‘What are you even going to do there besides visit NASA?’, my British friends asked when I told them I was going to Houston.
‘She’s going to eat so well’, my American friends replied.
And they were right. I was excited for one thing only: the food.
Houston has 10,000 restaurants. London, with around six million more people, has about 20,000.
It’s the most diverse city in the United States, and with that brings phenomenal cuisine. Most people have heard of Tex-Mex and Southern comfort food, but I wanted to try it all.
The city has a massive Nigerian population; its Chinatown is eight miles long and runs parallel to the Mahatma Gandhi district.
And so it was with an empty stomach and elasticated waistband that I touched down in the States.
Barbecues and bargains
It was late September, a humid 30 degrees, and I was quite clueless about what I’d be doing in between my scheduled food stops.
With queues snaking out of the door, the first place I visited was Truth – one of Houston’s most well-known barbeque spots. They sell until they run out – usually around 2:30pm – before reopening for dinner.
The food is incredible and a plate featuring two types of meat will set you back $20.
We ordered slightly more. On what can only be described as the biggest trays of food I’ve ever seen, we had smoked turkey, juicy brisket that fell apart in the mouth, three sausages, pickles, mac and cheese, tater tot casserole (I wanted to eat a vat of it), potato salad, sprouts, and bread.
Speaking to the owner, Leonard Botello IV, his love for his craft shone through. When you are a barbecue pitmaster, you have to consider all the factors that will impact taste: the smoke level; the wood; the weather that day; how many beers you’ve drunk while working on the meat.
I felt like I let myself down by not finishing every last morsel, but it was a truly Texan portion.
As were the beautiful and decadent desserts that followed. What I can only describe as a slice of Bruce’s cake from Matilda graced our table along with an amazing carrot cake.
The following day, we hit another incredible lunch spot: Lucille’s. Named after his great grandmother, whose pictures adorn the walls and original recipes feature on the menu, Chris Williams describes his fare as Southern comfort food with global influences.
And you can taste it. From the oxtail tamales, which pack a punch and melt in your mouth, to the fried green tomatoes – a southern staple – with spicy aioli. Everything I ate on that menu – and it was a lot – was phenomenal.
American fusion
For mains, I had to try the shrimp and grits ($27) – something I’d never eaten but knew I must while in Texas. Grits, for those who don’t know, are a bit like porridge or polenta. Topped with prawns, smoked sausage, and a tomato broth, I was taken aback by how fresh the flavour was.
I assumed Texan food would be over-seasoned, determined to knock me out with saltiness or sweetness, but Chris truly let his ingredients sing.
By this point, it’s safe to say my stomach had fully expanded and I woke up on day three raring to go. This was fortuitous, as this was to be the day of non-stop eating.
We started at Koffeteria. Never have I wanted a restaurant to exist in the UK as much as I do this one.
Vanarin Kuch, Cambodian-American pastry chef and owner, searches for his culture through food. Born and raised in Houston, his parents were refugees, and he now works with his mum to perfect his menu.
Rice doesn’t belong inside a sweet pastry, you may think – and you’d be wrong. His mango sticky rice danish ($7) proved that.
Yes, Koffeteria does your traditional croissants and blueberry muffins, but it also does ube snickerdoodles, Thai tea bread, and chicken curry danishes.
And that’s before you even get on to the hot food. I inhaled a Thai omelette croissantwich ($18) and I could have cried. The croissant was buttery in the middle was an omelette so packed with flavour – fish sauce, lime – that my mouth is watering remembering it.
As I left, sated, I loosened my belt in preparation for the rest of the day and my trip to Chinatown.
This is nothing like London’s Chinatown.
Instead, picture retail park after retail park filled with restaurants either side of a main road for eight miles.
Star of the show
All four restaurants we dined at served such fantastically tasty food, but the one that stood out as being unlike anything I could get at home was Nam Giao.
Nam Giao specialises in food from Huế, Vietnam. The restaurant doesn’t look especially flash but it doesn’t matter. What does is the friendly service, and most importantly, its dishes.
Bánh Ram ít ($6.95) – my favourite – consisted of a sticky rice dumpling filled with pork and shrimp on top of a crispy fried layer of glutinous rice, and Bánh Xèo – a rice pancake with bean shoots and vegetables, eaten wrapped in a lettuce leaf with mint and coriander.
Another unique dining experience came on my last day in the city, at Caracol, a kitchen taking inspiration and ingredients from all the coastal regions of Mexico.
I tucked into crispy pork rolled tacos (taquitos tranadores $15), chicken enchiladas, oysters, tempura fish tacos ($21) and countless homemade tortilla chips with salsas and distinct moles.
Caracol’s food is really exciting and bursting with flavour. Its menu is so diverse – not just limited to the handful of dishes we’re familiar with in the UK.
And what really stood out for me was the drinks and puddings. I’m a savoury girl, but I would drink horchata – rice milk flavoured with cinnamon – every day if I could.
Caracol makes their own hot chocolate, which is light, bubbly and perfect for dipping their dulce de leche stuffed churros.
Where else to eat and drink
Pacha Nikkei serves up exciting Peruvian-Japanese food – think cerviches and maki. I recommend the ceviche Nikkei, Pacha maki and chicha pisco sour.
Post once housed Houston’s mail system, now it’s a cultural hub in the city. Featuring a free-to-access roof garden, the venue boasts interesting architecture, art, gigs and a fantastic food hall. The latter includes Norwegian Golfstrømmen, and Pakistani Rollin Phatties. I recommend the delicious dish ‘The Motherland’ from West African ChòpnBlọk.
You’d be remiss to skip over these three in Chinatown: One Dragon for their xiao long bao (soup dumplings); Hui Lau Shan – a Hong Kong dessert shop – (coincidentally with a branch in Nottingham) for their ‘mango romance’; and Bing Su for a Korean-style corn dog (you must opt for sugar on the outside).
For a chorizo, egg and cheese breakfast taco, Pápalo at Finn Hall is a must. The spicy sauce accompaniment made my nose run and eyes water in the best way.
For some award-winning beer, head to Saint Arnold’s Brewery for a free tour and to have a pint in their unique ale-house. I was a big fan of their summer pils, but enjoyed their non-alcoholic option even more. Sparking water that tastes like hops – what a revelation.
And for funky named drinks, nip into 8th Wonder taproom, just around the corner from Koffeteria. There you’ll find their delicious sours – called Haterade – and a Vietnamese coffee infused draft called Rocket Fuel.
Things to do in Houston
But visiting Houston wasn’t all about the food.
I was astounded by the city’s museums and cultural centres.
Anyone visiting should put aside time to visit the The Heritage Society at Sam Houston Park, which houses 10 historic buildings that have been moved from locations around the country and restored.
For $15, you get to visit inside three of the buildings on a guided tour. You can request the ones you’d like to see, or opt for one of their themed tours, like the Black or women’s history option.
Our guide, Cian, was incredible and by the end of our hour together I felt as passionate about their old German church as he did.
It wouldn’t be a trip to Houston without going to The Space Centre – the official visitor centre of NASA. To get in and explore the museum it’s $29.95 (if you buy online) and once inside you can check out their interactive displays, admire old and current space suits, and shuttle replica.
If you want more, The Space Centre offers tram tours ($44.95 – $199.95), with the option of seeing where astronauts train for their time on the International Space Station, a rocket that would have been used should the Apollo missions continued, and, my favourite, the old Mission Control Centre.
Restored to mimic the Apollo 11 moon landing, you can sit and watch the screens in front of you come to life, as the events of that mission unfold in front of your eyes. With desks covered in the ashtrays full with actual cigarettes smoked, coffee cups left discarded, and chairs left askew, you feel as if you’re in 1969.
But it was the artistic scene that really inspired me.
I could have spent hours in the non-denominational Rothko Chapel. While the outside of the building may seem unassuming, stepping into the octagonal block, you are confronted by 14 giant works by Mark Rothko in various shades of black.
Once you take a seat, you’re encouraged to stare at the painting in front of you for at least 13 minutes – the time it takes your eyes to adjust to the colour palette and lighting (the latter they perfected in 2020).
It is a place of serenity. While there I was told of the people who visit every day as a way to centre themselves – and if I had this space free and on my doorstep I’d be there alongside them.
Another spot that took my breath away was the Museum of Fine Arts. This strong collection boasts a permanent collection including Hopper, Dali, Picasso, Khalo, and Miró – and that’s pretty much all in one room.
It’s definitely worth spending at least a half day wandering around their three buildings, all connected with tunnels that are works of art themselves. Admission is $24, except on Thursdays when it’s free.
Free sights worth seeing:
For a quirky experience, visit the Buffalo Bayou Cistern – a former drinking reservoir that resembles the Chamber of Secrets. If booking a private tour with Rosemarie, ask to hear the song she’s written for the cistern. Tours are free on the first Thursday of every month.
Emancipation Park – the oldest park in Houston – which was bought by four former slaves in 1872 to be used for Juneteenth (the anniversary of the end of slavery) celebrations, where they have been held since.
Chris Williams of Lucille’s owns Rado Market opposite, where he encourages you to purchase picnic staples to enjoy in this historic landmark. Rado Market also shares a building with the fantastic Hogan Brown Gallery, empowering local artists, and the historic Eldorado Ballroom where legends like Etta James, Ray Charles and James Brown performed.
Just around the corner from Koffeteria and 8th Wonder is Graffiti Park, where the entire block is covered in street art.
Early risers should head to Rice University to admire James Turrell’s Twilight Epiphany Skyspace. Take a seat inside this permanent structure and watch the LED light sequence compliment the natural hues of sunrise.
Weather in Houston
Among all the exciting things to see and do, there were downsides to Houston. There is very little public transport and walkable routes so you have to get Ubers everywhere (what might be a three minute car journey would be an hour walk across a freeway).
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The heat and humidity, while a manageable 32 degrees in September, is oppressive in the summer – which has led to the creation of a network of under-city tunnels for Downtown locals during the week.
But as a lifelong Houstonian admitted to me: ‘It’s not the prettiest place but its food and art scene more than make up for that’. And I have to agree.
I was desperate to stay longer, realising that there was so much more for me to see and taste.
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But with a full belly, I got my flight home, already planning my next jaunt to Texas.
Getting there:
You can get return flights to Houston from London Heathrow for £769 with British Airways. Flight time is 10 hours 40 minutes.
Jess stayed at The Laura Hotel in Downtown Houston. Rooms start from $358 a night.
You can find out more about what Houston has to offer at www.visithouston.com
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