Best of January 2022: Restaurant Favorites of the Month

New year, new me, right?! We started off 2022 STRONG with new restaurants and experiences. We visited Galveston to scout out some recs for y'all, visited new restaurant openings, and discovered some really good spots this month! Keep reading to check out our faves.

PS: These are in no particular order, just as they came to me. 😁

1. GRATIFY | @GRATIFYHOUSTON

I visited Gratify for their new brunch menu – Gratify is the latest and greatest brunch destination, y'all! When walking through the front doors, you’re greeted with a colorful, contemporary, and elegant interior. ✨ And in terms of the food and drinks… let us start by saying they can 100% hold their own against the exquisite design of the restaurant.

Gratify is an upscale yet approachable bistro with a focus on their raw bar of oysters, crudo, tartare, caviar, and more; however, you will also find a selection of land meats, locally sourced produce, and a few vegetarian friendly items on the menu. Their brunch menu includes the perfect combination of classic brunch staples and elevated options. We tried a variety of items on the brunch menu from the Creme Brulee French Toast and Charred Octopus to the Steak & Eggs and Eggs Benedict, and there wasn't a single thing that we did not enjoy. You really can't go wrong with anything on the menu, especially paired with one of their brunch cocktails. 💁‍♀️

For me, the star of the entire cocktail menu was the Catch Me If You Can (espresso, licor 43, pierre ferrand 1840), but the Garden Party and Pretty in Pink were top notch as well.

2. SAO LAO THAI | (FORMERLY @PHOJITA)

This new restaurant in GOOF (Garden Oaks/Oak Forest) serves up a unique combination of Laotian and Thai food, and y'all this place is soooo legit. Not only is the food FIRE, but we also had the pleasure of meeting the owner who is an absolute gem. The menu may not be as extensive as other Thai restaurants around town, but every single thing on there has been carefully perfected and stylized (we know, we tried over 60% of the menu 😅).

Things we tried include: House Made Lao Beef Jerky, Papaya Salad, Dumplings, Filet Mignon Beef Laab (Marissa's fav), Boat Noodle Soup (top seller!), Thai Red Curry (Matt's fav), and Coconut Mango Sticky Rice. Order based on what you're feeling that day! Everything is honestly pretty amazing and you will not be disappointed.

3. THE INFINITE EXPERIENCE | @THEINFINITEONTOUR

You can now experience life in space through this mind-blowing immersive virtual reality and augmented reality experience! 🚀 In this 60-minute adventure, you'll get to explore a life-sized 3D modelized recreation of the International Space Station, envision what life in space is really like, and view the Earth in a unique cinematic virtual reality spacewalk.

Following the VR portion of the experience, you'll also get to witness an exclusive installation from world renowned Japanese artist Ryoji Ikeda. The entire experience is absolutely incredible and unlike anything we've ever experienced before. It’s only in Houston for a limited time, so check out their website for updates!

4. MACEO | @MACEOSPICE

Located in Galveston, Maceo is a spice import shop that’s been around since 1944! From the outside it doesn’t look like much, but when you go inside it’s the perfect little hole in the wall for sandwiches, soups, and apps! We tried a variety of the sandwich options, but they’re specifically known for their muffalettas, and it is OUT OF THIS WORLD (pictured on the left).

I will say, this is probably one of the best Italian sandwiches I’ve ever had! They have a quarter, half, and full option, and I got the half and it was more than enough.

5. LAO SZE CHUAN | @LAOSZECHUAN_KATY

Lao Sze Chuan is an award-winning Sichuan restaurant from Chicago that has made its way to Katy and Houston's very own Chinatown. I visited their Katy location for the peking duck (only available at the Katy location btw), and it was PHENOMENAL, along with all their other Sichuan dishes, naturally.

If you want some help ordering, we recommend: Half Peking Duck (perfect for 2 and it comes with Duck soup), Chef's Special Dry Chili Chicken 🌶, Boiled Sole Fish Fillet in Spicy Szechuan Sauce 🌶, Salted Egg Paste Tofu, Chengdu Style Dry Fried Green Beans, Xiao Long Bao

(Note: The items with the 🌶 above have Sichuan peppercorns in them. We can typically only handle mild spice and thought that the spice level was perfect for us, especially for Sichuan food! However, if you absolutely cannot handle spice, we would not recommend these dishes for you.) Overall, this is a delicious spot if you're looking to add a little spice ✨ to your palate!

Let us know if you try any of these spots out!