Pho and Ramen and Neapolitan Pizza Picks in Houston? (early 2024)

Hi guys, I used this subreddit to find new places in the past few months that I wanted to share with the community. I have to pay it forward because I'm so grateful. I usually dig pretty deep in the comments to find some of the less popular suggestions. Y'all have helped me so much that I just wanted to provide a recap of some lesser known spots that have truly blown my mind.

Ramen: It's called Rakken Ramen. There are a couple locations but the one I went to was in the heights on Shepherd in a new mixed-use shopping center development. I have spent several years in Japan and go on an annual basis and this is probably the best bowl I've ever had in either place. I was super impressed. It's not the most obvious shop in the MKT center so you have to look out for it and walk a bit from the parking lot. Totally worth it but be prepared to be about $15+ because some of the toppings are a la carte.

Prior to this, I usually went to Tiger's Den every few years with friends but I was never super impressed.

Pho: My go to is on Beltway 8 and Beechnut near Viet Hoa Grocery store. It's called Pho Bo To Bo Ne. It's got the best broth for me. The meat portion is a little skimpy in my opinion but the broth and noodle texture make up for it. I hate the price. They're at $12.99 for the large.

Pho 54 on Bellaire is my number two because the amount of protein they provide is far and away the most generous. The broth isn't quite as good.

In Pasadena, Nam Mi on Spencer Hwy is up there too and the price is much lower than in town so check that out.

Pizza (Neapolitan Style): Solario on Weslayan and Richmond near that Costco in the Galleria area. Blows Pizaro out of the water in my opinion because of the crust and sauce. Solario has my business for life and I'm absolutely obsessed. Best of all there is a lunch special on weekdays from 11-3 pm that's $15 for a 12" pizza of your choice and a legit salad. There are all day specials each day but the Burrata on Thursday is a great value at $10 and would feed me for two meals minimum by itself.

I'm always open to suggestions and so grateful to this sub so I hope some of y'all can share with me your go-to's.