Houston Matters

The Full Menu: Dining on a budget in Houston

Food writers discuss their favorite places to eat in Houston that aren’t too pricey.

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A half rotisserie chicken on a plate.
El Rey/Instagram
A half rotisserie chicken plate at Houston’s El Rey Taqueria is an affordable meal at $13.99.

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Whether it’s inflation, economic concerns, or a big income tax bill coming due – it seems like plenty of us have reasons to try to cut expenses these days.

But you still need to eat. And eating out is one of the main pastimes in Greater Houston, especially given how great the food scene has gotten in the Bayou City.

So, in this month’s installment of The Full Menu, Houston food writers discuss some of their favorite places to eat that won't break the bank.

A bowl of salsa next to some tortilla chips
Molina's Cantina
Houston has a host of Tex-Mex restaurants that offer free chips and salsa. Then add in a relatively cheap entree, and you have a filling meal. Felice Sloan recommends the Enchiladas de Tejas at Molina’s Cantina for $13.95.

How do they define affordable? For the purposes of today’s discussion, they’re categorizing it as $15 for one person and $30 for two people.

In the audio above, we hear from Eric Sandler of CultureMap Houston, Felice Sloan of the Swanky Maven lifestyle blog, and David Leftwich of Houston Food Finder.

Pancakes on a plate next to an image of quesadillas.
Tatemó/Instagram
Houston’s Tatemó is nominated for best new restaurant in the nation by the James Beard Awards. And, while plenty of the menu is on the higher end, during the Saturday and Sunday lunch and brunch menu, an order of masa pancakes is $12 and a quesadilla is $8.

Establishments Mentioned in this Edition:

Kuji Kitchen
Treebeards
El Rey Taqueria
The Taco Stand
La Calle Tacos
Molina's Cantina
Gringo's Mexican Kitchen
burger-chan
Monkey's Tail
Craft Pita
Tatemó
Shri Balaji Bhavan
Central Market

The Full Menu Panelists 2019
Michael Hagerty/Houston Public Media
(L-R) Eric Sandler of CultureMap Houston, Felice Sloan of the Swanky Maven lifestyle blog, and David Leftwich of Houston Food Finder, discuss the local restaurant scene on The Full Menu.
Michael Hagerty

Michael Hagerty

Senior Producer, Houston Matters

Michael Hagerty is the senior producer for Houston Matters. He's spent more than 20 years in public radio and television and dabbled in minor league baseball, spending four seasons as the public address announcer for the Reno Aces, the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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