Many visitors to the Montrose neighborhood of Houston consider it the Castro of the Southwest, comparing it to the famous gay section of San Francisco. Every June, Montrose hosts the largest gay pride parade in the Southwest. Year-round, the area's parks, hotels and shops attract tourists from all over the world. A number of restaurants serve diverse menus at all budget levels.
Da Marco is an upscale Italian restaurant in the heart of Montrose that focuses on family recipes served in a traditional manner. Guests dine on tables covered with crisp linens, premium glassware, high-end flatware and fine dinnerware. The menu at Da Marco includes meals that are standard-issue in any Italian restaurant, such as pasta and home-cooked pizza, but it also offers some not-so-typical ingredients, such as whole fish, rabbit and duck. Popular menu choices include Italian-flavored versions of Australian lamb chops and roasted Texan quail. Desserts, fine wines and a full cocktail menu are also offered, and reservations are requested.
The Hot Bagel Shop is a family-owned place that has been in Montrose for more than 25 years. The restaurant serves 26 flavors of bagels, ranging from plain to spicy jalapeno. Commuters, locals and tourists stop in for New York-style bagels while in Texas. Breakfast sandwiches piled high with a variety of meats, cheeses and vegetables are big sellers, as are a long list of speciality sandwiches made on bagels or other types of bread.
Mark’s American Cuisine, a landmark in the Houston area, is housed in a building that was once a church and dates back to the early 1920s. The vibe of this restaurant is classy and colorful, and guests can dine in a number of areas that are designed to keep that vibe alive. Given the name of the restaurant, you might expect basic American meals -- but that is not always the case. Dine on a number of hearty steak meals made from high-end beef such as Japanese Kobe beef, or try something from a long list of pasta and seafood dishes. Reservations are recommended, and party spaces are available.
