Houston is the kind of city where you can find foods that sound unfamiliar before you even take the first bite. Some use ingredients that people may not normally order, while others combine flavors and cooking styles in ways that seem surprising at first. But the city’s mix of cultures means there is always something new to discover. If you are willing to look beyond the usual menu choices, these dishes can make your Houston food trip much more interesting. Here are six strange-sounding foods worth giving a chance.
Chapulines – Xochi
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Eating grasshoppers may sound like a challenge, but chapulines are a traditional snack in Oaxaca and are served as part of the food culture rather than simply as a novelty. At Xochi, the toasted grasshoppers are seasoned and served as part of the restaurant’s Oaxacan menu. They have a crunchy texture and savory, seasoned flavor that can be quite different from what people expect. For adventurous diners, it is an easy way to try something unfamiliar while exploring Oaxacan cuisine.
Whole Steamed Fish – Fung’s Kitchen
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A whole fish arriving at the table with its head, tail, and bones still attached can definitely be surprising. At Fung’s Kitchen, steamed whole fish is prepared with ginger, scallions, soy sauce, and hot oil, allowing the freshness of the fish to stand out. Instead of seeing the bones as a problem, the dish is meant to be enjoyed directly from the fish. The restaurant can also help diners who are not familiar with eating a whole fish.
Chapulín Tacos – A Different Take on Tacos
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Chapulines do not have to be eaten on their own. In Mexican cooking, the crunchy seasoned grasshoppers can also be used as a topping or filling for dishes such as tacos. The combination of corn tortillas, chile, lime, and toasted insects gives the dish a salty, crunchy texture that is very different from the usual beef or chicken taco. It is one of those foods that sounds much stranger than it actually tastes and shows how much variety exists within Houston’s Mexican food scene.
Chicken Skin Skewers – Tiger Den
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Chicken skin might not sound like a complete dish, but grilled chicken skin skewers can be surprisingly satisfying. At Tiger Den, the skewers are cooked until the skin becomes crisp and are served with seasonings that add extra savory flavor. The texture is closer to a crunchy snack than the soft chicken skin people might expect. Houstonia also recommends the chicken skin alongside Tiger Den’s chicken heart and gizzard skewers.
Chapulines and Other Unexpected Bites – Houston’s Oaxacan Food Scene
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Houston’s Oaxacan restaurants offer plenty of opportunities to try ingredients that may not appear on a typical American menu. Beyond chapulines, diners can encounter dishes built around ingredients such as huitlacoche, mole, cactus, and different preparations of corn and chiles. These foods can sound unfamiliar when you first read the menu, but they are connected to long-standing Mexican culinary traditions. For travelers who want to eat their way through Houston’s international food scene, this is a good excuse to order something you have never tried before.
Some of Houston’s most interesting foods are the ones that make you stop and read the menu twice. Chapulines, century egg, whole steamed fish, and crispy chicken skin may sound unusual, but they each come from established food traditions rather than being strange just for the sake of being strange. Trying these dishes is also a fun way to discover Houston’s Mexican, Oaxacan, and Asian communities through food. If you are feeling adventurous, skip the familiar order once in a while and try something you cannot immediately guess the flavor of.