For many years, Spring Branch was known as a mostly-rural area of central Houston but it’s actually one of the most eclectic and diverse areas that Houston has to offer. Here are the top 17 reasons to love Spring Branch, in no particular order.
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1. The Tacos
Tacos. Spring Branch has got plenty of options for amazingly authentic tacos. A few of our favorites, are Tornado Taco and Tacos del Julio.
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2. Panaderias
Few areas of town are home to as many panaderias as Spring Branch has. If you don’t know, a panaderia is where they sell Mexican pan dulce or “sweet breads”, and they can be addicting…
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3. Vietnamese Pho
Another restaurant type that Spring Branch doesn’t lack is places to get some damn good pho. There are at least 3 pho places in the branch that always has fresh noodles that we can confidently refer.
They’re Pho Saigon, Kim Chau, and Pho Huy on Gessner.
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4. 99 Ranch Market
A traditional Asian market, you might be surprised by what all you can find in this place. From exotic fruits like Jack Fruit to seriously fresh sushi-grade fish, this place just might have it all.
If you ever have some time and are curious, you should stop by and just take a walk around, you might just be surprised at what you find.
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5. MAM Resale
Memorial Assistance Ministries or MAM for short, is an amazing organization that operates one of the best resale shops that we’ve seen. They do a ton of other charitable things that help local families year in and year out.
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6. Roostar Vietnamese Grill
If you’re wondering where the best Vietnamese Banh Mi is in Houston, well you found it and it was born right here in Spring Branch. Roostar Vietnamese Grill just opened their 2nd location in the Galleria but the SB location is alive and well serving up amazingly fresh Banh Mi.
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7. Bunker Hill H.E.B.
The HEB at Bunker Hill is one of the company’s flagship locations and it’s not surprising to see the CEO Scott there himself on any given day. This store really does have just about anything you need and usually has plenty of options.
It really is a well run establishment.
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8. City Centre
City Centre was one of Houston’s first mixed-use developments that combined residential living intimately with high-end commercial and retail businesses.
The results have been wildly successful with City Centre becoming a great place for a night out with the family where you can grab a nice dinner, movie and drinks without ever leaving.
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9. Memorial City Mall
If you’ve lived in Houston even for just a short while, you’ve probably been to or at least heard of Memorial City Mall. Constructed in the mid-1960s, the mall went through an extensive renovation in the early 2000s and has since become one of the city’s most popular malls, behind only the Galleria.
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10. Ikea
You never realize how awesome it is living close to an Ikea until you need to make that Ikea trip and fall in love with the convenience of living so close to the amazing Swedish company that is Ikea.
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11. The Marq-E
The Marq-E Entertainment Center is as much a Spring Branch treasure as is Memorial City Mall. It’s had quite a few businesses come and go but the biggest ones have also been the most consistent including Dave & Buster’s, Edward Cinema, and Cafe Adobe.
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12. The Branch
The Branch was one of the first “new” concept restaurant/bar establishments to come into Spring Branch since it’s been experiencing this renaissance of sorts.
Offering a delicious homemade menu and a plethora of drinks, you should definitely stop by this place that packs personality.
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13. Cobble & Spoke
Cobble & Spoke is your neighborhood bar where you can ride you bike and even park it inside. If you’re looking for a place with a large variety of local brews and spirits, you’ll love the consistently fresh and Houston offerings they serve up every week.
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14. Polonia Restaurant
Warning: this post not safe for vegans. If you fancy yourself a meat and potatoes kind of person, you must stop by Polonia. Seriously, you must. You won’t be dissappointed.
Oh and be sure to wash down your authentic Polish meal with some delicious Polish beer please.
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15. Spring Branch Burger Shack
With a name like Spring Branch Burger Shack, you would think that they just serve up basic burgers but we can assure you that these burgers are anything but basic.
If you’re into crazy burgers that have things that you don’t always see on a burger, then do yourself a favor and stop by the ol’ Spring Branch Burger Shack.
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16. Dolce & Cafe
Coffee, paninis, and crepes. Need we say more? Ok, we’ll say a little more. Dolce & Cafe is recent and much needed addition to the Spring Branch area. They’re serving us delicious coffee and 100-year-old family panini and crepe recipes that live up to the hype.
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17. Agnes Moffit Park
Basketball hoopers and disc golf lovers rejoice. Agnes Moffit Park is a great public park with covered basketball and a very popular disc golf course.
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Bonus: The Real Estate
For years Spring Branch was one of Houston’s best kept secrets for getting a single-family home on a big lot for a great price that was only 15-20 minutes from downtown Houston.
The prices have gone up but it’s still has some of the best deals when it comes to getting a decent sized lot without going into the suburbs.
Click here to browse homes for sale in Spring Branch.
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While there are oh so many reasons to love Spring Branch, these are the top ones we could think of but we expect this list to grow. What do you think? Did we miss anything that should be on here? Something that shouldn’t be on here?
Well let us know in the comments below!
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