{"id":296074,"date":"2026-05-16T14:26:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T14:26:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/296074\/"},"modified":"2026-05-16T14:26:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T14:26:10","slug":"eat-like-a-local-finds-top-houston-area-spots-for-dumplings-kebabs-and-yemeni-mexican-pastries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/296074\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Eat Like a Local\u2019 finds top Houston area spots for dumplings, kebabs, and Yemeni-Mexican Pastries"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this episode of \u201cEat Like a Local\u201d<\/a>, host Chris Shepherd heads off the beaten path to find some of Houston\u2019s best dishes tucked inside gas stations, strip plazas and places you\u2019ve passed by a dozen times without stopping. So slow down and take a look as Chris uncovers some of the best bites hidden in plain sight.<\/p>\n

This episode took us across Houston for three very different experiences \u2014 a deeply comforting Turkish feast, expertly crafted hand-made dumplings, and a bakery blending Yemeni and Mexican flavors into something uniquely Houston.<\/p>\n

Beikos Mediterranean Cuisine | 6800 Southwest Freeway <\/p>\n

Chris\u2019 first stop is off the 59 freeway at Beikos Mediterranean Cuisine<\/a>. Despite its location on one of the busiest roads in Houston, Beikos is easy to miss. It sits behind an Ethiopian restaurant and next to a car lot. <\/p>\n

Inside its less than obvious location, Chris finds some of the best hospitality (and rice!) in the city. The family running the restaurant takes Chris through a meal beginning with a spread of classic mezze: hummus, baba ganoush, roasted eggplant salad and a smoky tomato-and-pepper ezme-style dip loaded with flavor. <\/p>\n

Start your meal with a delicious spread of dips at Beikos Mediterranean Cuisine. (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

From there, the table filled with Turkish specialties: kebabs, delicate manti dumplings in yogurt sauce, sesame-crusted simit bread and the rice \u2013 don\u2019t forget the rice. It deserves its own episode. <\/p>\n

At the end of the meal, Chris\u2019 take away \u2013 this family knows how to season. Everything hit the mark from the dips to meats and the dessert (a perfect honey cake – not too sweet, not too heavy). From start to finish, this stop is a tasty glimpse into Houston\u2019s Turkish community.<\/p>\n

PREVIOUS EPISODE: Every stop Chris Shepherd hits in this no-theme episode of \u2018Eat Like a Local\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Dumplingholic House | 20940 Katy Freeway, Suite F<\/p>\n

The next stop took Chris to a strip center off the Katy Freeway \u2014 this time for dumplings and noodles at Dumplingholic House<\/a>. Here they\u2019re hand-pulling noodles and rolling out fresh dumpling skins for each dish. <\/p>\n

Chris Shepherd was impressed with the broth and the dumplings at Dumplingholic on the Katy Freeway. (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

Chris orders a variety of dumplings prepared steamed and pan-fried. The pan-fried dumplings arrived with crisp lacy bottoms and filled with seasoned pork, shrimp and cabbage fillings. <\/p>\n

Then came the soup dumplings. A typically tricky dish to get right, these were among the best dishes on the table. They delivered exactly what great soup dumplings should: savory filling and a rich stock. <\/p>\n

But, it was the beef noodle soup that nearly stole the show. Featuring hand-pulled noodles and braised beef shank, it had Chris questioning whether you come for the dumplings and order soup, or come for the soup and order dumplings? The answer is probably both.<\/p>\n

Yemex | 18006 Park Row Blvd.<\/p>\n

The final stop took Chris to Katy for coffee, pastries and one of the most uniquely Houston food stories around. Yemex<\/a> sits inside a cozy shop near Park Row and Barker Cypress. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s run by a husband-and-wife team who combined their cultures, Yemeni and Mexican, to create a blend of flavors that feel surprisingly natural. <\/p>\n

The husband and wife owners of Yemex sit down with Chris Shepherd for “Eat Like a Local”. (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

As owners Efrain Ayllon and Rawan Alsagheer explain, the many similarities between Yemeni and Mexican cooking inspired their concept \u2014 especially the overlap in spices, warmth and hospitality. <\/p>\n

That experimentation led to dishes like beef chorizo inspired by Mexican tradition but adapted through Yemeni flavors and dietary practices. <\/p>\n

Yemex serves a fusion of Yemeni and Mexican pastries, including a beef chorizo pinwheel. (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

It also led to a pastry case full of croissants, Danishes and baked goods like a croissant stuffed with labneh and za\u2019atar, a guava cream Danish, and a caf\u00e9 olla roll. <\/p>\n

Yemex serves a fusion of Yemeni and Mexican pastries, (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

The coffee program follows the same philosophy. Mexican beans anchor the espresso drinks while Yemeni coffee powers specialty pour-overs. Plus, a uniquely Yemex drink, Areekano. Based on a classic Yemeni dessert, it features coffee topped with date foam and cheddar cheese \u2013 watch the video to get Chris\u2019 take on it!<\/p>\n

Cheddar cheese on top of a drink? See what Chris Shepherd thought of this unique beverage at Yemex in Ep. 79 of ‘Eat Like a Local’ (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

\u201cEat Like a Local with Chris Shepherd\u201d<\/a> is your guide to the best food in Houston. Watch new episodes Saturdays at 10 a.m. on KPRC 2.<\/p>\n

Season 3 of \u201cEat Like a Local\u201d<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In this episode of \u201cEat Like a Local\u201d, host Chris Shepherd heads off the beaten path to find…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":296075,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[9044,9043,49,56,19337,58,57,354],"class_list":["post-296074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-chris-shepherd","tag-eat-like-a-local","tag-food","tag-houston","tag-houston-food","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news","tag-restaurants"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296074","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=296074"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296074\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/296075"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=296074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=296074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=296074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}