Best Restaurants in Sharpstown and Gulfton, Houston

Southwest Houston keeps its own calendar. On Hillcroft, Tuesday is the day off. In Chinatown, dinner can start at midnight. And in between, along a few miles of the Southwest Freeway, you can eat a dosa bigger than your head, a Persian kabob, a bowl of smoked-fish ramen and a burger served from a city golf course without ever leaving the same two neighborhoods.

These are our picks for the best restaurants in Sharpstown and Gulfton, mostly cheap counter spots with a few proper sit-down dinners.

The one-liner: 1986 was a very good year in southwest Houston. A sweet shop, a Persian kabob house and a Chinese-Vietnamese noodle house all opened that year, by their own accounts, and all three are still feeding people.

Where Sharpstown and Gulfton are

We use the City of Houston's super neighborhood lines. Sharpstown is the big wedge bounded by Beltway 8 on the west, the Westpark Tollway on the north, the Southwest Freeway (I-69/US-59) on the east and Brays Bayou on the south. That puts the Mahatma Gandhi District on Hillcroft, the Harwin corridor and the stretch of Chinatown east of the Beltway inside it. Gulfton sits across the freeway, just outside the 610 Loop and north of the city of Bellaire. Because the freeway is the line between them, we also count restaurants on either Southwest Freeway feeder road along this stretch; locals lump them in with Hillcroft anyway.

Four things even regulars don't know

• Hillcroft's Tuesday closures have a backstory. When Raja Sweets started closing on Tuesdays, other Indian restaurants on the street followed, according to the district's history. Today both Raja Sweets and Shri Balaji Bhavan still close on Tuesdays.
• Three of this list's picks share a birth year. Raja Sweets, Darband Shishkabob and Tan Tan each say they opened in 1986.
• There's a burger counter inside a municipal golf course. Prince's Hamburgers operates at Sharpstown Golf Course and opens at 8 a.m.
• Himalaya's signature is "Indian-style pastrami." That's how the restaurant describes its Hunter's Beef: beef cured and marinated in traditional spices.

How we chose

We picked restaurants inside the boundaries above, with a mix of cheap counter spots and sit-down dinners, and favored places with a clear "order this" dish. Every pick was confirmed as operating on its own official website (or its official online-ordering page) in October 2026, and the dishes we name come from those menus. We left out several neighborhood favorites, including many of Gulfton's Central American kitchens, because we couldn't confirm them on an official site. That doesn't mean they've closed.

Hours change; treat every schedule below as "typically" and check before you go.

Hillcroft and the Mahatma Gandhi District

The stretch of Hillcroft and Harwin between the Southwest Freeway and the Westpark Tollway grew into Houston's South Asian shopping and dining street in the 1980s and was formally named the Mahatma Gandhi District in 2010. Park once and walk: four of these picks sit within a couple of blocks. For more of the scene, see our best Indian restaurants in Houston.

1. Shri Balaji Bhavan

5655 Hillcroft St · South Indian vegetarian · counter service · closed Tuesdays

The family behind Shri Balaji Bhavan says it has been cooking South Indian vegetarian food in the district for more than 25 years, and that it makes its dosa batter from scratch every morning. The restaurant's own boast is that its dosas are "bigger than your head," and that's not much of an exaggeration. It's typically open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Order: a masala dosa, a chaat, and the tomato rice.

2. Chowpatty Chat

5711 Hillcroft St · vegetarian Bombay street food · open daily

Chowpatty is the snack stop: pani puri, bhel puri, pav bhaji and grilled Bombay sandwiches, all vegetarian. It's typically open every day from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., which makes it the easiest Hillcroft pick on a Tuesday.

Order: pani puri and pav bhaji. If you're new to chaat, get a platter and share it.

3. Raja Sweets

5667 Hillcroft St · sweets and snacks · closed Tuesdays

Raja Sweets opened in 1986, and the shop credits its founder with helping turn this stretch of Hillcroft into the district it is now. It makes its sweets from scratch on the premises every day. Walk up to the glass case, point, and leave with a box for whoever's waiting at home. It's typically open from 11 a.m., until 8 p.m. most days and 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Order: gulab jamun, a mixed box of mithai, and a samosa for the road.

4. Darband Shishkabob

5670 Hillcroft Ave · Persian kabobs · counter service

Darband bills itself as the oldest Persian restaurant in Houston, serving since 1986. It's straightforward and generous: kabobs off the charcoal grill with charbroiled tomatoes and fresh-baked bread, plus a short list of slow-cooked stews. Its menu calls the dizi, a beef, chickpea and dried-lime stew, the "oldest Persian food to date." Our Mediterranean and Persian guide has more.

Order: kubideh (ground beef kabob), or the dizi if you want something you won't find on many Houston menus.

5. Bismillah Restaurant & Cafe

5696 Hillcroft St · Pakistani · casual

Bismillah says it has been in business for more than 15 years, and it's where Hillcroft goes for big, inexpensive Pakistani plates. Its specialties run from chicken karahi and fish biryani to anda paratha and a buffalo chicken burger. Check its site for hours.

Order: chicken karahi with paratha, or an anda paratha if you're there early.

On the Southwest Freeway at Hillcroft

These three sit on the freeway feeder at Hillcroft and suit a longer, sit-down meal.

6. Himalaya Restaurant

6652 Southwest Fwy · Indian and Pakistani · sit-down · BYOB · closed Mondays

Chef-owner Kaiser Lashkari was a James Beard Award semifinalist in 2019, by the restaurant's own account. The menu is Indo-Pak and generous, and it's BYOB. It's typically open Tuesday through Sunday from 11:30 a.m. Note that the dining room switches to takeout only for the last half hour each night, so don't arrive at the wire.

Order: Hunter's Beef, the "Indian-style pastrami." Add a kebab, and come for the lunch special if you're there midday.

7. Shiv Sagar

6662 Southwest Fwy · vegetarian Indian street food · open daily

Shiv Sagar is the crowd-pleaser for a mixed group: 100% vegetarian, with Mumbai street snacks, dosas, thali platters and desserts on one long menu. It's typically open daily from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Order: samosa chaat, chole bhature and a lassi.

8. London Sizzler

6690 Southwest Fwy · Indian bar and grill · full bar · dinner Tuesday to Sunday

London Sizzler is the one with cocktails. It describes its cooking as Indian food influenced by British colonialism and African spices, and the menu runs from sizzling tandoori platters and lamb chops to mogo (cassava). It typically opens at 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from noon on weekends.

Order: the mixed grill, lamb chops and a side of mogo.

Chinatown's Sharpstown side

Chinatown spills across Beltway 8, and its eastern half is inside Sharpstown. These picks are all east of the Beltway. Our Bellaire and Chinatown restaurant guide covers the rest of the boulevard.

9. Tan Tan

6816 Ranchester Dr · Chinese and Vietnamese · sit-down · open late on weekends

Tan Tan was started in 1986 as a small family business, and it has the long, do-everything menu of a neighborhood institution: noodle soups, rice plates and Chinese and Vietnamese dishes, plus hot pots for the table. It's typically open until 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until midnight Friday through Sunday.

Order: a hot pot (seafood, combination, or shrimp and beef) if you're with a group; a noodle soup if you're not.

10. Fung's Kitchen

7320 Southwest Fwy, #115 · Cantonese seafood and dim sum · closed Mondays

Fung's is a banquet-style room with live seafood, daily dim sum and a Peking duck it calls award-winning. It's typically open Tuesday through Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. For a full dim sum plan, see our best dim sum in Houston.

Order: a spread of dumplings to start, then the Peking duck.

11. HK Dim Sum

9889 Bellaire Blvd, #110 · dim sum by order sheet · open daily

HK Dim Sum is fast and unfussy: you tick a paper sheet, and baskets arrive. It opens at 10 a.m. daily and typically closes at 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday but stays open until 9 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, which is how you get dim sum for dinner.

Order: shrimp dumplings, barbecue pork buns and a rice noodle roll.

12. Lao'd District

9393 Bellaire Blvd, Ste B · Lao and Thai · casual · open daily

Lao'd District cooks the food of Laos and Thailand, and it's a friendly first step into Lao cooking. It's typically open from 11 a.m. daily, until 9 p.m. most nights and 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Order: nam khao (crispy rice salad) and laab, with sticky rice.

13. Soho Chicken

9393 Bellaire Blvd, A3 · Korean fried chicken · open until 2 a.m. most nights

Soho Chicken, in the same center as Lao'd District, is the answer to "where's fried chicken after midnight?" It typically opens at 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11:30 a.m. Friday through Sunday, and the dining room stays open until 2 a.m. Monday through Saturday (midnight on Sundays).

Order: a platter of wings to share, plus the kimchi bulgogi fries.

14. Toukei Izakaya

9630 Clarewood Dr, Suite A-15 · late-night ramen and izakaya · closed Mondays

Toukei is a Japanese izakaya with a bar built around Japanese whisky, sake and shochu, and a ramen list that's the reason to come. It typically opens at 5 p.m. and runs until 1 a.m., or 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Order: the Fish Tonkotsu, which blends smoked fish and pork-bone broth, or the Spicy Black if you like heat.

Two sweet and savory extras

15. Prince's Hamburgers

6600 Harbor Town Dr (Sharpstown Golf Course) · burgers · open daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Prince's calls itself "Houston's Hometown Burger," and in Sharpstown you'll find it attached to the city-run golf course. Plan on lunch, not dinner. See our best burgers in Houston for more.

Order: a classic hamburger and fries.

16. Red Circle Ice Cream

6838 Ranchester Dr · ice cream and churros · afternoons and evenings

Red Circle is the dessert stop, a few doors from Tan Tan on Ranchester. Its signature is the Churro Daddy, a churro arch with a scoop of ice cream in the middle. It typically opens at 3 p.m. on weekdays and 1 p.m. on weekends and stays open until 10 or 11 p.m.

Order: the Churro Daddy, in whatever flavor the case talks you into.

Save this: the Sharpstown eat-your-way route

Screenshot this. Do it Wednesday through Sunday to dodge both the Monday and Tuesday closures.

1. 10 a.m.: dim sum by order sheet at HK Dim Sum on Bellaire Boulevard.
2. Noon: a masala dosa at Shri Balaji Bhavan on Hillcroft.
3. 1 p.m.: walk a few doors for pani puri at Chowpatty Chat.
4. 1:30 p.m.: a box of gulab jamun from Raja Sweets, for later. Or for now.
5. 3:30 p.m.: a Churro Daddy at Red Circle on Ranchester.
6. 7 p.m.: dinner at Himalaya. Bring your own bottle and order the Hunter's Beef.
7. 11 p.m. or later: Fish Tonkotsu at Toukei Izakaya, or wings at Soho Chicken.

Parking tip: almost everything here is in a strip center with a free lot. Park once and walk the plaza.

Keep exploring

More: Cheap Eats in Houston, a crawl of the city's international food districts, our late-night food guide and the Food and Dining hub.

Last verified: October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best restaurants in Sharpstown, Houston?

Our picks start on Hillcroft with Shri Balaji Bhavan for dosas, Chowpatty Chat for chaat, Darband Shishkabob for Persian kabobs and Himalaya for Indo-Pak dinners, then move to Chinatown for Tan Tan, Fung's Kitchen, HK Dim Sum and Toukei Izakaya.

Where is the Mahatma Gandhi District in Houston?

It runs along Hillcroft Avenue and Harwin Drive between the Southwest Freeway (I-69/US-59) and the Westpark Tollway in southwest Houston, inside the Sharpstown super neighborhood.

Why are so many Hillcroft restaurants closed on Tuesday?

Tuesday is a traditional day off on Hillcroft; the district's history credits Raja Sweets with starting it, and other restaurants followed. Raja Sweets and Shri Balaji Bhavan still close on Tuesdays, so check hours before you go.

Where can I eat late at night in Sharpstown?

Soho Chicken on Bellaire Boulevard typically stays open until 2 a.m. most nights, and Toukei Izakaya on Clarewood Drive runs until 1 a.m., or 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Tan Tan is open until midnight Friday through Sunday.

Is Houston's Chinatown in Sharpstown?

Partly. Chinatown stretches along Bellaire Boulevard on both sides of Beltway 8, and the section east of the Beltway falls inside the Sharpstown super neighborhood.

Are there vegetarian restaurants in Sharpstown?

Yes. Shri Balaji Bhavan, Chowpatty Chat and Shiv Sagar are all fully vegetarian, and most of the Hillcroft restaurants have long vegetarian menus.