Se7en

No one at Se7en will ask you, "What's in the box?" Despite a seven deadly sins theme and name mimicking the 1995 thriller, Se7en is shockingly normal. The Upper Kirby spot serves some of the best food of all Houston’s clubstaurants without relying on too many gimmicks or Fort Knox-levels of gold leaf. 

Se7en keeps the food menu short with Latin and Mediterranean fusion dishes. While the flavor combinations feel a bit on the nose—an empanada with the addition of a za’atar, for example—the food isn't bad. Like the grilled steak kabobs with za’atar chimichurri, rich cuts of sea bass with honey-glazed carrots, and ribeye sauced tableside with au poivre. 

Oh, and that seven deadly sins theme. That only pops up as the names of the house cocktails—Wrath, Envy, Sloth, and so on—most of which are just riffs on classics like a smoked old fashioned, but with named brand liquor attached. Apart from the hookah-laden outdoor patio and loud, bass-thumping music, Se7en may as well just be a regular restaurant.

Yeah, there’s a DJ booth, but no dance floor. If you arrive early (any time before 9pm) or book in advance, you can nab a seat against the back wall. From this elevated vantage, you can peer down like one of the clubstaurant elite lording over a massive plush booth. But most people here are also just eating dinner, quietly snacking on hummus and scallops in mezcal sauce, and ordering a reasonable number of drinks. 

photo credit: Quit Nguyen