10 Unique Restaurants in Houston to Try on Your Next Visit

Sometimes going to the same old, boring restaurant for dinner isn’t enough anymore. Don’t you want to go somewhere where you can enjoy some fun games as you’re eating and drinking some great food, a place that offers karaoke night, or has an eccentric, yet neat theme to it? Sometimes dining in at someplace different and even fun can be what you need to experience some new things in life. If you’re in and around Houston, we got you covered with the top seven most fun restaurants to check out today!

Have you ever heard of a GiftYa electronic gift card? If not, you’re missing out on the experience of going to new places! With this e-gift card, you can go to many different restaurants, shops, recreational attractions, or even get personal services done for yourself, or your pet! It is also extremely easy to upload onto your debit card for easy access so you’ll never have to worry about carrying around a physical copy ever again. Make sure to get yourself a GiftYa electronic gift card today to enjoy these seven fun restaurants in Houston today!

1. Brenner’s on the Bayou

Check out this two-story dining hall with a built in waterfall and foliage to make it unique!

1 Birdsall Street | River Oaks | brennerssteakhouse.com

Do you want to go to a restaurant with a unique setting that is perfect for any occasion? Then, you need to go to Brenner’s on the Bayou to try out their delicious steaks and more! This restaurant features a unique setting with a two-story dining hall featuring a waterfall and foliage on the inside to give it a fun and distinct setting.

Brenner’s on the Bayou serves lots of dishes that are perfect for any occasion and are full of creativity. If you stop by today, you can try their crab cakes, filet mignon, bacon wrapped quail, lobster bisque, creamed spinach, red snapper, Texas quail, and so much more. We know that Brenner’s on the Bayou sounds like the perfect place to go to, so make sure to try them out today!

“Brenner's will continue to be our favorite restaurant. Beautiful atmosphere, brilliant and affable staff and absolutely delicious food.” - Yelp Review

Buy a gift card for Brenner’s on the Bayou ‍

2. Bosscat Kitchen & Libations

Eat some upscale American food at this restaurant and check out their unique whiskey bar too!

4310 Westheimer Road | Highland Village | bosscatkitchen-houston.com

Have you ever heard of a whiskey bar that you could go to while eating some delicious food? If not, then you need to check out Bosscat Kitchen & Libations today for some great American food and their one-of-a-kind whiskey bar. This restaurant has a whiskey stash of over 300 different kinds and tasty comfort food that will keep you coming back for more. 

Bosscat Kitchen & Libations offers lots of great food options for you to enjoy whenever you decide to stop by. They offer tasty dishes such as fruity pebble french toast, short ribs, the Bosscat burger, red velvet churros, pulled pork, chicken fried steak, and so much more delicious stuff. Check out Bosscat Kitchen & Libations today!

“Every time I come to Bosscat I get exactly what I was looking for. Great food, great drinks, and a beautiful space.” - Yelp Review 

Buy a gift card for Bosscat Kitchen & Libations

3. Bloom & Bee

Step into this pink and floral restaurant serving lots of seasonal dishes and cocktails!

1600 West Lp Street | Uptown | thepostoakhotel/bloomandbee.com

Let us say if you love the color pink, then Bloom & Bee is a unique restaurant that you can go to full of the color pink and is lined in floral patterns to make for a one-of-a-kind restaurant. Bloom & Bee is a restaurant that focuses on fresh and locally-sourced food to make a delicious and seasonal menu for all of its customers to enjoy. 

Bloom & Bee is the perfect place to go to if you want to enjoy a fun new restaurant and some unique dishes. When you stop by, make sure to try out their French toast, crab cakes, lobster rolls, local roasted chicken, and so much more. Make sure to check out Bloom & Bee today for some great food with a fun atmosphere to it too for something different!

“The food was absolutely phenomenal and the drinks were perfect. We had just gotten married so they even brought out a special dessert for us. We will definitely be back.” - Yelp Review 

Buy a gift card for Bloom & Bee

4. Artisans Restaurant

Experience a rustic-chic atmosphere at a French restaurant serving high quality dishes!

3201 Louisiana Street | Midtown | artisanrestaurant.com

If you want to enjoy a restaurant that serves delicious French cuisine, then you need to try out Artisans Restaurant today! Artisans Restaurant is known for letting their customers see their food being made in their open kitchen where you can try out their eclectic cuisine with a whole lot of flavor.

Artisans Restaurant is known for all of their delicious food options that we know you’re going to love. They offer dishes such as foie gras, lobster bisque, chilean sea bass, beef tenderloin, pan seared scallops, and so much more Italian favorites that are perfect to try for any occasion. Make sure to try out Artisans Restaurant today for a high-end, classy French experience today!

“The food lives up to its expectations. Started with a salad, extremely fresh, and then got the filet, cooked just right and the potatoes absorbed the French flavor. Great experience.” - Yelp Review 

Buy a gift card for Artisans Restaurant

5. Phil & Derek’s Restaurant

Test your taste buds to some tasty cajun-creole food while live music is playing in the background!

1701 Webster Street | Midtown | philanddereks.com

If you want to enjoy a cajun-creole restaurant that serves lots of tasty food? Then you need to check out Phil and Derek’s Restaurant for some of the best food in Houston! Phil and Derek’s is considered to be a speakeasy that plays live music along with having stand up comedians come by and perform as well to keep it interesting as you’re enjoying some delicious food.

Phil & Derek’s serves lots of delicious food that we know you’re going to enjoy. From chicken and waffles, bayou catfish, cajun seafood pasta, fire-grilled catfish, and so much more, you can enjoy some delicious food and enjoy a fun show whenever you stop at this restaurant. Check out Phil & Derek’s Restaurant today!

“The place in itself was my kinda of hype, cuz not only did it have amazing food, it had an amazing staff. They went above and beyond to make sure we were satisfied.” - Yelp Review 

Buy a gift card for Phil & Derek’s Restaurant

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6. Tiger Noodle House

If you haven’t tried their Spicy Dan Dan Noodles yet, what are you doing?

2424 Rice Blvd |  West University | tigernoodletexas.com 

Tiger Noodle House is not your average Chinese restaurant. They serve high quality, authentic Chinese dishes like Spicy Dan Dan Noodles, Spicy Wontons, Authentic Szechuan Beef Noodle Soup, Mapo Tofu, and Soup Dumplings. 

If you want high quality Chinese that is still authentic, you should try Tiger Noodle House. 

“I came here earlier tonight for dinner and ordered the Chicken Fried Rice. Of all the Chinese Fried Rices I have ever had, the fried rice here wins the gold imo. It was also authentic [and] not some fake Americanized one either.” - Yelp Review

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7. Wanna Bao Bistro

Dumpling house in Houston.

2708 Bagby St | Midtown | facebook.com/WannaBaoBistro 

If you want another Chinese option, check out Wanna Bao Bistro. This restaurant doubles as a hearty Chinese bistro and dumpling house. Needles to say, if dumplings are your favorite part of your meal, you should check this place out.

Bao favorites include Pork Crispy Bottom Bao, Pork Xiao Long Bao, and Shrimp Xiao Long Bao. In addition to bao, their menu features Dancing Pork Belly, Colorful Dumpling Adventure, and Gluten-Free Crispy Spicy Chicken. 

“I came here just for the sole purpose of trying out the soup dumplings (Pork Xiao Long Bao). They did not disappoint!  We even ended up ordering two orders of these! They are amazing! I cant say it enough.” - Yelp Review 

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8. Traveler’s Table

Curated global cuisine, making it one of the most unique restaurants in Houston.

520 Westheimer Rd | Montrose | travelerstable.com 

Have you ever wanted to taste the flavors of the world from your small little corner of it? Well now you can thanks to Traveler’s Table. Here, they offer modern versions of hand-selected dishes from around the world, or as they call it, “curated global cuisine.”

Some featured items are Crab Samosas, Soft Shell Crab Pad Thai, Beef Cheek Ravioli, and Argentinian Style Skirt Steak.

“One of the coolest concepts I have seen in a restaurant! The menu boasts items from all over the world and has a good variety on all the regions. We were recommended the crab samosas and they were flavored so wonderfully. Good choice.” - Yelp Review 

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9. BORI

Korean inspired steakhouse right in Houston. 

1453 Witte Rd | Spring Branch | borirestaurant.com 

If you are always down to go to a steakhouse, a great restaurant choice for branching out of your comfort zone is BORI, a Korean inspired steakhouse. 

BORI is the first authentic South Korean inspired steakhouse. They use only the finest and highest quality meats - BORI is one of the few restaurants that offers selections of A5 Wagyu from Japan, Dry Aged Steaks, Filet Mignon, and their favorite Marinated Boneless Short Rib. 

But the food isn’t the only thing that makes this restaurant unique. BORI has an exclusive art gallery that showcases the owner’s family art collection, as well as other well known Korean artists in the Houston area. There is also a terrace area known as the “Peace Garden” which promotes the unity of Korea and pays tribute to those who suffered during the wars. 

“Came here with a friend who hadn't had a Korean BBQ before and she loved it… Your server cooks your food for you at the table instead of you cooking it yourself. They have a wide variety of sides and they were all really good.” - Yelp Review 

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10. Postino WineCafe

Laid back wine cafe with eclectic artwork.

791 Town & Country Blvd | Memorial | postinowinecafe.com

If a wine cafe sounds like your kind of place, we highly recommend checking out Postino. Not only do they offer unique, delicious wines, they also provide a laid back atmosphere complete with local, eclectic artwork including a large, hand-crafted 300 square foot art installation covered with over 12,000 keys sourced by their guests and vintage shopping ads dating back to the 50’s and 60’s.

Their fare includes light snacks, charcuterie boards and bruschetta, soups and salads, and paninis. They also offer brunch on the weekends, as well as happy hour until 5pm every day. Their happy hour deal is $5 glasses of wine and pitchers of beer, while their Board & Bottle deal is a bottle of wine and a bruschetta board for $25 every Monday and Tuesday after 8pm.

“Great place for brunch, lunch or late night boards. Nice to be able to sit outside when the weather is nice on the patio. The bruschetta boards are so good. Favorites include the apple, fig and Brie, the ricotta, date and pistachio and the salmon.” - Yelp Review 

We hope you enjoyed our picks for unique restaurants in Houston to try on your next visit. As promised, here are some fun things to do with friends instead of the old dinner and drinks:

• Watch a movie at the drive-in
• Go to a paint-and-sip class
• Dine at a unique restaurant in Houston
• Go on a hot girl walk to watch the sunset
• Host a drink night where each friend makes a round of drinks!
  

Let us know in the comments which of these unique restaurants in Houston you try first, or if you end up following through with any of our other suggestions for fun things to do with friends that aren’t just dinner and drinks!