Toast to New Year’s Eve eats & New Year’s Day brunch cures at restaurants in Houston

Start your New Year's Day with a bowl of pozole at Ninfa's | Photo: Becca Wright; courtesy of Original Ninfa's

Updated Wednesday, January 28, 2022 at 7:34pm

Start your year on a good foot with our picks for dine-in and to-go menus on New Year’s Eve, Saturday, December 31 and New Year’s Day, Sunday, January 1, 2023.

Whether you want to send off 2022 with a bang, or you need to find a hangover cure on the first day of 2023, some of Houston’s tastiest eateries will offer both with New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day special menus, live music, performances and more.

Here’s a quick look at some of the delicious dine-in and to-go options to close out 2022 and welcome 2023 around Houston.

New Year’s Eve Dinners in Houston

Diners eat on the upstairs patio of a restaurant, overlooking the Downtown skyline
B&B Butcher’s on Washington hosts a dinner and New Year’s Eve party on the upstairs patio | Courtesy of B&B Butcher’s

New Year’s Eve, Saturday, December 31, 2022

  • New Year’s Eve Dinner at Historic Hill House & Farm – Ring in 2023 at this Willis restaurant, offering a special celebratory, multi-course dinner. $95 per person. 4pm to 9pm.
  • New Year’s Dinner at Etoile – The Uptown Park restaurant offers two seatings on New Year’s Eve, with a three-course menu beginning at 5pm and a four-course menu that kicks off at 6:30pm, plus you can stick around for a midnight Champagne toast. Reservations required. $78 and up. 5pm to 6:15pm; 6:30pm to midnight.
  • New Year’s Eve Dinner at GJ Tavern – Chef Tim Reading has crafted an exquisite six-course dinner at this posh Downtown spot. Two seating times are available and the menu includes items such as Gulf fish ceviche, lobster ravioli and braised shortribs. $100 and up. 5pm to 8pm; 9pm to midnight.
  • New Year’s Bash at B&B Butchers – Head to this Washington Avenue favorite for a feast to ring in the new year. Live music is slated downstairs beginning at 7pm, and a DJ continues the party on the upstairs patio at 10pm. Pricing varies by menu selections. 5pm to 1am.
  • New Year’s Eve: A Black Tie Affair at Turner’s – The Post Oak dining spot rings in the new year with pianist Thomas Cokinos alongside a delicious dinner menu and New Year’s Eve–inspired specials. Menu prices vary; entertainment charges of $50 for the early seating; $125 for the late seating. 6pm and 9:15pm.
  • A Rat Pack New Year’s Eve at Café Annie & Bar – The sophisticated Uptown restaurant has two dinner seatings on New Year’s Eve. The second, which begins at 9:15pm is black tie and includes a Champagne toast at midnight. $250 and up. Seatings at 6pm and 9:15pm.
  • New Year’s Eve Supper Club at the San Luis Resort – This sophisticated evening in Galveston includes a five-course steakhouse dinner, live music and more. $309. 7pm to 2am.
  • New Year’s Eve at Upside Pub – The Garden Oaks eatery hosts this special event that includes an all-you-can-eat menu, reserved table space, four drink tickets and a midnight Champagne toast. $60. 8:30pm to 1am.
  • New Year’s Eve Bash at Harold’s Restaurant, Bar & Rooftop Terrace – Harold’s on 19th Street celebrates the new year with a bash that includes appetizers, a carving station, heavy hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and dancing through midnight. $125; reservations required. 9pm to 1am.
  • Dancing & Desserts: NYE with Boomtown Brass Band at the Heights Theater – Spend New Year’s Eve enjoying live music from the New Orleans jazz group, Boomtown Brass Band and treat yourself to dessert selections and a champagne toast in the Heights. $28 and up. 9pm to 1am.

New Year’s Day Brunches in Houston

Maize on Memorial Drive serves up bowls of pozole on New Year’s Day | Photo: Sergio Trevino; courtesy of Maize

New Year’s Day, Sunday, January 1, 2023

  • New Year’s Brunch at Blossom Hotel Houston – Grab a tasty brunch featuring farm fresh eggs, pastries fruit, coffee, juice and more in the boutique hotel’s lobby. $24. Anytime between 7am and noon.
  • Red Chile Pork Posole at the Original Ninfa’s on Navigation & Uptown – Chef Alex Padilla is serving up heaping bowls of red chile pork posole—served with avocado, sour cream, onions and a queso fresco tostada—for brunch on New Year’s Day at both locations of the Houston fajita institution. $18. 10am to 2pm.
  • Southern New Year’s Day Brunch at Rainbow Lodge – Rainbow Lodge will be serving its famous Southern-style brunch menu, featuring black-eyed peas. Dig into smoked duck gumbo, grilled chimichurri-rubbed breakfast ribeye & eggs, shrimp & white cheddar grits, and $2 mimosas until 3pm. Prices vary. 10:30am to 3pm.
  • Bottomless Hangover Brunch at Hull & Oak – Located at the newest hotel Downtown, the Laura Hotel, hot Southern-inspired restaurant Hull & Oak is offering a New Year’s Day cure-your-hangover brunch to kick off 2023. Guests can enjoy two brunch items, black-eyed peas for good luck, and bottomless beverages with choice of Southern favorite John Dalys, signature mimosas or housemade Bloody Marys. $75. 11am to 2pm.
  • Pozole de Puerco at Maize – Chef Fabian Saldana’s Memorial Drive stunner near Dairy Ashford Road is serving bowls of pozole de puerco for New Year’s Day, a traditional pork soup with cacahuazintle, guajillo pepper broth and accompaniments. $10. 11am to 3pm.
  • Return to Life Brunch Buffet at Caracol, Hugo’s, and Xochi – H-Town Restaurant Group stunners Caracol, Hugo’s, and Xochi are known for their decadent Mexican brunch buffets, which you can enjoy on New Year’s Day with Mexican classics like chilaquiles, migas, huevos a la Mexicana, tostadas, chile rellenos, ceviches and more. $42; $15 for child, plus tax and gratuity. 11am to 3pm.
  • Hangover Cure Brunch at B.B. Lemon – On Washington Ave, you can rehydrate in the morning with a brunch spread at B.B. Lemon, alongside craft cocktails and a live DJ. Prices vary. 11am to 3pm.
  • Hangover Cure Brunch at The Annie Café & Bar – In Uptown, the Post oak café is serving up delicious brunch dishes and cocktails to help you recover from the night before. $85; $55 for children. Reservations are required. 11am to 3pm.
  • New Year’s Day Hangover Cure Brunch at Trattoria Sofia – On 11th Street in the Heights, the cozy Italian spot is serving up a New Year’s Day brunch with options like blueberry focaccia French toast, creamy polenta, crostini and more with a brief menu of tasty cocktails. Prices vary; reservations are required. 11am to 4pm.
  • Lucky Smokehouse New Year’s Day Bites & Fun at J-Bar-M Barbecue & Beer Garden – The family- and dog-friendly acclaimed barbecue joint in EaDo opens up on New Year’s for a day of delicious dishes, drink specials, NFL on TV, and more. Dig into a special smoked whole hog plate with black-eyed peas, collard greens and cornbread. Prices vary. 11am to 6pm.
  • New Year’s Day Hangover Brunch at Urban South HTX – Gastro Craft serves up a brunch menu at the Arts District brewery with michelada lagers, mimosa hard seltzers and more. A bounce house will be set up for kiddos and you can take in NFL action and $12 pitchers. 11am to 7pm.
  • Soul Food Sunday at the Tipping Point | No Cover – The reigning Oxtail MashUp champ, Joseph Boudreaux (also of Boo’s Burgers fame) sets up for a New Year’s Day pop-up at the coffee-slinging, vintage haven in Downtown, the Tipping Point. Start your New Year’s Day with a bowl of gumbo ($16) and black-eyed peas ($15), with soul tunes by Round House Vintage. Noon to 3pm.
  • Brunch Cocktails All Day at Axelrad | No Cover – Start the New Year’s afternoon off with a little hair of the dog when Axelrad serves up their brunch cocktails all day long, featuring $2 mimosas, $3 beer of the day, and $5 frozens, Bloody Mary’s, and michel-rad-as. 2pm to midnight.

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Justin Jerkins
A longtime Houstonian, Justin Jerkins always keeps an eye out for what's ahead on Houston's horizon while serving as Editor-in-Chief of 365 Things to Do in Houston. When he's not passing along the latest events, destinations and hidden treasures in H-Town, he loves diving into the city's food scene, shopping local and learning about Houston's rich history.