Sometimes you want some warming, filling comfort food. Luckily, there are many diners and drive-ins in Houston, Texas, offering just that. So if you’re going to eat out tonight, check out our list to find the best spots in Houston.
Top 7 Diners and Drive-Ins in Houston
In no particular order, here are our top 7 diners and drive-ins in Houston. We’ve chosen a range of exciting places offering delicious breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.
We’ll let you know what kind of food you can expect there, as well as whether each diner is family-friendly.
We’ll also let you know what the pricing is like, so you can figure out which one suits your budget.
Let’s dive into the list!
1. Lankford Grocery
| Address: | 88 Dennis St Houston, TX 77006 |
| Website: | https://lankfordgrocery.weebly.com/ |
| Food: | Breakfasts, burgers, sandwiches, sides |
| Our Recommendation: | J's Brunch Burger |
Lankford Grocery is a family-run diner founded in the 1930s. It’s a very welcoming, warm, family-friendly spot to eat. It has outdoor seating, and it offers delivery if you want to eat at home.
It’s worth checking out their burgers. The Burger of the Month is a good one to try, or you could go for J’s Brunch Burger (a bunless half-pound patty topped with bacon, eggs, grilled onions, fresh jalapeno, and avocado).
There are other options here, including sandwiches. You can also get breakfast at Lankford Grocery, with some classics like waffles, French toast, toast and coffee, and eggs.
The price point is pretty average, with a burger coming in at around $10-14 and breakfasts from $3-11.
It’s very family-friendly, with a small kids’ menu to choose from. All kids’ meals are $7 and come with fries and a drink.
You can head here for drinks, with a selection of wine and beer to choose from, as well as mimosas and sangria. In addition, they have an excellent range of classic milkshakes to pick from if you want the classic diner experience.
2. Bosscat Kitchen and Libations
| Address: | 4310 Westheimer Rd, Ste 150, Houston TX 77027 |
| Website: | https://www.bosscatkitchen-houston.com/ |
| Food: | Waffles, chicken fried, burgers, burritos, French toast |
| Our Recommendations: | Apple cheesecake waffles |
Bosscat Kitchen is a great spot for brunch. It’s lively and busy but welcoming for both groups of friends and families too. They offer takeout and delivery if you’d rather beat the crowds and eat at home.
There’s a lot to choose from here. Donut burgers (midwest beef patties, bacon, American cheese, and egg fried in duck fat) are incredible, or you could go for totchos (tater tots, chorizo, nacho cheese, jalapeno, and a fried egg).
We like the sweet choices, including apple cheesecake waffles (waffles with caramel apple cheesecake topping and whipped cream).
Brunches go from anywhere between $10-20, with generous portions.
Some kid-friendly meals to choose from here, including classic pancakes, sandwiches, and tasty pasta dishes.
They have a wide variety of cocktails and whiskeys, with over 300 varieties of whiskey to choose from. They also have plenty of coffee, tea, and soft drinks.
3. Kenny & Ziggy’s New York Delicatessen
| Address: | 2327 Post Oak Blvd Houston, TX 77056 |
| Website: | https://www.kennyandziggys.com/ |
| Food: | Bagels, hotdogs, sandwiches, steak, salads, burgers |
| Our Recommendations: | Lenny's Bronx Nosh-Stalgia Sandwich |
Want some classic American diner food? You need to check out Kenny & Ziggy’s. It’s a busy, bustling, family-friendly place to be, and it’s great for groups of friends going out for drinks and a catch-up too. They offer takeout and delivery.
You can expect some classic comfort food here, with a huge range of delicious bagels, hotdogs, burgers, sandwiches, and salads to choose from. We’d recommend Lenny’s Bronx Nosh-Stalgia sandwich (a triple-decker, pastrami, turkey, and salami sandwich with Russian dressing and coleslaw).
If you want a salad, try the Houstonian Chicken Salad (grilled chicken, romaine lettuce, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, avocado, blue and yellow corn tortilla strips, and Picante cilantro ranch dressing).
It’s on the higher end of the price range for a diner, with prices starting between $15-18 and going all the way up to $25-30.
They have a great kids’ menu, with dishes like sandwiches, chicken fingers with fries, noodles, or burgers. They also have some cute kids’ cocktails, like the Harvey Door Slammer (lemonade, Sprite, and grenadine).
Speaking of drinks, you can get the regulars (soda, coffee, tea, juice, and beer) as well as mimosas or a bloody Mary. They have an excellent range of milkshakes too.
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4. The Breakfast Klub
| Address: | 3711 Travis St Houston, TX 77002 |
| Website: | https://thebreakfastklub.com/ |
| Food: | Eggs, toast, pancakes, grits, sandwiches, salads |
| Our Recommendations: | The Breakfast Special |
The Breakfast Klub is a popular breakfast restaurant in Houston. It gets busy, but the staff is warm and welcoming, and it’s ideal for both groups of friends and families. It offers takeout and delivery too.
It’s a great diner to visit for breakfast. Toast, eggs, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, grits, and breakfast sandwiches are on the menu. We’d recommend The Breakfast Special, with bacon, sausage, ham or turkey with 2 eggs, potatoes, or grits, and toast or biscuits.
We’d also suggest trying the wings and waffle. Golden Belgian waffles with 6 wings, topped with powdered sugar. It hits just the right balance between sweet and savory. They offer larger family dishes to share too.
The pricing is pretty average for a diner. Breakfasts are around $12-15, and lunches tend to go for about $13.
It’s a family-friendly diner with some classic dishes for kids, including pancakes and waffles. These can be customized to some extent, which is helpful if you have a fussy eater.
They have a range of coffee and tea to choose from, as well as juice, sodas, and milkshakes.
5. Killen’s Barbecue
| Address: | 3613 E Broadway Pearland, TX 77581 |
| Website: | https://www.killensbarbecue.com/ |
| Food: | Meat plates, sandwiches, sides |
| Our Recommendations: | Brisket with sides |
Killen’s Barbecue offers warm, comforting, filling food in a family-friendly atmosphere. You can eat out here or have food delivered to your home instead.
They offer some beautifully-cooked meat here. You can choose from options like brisket, pork ribs, turkey, sausage, and pulled pork, with your choice of sides. Sides include baked beans, potato salad, mac ‘n’ cheese, and creamed corn. Or you can grab a meat plate, which consists of 2 sides.
You can also get some great sandwiches here, like a pulled pork or sausage sandwich.
The pricing is slightly higher than average. For example, a 2-meat plate will cost you $20, but the sandwiches are cheaper at $12-13.
It’s a family-friendly spot, and the customization makes it a good choice for families with fussy kids.
In terms of drinks, they don’t have a huge amount to choose from. You can get a soda, tea, or beer.
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6. The Original Marini’s Empanada House
| Address: | 10001 Westheimer Rd Carillion Shopping Centre Houston, TX 77042 |
| Website: | https://www.theoriginalmarinis.com/ |
| Food: | Empanadas, sandwiches, sides, salads, combo meals |
| Our Recommendations: | Chicken Poblana Empanada |
As featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, The Original Marini’s Empanada House offers Argentian food at great prices. It’s ideal for families and groups of friends, and they offer takeout and delivery.
You might not be surprised to hear that empanadas are on the menu here. There’s a huge range to choose from, including traditional Argentian, meat, vegetarian, and dessert empanadas.
The Chicken Poblana is particularly good (diced chicken cooked in mole sauce), or if you want something veggie, you could try the Asparagus King (asparagus, sauteed mushrooms, mozzarella cheese).
If you don’t want empanadas, you could get a sandwich or salad here instead. They have a range of sides to choose from too.
The pricing is reasonable, with empanadas for around $3.50 and $6 for a double-size portion. You can get a combo plate for around $10-12 too.
It’s a family-friendly place to visit. You can grab a kids’ meal (two small empanadas with fries and a drink) for just under $6.
They have a few drinks to choose from, including sodas and coffee.
7. Moonstruck Drive-In
| Address: | 100 Bringhurst St Houston, TX 77020 |
| Website: | https://www.moonstruckdrivein.com/ |
| Food: | Various types, food trucks on rotation |
| Our Recommendations: | N/A |
Moonstruck Drive-In is a little different because it varies in terms of food, but as Houston’s only permanent drive-in movie theatre, we thought it was worth a mention. You can head here for some delicious, local food served in food trucks, on rotation throughout the year, to eat in your car while you watch either a new movie or an old classic.
Food trucks vary throughout the year, including barbecue food, tacos, and more. It’s a great way to taste some locally made, delicious food, and it’s a surprise each time you visit. They also have a concession stand selling classics like candy, popcorn, and soda.
Pricing varies in terms of food, but it costs $30 per car to watch the movie (with up to 6 people per car).
It’s more suited to groups of friends than families, although, of course, that does depend on the movie. Pets are welcome if they are kept on a leash.
You can grab drinks from neighboring bar The New Potato, and they have a range of cocktails and craft beers to choose from.
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Summary
We hope this has helped you to find some excellent comfort food! With so many amazing restaurants in Houston, it can be hard to know where to begin looking for your next meal, but hopefully, this has helped narrow down your search.
Keep reading our guides for more suggestions, like our guide to the 6 Best Mexican Food in Houston, Texas, or the 5 Best Pizza Restaurants in Houston, TX.