Meals with the family are an essential part of our everyday lives, and when dining out in Houston, it’s important that the experience is a pleasant one, no matter the occasion.
So when it comes to finding a delightful dining experience with the family in Houston, what are the options?
It can be hard trying to please everyone in the family. Maybe you’re looking for something to take younger children and keep them entertained, something with a playground or sports activities. Or perhaps you want to impress the teens with something on-trend and upbeat.
Which Places Are The Best For Dining With The Family In Houston, TX?
We will be looking at some great joints offering excellent dining experiences to families throughout our guide. We will be looking at the best discounts, menus, and facilities to help you find the perfect spot for your family to enjoy a fabulous dinner.
So with that, let’s go ahead and take a look at our top picks for the best family dining experiences for you to enjoy in Houston, TX.
1. Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant
| Address | 5192 Buffalo Speedway, Houston, TX 77005 |
| Website | www.bucadibeppo.com |
| Food | Meatballs, Pasta, Pizza |
| Our Recommendation | Ravioli with Meat Sauce |
Originating in 1993 in a small basement in Minneapolis, Buca di Beppo now has over a hundred locations.
The theme inside the restaurant is eclectic, which adds to the great vibe when dining here.
The dishes are all served as large sharing portions, making it great for families, bringing everyone around the table together, and making an interactive experience.
There’s plenty to talk about and look at while eating here. The walls are covered in family photos and memorabilia. This contributes to the warm family vibe felt in the dining room.
There is an excellent selection of pasta, pizza, salad, and bread on the menu. The ravioli with meat sauce was delicious. The sauce was clearly homemade, super-rich, and smooth. The shareable sausage is an excellent option for a side dish too.
They have desserts available, such as tiramisu, Italian cream cake, homemade cheesecake, and a beautiful chocolate-filled cannoli.
This restaurant is excellent value for money, and you can easily feed a family of four for under $40.00.
There are plenty of options for anyone with dietary preferences, with a full vegetarian menu and a gluten-free menu too.
There is no specific children’s menu, but the choices of sharing plates mean they’re aimed at people of all ages.
Also Read: 7 Best Italian Restaurants in Houston, TX
2. Blue Nile Ethiopian Restaurant
| Address | 3030 Audley St, Houston, TX 77098 |
| Website | www.bluenilerestaurant.com |
| Food | BBQ, lamb, family sharing platters, baklava |
| Our Recommendation | Yebeg Tibs (lamb) |
The Blue Nile is a family-owned restaurant that first opened back in 1994. They were nominated for being one of the best ethnic restaurants in the Houston community.
Food lovers and families alike will enjoy Ethiopian dishes’ unique and authentic flavors in a warm and friendly environment.
Here you can get traditional dishes with Injera bread that is 100% made of teff. It is a sponge-like pancake-like bread that is made from teff flour. It is traditionally served in Ethiopia as an accompaniment to various stews, meat dishes, soups, and salads.
Teff, an Ethiopian Staple, is the smallest grain in the world, but despite this, it actually contains a lot of nutrition. High in protein, iron, minerals, and calcium, and is an excellent source of goodness.
This is an excellent choice of restaurant to dine out with the family, to get some good, wholesome foods. They offer sharing platters which are great for interacting while you’re eating.
There is plenty of choice for everyone, including an extensive vegetarian menu.
The food is reasonably priced, with sharing platters ranging anywhere from $40.00 to $130.00, meaning no matter what your budget or how hungry you are, there is something suited to everybody.
They have a good selection of drinks, including some fantastic fresh coffees.
3. Niko Nicko’s
| Address | 2520 Montrose Blvd, Houston, TX 77006 |
| Website | www.nikonikos.com |
| Food | Greek, lasagne, gyros, pitta, salad, breakfast, kebob, falafel |
| Our Recommendation | Pastichio (Greek lasagne) |
Voted as the best Greek cuisine in the whole of Houston, Niko Niko’s is a trendy choice with diners, especially families with children.
Their menu is tremendously extensive, and the choices are never-ending—anything from breakfast to dinner and children’s meals, family sharing plates, and lots in between.
All the flavors are exciting, and the dishes are vibrant and well presented. The Greek lasagne was terrific; the portion was huge and perfectly cooked.
The restaurant itself is cafe/diner style. With plenty of seating inside the large dining room, the vibe is casual and laid back. They also have a lovely patio area if you prefer to sit outside.
We strongly advise you to try some of the desserts on offer. They have a fantastic bakery where all the sweet treats are displayed, such as delicious baklava, cakes, biscuits, and muffins.
On the breakfast menu, there are lots to choose from. The sausage link pita was lovely.
There is a children’s menu, so a great choice of place if you’ve got the kids in tow.
The prices here are commonly talked about as being relatively high, so we were expecting a large bill, but this wasn’t the case, although some of the dishes are in fact on the higher end of the scale, it’s still possible to get a decent course of food for between $10.00 and $15.00.
4. Taste of Texas
| Address | 10505 Katy Fwy, Houston, TX 77024 |
| Website | www.tasteoftexas.com |
| Food | Crab cakes, salad, steak |
| Our Recommendation | Jalapeno Stuffed Shrimp |
Taste of Texas originated back in 1977. The a is a pinnacle in the community and a go-to place for families celebrating occasions such as birthdays, hen-parties graduations, engagements, baby showers, and anniversaries.
They have their own museum, which is a great attraction and makes it a brilliant place to head to when wanting to enjoy a full family day out.
If ordering the steak, you are taken back to their in-house butcher’s shop so that you can personally select your own cut of beef. They also bake all their bread on-site every day, so no matter what time you go, you’re guaranteed to get freshly baked bread every time.
They are most well known for their exceptional steak, but there are plenty of other choices; the grilled chicken sandwich is an excellent option if you’re looking for something simple. The Jalapeno Stuffed Shrimp was exceptional. It consisted of 6 extra sizable battered jumbo shrimp stuffed with Monterey Jack cheese and jalapenos, served with cilantro cream sauce, sweet potato fries, and a choice of salad which you help yourself to from the salad bar.
Some people may find the prices here a little high, but it is entirely valid for the food you get. Perhaps somewhere you may visit for a special occasion and truly splash out on your favorite dish. The recommended dish mentioned above costs $30.00. But there is a smaller version on the starter menu for just $16.00.
This being a prominent meat-focused restaurant, it probably isn’t the best option for vegetarians. Still, a couple of options are available, such as the Spinach and Artichoke Dip and Grilled Vegetable Plate. Neither of these choices is vegan, though.
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5. Saldivia’s South American Grill
| Address | 10850 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77042 |
| Website | www.saldivias.com |
| Food | Salad, seafood, sweetbreads, parrilladas, pasta |
| Our Recommendation | Brochettes |
Saldivia’s South American Grill is a great choice when looking for somewhere to eat with the family due to the warm and friendly service you receive when dining.
Inside, the restaurant has a traditional Italian feel, with dark wooden tables and chairs and a wood interior.
The food itself is fantastic. The family recipes used are a fusion of Italian and Uruguayan and have been passed down through generations, resulting in perfected dishes.
The Brochettes, which are beef kabobs served on a bed of Spanish rice, were delicious. The kabobs were seasoned beautifully and perfectly spiced.
Another popular choice here is the grilled steak. It comes with a homemade chimichurri sauce, which was exceptionally good—a must-try.
They host events such as live tango, folkloric music, and live piano on the weekends. These are great times to visit for the best atmosphere. Something for the whole family to enjoy during your dining.
There is a small but delightful dessert menu, the tres leches (milk cake) are definitely worth a try.
The prices here are average and expected for what’s on the menu; you can get a lovely steak dish for around £38.00 or an excellent pasta dish for approximately $16.00
There are a few options on the menu for anyone looking for a vegetarian or vegan dish.
Also Read : 7 Finest South American Restaurants in Houston, TX
6. Aquarium Restaurant
| Address | 410 Bagby St, Houston, TX 77002 |
| Website | www.aquariumrestaurants.com |
| Food | Seafood tacos, burgers, pasta, gumbo, fish and chips |
| Our Recommendation | Broiled Captains Platter |
When looking for a fun restaurant to take the family, Aquarium Restaurant has to be up there with the best choices. How much more fun can you get than enjoying your meal while being surrounded by a beautiful aquarium filled with hundreds of varieties of marine life? Not much, right?
Looking at the fish while you eat your meal is fantastic, the kids love it, and it is a brilliant focal point for everyone at the table to enjoy together.
The aquarium has many other attractions for the family to take part in and see, such as the tiger habitat, the discovery zone, rides, tours, and many other adventure activities to be enjoyed by the whole family and really make a day of it.
Although this restaurant is voted one of our best for family dining, it’s not only down to the fantastic surroundings inside the restaurant; the food is pretty good too. They have a great selection, mainly seafood to choose from. The portion sizes are all really, and everything is cooked well.
The Broiled Captain’s Platter was enough to serve two people efficiently. It consisted of tilapia, stuffed shrimp, grilled shrimp, stuffed crab, sea scallops, avocado pico de gallo, rice, and vegetables. The seafood all tasted fresh and was cooked well, and everything was well presented and tasted great.
If you’re feeling adventurous, make sure to try the Cajun-style fried alligator.
The prices here are as expected for seafood. You can get the main course for around $20.00 – $25.00, or something of the burgers and pasta menu for a lower price.
There is unfortunately only one or two items suited to vegetarians. But still worth the trip for the sake of all the other attractions on offer.
Also Read: 7 Best Places for Lobster Rolls in Houston, TX
7. Antonio’s Flying Pizza
| Address | 2920 Hillcroft St, Houston, TX 77057 |
| Website | www.antonios.com |
| Food | Lasagne, pizza, chicken parmigiana, cannelloni |
| Our Recommendation | Linguini Crab Meat |
Antonio’s Flying Pizza has been all about family for the past 40 years. Since its first opening in 1971, it is still owned by the same family, and the original owner and head of the family can often be seen in the restaurant greeting the guests.
Even the menu has barely changed in all this time, and the regular customers love it for that reason.
They strongly focus on using the freshest ingredients and sticking closely to the original recipes, making everything that comes out of the kitchen exceptional and traditional.
There is a lovely homely feel inside the restaurants, and you’re instantly made to feel like friends rather than restaurant diners.
The menu is very classically Italian. One of the most appealing things about it is that all of the pasta entrees can be served with any choice of pasta you desire. The pizzas are also all “create-your-own,” so each meal you have here is totally personalized to your liking.
There are also plenty of vegetarians’ options, such as the Primavera and Eggplant Parmigiana.
The prices here average, and you can expect to get a good-sized portion of food for around $25.00.
Also Read: 5 Best Pizza Restaurants in Houston
To Close Things Up
So we hope that after reading this guide, you now know exactly where you will be heading with your family to enjoy your next meal.
Hungry for more? Why not have a look at something else to do in Houston, like Top 8 Best Movie Theaters in Houston and Best Places to Get King Cake in Houston