Houston's Thriving International Food Scene

Yes, it is

I spent half of my adult life in Chicago, where the food is great but the crime is out of control and the winters are harsh. 

I’ve been in Houston now for 10 years and I’ve discovered that this is also a great food town. And except for hurricanes, tropical storms and brutal summers, it’s not bad.

The barbecue here is, of course, is world-class. But there's much more to Houston these days than smoked brisket and boiled crawdads.

At first, I was skeptical about Houston 

In much of Chicago, there are great places to eat for every budget on every other block. Not so in Houston, which is more like Los Angeles -- where i lived for ten years and is another great food town. But like L.A., Houston is very spread out. Chicago is much more compact. So, in most of Houston you need transportation to experience the variety of foods here.

Fortunately, though, there are what I call "restaurant zones" in Houston. China town, for example, on the city's west side, has a tremendous number of restaurants serving east Asian fare -- Chinese, of course, but also a lot of Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese and more.

The Gandhi District is Houston’s little India. But like Chinatown, it's not exclusive. There, you can also find cuisine from Pakistan, Lebanon, and points in between.

Given its geography, Mexican food is a mainstay in Houston. Latino foods are popular here. There are restaurants serving every central American nationality, as well as Cuban, Peruvian, Chilean, Brazilian, Venezuelan and more.

Food trucks have a solid presence throughout Houston, and they even have a strong Facebook community. As with the brick-and-mortar restaurants, food trucks serve a wide variety of international cuisines. 

The cosmopolitan character of Houston’s food scene today should come as no surprise. After all, thanks in large part to the energy industry, Houston gets its fair share of visitors from other countries. Many come in for business meetings and leave after a day or two. But many more live here full-time, and with them comes their families and food preferences. And so, naturally, there are restaurants and grocery stores all over Houston that cater to those international tastes.