Houston’s 17 Best Restaurants For Valentine’s Day — From Fine Dining Feasts to Affordable Romance

The fact that Valentine’s Day takes place on a Monday this year might have thrown a kink into the fantasy dinner plans for many a Romeo and Casanova. But worry not lover boys and lover ladies. Most of Houston’s romantic restaurants that are typically closed on Monday are making special arrangements to serve those seeking a special evening on February 14.

Restaurants that are not typically closed on Mondays are also offering up a variety of Valentine’s Day special menus. Participating restaurants range from the top of Houston fine dining spots to tasty affordable restaurants.

If you don’t see your favorite restaurant listed here, give them a call or check out their website. No matter where you go, reserve early as Valentine’s Day is typically one of the busiest restaurant days of the year. Even if it’s on a Monday.

Here are the Best Houston Restaurants for Valentine’s Day:

Liberty Kitchen & Oysterette

Both the River Oaks and Memorial Liberty Kitchens are celebrating Valentine’s Day by including a glass of Moet & Chandon with each course. Bonus: The three-course special menu will be available Friday, February 11 through Monday, February 14.

Diners can enjoy, for example, lobster bisque paired with Moet & Chandon Rosé Imperial Brut, filet with seared foie gras paired with Moet & Chandon Imperial Brut and chocolate covered strawberries and chocolate truffles with Moet & Chandon Nectar Imperial. The Valentine’s meal costs $175 per couple and as with all prices included in this article, taxes and tip are extra.

This romantic evening concludes at Liberty with a split of Ruffino Prosecco and a box of chocolates.

Turner’s

You simply cannot get any more romantic than Berg Hospitality Group’s intimate bôite tucked just beneath The Annie Cafe. So, of course, the clever Ben Berg would open the doors on Sunday and Monday, days that Turner’s is ordinarily closed.

Diners can expect the regular dinner menu along with musical entertainment and the opportunity to pony up extra for a lavish bouquet on your table. Diners can pre-order (no less than 48 hours) an $80 medium sized bouquet or a $180 large arrangement, which will be waiting on their table upon arrival. A $50 entertainment fee will be added to each bill.

Tony’s

Talented chef Kate McLean will be at the helm when Tony’s, typically closed on Monday, offers two seatings on February 14 for a four course feast as well as a three course dinner to-go for two. The early bird 5:30 pm seating is $110 per person while the 7:45 pm dinner is $155 per person. For those wishing to bump up the culinary romance, extras such as caviar, truffle dishes and Dover sole as well as sides are available for a supplement.

The options for all three menus include Tony’s classic bolognese bianco, Chef Kate’s spaghetti marechiaro with mussels, poached lobster and truffled prime filet. A dessert trio closes out the menu — zeppole, passion fruit cheesecake, and Valrhona crunch. The elegant, three-course dinner runs $150 per couple.

Brennan’s of Houston

You can’t beat the New Orleans French Quarter-style romance of Brennan’s, which is usually closed on Mondays, but open for this Valentine’s Day. The special three-course menu brings an abundance of offerings, including favorites such as turtle soup, Gulf fish Pontchatrain, and bananas foster. The cost is $85 per person.

Expanding the festive atmosphere will be the roving Vincent Gross Jazz Trio and a festive balloon wall for snapping Instagram shots and making TikTok videos. Valentine’s Day hours will be 11 am to 2 pm and 5:30 to 9 pm.

Thirteen Restaurant by James Harden

The NBA star’s fine dining restaurant in Midtown, typically closed on Mondays, opens at 4 pm on February 14 launching an elevated Valentine’s prix fixe menu that is about as elegant as you can get. Among the appetizer choices are fried oysters, served on a half shell and topped with roasted dill onion jam and Thirteen’s popular lobster & shrimp mac & cheese egg rolls served with crawfish cream sauce.

You won’t exit hungry as the entree choice is a 38-ounce dry aged tomahawk steak for two, a deep fried whole red snapper for two, and double-boned New Zealand lamb chops, each with sides included. Desserts are chocolate centric and all guests will receive a Valentine’s Day chocolate truffle. Cost: $300 per couple.

B&B Butchers & Restaurant (To-Go)

For those who prefer to celebrate Valentine’s Day at home in their Turnbull & Asser smoking jackets and La Perla silks, the butcher shop at the popular steakhouse has a to-go package that is just the ticket. The three-course menu includes a choice of two appetizers, an entree, two sides and dessert.

The entrees and select appetizers are raw and ready-to-cook/season and come with cooking instructions while the remainder of the appetizer options and sides are ready-to-reheat. Consider the shrimp cocktail, beef Wellington with B&B mac ‘n cheese and Brussels sprouts followed by a “festive V-day cake” for two. You can also add wine to the $195 package. It’s $80 for Crystal by Waugh Brut Rosé or $135 for Heitz Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon. Don’t delay as this package must be ordered at least 48 hours in advance by calling 832-767-4828.

Bucca di Beppo

This casual Italian restaurant, complete with red and white checked tablecloths, takes the prize for the most creative salute to Valentine’s Day dining with a heart-shaped lasagna. Think towering layers of meat sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, provolone and parmesan. The $59.99 for two special comes with small salad, garlic bread and mini chocolate chip cannoli for two

Nobu

The pioneering Japanese cuisine of this Galleria restaurant will be spotlighted for Valentine’s Day with an exclusive omakase menu. Expect a snow crab umami gelé and tuna tataki salad, a Nobu sashimi tasting, the chef’s sushi selection, plus lobster Inaniwa pasta, grilled A5 Wagyu, and for dessert rose water mousse cake. Cost for the feast is $175 per person.

Étoile Cuisine et Bar

If French is the language of love, this Uptown Park restaurant could be your ticket to true romance with a special Valentine’s Day menu that runs Friday, February 11 through Monday, February 14. The four-course menu includes a variety of selections from the popular restaurant’s regular menu and a special dessert for the ladies, a pistachio floating island, and for the gents, a dressed chocolate mousse. The $85 dinner service begins at 6 pm.

Caracol

Hugo Ortego’s coastal Mexican-inspired seafood restaurant brings a Latin twist to Valentine’s Day celebrations with a couples menu ($120 per couple) served on Friday, February 11 and Saturday, February 12 and a !Feliz Dia de San Valentin! celebration dinner ($85 per person) served on Monday. February 14.

View the couples menu here and the Valentine’s Day menu here. Both are loaded with options from Caracol’s popular menu.

Uchi

For sushi fans, Montrose’s Uchi is rolling out an 11-course omakase dinner for Valentine’s Day. The omakase menu is designed for two and priced at $250. Highlights include oysters, tuna, lobster, duck and dessert.

Brasserie 19

In addition to the traditional menu (don’t miss the East Coast raw oysters) on Valentine’s Day, Brasserie 19 will feature decadent specials like jumbo asparagus and burrata dressed with black truffle vinaigrette; Prime NY strip with smoked onion soubise and roasted mushrooms; seared scallop and jumbo shrimp over black forbidden rice; roast breast of duck with roasted beet and carrot, preserved lemon, spiced jus; and a macaron filled with white chocolate mousse and raspberry jam, big enough to share.

Chef/restaurateur Charles Clark will be there to offer a spirited welcome and suggest you pair your dinner with one of his “funky” wine choices: 2008 Henri Goutorbe Brut Grand Cru Champagne or a 2014 Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion.

Crú Food & Wine Bar

Service of Cru’s four-course prix fixe menu begins at 4 pm on Valentine’s Day with servings of lobster bisque topped with a lobster corn fritter. The $60 per person menu continues with a choice of a Maine lobster risotto, prosciutto wrapped jumbo shrimp, braised short rib potstickers with entree choices of  filet mignon, rosemary crusted rack of lamb or Alaskan halibut. The dessert choice is between raspberry and vanilla crème brûlée or molten chocolate cake.

Pier 6 Seafood & Oyster House

San Leon’s premier seaside restaurant will be open on February 14 (Pier 6 is usually closed on Mondays) beginning at 11 am. In addition to a special menu and cotton candy cocktails, Valentine’s Day diners will be greeted with a balloon wall backdrop to snap photos, fresh flower centerpieces and the opportunity to pre-order bouquets from nearby Robin’s florist.

The a la carte menu includes strawberry and lime oysters, hamachi crudo, crab-stuffed lobster and filet rossini (topped with Hudson Valley foie gras and black truffles). Dessert included. If you ordered the most expensive items on the a la carte menu, the total could run around $85.

Brenner’s on the Bayou

The inherent romance of the former hunting lodge on the banks of Buffalo Bayou makes it an ideal spot for courting your Valentine. To accommodate, the Landry’s restaurant is offering its regular menu but also a February 14 four-course special dinner, priced at $99 per person. There are three bountiful choices among the first courses and a choice of two desserts.

Sister restaurant Brenner’s Steakhouse in Memorial has a set Valentine’s Day menu, priced at $199 per couple — a 14-ounce chateaubriand with sides,  a strawberry cheesecake dessert and two glasses of The Lost Chapters Cabernet Sauvignon.

Backstreet Cafe

Romance cannot be denied in this charming River Oaks mainstay with its romantic patio, fireplaces and cozy tables. For lovers and the love-lorn the Backstreet team has whipped up two heartwarming menus — the Valentine’s Couples menu ($120 per couple) available on February 11 and 12 and the Valentine’s Day Dinner menu, $85 per person, on February 14. Both include oyster dishes, long recognized as an aphrodisiac.

Musaafer

This highly lauded Indian restaurant in the Galleria adds spice to Valentine’s Day celebrations with a seven-course tasting menu that includes paneer with dhaniya gravy, aswagandha, gokshura and shilajit, and vegetarian biryani nigiri with shishito pepper, mango, trumpet and mushroom oyster raita.

There are two seatings, priced at $150 per person, at 6 pm and 9 pm. An abbreviated five-course menu ($120) is available for lunch beginning at noon.