Restaurants in Mission Bend

Though the imperial Doric columns inside Cafe Piquet aren't indicative of the cuisine's origins, the pictures and artifacts on the walls—which range from movie-star portraits to framed bills of currency—all pay homage to Cuba. The authentic decor echoes the traditional recipes in the family-owned kitchen. There, chefs layer swiss cheese, ham, pork, and mustard onto cuban sandwiches that helped the restaurant win the 2009 Houston Press award for Best Cuban Restaurant. The paper deemed the sandwiches "easily the best in the city," and commented on the menu’s knack for drawing crowds of native Cubans with its recipes.

Those recipes include plates of grilled red snapper, pork chops, and sirloin steak that arrive with sides of plantains and yucca, imbued with flavor from garlic and creole sauces. After devouring the dishes, full visitors who have become sleepy can conclude meals with cups of cuban coffee.

An air of mystery, scented with garlic and herbs, fills Fuad's Restaurant, where head chef Joseph conjures recipes that are never listed on a menu. Instead, diners simply request the dishes they desire, such as Fuad's house specialties of lamb and duck, or recipes such as stuffed chicken breasts and fish fillets topped with crabmeat. Beneath twinkling chandeliers, Brenda, the head bartender, shakes cocktails or plumbs the vast wine cellar for bottles to match any entrée or diner's outfit—so long as that outfit is red, white, or aged in a barrel.

Café Byblos pays tribute to its namesake, a 7,000-year-old Lebanese coastal town, with a menu of traditional Middle Eastern dishes. Chefs prepare a variety of items, from flaky pastries filled with aged goat cheese to delicately spiced ground meats covered in pine nuts and tahini sauce. The eatery’s ties to Middle Eastern culture go beyond just the culinary realm, too: In the evening, belly dancers shimmy to the beat of live music, winding through the dining room to remind diners to put napkins in their laps. You can also light up hookah coals on Café Byblos’s outdoor patio.:m]]

Enlivened by the sounds of DJs, live comedy, and MCs, the interior of Zanzibar Houston buzzes on a nightly basis. The kitchen churns out an array of finger foods, including suya, a type of shish kebab, until midnight. Buzzing bass beats punctuate the clatter of players breaking racks of billiards balls amid zebra-print chairs and low leather couches. Ice jingles at the full bar with the sound of two xylophonists getting in a fender bender, and a projection screen blossoms colorfully, drawing eyes away from the bustling dance floor.

Bistro 829's chefs create modern variations of familiar, homestyle staples by incorporating an assortment of regional and international flavors. Corn grits lend a distinctive Southern twist to the sesame-crusted yellowfin tuna entree, and the signature chicken-fried prime rib comes coated with cream gravy with a uniquely Southwestern-style blend of bacon and poblano peppers. Bartenders spend their evenings mixing specialty cocktails and uncorking bottles of wine to complement entrees and make sure they're prepared in case their crush wants to play spin the bottle.

Beyond the eclectically inspired menu, the dining room embraces a more casual elegance with its décor. Crisp cloths cover the tables, animal-print fabrics adorn the seats, and the walls remain blank to accentuate abstract paintings of jazz ensembles that circle the room.