A bowl of duck meat filling with a lettuce wrap. — Duck lettuce wraps at newcomer Benny Chows are a delicious alternative to a traditional lunch salad.

14 Houston Restaurants Raising the Bar for Lunch

With indulgent salads, heaping bowls of pasta, and loaded sandwiches, these restaurants are slinging belly busting eats for lunch

by Megha McSwain Aug 21, 2023, 1:25pm CDT

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Duck lettuce wraps at newcomer Benny Chows are a delicious alternative to a traditional lunch salad.

| Brian Kennedy

by Megha McSwain Aug 21, 2023, 1:25pm CDT

Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but lunch deserves just as much fanfare, especially with so many Houston restaurants offering festive places to break from the office, lounge with friends, or simply retreat for sustenance on a hot summer’s day. There are dreamy Downtown restaurants serving up prime steaks and sandwiches, plus neighborhood gems in Montrose and Rice Village that offer premium people-watching from well-appointed patios. Put simply — the city is littered with worthy restaurants to “do lunch.”

Whether you’re in search of a place to connect with coworkers or a gathering place for gal pals within one of the city’s premier shopping districts, here are 14 restaurants that stand out for midday dining.

Don’t see your favorite lunch spot on the list? Shout it in the comments.

Gatlin's Fins & Feathers

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Greg Gatlin is no stranger to serving daytime diners at Gatlin’s BBQ, but lunch service is also offered at his full-service restaurant, Fins & Feathers in Independence Heights. Here, the spotlight is on fried chicken and Gulf Coast gems like New Orleans barbecue shrimp and chargrilled oysters. At lunch, pair a charred Brussels sprouts salad with a cup of gumbo or go whole hog with a fried catfish plate.

302 W Crosstimbers St, Houston, TX 77018

(346) 800-4668

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Benny Chows

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Berg Hospitality’s newest restaurant, celebrating American Chinese cuisine, launched both lunch and dinner service right off the bat, with a single menu available throughout the day. Dishes made with Cantonese traditions in mind are prepared using local ingredients, as in the smoked brisket egg roll using meat from Truth BBQ. Cold sesame noodles and duck lettuce wraps appeal during Houston’s hotter days, while the Beijing duck, made with a 7-pound specially sourced Jurgielewicz duck that takes three days to prepare, is a full feast.

1818 Washington Ave Building A, Ste. 150, Houston, TX 77007

(346) 888-1818

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Sliced Peking duck on a slab with sauces. — Benny Chow’s Beijing duck takes three days to prepare.

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Tribute

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Located within the Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa, Tribute is open for all-day dining with a dedicated menu for lunch (plus breakfast, dinner, and weekend brunch, too.) The cuisine reflects the best of Texas, Louisiana, and Mexico with highlights like smoked blue crab claws, blackened redfish, and the Tribute burger built with house-ground beef.

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111 N Post Oak Ln, Houston, TX 77024

(713) 685-6713

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Guard and Grace

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Located on the street level of One Allen Center, Guard and Grace is one of the few Downtown steakhouses that offer lunch service. Its dedicated lunch menu features steakhouse favorites like shrimp cocktail and a wedge salad, plus hearty meat sandwiches like the brisket melt made with Creekstone prime smoked brisket Steaks are on offer, too. A bounty of choices like the 4- or 8-ounce filet mignon or New York strip are just the right portions for lunch.

500 Dallas St Suite 100, Houston, TX 77002

(346) 326-0789

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Pastore

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After a brief opening phase, this coastal Italian restaurant from Underbelly Hospitality has introduced lunch service, available Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Along with salads like the panzanella and the old school Caesar, there are pastas, flatbreads, and Pastore’s take on a BLT — a sandwich built with porchetta, lettuce, and tomato, naturally coined the PLT.

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1180 Dunlavy St Suite 100, Houston, TX 77019

(346) 867-1905

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A white plate with chicken sausage ravioli at Pastore. — Chicken sausage ravioli, plus a slew of other pastas, are available at Pastore for lunch.

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Urbe

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When an escape from the mundaneness of the office is needed, lunch at Urbe provides exactly the right vibe. The casual counter-service restaurant from chef Hugo Ortega is decked out with vibrant Mexican art, and offers a colorful backdrop to dine and drink margaritas, should you opt not to return to the office. Go for the shrimp tostadas or something heartier like the quesabirria, and save room for something sweet made from the on-site bakery. Glass cases are stocked with made-from-scratch pastries like pan dulce, orejas, muffins, and cookies.

1101 Uptown Park Blvd Suite 12, Houston, TX 77056

(713) 726-8273

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A large meat torta topped with sliced avocado and a sunny side-up egg. — The pambazo torta at Urbe is a handful.

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Toro Toro

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Toro Toro, by globally renowned chef Richard Sandoval, brings pan-Latin flair to the ritzy Four Seasons Hotel, and is a popular choice among Downtown’s power lunch crowd. Lunch service features a number of salads and taco plates, along with more filling mains like the pulled pork, turkey, and ham Cuban sandwich. Return to work with an order of the churros with brandy dulce de leche, and be the office hero.

1300 Lamar St, Houston, TX 77010

(713) 650-1300

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Ostia

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Ostia is not a bad choice any time of day, but during lunch is when the restaurant slings its famed pizzas prepared in the restaurant’s live-fire, four-deck Italian stone pizza oven, and offers its three-course family-style lunch meal for two to three people, priced at $42, that includes an appetizer, salad, a pizza, pasta, entree, and dessert. Going a la carte? Take to the picturesque greenhouse room, and start with a classic Caesar salad or chicken liver pate before keeping an entire pie to yourself.

2032 Dunlavy St, Houston, TX 77006

(713) 324-9288

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A whole pizza with mushrooms on a white plate. — Ostia’s pizza Bianco is a house favorite.

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Marmo

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This vibey Italian restaurant at the Montrose Collective is known for its extended hours, remaining open well into the night, but it’s equally as popular for its daytime service, with lunch beginning at 11 a.m. The menu is one and the same all day, with salads, half portions of pasta, and entrees like chicken marsala and scallops with corn succotash being top-notch lunch choices.

888 Westheimer Rd Suite 109, Houston, TX 77006

(832) 626-3400

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BARI RISTORANTE

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River Oak District’s scene-y new Italian restaurant draws in the crowds day and night, making it a popular lunch destination on weekdays and weekends alike. Find hard-to-resist salads like the poached lobster with citrus dressing, and heaping pasta plates like the pappardelle bolognese with a housemade three-meat ragu or gnocchi with montasio cheese fondue.

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4444 Westheimer Rd suite A-175, Houston, TX 77027

(832) 415-9222

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PS-21

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This new French restaurant from Houston hospitality veterans chef Philippe Schmit and beverage expert Sébastien Laval offers a dedicated lunch service Tuesday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Find a scaled down version of the main menu, showcasing more lunch-forward features like the eggplant panini, ham and cheese baguette, and a wagyu-patty burger.

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2712 Richmond Ave., Houston, TX 77098

(346) 571-8988

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Money Cat

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Located on the street level of Kirby Grove, a mixed-use development that includes a 16-story office building and sprawling outdoor space at Levy Park, Money Cat is a favorite for its modern Japanese cuisine. Lunch is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. during which time the full menu is offered, with highlights like the chicken katsu sando, chutoro toast on squid ink milk bread, plus nigiri and sashimi.

2925 Richmond Ave. Suite 140, Houston, TX 77098

(281) 974-3735

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Overhead view of two halves of a chicken katsu sando, layered with Japanese tartar sauce and tamari caramel on house milk bread. — Money Cat’s chicken katsu sando is layered with Japanese tartar sauce and tamari caramel on house milk bread.

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Navy Blue

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This posh seafood restaurant from chef Aaron Bludorn is an ideal place to fuel up during a day of shopping in Rice Village. During its lunch service, hosted on Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., diners can explore its menu featuring dinner favorites like the grouper sandwich, plus lunch-exclusive items like the omelet with black truffles and chicken Milanese with marble potato salad, arugula, and piperade.

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2445 Times Blvd, Houston, TX 77005

(713) 347-7727

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A grouper sandwich with cabbage, tomato condiment, caper, and aioli on a seeded bun, wrapped in paper. — Navy Blue’s grouper sandwich is built with cabbage, tomato condiment, caper, and aioli.

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Hamsa

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This Rice Village gem known for its modern Israeli cuisine offers lunch service Tuesday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Try the falafel sandwich, loaded with toppings like tahini, hummus, and red cabbage, or opt for something saucy like the shakshuka with spiced tomato and egg. On nice weather days, sit on the picturesque front patio, and take in the sights and sounds of the bustling shopping center while you dine.

5555 Morningside Dr #100, Houston, TX 77005

(281) 612-3515

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Gatlin's Fins & Feathers

Benny Chows

Tribute

Guard and Grace

Pastore

Urbe

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Toro Toro

Ostia

Marmo

BARI RISTORANTE

PS-21

Money Cat

Navy Blue

Hamsa

More in Maps

Gatlin's Fins & Feathers

Benny Chows

Tribute

Guard and Grace

Pastore

Urbe

Toro Toro

Ostia

Marmo

BARI RISTORANTE

PS-21

Money Cat

Navy Blue

Hamsa

Related Maps

All sharing options for: 14 Houston Restaurants Raising the Bar for Lunch

All sharing options for: 14 Houston Restaurants Raising the Bar for Lunch