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Hack Your City Each Friday we ask you for your best city tips: driving tips, restaurant recs, things to do, and any other advice for visitors and locals. Sometimes the weekly topic is a specific city; other times it's an aspect of all cities, so everyone can participate. Prev Next View All

Last week we asked for your tips for visiting or living in Houston, Texas. Then we disappeared for Thanksgiving. So here, finally, is a compilation of all the recommendations from Lifehacker readers.


Yes, everyone agreed, Texas is hot, thanks for noticing. The summer heat can be literally deadly, and even spring and fall temperatures can reach the 90s, but bring a jacket in the winter. And yes, as in a lot of cities, the drivers here are crazy. If you’re visiting, use Uber and Lyft.

The best all-around guide, complete with Google Maps links, comes from nevertrustamonkey:


Restaurants

The Breakfast Klub (brunch; “go on Tuesday to miss the crazy line outside,” says Dnfnfh



Empire Cafe (brunch)

Kolache Factory (breakfast)

BBQ Garden Korean Restaurant

dak & bop (Korean fried chicken)

Moon Tower Inn (specialty hot dogs)

Hugo’s (“upscale and modern Mexican,” says nevertrustamonkey

Hay Merchant (long beer list)

Mediterraneo Market and Cafe (across from NASA)

Killen’s BBQ (out in Pearland)

Roegels (a more central Killen’s alternative, says Bishbah

Mai’s Vietnamese

Black Walnut

Q-shi (in Spring)

Peli Peli (South African)

Sweet Paris Crepes

Corkscrew BBQ (“must try the cobbler,” says GoneToTexas

Frenchy’s

Tapatia (tortas and Tex-Mex)

House of Pies

El Rey (tacos)

Edojin Sushi Restaurant (in Cypress)

Indika

Underbelly (upscale pork and shared dishes, says Ppothesailor

Phoenicia downtown

Oishii

El Tiempo

BB’s Cafe (late night)

Brennan’s (“fancy cajun,” says Brennan

Alamo Tamale Co.

“The best taco trucks are right outside the loop off Longview and Veteran’s Memorial on the upper North-west side,” says CoSineBlue

Here’s a longer dining guide by a good username:


But Erewhonmai replies:

Taste of Texas? You’re kidding right? Pappas Bros Steakhouse ... far superior. Also a better class of owner.

Bars

West Alabama Ice House

Marfreless (hidden lounge)

Breweries: Saint Arnold, 8th Wonder, Eureka Heights, Brash, Holler, Sigma

Spec’s (wine)

Moving Sidewalk (fancy cocktails)

Public Services

Petrol Station (craft beer)

Moontower Inn (more craft beer)

Hughie’s (craft beer again—and, says Demonhawk


Museums

Lonestar Flight Museum

1940 Air Terminal Museum at the Hobby Airport

Museum of Fine Arts, or MFAH (free on Thursdays)

Menil Collection (see some Warhols)

Rothko Chapel

Texas Prison Museum (up in Hempstead)

Johnson Space Center

Rocket Park, a free space history museum, which peterpiper77


Get a multi-museum pass, says tag007:

If you’re looking at hitting up a bunch of museums while you’re here go and get the city pass. It gets you access to Space Center Houston, Downtown Aquarium, Museum of natural Science, the zoo or Museum of Fine Arts, and Kemah boardwalk or the Children’s Museum.


Here’s another guide, by oddseth:


More Stuff to Do

Wings Over Houston airshow in October

River Oaks Theatre (midnight movies)

See the Astros, the Rockets, and even the Rice Owls at Rice Stadium

The Rice Village open-air mall and the nearby Rice campus

Wildcat Golf Club

Evening walks through Eleanor Tinsley Park or the Woodlands Waterway, says EL_ULY

Sheldon State Park

Shopping in Old Town Spring

Live shows at the Revention Music Center and Miller Outdoor Theatre

The 64-foot Water Wall in Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park

Strange Bird Immersive’s “The Man From Beyond,” which RoomEscapeArtist

“Brazos Bookstore has one of the most knowledgeable bookstore staffs in the country,” says Joelrgarza

Hike all over, says AdamTheMechE

“Houston has a great ballet opera symphony Brennan


Try one of tag007’s favorite seasonal attractions:

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo goes from February 27- March 18th, the children’s festival is April 7th and 8th, the art car parade is April 14th, and Nutcracker Market (big ass convention for shopping for Christmas stuff) is typically the first weekend in November.﻿




WW in HTown defends Houston beaches:

A lot of people hate on Texas beaches, but Galveston is a quick 45 min-1 hour drive on 45 South (Gulf Freeway). It may not be Hawaii, but it’s a great option right in your backyard if you are in Houston. It can get a little crowded in the summer, but Spring and Fall when the kids are in school can be a great time to visit. The weather is still great and beaches with be relatively uncrowded. Also check out Surfside Beach near Freeport in Brazoria County, usually not crowded at all (just avoid 4th of July/Memorial Day) and you can drive your car out on the beach.﻿




Dr E Fraz highly recommends Houston Restaurant Weeks, a city-wide summer food festival:

Be sure to take advantage of Houston Restaurant Weeks, the even runs now for TWO WHOLE MONTHS, from August-September. It’s an event that benefits the Houston Food Bank, and hundreds of the best restaurants in town are involved. Houston is among the top food destinations in the U.S., so this is a pretty big deal. You get to choose from pre-selected menu combinations to construct anything from 3-course lunches to 7-course dinners. Usually the selections include the specialties of that specific restaurant, at a fraction of their normal cost. As a native of the city, I can vouch that my wife and I wait all year for this and definitely have to stay on top of our fitness during these two months. ﻿




Time for another city guide:


Neighborhoods

In general, readers prefer the west side to the east. “For god’s sake, stay away from east Houston,” says Trey. “That’s where we keep all the refineries and heavy industry.” Some favorite hoods:

Montrose

The Heights

East Downtown

West University

And when you’re downtown, stay out of the heat with this map of air-conditioned tunnels, via reader Chris.


We’ll finish with another guide, from LogicNotFound:


Leave your Houston tips below, leave your tips for Toronto over here, and check the front page tomorrow for the best of those Toronto tips.