Houston’s Best Late Night Restaurants — 20 Spots That Prove Off Hours Are No Obstacle

If you’re both a foodie and a night owl, it’s finally your day in the sun. After evenings of adventures and nights of exploits, you tend to get pretty hungry — hangry, even, depending on who you are.

But you don’t want to just pull into the closest Taco Bell or McDonald’s. You want real food, the kind that’ll truly satisfy.

Still, it’s late, and you’re not in the mood for fast food. No worries, you’re in luck. Houston’s best late night restaurants hit the spot when the hour is late.

From taquerias to steakhouses, food halls to burger joints, this list covers just about everything. Late night means different things to different people, which is why some of these late night Houston restaurants are open til 12 am, and others go as late as 4 am.

So, go ahead. So much for Carpe Diem. We’re feeling Carpe Noctem.

House of Pies

3112 Kirby; 6142 Westheimer

This Houston institution is open 24/7 for your convenience at each and every waking hour. You can make yourself at home at either House of Pies, whether you want to tuck in for dessert — a slice of lemon meringue pie, Texas pecan fudge or banana cream — or breakfast, lunch or dinner.

And if you haven’t had a House of Pies three-egg omelet with house potatoes at two in the morning, you’re not living your best life.

Katz’s Deli

616 Westheimer

This 24/7 staple is making major moves with a new location opening on Shepherd this spring, making it even easier for you to satisfy your late-night cravings.

Much like House of Pies, the dessert may just be the main reason for your trek — in this case, the towering, signature New York-style cheesecakes. But you can’t really leave without a hefty bowl of matzoh ball soup.

BB’s Tex-Orleans

2710 Montrose

Ubiquitous favorite BB’s Tex-Orleans keeps its Cajun-with-a-Texas-twist cuisine coming deep into the night. The various locations have different hours, but if you’re in the late night crowd, definitely head to the Montrose location. It’s open until 3 am Sundays through Wednesdays, and until 4 am Thursdays through Saturdays.

Think late-night shrimp and grits, fried Gulf shrimp po’boys, gumbo and more.

Mai’s Restaurant

3403 Milam

This iconic Midtown restaurant is famed for its ultra-late-night traditional Vietnamese food. Mai’s is open til 3 am Mondays through Thursdays and open til 4 am Fridays and Saturdays.

The restaurant’s come back swinging after a fire, serving up curry chicken wing stew, lotus root salad, stir-fried tofu vermicelli and tons and tons of pho at even the most off hours. After a long night of bar-hopping on Main Street, Mai’s is a must. 

Me’lange

311 West Gray

Mai’s isn’t the only fan favorite Houston Vietnamese restaurant open late. Recently opened Me’lange lets your night go on until 3 am from Mondays through Thursdays and then until 4 am on Fridays and Saturdays.

You’ll find plenty of flavor in the chicken fried rice, sweet chili wings, shaking steak and Singapore noodles.

B&B Butchers

1814 Washington Ave

Every night is steak night at this carnivore’s paradise— and the night goes on and on. You can settle down for a meal of Chef Tommy’s Bacon drizzled in honey and topped with crumbled bleu cheese and a whopping 22-ounce bone-in rib eye and stay as late as 11 pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, a pretty good hour for a weeknight.

Or make it a whole event on the weekend, when you can stay as late as 12 am from Thursdays through Saturdays. It’s almost never too late to order a side of garlic whipped potatoes.

B.B. Lemon

1809 Washington

Slow things down during your late night adventures at B.B. Lemon, sliding into a booth decked out with a checkered table cloth to soak up the nostalgia of B.B. Lemon, Benjamin Berg’s homage to both New York and the Gulf Coast.

You can enjoy oysters on the half shell, blue crab beignets, clam chowder and burgers til 12 am Mondays through Wednesdays and til 2 am from Thursdays through Saturdays.

Nobie’s

2048 Colquitt

This quaint, intimate spot for all the New American eats you can imagine keeps its doors open late to satisfy diners well into the night. You can enjoy the carefully curated, ever-evolving seasonal dishes until 11 pm Mondays through Wednesdays and until midnight Thursdays through Saturdays.

Think crispy octopus, tagliatelle in Bolognese, beer battered sweet potato tater tots and beyond. 

Nancy’s Hustle

2704 Polk

There’s no need to hustle on over to this top notch bistro. It may be closed on Mondays, but it keeps the party going until 12 am from Tuesday through Sunday. Every day’s the weekend.

High profile publications from Esquire to The Boston Globe have heaped praise on the restaurant, always with a mention of Nancy’s Cakes. The fluffy signature small plate comes with whipped butter and smoked trout roe. But the lamb dumplings, gem lettuce salad and roasted duck breast a l’orange deserve their own nod, too.

The Hay Merchant

1100 Westheimer

It’s never too late for a cult favorite craft beer. The Hay Merchant offers brews on brews until 12 am Sundays through Wednesdays, and up until 2 am Thursdays through Saturdays.

While Hay Merchant’s impressive beer list ranges from barrel aged barley wine to Russian imperial stouts, its food is reason enough to go — sweet and spicy pig ears, wings and pretzels. But best of all, The Hay Merchant has incorporated some Chris Shepherd classics: the erstwhile Underbelly’s Korean braised goat and dumplings, and One Fifth Mediterranean’s hummus. 

El Rey Taqueria

Multiple locations

This Cuban and Mexican classic basically never turns the lights off. You can munch on ropa vieja tortas, so greasy, so good Cuban sandwiches and salmon salad all the way til 12 am Mondays through Wednesdays.

But if the munchies hit you toward the end of the week in a major way, head to El Rey — it doesn’t close until 3 am Thursdays through Saturdays.

Conservatory

1010 Prairie

The OG Houston food hall, chock-a-block full of rotating restaurants, rarely gets its due for kicking off the trend that’s taking The Bayou City by storm.

But this underground beer garden and cafeteria is a solid standby of local purveyors. For now, think pizza, pho and poke until 12 am Mondays through Thursdays and all the way until 3 am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Ninja Ramen

4219 Washington

Almost any time is time for oodles of noodles at Ninja Ramen. The Washington Ave mainstay keeps things lively until 2 am Sundays and Tuesdays through Thursdays, then even later til 3 on Fridays and Saturdays.

The dive bar/restaurant is aces at ramen, with original, spicy, miso and, of course, spicy miso. The digs are also a big part of the charm, with TVs playing everything from anime to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 

Cantina Barba

3701 North Main

This taco truck turned full-blown brick and mortar Mexican food haven keeps things open late, not closing until 12 am Sundays — that’s right, the day of rest — through Thursdays, and not until 3 am on Fridays and Saturdays.

That means you’ve got literally all night and into the wee hours of the morning to get your fill of carne asada and barbacoa tacos — and snag an out-of-this-world burger while you’re there, as unexpected as it might seem.

Pho Binh By Night

12148 Bellaire

Pho Binh respects late-night eaters with a closing time of 12 am Sundays through Thursdays, and super late 3 am finish on Fridays and Saturdays. This spot takes the “by night” part of its name super seriously.

Pho Binh’s not just known for its generous hours. There’s some of the best pho in Houston, especially by the definitely-shareable bone marrow pho, and the dry chicken pho, which comes with all the fixin’s and the broth on the side.

The Burger Joint

2703 Montrose

This neighborhood spot offers up juicy patties between delicious buns until 12 am from Sundays through Thursdays. But if that wasn’t enough, you can tackle a handcrafted burger of local Texas beef until 4 am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Single patty, double patty, hand cut fries or sweet potato fries, or all of the above — the choice is yours. 

Velvet Taco

907 Westheimer; 4819 Washington

This taqueria, committed to bringing a fresh take on the classic Tex-Mex snacks, keeps things interesting with awesome hours — midnight is just too darn early to close, even on the weekdays.

Velvet Taco’s locations are open til 1 am Sundays through Wednesdays, til 3 am on Thursdays and all the way til 4 am on Fridays and Saturdays. If you don’t start off with the elote, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Then move onto the slow-roasted Angus brisket taco, annatto shredded pork taco and even fish and chips taco with curry mayo.  

Moxie’s

5000 Westheimer

If you find yourself in Uptown late into the evening, make a stop at Moxie’s for cocktails, delicious eats and more. Hours run until 12 am Sundays through Wednesdays and until 2 am Thursdays through Saturdays.

Moxie’s steak frites, baby back ribs, beef vindaloo and blackened chicken burgers make staying up late more than worth it. 

Harold’s Restaurant & Tap Room

350 West 19th

Locavores go crazy for this New American food with Louisiana flair over in The Heights. The cute two-story restaurant and tap room may close at 11 pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, just sort of late, but it’s open til 2 am Thursdays through Saturdays.

The cursive neon sign’s enough of a beacon, but you’ll find the prosciutto and Burrata salad, roasted quail and pasta primavera will call your name, too.

Birraporetti’s

500 Louisiana

This savory Italian restaurant may be a favorite of Alley Theatre and The Wortham Center patrons for a quick bite before a show, but it’s definitely worth the trip even if you don’t have tickets.

Enjoy the veal parmigiana, chicken piccatta, lobster ravioli and more until 12 am each and every night.