Best Soul Food in Houston: Oxtails, Smothered Chops and Sunday Plates

Houston soul food has a Louisiana accent. The oldest name on this list opened as a po-boy shop run by a New Orleans native, one of the busiest Northside kitchens calls itself Cajun and soul in the same breath, and a South Houston favorite cooks from Louisiana family recipes. Add oxtails slow-cooked until the gravy turns glossy, smothered pork chops, collards and cornbread, and you have a plate that tastes like nowhere else.

This is our shortlist for soul food in Houston: the Third Ward institutions, the Southside lunch counters, and a few plates worth the drive up I-45 or out to Missouri City. Every restaurant on it was checked as operating on its own official website in October 2026.

The quick list

• For the history: Frenchy's Chicken on Scott Street, serving Third Ward since 1969.
• For oxtails: Mikki's, The Greasy Spoon or Micheaux's.
• For a smothered pork chop: The Greasy Spoon, or the weekday lunch special at Soul Food by Catherine.
• For a sit-down dinner: Lucille's in the Museum District.
• For breakfast: The Breakfast Klub in Midtown, for wings and waffles.
• For a Cajun-and-soul Sunday: Esther's Cajun Cafe & Soul Food, open seven days a week.

How we chose

We looked for kitchens that cook the classics with care: oxtails, smothered meats, greens, yams, mac and cheese, cornbread, peach cobbler. We weighted the neighborhoods where Houston's soul food grew up, especially Third Ward and the Southside, and added a few suburban spots that locals drive to. Every pick had to show current hours on its own official site as of October 2026.

We left out places we couldn't confirm. That includes a few names you'll hear often; the FAQ below explains what happened to the best known of them. Hours change, and many soul food kitchens close one or two days a week, so treat every schedule here as "typically" and check before you go.

Third Ward and the Museum District

Frenchy's Chicken

Third Ward, 3602 Scott St · Creole fried chicken · open daily

Frenchy's is where to start if you want the story. According to the family, Percy "Frenchy" Creuzot, a New Orleans native, and his wife Sallie opened a po-boy shop on Scott Street on July 3, 1969, down the road from Texas Southern University and the University of Houston. The fried chicken, seasoned from old New Orleans family recipes, became the reason people came back.

What to order: a dark-meat chicken meal with dirty rice, red beans or collard greens, the Creole sides the family paired with the bird from early on. Add boudin balls with Gris Gris sauce.

Why it's here: it's a living piece of Third Ward history, and the Scott Street drive-through typically runs late into the night. There are now locations across the metro, but the Scott Street one is the pilgrimage.

Mikki's Soul Food Cafe

Third Ward, 2712 Blodgett St · also Southwest Houston and Pearland · steam-table soul food

Here's the insider bit: Mikki's Third Ward location sits at 2712 Blodgett, the same address where This Is It served soul food for years before that restaurant closed its Blodgett doors in 2025. The address still smells like Sunday dinner.

What to order: oxtails with two or three sides. The menu also lists turkey wings, smothered chicken, fried catfish, candied yams and banana pudding, and the restaurant makes a point of its cornbread dressing on Fridays and Sundays.

Good to know: the Blodgett location is typically closed Sundays, while the West Bellfort and Pearland locations open Sunday afternoons. Check the official site before you go.

Lucille's

Museum District, 5512 La Branch St · refined Southern · lunch, dinner and weekend brunch

Lucille's is soul food dressed for a night out, in a house a short walk from the museums. Brothers Chris and Ben Williams opened it in August 2012 as a tribute to their great-grandmother, Lucille B. Smith, an educator and food entrepreneur who founded her own food company. Chef Chris Williams, a James Beard Award finalist, still cooks from some of her recipes.

What to order: the chili biscuits, built on what the restaurant calls Great Grandma's Famous Biscuit, then braised oxtails over serrano cheddar grits, the buttermilk-brined Yardbird fried chicken, or catfish and grits. The kitchen also uses produce from its own 1913 farms.

Why it's here: it shows how far the tradition can stretch without losing its roots. Complimentary valet parking makes it an easy dinner before or after the Museum District. Lucille's is typically closed Mondays.

The Breakfast Klub

Midtown, 3711 Travis St at Alabama · breakfast and lunch · open daily until 2 p.m.

The line outside The Breakfast Klub is a Houston landmark of its own. Owner Marcus Davis built the menu around two dishes from opposite ends of the country, Katfish & Grits from the East Coast and Wings & Waffles from the West Coast, and opened in September 2001. Yes, a lot of the menu is spelled with a K: pankakes, bakon, biskits.

What to order: Wings & Waffle, Katfish & Grits, or pork chops and eggs with biskits.

Insider tip: the restaurant takes to-go orders by phone and online, which can save you the line if you're eating in the car or taking breakfast to the office. It typically opens at 7 a.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. on weekends, and closes at 2 p.m. More nearby picks are in our Midtown restaurant guide.

South Houston and Southwest

Soul Food by Catherine

South Houston, 4202 W Fuqua St · family-owned, Louisiana roots · open daily

This family kitchen bills itself as having the best smothered meat in town, and the weekday lunch special backs up the boast: smothered chicken, smothered hamburger steak, smothered pork chops or meatloaf with two sides, typically served 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday.

What to order: the smothered pork chop, then gumbo with shrimp, stuffed bell peppers or the deep-fried baby back ribs. On weekends, look for baked turkey wings from the family recipe. Desserts are made in-house daily.

Insider tip: the dining room typically closes at 8 p.m., but the drive-through keeps going until 9 p.m., so a late craving still has a home.

Northside and North Houston

Esther's Cajun Cafe & Soul Food

North Shepherd, 5007 N Shepherd Dr · Cajun and soul food · open seven days

Esther's has been family owned and operated since 2008, and its cooking comes down through the family: the restaurant credits its namesake's great-grandmother with country cooking and her mother with Cajun cooking. That double heritage is the whole point, so expect Cajun seasoning and soul food sides on the same plate.

What to order: the lamb chops the restaurant features front and center, or a soul food plate with Cajun heat. Family packages are offered year-round if you're feeding a crowd.

Why it's here: it's typically open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day, Sunday included, which makes it one of the easiest Sunday dinners on this list. It also takes reservations and hosts private events.

The Greasy Spoon Soulfood Bistro

North Houston, 636 Cypress Station Dr · oxtails and smothered chops · closed Mondays

The Greasy Spoon's founder-chef grew up working weekends in his family's cafe, and his own dining room aims for a five-star experience around traditional Southern comfort food. The menu is one of our favorite reads in town: the smothered pork chop is an end cut, grilled, baked and finished in "40-weight brown gravy."

What to order: the oxtails, served with rice and two sides, which the restaurant calls world famous. On Thursdays only, there's a smoked version. Sundays bring seasonal Cajun chitlins. If you're hungry and showing off, "The Boss" seafood stack piles catfish, lobster tail, shrimp and crab over rice and greens.

Insider tip: cooked-to-order dishes take time, and the restaurant asks that you order them at least an hour before closing.

Missouri City

Micheaux's Southern Cuisine

Missouri City, 6850 Highway 6 · Southern with a Caribbean touch · closed Mondays and Tuesdays

Micheaux's is a Black-owned restaurant that puts a little Caribbean flair into Southern classics, which makes its oxtails a natural order. It's also a strong pick for a group, with an event space for private parties and a catering operation.

What to order: oxtails, fried chicken, and a slice of whatever cake is in the case.

Good to know: it's typically open Wednesday through Sunday, with Sunday hours that make it a solid after-church stop for Fort Bend. Explore more in our Missouri City restaurant guide.

Save this: a Sunday soul food route

Sunday is soul food's big day, but not every kitchen is open. This route uses places that typically open on Sundays. Check hours the morning you go.

1. Late breakfast: The Breakfast Klub in Midtown for Wings & Waffle. Get there early or order to go.
2. History stop: drive down to Scott Street in Third Ward for a box of Frenchy's to share in the car. Learn more about the neighborhood in our Third Ward guide.
3. Sunday dinner: pick your side of town. Esther's on North Shepherd, The Greasy Spoon in North Houston (ask about the Sunday chitlins), Mikki's on West Bellfort, or Micheaux's in Missouri City.

The soul food checklist

Tick these off and you've done Houston soul food properly.

• Oxtails with rice and gravy
• A smothered pork chop
• Collard greens and candied yams
• Chitterlings, if you're brave
• Creole fried chicken with dirty rice
• Catfish and grits
• Cornbread dressing on a Friday or Sunday
• Peach cobbler or banana pudding

Before you go

• Check hours on the restaurant's own site the day you go. Many soul food kitchens close Mondays, and some close Tuesdays too.
• Go early for oxtails. Popular dishes can run out before closing.
• Ask about daily specials. Some dishes are only cooked on certain days, like The Greasy Spoon's smoked oxtails on Thursdays.
• Ordering for a crowd? Esther's, Frenchy's, Micheaux's and The Breakfast Klub all offer family meals or catering.

More Houston food guides

Pair this list with our best BBQ in Houston guide and the best brunch in Houston. For more around the neighborhood that started it all, see the best restaurants in Third Ward and our Third Ward area page.

Last verified: October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I get the best oxtails in Houston?

Mikki's Soul Food Cafe, The Greasy Spoon Soulfood Bistro and Micheaux's Southern Cuisine all list oxtails as a menu staple. Lucille's serves a braised version over serrano cheddar grits, and The Greasy Spoon adds smoked oxtails on Thursdays.

Which Houston soul food restaurants are open on Sunday?

Esther's, Frenchy's, The Breakfast Klub, Soul Food by Catherine, The Greasy Spoon, Micheaux's, and Mikki's West Bellfort and Pearland locations typically open Sundays. Mikki's Third Ward location is typically closed Sundays. Check each official site before you go.

Is This Is It Soul Food still open in Third Ward?

This Is It closed its Blodgett Street location in Third Ward in 2025. Mikki's Soul Food Cafe now lists a location at the same address, 2712 Blodgett St.

What is the oldest soul food restaurant on this list?

Frenchy's Chicken. The family says it opened as a po-boy shop on Scott Street in Third Ward on July 3, 1969.

Where can I get a smothered pork chop in Houston?

The Greasy Spoon Soulfood Bistro smothers an end-cut chop in brown gravy, and Soul Food by Catherine offers smothered pork chops on its weekday lunch special.