Local Foods - Rice Village — Restaurant in Houston

When you first walk in, you'd probably have the same reaction as I do. Dayum the prices are really high. 11 dollars for a sandwich and 2 slides? I swear I was about to just walk straight out and just eat lunch at a fast food joint nearby.

The interior looks hipster and modern...moving on.

I got most of recommendations for my selection from other Yelpers and the employees there. They were really helpful and could explain the different sides really well. I ended up getting the Crunchy Chicken sandwich and the Tuscan Kale and Couscous as my sides.

THE SANDWICH. There were probably like 5 separate components that made up this, but they all worked really well. Under the top pretzel bun, they layered some crispy chicken skin, and that was probably the best part of the sandwich. It was such a nice contrast to the juicy, and succulent chicken underneath. After some vegetables, came the chicken. I can't really tell honestly between good chicken and soso chicken, but it was hella moist. Below that came the nut "crumble", which was almost like a nutty paste smeared onto the bottom bun. Since it got to soak up all those heavenly juices from the chicken, it almost tasted like savory peanut butter. It was a complete package, and everything complimented one another and just worked perfectly. By the way, portion sizes for the sandwich were okay but it filled me up pretty well.

THE SIDES. I decided to get the Tuscan kale after a ton of recommendations from Yelpers. I'm not a big fan of this whole kale fad, but it was tasty for a meat lover like me. They tossed in some Parmesan cheese and raisins, which gave it a sweet, salty taste and it really worked out. It was really refreshing. The couscous was recommended by the employee. If you haven't had couscous, I want to say it tastes like rice, but it's made from pasta haha. They have the shape of mini-M&M chocolates. It was soft and almost had a nutty flavor. The small beads were fun to eat and different from sides you'd normally find at restaurants. The couscous was complimented with strips of zucchini and pepper, which gave the side the contrast against the softness of the couscous.

Again, it looks really expensive, but won't hurt to come here once in a while. Even though it was a hearty-ish meal, I felt refreshed and not bogged down. If you like hot sauce/sriracha, definitely try their in-house hot sauce. I happen to really like spicy foods, and it help give the sandwich new flavor. And be sure to appreciate the design of the menu and bathe in...

After seeing my Houston friends post photos of their food and of this place, it was the first thing on my list of things to do when I came back. Having been spoiled by the Austin food scene, I was expecting/hoping it would be like Noble Sandwiches in terms of quality, unique items, service, and ambience. It succeeded overall except one area--unique items. By that, I mean a deli that offers more than just sandwiches and salads. Noble had ox waffles!!!

I find it amusing that on Google maps, the description for Local Foods includes the mention of "overstuffed sandwiches." They surely do put a lot in there but they certainly aren't overstuffed by any means. My family and I ordered the smoked salmon, seafood, roast beef and duck confit sandwiches. All solid choices with an assortment of sides--kale, beans, olives, etc. or your choice of soup. In retrospect, I think getting the non-soup option would be better with a group if you choose to share but if you're by yourself, I'd go for the soup route. They only had two options the day I visited and the one I chose was chicken based. There were some chunks of chicken but not as much as I had hoped, a measly 2-3 pieces of meat. The flavor though was excellent with the right amount of spices and the vinegar they added gave it an extra kick.

With the tip, it ended up being in the mid 60s in terms of price--a little on the high side for me even for good sandwiches. Service was prompt (they are sandwiches after all) so two thumbs up on that front and the ambience was bright with plenty of windows. They also have an outdoor patio area if the temperature is warm.

This place is smack dab in Rice Village so it is to no surprise that it gets crowded when it gets close to noon. My personal recommendation is to come here early for a brunch--that way you don't have to deal with any parking issue at the parking lot or look for street parking.

In summary, just replace "Local" with "Whole" and you get a Whole Foods that only sells sandwiches/salads and...

Okay I usually love Local foods, actually it's my favorite restaurant in Houston. I have been coming here for years, but the last few visits I have been disappointed with the quality and taste of the food. I had to write a review because this is becoming a consistent issue, so this is based only on my last few experiences here. I ordered the garden Sammie which is usually delicious but this time it was awful. I only ate half and threw away the rest. The cibatta bread is usually very crunchy with a nice center but this time I don't know what was wrong, the bread did not taste good and seemed it hadn't been cooked completely. I decided to added spicy aloi this time, but there was so much on the sandwich it was not enjoyable. As well the sandwich did not have much flavor and was over salted. I will say I did try their fries and they were really good. One other thing that I have noticed is the change in their cookies. They used to have these wonderful chocolate chip pecan cookies. They were so good I would sometimes come here just for one. They got rid of them some time back and I am not sure why. For now I will continue to come to local foods, but I hope this is not something that continues. I hate to see places that are awesome start to change to save money. I hope this is not the case with local foods.

Update: I started coming back to local foods in the recent months. The food has improved. Still disappointed about the cookies and sometimes the cupcakes are a hit and miss. The customer service is usually great except for one employee who seems to hate his job. He has been on the market side each time I’ve seen him. He does not greet, he just stands there. That should be...