Last Concert Café

There’s no sign and you must knock on the locked red door to enter, but that’s all in the 60-year tradition of Last Concert Café—a word-of-mouth local institution that was immortalized in Larry McMurtry’s novel Terms of Endearment, when the caustic socialite Aurora Greenway went there to let loose with her astronaut lover. There’s live music of all genres, a mix of customers from chic to slacker, dancing for those who feel inclined (on tables or otherwise), and a Tex-Mex menu and famous fajitas prepared from scratch with ingredients picked from a farmers market by the owner, Dawn Fudge, whose party-girl spirit sets the tone. Paul McCartney brought his crew here after a concert and ZZ Top has been known to dine and drink here as well.

This place isn't easy to find, tucked into the warehouse district north of downtown, so if our map doesn’t do it for you, check the restaurant’s Web site for more precise instructions. It’s worth it.