Katharine Shilcutt, formerly of the Houston Press and now working for Houstonia Magazine, penned a piece about her top 10 restaurants in the East End. While a few years old, it’s still a great “best of” highlighting some of our favorites in the East End. Why not create a checklist and challenge yourself to try them all? We have.
Without further ado, Katharine shares her favorites:
Disclaimer: The cartographic basis for selecting these restaurants was the official map of the East End, which roughly places its boundaries at Clinton Drive to the north, I-45 to the south, 610 to the east and parts of 59 to the west. That means nothing in EaDo, but plenty in neighborhoods such as Eastwood, Magnolia Park and the Second Ward.
10. Taqueria el Alteño
The atmosphere at Taqueria el Alteño is the main draw, as the food is simply average-to-good. That said, the food is simple, sturdy and inexpensive — so there aren’t any real complaints there (and the chilaquiles with crema at breakfast are genuinely outstanding, even if they come with french fries). Tortas are enormous and so are the refreshing licuados, which are served in fishbowl-size glasses. On Sunday mornings, a live emcee croons norteño favorites and makes general commentary on everything from the weather to the sports scores from over the weekend. In a hurry? There’s a drive-thru, but you’ll miss the friendly service and live music inside.
9. El Greco
This hybrid Greek restaurant/panaderia offers a cuisine not often found in the heavily Hispanic neighborhood — but this cross-pollination of cuisines is very Houston nevertheless. One side of the giant strip center that houses El Greco is a nicer-than-normal panaderia with cafe tables and chairs, while the other side offers homemade Greek food from owner Anestis Papadopoulos, who once owned an auto parts shop down the street. His pita bread is as good as his pastries, and his pastichio comes topped with a thick, fluffy mantle of nutmeg-warmed béchamel sauce. Gyro meat can occasionally be tough, but El Greco’s strong Greek coffee will help overcome one of the rare poor meals here.
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This article was originally published by the Houston Press on Tuesday, Oct. 30 2012.
