Restaurants in Katy

Ray’s Gourmet Country’s executive chef Soren Pedersen is so dedicated to building a seasonal menu from the produce and meats raised near the Fulshear restaurant that Inside Rose-Rich Magazine noted, “There are no can openers at Ray’s, with everything being delivered fresh from the local markets.” If the hunt for dinner leads you here, you'll be rewarded with Saint Arnold–spiked fried gulf shrimp, foie gras and cognac terrine, and main courses such as chicken-fried ostrich, wild boar scaloppine, and braised veal cheeks. Desserts include pumpkin cheesecake with whiskey caramel and a double chocolate brownie with pear compote and amaretto-spiked crème fraîche. Ray's rolls out a brunch buffet every Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and schedules live jazz and complimentary wine tastings on Thursday nights.

Each day, the chefs at Pepperoni's Pizza's eight locations crush premium tomatoes into sauces, roll out homemade dough, then cover the freshly baked pies with natural mozzarella. Diners can build their own creations from more than 30 toppings, including bacon bits and pineapples, or opt for more than 10 specialty pizzas such as the New Yorker, smothered with heaping amounts of sauce, cheese, and pepperoni. Their menu also sates hearty appetites with more than 20 oven-baked subs, as well as local favorites such as calzones and smokey BBQ Buffalo wings.

Cafe Benedicte likens its menu to a magic mirror that reflects all points along the Mediterranean at once, from Andalusian Spain to Greece to North Africa. As such, diners can voyage from a starter of asparagus flan and sautéed crab claws ($9.95) to North African taboule with avocado ($6.95). Take your tongue on an edifying odyssey by touring entrees such as slow-roasted lamb shanks with couscous or saffron rice ($22.95) and a decadent four-ounce peppercorn-crusted fillet and five-ounce lobster thermidor in port wine ($32.95). Omnivores and vegivores alike can savor vegetable dolmates ($12.95), and sweet teeth can delicately nibble on the crêpe brûlée, which one-ups the classic crème brûlée by wrapping it in crêpe and flaming it with Grand Marnier ($7.95).

According to one estimate, seafood that's been left in the sun for more than 79 days will taste markedly worse than fresh seafood. Feast on freshly prepared seafood with today's Groupon, offering $30 worth of authentic Cajun eats and drinks at Orleans Seafood Kitchen for $15. This authentic eatery is located in Katy, less than 30 minutes outside of Houston, and boasts a thriving bar scene, freshly made sauces, and weekly events.

Mazzei's menu is loaded with thin-crust (8"–16") and deep-dish (12"–16") pizzas. Gourmet specialty selections include the vegetarian ($7.50–$17.75) with sun-dried tomato and pesto sauce, zucchini, squash, Roma tomatoes, mushrooms, feta, and red onion. Quell hunger with the supreme pizza ($8.50–$22.00), loaded with Italian sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, green peppers, and black and green olives. With close to 30 toppings to choose from, you can build your own pie ($6 to $14 base price, toppings range from $.35 to $3 each) that's custom made to your tastes. Mazzei's also offers a range of appetizers, salads, pastas, subs, and calzones, as well as an extensive beer and wine list.

At the heart of every dish on Candelari's menu—including its signature thin- ($17–$22), thick- ($18–$23), and deep-dish-style ($19–$24) pizzas—are the famous Italian-sausage recipes of Alberto Candelari, all of which are made with choice meat, natural spices, and hints of liqueur. The T-Rex's spread of pepperoni, ground sirloin, useless forearms, Canadian bacon, and Candelari’s andouille and original Italian sausages lets you sample all of the finest meat-fruits of Candelari Sausage Company founders Greg Wheeler and “King of Sausages” Michael May (Alberto’s grandson). Build up to its bounty beforehand with a plate of sausage misto ($7), which features grilled Italian, turkey-jalapeño, and chicken-apple sausages piled atop provolone polenta. Diners that look suspiciously like flocks of seagulls inside a trench coat can find out what a grilled salmon ($14) tastes like when complemented by gulf shrimp, lemon-caper butter sauce, and veggies. Otherwise, avoid all the menu botheration and opt for the daily lunch buffet ($9–$9.50), which includes unlimited pizza, pasta, salad, and a drink.