Theoretically, holidays are a time for relaxing, but it seems like there is usually at least one person in a household who spends most of them on their feet in the kitchen. This Thanksgiving might be the perfect opportunity to give that person the gift of time, whether they want to spend it chatting with guests or sitting in a comfy chair with a brunch cocktail and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV. Houston restaurants all over town will have any Thanksgiving dish you can think of ready to pick up, including side dishes, pies and, of course, the turkey. Don’t like turkey? There are options featuring wild game, beef tenderloin and more. Read on for all the options, and please take special note of the order deadlines, as some are coming very quickly.
Downtown/Midtown
At Brennan’s of Houston, the Thanksgiving to-go menu offers a variety of Creole and Cajun classics. Photo by Kimberly Park.
Brennan’s of Houston, 3300 Smith: As is tradition, this long-running Tex-Creole restaurant doesn’t offer meaty main Thanksgiving courses to go, but it does offer everything else: appetizers, sides and desserts. These include Haute Creole Gumbo, the famous turtle soup and sides such as Smoked Gouda & Andouille Mac & Cheese, braised greens and oyster dressing. Desserts include pecan pie, Creole Bread Pudding and, of course, Brennan’s Pralines, which your guests won’t be able to keep their hands off of! Schedule a pickup time online, and conveniently get your order curbside on Tuesday, November 26 or Wednesday, November 27. The deadline to order is Sunday, November 24.
East Houston
Support an important Houston charity and order your Thanksgiving dinner from the Houston Food Bank’s catering department. Courtesy photo.
Houston Food Bank, 535 Portwall: You can support an important charity in Houston, and secure a full meal for Thanksgiving, too — or even just a few dishes to add to your spread. The Houston Food Bank’s 535 Catering service offers all you need for a great Thanksgiving Day. View the online menu and place your order for items such as a complete Thanksgiving meal for four to six for $105 with your choice of sliced turkey, ham (add $20) or brisket (add $30), as well as turkey gravy, housemade cranberry sauce, six yeast rolls, two sides and a pie — choose apple, pecan, pumpkin or sweet potato. The menu is extensive and offers many individual dishes, too. The order deadline is Friday, November 22 — except for whole turkeys, which must be ordered by Wednesday, November 20. Pick up on Wednesday, November 27.
Mimo, 736 1/2 Telephone: This well-appointed Italian restaurant in the East End has elegant à la carte Thanksgiving dishes to go. Choose from a whole or half Roasted Lemon & Herb Turkey with root vegetables, Oven-Baked Skillet Bread with Herbs & Pecorino, Cherry & Almond Crostata and a dozen biscotti amaretto. To order and arrange your pickup time, call the restaurant at (713) 705-4426 between 5 and 9 p.m.
Galleria/Uptown
Pecan Vanilla Bourbon Pie, a Thanksgiving dessert option at Etoile. Courtesy Photo.
Étoile Cuisine et Bar, 1101-11 Uptown Park: You can opt to bring home an entire feast from chef and owner Philippe Verpiand’s lustrous French restaurant, or supplement your own with some elegant sides and desserts. The complete Thanksgiving dinner costs $245 — and that is quite a reasonable cost for a meal that serves from 10 to 12 people. It includes an organic, oven-roasted turkey, Cognac gravy, mashed potatoes, cranberry jam, stuffing, Brussels sprouts and green bean and mushroom casserole. Order just the turkey and Cognac gravy for $165, or both plus stuffing for $190. There’s also Leek & Mushroom Soup by the quart for $25 (serves 5), Maine lobster bisque for $35 and a pound of pork-and-duck pâté for $60, the signature foie gras au torchon for $120 (add a loaf of brioche for an additional $20). For dessert, the Pecan Vanilla Bourbon Pie is $38. If you want ALL THE THINGS, you can order the Thanksgiving dinner, two quarts of soup and the pie for $290. The order deadline is November 24; call (832) 668-5808 to place one.
The Houstonian’s Thanksgiving To Go feast. Photo by Steve Lee Photography.
The Houstonian, 111 North Post Oak: Place orders no later than Thursday, November 22 for a Thanksgiving meal from this acclaimed resort hotel. Each one serves four adults and includes a 12- to 14-pound whole herb-roasted turkey, orange-cranberry sauce and sage turkey gravy. The sides included are cornbread dressing, French green beans with caramelized shallots, Yukon Gold whipped potatoes and four of the delectable, signature Honey Butter Yeast Rolls. There’s also a pie; choose from Texas pecan, pumpkin or chocolate icebox. The cost is $199 plus a 20% service charge and sales tax. (You can even add on a gorgeous centerpiece from onsite florist Sage ’n’ Bloom.) Pick-ups are on Wednesday, November 27 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. Go online to order, or call (713) 812-6932.
The holiday pies are also available to order individually for $36. Each offers six servings and should be refrigerated after you get them home. (With the exception of the chocolate ice box pie, you should be able to get them out of the fridge and let them come up to temperature a few hours ahead of serving.) Orders must be placed by noon the day before pickup, and those are available after noon at TRIBUTE, The Houstonian’s onsite restaurant. Order from the onsite pastry shop online or send an email. If the pies are for gift-giving, include a note and The Houstonian will dress up the box with a bow.
Get a stylish Thanksgiving feast with numerous sides from Musaafer in the Galleria. Photo by Raydon Creative.
Musaafer, 5115 Westheimer in The Galleria: Order the Tandoori Turkey Feast, and you can tell your guests that they’re enjoying a Thanksgiving meal from a Michelin-starred restaurant. The Whole Tandoori Turkey Tray serves six and is made with baby potatoes, banana shallots and rainbow carrots. Alongside comes Makhini sauce, Truffled Cumin Potato Mash, Mushroom-Bacon Brussels Sprouts and more. The cost is $195 plus tax. The order deadline is quite generous — Wednesday, November 27. Call (713) 242-8087 to place yours and schedule pickup.
The Warwick, 5888 Westheimer: For Thanksgiving, this restaurant is offering three to-go packages that serve from 5 to 16 at costs ranging from $250 to $485. (A catering option is also available.) The entrée choices are deep-fried turkey, Hawaiian Glazed Ham, and brisket. To go alongside, choose from selections such as Garlic Truffle Mashed Potatoes, Poblano Mac & Cheese and Southern Style Green Beans. For dessert, choose from carrot cake or Caramel Bread Pudding. To place an order, go to the online form, select your preferred pickup date and time and the package you prefer. The deadline to order is Saturday, November 23, and pickups are on Wednesday, November 27 between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. or on Thanksgiving Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Greenway/Upper Kirby
The Mile High Limoncello Pie at Tony’s. Courtesy photo.
Tony’s, 9 Greenway Plaza: If you’re not a “turkey person”, this restaurant, long known as one of Houston’s most elegant and helmed by the late Tony Vallone’s longtime protégé, chef Kate McLean, has a great alternative. It is offering beef tenderloin accompanied by a quart of horseradish cream and two packages of housemade yeast rolls that serves from 8 to 10 for $350. You can also get sides such as mashed potatoes, Italian green beans and cheese enchiladas, and desserts like pumpkin or apple pie. There are a few unique desserts — Limoncello Pie and Praline Cheesecake — with a shorter order deadline. To get these, you’ll need to make your selection by this Sunday, November 24. The full Thanksgiving to-go menu is available online. To order, send an email or call (713) 622-6778, and the restaurant will send you the order form to fill out and return. The ordering deadline is Sunday, November 24 at 5 p.m., and pickups are from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 27.
Lazy Brook/Timbergrove
Place Thanksgiving orders for turkeys, beef, bison, venison, lamb more from Rainbow Lodge. Courtesy photo.
Rainbow Lodge, 2011 Ella: This over 100-year-old log cabin is a beautiful venue for dining in, but its Thanksgiving to-go offers are also very popular. The main dishes include unique offerings such as bison tenderloin, Texas quail and Dijon and Herb Rack of Lamb, but if you just want a whole cooked turkey, they have that, too. You can order turkeys hot or chilled with reheat instructions, and they serve from 8 to 12. Thanksgiving sides to go include French green beans, Southern-Style Cornbread Dressing, croissant bread pudding and Pumpkin Praline Pie. The complete menu is available to view online.
In addition, Rainbow Lodge’s annual Thanksgiving Snack Packs will be available, too. Owner Donnette Hansen says the restaurant sells hundreds of these every year, so preorders are strongly recommended. Each snack pack contains just enough turkey, gravy and dressing for a Thanksgiving sandwich. Order these and all the other Thanksgiving dishes by calling (713) 861-8666 at least 48 hours in advance of pickup. A limited number of pickups are available November 26 through 28.
Montrose
The Thanksgiving Family Feast at Hugo’s restaurant in Houston. Courtesy photo.
Hugo’s, 1602 Westheimer: This quintessential Houston restaurant is offering a family feast with feisty flavors that feeds eight for $325. For the main course, select either Pineapple & Habanero Spiral Ham or roasted turkey breast and gravy. The sides include the delectable roasted sweet potatoes with condensed milk, corn pudding and Roasted Red Bliss Papas Bravas, and choose either pumpkin cheesecake or tres leches cake for dessert. Most items are also available to order individually in quantity. Visit the website to order, and note that you’ll need to pick up on Wednesday, November 27 between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m., as Hugo’s is closed on Thanksgiving Day.
The Woodlands
Amrina, 3 Waterway Square: This posh Indian restaurant featuring talented chef Jassi Bindra is offering a Royal Thanksgiving Feast that feeds up to eight people. The main course is a 10- to 12-pound, fully cooked, humanely raised and vegetarian-fed Green Circle whole roast turkey accented with an Old Monk Rum glaze. You can order the turkey without the sides for $200 plus tax, or the sides without the turkey for $150 plus tax. Call (832) 405-9221 to order and ask for Raul. Amrina is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
Multiple Locations
BB’s Tex-Orleans: Spice up your table with a Cajun-style turkey (and skip the danger and mess of deep-frying in a big vat of oil in the backyard, too). All BB’s Tex-Orleans locations are offering two types of turkeys to go: Cajun fried for $74.99 and Boudin Stuffed for $84.99, and there’s also a Cajun Fried Honey Glazed Ham for $14.99 per pound. Side dish selections include Cajun rice dressing, giblet gravy, Sweet Potatoes with Coffee Cream and Mashed Potatoes with Cajun Cream Gravy. You can view the full menu online. The deadline for Thanksgiving pickup orders is at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, November 26. A minimum of 24 hours’ notice is required, and prices don’t include tax. Delivery is available at an extra charge for orders of $200 or more.
Goode Company: The order deadline for this respected group of restaurants is coming up very quickly on Thursday, November 21. The Thanksgiving meal kits serve from six to eight, cost $230 and feature either a mesquite-smoked turkey breast or a whole, mesquite-smoked turkey. There are several sides that come alongside, too, including Sausage and Pecan Bread Stuffing, Sweet Potato Gratin with Pecan Streusel and old-school green bean casserole. Of course, the meal wouldn’t be complete without Goode Company’s famous Brazos Bottom Pecan Pie, so that’s included, too. Dishes are also available à la carte. Go online to place your order. Pickups will be available at several Goode Company restaurants around town on Tuesday, November 26 and Wednesday, November 27 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Beef Rendang Wellington from Phat Eatery. Photo by Kimberly Park.
Phat Eatery, 23119 Colonial Parkway, Katy and 2290 Buckthorne Place, The Woodlands: It is nothing short of heart-rending that this is the first Thanksgiving that Phat Eatery founder (and one of my dearest friends) Alex Au-Yeung isn’t with us. Fortunately, his protégés Kevin Lee and Marvin He are carrying on with his work — and that includes producing the Beef Rendang Wellingtons that have become a must-have for many people’s Thanksgiving tables. (Isn’t it a wonderful thing that a Malaysian take on a European-influenced dish is such a popular favorite in one of Texas’s biggest cities? It’s this type of phenomenon that makes life in the Houston area such a rich experience.) The Beef Rendang Wellington feeds 6 to 8 and costs $52, but there’s also an option to get an entire Thanksgiving feast. Ordering it adds on a four-pound, honey-glazed turkey breast, Malaysian Seafood Fried Rice, Garlic Stir-Fried Green Beans, lobster bisque, whipped Idaho potatoes, Ginger Japanese Sake Cranberry Sauce and turkey gravy. Orders must be placed online by Sunday, November 24 and picked up on Thanksgiving Day, November 28 between either 11 a.m. and noon or 4 and 5 p.m.
The Union Kitchen: There are two Thanksgiving to-go dinner packages with different main course options. One includes both a Cajun-style smoked turkey breast and a honey-glazed ham, which can ordered in sizes that serve from 4 to 12 people and range in price from $125 to $375 plus tax. The other features a prime rib roast and serves six for $239 plus tax. The side dish choices include cranberry sauce, Roasted Poblano & Cheddar Mashed Potatoes, Garlic Butter Brussels Sprouts, and Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese. For desserts, choose from among pumpkin pie, pecan pie or white chocolate bread pudding. Orders must be placed by Sunday, November 24, and pickups are between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 27. To order, call The Union Kitchen location of your choice.
Phaedra Cook has written about Houston’s restaurant and bar scene since 2010. She was a regular contributor to My Table magazine (now closed) and was the lead restaurant critic for the Houston Press for two years, eventually being promoted to food editor. Cook founded Houston Food Finder in November 2016 and has been its editor and publisher ever since.
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