A Summer Intern Reviews Houston Restaurants

Hi everyone! This summer I interned at a downtown Houston company. I went out to lunch with fellow interns and coworkers a lot, so I thought I'd review the restaurants I tried this summer! I'm not a professional by any means; my thoughts are just my personal opinions. If I had a bad experience somewhere, it might have just been an off day – these are just my experiences, not the ultimate facts!

Kopi Cowboy – Coffee
Honestly, I have no idea how more people don't talk about this place. They have a table on 1100 Main (in the tunnels) from Tuesday to Thursday, and the coffee is just incredible. The owner and his sister are so kind, and they truly care about their customers. I've never had anything like their signature butter latte and can't sing their praises enough.

Folk Thai
Got the Pad Thai ($20) but wasn't impressed – needed more flavor, the noodles were tough, and it felt overpriced for the quality. It's a popular spot with my coworkers, though, so might just not be my thing.

Deli Deluxe – Indian/American
Absolutely incredible Indian coffee and tea. The owner, Manish, is so kind and will spend time with you to explain each dish and figure out what's best for your taste. Can't recommend it enough.

Kati Roll Wala – Indian
Got the Aloo Masala Bowl here and was disappointed. The food was very underseasoned, and the portion size was quite small.

Chubby's Dips – Desserts
If you ever are craving a sweet treat throughout the day, this is definitely the place to go. Their mousse and flan are delicious, and the workers are always so sweet and helpful. My friend is allergic to dairy, and they didn't have anything on hand that was dairy free, so they made dairy free desserts just for her the next day.

Bullritos – Tex Mex
In my opinion, Bullritos is basically Chipotle, but cheaper. Good for a quick meal.

Zero's Sandwiches
I always get the Reuben here, and it's absolutely delicious. The bread is made in house and it's soft and fresh every day. Very reasonably priced menu items all across the board!

Luchi & Joeys – Mexican
Genuinely some of the best tacos I've had. So fresh and authentic, and the hot sauce was actually spicy! I tried nopales here for the first time, and WHAT have I been missing out on all these years?! Their breakfast tacos are an absolute must.

Sultan Pepper – Mediterranean
I've come to the conclusion that Mediterranean food is the best food to eat on a lunch break. Filling, but not so heavy that you're falling asleep at your desk after lunch lol. The food is so reasonably priced and delicious; I was thinking about that chicken shawarma for the rest of the day. Shockingly good pasta here as well!

Abu Omar – Mediterranean
The lunch special here is an absolute must. 7 dollars for a huge plate of rice stacked with meat and fresh veggies. I went to this place so much on my lunch breaks; those workers knew me by name. You won't find a better deal in all of downtown than that lunch special.

Boomtown Coffee
This is a coffee spot in the Understory. Sad to say, I was not impressed at all. Got a chai, and it tasted like pho broth. Service was excellent, though; all the workers were very kind and conversational.

Dough Zone – Chinese
Now this one isn't downtown; it's in uptown. One lucky day, one of my fellow interns drove in to the office, so we were able to make the short drive to Dough Zone. I have dreams about their soup dumplings at times, and their dan dan noodles are delicious as well.

Mayuri – Indian
The dosa here tastes just like the ones my grandma used to make. Incredibly authentic, and I cannot recommend the chicken biriyani enough.

Mendocino Farms – Sandwiches + Salads
I got the sweet peach and goat cheese here, and it was 18 dollars for quite a small bowl of salad. The salad was bland and flavorless and (imo) ridiculously overpriced.

The Rustic
Such good quesadillas and tacos. I would skip the empanadas and cornbread, but overall quite good food. The vibe is so energetic and alive. Would definitely come here with friends.

Gulf & Prairie – New American
The rice bowls here are delicious! It's a nice restaurant in the Hyatt you can come to for more serious meetings with coworkers and still have a nice meal. Workers are really friendly and genuinely care about their restaurant, which is so cool to see!

Mona – Italian
Kind of like Chipotle but with pasta. A really cool concept, and it's very fun to see the pasta being cooked right in front of you.

API Kitchen Southern Food
Impeccable banana pudding – tastes like the southern grandma at church made it. Food is seasoned to perfection.

China Ocean
Got the Kung Pao Chicken, and it didn't have much flavor. They made up for it with their potatoes; they were seasoned to perfection, and I couldn't get enough of them.

P.S.
I've tried a lot of restaurants in Houston, but I limited this list to ones in downtown downtown Houston, hoping that it might be helpful for future interns or corporate workers! Please keep in mind that I'm still a college student so my definition of expensive is definitely a lot different when compared to people with actual jobs lol.