Diners' Choice: Contemporary American restaurants in Houston

OpenTable

Updated 05 December 2024

Looking for restaurants with the best overall Contemporary American cuisine in Houston? You’re in the right place. Each month OpenTable analyses more than 400,000 new diner reviews. We sort the results by category to help you discover new favourites. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Masraff's

4.9

4.9 (3929)

$50 and over

Contemporary American

West Side

About the restaurant

Masraffs, long recognized as a premier restaurant in Houston, offers affordable elegance, attentive service, impeccably prepared and exquisitely fresh American cuisine created with the best ingredients from around the world.

Top review

nouhad

Dined 2 days ago

Lovely ambience Excellent food Great service Most attentive owner And above all Very comprehensive and well priced collection of wines What more does a diner want??

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Popular dish

Chilean Seabass

Popular dish

Garlic Seared Calamari

Popular dish

14 oz Bone-In Filet Mignon

Rosie Cannonball

4.7

4.7 (36)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Montrose

About the restaurant

At Rosie Cannonball, we’re serving European comfort food in a lively atmosphere. The restaurant celebrates the origins of cooking through open, live fire and is centered around a wood-burning oven and grill.

The menu draws inspiration from individual ingredients: local vegetables, pastas and pizzas, simple seafood and locally-sourced meat cooked over live fire.

Master Sommelier June Rodil curated an expansive list of delicious wines with a strong Italian, Spanish and French focus from their favorite producers new and old, along with options from progressive New World producers.

The cocktail menu has strong Italian influences, mirroring the focus of the food.

Chef de Cuisine: Matt Hamilton
Sous Chef: Karla Moreno
Executive Pastry Chef: Samantha Mendoza
General Manager: Brandi Kinney
Front of House Managers: Lauren Allen
Goodnight Hospitality Partners: Bailey & Peter McCarthy, Felipe Riccio, June Rodil

Top review

hannah

Dined 1 day ago

everything was sooo yum and candy was sooooo sweet

Roost Houston

4.8

4.8 (528)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Montrose

About the restaurant

Nominated by Food and Wine Magazine as best chef southwest and 4 time winner of the Houston Iron Fork competition, Roost is slowly standing in a class of its own. With accolades like winner of the Food Networks Beat Bobby Flay and competing on Guy's Grocery Games, local Chef Kevin Naderi loves developing global flavors and serving his hometown.
Roost’s 50-seat space is cozy and unpretentious, amid walls paneled with old shutters and Edison-like light fixtures. Roost’s rustic and diverse menu is revised every five weeks, inspired by local availability of farm-fresh seasonal ingredients and flavors of the world, including the American South, Asia, and from the Middle East, taking advantage of Chef Naderi’s Persian heritage.
With over 13 years of serving Houston, we are proud to be a delicious option for our incredible city, and we truly looking forward to giving you a casual- fine dining experience.

Top review

Stephanie

Dined 3 days ago

Delicious food, great service. Ever changing menu but thankfully their crispy cauliflower is always there!

Relish Restaurant & Bar - River Oaks

4.8

4.8 (1031)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

River Oaks

About the restaurant

Relish Restaurant & Bar is a neighborhood eatery serving up classic American food with Mediterranean influences. At Relish, we aim to create an environment where absolute guest satisfaction is our highest priority. Through a shared commitment to excellence, we are dedicated to the uncompromising quality of our food, service, and people, while taking exceptional care of our guests and staff. We simply believe food should be uncomplicated, delicious and something to be relished!

Top review

Mary AnneVIP

Dined 1 day ago

Great lunch menu reasonably priced for quality. Must is the Cajun Hot Crab Dip and crispy chicken salad. Attentive, friendly service.

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4.8

4.8 (484)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Sugar Land / Missouri City

About the restaurant

Reservations are now being taken on Tock. Please visit Tock's website and search for Vino & Vinyl. www.exploretock.com

Vino & Vinyl is a chef-driven restaurant/supper club, with hand-selected small-production wines, a short craft beer list, music played on vinyl records, and the paintings of local artists on the walls.

Our Happy Hour consists of eight different small-bite food options (like the Chef's Fried Rissoto with tomato sauce, or the Pork Belly Bites with a bourbon glaze!), and a dollar off of all of our wines by the glass.

But dinner is where it's at. Be sure to check out our menu online for all the current offerings! Also, the Chef will offer a feature now and then, so make sure you ask your server upon arrival!

For the music, we play a wide variety of old and new... all on vinyl records!

Top review

Cherie

Dined on 22 Sept 2024

The food was delicious and full of flavor. Everything tasted extremely fresh. The music was perfect noise level, not too loud so you could still have great conversation. The wait staff was very attentive, knowledgeable and mature. We loved the vibe and look forward to going back!

Whiskey Cake - The Woodlands

4.7

4.7 (1939)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

The Woodlands

About the restaurant

We’re serving up tasty farm-to-kitchen dishes & cocktails out of our from-scratch-only kitchen and bar. Microwave? Never heard of it. We use slow-cooking methods on our live-wood grill, smoker, and spit because food just tastes better that way.
We believe that local is a place as much as it is a way of eating. Everything on our menu is infused with and inspired by the local ingredients available each season. All of this goodness is served to you as you kick your feet up in our rocking chairs, dine at a fancy table, or relax out on our porch.

Top review

Rose

Dined today

Great food! Great atmosphere! Whiskey Cake is the winner!

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Popular dish

Whiskey Cake

The Audrey Restaurant & Bar - The Woodlands

4.8

4.8 (709)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

The Woodlands

About the restaurant

The Audrey Restaurant & Bar is a stylish modern restaurant serving contemporary American cuisine. The restaurant will be located on the second floor of Market Street, overlooking the beautiful greenery of the center through our large elegant windows. Featuring elevated American favorites with an elaborate menu including our Seafood Tower, Tuna & Avocado Martini, a selection of fresh pasta dishes, butcher cut steaks, sandwiches, and salads. A Breakfast at Tiffany’s style brunch will also be offered. Additionally, The Audrey will feature a curated bar program offering craft cocktails and a fabulous wine selection.

Top review

Kay

Dined 5 days ago

I made several requests in my reservation that were all accommodated. Don’t be afraid to make note of special concerns with your Audrey reservation. This place works had to please their clientele.

The Union Kitchen (Memorial Dr)

4.8

4.8 (2016)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

West Side

About the restaurant

The Union Kitchen features a unique menu served in a casual atmosphere. Our lunch menu focuses on sandwiches, wraps, entree salads and some of the best burgers in Houston. At dinner, steaks, chops, chicken dishes and seafood take center stage. We have a unique hand selected wine list that complements our cuisine perfectly.

Top review

Jessica

Dined 1 day ago

Always a great spot for us! We regularly visit for happy hour as a large group and we are always taken care of. Staff is wonderful and attentive. We just miss the bubbles being on the HH menu 🤣! Highly recommend for large groups and for everyday lunch or dinner!

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George's Bistro & Bar

4.7

4.7 (290)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

W. University / Med Center

About the restaurant

George's Bistro and Bar, located in the heart of West University in Houston, TX, pushes the envelope of elevated continental cuisine. Taking its influences from our team members’ culinary roots, George's Bistro and Bar blends traditional and innovative techniques to create unique offerings using local ingredients in all of its dishes. We are grounded in hospitality with our staff’s commitment to providing you with a memorable experience each time you walk through our door.
We’re excited to bring something new to our community and can’t wait to share our unique recipes. We can't wait to serve you!

Top review

Carrie

Dined on 10 Dec 2024

I’ve eaten here for lunch several times. It’s always delicious! It’s a wonderful menu, but I keep returning to some of the same things. The salmon salad, the salmon club, and the brie and pear panini. All delicious. A nice cocktail menu is a plus for celebrating. I also love the quiet atmosphere, outdoor dining option, small size, and very easy parking.

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4.6

4.6 (408)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Midtown

About the restaurant

All of our dishes are crafted from scratch, including our handmade pastas and pizzas. We offer a selection of wood fired pizzas, including our famous Roasted Carrot Pizza (so good that it was feature in the Food Network). Our Lunch is great for Business Lunches and our Dinner is the best place to enjoy a relaxed & fair experience. Don’t miss Brunch, as some consider it the best in Houston.

We have also partner up with Love Croissants, to offer the best croissants in H-Town. You can smell the baking of the croissants before opening our doors. Don't miss the almond one! They are available, starting daily at 7am, along with locally roasted coffee and fresh juices in our bake shop.

Our bar stands ready to bring you the most delicious libations in the city. We offer a full array of spirits, beers and wines selected from the US and abroad.

Our ultimate goal is to create a comfortable, sincere and welcoming place for everyone to dine, relax, socialize and share great experiences.

Top review

Karen

Dined 2 days ago

Made a reservation for 5p for 6 people because of holiday season. We were the only ones in the restaurant for 1 1/2 hours! I have no idea why, the food was really good! Everything tasted very fresh, the bread is made onsite so that makes a difference. Friends raved about the ceviche and the Texqueno was amazing. I would happily recommend and go back.

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