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    Zaranda

    4.5 (69 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

    Order Zaranda Takeout or Delivery

    Zaranda Photos

    ZARANDA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed
    Happy hour specials
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Zaranda

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    Reviews With Photos

    DOL-R DE ARENA
    Thuy P.

    I'm a big fan of chef Hugo and went to all of his restaurants in Houston. Now I know on his latest one by the discovery green area, I have to go. Service has been nice and food was good as expected. The restaurant ambiance is very nice.

    Houston Restaurant Weeks lunch menu
    Dr. Shannon W.

    What a beautiful restaurant! Although I ate outside on the lovely patio, I walked around and saw the gorgeous two-story interior and was impressed. So nice. I ordered from the Houston Restaurant Weeks lunch menu. While I did not enjoy the tortilla soup (which literally tasted like a bowl of warmed up salsa topped with a few tortilla chips), the fish tacos and the warms date cake for dessert were chef's kiss! The service was attentive and friendly. It was a wonderful dining experience I enjoyed to the fullest!

    SANGRIA ROJO
    Haley M.

    Overall, I really loved the ambiance and overall experience of this restaurant. The staff was kind, the interior decor is really beautiful and picturesque, and it really complements the vibe of the area it's in downtown. The food was really delicious and flavor, and it was nice to see their take on menu items that I'm familiar with in a different style. I really enjoyed the sangrias as well, and appreciated that our server was able to get us samples of both to decide what we liked more. I'd highly recommend for lunch or even a date night!

    Infamous
    Tiffany H.

    Zaranda has been on my radar and I finally got a chance to try the restaurant! Complimentary valet on Sundays! Super chic & trendy place. Excellent service. Ordered Infamous (hibiscus-infused Amaras mezcal); strong & not too sweet Enjoyed both the roasted and raw oysters (half dozen each)! Mariscos (clams, mussels, shrimp) was delicious & savory! Picanha was also solid, along with sides of carrots. Tostada de tiradito (hamachi) was unique! Ended the evening with a carajillo norteño (sweet/smooth drink) & complimentary bday dessert (mango/coconut cream)! Can't wait to dine here again next time.

    PICANHA - amazing
    Gina C.

    I had a fantastic time during a large work dinner at Zaranda. Upon hearing it was under the Hugo/Xochi umbrella, I came with very high expectations. On a rainy Tuesday evening, the place was so lively and bubbly with almost every table filled! We ordered a variety of starters including empanadas, ceviche, and guacamoles. All were fantastic. For mains, I ordered the picanha with a side of shrimp and carrots. The steak was absolutely phenomenal and I would also highly recommend the carrots. Our table ended with a variety of desserts and we had such a fun time admiring the beautiful presentations. The pastel de datiles (warm date cake with candied pecans) was my favorite while the solar de arena was served in such a creative way. Noting this was for a large 15 person table, the service was above and beyond. I'd really like to come again (with less people haha!) to experience more of the menu in an intimate setting.

    Avocado Toast
    Carissa C.

    Zaranda was the perfect elevated place for lunch to celebrate my first Mother's Day with the family! They had a preset 3-course menu for Mother's Day at $59/person. First came out the muffins to share amongst the table. My favorite was the chocolate. It was moist and perfectly sweet. Next I opted for the tuna tacos which had large, fresh pieces of tuna. It was delicious, but I loved the lamb empanadas a tad more. They were warm and comforting. For my entree, I got the avocado toast. Sounds boring, but I loved how fresh it was, the kick that the sambal provided, and how the crusty bread was still soft. I also tried the French toast, and it was honestly one of the best I've had at a restaurant. For dessert, I got the coconut cake. It was perfectly sweet and I liked the citrus touch of the yuzu. I washed everything down with a white sangria. It was perfectly tart and not too strong. My husband got the Dragon in a Glass mocktail. It was vibrant purple, refreshing, and a beautiful drink altogether. Service was excellent and our waiter was very attentive. The restaurant is a beautiful place and although they were busy for Mother's Day, our table still had enough room to put my baby's stroller at the end of the table. They're located next to Discovery Green and had free valet which was great. I'd come back to try their happy hour (Mon-Fri 4-6pm).

    DOL-R DE ARENA
    Priya S.

    Had low expectations walking in on a hot summer May afternoon but was pleasantly surprised with the California style vibes in the restaurant.. food was on point and was a super pleasant and delicious experience!

    Tableside ENSALADA CAESAR
    Tom J.

    Hugo's newest concept did not disappoint! What a wonderful experience and a restaurant we will keep on our list to frequent. We were fortunate to dine on the night before the Houston freeze so the crowd was light and service was amazing. Their menu was fun, although a little overwhelming as I would have liked to have tried everything. The wine menu was not as deep as I had hoped and built around their Alta California/Mexico theme. Nonetheless, found a beautiful Mexican cab. Enjoyed the table side Caesar salad presentation and the flavors of our appetizers and entrees were amazing. Highly recommend

    Menu
    Michari L.

    I Visited Zaranda for a team lunch and overall, it was a really great experience. First things first--the interior. Absolutely stunning. It gave luxury beach club meets island resort vibes. The space was beautifully designed, and the attention to detail? Chef's kiss. You can tell intention went into every corner of the restaurant. For my entrée, I ordered the Pollo Rostizado. It was decent--I've definitely had better chicken before, but it was okay for what it was. I personally would've loved a bit more seasoning and moisture, as it leaned slightly on the dry side. As a group, we shared appetizers, including the Ensalada Caesar and the Empanadas de Borrego--and listen... if you've been following my reviews, you already know I'm a Caesar salad girl (honestly, salads in general). This Caesar, though not traditional, was one of the best I've had in a long time. Truly impressive. The empanadas were also delicious. Between the salad and the empanadas, I could've easily been full without even touching my entrée. For drinks, I had the School of Fish, which was super cute and perfectly on brand for the restaurant. It included chia seeds, blue curaçao, and tequila. I was a little skeptical about chia seeds in a cocktail, but it worked--and it was definitely strong in the best way. Overall, I highly recommend Zaranda. Whether you're local or visiting from anywhere in the world, this spot is absolutely worth experiencing. Beautiful atmosphere, solid food, and a vibe that makes you want to stay a little longer

    TACO DE CANGREJO SUAVE
    Mark L.

    I came here for a birthday dinner and overall had a really nice experience. The restaurant had only opened recently, and the inside is super elegant without feeling stuffy. The service was really good, and our food came out pretty quickly. We ordered a few items to share Taco de cangrejo suave (soft shell crab taco): Pretty good as a taco. Seeing the entire crab on top was shocking at first, but it tasted amazing. Taco de gobernador (shrimp taco): Unexpectedly spicy, but the flavors were really well done. Borrego tatemado (braised lamb shank): Just alright. The lamb itself was fine, but everything was kind of drowned in black beans, which overpowered it a bit. Zanahorias tatemadas (roasted carrots): Easily the best thing we ordered - cooked and seasoned beautifully. Tostada de langosta (lobster tostada): Really solid, and the garnishes complemented the lobster really well. Erizo del mar (chocolate "sea urchin" dessert): Super unique and surprisingly really good. A great new restaurant in downtown Houston, and I love the chef's vision with his food.

    Pareesa M.

    I really liked Zaranda! I came here on a girl's night and honestly was so impressed with the quality of the food. The ambiance is beautiful, perfect for a date night, and our waiter was so kind too. We started off by sharing the small caesar salad, which they actually take a cart out and prepare entirely in front of you. Then, we opted for some sangria, and while I preferred the red, my friend preferred the white. Both were delicious though, and which you prefer would probably depend on your vibe/what fruits you like! For food, we shared the Ostiones en su Concha (oysters), the Repollo Asado (cabbage), Tostada de Langosta (lobster tostada), and the Taco de Cangrejo Suave (soft shell crab taco). Everything was delicious. The soft shell crab taco was good, but I dont know why I wasn't prepared to see the full crab on the taco. I didn't prefer the visual so probably would have gone with something else next time, but the repollo asado and tastada de langosta were standouts for me. I've heard a lot about the Zarandeado, but we weren't feeling hungry enough to share the catch of the day. Maybe next time when we have a bigger appetite, or have more friends to help us :) Still - loved this place! Would definitely come back on a Sunday, as I hear they do complimentary valet and happy hour pricing all day!

    Lobster tostada
    Desh M.

    Wow, this is a fantastic addition to the group that brought us Hugo's, Urbe, Xochi, and Caracol. We made reservations for a Friday night, but the restaurant was honestly pretty empty when we got there. Might just be because it is so new. It's located in the heart of downtown, so parking is not easy - they have a $11 valet, which is probably the easiest. Watch out if you come here when there are events going on at the Toyota Center (just a block or two away) - we left as a Rockets game ended, and it was pretty hectic leaving the area. The space itself is huge - lots of tables on the first floor, and it looked like it had a whole separate space on the second floor. They also have a decent number of tables on the patio. Service was friendly and quick. We got several plates to share and they were all fantastic! Tuna crudo taquitos - 5/5 so delicious! Asian style, ginger forward, good amount of spice to it as well. So yummy! Lamb empanadas - 5/5 - very yummy! They were soft and cheesy. Lamb was tasty. Pro-tip - if you're a fan of spice, ask for their habanero salsa - it was perfect with it! Lobster tostada - 4/5 - lobster was cooked really well, lots of interesting ingredients are combined and they all work pretty well together. Octopus - 5/5 - this is a huge portion of octopus! It's cooked so perfectly - cooked over fire, so it's nice and crispy. It's seasoned well, and comes with different types of salsa, tortilla, and a salad. "Sea urchin" chocolate dessert - 3/5 - this is the dessert they recommend, and it's gorgeous to look at! The chocolate shell is filled with so many different ingredients - maybe too many. Most prominent flavor is probably passion fruit. It was okay, but didn't all seem to work together. Overall, we're a huge fan of the restaurant! We definitely want to come back again for brunch, and try some of the other dinner items. Great addition to the downtown food scene!

    Jason Z.

    Came for lunch service at a new Hugo spot. Located on the first floor of a building next to Discovery Green. Very modern and nicely decorated interior. The food ranges from average (beef taco) to great (octopus taco). Some of the flavor profiles were very creative and tasty. Good add to the downtown scene!

    Dark chocolate dessert with passion fruit mousse and berry bursting pearls, decadent!

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    Ask the Community - Zaranda

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    Royal Roastery - Houston

    Royal Roastery - Houston

    4.4
    (269 reviews)
    8.3 mi

    Royal Roastery is a roastery offering freshly roasted nuts, baklava, Turkish delight, ice cream,…read moreknafeh, desserts, Arab drinks, juices, and shakes. When I stopped by on a weekday evening at 9pm it was packed. They had stations setup throughout the store to order different goods, which helped to alleviate the rush. Knafeh ($6) - They offered 2 types of knafeh, one with cheese and one with custard. I went with the one made with Nabulsi cheese and topped with shredded phyllo, and soaked in sugar syrup. It was warm, crispy and delicious! Karak tea ($5) - This milk tea drink was made with aromatic spices, primarily cardamom, cloves, ginger and cloves. I was happy to see they used whole milk instead of evaporated milk. The drink was incredibly rich and creamy and tasted great. Turkish delight ($18 / lb.) - This was extremely fresh, soft and chewy, made with cornstarch, sugar, nuts. Some of the varieties I tried had chocolate and/or fruits. The baklava here was fresh made with layers of phyllo dough, chopped nuts, and held together with some honey. The nut offerings here included, almonds, walnuts, peanuts and a few more. Overall I was impressed with everything they offered here with the exception of the nuts, which I thought were just ok. I'd definitely return if I was in the area.

    The desserts here are fun, unique, and very different from what you find at most places. My only…read morecomplaint is the lack of labeling for many of the products. For example, with the Turkish delights and ice cream selections, only a few items are labeled. For most of them, you have to guess the flavor or ingredients. When I asked questions, there was a language barrier, and the staff member behind the counter was unable to clearly explain what the items were in English. This can be especially frustrating for customers with food allergies or dietary restrictions. In the U.S., I would expect all flavors and ingredients to be clearly labeled so customers can make informed choices. Even if staff members are not fluent in English, having accurate labels for flavors and ingredients would greatly improve the customer experience. The desserts themselves are excellent, but better product labeling would make the experience much more enjoyable and accessible for everyone.

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    Biscoff kunafa, yummy!
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    Taoqi Mango Ice Cream
    milk + sugar

    milk + sugar

    4.6
    (821 reviews)
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    Got the following flavors: carrot cake, rain or shine, city that never sleeps, and yum cha…read more I really liked their carrot cake. Honestly, can't go wrong with any of their flavors. Love the creativity and highly suggest sampling all of them They will typically have at least 1 non dairy options, but for all my lactose intolerant people out there, I found it super interesting that they also SELL LACTASE at the front checkout !! Never seen this before in my entire life and I feel that this is so helpful and also kind of funny

    We were craving a late night dessert after leaving East River 9 so we stopped at milk + sugar…read more Overall, great service but not much to be impressed about. Side note you'll need a code to use their restroom. I ordered the split cup of Strawberry Almond Cheesecake and Dulce de Horchata. I felt that the portion could've been slightly more generous than below the rim of the cup, but I suppose the price is reasonable. I guess it's hit or miss like at Marble Slab. The cheesecake flavor was okay not overpowering, which I would've preferred more than the almond and strawberry. I think I wasn't impressed with it because the server scooped more of the graham crust than ice cream. I'm pretty sure that's another reason I didn't particularly care for their cheesecake. The horchata was nice with hints of cinnamon and with the split cup made it taste even better.

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    Yum cha
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    Popfancy Dessert Bar

    Popfancy Dessert Bar

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    Popfancy Dessert Bar: You're here for K-Pop, the desserts are the bonus…read more Let's be honest about what this is. You're paying for the K-Pop Demon Hunter pop-up aesthetic, the upbeat vibes, the fast service, the themed menu. The desserts? Solid. The Pinky Up Parfait hits. One scoop of cappuccino ice cream comes generous and tasty. Nothing disappoints. But nothing revolutionizes dessert either. This is good execution in service of a limited time experience, not destination-level pastry work. And that's fine. That's exactly what a pop-up should be. The real draw is that everything works together. Vibe, music, service, and desserts that don't let the side down. It feels fun, not gimmicky. That's harder to pull off than you'd think. Bottom line. Pop-ups don't stick around. If the K-Pop theme is your thing and you want solid desserts in a fun environment, go now. If you're just looking for great desserts, permanent spots do it better.

    I'm surprised I have not reviewed this place because we have been here multiple times and each time…read morewe've liked it. This is not a place you go to just have lunch or something.This place is an experience. Some adults might find joy in here (like I do), but my children definitely did, and that's worth it. They came here with the same excitement that they had for disneyland so I'm really happy about that. We all liked the harry potter experience and some different anime type experiences as well that my children liked. The foods and drinks are on theme and although it's not cheap, it's definitely not as much as Disneyland. We came on the weekends, but during lunchtime, and I can see how they might be really busy during the dinner rush. Sometimes you might need a timed entry to go in, but thankfully, we have not since we've been going. I will say that it's quite small and gets cramped really fast. I just think the experience of it all is a really cool and I'm happy we have fun places like this around us in Houston.

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    Video cassettes for retro arcade cafe theme
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    Strawberry Parafit ice cream
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    Eat Cake

    Eat Cake

    4.0
    (136 reviews)
    4.6 mi
    $$

    10/10 would recommend and I'll definitely be going back. My big back self LOVED this place. It's a…read moregrab and go shop but the cookies will still be warm and the cakes will still be delicious! You can buy all the cakes by the slice or preorder a full cake. Just from the smell walking in I could tell I was gonna love this place. They have upbeat music playing and the lady was so nice. She answered questions and made suggestions. The price was not bad either. I got 4 cookies and 1 cupcake and my total was $31. These aren't little cookies either. They are big and you get them warm! She didn't have to warm them up she just handed them to us warm! They were the perfect amount of crunchy on the edge and gooey on the inside. All of them were amazing! The cupcake was for my mom and she said it was amazing too. I live on the other side of town but will be making a trip back whenever I need a fix!

    Y'all be hyping places up. Where to begin? I walked in and nobody was around. I walked around for a…read moregood 30 sec to a min and then finally someone showed up to greet me. I decided to go for small just to try it out first vs get a slice and pay $15 which in the end it didn't matter cus it came out to $12 for 2 items I got. The cupcake I got was cookies and cream but it just taste like reg store bought cake. You know the type that it's "chocolate" but there's not much choc flavor to it. The cream cheese frosting was like eating melted grease and added nothing to the rest of the cupcake. I ended up taking a bite and dumping the rest. I got one of their brownies but gave that to my husband so he could eat it at work. So can't really talk on that.

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    Eat Cake
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    The Baker's Son by Valerio's

    The Baker's Son by Valerio's

    4.6
    (195 reviews)
    5.3 mi
    $

    So my coworker would always bring ube bread for me to work and I finally got her to give up where…read moreshe goes. She told me to go to the bakers son and make sure I go early because they do sale out and people buy in bulk. I entered with intentions of only getting the ube bread but $40 and 5 items later I went slightly overboard. They have so many items and they all look delicious. The customer service was great and prices were really good. Now to the items, the ube bread is phenomenal, soft, sweet, flavorful 10/10. I also got a biscoff bread sandwich (I'm forget the name) which had the softest and most perfect bread I've ever indulged in. Now to what the employees recommended and the absolute star. The ube Swiss roll. Omg, it was phenomenal. 20 out of 10! It was perfect in every way. I live 30 mins away but will make sure to keep The Bakers Son on a must go place weekly!

    I've heard a lot and seen many posts about The Baker's Son in Houston. The videos and pictures made…read moretheir bread and pastries look delicious and very promising. Since we were already in the area after breakfast at TJ's Filipino Cuisine, we finally got the chance to stop by and try their baked goods for ourselves. We arrived early, so the bakery wasn't too busy yet. The bakers were busy prepping more goodies in the back while my cousin and I browsed all the Filipino baked goods we really miss from back home in the Philippines. They even had suman, sapin-sapin, biko, and other kakanin, which was nice to see. I specifically looked for the chicken empanada, and my cousin wanted to try the ube white chocolate chip cookie. We also saw different kinds of siopao and planned to come back later to buy some before heading back to San Antonio. We tried the ube white chocolate chip cookie first, but honestly we weren't totally satisfied. It tasted more like a regular white chocolate chip cookie with purple coloring and didn't really have much ube flavor. I also tried the chicken empanada. My cousin didn't like it because it was sweeter than expected--we were both expecting it to be savory. There seemed to be caramelized sugar in the outside of the pastry, which probably added to the sweetness. I still like it, though it was definitely sweeter than what I'm used to. Red Ribbon's chicken empanada is still my favorite. Later that day before leaving Houston, we came back for the siopao we planned to take home. We finally decided to just buy a couple pieces for ourselves, heat them up in the bakery, and try them fresh. When we saw the price for a four-pack, we were honestly disappointed. It felt expensive for the size. The siopao wasn't huge, and while I like the dough, there wasn't much chicken filling inside. For the portion, taste, and quality, it felt overpriced. Overall, it's probably not worth making another trip back for us. We did enjoy the cassava ube suman, and I like the chicken empanada, but not enough to drive all the way to Houston just for those. If I live nearby, I might come back to try other baked goods, but based on this visit, I'm not sure the rest would impress my palate. I still give them credit for cleanliness and customer service, although we did notice fruit flies on one of the shelves and reported it. The staff was friendly, and the bakery itself was welcoming. At the end of the day, since they're a bakery, the expectation is great-tasting, quality, mouthwatering Filipino breads, pastries ", and kakanin. While some items were enjoyable, overall it just didn't quite live up to the hype for us.

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    Front counter with lots of yummy food
    Front counter with lots of yummy food
    Halo halo
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    Zaranda - mexican - Updated August 2026

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