Good restaurant near downtown? (Houston, Dallas: hotel, restaurants, sushi)

[portyhead24]

Ok, so I'm gonna be staying an the Hotel Icon in downtown. I want to know what are some of the best restaurants to eat at near there (maybe like a 3-5 mile radius max). Not talking about the priciest and/or the snootiest, just a great place to eat. Sushi? Electic? Whatever, just somewhere nicer and decent without all the pretense.

[modster]

That Italian place on Main, Mia Bella, is a good one. I haven't been in a while so hopefully it hasn't "gone downhill" or anything.

[Bike4Life]

Cabo is pretty cool if you also want some night-life mix with dinner. It's in Market Square but it's not really a market. And, it's not a fine dining place but it's really nice on the second balcony.

[portyhead24]

Thank you for the feedback, I'm going to look these places up right now. Please keep the suggestions coming if you have any.

[icon7]

you have to try:
The Spindletop
Birraporetti's
Massa's Restaurant

and don't forget Mc Donald's - 777 Walker St (in the tunnels) j/k

[texas7]

If you want to leave downtown a bit - go to Midtown and try out Cyclone Anaya's or El Patio.

[Supermac34]

I've heard excellent reviews of Mia Bella.

For lunch, Treebeards for red beans and rice (and butter cake).

[jfre81]

sorry, jfre81 is not functioning properly at this moment. please try again later.

[jfre81]

Within five miles of Downtown covers most of the Inner Loop. That said, the options are endless.

Immediately in downtown - yeah, there's a McDonald's in the tunnels and above ground near a Popeye's and a James Coney Island (near Travis@Dallas) if that's your thing. There are two Pappas BBQ locations (one on Smith and one on Pierce) and a Subway or three. No, not the kind you ride in.

Now with the chains (national and local alike) out of the way - you've got several bar and grill-type places that will do a burger to render McDonald's irrelevant whether above or below street level. There's the Spaghetti Warehouse. There's China Garden(?) south of the Toyota Center. There's the Downtown Aquarium if you've got nothing better to spend your money on, as well as a revolving restaurant atop the Hyatt Regency. Aside from those two there aren't a whole lot of gimmicks. Houston restaurants are for locals and frequent business visitors for the most part, and the good ones make you want to come back. Beware - what's supposed to be spicy is going to be. This isn't New Orleans where you'll find restaurants that'll weak-sauce it for the tourists from places where spice doesn't exist. And above all, you don't have to spend a whole lot of cash to eat well. Downtown Houston is still Houston, and food is cheap. Well, for now...

Go down Franklin until it takes a curve and turns into Navigation Blvd., and a couple blocks or so after the road straightens out again and on the right is Ninfas (the original). Tex-Mex was practically invented there.

There's a Vietnamese restaurant (something between a straight-up Vietnamese restaurant and a deli) on Travis in Midtown near the HCC building called Cali Sandwich. Eating out does not get cheaper in Houston than there, and you get every bit of what you pay for. If you're broke and you don't feel like cooking, pull up the cushions and you'll have enough to ride the bus/rail here and get something. Don't say I'll never share a secret with y'all.

There's Niko Niko's (Greek) on Montrose north of Westheimer. Barnaby's on West Gray. A bunch of other spots right around both of those. This is just scratching the surface with some of the better-known stuff.

[icon7]

If you do venture out of the downtown area...like say to Kirby @ 59, I would say try the beef fajitas at Lupe Tortilla. I love that Stuff! Man I am hungry...but they are probably closed by now

Lupe Tortilla Mexican Restaurant Location – Houston Texas, Sugar Land & The Woodlands