Where to Eat in October: Flora, Punta Cana, Andes Cafe, and More

Guests will feel like they’ve escaped the city when dining at this gorgeous glass treehouse — decorated with more than 40 crystal chandeliers — nestled within Buffalo Bayou Park. Chefs Epifanio Rosas, Marlen Hernandez, and Samuel Mendoza run the kitchen at Flora, executing a menu that explores dishes found throughout the small towns of Mexico while also offering a taste of Texas. The tender slow-cooked carnitas de puerco and the green enchiladas a la caymus are sure to satisfy. Or, put your bellies in the hands of the chefs with Flora’s Parrillada — a selection of seafood and meats served with housemade tortillas, refried beans, Spanish rice, and a salsa flight.

This unassuming Caribbean restaurant is tucked away in a nondescript shopping center near Willowbrook Mall on the northwest side of town — but there’s nothing ordinary about the food. Since 2011, owner Jarlis Lugo has been serving the traditional dishes of the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico to the delight of his customers, who travel from all over Houston (and even from out of state) to dine at his restaurant. Popular picks include the flavorful and hearty chivo guisado (goat meat stew) and pollo guisado (chicken stew), as well as the stewed shrimp over mofongo — a Puerto Rican classic made from fried green plantains mashed with olive oil, garlic paste, and chicharron.

Call 281-894-0960 for more information.

This South American-inspired restaurant inside downtown food hall Post Market made a comeback after chef-owner David Guerrero, a native of Quito, Ecuador, closed his original East End location in January 2020. Reservations are required for the ceviche bar, which serves up the popular dish a number of ways using a variety of seafood, from black clams and octopus to Antarctic salmon, sea urchin, and striped bass.

This Rice Village stalwart has been a fixture in the neighborhood for more than 40 years. Owned and operated by chef Pedro Angel Garcia and his family since 1981, El Meson’s menu boasts a blend of influences from Garcia’s native Cuba and Spain. The offerings include a variety of Spanish tapas, including bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with riojano chorizo and blue cheese crumble, foie gras served with caramelized apple and pear, and aged Ibérico ham, along with a selection of paellas featuring saffron-infused bomba rice. For a taste of Cuba, we suggest the classic ropa vieja (a Cuban-style braised skirt steak) or the solomillo (grilled pork tenderloin), both served with white rice, black beans, and sweet plantains.

Often, the tastiest food can come from a food truck, and the Arepa Spot — which is permanently parked next to a gas station off Tomball Parkway and Westlock Drive — doesn’t disappoint. Their signature item, naturally, is the arepa (a street-food staple in Venezuela and Colombia), which is a cornmeal cake that can be filled with everything from stringy Venezuelan white cheese to shredded beef or chicken and baked pork. Savory empanadas are also available.

This beloved institution has been serving up flavor-packed fare inspired by Mexico’s seven culinary regions for nearly 40 years to hungry Houstonians, who keep coming back for executive chef and owner Arnaldo Richards’ famous mole-smothered dishes, sizzling fajitas, and pibil-style pork and chicken — a traditional Yucatan peninsula way of cooking in which the meat is marinated in achiote-citrus, wrapped in banana leaves, and then slow-roasted. Be sure to wash it all down with one of their signature shaker margaritas.

Executive chef Thomas Bille’s culinary ingenuity is on full display at this contemporary Mexican American restaurant, where the carefully curated menu features cross-cultural dishes like housemade flour tortillas served with truffle butter and bright orange pearls of trout roe, and grilled Gulf shrimp swimming in tomatillo curry. Another must-try: The bone marrow tacos, which come topped with crunchy salsa seca on a bed of market greens and radish, plus a wedge of grilled lime to cut through the buttery marrow.

The latest restaurant from acclaimed chef Hugo Ortega and restaurateur Tracy Vaught, Urbe pays homage to Ortega’s childhood experiences of selling street foods such as flan, guisados, and wood oven-baked bread from a neighborhood stall in his native Mexico. In true Ortega fashion, the menu here includes all the classics — like succulent al pastor, barbacoa, and birria tacos — alongside more modern interpretations, like the Urbe burger made with house ground brisket, avocado, Chihuahua cheese, chipotle aioli, jalapeño, caramelized onions, and arugula.

Call 713-726-8273 for reservations.

No need to fly to Mexico for a getaway to Tulum (although, a beach holiday filled with yummy tacos and refreshing mojitos is never a bad idea in our book) — Casa Nomad brings a touch of the tropical coastal town to Houston’s M-K-T mixed-use development in the heart of the Heights. The 28-seat bohemian patio lounge and restaurant offers Mayan-inspired fare, including seared octopus enchiladas smothered in apple almond mole, striped bass ceviche served in a spicy Yucatan salsa, and grilled oysters cooked in chile morita butter.

This famous H-town taco truck is situated on West Alabama and Durham Drive, right across the street from West Alabama Ice House — a perfect spot for anyone looking to fill their stomachs before (or after) happy hour drinks. Although they now have two permanent outposts — both inside Exxon stations — the original spot always satisfies. The lengua (beef tongue), barbacoa, and al pastor tacos are requisite orders. And don’t forget the green sauce.

Some local farmers and merchants, like Northside Banana Company, Martinez Produce, Digna Bonilla Produce, and Vasquez Produce, among others, have been selling their goods at this Houston institution for several decades. And while the complex has been undergoing a $10 million revamp in recent years to attract more patrons — Underbelly Burger and Wild Oats are among some of the newer tenants — the longtime vendors remain the heart of the market. In addition to a wide variety of fresh produce, Latin American spices, and traditional hand-painted pottery, visitors will also find vendors selling freshly made breakfast tacos, tamales, gorditas, and more.