Top 12 Food & Drink Events in Houston This Month: April 2023

An outdoor festival of people strolling by stalls with the Downtown skyline in the background
Shuck and slurp on tasty chef creations using the humble oyster at the Houston Oyster Festival | Courtesy of Houston Oyster Festival

Dine on delicious dishes and enjoy our picks for the top food and drink events taking place around Houston in April 2023.

Oyster loaded dishes. The city’s finest barbecue. Cajun crawfish in the courtyard and wine in the park.

It’s all on the agenda this month as Houston bars, restaurants and food organizations put on an incredible lineup of events.

Here are the tastiest food and drink offerings in town this month:

Top 12 Food & Drink Festivals & Events in Houston This Month: April 2023

  • 10th Annual Houston Barbecue Festival at Humble Civic Center | Sunday, April 2 – Bbq fans can fill up on all the tastiest smoked bites at this year’s 10th Annual Houston Barbecue Festival. Participating smokehouses include Blood Bros BBQ, Brett’s BBQ Shop, CorkScrew BBQ, Feges BBQ, Gatlin’s BBQ, Harlem Rd Texas BBQ, Henderson & Kane, JQ’s Tex Mex BBQ, Khoi Barbecue, Lenox Bar-B-Q, Nomad Barbecue, Pinkerton’s Barbecue, Ray’s BBQ Shack, Southern Q BBQ, Truth BBQ and a whole bunch more. $80, including unlimited samples; $150 for VIP with early admission (noon), unlimited samples, a drink ticket and a t-shirt. 1pm to 4pm.
  • “Meet Our Meat” Dinner at B&B Butchers & Restaurant | Tuesday, April 4 – B&B Butchers continues its monthly dinner series, a 12-course meat tasting and wine pairing experience held in its Butcher Shop. Curated by B&B’s Executive Chef Eduardo Montesflores, guests have the rare opportunity to taste and compare the flavor components of the restaurant’s exclusive cellar cuts (including A5 Certified Kobe Beef) while learning about the meat and the dry-aging process. $375 per person (limited to 16 guests). 6:30pm.
  • Heads & Tails at 8th Wonder Brewery | Saturday, April 8 – 8th Wonder invites locals to “get cray” at its annual Heads & Tails party, featuring new beer releases, live music from Ruben Moreno’s Zydeco Re-Evolution (3pm to 5pm), and tasty mudbugs from Clutch City Crawfish (noon til sold out). The event is free to attend and all ages are welcome. Noon to 5pm.
  • Houston Margarita Festival at the Water Works in Buffalo Bayou Park | Saturday, April 8 – Peach Mango, Apple Cucumber, Jalapeño, Bourbon Street Hurricane, and Lots of Chocolate. Those are just some of the 17+ margarita flavors you’ll find at this year’s Houston Margarita Festival, all alongside live music and festival eats. $15 and up; $30 at the gate. Noon to 10pm.
  • Easter Brunch at Backstreet Cafe | Sunday, April 9 – Enjoy a lovely live jazz Easter Sunday brunch inside or in the courtyard at this River Oaks charmer, starting with rhubarb-strawberry muffins for the table and moving onto choices such as chilled creamy artichoke soup, Gulf Coast seafood beignets, braised lamb shank with mushroom pan jus, crawfish and artichoke eggs benedict, and traditional carrot cake. $56 per person; $15 per child, plus tax and gratuity. 10am to 3:30pm.
  • 2023 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards at Silver Street Studios | Thursday, April 13 CultureMap will toast to this year’s tastemakers at its annual awards ceremony, featuring Houston’s top restaurant and bar talent, as selected by their peers. Hosted by the legendary Bun B, guests can sip, sample bites, and mingle during the ceremony and enjoy fun like the 2023 Tastemaker Award Best Burger throwdown. $75; $125 for VIP. 7pm (VIP admission at 6pm).
  • Houston Whiskey Riot 2023 at Post Houston | Saturday, April 15 – Sip and sample your way through more than 200 whiskies, taste inventive whiskey cocktails, meet master distillers and bring home a special tasting glass at this Downtown festival for all things whiskey. $85 and up. 4pm to 7pm.
  • Taste of the Nation at the Water Works in Buffalo Bayou Park | Sunday, April 16 – With 100% of event proceeds benefiting the No Kid Hungry campaign to end childhood hunger in Texas and across the U.S., Houston’s Taste of the Nation returns for 2023, featuring dozens of the city’s top culinary talents—including Ryan Pera, Bobby Mattos, Alba Huerta, Leonard Botello IV, Evelyn Garcia, Rebecca Masson, and more. Guests can expect an afternoon of unlimited bites, curated drinks and entertainment to the backdrop of the city skyline. $95; $35 for youth admission; $115 for early admission at noon. 1pm to 4pm.
  • Cajun Crawfish Boil at Brennan’s of Houston | Wednesday, April 19 – Score tickets to Brennnan’s annual Cajun Crawfish Boil in the Courtyard, featuring all-you-can-eat mudbugs, plus fixin’s, beverages, and Creole bread pudding. $60 and up. 5pm to 7pm.
  • 2023 Houston Oyster Festival at the Water Works in Buffalo Bayou Park | Saturday, April 22 – The Galveston Bay Foundation’s second annual Houston Oysterfest will features more than 15 Houston restaurants, each offering up seafood dishes with oysters as the highlight. Guests can slurp up the goods and enjoy live music, fun exhibits, refreshing cocktails and more. $35 and up. 11:30am to 2:30pm.
  • Katy Taste Fest at Typhoon Texas | Saturday, April 22 – Foodies are invited to an afternoon of grubbin’ and wine sippin’ at the annual Katy Taste Fest, offering a diverse variety of eats from more than 20 Katy restaurants. The family-friendly event will also feature a Kid Zone with inflatables, face painting and more. $34; VIP available. Noon to 3pm.
  • Midtown Wine Fest at Midtown Park | Saturday, April 22 – Grab tickets for one of two sessions of the Midtown Wine Fest to sip through a lineup of 40+ wines alongside live music and eats from local chefs. $45. 1:30pm to 4:30pm; 5:30pm to 8:30pm.
A tray featuring six samples of barbecue prepared in various styles
Sample your way through some of Texas’ best BBQ slingers at the Houston Barbecue Festival | Courtesy of Houston Barbecue Festival

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Brooke Viggiano
Brooke Viggiano is a food and lifestyle writer residing in Houston. When she's not contributing to publications like 365 Things to Do in Houston, Thrillist Houston and the Houston Press, she's on the hunt for the coolest happenings in the city. You can follow her musings on Twitter @BrookeViggiano .