Houston
It’s sprawling; vibrant; relentless; and undeniably diverse. Houston, the unapologetically Texan city, defies easy categorisation. Its skyline rises amidst a patchwork of neighbourhoods, each with its own flavour and story. Yet, amid its ceaseless growth and ever-changing landscape, Houston remains a beacon of opportunity and energy.
A city of contrasts, Houston wears its complexity proudly. From the opulence of River Oaks to the grit of the East End, it is a tapestry woven with threads of ambition and resilience. Despite its challenges, Houston pulses with a spirit of innovation and determination, attracting dreamers and doers from every corner of the globe.
For some, Houston is a city of dreams, offering boundless opportunities in industry, technology, and the arts. For others, it’s a labyrinth of highways and strip malls, where the heat and humidity seem to conspire against you at every turn. Yet, beneath the surface, there’s an undeniable warmth to Houston – a sense of community that transcends its vast expanse.
Love it. Hate it. Houston elicits strong emotions in equal measure. Its swagger is as big as its Texas-sized portions, drawing people in with promises of bold flavours, vibrant cultures, and endless possibilities. Food, music, sports, and space exploration – Houston has it all, and then some.
Introducing our latest City Guide: Houston. A curated collection of the latest hotspots, hidden gems, and must-see attractions, designed to help you navigate the Bayou City with ease. From the heights of the Space Center to the depths of the Museum District, our City Notes guides are your passport to all that Houston has to offer. So buckle up, and get ready to experience the magic of Houston, one neighbourhood at a time.
Eating Out
Zaranda is the latest restaurant from James Beard Award–winning chef Hugo Ortega, opened in late 2025 with a vision rooted in Las Californias — Alta and Baja — imagined as a single, borderless region. Rather than relying on nostalgia or...
Hotels
Bunkhouse Hotels expands its Houston presence with the opening of Hotel Daphne, a 49 room refuge in the historic Houston Heights. Following the success of the exquisite Hotel Saint Augustine in Montrose, the Austin-based brand continues its mission...


Shopping
Set inside Houston’s historic El Dorado Ballroom, Kindred Stories redefines what a bookstore can be. Designed by local studio gin design group, this vibrant space brings literature, community, and cultural legacy together under one bold roof....


Eating Out
Blending cinematic flair with Japanese-inspired cuisine, Haii Keii brings an electrifying new energy to Houston’s River Oaks/Upper Kirby neighbourhood. Located at 3300 Kirby Drive, this 3,000 square foot dining destination — plus a 1,000 square...


Hotels
Bunkhouse Hotels open their first lodgings in Houston, Hotel Saint Augustine located in the eclectic Montrose neighbourhood and now home to 71 hotel rooms and suites, an all-day lobby lounge, listening room, event space, destination restaurant, and...


Eating Out
With a name references the time of year when the Sears catalogue would drop on doorsteps across the USA, bringing joy to all who would begin excitedly circling items to hopefully arrive for Christmas, 'Late August' is a culinary project from chef...


Eating Out
Husband and wife team Sara and Martin Stayers (the duo behind Houston favourites Nobie’s and Toasted Coconut) add a retro pizza joint to their list of eateries, the eclectic Montrose neighbourhood now home to Nonno’s Family Pizza Tavern, where...


Eating Out
Chef David Cordúa opens The Lymbar, a Latin-Mediterranean all-day restaurant, bar and lounge, located at the Ion, a hub of creativity in Houston, Texas. Named after Lymbar Drive, the street on which the chef-owner grew up, the restaurant is an...


Eating Out
Celebrating the distinctive flavours of China's Sichuan province, Mala Sichuan Bistro is a small chain of authentic restaurants found dotted throughout Houston, Texas. Unlike in the West, where 'spicy' refers to a wide range of tastes with the...


City Notes
Reopened in the centre of Megève, Hotel Saint-Georges returns as a thoughtfully reimagined alpine retreat with a new visual language and razor-sharp focus. Set within a traditional chalet, the five-star hotel has been reimagined by Paris-based...


City Notes
The Zetter Group is set to deepen its connection to the UK capital with the opening of The Zetter Bloomsbury in March 2026, a 68 bedroom hotel housed across six interconnecting Georgian townhouses moments from Russell Square. Sitting directly...


City Notes
TOKKIA is a new addition to Covent Garden, and Europe’s first luxury Korean matcha house. Founded by Sooji Im — who previously introduced London to Korean tea culture with be-oom in Exmouth Market — the project brings a focused look at Korean...



City Notes
Bunkhouse Hotels expands its Houston presence with the opening of Hotel Daphne, a 49 room refuge in the historic Houston Heights. Following the success of the exquisite Hotel Saint Augustine in Montrose, the Austin-based brand continues its mission...


Dispatches
You're looking at kratom gummies online or in a store, and they all claim to be high quality. Premium ingredients, potent extract, laboratory tested, maximum strength. Everyone says their gummies are the best. How do you actually separate quality...


Dispatches
Human hair extensions have quietly become one of the defining materials of contemporary self-presentation. Once confined to salon makeovers and celebrity transformations, they now sit at the intersection of personal branding, performance, and...


Dispatches
In most modern history, all these years, “doing more” usually meant “hiring more”. Growth was believed to be directly proportional to headcount because the work was manual. More customers created more tickets (issues), more orders created...


Dispatches
The story of how a billion-dollar casino hotel that reinvents itself while guests sleep, and why precision documentation is the invisible foundation of every great renovation. At 3am on a Tuesday, while high rollers chase fortunes on the casino...