16-05-2025
3 Houston Restaurants to Try This Weekend: May 16
Each week, we'll provide a trusty list of recommendations to answer the most pressing of questions: 'Where should I eat?' Here are four places to check out this weekend in Houston. And if you need ideas on where to drink, here's our list of the hottest places to get cocktails in town . For a masa experience: Maximo
6119 Edloe Street, West University Place
Tucked into the charming neighborhood of West University, this Mexican restaurant has undergone some transition. The hospitality group behind Local Foods and Milton's first opened Maximo in 2024, touting nixtamalized tortillas and compelling taco combinations. But earlier this year, the restaurant took a mini-hiatus to regroup, tapping young chef and DACA-recipient Adrian Torres to reshape the menu. The result has been a vibrant lineup of dishes, including a confit brisket taco with pickled red onion and salsa macha taquera; a bright ceviche; and a refreshing heart of palm salad with strawberries, basil, queso enchilado, and champagne vinaigrette with just the right amount of acidity. The star is the homemade masa cornbread. Served over a buttery mole soubise, the bread is topped with an umami-loaded chicatana butter, made with fire ants — a Mexican delicacy, caviar for a bunch of salinity, and a hoja santa oil.
For an affordable and well-rounded overview of what the restaurant offers, consider Maximo's new five-course tasting menu. Diners experience oysters served two ways, a squash blossom tetela, the masa cornbread, a sope crowned with tender truffle short rib and mole negro, and Maximo's must-have dessert: a banana pudding buñuelo filled with a creamy vanilla custard and served with a homemade banana ice cream craftily shaped like the yellow fruit. For the ultimate crawfish boil collaboration: EZ's Liquor Lounge
3302 White Oak Drive, Heights
Crawfish season in Houston is still going strong, and two local spots are teaming up on one of the season's hottest pairings: crawdaddies and cold drinks. Midtown restaurant Josephine's will take residency at EZ's Liquor Lounge in the Heights on Sunday, May 18, starting at 1 p.m., serving chef Lucas McKinney's spicy crawfish. If you have a choice, order your mudbugs 'wet,' which means they'll come dripping in a Viet-Cajun style butter sauce comprised of a signature seasoning blend and a hint of fish sauce. Crawfish will be $9 per pound, with optional additions like $5 sausage links, and $4 servings of potatoes, corn, and mushrooms. The boil is first-come, first-served, so be sure to get there early. Don't forget the drinks. EZ's Liquor Lounge offers cocktails, beer, and frozen beverages, including freezer martinis, Ranch Waters, and its Slurrricane, a potent combination of two rums, sherry, citrus, Fassionola, and bitters to quell the spice and keep you cool. For one of the city's best imports: Rumi's Kitchen
1801 Post Oak Boulevard, Suite 120, Uptown
Houstonians can be a tad protective over the dining scene, especially when it comes to restaurants from out of town. A Dallas or Austin restaurant opens up? Cue the skepticism. But every once in a while, an outsider opens in Houston that gets the locals' seal of approval. Although I initially dragged my feet to this Atlanta import, considered one of the city's most iconic Persian restaurants, dinner convinced me to have a more open mind. The labneh with charred tomato is a smart opener, simple yet thick and creamy with strained yogurt enhanced by tomato, Urfa chili, basil puree, and lemon salt. The restaurant also serves a flavorful Chilean sea bass with dill and fava bean basmati rice, an assortment of kabobs, and Shirin rice with a punchy combination of orange zest, barberry, pistachio, and almond. Rumi's might be more expensive than many other Mediterranean restaurants in Houston, but some of the higher price tag is due to its ambiance. The dimly lit dining room is punctuated by an illuminated bar with a spherical installation housing its many bottles. There's rustic decor and plating designed to evoke an old-world feel, ceiling fans that resemble the swirling skirts of Sufis, and other small touches that make the experience feel more personal. Most notably, Rumi's Old Fashioned, a cocktail composed of bourbon, Oleo, and bitters and an ode to the restaurant's poet namesake, features a poem as a garnish and souvenir.
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