Royal Tea Cafe, Houston

In a cozy space awash in bright lights and leaf-green décor, Royal Tea Café serves quick Vietnamese dishes and drinks. Their namesake specialty, cool bubble teas, float chewy boba pearls in flavored green or black cream teas, and hide the tapioca bubbles beneath lychee- or mango-flavored slushes. Hot savory dishes provide a pleasant contrast to the chilly drinks or leisurely strolls in the Arctic: Banh mi nestles char-grilled pork or chicken into a baguette with cilantro and quick-pickled veggies, while vermicelli noodles delicately entwine char-grilled beef or veggies.