This food truck turned full-service restaurant combines Thai and Lao cuisines, with a menu of spring rolls, noodle dishes, meat-filled curries, and its signature boat noodles that are known to sell out. The restaurant features off-the-menu specials often, and as a bonus, it’s BYOB.

This female-led, family-operated restaurant is known for its oxtails, but pass through the cafeteria-style line and peruse dish after steaming dish of mouthwatering soul food. Find peppered steak, chicken spaghetti, fried fish, collard greens, yams, black-eyed peas, and more. Take a heaping order to-go, or stick around and enjoy a beer or cocktail from the full bar.

This Houston restaurant and wine bar is beloved by GOOF residents who take to the relaxed dining room and patio on weekdays and weekends alike. The large menu features snacks like oysters “Plonkefeller” and yellowtail crudo, plus hearty mains like braised wagyu and poached halibut in a white wine cream sauce.

Millie’s Kitchen & Cocktails slings hearty Southern comfort eats in a relaxed light-filled space. Expect dishes like chicken-fried steak with green beans and mashed potatoes, fried Gulf shrimp, and a Texas Reuben sandwich slathered with barbecue sauce. The restaurant reels in brunch-goers on the weekend, serving up Katz coffee alongside plates like the Creole omelet and shrimp and grits.

Helmed by pitmaster Greg Gatlin, this family-owned barbecue restaurant is highly sought after for its smoked meats and traditional Southern sides. Pair brisket or pulled pork with collard greens, candied yams, smoked corn, or dirty rice, or pile meats high in a sandwich. Try one of Gatlin’s legendary oversized baked potatoes — a favorite during lunch.

Satisfy a wings craving of epic proportions at this dedicated chicken wing restaurant. Sauces come in various flavors like traditional buffalo and barbecue but venture into more adventurous territory like Mango Madness. If you’re looking for extra heat, consider the tongue-tingling Nightmare sauce. Need your wings on the go? Journey through the Dream Wings drive-thru and get your order in a jiffy.

Known for its daily vegetarian offerings, this Indian restaurant is located onsite at the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temple in Garden Oaks. The menu changes daily, with items like chana masala, basmati rice pilaf, and mango cake, and fully-vegan meals that are prepared on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. As a bonus, peruse the majestic grounds before or after your meal.

With countless options in Houston, it can be difficult to settle on where to feed your taco fix, but Tacos A Go Go is a consistently reliable choice among them. Find frozen margaritas and fresh agua fresca in revolving flavors, plus tacos with protein fillings like carne guisada, grilled shrimp, barbacoa, and meatless varieties, like the tater taco and the “pastor falso” made with a plant-based meat substitute.

This fast-casual Vietnamese kiosk allows guests to place orders for banh mi, and vermicelli and rice bowls conveniently at its drive-thru window. Customize your meal with proteins like char-grilled pork, barbecue rib-eye, or honey-glazed lemongrass salmon, and add a fried egg or crispy egg roll. In lieu of a soda, consider a milk tea or traditional ca phe sua da coffee drink.

This popular pizzeria recently opened at the Stomping Yards in Garden Oaks, bringing its wood-fired Neapolitan-style pies to the neighborhood. Pizzas come in a number of varieties, like shrimp scampi, margherita, and 44 Farms beef. Anti-pizza? There’s plenty on the menu to explore, from spaghetti and meatballs to a generously stuffed baked calzone.

La Calle’s Garden Oaks location doesn’t have a bar or lounge like its Downtown outpost, but it does feature the same menu of tacos and tortas the restaurant is famous for. Try the quesabirria, made with 18-hour roasted meat, or the street tacos, packed with your choice of meat on compact corn tortillas.

Like its name suggests, Local Table prides itself on sourcing fresh, quality ingredients from local purveyors and offers a friendly space within the neighborhood for residents to dine. Salads and sandwiches are just the tipping point here. There are pasta bowls and entrees like chicken fried chicken and Mediterranean salmon proving that there is something for everyone. The casual restaurant also boasts a fully dedicated vegan menu featuring loaded veggie bowls and weekend brunch plates.

While Valencia’s is a festive place for Tex-Mex day or night, its weekend brunch is one of the most popular times to visit. Available Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays until 3 p.m., guests can look forward to a lively atmosphere fueled by morning cocktails, penny mimosa refills, and brunch staples like hotcakes and huevos rancheros.

Far more than a coffee stop, Sunday Press is an attractive, all-day destination serving hot and iced coffees, cold-pressed juices, and sweet and savory eats — available on-site or to-go through its drive-thru. Looking for something simple? Go for the peanut butter and jelly overnight oats, the avocado toast, or a breakfast taco, or try the tamago sando, a cold Japanese egg salad sandwich made with milk bread.