Houston is one of the largest cities in the whole country – its metro area is larger than the entire state of New Jersey! With about 2.2 million people living in the city, you can imagine how many things there are to do, see and eat! To put it in perspective, New Orleans has only about 393,000 residents…
No matter when you visit the Bayou City or for how long, you will certainly find yourself having a great time. A few weeks ago, I decided to take a spontaneous road trip to Houston with my boo; we’ve explored San Antonio, Austin & Dallas, and had been in Houston a couple of times but we had never truly explored the city.
The drive over was a bit long due to Friday night traffic in Baton Rouge and Lake Charles, but in about 7.5 hours we were in our fabulous hotel room at the Royal Sonesta Houston Galleria Hotel. The drive over was much faster, exactly 5 hours and 15 minutes (including 3 stops!). Put together a good playlist or find yourself a good podcast and the drive from New Orleans to Houston is a breeze.
Where To Stay
The Royal Sonesta Houston Galleria
2222 West South Loop, Houston, TX 77027
The Royal Sonesta by the Galleria area was the perfect spot to stay at on this short trip. Not only was the hotel dreamy, spacious & is one of the few AAA Four Diamond rated hotels in Houston, but it was close to everything we wanted to do!
It was also a great hotel to simply retreat and relax if you don’t feel like doing much; you can grab a cocktail at Axis Lounge (they have Margaritas on tap!) or indulge in a delicious meal at ARA restaurant – check out their TableOne chef’s table. They even had a grab-and-go area at Launch with a PJ’s Coffee!
Our corner room was huge and had a nice view of Houston high rises. The room featured a comfy king sized bed, a desk area, a chaise sofa, a spacious bathroom (with make up remover pads – best perk ever because I always forget to pack this), a coffee maker (very important), and a large TV.
Great location; a big room; friendly service; delicious food and cocktails…what more could you possibly need?
PS: Don’t forget to join the Sonesta Travel Pass loyalty program before booking – you’ll get tons of additional perks at Sonesta Hotels all around the world!
What To Do During Your Trip
This spontaneous getaway focused on finding some of the best eats & drinks in Houston,
Finn Hall
712 Main St, Houston, TX 77002
The food hall trend is here to stay and I’m all about it. I love a good food hall where I can try the food of many local chefs & not have to commit to one type of cuisine!
Located in Downtown Houston, Finn Hall is a European-inspired, art deco space with 10 independently operated food vendors and two full bars, including an elevated craft cocktail lounge in the mezzanine. This is the perfect place for the indecisive and for large groups!
We visited for breakfast and were blown away by the iced coffee at Amaya Coffee (can we talk about their gorgeous branding) & the eats at Dish Society. On our next visit, we’re coming back for dinner and drinks!
Uchi
904 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77006
I can’t even begin to describe Uchi, but I will do my best!
Uchi Houston made its debut in 2012. The menu at the Houston location features items from both Uchi and Uchiko in Austin, along with signature seasonal items created by Chef de Cuisine Chris Davies.
Since this was our very first time at Uchi, we decided to do the Omakase Chef’s Tasting; so we could try a bit of everything and fully immerse ourselves in the famous Uchi experience.
We loved Omakase because we were able to establish our preferences, any food allergies, and anything we absolutely didn’t like. The menu was fascinating! From what you’d think is regular sushi to pushing the traditional boundaries with foie gras, short rib & more!
We cannot recommend Uchi enough – a MUST do when in Houston or Austin.
PS: They feature happy hour daily called “sake social” with $10 and under tastings!
Eight Row Flint
1039 Yale St, Houston, TX 77008
Located in the vibrant The Heights area, Eight Row Flint is an “ice house that celebrates whiskey mash and masa”. They serve rare bourbons, craft beer & margaritas, & tacos. Doesn’t get any more Texas than that, right?
Saint Arnold Brewing Company
2000 Lyons Ave, Houston, TX 77020
If you live in the South, you’ve probably tried at least one of Saint Arnold’s beers by now. I’ve been a fan of them for years and had always wanted to visit the Brewery. Saint Arnold Brewing Company is a craft brewery where you can tour the facilities & eat and drink at their beer hall.
This was the place to be on a Saturday, as we had trouble finding where to sit! I loved the ambiance, it’s a dog-friendly spot so any place with dogs and booze = best place ever in my book. Plus, they also had wine for the non-beer drinkers!
La Fisheria
213 Milam St, Houston, TX 77002
La Fisheria is a Mexican coastal seafood restaurant which was forced to close due to damage from Hurricane Harvey. A few months later, the restaurant made a triumphant comeback in a Downtown location and is doing better than ever!
We joined them for their Sunday Brunch before we hit the road back to New Orleans. Their brunch features a $35 buffet menu that includes an all you can eat oyster bar, a raw bar, mexican specialty dishes, items from the kitchen & a dessert bar (cocktails are not included).
This is the place to visit when you feel like feasting on a Sunday y’all. We may have had about 4 plates full of food each!
The trip went by so fast and before we knew it, we were back on the road! No road trip to Texas is over without a trip to Buc-ee’s; if you haven’t been to one please Google Map the closest one to you and thank us later.
‘Til next time, Texas!