Looking for places to dine in Houston's Bellaire, Meyerland and West University neighborhoods? These five restaurants Community Impact featured in 2023 color Houston's food scene with personality, culture and flavor.
1. Café Leonelli at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Café Leonelli, which opened in April 2021, features dishes rooted in Italian tradition and local ingredients. Chef de Cuisine and General Manager Alexandra Garcia's menu includes housemade focaccia, sandwiches, salads and a full coffee bar. The cafe also boasts a selection of Houston-based beers and hand-selected wines.
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When the eatery opened in 1998, it advertised itself as a neighborhood restaurant serving fresh, regional food cooked over a wood-fire grill in a casual, comfortable atmosphere. That is what diners still expect today, owners Rob and Sara Cromie said.
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Owner Ana Soria's restaurant is for anyone who craves authentic, “as-if-your-tia-made-it” Mexican breakfast. While there are only a few items on the menu, the dishes are packed with flavor, from chilaquiles served with red sauce and scrambled eggs to migas served with avocado and queso fresco. Guests can also choose from breakfast tacos and burritos. Drinks include flavored coffees and aguas frescas, or fresh juices.
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The number five is kind of a big deal at 5555 Morningside Drive, the address for modern-Israeli restaurant Hamsa—which, translated in Arabic, means five. Hamsa is also known as an ancient Islamic and Jewish symbol for the Fatima hand, which symbolizes protection, health and good fortune.
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Jax Grill’s flagship restaurant in Bellaire has maintained 30 years of longevity by balancing trust and versatility. The eatery has withstood changing management, expansion, a fire prompting a total overhaul of the front-of-house and the fallout of a global pandemic.
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