9 Must-Try League City Restaurants | The Best League City, Texas Restaurants

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Who would have thought that small town League City, sandwiched between the United States’ fourth-largest city, Houston, and the beachside retreat town of Galveston, would surprise you with such an abundance of choice and flavor? If you live here, you already know some of these great places, but I’d guess not all of them.  If you’re visiting, you could go to one of the typical chain restaurants in town, but what better time to try these foodie gems that even some of the locals don’t know about?  So here we go, with a listing of some of the best restaurants in League City, TX.

When I am asked about choices for eating out, I have a hard time narrowing it to just a couple.  It depends on if you want cozy and upscale, homey and huge portions, something with a little Thai or Mexican pepper, or something familiar, quick, and satisfying.  There are restaurants to satisfy every palate. Here are some of my favorites.

Not in the mood to go out to eat tonight? Click here to have Grubhub deliver directly from the best restaurants in town to your doorstep. 

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9 Must-Try League City Restaurants

Red Oak Cafe

611 W Main Street // (832) 905-3150

This is home-style comfort food at its very best!  My favorite breakfasts here are the BERTA – an open-faced sandwich on toasted rustic bread topped with bacon, egg, roasted tomatoes, and avocado, and the Kitchen Sink Quesadilla which combines eggs, veggies, and meats in yummy goodness in a toasted flour tortilla – served with a choice of hash-browns or grits, and a side of salsa.

They have other breakfast sandwiches – and even gluten-free bread for those needing GF options.  And delicious, bottomless house or pecan coffee (actually coffee, lemonade, tea, and Coke products are all bottomless) to keep you caffeinated and hydrated.

For lunch, warm up with a few more local favorites –  Top Hand Frito Pie, the Pecos Bacon Mac-N-Cheese, or the King Ranch Casserole.  If you still have room for dessert my advice is to order the “Famous Banana Pudding”.  If you don’t have room, take some to go – you won’t be sorry.  

For a true taste of Texas, Red Oak is one of League City’s best restaurants.

Pro Tips:  Weekends can be very busy, with a fairly long wait.  Skip the lines and plan for breakfast or lunch on a weekday instead. They’ve recently opened a new location at 1200 Bypass 35 North, Alvin, 77511, (281) 968-7621 (about twenty minutes away).

La India Bonita

213 E Main Street // (281) 557-1710

If you are not careful, you might drive right by this restaurant the first time you come here.  It’s located on a small triangular spit of property between Main Street and Magnolia Ave on the back.   

This is not a fancy place.  You won’t get china, cloth napkins, pull up chairs, or at-table ordering.  The decor is a smattering of “old barn meets country kitsch”, but it is fun and interesting.  What you will get is the best real Mexican food around, for a very affordable price!  It’s family-owned and open daily for breakfast and lunch only. 

Some of the most popular things on the menu are the Menudo, the Barbacoa (a silky, tasty concoction of tender stewed beef), and the Daily Specials ranging from Migas to Carne Guisada plates – with refried beans and Spanish rice. 

My favorites are the simple breakfast tacos (which you can get filled with your choice of eggs, beans, potatoes, meat, and cheese), the desebrada (shredded beef) burrito or taco, and the Carnitas/Pastor (pork chunks) just about any way they serve them. 

The very best part about this place is the free charro beans at the self-service condiment bar in the back of the restaurant. The beans are always hot, plentiful, and so tasty. You can “kick them up a notch” as Emeril might say, by adding the complimentary salsa, sauces, pico, or fresh jalapeno.  Note of caution: the salsas are both spicy hot – taste them first before dousing your food. 

In an area noted for fine Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants, this is a don’t miss restaurant in League City.  

Pro Tips: They accept only cash, so come prepared, or use the ATM found in the restaurant.  If you are looking for a vegan – don’t eat the free Charro Beans, they have meat in them.  Instead order the refried beans in a taco, burrito, chalupa…you pick, then load up on the free condiment bar lettuce, tomato, pico, and salsa.

Stomp’s Burger Joint

300 W. Bay Area Blvd. // (832) 220-3335

Technically, this location is in Webster, but close enough that I am claiming it. This place seriously competes with the “5 Guys Burgers and Fries” chain burgers, and it is not a chain restaurant.  

Spartan and clean, the ambiance of Stomp’s is not much to write home about, but you’ll be talking about the burgers for days afterward! 

Their basic patty is a half-pound of beef, and if you can’t find what you want on one of their menu items, they will happily change it up for you. They offer soy, black bean, turkey, and buffalo as some alternative options if you are not a cow-beef eater.

My favorite is the Jezzebelle Burger – a gorgeous, beefy wonder with a slightly grill-charred crust, a slather of cream cheese, topped with raspberry chipotle sauce, served with lettuce, all on a soft bun. (You can get an extra patty for $3.00 more but that’s a pound of beef!).

When orders arrived, the first comment I heard was, “They need to give us bigger plates!”  

You can share a “Half-and-Half” order of onion rings and your choice of the type of fries, including sweet potato. Their fried pickles and jalapenos are also very tasty, but for something a little different, try the Texas Rattlesnake Eggs – a combination of cream cheese, bacon, and jalapenos, served with a side of Ranch.

Or for fun try their “Stomperado Challenge” – almost two-and-a-half pounds of burger, Philly meat, bacon, sausage, cheese, condiments of your choice, and topped with chili cheese fries and onion rings!  Finish it all and get a commemorative T-Shirt – and maybe a bellyache.

Pro Tip: When you are in the mood for a good burger and something quick, Stomps is a great choice.  With kid’s meal deals about $6 including fries and a drink, you can eat fresh, fast, delicious food here for less than a normal fast-food chain restaurant.  So get your cowboy boots on and Stomp your way into one of the best casual restaurants in League City.

Thai Stellar

1720 FM646, Unit C // (832) 284-4098       

This is a laid-back kind of place that reminds me of some of the quick-food restaurants in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  Although this location is newer and more contemporary-looking, the result is still not relaxed with black walls, chalk drawings, and pendulum lights. 

Not an extensive menu, there are still a wide variety of choices – fresh salads, noodle soups, and clear broths, and seven types of curry – giving you options of fresh ingredients and spice level (from level 1, not spicy to level 5, very spicy). 

Even though I vow each time to try something new, I find myself gravitating towards my favorites again and again – either the Chicken Satay or Steamed Thai Dumplings to start and the Pork Panang Curry or Drunken Noodles as the main. You will have enough left over for another meal or two at home. 

According to other diners, you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu. If you are looking for a little Asian Fusion with a Thai influence, Thai Stellar is a “must-try” restaurant in League City. 

Pro Tip:  If you are coming for lunch and have a time constraint, come early.  This is a very popular lunch place and it fills up quickly at noon. Thai Stellar is closed on Monday’s.

The Rouxpour

700 Baybrook Mall Dr, Suite H100 // (281) 480-4052

Having married into a Louisiana family, I know there are not many things that Cajuns love more than family and good food, and if you can put those things together, you will definitely “Laissez Le Bon Temps Roulez!” (Let the Good Times Roll!). 

The Rouxpour is one of those places where you will feel like family – the ambiance is vibrant and comfortable, like an old New Orleans warehouse, and the food is familiar and yet inventive. The Houston-based owners have used New Orleans as their muse for this restaurant.

The Tastings Menu at lunch offers choices of two or three picks from delicious favorites such as gumbo, seafood bisques, salad, or a small PoBoy (Louisiana “sandwich” on divine bread). 

My favorite lunch item is the Creamy Pasta Rouxpour with blackened shrimp. It is comfort food, with a little kick, on a plate. The dinner crowd comes for the Chargrilled Oyster starters – choose from six kinds of preparations, try a combo plate, or on-the-half-shell.

Look into the Bayou Pork Ribeye, which is actually two pork ribeyes with a piquant sauce of jalapenos, crawfish, and cheese – this is great to share, or take half home for another meal.  Brunch on Saturday and Sunday have delicious egg dishes, many in creamy seafood sauces. 

ProTip: Go with friends, order a few different items, and share tastings.  Throw out your diet rules and bring your appetite! Try the Cajun Deviled Eggs and Shrimp Etouffee Pistolettes for appetizers and Beignets for dessert.  If you are looking for a taste of Louisiana in a League City restaurant, The Rouxpour is one of the best restaurants here.  

King’s BierHaus

828 W FM646 // (832) 820-8264

On a crisp fall or spring day, what’s better than heading to an outdoor Biergarten to enjoy food, friends, and flavorful beverages?

King’s BierHaus (one of four locations in the Houston metro area, including King’s BierGarten) is the place to go for your fix of German/Bavarian food with your half-liter of Signature Draft beer ($5).

They serve all the traditional favorites – sausages, potatoes, sauerkraut, and cabbage in tasty combinations – you can also walk on the wild side with the more adventurous sausage offerings of alligator, rabbit, rattlesnake, elk, and wild boar.  Add a side of spaetzle and gravy, sit back, and enjoy the sunshine.

Go on weekends when they have live bands or their month-long Oktoberfest Celebration with weekly specials.

King’s also offers sampler platters with brats, kasewurst, and spicy kielbasa or the “American” version including fried pickles, pretzel bites, bratwurst, polish sausage, sauerkraut, and bier cheese sauce, if you cannot choose just one thing.

ProTip: Mondays are “half-off Pork Shank” days!  Add a pretzel or poppy seed Hawaiian bun, a beer or Almdudler (an Austrian carbonated apple soda) and call it a day well spent. “Prost”! You can also find live music Friday and Saturday evenings. Try King’s if you are looking for a great place to eat in League City.  

Mornings Kolache

Multiple Locations

Texans love their take-and-eat breakfasts and League City is no exception. 

Two of the most popular breakfast choices are tacos (which you can find from local taquerias to fast-food places like McDonald’s).  The best breakfast tacos (or burritos) can be found at Juan Big Burrito and, of course, La India Bonita (highlighted above). 

The second, but by no means less popular choice, is kolaches.  Yes, this is historically a Bohemian food, but the Texans have adopted it fully, given it a twist, and made it their own. 

You can find more traditional selections with fillings such as apricot or cream cheese (my favorite), and more local selections such as jalapeno, sausage, cheddar, boudin (a Cajun-type sausage), or ranchero (egg mixed with Mexican ingredients). 

You will find these bundles of soft, warm, bready goodness at almost any local donut shop; however, my vote is for Mornings Kolaches as the best (and, purely in the name of research, mind you, I have sampled more than my fair share)! It’s a Texan thing…. And you will love it!

Pro Tip:  My only tip on these is to pace yourself.  Fresh-from-the-oven and you will find yourself having eaten three or four before you know it!  Oh, and maybe try the luscious Cinnamon Roll. You’re welcome. Mornings Kolache is closed on Sundays, but visit this League City restaurant for a Texas treat.  

Lilly Seafood

3003 E League City Parkway // (281) 339-7449

As this is the Gulf Coast, there are many seafood restaurants, of varying quality, in the area. However, there are not many places around that still serve fresh seafood that is also affordable.

Thankfully, Lilly Seafood does.

This is a local seafood “joint” and the menu shows this with the requisite choices of burgers and po’boys (Cajun sandwiches usually filled with fried seafood), salads, gumbo, and a few Thai dishes (a nod to the owner’s background), but the highlight here is the seafood plates and combos. 

There are daily grilled specials, but honestly, if I’m going to Lilly’s, I’m going for the fried seafood. Always fresh, they serve up mostly gulf seafood in massive quantities, with fries and hushpuppies. You can add a side or two of coleslaw, baked potato, fried corn, or cajun rice to fill out the meal, but it’s not necessary as the portion sizes are large.

The Family Combo Meals are an excellent value and can easily serve families or groups of four to eight people, often with leftovers.  

Pro Tip:  In a time crunch and wondering what to serve for dinner?  Call in your order for take-out and they will have it ready for you in about fifteen to twenty minutes.  Problem solved! Lilly Seafood is closed on Sundays. For a seafood restaurant in League City, Lilly’s is the place.  

Red River Bar-B-Que & Grill

1911 E Main Street, Ste B // (281) 332-8086

When you think of Texas foods, no doubt some smoked brisket and some type of barbeque will be on the list. 

Barbeque is a personal-taste food. Some people like hot, spicy sauce. Some like a sweeter taste. And some like things like vinegar or mustard as the base for the sauce. 

In my opinion, Red River has the perfect sauce – it is spicy, but not hot and has a hint of sweetness to bring out the tangy.

You can choose from sausages, pulled pork, chicken, brisket, or ribs. My favorites are the half-chicken, jalapeno sausage, and pork ribs.  You can also buy any of the meats by-the-pound or in Family Packs for meals at home.

If you are not in the mood for barbeque, there are numerous other choices like burgers and po’boy sandwiches, salads, and grilled steaks, seafood, or chicken. Come for lunch or dinner for daily specials. I have never had room after my meal, but there are always seven or eight scrumptious-looking desserts to be tried if you can manage it.

Pro Tip: Try the Triple Threat Sandwich with pulled pork, peppered bacon, jalapeno sausage, topped with cheddar cheese, on a jalapeno cheese bun.  Decadent, but worth it.  With all this variety and exceptional quality, Red River is a must-try restaurant in League City.

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Which of these League City Restaurants do you most want to try? Let me know in the comments section below!