A Food & Art Sunday in Houston's Montrose District

Sunday reading

For years my friends would wake up on a Sunday and order breakfast tacos from La Mexicana to pick up, but older, wiser me knows that spending a slow morning over coffee, chips and salsa, and a bacon egg taco at one of their beautifully tiled tables out on the front patio is the way to do it. Sections of the Sunday paper are often strewn about the benches leading to the front door, so linger over pages with the hum of the crowd and tinkling of the outdoor fountain.

Sunday (drag) brunch

Meander your way down Fairview a couple blocks to Boheme. If you've made reservations, join the 11:30 or 2:30 drag brunch (**adult content!**) for cocktails and, yes, brunch! This old house rambles with character and if you can't find friends, you'll need to check all the surrounding patios until you do.

Sunday (art) worship

Now you'll need to walk through the leafy neighborhood for an afternoon break from food and drink. A half-hour walk (six minutes by car) gets you to the Rothko Chapel. If you've seen Mark Rothko's works before, you haven't seen them like this. The chapel sits in a grassy park, and if it's sunny outside, the darkness will take a moment to adjust to after entering. The scale of these near black to purple to eggplant aubergine navy canvases indeed invokes a stillness and meditation-like worship when viewed from the small space.

Dinner: Uchi Houston

After a day of lingering in the neighborhood, it could seem daunting to decipher and choose from the Japanese flavors on offer at Uchi Houston. Fear not, because I promise you cannot go astray by trusting your impeccable server to choose for you. Asking for the omakase (or chef's choice) opens up the wonders of that day's menu and the delight of a free mind to just enjoy the thoughtful course presentations. I do usually make sure the Hama chili and the hot rock are included, and although the fried milk is the go-to dessert, there are often sorbets or seasonal new surprises to end the experience.

Other options

Houston is an incredibly diverse, sprawling city with deep ethnic twists on every kind of food imaginable. Nearby are two more standout spots (and 2025 Michelin Bib Gourmands): The Pit Room, for Texas barbecue that's open through dinner so there are none of those pesky BBQ lines, and ChòpnBlok for fast casual West African food.