The calendar says fall, but Houston hasn\u2019t gotten the memo yet. Still, local restaurants are serving hearty dishes and cozy drinks that make it easy to savor the season \u2014 even without sweater weather. Here\u2019s where to find a taste of autumn while we wait for cooler days.<\/p>\n
Bellagreen Belly of the Beast Tommy Bahama Restaurant and Bar Common Bond Dandelion Cafe Escalante Fielding\u2019s River Oaks The Kid Maven Coffee + Cocktails Relish Slowpokes
<\/a><\/strong>Those with dietary restrictions can also enjoy the comforting seasonings of fall at Bellagreen. Pumpkin takes the spotlight with dishes like pumpkin beef chili, pumpkin carbonara, seared salmon in a pumpkin sauce, and even a pumpkin cheesecake with a coconut hemp crust. For a lighter option, there\u2019s the Nature\u2019s Harvest Salad \u2014 roasted butternut squash, red beets, quinoa, and goat cheese in a fig balsamic dressing.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/strong>At James Beard Award-winning chef Thomas Bille\u2019s<\/a> Spring restaurant, the autumn-inspired dishes are earthy and rich. Brown butter roasted grapes are paired with pistachios and grilled bread in the Uvas y Burrata. A potato gnocchi has seared scallops and black truffles, while That\u2019s My Yam layers roasted sweet potato, almond salsa macha, chicken cracklings, and queso fresco into an intriguing bite. <\/p>\n
<\/strong><\/a>Get a very early jump on holiday shopping at this restaurant’s attached retail space before settling down for a seasonal spread at Tommy Bahama Restaurant and Bar in The Woodlands. Available through mid-November, highlights include a sweet potato pierogi stuffed with braised cabbage, pecan wood-smoked bacon, brown butter, and caramelized apples, served with a chive cr\u00e8me fra\u00eeche. The Wagyu French Dip comes with a miso bone broth, caramelized onions, horseradish cr\u00e8me fraiche, and fries. Enjoy either alongside the Tipsy Cider, a cocktail of Marker\u2019s Mark, apple cider syrup, and cinnamon.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/strong>On sweltering fall days, Common Bond has the solution with a bevy of cold beverage options. There\u2019s the mandatory pumpkin spice latte (hot or iced) and a maple pecan cold brew. Add a touch of festivity with the pumpkin cream cold foam that pairs well with an iced matcha or cold brew. For Frozen Bond fans, pumpkin spice and chai are both available. Spiced apple cider comes hot or cold, ideal for Houston\u2019s fickle weather. Don\u2019t skip the pastries \u2014 the Pumpkin Pie Supreme Roll is a croissant stuffed with pumpkin pie filling and topped with toasted meringue (available only at bistro locations), while a macaron gets the PSL treatment.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/strong>The breakfast destination fully invests in specialty menus, and this fall is no exception. Pumpkin dominates the menu, showing up in pancakes, pastries, and more. The gourd continues to star in Dandelion\u2019s beverage lineup, with pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin chai lattes, and pumpkin pie frappes.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/strong>Now through November 16, stop by any of the seven locations of Escalante for fall specials. Toast to the cooler months with cocktails such as the Pumpkin Spice Tequila Iced Latte. The alcoholic twist on the seasonal favorite blends together Milagro Reposado, RumChata Pumpkin Spice, and Owen\u2019s Nitro-Infused Espresso Mix. For those abstaining, there\u2019s the Apple Cranberry Splash Mocktail with apple cider, cranberry juice, and cinnamon syrup. For food, there are options like the Roasted Corn and Poblano Chicken, as well as a pumpkin spice tres leches cake.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/strong>This River Oaks eatery is offering a trio of cocktails that capture the essence of the season. The Pecan Pie Espresso Martini nods to the holiday dessert with Stolichnaya vanilla vodka infused with pecans, RumChata, Kahl\u00faa, house espresso, maple syrup, and a pecan garnish. Tequila enthusiasts can savor the Pumpkin Cider Margarita, a blend of Siete Leguas Reposado, Cointreau, pumpkin spice syrup, fresh lime, apple cider, and Angostura bitters. The Spiced Pear Whiskey Sour features a spiced pear\u2013rosemary pur\u00e9e and is topped with a frothy egg white (or vegan foamer).<\/p>\n
<\/strong><\/a>Festive cocktails flow at The Kid, where a maple whiskey sour, pumpkin spice Old Fashioned, and apple cider margarita set the mood. Caffeine lovers can indulge in the fall espresso martini flight with pumpkin spice, peppermint, and salted caramel varieties. Pro tip: Cocktails are $7 on Mondays, starting at 7 pm.<\/p>\n
<\/strong><\/a>At its Sawyer Yards and Thompson Hotel outposts, Maven is crafting comfort and blending its signature cold brew concentrate into beverages like a Pumpkin Spice Latte, a Butter Pecan Oat Milk Latte, and a Brown Sugar Oat Milk Latte. Guests can customize their drinks with in-house syrups, such as butter pecan or hazelnut, and seasonal cold foams, including pumpkin spice or Maldon salted caramel.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/strong>Starting in October, Relish\u2019s menu pays homage to the autumn season. Start the meal with the sweet-and-savory seasonal burrata layered with prosciutto, fig compote, arugula, saba, lemon zest, and hazelnuts. For pasta lovers, the butternut squash cavatelli brings together roasted squash, sausage, sage, and pumpkin seeds. Other standouts include a roasted harissa chicken with apricot-tomato couscous and a pomegranate drizzle, as well as a grilled pork chop<\/a> accompanied by parsnip pur\u00e9e, bacon-braised collards, apples, and brandy cream. For dessert, the pumpkin panna cotta is a spiced cake with maple caramel and caramel popcorn.<\/p>\n
<\/strong><\/a>Local favorite Slowpokes<\/a> updates the chain coffee stores’ seasonal standards with its own handcrafted favorites, such as a salted caramel latte and a pumpkin chai. The spicy ginger chai kicks things up with the addition of ginger, while the Punkin\u2019 Pie Latte is the Houston-based coffee shop\u2019s version of the PSL. And for those who like their caffeine with a side of dessert, the Cookie Monster Latte blends cookie butter syrup and cookie butter cold foam into a sweet treat in a cup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The calendar says fall, but Houston hasn\u2019t gotten the memo yet. Still, local restaurants are serving hearty dishes…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":258310,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5130],"tags":[12080,4345,12212,358,3187,12211],"class_list":{"0":"post-258309","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston","8":"tag-cocktails","9":"tag-houston","10":"tag-news-you-can-eat","11":"tag-texas","12":"tag-tx","13":"tag-where-to-eat"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115275391675716845","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=258309"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258309\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/258310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=258309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=258309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=258309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}