The July Hit List: Golfstrømmen, Julep, Moon Rabbit, and More

Chef Christopher Haatuft of Norway’s celebrated Lysverket restaurant — aka the “punk chef godfather of neo-Fjordic cuisine” — is in town at the beginning of the month for a kitchen takeover at Golfstrømmen, his popular seafood outpost with James Beard Award-winning chef-restaurateur Paul Qui, located inside downtown’s Post Houston food hall. Diners can enjoy either a family-style brunch or a chef’s choice dinner.

While you’re at Post Houston, you might as well also check out the South American-inspired Andes Café, which made a comeback in the downtown food hall after chef-owner David Guerrero closed his original East End location in January 2020. Andes is known for its carefully curated ceviche, but dishes like the creamy coconut curry shrimp and Peruvian lomo saltado also satisfy. Reservations are required for the ceviche bar.

This Southern-inspired cocktail bar from Alba Huerta — a longtime Houston bartender whose impressive resume includes The Pastry War and Anvil — recently took home the Bayou City’s first-ever national James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar Program. And anyone who’s moseyed up to the bar to try Huerta’s forward-thinking creations will confirm that it’s a much-deserved honor. You can’t go wrong with one of their namesake julep cocktails, which come in classic mint or enlivened with bold flavors such as tamarind, orange bitters, or spiced port.

Just a stone’s throw from Julep on Washington Avenue is Aiko, the latest concept from sushi superstars Patrick Pham and Daniel Lee. The full-service sit-down restaurant — which includes a 10-seat sushi bar, natch — blends the best of the dynamic duo’s other two hot spots, sushi counter Kokoro in Bravery Chef Hall and hand roll haven Handies Douzo in the Heights. Pro tip: Book a Resy at the sushi bar so you can watch all the action up close.

Baltimore-based Atlas Restaurant Group — whose other properties include Ouzo Bay and Loch Bar in the River Oaks District — added to its growing presence in H-Town in April with the launch of Marmo (which means “marble” in Italian). Visitors to the Italian chophouse, located in the mixed-use development Montrose Collectible, can expect beautiful, dry-aged meats and house-cured charcuterie alongside freshly made pasta dishes.

Add this charming establishment in the Heights to the ever-expanding list of options for delicious Vietnamese fare beyond Houston’s Asiatown district. Moon Rabbit has been quietly generating buzz since the doors opened in April. Co-chefs Rudy Vasquez and Tam Nguyen (whose family use to run Spring Branch gem Kim Chau Restaurant) bring their cultural culinary heritage to the kitchen. Look for comforting Vietnamese classics such as the umami-packed spicy beef noodle soup, as well as dishes with a touch of southern influence like the bánh xèo tostada — a crisped-up Vietnamese crepe topped with shrimp, pork belly, lettuce, and coconut crema.

OK, so we know it’s not quite Houston, but we promise that the scenic seaside views and freshly shucked Gulf oysters that await you at Pier 6 — a 2022 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best New Restaurant — will be worth the drive out to Galveston County. Looking for something to do for July Fourth? The San Leon restaurant is commemorating Independence Day with a family-friendly celebration complete with appetizing eats, drink specials, live music, a fireworks display, and more — giving you even more reason to head to the coast.

This East End fave from chef Benchawan Painter — who recently won CultureMap’s Tastemaker Award for Rising Star Chef of the Year — bills its food as “unapologetically Thai,” which means no chicken in the pad Thai and dishes crafted with fresh curry pastes and other scratch-made ingredients. Painter learned everything she knows while growing up in north-central Thailand, where her grandmother ran a popular neighborhood restaurant. Today at Street to Kitchen, she serves up familiar staples such as laarb (a spicy northeastern Thai-style meat salad), fragrant drunken noodles, and central Thai-style hot and sour tom yum soup, as well as other regional specialties.

This 50-seat bar from industry veterans Bobby Heugel and Tommy Ho — described as a “fancy cocktail apartment” — is located above acclaimed cocktail bar Anvil, in the space where Tongue-Cut Sparrow once operated. Patrons can expect the same kind of playful innovation found at sister concept Anvil on display here. Case in point: The Pantone 359 — a fizzy mixture of coconut-washed St. Lucian rum, basil, and soda — so named for its lime green color. Adventurous types may also want to try Heugel’s Greenhorn, which has been dubbed the “weirdest drink on the menu.” It’s an “odd” yet tasty combo of highland blanco Tequila, Midori and Suze (a French aperitif).

This New York-based Australian-inspired coffee roaster and cafe opened its first Houston location in the Heights back in March, with several more set to open later this year. Founder and CEO Nick Stone drew inspiration for his health-focused cafes from his native Melbourne, where coffee culture enjoys a long history. Stop in for a quick brekkie (that’s Aussie for breakfast) of avocado smash topped with heirloom tomatoes, feta, and a poached egg, or try the chimichurri baked eggs with spinach, sheep’s milk feta, field mushrooms, and herb tomatoes. And don’t forget to grab a flat white for the road.