Things to do in Houston, splurging
Art, omakase, serious cocktails, and the city's best tables, back to back.
This is Houston for the traveller who eats well at home and still wants to be impressed. The plan moves between Montrose's art institutions and cocktail bars, Asiatown's acclaimed dining, and downtown's stranger, more architectural side. Coffee is never an afterthought, the dinners are destination-level, and there is almost no wasted time in between.
Day 1: Montrose, Menil, and a proper night out
The Rothko Chapel and Menil Drawing Institute anchor the morning before Hugo Ortega's regional Mexican cooking and a nightcap at Houston's most respected cocktail bar.
- 9:30 AM
Blacksmith
Order the Vietnamese iced coffee and a biscuit at this Montrose espresso bar before the museums.
Map - 10:15 AM
Rothko Chapel
Interfaith sanctuary with 14 monumental Rothko canvases and Barnett Newman's Broken Obelisk outside, a short walk.
Map - 12:30 PM
Le Jardinier
Vegetable-led French lunch inside the Museum of Fine Arts, with windows onto the sculpture garden.
Map - 2:30 PM
Menil Drawing Institute
Free, quiet galleries built for works on paper, with shaded courtyards inside the Menil campus.
Map - 7:30 PM
- 9:30 PM
Anvil
Anvil is Houston's benchmark cocktail bar, serious, creative drinks a short walk from dinner.
Map
Day 2: Asiatown, Bellaire, and an omakase finish
A full afternoon along Bellaire Boulevard's import shops and bakeries sets up Mala Sichuan's great-value dry-pot and NoriNori HTX's omakase-level close.
- 10:30 AM
Bellaire Boulevard Asiatown
Stroll miles of Bellaire Blvd Asiatown, vivid storefronts, bakeries, grocers, and import shops that make this strip unlike anywhere else in Houston.
Map - 12:30 PM
Mala Sichuan Bistro
Order the dry pot and the mapo tofu; the Sichuan pepper numbs in the best way.
Map - 2:30 PM
Hong Kong City Mall
Asiatown's big indoor mall under the Chinese arch: a huge Asian supermarket, bakeries, jewellers and boba.
Map - 7:30 PM
NoriNori HTX
Book the 10-course chef's omakase at the counter; the chawanmushi and scallop nigiri stand out.
Map
Day 3: Downtown, the Cistern, and a big steak
Fifth Vessel's sharp espresso leads into the surreal underground reservoir, a bayou afternoon by bike or kayak, and a dressed-up dinner at Toro Toro.
- 9:30 AM
Fifth Vessel Coffee
Highly regarded downtown specialty coffee shop, sharp espresso to start the day.
Map - 10:30 AM
The Cistern
The 1926 underground reservoir with 221 concrete columns in a shallow mirror of water, a genuinely surreal Houston original that's worth every minute.
Map - 12:30 PM
- 4:30 PM
Buffalo Bayou by bike and kayak
26-mile designated paddling trail and cycle paths through urban bayou from downtown toward Memorial Park.
Map - 7:30 PM
Toro Toro
Richard Sandoval's Latin steakhouse in the Four Seasons: share the churrasco and start with ceviche.
Map - 9:30 PM
La Carafe
Candlelit wine and beer in an 1860s brick bakery building on Market Square, with a jukebox upstairs.
Map
Where to stay
La Colombe d'Or
A converted Montrose mansion a short walk from Hugo's and Anvil, with the kind of atmosphere no branded hotel can fake.
Hotel ZaZa Museum District
Sits right on the Museum District, within easy reach of the Menil campus on day one and a smooth Uber to everywhere else.
Make Houston your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Space Center Houston: a few days ahead
- Buffalo Bayou Park: a few days ahead
- Houston Zoo: a few days ahead
- Trellis Spa at The Houstonian: a few days ahead
- Twilight Epiphany Skyspace: a few days ahead
- Memorial Park Golf Course: a few days ahead
Skip these
- Downtown Aquarium is small, pricey and restaurant led; the zoo and natural science museum do the job better.
- Kemah Boardwalk is chain restaurants and carnival rides, a pass-through, not a destination.
- The Galleria is a large mall, not a sightseeing stop; the Waterwall is a five minute photo.
- Check CityPASS maths against buying Space Center, HMNS, zoo and MFAH direct, as it bundles the Aquarium.
The full Houston travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around