Fried Chicken. While the new spot serves the same fried chicken, there is much more. There is a selection of bar bites including bulgogi fries, seafood and kimchi pancakes and dumplings. The bulk of the menu mostly features larger, family-style dishes, with favorites including the bossam (thinly sliced pork shoulder with all the trimmings to make wraps) and jaeyook tofu/kimchi (pork belly stir-fried with kimchi and served with tofu). Guests can also choose from a few soups and hot pots, pasta dishes, noodles and a variety of tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes). The menu does a particularly good job describing the food, making it an excellent restaurant for people that are unfamiliar with the cuisine and looking to try new things. Itaewon is a karaoke bar, but like most of the karaoke bars in the Long Point area, the singing is contained in private rooms that are available for rent. — Ryan Kasey Baker

Kira, 2800 Kirby: With the opening of this upscale spot, Comma Hospitality, the group behind Neo Omakase, seemingly created my dream sushi restaurant. Kira takes a step away from the omakase craze that flooded the Houston restaurant scene, and instead focuses on an à la carte menu full of simple-but-delightful sushi dishes.

Details seem to be the name of the game at Kira, and these include the turntable, which has a price tag in the thousands, with the sound system built directly into the walls, the handstitched coasters and the imported ice from Japan used in the desserts. Every piece of Kira is thoroughly thought out.

With the exception of the desserts, and a singular mushroom handroll, all of the offerings are seafood. Diners can choose from a half-dozen types of sashimi and about a dozen types of temaki (handrolls) sold individually or in sets of three, four or five. For me, the highlight is the donburi (rice bowls). Guests currently have a few options, including negitoro (minced tuna and scallions) with fermented ramps, masu (trout) with ikura (salmon roe) or uni (sea urchin). We tried the bara chirashi, a less-common style of chirashi, which features a variety of diced fish, ikura and egg yolk. The fish is just as high-quality as what’s used in the regular sashimi and handrolls, but this was the first chance to notice the perfectly cooked and seasoned sushi rice. (When was the last time you had sushi rice so good that you made a note?)  For dessert, Kira offers kakigori, or delicately shaved ice, sweetened with either raspberry and condensed milk or chocolate mousse and Piedmont hazelnuts. One drawback to Kira is the limited variety of fish; I would like to see what they can do with mackerel or eel. Despite that, the atmosphere and execution both more than make up for the limited selection, and Kira will definitely be one of first places I consider when craving sushi.  — Ryan Kasey Baker

Leo’s River Oaks, 2009 West Gray: This restaurant, owned by Culinary Khancepts, which runs Star Cinema Grill, State Fare and the Liberty Kitchen restaurants, and helmed by executive chef Tim Reading, who made quite a positive impression on us when he was at the now-closed GJ Tavern, proved a surprise. It’s far more elegant than I expected, and evokes 1950s fine-dining glamor.

Service is outstanding, and some of the ingredient combinations, which pull inspiration from cuisines around the world, are creative. The tartare-style bluefin tuna appetizer from the raw bar menu was combined with horseradish, coriander and tamari ginger vinaigrette, while the grouper rendition took inspiration from Greek cuisine, incorporating lemon, chives and Kalamata olives. We ate every bite of the burrata — a firmer rendition than usual — and its tender cacaphony of different-colored beets with pomegranate seeds (a winning vegetable and fruit combination if there ever was one). Steaks are a centerpiece of the menu, and sourced from Indiana-based Steaks by Linz’s Heritage Angus program. Our dry-aged New York Strip was excellent. There are an assortment of optional steak toppings for an additional price, such as crab, housemade steak sauce or truffle butter. We eschewed them all because I wanted to taste the unadulterated beef, and I have zero regrets. The retail price of this steak is about $50, so the $64 price at Leo’s is a modest mark-up. If you’re seeking an impressive entrée and don’t avoid veal, the large, bone-in, chicken-fried version at Leo’s is quite a sight. (It says “Milanese” on the menu, but let’s be real: this is Texas.)

Some of the entrées and sides can lean too heavily on salt or sauces (an opinion I’ve already shared with Reading). For example, it was a pity that the promising portabella mushroom side was drowned in salsa macha, and the $24 shepherd’s pie — sized as a side dish for two — was far too salty. However, these minor missteps are easily remedied, and do not breach my affection for Leo’s. In fact, I’m dreaming right now of sitting at the marble-topped bar with a glass of red wine, perhaps wearing a slouchy, broad-brimmed hat and trying to look mysterious like Garbo. Plus, many of us owe Leo’s big thanks for being part of what sustains newly revitalized Houston treasure, River Oaks Theater. — Phaedra Cook

Milton’s, 5117 Kelvin: With its elongated space, wood-beamed ceiling, round light globes and shiplapped booth dividers, dining at the replacement of short-lived bistro Eau Tour feels like traveling in a big, luxurious train car. While Milton’s doesn’t have the intrigue (or, thankfully, murder) of the Orient Express, what longtime Houston owner Benjy Levit’s latest restaurant does have is style-to-spare and outstanding Italian fare. Thanks to culinary director Seth Siegel-Gardner’s involvement, I was comforted to see echoes of his former restaurant, Provisions, on chef Kent Domas’s menu, including a replication of the cresta di gallo pasta with roasted mushrooms, toasted yeast and pickled mushrooms.

I’m a sucker for crispy chickpeas, so the Leeks Vinaigrette — charred leeks with feta and sherry, and liberally adorned with the crunchy legumes — was a must-order, as was the intriguing Pickled Fried Onions — big, battered rings of pickled onion accompanied by caviar crème fraîche. (An industry acquaintance working there teased that I’d ordered “onions with onions”. Fair, but I have no regrets!) While the cresta di gallo appealed to my sense of nostalgia, the spicy promise of the bucatini amatriciana with pancetta, prosciutto and red chili pepper lassoed me. The nostalgia did catch up to me for dessert, though. I was a customer of the original Benjy’s for years, so there was no way I wasn’t ordering the lush Mom’s Chocolate Cake, all decked out in a mirror-finish dark chocolate ganache with vanilla ice cream.  

When you’re a food writer and responsible for having first-hand experiences at as many notable restaurants as possible, revisiting the ones you love can take time, but Milton’s, which offers exciting-but-sensible twists on traditional Italian fare, is one that I certainly hope I can make it back to sooner rather than later. — Phaedra Cook

Okto, 888 Westheimer: We don’t count big opening parties or media events when deliberating for our Best New Restaurants picks. Quality of food and drink at these events varies wildly, and it is difficult to fathom a restaurant being on their A-game on day one. That being said, we knew Októ was going to be special when it hosted one of the best media previews we have ever attended, Októ immediately had our attention, which led to a few delightful follow-up visits. Three out of four Houston Food Finder writers went to Októ, and every one of them recommended it for this year’s Best New Restaurants list.

Located in the Montrose Collective, Októ is the latest from Sof Hospitality, the group behind Doris Metropolitan, Hamsa and Badolina. The menu by chefs Yotam Dolev and Hai Avnaim  focuses on European cuisine. As writer Mario-Sebastian Berry explained, “Their approach celebrates the storied culinary traditions of Greece, Italy, Spain and the Levant — a large historical region in the Eastern Mediterranean area of West Asia which encompasses Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.”

With a name like Októ, it is appropriate that the octopus would be a standout. Preparing its is laborious, starting with the tentacle being confit in beef tallow, then sous vide and grilled right before service. Also, just before it goes to the table, the octopus is brushed with soy-habanero glaze and served over romesco, with a fennel salad known as bishbash alongside. The final product is flavorful and perfectly tender in every bite, and possibly the best thing I ate in 2024. The same level of diligence shows in dishes such as filet mignon with foie gras, morel mushrooms and peppercorn sauce and crab squid ink linguini. — Ryan Kasey Baker

Som Boon Thai Kitchen, 1801 Durham: “Best” doesn’t have to equate to expensive fine dining. Som Boon Thai quietly opened this year in the space formerly occupied by Samurai Noodle (now located inside the Lyric Market food hall). Translated to mean “deserving”, the restaurant, located just across I-10 from the Heights, is worthy of praise for its bold, flavorful and authentic Thai cuisine. While Houstonians are not strangers to top-tier Thai, Som Boon stands out for its specialty dishes that aren’t found everywhere, such as the Som Boon Dry Noodles with minced pork, fried pork skins, fish balls, crispy garlic, green onions, cilantro, lime, ground peanuts, ground Thai chilis and sliced boiled eggs. The pork and fried skin is meaty, and there’s a slight bitterness along with a smoky heat from the dried chilis. It’s served with a bowl of pork broth on the side and is a great comfort dish for noodle lovers. The Tom Zap — spicy baby pork ribs soup with Thai herbs — is an aromatic bomb of ginger, lemongrass and galangal. Even a familiar dish, papaya salad, is punched up with the use of cashews in place of peanuts, which adds a bit more richness. If spice is your thing, Som Boon doesn’t shy away, but it isn’t just heat without the depth. The spice carries flavor, highlighting the dish rather than hiding anything. — Minh Truong

Tavola, 1800 Post Oak: This new entry from The Bastion Collection, which just picked up a new Michelin star for its Houston location of Le Jardiner, nails a tricky balance. It offers fine-dining-level service from an accomplished staff, is nice enough for date night, reasonably priced for its quality and is casual enough for groups of golf buddies or business professionals in short sleeves to gather, laugh, drink wine and shoot the bull. Tavola’s sense of fun is embodied in my new favorite sport: playing The Negroni Game, where three dice determine your fate. Fine, not your fate, but the gin, vermouth and amaro that’s going into your drink. (I’m not sure it’s possible to get a loser, as all the choices are high-quality mix-and-matchers.) 

Of course, it’s not all fun and games, and when it comes to chef de cuisine Michael Lara’s food, Tavola is quite serious about it being memorable and impressive. Lara came to Tavola from Le Jardiner, and you’ll notice a certain resemblance in some of the platings, such as the carpaccio, which comes across like a platter of jewels thanks to the red, paper-thin eye of round, white triangles of shaved Parmesan, green arugula and halved cherry tomatoes. Differing from Le Jardinier, though, are some of the hearty portions in dishes like the lasagna (ask for it “well-done”; trust me, the texture and flavor of the deeply broiled top layer will have you coming back for more) and the chicken Parmigiana, which is so large the staff jokingly call it a chicken pizza. Read about more of Tavola’s dishes in my full article covering my visits. — Phaedra Cook

Houston Food Finder Team