Where to Celebrate Sunday Funday in Rice Village & West University

Houston is a great place to unwind. In this series, we’ll hop from neighborhood to neighborhood, diving into the fun and tasty ways to join in on the time-honored tradition of Sunday Funday, from brunch to live music and more.

Mixed-use district Rice Village is known for its shopping, and while you can totally spend your Sunday buying way more than your wallet would want you to, you can also enjoy its plethora of dining and drinking opportunities along with the quaint neighboring community West University Place (aka West U).

Here’s how to Sunday Funday in this beautiful, tree-lined slice of town.

Where to Celebrate Sunday Funday in Rice Village & West University

Do Sunday brunch justice

You’ve got plenty of options for great dining in this neighborhood. 

Gratify Neighborhood Bistro is where you want to go for a luxe affair. The Rice Village hotspot offers a gorgeous, European-inspired space complete with baroque architecture, florals, and total Instagram vibes. Dine on deviled eggs with caviar, creme brulee French toast, and scratchmade taglierini pasta with truffles.

Or sit out on the manicured patio garden at Tiny’s No. 5, which rocks brunch from 9am to 2pm on Sundays. Get a pastry board to share and dig into chilaquiles, buttermilk pancakes and bacon, and turkey avocado clubs alongside sangria or the super refreshing mint lemonade. And don’t forget to grab some Tiny’s Milk & Cookies to-go.

Upstairs is another stunner, perched in the oak trees lining Rice Boulevard on the second floor of Hungry’s (which also rocks brunch) and offering brunch plates from crab cake eggs benny to croissant French toast, plus the opportunity to #FrozéAllDay. 

The most casual of the bunch but still totally brunch-worthy, El Topo’s Sunday brunch service means you can pair milk bread French toast and chicken tinga tostada with the La Muffina—it’s own take on a McMuffin made with housemade chorizo and fried egg.

Live your best dive bar life 

The entertainment district is home to all kinds of watering holes, including the lowkey, dive bar type.

Enter Under the Volcano, a kitschy Day of the Dead–themed bar right off Bissonnet. The cult favorite has been keeping the locals properly quenched since 1989, offering Latin-inspired cocktails made with fresh squeezed juices and fresh herbs like the Strawberry Basil Margarita, Paloma, Añejo Old-Fashioned, and Caipirinha. Sip ‘em alongside chips and guac’ and feel the divey vibes. 

The Owl is another friendly neighborhood joint, rocking Sunday Funday specials including $6 Fireball, Jäger, and Rumple Minze shots. 

Drink beer and sip vino

Local sports bar empire Little Woodrow’s has an outpost in Rice Village that you can spend the entire day at. Enjoy a lineup of local craft suds, or go for Ranch Water Buckets, on special every Sunday. 

Consider also making your way over to the nearby Baileson Brewing Co. off Bissonnet in West University. It’s open from noon to 8pm on Sundays and crafts stellar brews like the crushable Honey Nugget and hoppy Amarillo Hopkins Smash IPA. Cozy up with a pint and look out for pop-up food trucks.

Wine fans can sip through grapes at Sixty Vines and Vinology; and the terrace at Upstairs is the perfect place to spend a breezy happy hour. And for a slightly fancy, artsy summer-in-Europe feel, check out neighborhood wine bar Simone on Sunset.

Treat yourself to an epic Israeli spread at Hamsa

Open from 11:30am to 9pm on Sundays, you can lose track of time over salatim and Arak flights at the striking modern Israeli restaurant, Hamsa. Choose from dips and shareables from baba ganoush and squash tahini to the epic caramelized onion and lamb hummus. Continue the Sunday spread with grilled octopus, shakshuka, branzino, and tenderloin skewers.

Another place you could enjoy a leisurely, fancy end-of-weekend meal? Greek stunner Helen Greek Food & Wine, open for both lunch and dinner on Sundays.