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At restaurants like Juliet, Regal Seafood, and Bludorn, dishes are set ablaze

There are myriad ways for a restaurant to entertain its guests. Some do it with live music. Others via design elements like Instagrammable neon signs and mural art. More recently, Houston establishments are taking entertainment to the next level by tapping into the experiential aspect of dining. The way they’re doing it? By setting food on fire.

From flambeed desserts and salt-baked entrees that are set aflame to steaks delivered to the table on a blazing board, here are nine places around H-town for an immersive food on fire experience.

A favorite since the restaurant opened in August 2020, the flaming baked Alaska has become the signature dessert at Aaron Bludorn’s eponymous restaurant. A reinterpreted classic, pecan whisky ice cream, and strawberry sorbet are layered with pecan mirliton and strawberry jam, shaped into a ball, then enrobed in a tufted, fluffy meringue shell that’s set on fire at the table.

Inspire major FOMO at this pan Latin steakhouse by international celebrity chef Richard Sandoval with an order of their incredible 52-ounce prime tomahawk. Topped with fresh herbs and clarified butter, the meaty masterpiece is pushed to the table on a gueridon with all the pomp and circumstance befitting a tableside show. The steak is then doused with mezcal and lit with a torch, bursting into spectacular flame before it’s meticulously hand-carved and served with accompaniments of shishito peppers, chimichurri, and house BBQ sauce.

One of Houston’s finest dessert traditions, Brennan’s Bananas Foster, which is flambeed with rum and served a la mode with a crackling cinnamon sauce, is the most famous of the fiery dishes at this midtown gem. But if you want to see fire, there are other ways to do it. Order the Shrimp Chippewa two see shrimp on fire in a blaze of Cognac. Like coffee? Get the Cafe Brulot for two, and have your cameras ready as your server deftly mixes coffee, brandy, and triple sec in a moving arc of blue fire. 

A post shared by Brennan’s of Houston (@brennanshouston)

Seafood may be the focus at this stylish Mediterranean restaurant in the River Oaks District, but when you want to add pizazz to your meal, go Greek with the restaurant’s traditional Flaming Saganaki. An appetizer of Kefalograviera cheese cut into small squares and pan-fried in a cast-iron skillet, a swoosh of fire lights up the table as the cheese is flambeed with a shot of brandy, then served with pita — making it a dish perfect for sharing.

A post shared by Ouzo Bay - Houston (@ouzobayhouston)

Their bread services are one of the best in Houston, and their Mediterranean sides and apps are stellar, but that’s not the only reason why guests flock to this swanky Israeli-born steakhouse in River Oaks. Order a meat board — usually reserved for specialty cuts such as the American Wagyu Tomahawk, or for parties who order four or more steaks — and they’ll light the board on fire so that the steaks arrive at the table in full blazing glory. 

This hidden gem in Houston’s Westside is a Mediterranean restaurant and hookah lounge with belly dancing and live music on weekends. Add to the festivities by ordering one of their famous flaming special family plates, including salt-baked whole chicken or lamb shoulder, the Testi kabob, and a Turkish lamb stew that’s cooked in a clay urn. Each dish is set aflame, then broken down tableside before being plated on a giant tray topped with basmati rice, butter, and grilled tomato, grilled jalapeno. The best part? Each order easily serves up to four people and comes with a choice of sides like baba ganoush, stuffed grape leaves, and falafel.

A post shared by The Halal Palate (@halalpalate)

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Speakeasies are all the rage in Houston these days, with Juliet being one of the coolest: Enter through what appears to be a movie theater — complete with a hostess counter and popcorn machine in the lobby — before entering a world where dining is performance art. This includes several options for food and drinks on fire. Start with the Juliet Old Fashioned, a rye whiskey, chai, and apple-spiced cocktail wherein smoke chips are lit on fire above the drink until it is infused with smoke. Finish off strong with a showstopping Chocolate Sphere and watch it melt like magic before your eyes underneath a stream of fiery blue rum.

A post shared by Juliet Restaurant (@juliet.htx)

When it comes to fine dining, Tony’s is a bona fide institution that has been graced by A-Listers such as Andrea Bocelli, Mick Jagger, and millionaire socialite Lynn Wyatt. The dish to get above all else? The salt-baked snapper. An off-menu item that has been served for the better part of 20 years, place the order 24 hours in advance to experience its majesty. The flaming fish emerges from the kitchen atop the shoulder of a server, who will take a circuitous route around the dining room so that everyone can participate in the spectacle. When it arrives tableside, the salt crust is broken down with a small hammer, gracefully filleted, then finished with Tony’s signature Barolo sauce.

A post shared by Tony's Houston (@tonyshouston)

Heads will turn for this one: The long-necked custom Peking duck carving table was always impressive, but with the introduction of what’s being called “Fire Duck,” it has literally become this Cantonese restaurant’s hottest dish. Call ahead to order, and revel in the experience as the restaurant dims the lights, wheels the duck to the table, then sets the entire bird on fire with a mixture of tequila and Cointreau. Served with a choice of pancakes or bao buns and traditional accompaniments, the fiery dish has become so popular that the owner is now offering Blue Mountain Flaming Oysters — Oregon oysters steamed, topped with an orange peel, then set aflame at the table with a mix of Kahlua and vodka. 

A favorite since the restaurant opened in August 2020, the flaming baked Alaska has become the signature dessert at Aaron Bludorn’s eponymous restaurant. A reinterpreted classic, pecan whisky ice cream, and strawberry sorbet are layered with pecan mirliton and strawberry jam, shaped into a ball, then enrobed in a tufted, fluffy meringue shell that’s set on fire at the table.

Inspire major FOMO at this pan Latin steakhouse by international celebrity chef Richard Sandoval with an order of their incredible 52-ounce prime tomahawk. Topped with fresh herbs and clarified butter, the meaty masterpiece is pushed to the table on a gueridon with all the pomp and circumstance befitting a tableside show. The steak is then doused with mezcal and lit with a torch, bursting into spectacular flame before it’s meticulously hand-carved and served with accompaniments of shishito peppers, chimichurri, and house BBQ sauce.

One of Houston’s finest dessert traditions, Brennan’s Bananas Foster, which is flambeed with rum and served a la mode with a crackling cinnamon sauce, is the most famous of the fiery dishes at this midtown gem. But if you want to see fire, there are other ways to do it. Order the Shrimp Chippewa two see shrimp on fire in a blaze of Cognac. Like coffee? Get the Cafe Brulot for two, and have your cameras ready as your server deftly mixes coffee, brandy, and triple sec in a moving arc of blue fire. 

Seafood may be the focus at this stylish Mediterranean restaurant in the River Oaks District, but when you want to add pizazz to your meal, go Greek with the restaurant’s traditional Flaming Saganaki. An appetizer of Kefalograviera cheese cut into small squares and pan-fried in a cast-iron skillet, a swoosh of fire lights up the table as the cheese is flambeed with a shot of brandy, then served with pita — making it a dish perfect for sharing.

Their bread services are one of the best in Houston, and their Mediterranean sides and apps are stellar, but that’s not the only reason why guests flock to this swanky Israeli-born steakhouse in River Oaks. Order a meat board — usually reserved for specialty cuts such as the American Wagyu Tomahawk, or for parties who order four or more steaks — and they’ll light the board on fire so that the steaks arrive at the table in full blazing glory. 

This hidden gem in Houston’s Westside is a Mediterranean restaurant and hookah lounge with belly dancing and live music on weekends. Add to the festivities by ordering one of their famous flaming special family plates, including salt-baked whole chicken or lamb shoulder, the Testi kabob, and a Turkish lamb stew that’s cooked in a clay urn. Each dish is set aflame, then broken down tableside before being plated on a giant tray topped with basmati rice, butter, and grilled tomato, grilled jalapeno. The best part? Each order easily serves up to four people and comes with a choice of sides like baba ganoush, stuffed grape leaves, and falafel.

Speakeasies are all the rage in Houston these days, with Juliet being one of the coolest: Enter through what appears to be a movie theater — complete with a hostess counter and popcorn machine in the lobby — before entering a world where dining is performance art. This includes several options for food and drinks on fire. Start with the Juliet Old Fashioned, a rye whiskey, chai, and apple-spiced cocktail wherein smoke chips are lit on fire above the drink until it is infused with smoke. Finish off strong with a showstopping Chocolate Sphere and watch it melt like magic before your eyes underneath a stream of fiery blue rum.

When it comes to fine dining, Tony’s is a bona fide institution that has been graced by A-Listers such as Andrea Bocelli, Mick Jagger, and millionaire socialite Lynn Wyatt. The dish to get above all else? The salt-baked snapper. An off-menu item that has been served for the better part of 20 years, place the order 24 hours in advance to experience its majesty. The flaming fish emerges from the kitchen atop the shoulder of a server, who will take a circuitous route around the dining room so that everyone can participate in the spectacle. When it arrives tableside, the salt crust is broken down with a small hammer, gracefully filleted, then finished with Tony’s signature Barolo sauce.

Heads will turn for this one: The long-necked custom Peking duck carving table was always impressive, but with the introduction of what’s being called “Fire Duck,” it has literally become this Cantonese restaurant’s hottest dish. Call ahead to order, and revel in the experience as the restaurant dims the lights, wheels the duck to the table, then sets the entire bird on fire with a mixture of tequila and Cointreau. Served with a choice of pancakes or bao buns and traditional accompaniments, the fiery dish has become so popular that the owner is now offering Blue Mountain Flaming Oysters — Oregon oysters steamed, topped with an orange peel, then set aflame at the table with a mix of Kahlua and vodka.