Houston, according to locals

Aga's draws repeated recommendations for Pakistani and Indian cooking, with goat chops a recurring highlight.

Kata Robata is repeatedly recommended for sushi in Houston.

Hugo's is a Montrose Mexican restaurant that people recommend for authentic cooking rather than Tex-Mex, in a setting that looks fancy but feels casual.

Feges BBQ is recommended across its Houston locations, including Spring Branch.

Kasra is recommended across its Houston outlets, including the named Rice Village location.

Most people recommend Anvil, a cocktail bar in Montrose, and many praise its drinks, with a few singling out the bartenders.

Most people recommend Saint Arnold Brewing Company, and several praise its beer, and a few say the food is good, including the fish and chips.

Most people recommend The Phoenix on Westheimer, and many point to it as a place to watch soccer and other matches.

Julep is a cocktail bar whose drinks many people praise, and one commenter calls it a personal favorite for classic cocktails.

Most people recommend Poison Girl, a Westheimer bar where a few point to its pinball and arcade games.

Many commenters recommend Hugo's for Sunday brunch, and many single out its brunch buffet, with several calling it great or top notch and one calling it solid but pricey.

Most people recommend The Breakfast Klub, and many praise the fried chicken and waffles.

Many people recommend Casa Ema for breakfast and brunch, and many praise its chilaquiles and pastries.

Most commenters recommend the Original Kolache Shoppe, which has several Houston shops; the Telephone Road original is the one most name, and several mention its Heights shop and a couple its Richmond-area shop.

Most people recommend Xochi for brunch, and several name its Sunday brunch buffet, with a couple calling it pricey but worth it and one saying it is much nicer than a standard buffet.

Many people recommend Catalina Coffee, and several name it a top pick for espresso.

Most people recommend Koffeteria, and many point to its pastries, with a few calling them inventive or unusual.

Commenters widely recommend BlendIn Coffee Club, and many rank it among Houston's best coffee shops.

Many people recommend Blacksmith for coffee, and one diner names it the Montrose choice for a coffee purist.

Overall, people recommend Slowpokes, a Houston brand with several shops, so the comments cover the brand; the location shown is the Richmond Avenue shop, which a couple of diners name.

Recommended by many commenters, and several call the pizza very good, excellent or tremendous.

Recommended by many commenters, and often named when someone asks for a cozy pizza spot.

Recommended by many commenters.

Recommended by many commenters. Many name its Neapolitan pie, and many its New York-style and Detroit-style pies. It has more than one shop (one commenter mentions a Montrose branch and a west Houston one, another an I-10 location) and most don't say which they mean; the shop shown here is the W Gray one. Two commenters prefer another Houston pizzeria, two say the crust can be floppy or not crisp underneath, and two say it is pricey.

Recommended by many commenters, nearly all for its Detroit-style square pie, and several call that pie excellent or a favorite.

Most commenters who name it recommend Burger Bodega for smash burgers, and many put it at or near the top of their lists.

Many commenters recommend Burger-chan, and many rank it among the best burgers in town.

Most commenters who name Stanton's City Bites recommend it for burgers.

Many commenters rank Champ Burger at or near the top of Houston burgers, and several point to it as good value or cheaper than pricier burgers.

Many commenters recommend Beck's Prime across its Houston outlets.

Many people name Kata Robata as a favorite or go-to sushi spot in Houston, and a couple describe the quality as consistent.

Many people name Katami among their top sushi picks in Houston, and the large majority who weigh in recommend it.

Many diners recommend MF Sushi, and several single out its omakase.

Most people recommend Oishii, and many describe it as good value and point to its happy hour.

Many people name Uchi as a sushi pick in Houston, and most who weigh in recommend it. One diner praises the food, and a couple point out its many non-sushi dishes. A couple mention its happy hour, with one calling it well worth it but saying it fills up fast. A couple find it pricey, one diner says citrus shows up too often (while noting taste is personal), and another calls it highly overrated.

Most commenters who mention Aga's recommend it, an Indian-Pakistani restaurant on Wilcrest Drive, and several name it a top pick.

More people recommend Himalaya, a Pakistani-Indian restaurant on Southwest Freeway, than warn against it, and many praise the food.

Most people who weigh in recommend Musaafer, and many say the food is good.

Most commenters recommend Pondicheri, and one diner who dined in rates the food highly.

Most commenters who mention Kiran's recommend it, and many describe it as an upscale Indian restaurant.

Pinkerton's draws strong Houston recommendations for brisket and beef ribs.

Truth BBQ's sides are a recurring strength in Houston recommendations, especially the Brussels sprouts, tater tot casserole and corn pudding.

The Pit Room draws Houston recommendations for barbecue and breakfast tacos, with praise for pork ribs and sides as well.

Roegel's on Voss draws repeated praise for brisket, with diners also recommending its pastrami and Reuben.

Feges draws repeated praise for creative sides and pulled pork.

Crawfish Cafe is a Viet-Cajun crawfish spot that many diners recommend across its Heights, Bellaire/Chinatown and Alief outlets; commenters name the Heights and Bellaire outlets.

Josephine's is a Gulf Coast seafood restaurant in Midtown that many diners recommend.

Many diners recommend Little's Oyster Bar, and a few call it among the best seafood in Houston.

Many commenters recommend Goode Company Seafood, a few praise its campechana, and a couple call its fried shrimp a favorite.

Several diners recommend Caracol as the pick when seafood is the priority, often set against its sister restaurant Xochi.

Many people recommend Pappas Bros.

More people who weighed in recommend Taste of Texas than warn against it, and several praise its steaks, its salad bar and its atmosphere.

Most people who weighed in recommend Steak 48, and several praise the food and the service.

Most people who weighed in recommend Doris Metropolitan, and several praise the steak itself, with one calling it the best steak they have had in the city.

Many people recommend B&B Butchers as a steak pick, and a couple say it offers dry-aged steak.