FOOD | ARTS | COMMUNITY | STYLE + LEISURE
GUUDBELLY $ Food Stand , Vegan , Gluten-Free | 832.693.3948 www . guudbelly . com These tamales are the real deal whether you are vegan or not . They are hands-down the best I ’ ve ever had ( do not tell my family ). The menu changes frequently but I have never had anything short of excellent . My husband and I go through a dozen each week !
– Lynn S ., Yelp
HAN KOOK KWAN $$ Korean , Barbeque | 9140 Bellaire Blvd . | 346.240.4600 This place is a hidden gem in the heart of Chinatown . We were initially going to eat sushi at Hokkaido , but stumbled across this place and gave it a try instead . Service was great ! Our waitress was a sweet older Korean woman who kindly greeted us ; she even cooked our bbq at our table . I didn ’ t expect this at all . The best thing when it comes to kbbq is the sides that come along with the entrées . They were plentiful and kept them coming . There ’ s also a self-serve salad bar where it ’ s all you can eat ! Will definitely be back .
– Kristine N ., Yelp
KING OF SHAWERMA $ Food Trucks , Halal , Middle Eastern | 832.542.9675 This place knocked me off my feet . I drive for Uber and am always looking for a good food truck on my way home to stop off and get some great food late at night on the weekends when I get done with driving people home from the bars . Thankfully last week I had a rider who took me outside the Beltway . On my way home , I stopped at KOS on a whim , as it was the first food truck I saw . I asked Chef Ashraf which he recommended , the shawarma or the gyro . He told me he was out of beef for the shawarma so I should try the lamb gyro . I am so glad he did . I got home and started eating it and could hardly believe my taste buds . THIS is what a lamb gyro is supposed to taste like ! OMG . The consistency of the meat was perfect . The pita bread was very high-quality , and he warmed it so it mingled with the tzatziki sauce and made it heavenly when I bit into it . I asked for fries and they were good , but the star of that meal was definitely the lamb . I ’ ve been thinking about it all week and praying that one of my passengers would lead me out that way tonight . I live in East Downtown and it ’ s a bit far for me to drive normally . But thank God , my last fare took me to Winrock and Westheimer . As soon as I dropped them off , I booked it down to KOS . I HAD to get that gyro again . I took it home and it was just as fantastic as the first time . I may have a hard time changing my order to beef shawarma now . That gyro sandwich has me HOOKED !!! I would go as far to say it ’ s the best I ’ ve ever had . Thanks so much , Chef Ashraf , for modifying my “ no lettuce ” requests !
– Esther G ., Yelp
NO BORDERS FOOD TRUCK $ Food Stands | 1515 Sul Ross | 713.858.2304 www . sylviasenchiladakitchen . com We stopped at No Borders when they were parked at the Houston Museum of Natural Science one evening before Mixers & Elixirs . We didn ’ t wait ‘ too ’ long in line before we placed our order , and our order was ready immediately . I got the Chicken Taco with avocado , lettuce , cheese and salsa . It was delicious , and had a nice little kick to it . They only give you one for $ 3 , but it comes with two tortillas so you can divide it in two if you want . Yum , definitely will have to go again when I see it around !
– Jodi M ., Yelp
ON THE KIRB $$ Sports Bars , Gastropubs | 5004 Kirby Dr . | 713.526.1414 This has become my new go-to spot for watching games on the weekends . TVs are everywhere and it ’ s easy to get the game you need on the television . More of an upscale sports bar than what is typical . Good vibe to the place . Pretty thorough selection of beers on tap . Nice craft cocktail selection . Have had most of the appetizers and the pizza , no complaints on any of it . Not your typical sports bar-quality food . Highly recommend the nachos with pulled pork on top . Pizza was good too ( they use a brick oven ) from what I remember ... it was pretty late in the night so you know how that goes . Since we have been here a few times now and it ’ s a new bar , we have gotten to know most of the staff . They are super-friendly from the owner down to the bartenders and waitstaff . Definitely check this place out !
– Dustin K ., Yelp
PEPPER TWINS $$ Szechuan | 1915 W . Gray St ., Suite A | 346.204.5644 www . txpeppertwins . com So after our “ adventure ” at Cooking Girl a few weeks ago , my friends and I decided to try their new upscale restaurant called Pepper Twins , located on 1915 West Gray Street . The inside of this “ country-style organic ” restaurant is beautiful ! The cuisine is from Chengdu ( southwestern China ), Sichuan province style , which means lots and lots of flavor and spice !!! We asked the waiter for some recommendations , and chose what we thought were the best dishes . For our appetizer we chose the mountain city noodle ( similar to dandan noodle ), then we shared the miracle blue egg soup ( thousand-year-old egg ), soft square bacon with Berkshire Pork Belly , Pepper Twins fish slides soup , and Sweet and Sour eggplant with Berkshire Pork . In case you didn ’ t know , Berkshire Pork is a premium , high-quality pork and is naturally produced without nitrates or chemicals . All the dishes are high-quality ! My favorite was the soft square bacon which absolutely melts in your mouth !! Don ’ t forget they are closed Mondays !! And also 10 % off if paying in cash !
– Texas T ., Yelp
PHO VE DEM $ Vietnamese , Soup | 13030 Bellaire Blvd . | 281.617.7192 When I heard about Pho Ve Dem ’ s expansion , I thought it was too good to be true , but low and behold , the second location is now here and open early ! I can definitely satisfy those early pho cravings now that they ’ re open at 8 am . Don ’ t even gotta worry about a tight lunch schedule cuz the service is super-fast ! The pho is super-good , and with the addition of the new rice dishes , egg rolls , spring rolls , etc ., I find it harder and harder to refrain from coming here . Great service , great atmosphere , and they also accept credit cards here ! Highly recommend this place ! P . S . That kem sau rieng ! If you haven ’ t tried it yet , it ’ s time for something new in ya lyfe !
– Arnold G ., Yelp
PI PIZZA $$ Pizza , Cocktail Bars | 181 Heights Blvd . | 832.767 . 2433 www . pipizzahtx . com My family came here on a Sunday evening just before dinner time and it was already hopping . We started with the mac and cheese balls and pizza fries . I probably could have stopped there because I was in a happy food coma of deliciousness already . Had my ( incredibly picky ) six-year-old not eaten 2 out of 3 of the balls , I might have been full . For pizza , we got the Sorority Girl Surprise , a plain pepperoni . Six-year-old had 3 slices of the pepperoni , which is a lot for him , so he was obviously into it ; and my husband and I were way happy with our pizza choice . I will likely be back to make my way through the menu ... particularly excited to try the one with the blackberry and mint . This is one of those places that makes me super proud to live in Houston and super proud to see people my age ( or slightly older ?) killing it at being a passionate business owner . Pi Pizza , thanks for existing . P . S . Ryan was so into the ranch that he took it off the mac plate and hid it for his pizza so that our server couldn ’ t take it away .
– Erin T ., Yelp
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november 16 | LOCAL 29