Houston Restaurant Weeks Includes More Than 350 Restaurants This Year — And Another Restaurant Weeks Is Jumping In

An Instagram post alerted newcomers descending on Houston for the World Cup that the Bayou City’s weather was set to Preheat in June, Bake in July and a scorching Broil setting in August. As everyone braces themselves for those inevitable three-digit temperatures, why not let someone else do the cooking, cool off in an air-conditioned restaurant and do some charitable good at the same time? Yes, it’s time to make a game plan and start reserving your tables for Houston Restaurant Weeks, the annual August 1 to September 7th tradition where a portion of the cost of meals served at participating restaurants benefits the Houston Food Bank.

The HRW website already has more than 350 restaurants offering prix fixe brunch, lunch and dinner menus in nearly every neighborhood in the Greater Houston area (and beyond, including Galveston and The Woodlands). Rising food and labor costs coupled with razor-thin margins and a slower-than-usual summer season have put a strain on Houston’s favorite restaurants.

Plus, those higher food and gasoline costs have increased the need for many in Houston to reach out to their local food banks for assistance. In other words, Houston Restaurant Weeks is more important than ever.

“My mother started Houston Restaurant Weeks in 2003 to help restaurants through their hardest month, and that mission has never mattered more than it does right now,” says Katie Stone, president of The Cleverley Stone Foundation. “So many of our restaurants are fighting to stay open in a difficult economy.

“When Houstonians choose to Dine Out & Do Good, they are not only helping feed families through the Houston Food Bank, they are throwing a lifeline to the local businesses and the people behind them who make this city what it is. Every reservation truly makes a difference.”

Although restaurants are being added weekly, some returning loyalists to Houston Restaurant Weeks include a’Bouzy, Adair Kitchen (San Felipe and West University), Amrina, Annabelle Brasserie, B&B Butchers & Restaurant, Bar Bludorn, Bari Ristorante, BCN Taste & Tradition, Black Walnut (Memorial Drive, Rice Village, The Woodlands and Vintage Park), Bludorn, Brennan’s Houston, Caracol, Carrabba’s – The Original on Kirby and The Original on Voss, Coltivare Pizza & Garden, da Gama Canteen, Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, Dough Zone Dumpling House (Midtown, Post Oak, Sugar Land and Westchase), Eddie V’s (CityCentre and West Ave), Etoile Cuisine et Bar, 51fifteen, Fadi’s Mediterranean Grill (all locations), Federal American Grill (all locations), Hamsa, Hugo’s, all Landry’s restaurants, Le Jardinier, Liberty Kitchen & Oysterette (Rice Village, River Oaks, San Felipe, and Memorial City), MAD, Maison Pucha Bistro, Marmo Italian, Mastro’s Ocean Club, Mastro’s Steakhouse, Navy Blue, Nobu, Oporto Fooding House & Wine, Ouisie’s Table, Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille (Champions, Katy, Memorial City, River Oaks, Sugar Land, The Woodlands and Baybrook), Phat Eatery (Katy and The Woodlands), Potente, Prime 131, Rainbow Lodge, Seasons 52 CityCentre, State Fare Kitchen & Bar (The Woodlands), The Capital Grille (CityCentre and The Woodlands), The Palm, Traveler’s Table, Xochi, and Zammitti’s Italian Ristorante.

Newcomers to Houston Restaurant Weeks this year include Beausoleil, Bistro Mistral (Bellaire and Memorial), Cafe Brasil, Caribbean Jerk Palace, Cavatore Italian Restaurant, eculent, El Tiempo Cantina (all locations), Exilio Latin Flair, Kirkwood, LATULI, Laurenzo’s Prime Rib, Leo’s River Oaks, MaKiin, Mexican Sugar, Murray’s Pizza & Wine, North Italia (all locations), On the Kirb Organic Eatery & Sports Bar, Rosalie Italian Soul at the C. Baldwin Hotel, SOL7 at The Thompson Hotel, The Henry, Toca Madera, Truluck’s Ocean’s Finest Seafood & Crab (Houston and The Woodlands), Uchiko, Verandah and Zaranda.

The New Pappas Restaurant Weeks

Pappas Restaurants is also introducing its very own Pappas Restaurant Weeks from August 1 through September 7 that goes beyond just Houston. Or even Texas. This Restaurant Weeks includes 10 different Pappas restaurants concepts, giving diners 80 restaurants across eight states to dine. The first year of Pappas Restaurant Weeks includes Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, Pappasitos Cantina, Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, Pappas Bar-B-Q, Pappas Seafood House, Pappas Delta Blues Smokehouse, Pappas Burger, Little’s Oyster Bar, Dot Coffee Shop and Yiayia’s Greek Kitchen — with proceeds benefiting 16 local food banks in the communities where Pappas restaurants operate.

Pappas Restaurant Weeks builds on the company’s long-standing hunger relief efforts, including its Bite to Fight giving program and annual Pappas Can volunteer initiative, where Pappas employees come together to volunteer at local food banks across the country. For more details, menus and reservations, go here.

“For decades, our restaurants have been dedicated to bringing people together around exceptional food and hospitality,” Pappas chief marketing officer Christina Pappas says. “Pappas Restaurant Weeks is an extension of that commitment on a national scale, giving guests at more than 80 restaurants across eight states the opportunity to experience thoughtfully curated menus while deepening our commitment to giving back to the communities we serve.”