Introduced to Houston in 2010, this new restaurant is a crowd favorite in the Memorial area.

Peruvian Inspiration

While this restaurant offers dishes from across the whole of South America, its specialty is specifically dishes that originate from Peru. Latin Bites’ chef, Chef Roberto Castre, was born in Peru and attended culinary school there. Despite his Peruvian background, though, one will be delighted by flavors that are inspired by Japanese, American, French, Italian, and other Latin American countries’ cuisines as well.

Gluten-Free and Vegetarian Options

Despite the number of meats and fish that are used in South American cooking, a vegetarian diner at the farm-to-table Latin Bites will be delighted with the number of non-meat options. On that same note, the menu also has a variety of gluten-free options, and each menu item is marked with an appropriate “GF” or “V” to differentiate between the two. For a yummy vegetarian menu option, which is also gluten-free, the garden stuffed avocado is recommended as a starter, which is half of an avocado that’s been loaded with potato salad, apple, beets, carrots, mint, green peas, aioli, mayonnaise, and fresh cheese. Another gluten-free must-try is the traditional Fisherman Cebiche, a combination of white seasoned fish, mixed seafood, leche de tigre cilantro, ginger, garlic, green onions, sweet potato puree, cancha, choclo, and red onions.

For Meat Eaters

Don’t worry, if you’re meat eater and can’t imagine a meal that doesn’t have a high protein option, Latin Bites hasn’t forgotten about you. For some amazing flavors, try the pork Arepa with corn dough, pork belly, cheese, leeks, and more; the beef tenderloin empanadas;  the grilled veal heart with roasted potatoes and huacatay sauce; or the Patacon short ribs to start. For your main course, the shrimp chowder ($15), duck bowl ($18), or cilantro lamb stew ($18) are highly recommended.

Specialty Cocktails

There are a bunch of yummy cocktails at this restaurant that are worth sampling if you like mixed drinks. The white sangria is a particular favorite. That being said though, if you’re a wine drinker instead, here’s an insider’s tip: bring your own bottle. Yep, the corkage fee is only $5 at Latin Bites, making bringing in your own personal wine preference worth the small fee.

Beautiful Dishes

Finally, I’ll conclude by saying that another highlight of this restaurant that really puts it over the top is the fact that the dishes are beautiful—nearly too beautiful to eat, even.  While the portions are small, everything about this place feels elegant, artistic, and high class. And, because the prices aren’t astronomical, you can feel as though you’re dining like royalty without having to pay nearly that much. For an even more fairytale-like experience, ask to be seated on the patio.