Top 10 Food & Drink Events/Offers in Houston This Month: May 2021

Dine on delicious dishes and enjoy our picks for the top food and drink events taking place around Houston in May 2021.

With Derby Day juleps, Cinco de Mayo tacos and margs, and omelets and such for Mother’s Day brunch, this month is gearing up to be a tasty one.

May also sees the returns of some favorite annual festivals, from wild game and gumbo cookoffs to a picturesque bayouside wine fest.

Check out the delicious happenings in Houston this month:

Top 10 Food & Drink Events/Offers in Houston This Month: May 2021

• Kentucky Derby Day Celebration with Maker’s Mark at Backstreet Cafe | Saturday, May 1 – Backstreet will celebrate the crown jewel of horseracing with a three-course brunch ($45) paired with featured Maker’s Mark cocktails, with offerings including fried green tomatoes with crawfish remoulade, steak & eggs benedict, wood-grilled whiskey salmon with avocado mousse, and blackberry cobbler with Maker’s Mark bourbon ice cream. Guests can also order Takeout Kentucky Derby Julep & Snack Kits ($60), available on Friday, April 30 and Saturday, May 1 and featuring six servings of batched Maker’s Mark Mint Julep, fresh mint, crushed ice, two keepsake Julep cups, a Maker’s Mark insulated cooler bag, bacon deviled eggs, grilled peach salad, and shrimp & pimento cheese grits; or get $10 dine-in or to-go Maker’s Mark cocktail flights. Reservations recommended. Saturday brunch runs from 10am to 4pm.
• Derby Day Party at Julep | Saturday, May 1 – Southern cocktailery Julep is ready to reopen, and it’s kicking things off with its annual Derby Party. The al fresco party will feature multiple bars, mint julep carts, a spirit-free cocktail bar, Topo Chico station, boozy popsicles, and eats like bbq and smoked oysters by Blood Brothers BBQ and Feges BBQ, plus lawn games, a live DJ, livestream of the race, and t-shirt pop-up by Vinyl Ranch. Tickets are $10 presale; $15 at the door. Noon to 6pm (bar open to 2am).
• Brenner’s Fest at Brenner’s on the Bayou | Saturday, May 1 – Head to Brenner’s on the Bayou for its annual spring Wine Fest, where you’ll be able to sample a wide variety of award-winning wines alongside live music and bites from Landry’s concepts in a beautiful, bayouside atmosphere. The event will be held rain or shine and is 21+ only. General admission tickets are $99 per person. 1pm to 5pm.
• Cinco de Mayo at The Studewood Cantine | Wednesday, May 5 – The Studewood Cantine’s Cinco de Mayo festivities include options such as Rooftop Fiesta ($100 per person, 4pm to 9pm) with unlimited fajita stations, five beverage tickets, a covered tent in the event of rain, and music and entertainment; a Street Party (a la carte, 4pm to 9pm) with eloté street corn, tamales, beer and margaritas, Unicorn Snowcones, entertainment including a balloon artist, face painting, petting zoo and more; and a Cinco de Mayo Menu ($45, 11am to 9pm) available in the dining room or for curbside pickup and featuring 1.5-pounds mixed fajitas with rice, beans, tortillas, pico de gallo, cheddar cheese, guacamole and sour cream, plus Mexican beers (bottled and draft) and margaritas. You can also show proof of ride share for a margarita on-the-house. 
• Cinco de Mayo at Monkey’s Tail | Wednesday, May 5 – The Mexican-American dive bar and gastropub will be serving made-to-order tacos and burritos alongside a cocktail stand inspired by the famous Cantaritos el Güero in Jalisco, Mexico. Sip on the Jalisco Cantarito, with freshly squeezed grapefruit, orange and lime, Squirt soda and garnished with a Chamoy Tajin rim, and a lime wheel served in a clay cantarito to take home; or get $5 Pepino and Mexican Candy shots, $4 Mexican beers and other specialty cocktails including a ranch water, mezcal paloma, mango bourbon cocktail and more. Mariachi will play from 7pm to 10pm and the bar-restaurant will be decked out in papel picado all week long. 4pm to 2am.
• Yaga’s Children’s Fund Wild Game BBQ Cook-off at Galveston’s Pier 21 | Friday, May 7 and Saturday, May 8 – The 25^th annual Yaga’s Children’s Fund Wild Game BBQ Cook-off returns Mother’s Day weekend, offering a two-day, family-friendly event to benefit the Yaga’s Children’s Fund and its support of more than 25 Galveston County organizations. The fun kicks off with a VIP Sponsor Party on Friday (purchase a $100 raffle ticket for entry), followed by the bbq and wild game cook-off on Saturday. Friday at 7pm, Saturday details TBA.
• Pre-Mother’s Day Cooking Class at Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen | Saturday, May 8 – This special cooking class will cover South Texas Mexican breakfast favorites—think chilaquiles, migas, gorditas, and beans, as well as acting as a hands-on tortilla bootcamp. $65 per person, includes all materials, the class, and a meal. Class will be held at the Eldridge Parkway location. 1pm to 4pm.
• Mother’s Day Neighbor’s Market and Brunch at Revival Market | Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 9 – Revival Market and Genara have invited friends and neighbors to a Makers Market in both parking lots on this Mother’s Day. Shop the market and celebrate mom by brunching on duck confit omelets, seasonal quiche, and croissant french toast at Revival. Brunch runs 8am to 4pm.
• Mother’s Day Brunch at Brennan’s of Houston | Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 9 – Treat the mothers in your life to a proper Mother’s Day brunch at this Creole fine dining institution. Start with a pimento cheese deviled egg lagniappe and move on to dishes like snapping turtle soup, red snapper Pontchartrain, crawfish boudin–stuffed quail, and bananas Foster flamed tableside with Caribbean rum. Cost is $56 per person. 10am to 3pm.
• Gumbo Cookoff at Little Woodrow’s Midtown | Saturday, May 22 – Little Woodrow’s annual Gumbo Cookoff returns to Midtown, featuring an open competition for individuals and companies to see who has the best gumbo in H-town. The throwdown starts at 11 am and winners will be announced at 7 pm.