We arrived in Texas in August 2024, the peak of the summer heat in Texas.

It was a persistent and scorching hot 38 to 42 degrees celsius everyday. It was not a pleasant start to starting settling into life in a new city that’s for sure!

Houston is also not a city made for walking. It’s truly a driving city, with roads and complex highways that easily connect one part of the city to another.

Houston is a sprawling concrete jungle of a city with a population of ~ 2.3 million.

It’s actually the 4th largest city in the United States by population size! As a big city, there are a ton of restaurants, bars and eateries to choose from. Being a big city in Texas, Texmex and barbeque are two of it’s most well known cuisines.

Today, I’ll be highlighting the first 5 eateries we checked out in our first month of living in Houston.

Mico’s Hot Chicken

Mico’s Hot Chicken in the Heights came highly recommended by my husband, who had it on a previous business trip, and it did not disappoint. We’ve since been back again! It’s so good!

Having spicy fried chicken burgers outside during summer was a surefire way to sweat profusely while eating. But it was so delicious we didn’t really care.

Mico, the creator of the hot chicken burger was inspired to create her own version of Nashville hot chicken. It started out as a food truck in 2019, before they set up shop permanently at a repurposed gas station that’s been turned into outdoor seating.

You can’t go wrong with the Sammich, fried pickles and waffle fries. I wasn’t game enough to try a spicy level above medium. Medium was just the right level for me.

Truth BBQ

Truth BBQ in Houston is one of the most well known BBQ restaurants. It was the first place we checked out in our first weekend in Houston. We started lining up at least 30 minutes before it opened, and there were at least 20 people ahead of us in the line.

While I’m not a massive meat eater, Truth BBQ was delicious. The smoky brisket, sausages and ribs. Along with the punchy, flavourful and classic side dishes: Brussel sprouts, coleslaw, Mac & Cheese and collard greens.

My personal favourites were definitely the brussel sprouts and smoked jalapeno cheddar sausage.

Lucilles

During our first month in Houston, it was coincidentally Houston Restaurant Week. A range of restaurants participated in restaurant week deals. Lucille’s in Museum district was one of them.

If you’re looking for southern comfort food like fried chicken and spicy gumbo. This is the place.

I loved the old-school vibe of the restaurant. The walls are filled with funky prints and family photographs showcasing the history of Lucille’s.

We ordered a few of Lucille’s famous dishes from their dinner menu. We started with their famous fried green tomatoes. Followed by two main dishes.

The Shrimp and Grits. A hearty dish containing gulf shrimp, andouille, sherry tomato broth and stone mill grits

The Yardbird. A delicious and savory slow-fried chicken with smoked mash potato, braised collard greens with a honey spiced gravy.

Creamistry

Given the scorching hot weather, we were constantly craving ice cold desserts and drinks. We decided to try out an ice cream drink chain called Creamistry. It’s a little bit gimmicky to be honest, but they’re known for using liquid nitrogen to flash freezer their ice cream.

It was intensely sweet and not something I would try again. Mostly because I’m more of a gelato kinda of gal, and I’m not a fan of extremely sweet desserts that is common in America.

Snooze A.M Eatery

Snooze is your classic American diner chain. Brunch in America is not quite the same as brunch in Australia. Most places in America don’t serve brunch on weekdays and it’s normally only served on weekends.

Brunch in Australia is often served every day with espresso based coffee at most cafes. The food is often a mix of classic dishes like the egg benny along with fancy cafe-designed dishes.

In America, going for brunch can be quite a boozy and dressed up affair. Think breakfast bottomless mimosas and champagne.

But it doesn’t have to be. Snooze is more of that classic American diner.

Unlimited brew coffee (their lattes are not quite the same as Australian lattes). Classic dishes like pancakes and egg benedicts. A few dishes with Texmex influence like the breakfast burrito.

Wrap Up

The one big thing that’s hard to get used in America is the tipping culture. You’re expected to tip at hospitality and service-based businesses. Not just at restaurants, but also hair and nail salons and the valet who parks your car for free.

The current “standard” for tipping in America appears to have increased to around 20%! A big increase since the last time I was in America over a decade ago.

The other thing to get used to is that all prices you see always exclude taxes. As a rule of thumb, when I see a price on a menu at a restaurant I add around 30% if I want to get a sense of what the actual final cost of the dish might be.

If you’re looking for a must-try place in Houston, I highly recommend Mico’s Hot Chicken or Truth BBQ. You can’t go wrong with either (unless you’re a vegetarian).

Until next time,

J.