Reviewing La Lucha: Southern Cuisine in Houston.
After doing some research on oyster happy hours, I decided to finally make the trip to La Lucha in the Heights with two other people in the hopes of satisfying an oyster craving. We were sold by the 4.5 star rating on Yelp, 500+ reviews, and $1.50 happy hour oysters from opening to 6 p.m. every day. I made a reservation through OpenTable for 5 p.m. on a Wednesday via their website.
Upon arrival, we parked all three cars without a problem in their lot. Walking up to the entrance, you can peek inside their outdoor area, which is surrounded by a tall wooden fence covered in foliage. There are both large wooden tables and small metal tables in the outdoor area, and lamps hang from a large tree to light up the space at night. Walking in, the space has an open-concept design as well as high wooden ceilings and large glass windows. It is softly lit at night, highlighting an impressive backlit bar, open kitchen, and many lamps and chandeliers. The furniture and decor appear to be mid-century modern, and they remind me of some wedding venues I have seen recently. I imagine the space fills beautifully with light during the day.
As soon as we arrived, we were seated and greeted warmly by our server. Since we were all first-timers, she walked us through the happy hour (two types of $1.50 oysters on the half shell that are normally $3.25 and one $3 beer that is normally $6) and regular menus. Every day, the two types of oysters change. During our visit, they had Mon Louis and Bayou Bay oysters from Alabama. We ordered nine of each, two Bakfish “Highest of Fives” beers, fried chicken (half, $20), crawfish hushpuppies ($13), and a Gentleman’s Bet mocktail ($5). They can make any of their cocktails into a mocktail upon request. Our server generously gave us samples of the La Lucha Margarita as well.
Our drinks came out quickly. Bakfish is a brewing company located in Pearland, and their “Highest of Fives” is a blonde ale that is light, crisp, clean, and perfect with oysters! However, we were most impressed by the mocktail, which packed a mostly sweet but slightly sour, refreshing, and fizzy punch through its combination of ginger beer, lemon, and mint. The La Lucha Margarita was hibiscus-flavored and had a Tajin rim. Interestingly, we felt it tasted like it had more of a vodka than a tequila base.
The oysters arrived soon after and were served with cocktail sauce, soy-based sauce, horseradish, lemon, and crackers. We were given a fresh pack of crackers, and the lemon slice was placed in a bag to prevent the seeds from falling out. Of the two oysters, we preferred the Bayou Bay, which had a rich flavor with a hint of sea salt, to the Mon Louis, which were silky, meaty, crisp, and mineral-like, though both were fantastic and fresh.
The crawfish hushpuppies came out relatively quickly as well and were served hot with honey butter and powdered sugar. We were impressed by the notable crawfish flavor and shreds of meat present in each bite, but the hushpuppies were slightly more moist and rubbery than we would have preferred. Finally, the fried chicken came out about 20 minutes after we ordered and was served with biscuits, raspberry jam, pickles, a mayo-based oyster sauce, honey sambal, and a mildly spicy African-inspired sauce. The hot biscuits had us drooling since they were the perfect balance of crispy on the outside and soft but not too airy on the inside. They were not too buttery and paired extremely well with the raspberry jam. The chicken came in four mid-sized to large pieces and was fried to perfection in a fine crispy breading that maintained its texture throughout the meal rather than becoming soggy. What impressed us most was how moist the chicken was and how different yet equally delicious each sauce was. Because of the variety of flavor pairings possible, you never get tired of the dish!
La Lucha has become one of my favorite mid-tier restaurants in Houston. I assume the average person spends $20-40 here, though you can certainly go all out if you want. The interior and exterior are among the best I have seen, as is the service, and I love how spacious the establishment is both in terms of parking and seating. If I could change anything, I would add a wine or cocktail option to the happy hour menu for those that are gluten-free or have a beer aversion. I am looking forward to returning on a weekend for brunch!