The Top Ten Restaurants in Texas

Best Restaurants in Texas

Texas is an absolutely massive state that is filled with many great restaurants. In the arguably “proudest” state in the country, there are many Texan restaurants that like to claim that they are one of the best in the state. While the state has many different restaurants of all kinds, Texas is prominently known for their quality steakhouses. There are many restaurants in this state and it’s very difficult to pick ten that shine above the rest. Still some are better than others. We looked at consumer review sites and came up with a list of the ten best restaurants in the Lone Star State.

10. Bliss – San Antonio

Located in southern San Antonio, Bliss is a great restaurant that serves modern American cuisine. The dishes that are served here are very good and come from many different influences. Some of the standout dishes are the oyster sliders, the Australian lamb platter, the arctic char with wild mushrooms, and the maple glazed pork belly.

9. Reata – Fort Worth

Texas is known for their steak and Texmex cuisine, and at Reata in Fort Worth you can get both. The restaurant offers a alrge lunch and dinner menu with items such as blackened buffalo rib-eye steak, grilled mahi mahi, carne asada, and Reata’s chicken fried steak. They like meat in Texas, and Reata’s menu has a lot of it.

8. The French Room – Dallas

The French Room is an upscale fine dining restaurant in Dallas. The restaurant serves a range of contemporary French and American cuisine and it is consistently one of the best restaurants in the area. It is not cheap to eat here, however its very good. Some of the standout dishes include the black angus beef tenderloin, the exotic spiced duck breast, the Nova Scotia halibut, the hudson valley foie gras, and the jumbo lump crab cake.

7. Cattlean’s Steakhouse Indian Cliffs Ranch – El Paso

Located at a ranch in the desert, Cattlean’s Steakhouse Indian Cliffs Ranch offers the quintessential Texas steakhouse experience. The joint is fairly simple and is a large, family-styled restaurant. The menu includes a wide range of various steaks and a few other entrees. But let’s be real, you come here for the steak.

6. Brennan’s House of Houston – Houston

Brennan’s House of Houston offers a unique experience that is not regularly found it today’s modern restaurant industry: an upscale creole and cajun restaurant. Creole and cajun food is very interesting as it draws from a variety of different cultural influences. Some of the more interesting dishes include the Gulf Coast shrimp chippewa, the fish pontchartrain, the gumbo, and the Texas redfish koo-be-yahn.

5. Uchi – Austin

Uchi is a Japanese restaurant in southern Austin that specialize in sushi. While Texas likes its steaks, this restaurant is one of the bests in the city and is consistently ranked as one of the bests as well. While they serve a few other dishes, the best experience money can buy at Uchi is the sushi tasting menu.

4. Taste of Texas Restaurant – Houston

Taste of Texas Restaurant in Houston is a upscale steakhouse that serves up the classic favorites. Yes there will be many steakhouses on this list, but Texas is the state that practically invented the steak. Go big or go home and get the 38 ounce Tomahawk Ribeye, or any of the other great steaks.

3. Salty Sow – Austion

Salty Sow is, as they describe themselves, an “American Gastropub”. Essentially they serve classic American cuisine that has been re-imagined in the form of gastronomy. Each dish is a work of art, and they really come up with some unique dishes here like the chicken liver mousse, the french fries fried in duck fat, and the candied pork belly. Their wine, liquor, and beer selection is also very good.

2. Pappas Bros. Steakhouse – Dallas

Pappas Bros. Steakhouse is a luxury steakhouse that serves up some quality food. Located in Dallas, this restaurant is known to be one of the best in town. You can get all the classics here in addition to some treats like the crab macaroni and cheese, the seafood tower, Maine lobster, and lamb chops.

1. Peli Peli – Houston

If you want to eat food unlike anything you’ve ever had, then come to Peli Peli. Located in Houston, Peli Peli is a South African/American fusion restaurant that delivers some extraordinary dishes. Some of the more interesting dishes are the Madagascar peppercorn filet, the Peli-Peli prawns, the safari steak, the chicken sosaties, and the Chilean sea bass. If you have the opportunity to eat here, it is very much worth your time.

Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images

Written by Sebastian Hensiek

From Philadelphia, Sebastian is a fan of music, writing, art, and entertainment.