Pizza never looked—or tasted—as good as it does during lunchtime at Luna Pizzeria. (Luna Pizzeria)
From a $16 Japanese feast to Friday pork chops, these lunch deals in Houston prove midday dining doesn’t have to break the bank.
Ah, lunch. What would we do without it? It’s a midday break, an escape from a job, a reminder that we’ve conquered morning and there are just a few more hours until closing time.
A great lunch can revitalize, re-energize, and provide an opportunity to socialize. And it can do all of that without costing an entire paycheck. In fact, you can find lunch deals in Houston that will seriously make you rethink your woefully inadequate brown bag fare.
Whether you’re looking for comfort food to get you through a stressful work week, a quick bite to recharge, or a fancy dining room to impress clients, you’ll find lunch deals in Houston that will make both your belly and your wallet happy.
For big burgers on a budget
Four Seasons Hotel Houston is one of the locals’ top choices for a Houston staycation, and it’s not just because of the impeccable service and gorgeous suites.
Some of the best dining can be found right here, and you need to go no farther than the Four Seasons lobby. You’ll get a glorious whiff of Bayou & Bottle’s Burger Wednesday before you get to your seat, leaving you no choice but to order it. Your first bite will confirm what you already knew—this is a real burger, not a skinny little patty hidden under some lettuce.
And it’s $7. Yes, you heard me right. When you order this brisket burger, you get two four-ounce patties smothered in melted American cheese, all the toppings, and remoulade sauce on a brioche bun. Change it up with Chef Gaby Jimenez’s weekly Kicked-Up Burger creation (whatever she’s in the mood for that day) plus fries for $15. Frequent diners will appreciate sampling Jimenez’s creations, and you’re guaranteed that same, high-quality brisket burger at the center of it all.
Location: 1300 Lamar St., Downtown
For Italian comfort food
Mama Mia! Sometimes, it’s just one of those days when you need to break from the rat race and settle down with a hearty meal. If you happen to be near River Oaks, seek out the lunch deals at Zanti Cucina Italiana.
The restaurant recently launched its new Power Lunch menu, available Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. For $35, you’ll get an appetizer, entrée, and dessert that might include a Cacio e Pepe salad topped with a 25-year-old Italian balsamic vinegar, followed by truffle cheese ravioli, and a final course of panna cotta with fresh berries and mint.
Location: 1958 West Gray St. in River Oaks
For a liquid lunch
If you’re a fan of “Mad Men” or just can’t say no to a midday martini, make your way to Brennan’s of Houston, an H-Town icon of dining with roots in Louisiana Cajun and Creole cooking.
Your robust and ever-so-classy lunch might feature raw oysters or gumbo du jour. But if you want to go classic Brennan’s all the way, order a steaming bowl of snapping turtle soup, served alongside an ice-cold martini because, as Jimmy Buffett once said, it’s five o’clock somewhere.
Here’s where the deal comes in, and it’s a whopper: Every Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., martinis are 25 cents. Order either gin or vodka and choose among a classic martini, a cosmopolitan, a melon martini, or the Commander’s Palace martini, named after the original Brennan’s restaurant in New Orleans.
Fun fact: The blue color of the Commander’s Palace martini matches the courtyard canopies of the original location—that’s how seriously Brennan’s takes its storied past.
Location: 3300 Smith St. in Midtown
For satiating sushi
Say Hai (a resounding Yes!) to the incredible Japanese menu at Izakaya Wa. The lunch specials here are some of the most impressive in Houston and are endorsed by the locals many times over.
Izakaya Wa serves a Teishoku-style lunch popular in Japan that includes plentiful dishes at an unbelievable value. Order the entrée of your choice, like the tender Mugifuji pork cutlet Teishoku, and you’ll be presented with not just that impressive dish, but miso soup, salad, a side dish, and rice, all for a grand total of $16.
And it doesn’t stop there. You can also opt for a half-and-half plate that’s half udon or soba soup and half rice plate with a protein, like salmon sashimi. It comes with a salad and a side, such as mac & potato salad, and will cost you just $16.
The beauty of a meal like this is that you’ll never leave hungry and will, in fact, feel like you’ve just eaten like an emperor.
Locations: 12665 Memorial Dr. in West Houston and 2015 W. Gray St. in River Oaks
For pizza cravers
Sometimes you just want a simple slice, so pizza is the lunch of choice for many Houstonians. One pizza joint that garners rave reviews as one of the best lunch values in the city is Luna Pizzeria, with three locations across H-Town.
Every day until 4 p.m., you’ll discover three pizza deals at Luna, all just $13.95. Choose among the soup, small salad, and beverage deal; the “slice o day”, mini chopped salad, and beverage deal; or the signature personal pizza and mini chopped salad deal.
The pizzas and salads at Luna are no joke—many comment that the “small” salad is a meal all on its own. But everyone dives into the pizza pies here, which, along with all your favorite toppings, can also be personalized with gourmet and lesser-known ingredients like mortadella, whipped ricotta, and sopressata.
And while Monday may be everyone’s least favorite day of the week, Luna makes it much better with half-priced pizza all day on Mondays. Come with a friend, split the cost of a pizza that’s already 50 percent off, and go home a winner.
Locations: 107 Yale St. in the Heights, 3435 Upper Kirby Dr. in Montrose, 7705 Westheimer Rd. near Uptown
For meat lovers
When the name of a place becomes synonymous with its most popular dish, you should probably order that dish sooner rather than later.
But while Perry’s Steakhouse & Grill might appear to be the place to get steaks—and trust me, it is—the restaurant is actually more well known for its pork chop, a slab of meat so big it needs its own zip code.
Every Friday, you can visit a Perry’s near you (they have six locations around the city, from Baybrook to the Woodlands) and take advantage of one of Houston’s best lunch deals, the Famous Pork Chop Friday Lunch.
Perry’s boasts that this chop is “seven fingers high,” as measured by the butchers of old. Rubbed with Perry’s secret blend of seasonings, cured, roasted, slow smoked, caramelized, and topped with herb-garlic butter, it’s served just as it has been for decades with sides of whipped potatoes, homemade applesauce, and bread, all for $22.
Perry’s pork chop deal runs on a generous lunch timeframe: every Friday from 10:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. It’s rare to find a guest who can eat all of it at one sitting, so you can count on getting a second meal out of your leftovers.
Locations: 700 Baybrook Mall Dr. in Friendswood, 9730 Cypresswood Dr. in Champions, 23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd. in Katy, 9827 Katy Fwy. in Memorial City, 2115 Town Square Place in Sugar Land, 6700 Woodlands Pkwy. in The Woodlands
Lunch deals in Houston aren’t hard to find, and no matter what cuisine makes your mouth water, you can enjoy it at a great price. Lunchtime may just become your favorite part of the day.
