Top 5 Restaurants In Houston Midtown Area

4/4/2017

About a year ago, I started my blog. I launched my own website with a little expectation of how everything will fall into pieces. Sharing thoughts and my experiences are the favorite part of my blog. Throughout my food and travel blogging journey, I've been learning a lot, watching informative articles & videos, creating and marketing my content. I see it growing little by little and hopefully, more and more people would enjoy the posts I create.

Today, I will be sharing top 5 restaurants in midtown Houston area you should definitely go to.

1. Ramen Tatsu-ya

New favorite Japanese ramen place in Houston! I've been to Jinya Ramen, Tiger Den, and tried Japanese ramen in several Japanese restaurants but none of them were good.... But this place which recently opened in midtown Houston, is on point!

First, the portion is just right. You can also add a bowl of rice on the side if you'd like. It will make you super full but in a satisfying way! Their meat is soft, it cuts well without having to bite it off. Noodles are as same as other places, but I think their broth is the game changer. It's not salty nor oily, you won't forget the taste and probably want to go back.

They have a private lot and street for parking, and their service is great. It's a casual restaurant in Houston where you can order as soon as you come in, pay, and they will take you to your seat. I've been here four times now and gotten great service. They have booths, two people seating, and one person seating on the side. The two people seating structure is as same as Jinya or Tiger Den but with larger spaces between the tables.

2. Jus' Mac Montrose Houston

Unique mac and cheese place in midtown Houston. You can choose from radical & traditional mac and cheese. Since I was born in Seoul, South Korea, I went with Seoul mac and cheese. The taste was rich. It's like kimchi fries, but instead of fries there's kimchi & meat in mac and cheese.

It's interesting and such a smart idea how Jus' Mac decided to put different types of ingredients on top of Mac and cheese. Portion wise, I got the personalized 1/2 lbs. They also have the large which is 1 lb of mac & cheese. 1/2 lbs is around $9 and 1 lb is $12-13. I think the personalized portion was great for me and the price.

They have a private parking lot so you don't have to worry about parking. When you first walk in, you might feel the ambience is not as welcoming; but don't judge too quick. The staffs are both friendly and nice. I got a take-out order & was surprised since I only waited about 8 minutes! For dining in, they have fair amount of tables which is good for 1-4 people. Definitely recommend this hidden place in Houston Montrose area.

3. Dak & Bop

3 pcs of drumsticks, medium spicy; soy garlic blended with hot & spicy

A quality Korean restaurant (not authentic) you can find in midtown Houston area. Dak is chicken in Korean, Bop (Bap) is rice in Korean. So pretty much, it translates into chicken and rice.

I've been to this place three times now and once for a take out. Dining in is a bit better for your overall experience. The main reason I go to this place is because of their chicken. I'd say it's probably the best chicken I've ever tasted while living in Houston almost 4 years. This chicken is (portion wise) mostly similar to Korean fried chicken. Normally American restaurants serve chicken with 80% bones and 20% chicken. Not to mention, it comes out either super dry or cold after waiting 20 min. On the other hand, Dak & Bop won't disappoint. Your 30 min wait is totally worth it because of their quality. Their chicken consists 20% of bones and 80% of chicken. It's hot, soft, and delicious. They double-fry the chicken which is crispy and just so good (OMG). Their price is reasonable along with the price.

As an appetizer, I normally get a bowl of rice along with kimchi. They are only $2 each and both tastes good. While waiting for your food, you can watch movies they project on the walls. When you walk in, the bar is on your left, the dining in on the right. I think it's great for any size of groups since the place is pretty spacious. You can park in the garage on the right where it says Binz Center. The first floor is where you park for the restaurants!

3 pcs of drumsticks, sriracha honey-lime; sweet + spicy + tangy

Rice & Kimchi

4. Honey Art Cafe

Egg Waffle

A small and cute cafe in midtown Houston with cool interior.
The photo above is "that wall" in Honey Art Cafe where everyone takes Instagram photos with the sam egg waffle ice cream.

This egg waffle is so soft! You can choose from any two toppings. I got the strawberry & blueberry. The vanilla ice cream is simply so chewy (it reminds me of Cold Stone ice cream) & goes well with the waffle. The waffle comes out hot and crispy! This dessert is really sweet, but good amount of sweetness where it will fill you up. We also ordered the mango honey milk which was creamy! The taste felt like they use honey instead of sugar because it was really smooth.

Their restroom is decorated with cats, and they also have art/drawing sessions! Free Wi-Fi which you can stay longer to study at the cafe. At the back there are bigger spaces. The walls are definitely colorful and unique! Parking is a bit bad, since there's only few spaces available and they share with other stores.

back of the cafe

5. MF Sushi

If you are looking for en elegant eatery for sushi or modern Japanese dishes, MF sushi is your answer. They also offer Omakase which is a memorable experience. They are located in midtown museum district area.

To start, their quality of sushi is incomparable to other Japanese restaurants in Houston. Ate alone in MF sushi around dinner time to evaluate their service, their food and other aspects, and they did not disappoint. The interior is classy as well as the music is relaxing. There are a lot of staffs available and everyone is friendly and respectful. The bar is in the front, booth seating at the left back, tables in the middle and one-person seats at the back right. They offer complimentary valet parking, but you can also park at the available parking spaces. For dress code, keep it business casual.

As you can see below, I ordered a lot of signature nigiri and some rolls, and others including miso soup. The miso soup was warm, with mushrooms, tofu and seaweed. Literally every single one of the dishes were rich, smooth, and melted in my mouth. For some sushi, they let you know you won't need soy sauce since there's a special sauce inside. The best part about quality sushi is the amount of rice under the fish. The less rice, the better. I actually ended up trying 10 different types of sushi and it was definitely worth the experience.