Diners' Choice: Best Value restaurants in The Woodlands

OpenTable

Updated April 05, 2025

Looking for the best value restaurants in The Woodlands? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

The Olive Oil Restaurant

4.9

4.9 (12)

$30 and under

Greek

The Woodlands

About the restaurant

Enjoy authentic Greek fare at The Olive Oil Restaurant. Its inviting setting is great for dining out with the family. The Olive Oil Restaurant is open throughout the week for lunch and dinner services. Guests try a shareable sampler platter filled with grilled meat, cheese and other delicious fare. An entrŽe of lamb chops with Greek fries, chicken alfredo, shrimp and feta scampi or stuffed cabbage rolls will satisfy the appetite. This restaurant also offers hearty soups and delicious homemade desserts like baklava. The Olive Oil Restaurant features a dance floor, live music and entertainment such as belly dancers on Friday, as well as Saturday nights. It has press reviews on 101Houston.com and The Woodlands Online. This restaurant also has daily specials and caters.

Top review

Lauren

Dined on Apr 6, 2025

If you’re looking for a fun evening for date night to celebrating birthdays with amazing food, this is your stop! Every time we visit it feels like a big family gathering. You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu, but highly recommend the lamb chops, gyro plate, cabbage rolls, and crab cakes.

The Republic Grille - Magnolia

4.9

4.9 (323)

$30 and under

Southern

The Woodlands

About the restaurant

Enjoy a relaxed dining experience in a rustic, yet classy setting featuring historical photos of Montgomery County. Owners Terry & Jennifer McBurney offer guests a variety of Texan and Southern inspired cuisine complemented by professional and courteous service. Enjoy mouthwatering appetizers such as Crab Cakes, Coconut Shrimp, Jumbo Grilled Wings or Caprese. Entrees include American Wagyu Chicken-Fried Steak, Texas Quail, Certified Angus Steaks, Blackened Flounder unique Pasta dishes and Salads. End your meal with one of many scratch made Desserts including a gluten free Strawberry Shortcake.

Featured on the TV show GoodTaste, it has received rave reviews in the Houston Chronicle, Zagat, Open Table and PKWY Magazine. This restaurant even provides a relaxing patio where guests can enjoy live music depending on the season.

Top review

Danel

Dined on Apr 20, 2025

We enjoyed our food and drinks very much! Nice Easter treat!

Porta'Vino - The Woodlands

4.7

4.7 (634)

$30 and under

Italian

The Woodlands

About the restaurant

Discover delicious modern Italian & incredible wine prices at Porta'Vino in The Woodlands!

Porta'Vino offers an impressive wine list at prices competitive with local discount wine stores! In fact, many guests purchase cases of wine to go, so we consider Porta'Vino part wine store. You are also welcome to BYOB for a corkage fee.

Signature dishes include Calabrese Crispy Shrimp, Balloon Bread, Wild Boar Bolognese, Barramundi Sea Bass & our Double-Cut Smoked Pork Chop! Make sure to save room for our Coconut Cream Pie, Medium Rare Brownie, or Apple Crisp. You can't go wrong with our menu selections.

The restaurant has a welcoming dining room, a spacious patio, and private dining rooms for events. A free parking garage is located behind the restaurant. Park, Dine, then walk to the nearby Woodlands Pavilion.

Porta'Vino also hosts a Winemaker Dinner Series. To receive invitations to these special events, please email events@portavino.com.

Top review

Joe

Dined on Apr 20, 2025

Met up with a few friends to celebrate my bday. Everything we ordered Short Rib Pasta, Pesto Shrimp and Pasta, Eggplant, Sea Bass, a shared board with bruschetta was well presented and tasted amazing. The staff was friendly and attentive from beginning to end. So glad I took a coworker's recommendation. Our friends were glad as well and are looking forward to returning.

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4.9

4.9 (737)

$30 and under

Italian

The Woodlands

About the restaurant

Marcoza Trattoria by Orioli Restaurant Group offers contemporary Italian fare in an elegant and intimate setting. Inspired by the coastline of Italy, the menu takes you on an epicurean journey with an array of house-made pastas, fresh seafood, daily baked focaccia, and creatively decadent desserts. Refresh along the way with craft cocktails and an expansive selection of wines from around the globe.

Top review

DudleyVIP

Dined 6 days ago

Great food and service. There are so many dishes I really enjoy at Marcoza.

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The Republic Grille -The Woodlands

4.8

4.8 (717)

$30 and under

Southern

The Woodlands

About the restaurant

Enjoy a relaxed dining experience in a rustic, yet classy setting featuring historical photos on the creation of The Woodlands by oilman George Mitchell. Owners Terry & Jennifer McBurney offer guests a variety of Texan and Southern inspired cuisine complemented by professional and courteous service. Enjoy mouthwatering appetizers such as Crab Cakes, Coconut Shrimp, Jumbo Grilled Wings or Caprese. Entrees include American Wagyu Chicken-Fried Steak, Texas Quail, Certified Angus Steaks, Blackened Flounder unique Pasta dishes and Salads. End your meal with one of many scratch made Desserts including a gluten free Strawberry Shortcake.

Featured on the TV show GoodTaste, it has received rave reviews in the Houston Chronicle, Zagat, Open Table and PKWY Magazine. This restaurant even provides a relaxing patio where guests can enjoy live music depending on the season.

Top review

RandyP

Dined 3 days ago

It's been a while since we've been back to the Republic Grille. Still excellent service and food!

Kokoro Handroll Bar

4.9

4.9 (46)

$31 to $50

Sushi

The Woodlands

About the restaurant

Kokoro, a Japanese word for ‘heart,’ offers diners an intimate dining experience, allowing guests to get up close and personal with our chefs behind the sushi bar.

Brought to you by the dynamic duo of Chef Daniel Lee and Chef Patrick Pham, everything on the menu is made fresh to order, with the talented chefs slicing, spicing, and serving a variety of sushi.

Top review

GraceVIP

Dined 4 days ago

Our server, Natalie, and her support staff, we're absolutely amazing. Natalie knew the menu well, and the dishes she recommended were fresh, fast, and excellent. The Woodlands needed a superb sushi restaurant, and this is it.

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Experience

Private Dining: Haibu Room

Goode Co. Kitchen & Cantina - The Woodlands

4.8

4.8 (1279)

$30 and under

Tex-Mex

The Woodlands

About the restaurant

Inspired by long days on the Gulf, late nights on the ranch and the colorful creations of our abuela, our family's Kitchen & Cantina showcases the rich foods and traditions we grew up with on both sides of the border.

Nothing matches the flavor of food grilled over mesquite. Try wood-fired Texas quail swaddled in homemade tortillas, jalapeno rellanos stuffed with house-made chorizo and sizzling, family-style parrilladas - huge mixed platters of wild game and fresh vegetables, topped with pico de gallo and queso fresco - a unique spin on Houston barbeque.

Our days begin roasting chilies and tomatoes, rolling fresh tortillas in our bakery and wringing every last drop of Ruby Red grapefruit for cocktails. We hand-grind our own sausage and hand-trim every ounce of meat in our butchery, then anoint it with the savory seasonings and marinades we've honed over generations.

A few margaritas on our patio and you've found your new casa sweet casa.

Top review

Michael

Dined 3 days ago

Great food - make sure to get a frozen Margarita - yum.

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Experience

Tex-Mex Brunch

Charm Thai Kitchen & Bar

4.8

4.8 (85)

$30 and under

Thai

The Woodlands

About the restaurant

"SAWASDEE KA"

Welcome to Charm Thai Kitchen & Bar! Savor vibrant Thai flavors, meticulously crafted with passion. Enhance your meal with our curated signature cocktails or explore our full bar featuring exquisite wines.

Our inviting ambiance blends warmth and modern with cozy comfort. Enjoy live music on our charming patio every month.

Savor our chef's specials, unique dishes each month. Delight in lunch specials and daily happy hour.

For special occasions, we offer a private room for celebrations and meetings. Indulge in Tex-Thai BBQ Fried Rice, our unique take on fried rice features, or Pla Sam Rot, crispy fried fish with sweet and sour sauce.

Try Tiger Cried, a succulent steak marinated with Thai spices and served with spicy dipping sauce.

Conclude your meal with sweet mango sticky rice, balancing creamy rice and ripe mango. Pair it with our rich, aromatic coffee.

We also offer catering services for your events. Let us whisk you away on a Thai adventure you won't forget!

Top review

bruceVIP

Dined 5 days ago

Great food and service for reasonable price. Good bar and booze selection

Xalisko Cocina Mexicana

4.8

4.8 (600)

$31 to $50

Mexican

The Woodlands

About the restaurant

Chef Beatriz Martines
When ideas, hard work and talent meet, there's only one thing to look forward to...
~XALISKO~
A new Mexican gastronomy experience has been created with thought of heritage and the ingredients of your life experience.
Tradition pasted down for generations accompanied by years of cultivating a personal touch to this amazing cuisine. You will see signs of utilizing the most important crops of the Xalisko area: rice, corn, avocados, etc... traditional dessert from the area of Jalisco, Michoacan and Nayarit, and smart seleccion of Mexican, Mexican Spirits and artisanal beer.

Top review

Kelly

Dined on Apr 22, 2025

Business dinner. Waiter was super friendly and helpful. Food was excellent. We'll be back.

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Zanti Trattoria - The Woodlands

4.8

4.8 (2044)

$31 to $50

Italian

The Woodlands

About the restaurant

Zanti presents authentic Italian cuisine in a high-end casual atmosphere. Contemporary décor will combine with a charming outdoor patio, bar lounge area, pizza station and lively dining room.

Handmade pasta, prepared daily in our kitchen, and our gleaming brick oven, in which we will bake pizza, paninis and select main dishes, will add to the unique vibrancy of Zanti. It is a place to feel yourself among friends and enjoy the beauty of the Italian experience.

Top review

Roman

Dined 5 days ago

great food great service, will be returning to dine again

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