More Maps

15 Houston Speakeasies to Spice Up Your Night

15 Essential Houston Ramen Spots

21 Standout Sushi Restaurants in Houston

More in Houston See more maps

An Ostia spread of its family-style menu, with roasted chicken, oven-roasted prawns, linguine, and bread. — Ostia offers a family-style spread that gives diners a solid preview of its menu.

18 Houston Restaurants With Dishes Made for Sharing

Find family-style Italian and Malaysian dishes, Korean and Vietnamese barbecue, tapas-style bar food, and more at these Houston restaurants where you can literally share a meal

by Minh Truong and Brittany Britto Garley Sep 11, 2023, 2:11pm CDT

View as Map

Ostia offers a family-style spread that gives diners a solid preview of its menu.

| Jenn Duncan

by Minh Truong and Brittany Britto Garley Sep 11, 2023, 2:11pm CDT

We’ve all heard the old adage “sharing is caring,” and this certainly rings true when dining out. Food often serves as a love language — a tangible thing that can feed the soul and bring everyone at the table closer. Though any dish can be shared (if you try), certain cuisines and dish formats are made for communal dining. While Eater Houston also has a map for those looking for restaurants that can easily accommodate large groups of six or more, this map is specifically intended for those looking to share and experience dishes with friends, family, or other dining partners regardless of group size.

With extravagant seafood towers, plentiful family-style meals, tapas-style small plates, and main dishes big enough to share, these are some of Houston’s best places to come together for a sharable meal.

Read More

Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process. If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

Phat Eatery

Helmed by James Beard Award-nominated chef Alex Au-Yeung, this Malaysian restaurant in Katy is made for sharing, with dim sum platters, and dishes like its stir-fried noodles, fried rice dishes, and saucy plates like its award-winning beef rendang. Allow your server to take the lead and order their family-style option, which offers some of Phat’s greatest hits tailored to your taste buds.

Open in Google Maps

23119 Colonial Pkwy suite b-2, Katy, TX 77449

Visit Website

A spread of meats, curries, rice bowls, and sauces at Phat Eatery. — Get a full view of Phat Eatery with its family-style offering.

Also featured in:

Pizzitola’s BBQ & BBQ Catering

Barbecue is the quintessential meal to share, and Pizzitola’s, a Houston mainstay that just celebrated its 88th year in business, is the ideal spot to gather friends and family for a feast. Opt for the family-style platter with your pick of meats, like the brisket or pork spareribs priced by the pound, plus sides, like the pinto beans or potato salad.

Open in Google Maps

1703 Shepherd Dr, Houston, TX 77007

Visit Website

Georgia James Steak

This Underbelly Hospitality steakhouse menu offers many dishes that can be shared, but the ultimate experience for a group is the extravagant off-menu item known as the “baller board.” A selection of the best cuts of meat, seafood, and sides are hand-selected by the chef and served on a wooden platter, making for a lavish dining experience.

3503 W Dallas St, Houston, TX 77019

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Toro Toro

The Pan-Latin steakhouse inside the Four Seasons Hotel is a great setting for a date for two or a celebratory night out for 10. The table can share the swordfish dip, Peruvian ceviche, or one of the flavor-packed sushi rolls to start. For the main event, Toro Toro pulls out all the stops with the churrasco, a platter that includes cuts of Brazilian-style picanha steak, rib-eye, chicken Cusco, and diner’s choice of the lamb chops or the 52-ounce tomahawk that is mezcal-flambeed and carved tableside.

1300 Lamar St, Houston, TX 77010

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Toro Toro Houston (@torotorohouston)

Also featured in:

Huynh Restaurant

Sitting down for a Vietnamese family meal means sharing an array of communal dishes. At Huynh, the family-style selections include shaking beef, chargrilled short ribs, and stir-fried bok choy. Take advantage of the generous BYOB policy, and add to the shared experience with a bottle of wine for the table.

912 St Emanuel St, Houston, TX 77003

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Eight Row Flint

Eight Row Flint has always been a fun drinking destination for groups, with an unbeatable happy hour and an extensive cocktail list, but its East End location ups the experience with an emphasis on tapas-style dishes, an exciting brunch menu, and Astro Game Day specials. Find a can’t-miss selection of tacos, including the classic crispy Brussels sprouts mainstay and the pork belly and Octopus taco inspired by a trip to Mexico, and delicious starters to share like elote ribs, the Oaxacan fried quesadilla served with crema and lime, and the crab rangoon empanadas. If feeling selfish, the cheeseburger is a perfect dish to keep all to yourself.

3501 Harrisburg Blvd Suite A, Houston, TX 77003

Visit Website

A spread of Eight Row Flint drinks and dishes, including hot dogs, tacos, refried beans, wings, beer, Ranch Waters, and more. — Eight Row Flint expands its menu with its East End location.

Also featured in:

Ostia

This Montrose Mediterranean restaurant offers a hefty family-style sample of its entire menu, making it a perfect place for an entertaining dining experience that’s a steal. Take the thought out of dining with the three-course lunch special ($42), which comes with the chef’s choice of an appetizer, a salad, a pasta dish, an entree, sides, and a pizza, which is only served during weekday afternoons and on Sundays. Or, go for dinner, where you’ll get four courses (sans pizza) for $82.

2032 Dunlavy St, Houston, TX 77006

Visit Website

A bowl of linguine, mussels, and clams that’s sprinkled with chile. — Ostia offers a draw for multiple diners in it to share.

Also featured in:

Acme Oyster House

The casual Montrose restaurant serving fresh seafood and Creole and Cajun classics is a fun spot for groups to let the good times roll. Order the New Orleans medley for a sampling of gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, and grilled smoked sausage, or the “captain’s platter” for a sample of fried oysters, shrimp, fish, fried soft shell crab, onion rings, fries, and coleslaw plus traditional hush puppies along with ones stuffed with crawfish.

1201 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77006

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Paulie's

If looking for a more casual and affordable dining option, head to Paulie’s in Montrose, where it’s easy to fill up and split pizzas, plus salads and pasta dishes that are served in small and large portions, meaning you can share and experience more of the menu at your pace. Opt for pastas on different sides of the flavor spectrum, like the bucatini amatriciana, which packs a punch of spice, and the canestri and broccoli pasta, which is covered in a creamy coating of olive oil, garlic, and parmesan.

1834 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77098

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Little’s Oyster Bar

Though perfectly fine if dining solo, the dishes at Little’s Oyster Bar are intended to be shared, and it’s evident considering some of the dishes, which are too good to keep to yourself. Start off the experience with the caviar, which comes with a spread of fried potato dumplings, radish butter, crème fraiche, and an onion jam, before splitting the oysters and the tender grilled octopus plated with a tasty zhoug and marble potatoes. Then move on to a main or two, like the chicken-fried American snapper or the buttery grouper. Save room for dessert — the spiced carrot blondie is a memorable end.

Open in Google Maps

3001 S Shepherd Dr, Houston, TX 77098

Visit Website

Little’s Oyster Bar’s oysters topped with spinach and garlic soubise gruyere, with two glasses of absinthe and a side of lemon. — Little’s Oyster Bar is a perfect dining experience for two or more.

Also featured in:

Street to Kitchen

The owners of Street to Kitchen will tell you that the best way to experience the restaurant is to order a few dishes that complement each other and offer a combination of sweet, salty, bitter, spicy, and sour — the many flavors that make up Thai cuisine. The sweetness of the massaman curry, served with a side of rice, pairs well with the spicy drunken noodles, but then that means you might need some help.

Open in Google Maps

6501 Harrisburg Blvd, Houston, TX 77011

Visit Website

Street to Kitchen’s spicy pork bowl with eggs, greens, and a side of spice and vinegar with jalapenos. — Split the various dishes at Street to Kitchen to get the full experience.

Blue Nile | Ethiopian Restaurant

Ethiopian food is about sharing, family, and community, and at Blue Nile, one of Houston’s oldest Ethiopian restaurants, diners can bond over flavorful stews, stir-fries, and vegetable dishes, all eaten by hand with injera, a sourdough flatbread.

Open in Google Maps

3030 Audley St, Houston, TX 77098

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Blue Nile at River Oaks (@bluenileatriveroaks)

Also featured in:

18 Essential Upper Kirby Restaurants

Hamsa

A meal at this modern Israeli restaurant in Rice Village is made for communal dining. Pass around the salatim, a selection of small dishes of spreads, dips, and pickled vegetables, to start, and then divvy up dishes like the charcoal-grilled skewers or whole grilled branzino for the table.

5555 Morningside Dr #100, Houston, TX 77005

Visit Website

Plates of falafel, salatim, hummus, sauces, pita bread, and more at Hamsa. — Hamsa offers a spread of Mediterranean cuisine.

Also featured in:

Saigon Pagolac

The draw at this long-standing Vietnamese restaurant in the heart of Asiatown is the house specialty, Nuong Vi or the barbecue, which offers an interactive, family-style experience where diners cook their own meats on a sizzling grill at the table. Roll up the end result in rice paper stuffed with vegetables and herbs and enjoy.

9600 Bellaire Blvd Suite 119, Houston, TX 77036

Visit Website

Dookki

This all-you-can-eat restaurant offers a multi-meal experience that is best shared. In addition to its bulgogi and ramen stations, this international chain offers a buffet of various styles of tteokbokki, or Korean rice cakes, which are simmered in customizable broth and sauces at the center of each table. Diners can save some of the remaining soupy mixture to make their own version of crispy kimchi rice.

Open in Google Maps

9750 Bellaire Blvd # 100, Houston, TX 77036

A person stirs fried rice on a bowl atop a table burner at Bellaire’s Dookki Tteokbokki. — Start with the tteokbokki and end with the kimchi fried rice.

Also featured in:

Hongdae 33 Korean BBQ

At this colorful, all-you-can-eat, Korean barbecue spot in Asiatown, tables are outfitted with their own grills for an interactive group dining experience. Dig into the banchan, or side dishes, while grilling the meat and seafood to perfection. Then, toast to a good time with one of the flavored sojus.

Open in Google Maps

9889 Bellaire Blvd Suite D-229, Houston, TX 77036

Visit Website

A large spread of grilled meats and banchan. — This all-you-can-eat is a must-try experience for friends looking to bond over food.

Also featured in:

Fung's Kitchen

Dim sum, a traditional Chinese meal made up of small dishes meant to be shared and typically eaten around brunch time, is a favorite Houston pastime. At Fung’s Kitchen, part of the fun is the bustling of the pushcarts, where diners can pick from a variety of dumplings, steam buns, and noodle rolls.

7320 Southwest Fwy #115, Houston, TX 77074

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Fung's Kitchen (@fungskitchen)

Also featured in:

Aga's Restaurant & Catering

The large dining room of this Indian-Pakistani restaurant is often filled with large groups and families, with nearly every table topped with heaping bowls of biryani, sizzling platters of kebabs, or boti. Add orders of samosas to pass around, and it’s a feast for the whole family, or even just a few friends.

11842 Wilcrest Dr, Houston, TX 77031

Visit Website

Also featured in:

© 2023 Vox Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Link copied to the clipboard.

Phat Eatery

23119 Colonial Pkwy suite b-2, Katy, TX 77449

Helmed by James Beard Award-nominated chef Alex Au-Yeung, this Malaysian restaurant in Katy is made for sharing, with dim sum platters, and dishes like its stir-fried noodles, fried rice dishes, and saucy plates like its award-winning beef rendang. Allow your server to take the lead and order their family-style option, which offers some of Phat’s greatest hits tailored to your taste buds.

Open in Google Maps

23119 Colonial Pkwy suite b-2, Katy, TX 77449

Visit Website

A spread of meats, curries, rice bowls, and sauces at Phat Eatery. — Get a full view of Phat Eatery with its family-style offering.

Pizzitola’s BBQ & BBQ Catering

1703 Shepherd Dr, Houston, TX 77007

Barbecue is the quintessential meal to share, and Pizzitola’s, a Houston mainstay that just celebrated its 88th year in business, is the ideal spot to gather friends and family for a feast. Opt for the family-style platter with your pick of meats, like the brisket or pork spareribs priced by the pound, plus sides, like the pinto beans or potato salad.

Open in Google Maps

1703 Shepherd Dr, Houston, TX 77007

Visit Website

Georgia James Steak

3503 W Dallas St, Houston, TX 77019

This Underbelly Hospitality steakhouse menu offers many dishes that can be shared, but the ultimate experience for a group is the extravagant off-menu item known as the “baller board.” A selection of the best cuts of meat, seafood, and sides are hand-selected by the chef and served on a wooden platter, making for a lavish dining experience.

3503 W Dallas St, Houston, TX 77019

Visit Website

Toro Toro

1300 Lamar St, Houston, TX 77010

The Pan-Latin steakhouse inside the Four Seasons Hotel is a great setting for a date for two or a celebratory night out for 10. The table can share the swordfish dip, Peruvian ceviche, or one of the flavor-packed sushi rolls to start. For the main event, Toro Toro pulls out all the stops with the churrasco, a platter that includes cuts of Brazilian-style picanha steak, rib-eye, chicken Cusco, and diner’s choice of the lamb chops or the 52-ounce tomahawk that is mezcal-flambeed and carved tableside.

1300 Lamar St, Houston, TX 77010

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Toro Toro Houston (@torotorohouston)

Huynh Restaurant

912 St Emanuel St, Houston, TX 77003

Sitting down for a Vietnamese family meal means sharing an array of communal dishes. At Huynh, the family-style selections include shaking beef, chargrilled short ribs, and stir-fried bok choy. Take advantage of the generous BYOB policy, and add to the shared experience with a bottle of wine for the table.

912 St Emanuel St, Houston, TX 77003

Visit Website

Eight Row Flint

3501 Harrisburg Blvd Suite A, Houston, TX 77003

Eight Row Flint has always been a fun drinking destination for groups, with an unbeatable happy hour and an extensive cocktail list, but its East End location ups the experience with an emphasis on tapas-style dishes, an exciting brunch menu, and Astro Game Day specials. Find a can’t-miss selection of tacos, including the classic crispy Brussels sprouts mainstay and the pork belly and Octopus taco inspired by a trip to Mexico, and delicious starters to share like elote ribs, the Oaxacan fried quesadilla served with crema and lime, and the crab rangoon empanadas. If feeling selfish, the cheeseburger is a perfect dish to keep all to yourself.

3501 Harrisburg Blvd Suite A, Houston, TX 77003

Visit Website

A spread of Eight Row Flint drinks and dishes, including hot dogs, tacos, refried beans, wings, beer, Ranch Waters, and more. — Eight Row Flint expands its menu with its East End location.

Ostia

2032 Dunlavy St, Houston, TX 77006

This Montrose Mediterranean restaurant offers a hefty family-style sample of its entire menu, making it a perfect place for an entertaining dining experience that’s a steal. Take the thought out of dining with the three-course lunch special ($42), which comes with the chef’s choice of an appetizer, a salad, a pasta dish, an entree, sides, and a pizza, which is only served during weekday afternoons and on Sundays. Or, go for dinner, where you’ll get four courses (sans pizza) for $82.

2032 Dunlavy St, Houston, TX 77006

Visit Website

A bowl of linguine, mussels, and clams that’s sprinkled with chile. — Ostia offers a draw for multiple diners in it to share.

Acme Oyster House

1201 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77006

The casual Montrose restaurant serving fresh seafood and Creole and Cajun classics is a fun spot for groups to let the good times roll. Order the New Orleans medley for a sampling of gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, and grilled smoked sausage, or the “captain’s platter” for a sample of fried oysters, shrimp, fish, fried soft shell crab, onion rings, fries, and coleslaw plus traditional hush puppies along with ones stuffed with crawfish.

1201 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77006

Visit Website

Paulie's

1834 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77098

If looking for a more casual and affordable dining option, head to Paulie’s in Montrose, where it’s easy to fill up and split pizzas, plus salads and pasta dishes that are served in small and large portions, meaning you can share and experience more of the menu at your pace. Opt for pastas on different sides of the flavor spectrum, like the bucatini amatriciana, which packs a punch of spice, and the canestri and broccoli pasta, which is covered in a creamy coating of olive oil, garlic, and parmesan.

1834 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77098

Visit Website

Little’s Oyster Bar

3001 S Shepherd Dr, Houston, TX 77098

Though perfectly fine if dining solo, the dishes at Little’s Oyster Bar are intended to be shared, and it’s evident considering some of the dishes, which are too good to keep to yourself. Start off the experience with the caviar, which comes with a spread of fried potato dumplings, radish butter, crème fraiche, and an onion jam, before splitting the oysters and the tender grilled octopus plated with a tasty zhoug and marble potatoes. Then move on to a main or two, like the chicken-fried American snapper or the buttery grouper. Save room for dessert — the spiced carrot blondie is a memorable end.

Open in Google Maps

3001 S Shepherd Dr, Houston, TX 77098

Visit Website

Little’s Oyster Bar’s oysters topped with spinach and garlic soubise gruyere, with two glasses of absinthe and a side of lemon. — Little’s Oyster Bar is a perfect dining experience for two or more.

Street to Kitchen

6501 Harrisburg Blvd, Houston, TX 77011

The owners of Street to Kitchen will tell you that the best way to experience the restaurant is to order a few dishes that complement each other and offer a combination of sweet, salty, bitter, spicy, and sour — the many flavors that make up Thai cuisine. The sweetness of the massaman curry, served with a side of rice, pairs well with the spicy drunken noodles, but then that means you might need some help.

Open in Google Maps

6501 Harrisburg Blvd, Houston, TX 77011

Visit Website

Street to Kitchen’s spicy pork bowl with eggs, greens, and a side of spice and vinegar with jalapenos. — Split the various dishes at Street to Kitchen to get the full experience.

Blue Nile | Ethiopian Restaurant

3030 Audley St, Houston, TX 77098

Ethiopian food is about sharing, family, and community, and at Blue Nile, one of Houston’s oldest Ethiopian restaurants, diners can bond over flavorful stews, stir-fries, and vegetable dishes, all eaten by hand with injera, a sourdough flatbread.

Open in Google Maps

3030 Audley St, Houston, TX 77098

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Blue Nile at River Oaks (@bluenileatriveroaks)

Hamsa

5555 Morningside Dr #100, Houston, TX 77005

A meal at this modern Israeli restaurant in Rice Village is made for communal dining. Pass around the salatim, a selection of small dishes of spreads, dips, and pickled vegetables, to start, and then divvy up dishes like the charcoal-grilled skewers or whole grilled branzino for the table.

5555 Morningside Dr #100, Houston, TX 77005

Visit Website

Plates of falafel, salatim, hummus, sauces, pita bread, and more at Hamsa. — Hamsa offers a spread of Mediterranean cuisine.

Saigon Pagolac

9600 Bellaire Blvd Suite 119, Houston, TX 77036

The draw at this long-standing Vietnamese restaurant in the heart of Asiatown is the house specialty, Nuong Vi or the barbecue, which offers an interactive, family-style experience where diners cook their own meats on a sizzling grill at the table. Roll up the end result in rice paper stuffed with vegetables and herbs and enjoy.

9600 Bellaire Blvd Suite 119, Houston, TX 77036

Visit Website

Dookki

9750 Bellaire Blvd # 100, Houston, TX 77036

This all-you-can-eat restaurant offers a multi-meal experience that is best shared. In addition to its bulgogi and ramen stations, this international chain offers a buffet of various styles of tteokbokki, or Korean rice cakes, which are simmered in customizable broth and sauces at the center of each table. Diners can save some of the remaining soupy mixture to make their own version of crispy kimchi rice.

Open in Google Maps

9750 Bellaire Blvd # 100, Houston, TX 77036

A person stirs fried rice on a bowl atop a table burner at Bellaire’s Dookki Tteokbokki. — Start with the tteokbokki and end with the kimchi fried rice.

Related Maps

Hongdae 33 Korean BBQ

9889 Bellaire Blvd Suite D-229, Houston, TX 77036

At this colorful, all-you-can-eat, Korean barbecue spot in Asiatown, tables are outfitted with their own grills for an interactive group dining experience. Dig into the banchan, or side dishes, while grilling the meat and seafood to perfection. Then, toast to a good time with one of the flavored sojus.

Open in Google Maps

9889 Bellaire Blvd Suite D-229, Houston, TX 77036

Visit Website

A large spread of grilled meats and banchan. — This all-you-can-eat is a must-try experience for friends looking to bond over food.

Fung's Kitchen

7320 Southwest Fwy #115, Houston, TX 77074

Dim sum, a traditional Chinese meal made up of small dishes meant to be shared and typically eaten around brunch time, is a favorite Houston pastime. At Fung’s Kitchen, part of the fun is the bustling of the pushcarts, where diners can pick from a variety of dumplings, steam buns, and noodle rolls.

7320 Southwest Fwy #115, Houston, TX 77074

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Fung's Kitchen (@fungskitchen)

Aga's Restaurant & Catering

11842 Wilcrest Dr, Houston, TX 77031

The large dining room of this Indian-Pakistani restaurant is often filled with large groups and families, with nearly every table topped with heaping bowls of biryani, sizzling platters of kebabs, or boti. Add orders of samosas to pass around, and it’s a feast for the whole family, or even just a few friends.

11842 Wilcrest Dr, Houston, TX 77031

Visit Website

Related Maps