Locations in Houston: Readers' Choice

Bedrock City Comic Company - Westheimer

6516 Westheimer Rd. Galleria

713-780-0675

Retail, Best Of, Sponsor, Slideshow, Readers' Choice

16 articles

Blue Line Bike Lab

3302 White Oak Dr. Heights

713-802-1707

Health and Fitness, Best Of, Sponsor, Readers' Choice

6 articles

Central Market

3815 Westheimer Greenway Plaza

713-386-1700

Retail, Services, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu, Slideshow, Readers' Choice

179 articles

Discovery Green

1500 McKinney St. Downtown/ Midtown

713-400-7336

Community Venues, Music Venues, Sports and Recreation, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu, Slideshow, Readers' Choice

A vast prairie of little-used parking lots downtown was replaced by Discovery Green, a dozen or so acres of green space, bocce courts, lakes, water parks, performance spaces and restaurants. Sure, the name of the place is meh and they got a little sponsor-happy, but when you take in a concert or visit a farmers market at Discovery Green, you really feel like Houston is giving Chicago a run for its money as America's third city.

1 event 275 articles

Houston Museum of Natural Science

5555 Hermann Park Dr. Kirby-West U

713-639-4629

Museums, Best Of, Sponsor, Slideshow, Readers' Choice

Houston was once home to AstroWorld, amusement park extraordinaire. Sadly, AstroWorld is gone, but we still have a world-class family entertainment facility – the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Wait, wait, yes, it's a museum, but it's not the kind where you have to whisper and the exhibits are safely tucked behind velvet ropes. Here, kids are encouraged to talk and touch, even to squeal with delight, if they are so moved. Blending education with entertainment, the museum presents a variety of permanent shows and a year-round schedule of touring exhibitions, including world-famous (and not particularly cheap) exhibits like Titanic and Body Worlds. The in-house Wortham IMAX theater is worth it for the trip alone -- ditto the Burke Baker Planetarium and the Cockrell Butterfly Center.

108 articles

The Menil Collection

1533 Sul Ross Montrose

713-525-9400

Art Galleries, Historic Landmarks, Parks and Outdoors, Performing Arts Venues, Best Of, Sponsor, Slideshow, Readers' Choice

Yes, it's uncool to toast the leisure activity of two rich old white people, but Dominique and John de Menil brought to Houston works by true greats of the 20th century, including Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst, Pablo Picasso, Robert Rauschenberg, Man Ray, Cy Twombly and Andy Warhol, as well as artifacts from ancient Africa, early Mediterranean civilizations and the Byzantine empire. The Menil Collection is the one most likely to house something from your art history textbook. It's more than a great local art institution -- it's a world-class museum. Not to mention the stunning building itself -- Renzo Piano's light-washed galleries are the standard by which to measure all other museums.

1 event 133 articles

The Pooch Pad

2912 Bagby St. Montrose

713-529-6000

Services, Best Of, Sponsor, Readers' Choice

2 articles

Shipley Do-nut Shops

5800 Kirby Kirby-West U

713-667-7572

Pastries, Restaurants, Best Of, Sponsor, Readers' Choice

As with Dunkin' Donuts fans in the Northeast, there's something about Shipley's that Texans can't get enough of. Started in 1936 in Houston, Shipley's is in just about every Texas town and throughout the South. The offerings here are always fresh and, if your timing is good, the hot glazed "do-nuts" will go straight from the cooling tray at this Village location to your takeout box. There are more than 60 varieties here, but the maple-frosted and chocolate-filled are insanely good. Several types of kolaches are also available.

4 articles

Slick Willie's Family Pool Hall

1200 Westheimer River Oaks

713-522-2525

Sports and Recreation, Best Of, Sponsor, Readers' Choice

Few pool halls match up to Slick Willie's. Houston has about a dozen locations, but our favorite is no doubt the one in the heart of Montrose, where there are more than 20 big, solid and clean tables. If you're just an every-now-and-again player used to shooting on that wobbly little thing at your favorite dive bar, the game at Slick Willie's will take some adjustment. If you've got money on the line and want to quiet your nerves you can avail yourself of the full bar. And if billiards makes you hungry, there's a menu of reliable bar favorites like pizza and chicken tenders.

9 articles

13 Celsius Wine Bar

3000 Caroline Third Ward

713-529-8466

Wine Bar, Small Plates, Best Of, Menu, Readers' Choice

The interior is spacious and the atmosphere laid-back (relatively speaking, at least) at this Midtown wine bar. You're not going to find enough food-wise at 13 Celsius to fill up if you're starving, but you can avail yourself of small cheese and meat plates to complement whatever vintage you choose. There's also an espresso bar if you want coffee. The bar itself is marble and very long, and there's additional seating on the patio.

31 articles

713 Tattoo

1533 Westheimer Downtown/ Midtown

713

Services

1 article

Alamo Drafthouse - Vintage Park

114 Vintage Park Blvd. Jersey Village

832-559-5959

American, Performing Arts Venues, Theaters, Best Of, Slideshow, Readers' Choice

Alamo Drafthouse has long been known as a great spot to catch a movie with a glass of cold craft beer delivered right to your seat during the film. Both area locations -- the other one is near Katy -- recently upped their games by adding cocktails and creating a menu that's much more restaurant than movie theater in terms of selection and quality. Though some appetizers miss the mark, the pizzas and burgers are the stars of the show, making use of fresh ingredients and simple preparation to delight diners from the previews through the credits. With the simple system of writing down your order and flagging it for the servers to see, food is prepared and delivered throughout the course of the movie by nearly invisible waiters trying their best to stay quiet and out of site. And let's face it, few things pair with movies like booze, so the craft margaritas and spiked shakes are a welcome addition to any moviegoing experience.

63 articles

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema - Mason

531 S. Mason Rd. Katy

281-492-6900

Movie Theaters, Best Of, Menu, Slideshow, Readers' Choice

This suburban Houston outpost of the venerated Austin-based chain functions like the rest of the Alamo Drafthouses - you order food and drinks (including booze!) from your seat, and the staff brings it directly to you. Special screenings complement more mainstream offerings.

77 articles

Ambriza Social Mexican Kitchen

10115 Louetta, Suite 400 Outside Houston

281-205-1240

Mexican, Tex-Mex, Readers' Choice

4 articles

Anvil Bar & Refuge

1424 Westheimer Montrose

713-523-1622

Bars and Clubs, Best Of, Slideshow, Readers' Choice

Anvil Bar & Refuge is like the Jay-Z of Houston bars. It can do no wrong, from the food to the drinks to the skill of the bartenders. Since opening in mid-2009, it has become the standard by which most other local bars define themselves. They either want to be better than Anvil, or not as supposedly "snooty" or "posh" as they think it is. Either one is a sign of the impact the Westheimer drinkery has had. You can't drive three blocks inside the Loop without finding a new gastropub either tweaking Anvil's concept or stealing it outright. Anvil makes drinks the way they should be made, with homemade ingredients, craft liquors, loving care, and no soda nozzles or Red Bull.

97 articles

Arne's Warehouse

2830 Hicks Montrose

713-869-8321

Retail, Best Of, Readers' Choice

6 articles

Auntie Chang's Dumpling House

2621 S. Shepherd Lower Shepherd-Kirby

713-524-8410

Chinese, Recommended, Best Of, Menu, Readers' Choice

Dumplings are done well at Auntie Chang's, but little else about this full-service, strip-center Chinese restaurant near Montrose warrants a stop. The spinach, pork, chicken, beef and shrimp versions are steamed, while the pork version can also be pan-fried. A sampler platter offers two each of four types; top them with your choice of tabletop chili, ginger-soy and jalapeño sauces.

3 articles

The Auto Doc

1208 Montrose Downtown/ Midtown

713-960-4541

Services

1 article

Axelrad

1517 Alabama Downtown/ Midtown

713-597-8800

Bars and Clubs, Best Of, Slideshow, Readers' Choice

30 articles

Barnaby's

1701 Shepherd River Oaks

713-520-5131

American, Breakfast, Eclectic, Recommended, Best Of, Menu, Slideshow, Readers' Choice

Mountain-size salads and a wealth of sturdy, consistently fresh and vibrant foods keep Barnaby's in business. Smoked chicken tostadas with roasted corn salsa delights, and the chicken pesto salad sandwich with artichoke hearts is remarkable. The meat loaf with garlic mashers is comfort food at its most, um, comforting. And the many burger combos, accompanied with a hearty stack of perfectly crisp french fries (or subbed with steamed veggies), will satisfy even the most finicky of eaters. Get in early to avoid long waits.

7 articles

BB's Cafe

2701 White Oak Dr. Heights

713-868-8000

Cajun, Creole, Tex-Mex, Menu, Slideshow, Readers' Choice

8 articles

BB's Cafe

2701 White Oak Heights

713-868-8000

Cajun, Creole, Recommended, Menu, Slideshow, Readers' Choice

This third location of BB's Café is our favorite, with an enormous patio that's a natural for hosting crawfish boils and hoisting Abita beers. The full bar - and we do mean full - makes a mean Hurricane that's the house specialty for a good reason. Grillades and grits are ideal post-hangover brunching material, and the po-boys - especially the savory, salty roast beef debris, fully dressed - are still among the best in town.

2 articles

BB's Cafe

2710 Montrose Heights

713-524-4499

Cajun, Creole, Recommended, Best Of, Menu, Readers' Choice

BB's Cafe is a diner-style eatery which specializes in overstuffed po-boys, Texas poutine and Cajun-style Louisiana fare such as gumbo, etouffee and grillades and grits with dark gravy. The restaurant is open 24 hours a day to serve Montrose diners, and the breakfast menu and beignets are available all day.

12 articles

BBVA Compass Stadium

2200 Texas Ave. East End

713-276-4625

Sports and Recreation, Performing Arts Venues, Community Venues, Music Venues, Best Of, Slideshow, Readers' Choice

65 articles

BC Smoke Shop

7909 Westheimer Rd. Outer Loop - SW

713-914-9533

Retail, Best Of

2 articles

Bedrock City Comic Company - Washington

4602 Washington Ave., Suite A Downtown/ Midtown

713-862-0100

Retail, Best Of, Slideshow, Readers' Choice

11 articles

Benjy's

2424 Dunstan Kirby-West U

713-522-7602

American, Restaurants, Critics' Pick, Best Of, Menu, Readers' Choice

Benjy Levit has been serving some of the most creative modern American cuisine in the city since 1985. The Village location of Benjy's is remarkably small, all the more so because of the open kitchen and bar that anchor one end of the restaurant, but that's a part of its charm. The kitchen never seems to fail, and dishes rotate on a seasonal basis. The house-cured corned beef sandwich is not to be missed, and neither are any of the thin-crust pizzas from the wood-burning oven. Best entrée? The crunchy chicken - it's unbelievably good comfort food.

13 articles

Bernie's Burger Bus

No address listed Heights

Burgers, Street Food, Food Trucks, Best Of

It may look like a school bus, but it's a lean, mean, burger-grilling machine. Winner of the 2012 Houston Press Burger Bracket, Bernie's Burger Bus is the true definition of gourmet food truck, utilizing the freshest ingredients — fresh-ground Black Angus beef, freshly made baked buns, and homemade condiments — to make one of the juiciest, tastiest burgers you'll ever have the pleasure of eating. The school-themed menu features the traditional American burger "The Principal"; the double-patty, Texas-cheddar topped "The Bully"; and the famous "Study Hall" burger, topped with barbecue sauce and crispy-seared, slow-braised pork belly.

10 articles

Bernie's Burger Bus

2200 Yale Heights

713-867-8600

Burgers, Fries, Best Of

2 articles