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🔒 Eating after hours: These iconic Houston restaurants dish out delicious late-night eats

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Whether they’re seeking a late-night snack, an after-hours dinner or a spur-of-the-moment midnight feast, night owls are guaranteed to find good eats at these beloved Houston restaurants.

Listed chronologically by opening date, here’s a look at the iconic Houston eateries that have been dishing out late-night eats for decades. Clearly, these longstanding stalwarts get it right -- From savory, made-to-order burgers to sweet, sweet pie, there’s something delicious at each of these Houston institutions. Note that all these eateries rep odd hours and some rarely close, if ever.

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Poppa Burger (1963)

Houston history: This hidden gem is located on North Main Street near University of Houston Downtown. Opened in 1963, the longstanding stalwart is a relic of an era long since past. The old-fashioned stand serves its no-nonsense burgers, fries, corn dogs, tacos and ice cream cones 24/7, 365 days a year. View the menu here.

Location: Poppa Burger is located at 1622 North Main Street.

Hours: Open 24 Hours, 7 Days a Week

RELATED: 10 of Houston’s oldest burger joints you have to try

House of Pies (1967)

House of Pies -- opened in Houston 1967, it’s where breakfast food aficionados and Houstonians battling late night cravings go to score some solid diner food and glorious, glorious pie. The diner and bakery, originally one of several franchise locations in a chain thought up by Al Lapin Jr. , the same entrepreneur behind IHOP, has been a Houston institution for decades. Morning, noon, or night, you can gorge on breakfast food and the other typical diner dishes like chopped steak, chicken fried steak and patty melts. OK, it goes without saying -- but, we’re going to say it anyway -- if, actually when, you visit House of Pies, you’ve got to order at least one slice of pie. It’s an unwritten law of the the universe and a tasty one at that. House of Pies reps a perpetually stocked dessert case packed with an assortment of pies including but definitely not limited to Texas Pecan, Bayou Goo, Bavarian Banana, French Blackbottom, Coconut Cream, Cherry, German Chocolate, Blueberry, Dutch Apple and more. View the menu here.

Location: 3112 Kirby Drive, Houston

Hours: Open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily

RELATED: 5 of Houston’s oldest bakeries, dessert destinations

Dot Coffee Shop (1967)

This longstanding Houston stalwart not far from Gulfgate Shopping Center (Houston’s first mall) opened its doors back in 1967 -- and hasn’t closed them too often ever since. Open 24/7, the diner serves comfort food favorites like chicken fried steak, pot roast, burgers and, of course, home-style breakfast foods -- biscuits, omelets, pancakes . . .you name it. A word of advice: Visit on an empty stomach. The food is hearty and the helpings are huge. Oh, and as if we almost forgot, Dot Coffee Shop was the first of many restaurants opened by the Pappas family. View the menu here.

Location: 7006 I-45 S. at Woodridge Drive, Houston

Hours: Open 24 Hours, 7 Days a Week

RELATED: Get your chicken fried steak fix at one of these longstanding Houston-area eateries

Katz’s Deli (1979)

Katz’s never Kloses. Seriously, the all-day eatery’s logo says so. Take a look for yourself. At this always-open Montrose staple, you can nosh on just about anything. Concise isn’t exactly a word we’d use to describe the menu. Yes, you can snag an anytime-omelet, a bagel with lox, matzo ball soup, pot roast, an open-faced roast beef sandwich or a Rueben, offered in three sizes -- Skinny, Klassic and New York -- BUT you can also enjoy dishes like pan seared Australian sea bass, pesto shrimp pasta, and chicken wings. Desserts also runs the gamut -- Cinnamon rolls, key lime pie, cheesecake, kugel and black and white cookies are all on offer. View the menu here.

Location: 616 Westheimer Road, Houston

Hours: Open 24 Hours, 7 Days a Week

RELATED: At these iconic Houston diners, breakfast is served with a heaping side of nostalgia

Pho Binh By Night

In operation since 1983, Pho Binh is one of the city’s oldest purveyors of pho. The concept began as a food truck and has since grown to include several store locations, including its Asiatown outpost --Pho Binh By Night. Aptly named, the restaurant keeps its doors open late. View the menu here.

Location: 12148 Bellaire Boulevard, Suite #101, Houston

Hours: 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday, closed Mondays

Gotham Pizza (1998)

Gotham Pizza founder, Earl, opened the this Midtown eatery in 1998 after growing frustrated with the lack of acceptable New York-style pizza offerings in H-Town. The offerings here range from pizza and calzones to chicken parmigiana and baked ziti. View the menu here.

Location: 2204 Louisiana Street, Houston

Hours: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday, 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday


About the Author
Briana Zamora-Nipper headshot

Briana Zamora-Nipper joined the KPRC 2 digital team in 2019. When she’s not hard at work in the KPRC 2 newsroom, you can find Bri drinking away her hard earned wages at JuiceLand, running around Hermann Park, listening to crime podcasts or ransacking the magazine stand at Barnes & Noble.

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