1. Kolaches at Christy's Donuts & Kolaches, Kolache Factory, or Shipley Donuts 2. Wings and waffles at the Breakfast Klub 3. Banh Mi sandwich at Les Givral, Cafe TH, or Roostar 4. Vietnamese crawfish at Crawfish & Noodles or Crawfish Cafe 5. BBQ brisket at Tejas Chocolate & BBQ, Corkscrew BBQ, Papa Charlie's, Gatlin's, Pinkerton, Feges, Blood Brothers, or Killen's 6. Fajitas at El Tiempo or Njnfa's 7. Tapioca or boba at Teahouse Tapioca or Kung Fu Tea 8. Tacos at Brothers Tacos, Via Arcos, Fusion Tacos, Torchy's Tacos, Velvet Tacos, La Esquina, or Tacos Tierra Caliente 9. Noodles (eg ramen, pho). Katie says too many to list so ask locals. 10. Steak at Chris Shepherd's Georgia James, Papa's Steakhouse, Killen's STQ, Taste of Texas, or B&B Butchers. But for the best bang for your buck, Google steak night in Houston.
Some I'd recommend are all around the Hillcroft / Mahatma Gandhi district. Shravana Bhavan, Shiv Sagar, Honest and Bombay Sweets (has more than sweets). And then there is Pondicheri in River Oaks which has fusion/modern plates which are delicious.
Houston has been at the top of my list for some time. I am visiting this weekend and one of the top things I am excited about it the Vietnamese food. Can’t get that where I live. Yummmmmmyyyt