Not planning to cook on Thanksgiving? Here are a slew of Houston-area restaurants offering fabulous menus for the holiday, plus a few food and drink specials on Black Friday.
Did you know that our Houston Texans will play Detroit on Thanksgiving Day? Houston Texans Grille will be serving their signature tailgate fare on Thanksgiving Day to hardcore fans.
Philippe Restaurant offers a special Thanksgiving menu noon to 8 pm, plus a to-go menu of hearty Thanksgiving classics with a twist from chef Philippe Schmit. In addition to an organic turkey and madeira gravy, Schmit will be cooking sweet potato flan, chestnut wild mushroom stuffing, French Cowboy turkey chili and homemade cornbread.
Haven’s chef Randy Evans will serve the traditional feast 11 am to 6 pm on Thanksgiving, plus offer a to-go menu. Dine-in highlights include a family-style relish tray with deviled eggs, pimento-cheese celery, pickled vegetables and olives; a housemade turducken terrine; free-range turkey; and the chef’s spin on the traditional sides. Plenty of Southern-inspired dessert options top it off. Cost is $55 for adults; $20 for children. (Kids 2 and younger eat free.)
Monarch Bistro at Hotel ZaZa will serve a four-course Thanksgiving Day menu 11 am to 8 pm with a menu created by their new chef, Jonathan Jones, featuring numerous choices including traditional items but also items like Diamond H Ranch Texas quail served with cornbread, sage, sausage and cherry stuffing, a smoked duck breast with leg confit, shepherd’s pie and pumpkin panna cotta. Cost is $55 per person.
Branch Water Tavern opens its doors at 11 am on Thanksgiving Day and will serve a buffet-style Thanksgiving feast until 5:30 pm. The cold side will include boiled shrimp, fresh oysters and poached salmon, while the hot side will feature turkey, prime rib and pork roast, oyster stuffing and cornbread dressing, green bean casserole and many other sides. Cost is $40 for adults; $20 for kids.
024 Grille is new in the Westin Hotel at Memorial City. Chef Dagan Lynn will offer turkey, prime rib, NY strip and even a Cuban-mojo roasted pork leg with garlic sofrito. Sides and desserts include a blood orange cranberry relish and pumpkin crème brûlée. Cost is $35 per person.
Benjy’s on Washington will offer a three-course Thanksgiving menu 11 am to 4 pm. Highlights include ginger pumpkin soup with spiced pecans and winter greens, roasted pork or roasted turkey breast with sage brown butter and giblet gravy, plus numerous side dishes. Dessert options include the restaurant’s famous Mom’s chocolate cake, pumpkin pie and Southern pecan pie. Cost is $38 per person.
Hotel Icon’s Line & Lariat will serve a traditional Southern brunch 10 am to 2 pm on Thanksgiving Day. Executive chef David Luna is cooking up a menu of roasted turkey with giblet gravy, roasted cranberry sauce, venison sausage stuffing, Dr Pepper-glazed ham, mashed potatoes, candied yams, green bean casserole, pecan pie and pumpkin pie. Cost is $27 per person and free for children age 5 or younger.
Roost will open at 4 pm for dinner service by reservation only on Thanksgiving. In addition to chef Kevin Naderi’s current seasonal menu, he’s added a seared allspice duck breast, served with roasted beets and rye bread panzanella; honey-brined turkey breast served with sweet potato puree, braised greens, jalapeño cornbread and cranberry chutney, plus an appetizer feature of country fried quail served with butter biscuit, cream gravy and sweet pickled jalapeños.
For the To-go Minded
The pies are legendary at Goode Company, and they’ll also smoke your turkey, a delicious option.
Liberty Kitchen has homemade cakes and pies to go.
Demeris BBQ offers whole turkeys three different ways: fried, roasted and smoked.
The Breakfast Klub offers turkeys three ways: smoked Cajun, fried Cajun and smoked jerk style.
Danton’s Gulf Coast Seafood Kitchen is taking orders for Cajun-fried turkeys.
Chef Paul Lewis at Cullen’s Upscale American Grille is doing free-range brown-sugar-brined turkeys and maple-glazed spiral-sliced hams along with buttermilk mashed potatoes, fresh sage and house-made white bread herb stuffing, orange-scented cranberry sauce and traditional giblet gravy. Delivered in oven-ready, reheatable containers with reheating instructions. Cullen’s also has homemade pies.
Tony Mandola’s is not open on Thanksgiving Day, but they are selling holiday feasts that serve six hungry people and will be ready for pick up at the restaurant the day before Thanksgiving. Entrees include Cajun-fried turkey or roast turkey, plus lots of traditional sides. Or order a to-go pan of Grandma’s meat lasagna that will feed nine people. That’s a great idea for the weekend once the holiday is past.
Revival Market in The Heights offers heritage turkeys and to-go items like sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, gravy, fresh cranberry sauce and an Autumn vegetable pie that sounds really delicious: It’s a savory pie with squash and winter greens with a lard crust on top and bottom. Perfect for entertaining before the big dinner or breakfast the next day.
Monica Pope over at Sparrow Bar + Cookshop has been doing prepared holiday foods to go for many years, and she’s back with a menu that includes fresh turkeys, quail and pork plus her homemade soups and cornbread stuffing, giblet gravy and desserts. What we also love about Monica’s goodies are the hors d’oeuvres she has for you to serve: Slice and bake scones and cracker dough … really good stuff.
Backstreet Cafe offers a variety of their most popular items to-go to round out your holiday meal. This is a brilliant option because you can still cook your turkey and make a few things but supplement with dishes you know people will really enjoy. Options include mushroom soup, carrot soup, cornbread and andouille sausage dressing, brioche bread pudding with spinach, pine nuts and mushrooms, and desserts like wine-poached pears stuffed with blue cheese .
L’Olivier on Westheimer offers a diverse holiday catering menu for large or small groups with things like smoked salmon, pâté and charcuterie plates along with oven-roasted turkey breast, honey-baked ham and beef tenderloin with peppercorn sauce and grilled Atlantic salmon with haricots verts. Lots of great side dishes and desserts are also available to go.
Black Friday Dining Offers
Bistro Alex in Hotel Sorella at CityCentre will hold an all-day happy hour at their Bistro Bar for Black Friday, with happy-hour specials available 10:30 am to midnight. Enjoy half-price cocktails and appetizers, including their popular flatbreads and burgers. Be sure to also take advantage of the complimentary valet parking offered while dining at the Bistro Bar.
Likewise, Mi Cocina in The Woodlands Mall is offering an all-day happy hour for Black Friday, featuring $3 domestic beers and $5 appetizers, wines, house margaritas and their famous Mambo Taxi cocktails. Enjoy all day, starting at 11 am.
On the busiest shopping day of the year, RA Sushi (both the River Oaks and Town & Country locations) celebrates Black Friday in the Red at RA by offering all-day happy hour with more than 35 sushi, appetizer and tapas selections ranging from $2.25 to $7.25, plus a wide variety of beer, wine and signature cocktails ranging from $3 to $7. Happy hour will run 11 am to 7 pm.
Finally, “Dine on a Dime” at TQLA on Washington Avenue for Black Friday. Show your receipt from your shopping that day and receive a second food item (of equal or lesser value) for a dime when purchasing another food item at regular price. Available 11am to 3 pm on Friday, November 23, only. (Discount valid for one food item per person.)