Date Night in Sharpstown and Gulfton: Dinner, Drinks and a Two-Step

For date night in Sharpstown and Gulfton, book dinner on Bellaire Boulevard or the Southwest Freeway, then add a drink, a dance or a dessert within a few minutes' drive. Our top picks are Mikiya Wagyu Shabu House for a splurge, Himalaya Restaurant for a BYOB Indo-Pak dinner, and Toukei Izakaya for a Japanese whisky nightcap. For something you'll both remember, take the free two-step lesson at Cowboys Red River Dance Hall, or book the four-person Hello Kitty room at Happy Zone Karaoke.

Here's the line to send your date: we're two-stepping in Houston's first air-conditioned mall, then singing in a Hello Kitty room built for four.

That mall line is true. The Southwest Management District says Sharpstown Center opened in September 1961 as Houston's first fully air-conditioned enclosed mall. Today it's PlazAmericas, and Cowboys Red River holds its dance nights on the site.

Where are Sharpstown and Gulfton? How we define them

We use the City of Houston's super neighborhood lines and checked every address on this list against the city's own map. Sharpstown is Super Neighborhood 26: the big district along Bellaire Boulevard and the Southwest Freeway (I-69/US-59), from around Hillcroft Avenue west toward Beltway 8, with the Westpark Tollway to the north and Brays Bayou to the south. It takes in the Mahatma Gandhi District on Hillcroft and most of Chinatown's Bellaire Boulevard plazas. Gulfton is Super Neighborhood 27, the dense neighborhood just east, which the city describes as just outside Loop 610 and south of US-59, next to the city of Bellaire.

The quick list

• Splurge: Mikiya Wagyu Shabu House
• BYOB: Himalaya Restaurant
• Cocktails with dinner: London Sizzler or Nori Nori
• Anniversary banquet: Arco Seafood or Fung's Kitchen
• Gulfton margarita: La Tapatia
• Nightcap: Toukei Izakaya or GiAu Bar N' Bites
• The story you'll tell later: Cowboys Red River or Happy Zone Karaoke
• Dessert: Red Circle Ice Cream or Raja Sweets
• A walk: Bayland Park

How we chose

Every pick had to sit inside the city's Sharpstown or Gulfton boundary, work for two people, and show its current address and hours on its own official website when we checked in November 2026. Nobody paid to be here. Hours change, so treat every time below as typical and check the official site before you go.

Where should you book dinner?

Book Mikiya or Arco for a splurge, Himalaya for the best-value special dinner, and Nori Nori if you'd rather sit side by side at a bar.

1. Mikiya Wagyu Shabu House

Sharpstown, 9896 Bellaire Blvd, Suite A · all-you-can-eat wagyu shabu-shabu · typically 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, to midnight Friday and Saturday

Mikiya Wagyu Shabu House on Bellaire Boulevard in Sharpstown is all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu: you cook thin slices of beef and vegetables in a simmering broth at the table. It offers three premium all-you-can-eat tiers.

Why it works for a date: cooking together slows the meal down, and nobody has to share a plate they didn't want.

2. Arco Seafood Restaurant

Sharpstown, 9896 Bellaire Blvd, Suite K · Cantonese seafood and dim sum · takes reservations

Arco Seafood Restaurant, in the same Bellaire Boulevard center as Mikiya, is a big Cantonese banquet room that takes reservations through its website. Dim sum typically runs until 4 p.m. on weekdays and 5 p.m. on weekends.

Order: a whole steamed fish or a seafood dish for two at dinner, or a spread of dim sum at lunch. More options are in our dim sum guide.

3. Nori Nori

Sharpstown, 9938 Bellaire Blvd, Suite G · hand rolls and sushi · typically Tuesday to Thursday 4 to 10 p.m., Friday to midnight, Saturday noon to midnight, Sunday from noon, closed Monday

Nori Nori on Bellaire Boulevard is a hand roll and sushi bar with a full-service bar and a daily happy hour. It says its fish is delivered from Japan.

Why it works for a date: a bar seat puts you side by side, which is easier on a first date than staring across a table.

4. Fung's Kitchen

Sharpstown, 7320 Southwest Fwy, Suite 115 · Cantonese seafood, dim sum and Peking duck · check the official site for hours

Fung's Kitchen on the Southwest Freeway is a banquet-style Cantonese room with live seafood and daily dim sum. Its house specialty is a Peking duck it calls award-winning.

Order: the Peking duck, then one live-seafood dish.

5. Himalaya Restaurant

Sharpstown, 6652 Southwest Fwy · Pakistani and Indian · BYOB · typically Tuesday to Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday to Sunday to 10:30 p.m., closed Monday

Himalaya Restaurant on the Southwest Freeway at Hillcroft is a casual Indo-Pak dining room where chef Kaiser Lashkari, a James Beard Award semifinalist in 2019 by the restaurant's account, cooks Pakistani and Indian dishes. It's BYOB, so bring a bottle you both like.

Insider tip: for the last half hour each night the dining room closes and only takeout is available, so book your table early rather than at the wire. Our Indian restaurant guide has more on the Hillcroft scene.

6. London Sizzler

Sharpstown, 6690 Southwest Fwy · Indian bar and grill · full bar · typically Tuesday to Friday 5 to 11 p.m., Saturday and Sunday noon to 11 p.m.

London Sizzler Indian Bar and Grill, a few doors from Himalaya, describes its cooking as Indian food influenced by British colonialism and African spices, and it has a full bar. Reservations are taken through its website.

Order: the mixed grill or lamb chops, with mogo (cassava) on the side and a drink from the bar.

7. La Tapatia (Bellaire)

Gulfton, 5710 Bellaire Blvd · Mexican restaurant, cafe and cantina · typically Monday to Thursday 10 a.m. to midnight, Friday and Saturday to 1 a.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to midnight

La Tapatia's Bellaire Boulevard location in Gulfton is part of a small Houston chain of Mexican restaurants, cafes and cantinas, and it stays open late every night.

Order: a margarita from the cocktail list and a plate to share.

Where to go for a drink after dinner

For a quiet, serious nightcap, go to Toukei Izakaya; for cocktails and a weekend DJ, go to GiAu in Dun Huang Plaza.

8. Toukei Izakaya

Sharpstown, 9630 Clarewood Dr, Suite A-15 · izakaya and whisky bar · typically Tuesday to Thursday and Sunday 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., Friday and Saturday to 2 a.m., closed Monday

Toukei Izakaya on Clarewood Drive, a block off Bellaire Boulevard, builds its bar around Japanese whisky, shochu and sake, with an izakaya kitchen behind them.

Order: split a flight. The single-malt flight pairs Hakushu 12 and Yamazaki 12 with a Nikka single malt. See our izakaya guide for more.

9. GiAu Bar N' Bites

Sharpstown, 9889 Bellaire Blvd, Suite E200 (Dun Huang Plaza) · Asian fusion cocktail bar · typically daily from 5 p.m. until late

GiAu Bar N' Bites in Dun Huang Plaza is an Asian fusion cocktail bar with craft cocktails, shareable plates and a live DJ on weekends. More nightlife ideas are in our Sharpstown and Gulfton bars guide.

What to do on a date besides dinner

Learn to two-step at Cowboys Red River, sing in a private karaoke room, or take a walk at Bayland Park before dinner.

10. Cowboys Red River Dance Hall and Saloon

Sharpstown, 7500 Bellaire Blvd, Suite C-18 · Texas dance hall · typically Friday and Saturday 7 p.m. to 2 a.m., plus special events

Cowboys Red River Dance Hall and Saloon is a full-size Texas dance hall at the old Sharpstown Center site on Bellaire Boulevard. Its website lists free dance lessons from 7 to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, live music, a cover charge, free parking and valet, and entry for ages 18 and up.

Why it works for a date: nobody is good at the two-step the first time, and that's the fun. Our line dancing guide has more places to practice.

11. Happy Zone Karaoke

Sharpstown, 9889 Bellaire Blvd, Suite 207 (Dun Huang Plaza) · private karaoke rooms · typically Monday to Thursday 5 p.m. to midnight, Friday 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday 2 p.m. to 2 a.m., Sunday 2 p.m. to midnight

Happy Zone Karaoke in Dun Huang Plaza rents private karaoke rooms, and its smallest, the Hello Kitty room, holds up to four guests, which makes it just right for two. Drinks are sold at the bar.

Know before you go: phone and online reservations have a two-hour minimum and a first-hour deposit. On Friday and Saturday, allow extra time for parking. Our karaoke guide covers more private rooms.

12. Bayland Park

Sharpstown, 6400 Bissonnet St · Harris County park · typically open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily · free

Bayland Park on Bissonnet Street is a 68-acre Harris County Precinct 4 park with a jogging trail, picnic tables and a reservable pavilion. It's a sports park, not a garden, but a loop of the jogging trail is a free way to start the night.

Where to get dessert

Split a Churro Daddy at Red Circle in Chinatown, or take home a box of Indian sweets from Raja Sweets on Hillcroft.

13. Red Circle Ice Cream

Sharpstown, 6838 Ranchester Dr · ice cream and churros · typically Monday to Thursday 3 to 10 p.m., Friday to 11 p.m., Saturday 1 to 11 p.m., Sunday 1 to 10 p.m.

Red Circle Ice Cream on Ranchester Drive calls itself the home of the Churro Daddy: handcrafted churros with a scoop of ice cream. See our best ice cream in Houston for more scoops.

Order: one Churro Daddy, two spoons.

14. Raja Sweets

Sharpstown, 5667 Hillcroft St · Indian sweets · typically 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, closed Tuesday

Raja Sweets on Hillcroft is an Indian sweet shop in the Mahatma Gandhi District. After dinner on Hillcroft, build a mixed box to share.

Insider tip: Raja Sweets closes on Tuesdays, and Himalaya and London Sizzler are both closed on Mondays. For a Hillcroft date, aim for Wednesday through Sunday.

Save this: three date-night routes

The Hillcroft night (Wednesday to Sunday)

1. 6 p.m.: a loop of the jogging trail at Bayland Park.
2. 7 p.m.: BYOB dinner at Himalaya. Bring the bottle.
3. 8:30 p.m.: a box of sweets to share from Raja Sweets.

The Bellaire Boulevard night (Friday or Saturday)

1. 6 p.m.: wagyu shabu at Mikiya, or hand rolls at Nori Nori.
2. 7 p.m. sharp: the free two-step lesson at Cowboys Red River, then a few songs with the band.
3. 10:30 p.m.: a Japanese whisky flight at Toukei Izakaya.

The park-once Chinatown night (any night)

1. 7 p.m.: cocktails and shareables at GiAu in Dun Huang Plaza.
2. 8:30 p.m.: the Hello Kitty room at Happy Zone Karaoke, booked ahead.
3. 10:30 p.m.: a Churro Daddy at Red Circle on Ranchester Drive.

If you're drinking, pick a designated driver or use a rideshare between stops.

Getting there and parking

Sharpstown and Gulfton sit along the Southwest Freeway (I-69/US-59) southwest of downtown Houston. Exit at Hillcroft for the Gandhi District, or at Bellaire Boulevard, Fondren or Gessner for Chinatown. Parking is free in most plaza lots, Dun Huang Plaza has covered garages, and Cowboys lists free parking and valet. METRO local buses serve the main corridors; plan a trip on the METRO website.

More date ideas

Want more Bellaire Boulevard? Our Chinatown date night guide goes deeper on the plazas. For more across the city, see our date night restaurants in Houston, date night ideas and romantic things to do in Houston. Making a day of it? Start with our Sharpstown and Gulfton brunch guide.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Where should I go for date night in Sharpstown and Gulfton?

Book dinner at Mikiya Wagyu Shabu House or Nori Nori on Bellaire Boulevard, or Himalaya Restaurant on the Southwest Freeway, then finish with a whisky flight at Toukei Izakaya. For an activity, Cowboys Red River Dance Hall offers free two-step lessons on Friday and Saturday nights.

Is Himalaya Restaurant in Houston BYOB?

Yes. Himalaya Restaurant at 6652 Southwest Fwy is BYOB. It is typically closed on Mondays, and for the last half hour each night the dining room closes and only takeout is available.

Does Cowboys Red River Dance Hall in Houston offer free dance lessons?

Yes. Cowboys Red River Dance Hall at 7500 Bellaire Blvd lists free dance lessons from 7 to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, followed by live music. Entry is 18 and up, and a cover charge applies.

Can you rent a small karaoke room for two in Houston's Chinatown?

Yes. Happy Zone Karaoke in Dun Huang Plaza, 9889 Bellaire Blvd, has a Hello Kitty room for up to four guests. Reservations have a two-hour minimum and require a first-hour deposit.

What are the boundaries of Sharpstown and Gulfton?

By the City of Houston's super neighborhood map, Sharpstown runs along Bellaire Boulevard and the Southwest Freeway from around Hillcroft Avenue west toward Beltway 8, between the Westpark Tollway and Brays Bayou. Gulfton is the neighborhood just east, south of US-59 and just outside Loop 610, next to the city of Bellaire.

Which Sharpstown date spots are open late?

Toukei Izakaya typically stays open until 1 a.m., or 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Happy Zone Karaoke and Cowboys Red River run until 2 a.m. on weekends, and La Tapatia in Gulfton stays open until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.