A Chicago export considered one of that city’s best Chinese restaurants, Lao Sze Chuan has quietly opened its doors in Katy. Juicy soup dumplings and entrees like perfectly lacquered Peking duck await, plus a dim sum selection perfect for snacking.

The family behind Mediterranean fave Hungry’s has spun off the former’s vegetarian menu section into an entirely new plant-based restaurant, serving up meals like seitan gyros, gluten-free chickpea pasta, vegan Philly cheesesteaks, and fresh-pressed juices.

This Nashville-style hot chicken joint, founded in Los Angeles, and now transported to Houston, is widely credited with bringing the hot chicken trend to the West Coast. Often imitated, one thing that sets Dave’s apart from other hot chicken joints is the restaurant’s large, sharable trays of fries and tenders drizzled with a zig-zag of sauce.

The minds behind beloved bagel shop New York Deli have opened their first full-service restaurant and bar, New York Eatery, in Bellaire. In addition to challah, bagels, and other baked goods, New York deli also serves smoked salmon that’s carved tableside, a massive Cobb salad, slow-braised beef ribs with mashed potatoes and seasonal greens; plus a selection of burgers, Coney Island-style hot dogs, and even more breakfast dishes.

A Canadian export, Joey brings a sprawling patio and diverse menu to the “Jewel Box” at the Galleria. The lengthy menu boasts everything from dumplings and sushi to cauliflower tacos and lobster-shrimp ravioli, plus plenty of steak options for the carnivores in the group.

If a trip to Italy is out of the cards right now, consider a trip to Concura instead. Here, diners can sip Aperol spritzes and indulge in plates of seafood carbonara prepared by chef Angelo Cuppone, a native of Italy.

This Cypress fave just opened an in-the-loop location near Memorial Park, where diners can find the same juicy soup dumplings crispy Peking duck, and Sichuan cuisine that made its suburban location a hit.

This Mediterranean-inspired cafe and grocery offers casual breakfast and lunch, and tableside dinner service, with dishes like lamb kofta, duckfat potatoes, breakfast mezze platters, and baklava granola, plus take-away dishes. On the retail side, Agnes sells local and imported goods, including cheese from Houston Dairymaids and infused olive oils.

This intimate spot in the M-K-T development in the Heights is modeled after the tropical seaside cafes and fresh cuisine of Tulum, Mexico. Dishes include tuna crudo tostadas, elote corn “ribs”, roasted bone marrow with guajillo marmalade, and drinks like the Cenote, made with green chartreuse, elote liqueur, and pineapple juice.

Executive chef Thomas Bille brings Mexican-American cuisine to the space formerly occupied by Calle Onze, with dishes like pozole dumplings, duck in fig mole, and truffle butter and salmon roe, and traditional techniques like nixtamalization for making tortillas.

This critically-acclaimed Downtown restaurant has reopened after a year-long pandemic closure, during which time its head chef, Sasha Grumman, left to compete on reality cooking competition Top Chef. Jacob Coronado, formerly the chef de cuisine at Nobie’s, has taken over the kitchen, serving Texas takes on Italian dishes like blue crab manicotti, Texas wild boar ragu, and red snapper with wild mushrooms and arugula.

Described as a more casual offshoot of chef Chris Shepherd’s Montrose steakhouse Georgia James, Georgia James Tavern is still a solid spot to score a gorgeous hunk of meat. In addition to the indulgent Tavern burger and cast-iron-seared wagyu ribeye, find shareable snacks like baked pimento cheese dip and Viet-Cajun chicken wings, plus a killer line-up of desserts.

The self-proclaimed “father of modern Mexican cuisine” Richard Sandolval has opened a new Latin-influenced steakhouse at downtown’s Four Seasons Hotel. Expect dishes like a giant, 52-ounce mezcal-flambéed prime tomahawk steak, Spanish cotopus, and antelope, sourced from Texas’ Broken Arrow Ranch. There’s also a ceviche bar, and every steak is served with both chimichurri and barbecue sauce.