Helmed by James Beard Award semi-finalist Alex Au-Yeung, the menu at Phat Eatery takes diners on a journey through Southeast Asian cuisine, with dishes like roti canai, Hainan chicken, mee go reng, beef rendang, and kerabu prawns. Dumpling lovers can indulge in the dim sum platter— complete with har gau, siu mai, and served alongside sticky rice prepared in a lotus leaf. Craving seafood? You can’t go wrong with the salt and pepper lobster tails or the chili prawns. 

Seafood boils are synonymous with Houston, and this Katy Asian Town restaurant is a great place to get your fix. Find fresh boiled and fried seafood, po’boys, and stiff libations. Go big and order the ultimate seafood platter— complete with grilled or fried soft shell crab, scallops, shrimp and fish, or go with any of the boiled seafood platters, served by the pound. Chug down a michelada with your meal — the 22-ounce guzzler rings in at a cool six bucks.

With more than 40 steamed and fried dim sum dishes highlighting the menu, this Katy Asian Town dim-sum staple treats diners to soup dumplings, lava buns, Peking duck, and more. The Peking duck and the golden egg yolk soft shell crab is the perfect surf-and-turf combo to pair with many of the lava buns or dumplings. Find a seat at one of the communal tables, or get your eats to go.

This popular Pacific Northwest ramen chain boasts an outpost in Katy Asian Town. From miso and garlic tonkotsu ramen bowls to more seasonal bowls like the wood ear mushroom-heavy hakata tonkotsu, there’s a ramen bowl for every palate. Izakaya dishes like the chicken karage and pork belly buns are worth a try too.

For a Brazilian grilled meat experience without the pomp and circumstance of a steakhouse, head to this casual restaurant. The picanha steak is the dish many diners flock to, but don’t overlook the feijoada — a traditional Brazilian black beef stew with pork ribs and smoked sausage. Get an order of pao de quijo cheese bread to dip into the stew, and then cap off your meal with an order of coconut flan for a sweet finish.

Cajun flavors and fresh Gulf coast gems come together at this lively Katy seafood restaurant. Find Creole favorites like gumbo, boudin, crawfish pies, and crawfish étouffée. For a comprehensive sampler, go for the Babin’s mixed grill — a broiled seafood platter with tilapia, lemon butter crawfish, stuffed shrimp shrimp, scallops, crab cakes, and dirty rice.

This family-owned restaurant is known for its Turkish cuisine, featuring kebabs, mezze, and yogurt-marinated mixed grills. The kofte, grilled ground beef and lamb meatballs seasoned with spices, is a good place to start. An education in Turkish cuisine is not complete without an order of two of traditional desserts. Try the keskul, a rice flour-based milk pudding with almonds, or the sutlac, a rice pudding garnished with cinnamon.

The steaks are the main draw at this new American restaurant, which features RC Ranch Texas wagyu ribeyes and NY strips grilled over post oak. Also find seafood towers, crab cakes, and seafood entrees like blackened redfish and pistachio crusted snapper. Save some room for the churro cheesecake, or try an adult milkshake, a riff on the brandy Alexander.

This barbecue joint, now open at its new location in Katy, is home to some of the finest smoked meats in town. Find smoked prime beef brisket, pork ribs, pulled pork, turkey breast, and all-beef sausage, plus traditional sides like macaroni and cheese, coleslaw, and potato salad. The weekend specials are where Brett’s really shines— from pork belly burnt ends on Saturdays to the bacon-wrapped mac and cheese-stuffed brisket meatloaf available on Sundays only.

This popular Szechuan restaurant has an outpost in Katy Asian Town. For a tongue-tingling moment, try the Chengdu grilled whole fish or the spicy and numbing hot pot. No visit can be complete without a sampling of noodles. The dan dan noodles are a house favorite, while the Szechuan noodles, loaded with generous portions of sliced beef, lamb, and pork intestines, make a hearty meal.

South African cuisine is showcased in all its glory at this Katy restaurant. Chef-owner Casey Castro blends Latin American and South African flavors in dishes like oxtails, signature peri peri oysters Rockefeller, and skirt steak with Argentinian chorizo, and cured pork sausage. To get a good feel for the menu, order the South African sampler — a heaping platter of various cured meats and sausages consisting of biltong, Boerewors sausage, bobotie, droewors and stuffed peppadews with cream cheese. Astor is also a popular destination in Katy for brunch.

Find an outpost of this lively steakhouse chain in Cinco Ranch. The menu boasts all of the steakhouse classics, plus the restaurant’s signature pork chop. For dessert, order the off-the-menu white chocolate cheesecake, a decadent, white chocolate cheesecake with a graham cracker crust, served with blueberry compote and sour cream icing.

This family-friendly restaurant, with multiple locations in the Houston area, recently opened in Cinco Ranch. The menu is large and approachable, with entrees like slow-braised short rib, Mama’s meatloaf, and Mediterranean salmon. Weekend brunch is a popular time to visit, with menu highlights including fried chicken and waffles, crab cakes eggs Benedict, plus “bigmosas” and Bloody Marys.