I go to the Downtown Zero's every week - their bread is ridiculously good. Bombay Pizza is also a great spot, as is Brooklyn Meatballs in the tunnels.
I'm confused..Are we talking about hole in the walls or good restaurants that are only in Houston? There would be too many to list. House of Kabob is a great hole in the wall. Oishi seems to fit the bill too. Good Houston restaurants: Kasra Persian Grill Aka Sushi Masraff's Mark's Tony's (Italian) Bundu Khan (Paki bbq) Himalyas (Indian) Pheonicia Deli Fadi's Thai Gourmet Uchi (in Austin too) Cafe Pita (Bosnian) Stanton City Bites (burger joint) These are places I frequent. Like I mentioned, there really are too many places to mention. I had Americas not too long ago. Still unsure about how I liked it.
This place: Greek Myth Café http://www.greekmythcafe.com/#!about_us/c161y These folks are new in town, the family does all the cooking - actual authentic Greek food instead of the usual commercialized fare.
Hole in the walls? Chinese Mala Sichuan Bistro on Bellaire Blvd in Chinatown Mexican El Paraiso on Fairview in Montrose Thai Kanomwan on Telephone Merlion in Seabrook for Fish dishes
It's certainly not a hole-in-the-wall, but Uchi is my favorite restaurant in the city. Brasserie 19 is a close second. As far as good lunch places go, Eatsi Boys in Montrose makes some great sandwiches for about $10 each.
I've honestly never had a "great" sandwich in the city of Houston. I'm sad about that. I've had all of Eatsi's sandwiches I'm pretty sure.
I got to Larenzo's at least once a week. My body has to have the beef/queso before ingesting the ridiculously awesome Prime Rib. I always bow beforehand for Our Father, Art, who is up in Heaven. Aloe Vera be thy name. I also enjoy Esther's Cajun Cafe & Soul Food when a hangover lingers.
My GF has been trying to get me to go over there for years. I almost did once. I mean nearly stepped in the damn place. Took a peak in even. Then left and wound up somewhere else. She just couldn't sell me on it. But if you're selling I'm buying.
Go to Central Market's sandwich counter and make your own! That deli is awesome. The Chicken Shazam at Eatsie Boys is fantastic, and so are the pork belly sliders. The chicken salad sandwich at Brasil is really good as well, although Brasil has been really inconsistent the last few years. If you get that sandwich on a good day, it is amazing. That being said...I am always looking for a new sandwich shop.
I mentioned Central Market's sandwiches in my first post in this thread. They are the best I've had in the city. And if you think about that... it's sad. Austin somehow has better sandwiches than Houston. That's sad man.
Yeah they're pretty good, so is This Is It. But still, something just always seems to be missing when I have Soul Food from a restaurant. I think there's an aspect of home cooked Soul food that can't be recaptured in a restaurant setting. I'd imagine that's a common sentiment among people who grew up regularly eating home cooked "ethnic" foods. (Mexican, Chinese, Italian, etc...)
