Houston has long nursed a reputation for its “bulldozer” attitude toward growth by prioritizing new development over historic preservation. While there are many examples of things we lost, the city has gotten better at protecting its historic structures and promoting cultural institutions that make Houston Houston.
Preservation Houston, a nonprofit group dedicated to historic preservation, recently launched its first Legacy Restaurants program, recognizing 28 dining establishments that helped define Houston’s culinary culture. They included iconic restaurants such as The Breakfast Klub, El Patio, House of Pies, Mandola’s Deli, Treebeards, and Kenny & Ziggy’s New York Delicatessen. These places, along with dozens of others—Barbecue Inn, James Coney Island, Avalon Diner, Yale Street Grill, Three Brothers Bakery— are responsible for the flavor of Houston. And in most cases tell the importance of the immigrant culture that has defined our food scene.
In the spirit of honoring the past, here are some of the oldest restaurants still in operation that have helped define the city’s foodie culture and shaped its culinary history:
Oldest Restaurant: Christie’s Seafood & Steaks
The Christie’s story begins in 1917 with a Greek immigrant named Theodosios Christofidis (he changed it to Theodore Christie; easier for Americans to pronounce) began selling fish sandwiches on the Galveston waterfront. He moved the restaurant to Houston in 1934 where he enjoyed a thriving business that changed hands in 1967 when the childless Christie sold it to an employee, also a Greek immigrant, under one condition: he change his last name to Christie. He did. Today, the children of the former James Priovolos (now Christie) run Houston’s oldest restaurant. And that original po’boy sandwich is still on the menu. 6029 Westheimer Rd., Houston, christies-restaurant.com
Oldest Bar: La Carafe
This storied Downtown bar, built in 1847, is the oldest commercial building still in use in Houston, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. While its history as a bar is murky, there is a shared belief that many night crawlers take as fact: it’s haunted (it’s even listed on US Ghost Adventures website). Dark, candlelit, and exuding plenty of old-world tavern charm, the bar serves only beer and wine. As for serving up ghostly spirits, who knows? One thing’s for certain: La Carafe deserves its reputation as one of the city’s oldest haunts. 813 Congress St., Houston
Oldest Burger Joint: Lankford’s Grocery & Market
This beloved, ramshackle restaurant traces its beginnings to 1937 when Aubrey and Nona Lankford established a grocery store in Houston’s Freedmen’s Town neighborhood. Over the years it transitioned to an icehouse and eventually a full-service restaurant serving flat-top-griddled burgers since the 1980s. While other Houston burger outposts have been in operation longer, Lankford’s long history places it at the top of Houston’s nostalgia-fueled list for classic Texas-style burgers. In 2023, the fourth-generation of Lankford founders opened a second location in Bellaire, stamping its burger legacy even deeper in Houston. 88 Denis St., Houston, midtown.lankfordsburgers.com
Oldest Barbecue Restaurant: Pizzitola’s Heritage BBQ
A recent name change to Pizzitola’s Heritage BBQ did nothing to alter the delicious history of the former Pizzitola’s Bar-B-Cue: It remains the oldest pit barbecue in this smoked meat-loving city. Opened in 1935 as Shepherd Drive Bar-B-Q, longtime owner Jerry Pizzitola acquired it in 1983, changing its name but keeping the tradition of slow-smoked pit barbecue and time-honored recipes. Jerry Pizzitola died in 2024 and the current owners changed the name again to reflect the restaurant’s longevity and historic standing in the barbecue community. Long live Pizzitola’s (and its iconic pork spare ribs). 1703 Shepherd Dr., Houston, pizzitolasbbq.com
Oldest Tex-Mex Restaurant: Molina’s Cantina
This lively destination with three locations (and, arguably, the city’s best cheese enchiladas) rightly deserves its legendary status as the city’s oldest Tex-Mex restaurant. Founded in 1941 by Raul and Mary Molina who set about serving the family-style Mexican food they grew up with. Today, the third generation of Molinas—brothers Raul III, Ricardo and Roberto—run the business that continues to be fueled by expert nachos, chile con carne, crispy tacos, grilled fajitas, and enchiladas smothered with classic chile gravy. Multiple locations, molinascantina.com
Oldest Chinese Restaurant: China Garden
It may not be much to look at (a windowless box sitting just behind Toyota Center), but China Garden is a gem where regulars fill its kitschy interior with honest merriment. Opened in 1969 by David and Marian Jue, the space was originally a Chinese food products vendor, but within a year transitioned to a full-service restaurant that introduced generations of Houstonians to Chinese-American cuisine. As Houston’s oldest Chinese restaurant, it remains a beloved neighborhood spot and a gathering place for the local East Asian community. 1602 Leeland St., Houston, originalchinagardenhouston.com
Oldest Indian Restaurant: Raja Sweets
Oldest Indian Restaurant: Raja Sweets
Widely considered cultural hub for Houston’s Indian immigrant community, Raja Sweets–one of the pillars of the Mahatma Gandhi District–marked its 40th anniversary this year. Founded in 1986 by husband-and-wife team Joginder “Yogi” and Resham Gahunia, the modest business began as a casual, fast-food-style restaurant designed to give the Indian community a taste of home. Today it is known for its baked goods (a dazzling, kaleidoscopic variety of Indian sweets called mithai) and is embraced not just by South Asians but by the city’s multiculture-loving foodies. This family-run operation remains a sweet testament to the American Dream. 5667 Hilcroft Dr., Houston, rajasweets.co
Oldest Bakery: Moeller’s
Cakes, cookies, cupcakes, pastries, pies and petit fours: Moeller’s does it all. This modest bakery on Bellaire Boulevard may not have the cachet of trendy sweets shops, but it proudly owns the distinction of being Houston’s oldest family-owned bakery. Founded in 1930 by brothers Goswin “Gus” and Raymond Moeller, the bakery still uses original recipes—baking traditions handed down from their German immigrant family. Today, a third-generation Moeller runs operations. Now that’s truly sweet. 4201 Bellaire Blvd., Houston, moellersbakery.com
Oldest Steakhouse: Brenner’s Steakhouse
The story goes like this: Herman Brenner, a German immigrant, saved enough money from working as a waiter at the Rice Hotel to buy the land to open a restaurant. He and his wife Lorene opened Brenner’s Café in 1936, transitioning from café to specialty steakhouse in the 1950s. Today, Brenner’s is recognized as the oldest, continuously operating steakhouse in Houston. Both Brenner’s Steakhouse and its sister concept Brenner’s on the Bayou are now owned by Landry’s Inc. and part of its signature group of high-end dining. 10911 Katy Fwy., Houston, brennerssteakhouse.com
Oldest Icehouse: West Alabama Ice House
The spirit of the old school Montrose neighborhood lives on at Houston’s most beloved icehouse, where the attitude is chill and the beers are ice cold. The current owners bought the delightfully tumbledown property in the 1980s, but the icehouse can trace its roots back to 1928 when it first opened as a country store selling gas, groceries, and ice. Today, all walks of life find their way to this landmark spot. Just beer and wine; no food unless you’re lucky to get the tamale sellers or fetch from the popular Tacos Tierra Caliente food truck across the street. While there’s a new generation of Houston bars that call themselves icehouses, the real deal OG dive sits right on West Alabama. 1919 W. Alabama, Houston, westalabamaicehouse.net
Oldest Cafeteria: Cleburne Cafeteria
Grab your tray and proceed through the steamtable line at Houston’s most iconic cafeteria and you’ll pass through a living history of the way America ate (and, thankfully, still does): meatloaf and mashed potatoes, stuffed bell peppers, chicken and dumplings, liver and onions, turkey and dressing, bright green lime Jell-O salad and fireball orange carrot salad with raisins. Cleburne’s is a trip, in more ways than one. In 1952, Nick Mickelis, a Greek immigrant who arrived in America with $2.50 in his pocket, purchased the original Cleburne Cafeteria (established in 1941). He and his wife Pat not only ran the business, they raised their children in it. The elder Mickelises are no longer with us, but their culinary legacy lives on in son George Mickelis who runs this exuberant memory lane. 3606 Bissonnet St., Houston, cleburnecafeteria.com
