The best restaurants around Houston’s colleges and universities – Houston

Enrolling at a university in Houston provides access to the city’s diverse dining scene, which beats eating grilled chicken from the dining hall for the third time this week. If you’re looking for an excuse to eat off-campus or go over flashcards somewhere other than the library, there are plenty of restaurants where you can get a good meal without having to dip into your chemistry textbook fund. From the World’s Best Mac and Cheese Third District to kebabs in Rice Village that can feed your entire study group, here is our list of the best restaurants around Houston’s university campuses.

The spots

TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

As a student, “discount” is the second most important word you see after “free.” And Houston This Is It, a Soul food Staple in the Third Ward is the best place to take advantage of your discounted meal. Bring your student ID and grab a plate with two sides and an entree (except oxtail) for just over $10. The dining room may have the feel of a cafeteria, but this one specializes in Styrofoam containers of overflowing macaroni and cheese, candied sweet potatoes glazed in brown sugar, and crispy chicken pieces. Use the money you just saved to order a serving of spiced tea cake or a cup of sweet tea that will require both hands.

Rado Market & Cafe in the historic El Dorado Ballroom is a great place to grab a snack before hanging out at Emancipation Park. Grab a jerk-seasoned chicken salad sandwich and fries, or spend the early morning at a wooden table eating breakfast Taco. After making your food selections, stroll through the market where you can find everything from scented candles to books from Kindred Stories and other local businesses.

RICE UNIVERSITY

If you need to tinker on your laptop but can’t concentrate unless you’re in a luxury cafe with studio lighting and a small, well-stocked pantry full of chocolates, then head to Agnes Cafe & Provisions. The all-day cafe next to Rice Village offers counter service Mediterranean Dishes like a tart freekeh salad with parmesan and flatbreads filled with spicy lamb kofta. It’s a chic place to study, to share a mezze with friends or to take your parents who are coming to visit if they pay for lunch.

The casual Turkish restaurant Istanbul Grill & Deli grills kebabs and cheese pides in Rice Village since the late 90s. Wrapped in a huge plastic tent behind huge potted plants, it’s easy to miss, but look for the red awning and the faint scent of warm bread baked in a brick oven. Once inside, you’ll find a menu full of reasonable price Dishes like a $24 plate of tender shawarma and kebab that serves four. Split a large mixed plate among friends at Rice after a football game.

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON – DOWNTOWN

The Saint Arnold Brewing Company is a “great place to study” and has a “great selection of beers,” which is handy when you have to study for your final organic chemistry exam on a Saturday afternoon. In addition to a huge garden with picnic tables covering every inch of the grounds, the Fifth Ward brewery offers a mile-long selection of pilsners, IPAs, and dark stouts. Grab a couple of beers and a bowl of pulled pork fries and work through your stack of index cards in the sun.

If you need a fresh, filling meal near the Red Line, go to Papalo Taqueria. No other City center Spot makes several varieties of fresh tortillas and uses heirloom corn varieties like this counter service spot in Finn Hall. Order a plate of excellent Mexican tacos, tender brisket enchiladas, or a bowl of pozole, sit down at a table, and do your chemistry homework between bites.

ST. THOMAS UNIVERSITY

Paulie’s, a casual Italian Restaurant in Montrosemakes it quick, easy and affordable to fill up on delicious pasta. Because sometimes that’s all you really want. Order at the counter, pop a mozzarella panini and an iced coffee for a quick lunch. Or grab a big bowl of canestri alla funghi, because each pasta order is so big you might need a crane to lift it to the table, so there’s definitely enough leftovers for your roommates.

Standing in line for the club is a rite of passage. At the Breakfast Club in City centreYou will spend time waiting outside for a Southern-style Breakfast And Lunch instead of laser lights and EDM DJ sets. The food comes amazingly fast, so you’ll spend most of your time slicing pork chops and spooning cheese grits, pausing occasionally to drink coffee or refill syrup. Take a break from studying and watch some spoken word on stage over a plate of chicken and waffles.

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON

This family-run AmericanChinese Outside the snack bar on the edge of campus, an endless line of hungry students wait for huge portions of cheap, filling food. Flying Dumping is no exception. The portions here burst out of the Styrofoam box. The thick spring rolls are filled with cabbage and held together with a crispy, golden-brown wonton dough. The lo mein noodles are convenient and packed with something freshmen students might neglect: vegetables. And the giant baos are a meal in themselves. Come here to feed yourself and a group of friends cheaply, or to stock up on leftovers for a few days during exam week.

Cream Burger is down the street from TDECU Stadium, making it a popular spot to hang out before kickoff or for a post-game meal after cheering on the Coogs from the student section. The Third Ward stand has been around since the ’60s and little has changed since then—it’s still a cash-only joint that offers burgers, chili-topped hot dogs, and milkshakes for single-digit prices. There’s not much room to camp here other than a few tables under the canopy, so plan on eating your beef-heavy meal in the backseat of the Toyota Corolla you’ve been riding in.