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Museum District Restaurant And Bar Scene - More Coming


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Yeah I live in the hood and I agree its a bit lacking. If you live near the Metro station you can go to Tacos A Go-Go in about 5-10 minutes (Ensemble HCC stop). I also walk to Cafe Express in the MFAH on occasion. Good fast food there. I haven't tried Kam's yet but maybe I will one of these days. I wasn't overly impressed with the Thai and Japanese places on the same block of Montrose.

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I ate at Spanish Village and I have to say I was really unimpressed. I would have to say its probably the worst tex/mexican restaurant I've been to in H-Town. Didn't try the ritas or cheese and onion enchiladas though. I had some kind of special combo meal with several different things which tasted too much like Taco Bell for my taste. Maybe I just ordered the wrong meal?

Yeah the ZaZa Monarch restaurant is good but damn expensive. You can get some snacks at the bar which are more reasonable but still more than I would usually pay for snacks (except for special occasions like my graduation).

At least the Museum District is close to a lot of good vietnamese choices, only a short car/bike/metro rail ride away including Mai's, Pho Saigon, Van Loc, and others...

where do people who work in TMC eat for lunch?

The Med Center has a chinese place (Wang Fu), a Chipotle, and a sushi place at Dryden Station. And there are some other options in the "commons" that waterfall/parking garage building. And each hospital has its own cafeteria and sometimes a McDonalds type place (not worth going to in my opinion, even if you work at one of the hospitals). Chipotle and Wang Fu are good on occasion though and only 2 metro rail stops away.

Edited by Jax
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Compared to my depraved part of town that area is awash with good eateries. What do you mean by 'area' though, walking distance?

There's lower Montrose, lower Richmond. A new place called Bowl is opening up on Richmond, 400 block or so, this week I think. Looks interesting.

The Village would be in the area afaic - tons of good eateries. My favs are Istanbul, Kahn's, Ruggles.

Main St. @ OST - Captain Benny's Oyster Bar

Kirby across from Reliant - Dimassi's Mediterranean Buffet.

On Almeda besides Spanish Village (which I haven't ever cared for) - Reggae Hut, owned by the same guy who owns Breakfast Klub I think, and Alfreda's Soul Food Cafeteria, owned by the people who own District 7 Grill downtown, the retro diner.

Many of the institutions in TMC have eateries; there is also. I haven't eaten at any of these just made a note of it in case I ever have to spend lots of time in TMC again (as a visitor).

The Miller's Cafe that used to be on Main across is on level 2 of Scurlock; some people think they do great burgers.

Edited by brucesw
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yeah, walking... i guess thats tough for any area of houston though. i just remember once i was going from zaza through hermann park to tmc and back around to some of the museums and didnt see one establishment. i dont know where something could even go, but im sure a place close to the big circle at montrose would clean up

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yeah, walking... i guess thats tough for any area of houston though. i just remember once i was going from zaza through hermann park to tmc and back around to some of the museums and didnt see one establishment. i dont know where something could even go, but im sure a place close to the big circle at montrose would clean up

I did the exact same walk with my mom when she was in town and we were hungry. The only thing we could find was an ice cream truck. The good news is that Hermann Park will soon have its own cafe/restaurant which is currently under construction. There is also a sandwich place in the TMC across from Memorial Hermann that's not bad, but I don't think its open on weekends. The nice thing about the eateries around Dryden is that they are open decent hours 7 days per week.

Another piece of good news is that there will be a few restaurants at ground level in the new Rice Collaborative Research Center near Dryden.

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On Almeda besides Spanish Village (which I haven't ever cared for) - Reggae Hut, owned by the same guy who owns Breakfast Klub I think, and Alfreda's Soul Food Cafeteria, owned by the people who own District 7 Grill downtown, the retro diner.

Have you eaten at Reggae Hut or Alfreda's? I've wondered about both but had never had a recommendation from anyone. I agree about Spanish Village; I heard great things about that place and thought the food was pretty bad.

There was supposed to be a new development nearby... a medical building with retail/restaurants on the ground level... does this ring a bell with anyone? Maybe on that huge (vacant) site on McGregor, just east of (and adjacent to) 288? I wish I could remember details. Maybe the whole thing is stalled.

Any chance of Mosaic having retail or restaurants?

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Reggae Hut is great and I second Katie on the Raven Grill/Picnic. Neither is necessarily within reasonable walking distance of any of the museums, though.

There is also plenty of stuff in the Village, but that too isn't really in the "Museum District" either.

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I did the exact same walk with my mom when she was in town and we were hungry. The only thing we could find was an ice cream truck. The good news is that Hermann Park will soon have its own cafe/restaurant which is currently under construction. There is also a sandwich place in the TMC across from Memorial Hermann that's not bad, but I don't think its open on weekends. The nice thing about the eateries around Dryden is that they are open decent hours 7 days per week.

Another piece of good news is that there will be a few restaurants at ground level in the new Rice Collaborative Research Center near Dryden.

speaking of food, your username is one of my standby's. i wish they'd open more around houston.

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I can add a few more places located on the north side of the TMC to the suggestions....

There's also sushi available in the TMC, at Azuma, just around the corner from Chipotle. They stay open until 7 or 8 at night, I think.

The ground floor of Methodist's Smith tower has two places to eat - a deli and a Mexican/Cuban place. There's a Murphy's deli on the second floor of that building, too.

The new Memorial Hermann professional building (the shiny one with the glowing roof) has an Au Bon Pain on the second floor.

And, as has been previously mentioned, the McGovern commons building (the double water wall) in the heart of the TMC has a food court on the ground floor. That's only open for breakfast/lunch. However, the restaurant on the top floor of that building, Trevisio, has good Italian food and an excellent wine selection. They keep "regular" restaurant hours as well.

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Cafe Express in the Beck Building of MFAH. Good, cheap, classy, artsy setting. (Note: there are other places which are better and places which are cheaper. There are places which are classier and places which are artsier.) But I REALLY enjoy Cafe Express when I'm at the MFAH and it's the only real choice if you're actually in the Museum District (as opposed to the Med Center) and have a "normal" definition of "walking distance." :)

There's a Mickey D's in the HMNS.

There's a Burger King on Holcombe at Main. (or at least there used to be...)

There's 13th Street on the Rice campus, which has little to recommend it unless you're on or near campus anyway. But they have cheap sandwiches and snacks, and the new Brochstein Pavilion (which serves only drinks and small pastries) is a very pleasant place.

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lol. so yeah there is basically nothing.

where do people who work in TMC eat for lunch?

There are places at street level in TMC. I'm sure many get employee discounts at their respective hospital cafeterias.

What's that place up on Chelsea? I think it's one of those all-you-can eat Argentinian meat places, like Fogo.

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Cafe Express in the Beck Building of MFAH. Good, cheap, classy, artsy setting. (Note: there are other places which are better and places which are cheaper. There are places which are classier and places which are artsier.) But I REALLY enjoy Cafe Express when I'm at the MFAH and it's the only real choice if you're actually in the Museum District (as opposed to the Med Center) and have a "normal" definition of "walking distance."

Ewww. Cafe Express sells multiple configurations of overpriced, dry, flavorless chicken breasts. There's nothing "artsy" or "classsy" about that.

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I'm just wondering if these elusive Museum District (which, to be fair, is a very small nugget of Houston) restaurants are only to be sought by foot, or can you hop in a car? Or ride the light rail? I mean, the Village and Montrose are -- at most -- two or three minutes away by car (maybe 15 or 20 by foot) and have some of the best restaurants in town. Or take the light rail to midtown or downtown and chow down there.

So...I don't really understand the problem here, I guess. :blink:

Edited by sheeats
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I'm just wondering if these elusive Museum District (which, to be fair, is a very small nugget of Houston) restaurants are only to be sought by foot, or can you hop in a car? Or ride the light rail? I mean, the Village and Montrose are -- at most -- two or three minutes away by car (maybe 15 or 20 by foot) and have some of the best restaurants in town. Or take the light rail to midtown or downtown and chow down there.

So...I don't really understand the problem here, I guess. :blink:

The problem with accessing the excellent dining in the 'trose by Rail is that it is that it is a bit of a walk from the Holman station and you have to KNOW about it. But I would imagine that the walk is significant at the moment.

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Ewww. Cafe Express sells multiple configurations of overpriced, dry, flavorless chicken breasts. There's nothing "artsy" or "classsy" about that.

Whatever. I know some people don't like Cafe Express and I expected someone to say something. I have enjoyed every meal I've had there (mostly burgers, sandwiches, and salads, never a chicken breast.) Their condiment bar is spectacular and their _location and decor_ are classy and artsy, there in the basement/tunnel of the Beck Building. It's not cheap, but I have paid more for worse food, and nothing about MFAH is cheap except the free Thursdays.

I'm the same way about Olive Garden. I've never had a bad meal or bad service there.

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The problem with accessing the excellent dining in the 'trose by Rail is that it is that it is a bit of a walk from the Holman station and you have to KNOW about it. But I would imagine that the walk is significant at the moment.

I should have been clearer, perhaps.

The Village and Montrose = car, perhaps a walk to some of the closer points (like The Black Lab).

Downtown and Midtown = light rail.

Sorry. :rolleyes:

Whatever. I know some people don't like Cafe Express and I expected someone to say something. I have enjoyed every meal I've had there (mostly burgers, sandwiches, and salads, never a chicken breast.) Their condiment bar is spectacular and their _location and decor_ are classy and artsy, there in the basement/tunnel of the Beck Building. It's not cheap, but I have paid more for worse food, and nothing about MFAH is cheap except the free Thursdays.

/hijack on

I'm with ya on Cafe Express. I think it's good for what it is -- I mean, "Express" is right in the title -- and people who don't like it usually go in expecting something else entirely. I wouldn't order chicken breast in a place like Cafe Express because I'm realistic about when it was cooked and how long it's been sitting in a warming tray. I think one has to be realistic when placing their order at joints like this: sandwiches, salads, etc. are their bread and butter because it's easy to do those both fast and tasty. And their sandwiches and salads really are quite good.

/hijack off

Edited by sheeats
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I was never a fan of The Olive Garden and I still struggle to find a good italian joint. (the one on parkplace didn't do it for me).

Collina's (just the one on Richmond near Weslayan) is excellent, but not really close to the museum district, and even further off topic than my last few posts.

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