Where To Eat Around Houston's Universities

Enrolling at a Houston university provides access to the diverse food scene around the city, which beats eating grilled chicken from the school dining hall for the third time this week. If you're looking for an excuse to dine off-campus or go over flashcards somewhere other than the library, there are plenty of restaurants to get a good meal without dipping into your chemistry textbook fund. From the best mac and cheese in the Third Ward to kebabs in Rice Village that can feed your entire study group, here's our list of the best restaurants around Houston’s college campuses.

THE SPOTS

TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

Houston This Is It Soul Food

As a college student, “discount” is the second most important word you can see, after “free.” And Houston This Is It, a soul food staple in the Third Ward is the best place to take advantage of your reduced-price meal. Bring your student ID and get a plate with two sides and an entree (except oxtails) for a little over 10 bucks. The dining room may give you a cafeteria feel, but this one specializes in styrofoam containers with overflowing mac and cheese, candied yams glazed in brown sugar, and crispy pieces of fried chicken. Use the money you just saved to add an order of spiced teacakes or a cup of sweet tea that will require two hands to hold.

The Rado Market

Rado Market & Cafe in the historic El Dorado Ballroom is a great place to stop in for a snack before hanging out at Emancipation Park. Grab a chicken salad sandwich rolled in jerk seasoning and fries, or spend early mornings at a wooden table with breakfast tacos . After you’ve made your meal selections, stroll around the market, where you can find everything from scented candles to books from Kindred Stories and other local businesses.

RICE UNIVERSITY

Agnes Café & Provisions

When you need to hack away on a laptop but can’t concentrate unless you’re in a luxe cafe with studio-worthy lighting and a tiny, curated pantry full of chocolates, go to Agnes Cafe & Provisions. The all-day cafe just off Rice Village offers counter-service Mediterranean dishes like an acid-tinged freekeh salad with parmesan and flatbreads stuffed with spiced lamb kofta. It’s a chic spot to study, split a mezze between friends, or take your visiting parents when they’re paying for lunch.

Istanbul Grill & Deli

The casual Turkish restaurant Istanbul Grill & Deli has been grilling up kebabs and cheesy pides in Rice Village since the late ‘90s. Shrouded in a giant plastic canopy tent behind giant potted plants, it’s easy to miss, but look for the red awning and the faint scent of warm brick-oven-baked bread. Once inside, you’ll find a menu full of reasonably priced dishes, like a $24 platter of tender döner and kebabs that could feed four. Split a slew of mixed plates between friends after a Rice football game.

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON- DOWNTOWN

Saint Arnold Brewing Company

Saint Arnold Brewing Company exists at the intersection of a “great place to study” and “extensive beer options," which comes in handy when you need to prepare for your organic chemistry final on a Saturday afternoon. In addition to a massive outdoor garden with picnic tables covering every inch of the grounds, the Fifth Ward brewery is home to an mile-long selection of pilsners, IPAs, and dark stouts. Grab a flight of brews and a tray of fries covered in pulled pork, and work through that stack of flashcards in the sunshine.

Papalo Taqueria

If you need a fresh, filling meal close to the Red Line train, go to Papalo Taqueria. No other Downtown spot makes multiple kinds of fresh tortillas and nixtamalizes heirloom corn like this counter-service spot inside Finn Hall. Order a plate of excellent Mexican-style tacos, tender brisket enchiladas, or a bowl of pozole, and post up at a table and finish that chem homework between bites.

UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS

Paulie's Restaurant

Paulie’s, a casual Italian restaurant in Montrose , makes filling up with delicious pasta quick, easy, and affordable. Because sometimes, that’s all you really want. Order at the counter, throw back a mozzarella panini and an iced coffee for a quick lunch. Or grab a big bowl of canestri alla funghi because every order of pasta is so large you might need a crane to air-lift it to the table, so there will definitely be enough leftovers for your roommates.

The Breakfast Klub

Standing in line for the club is a rite of passage. At The Breakfast Klub in Midtown , you’ll spend time waiting outside for a Southern-style breakfast and lunch rather than laser lights and EDM DJ sets. The food comes out astonishingly fast, so you’ll spend most of your time carving into pork chops and spooning cheesy grits, occasionally stopping for a coffee or syrup refill. Take a break from studying and watch some spoken word on their stage over a plate of chicken and waffles.

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON

The Flying Dumpling

This family-run American- Chinese takeout spot on the edge of campus has a never-ending line of hungry students waiting for massive portions of cheap, filling food. The Flying Dumping is no exception. The portions here bust out of the styrofoam box. The fat egg rolls are stuffed with cabbage and ratchet-strapped together by a crispy golden wonton wrapper. The lo mein noodles are utilitarian and packed with something freshman students might neglect: vegetables. And the giant baos are a meal in themselves. Go here to satiate yourself and a group of friends on the cheap or to stock up for a few days of leftovers during finals week.

Cream Burger

Cream Burger is down the street from the TDECU stadium, which makes it the go-to spot before kickoff or for post-game fuel after cheering for the Coogs from the student section. The Third Ward stand has been around since the ‘60s, and little has changed since then—it’s still a cash-only joint serving burgers, chili-covered hot dogs, and milkshakes for single-digit prices. Outside of a couple of tables under their awning, there’s not much space to camp out here, so plan to have your beef-fueled meal from the backseat of whoever’s Toyota Corolla you carpooled in.