Dining at Kira in River Oaks is like witnessing a well-rehearsed play in a black box theater. The 15-seat counter focuses on handrolls, and you’ll want at least two placed in your palm. Chefs casually ask about your favorite bite from the previous course, or how you like the hollandaise on your lobster handroll. And when you aren’t watching kakigori getting assembled from imported ice blocks, you’ll nod along to a Mitski record playing through the professional sound system.

The Houston location of Toca Madera screams exclusivity, from the "members only" dining menus and speakeasy with an annual $1500 fee, to the jam-packed reservation schedule for those who can't afford to drop four figures on restaurant perks. If flaming tomahawk steaks served in a sexy cave is your thing, the over-the-top Fourth Ward steakhouse is full of fun. Come after 11pm when the bar clears for a quick guava margarita or a skull-shaped dessert made of chocolate mousse and raspberry coulis.

Mamajuana Cafe lets you control how fun your night will get. Quietly appreciating good music is totally acceptable, as is hitting a bachata step and letting out an involuntary “woo”. The New York transplant is now Downtown serving Latin food that’s exciting even without flaming sparklers. It’s full of couples toasting their drinks or smoking hookah, and on the main floor, long tables are reserved for crews celebrating birthdays and bachelor parties.

Nonno’s Family Pizza Tavern in Montrose knows what’s fun: pizza, arcade games, and shot glasses glued to little toy cars filled to the brim with $1 shots of Malört. Whether you are attempting to heal your inner child or are an actual child, Nonno’s provides cheese-drenched food in an equally cheesy environment that looks a little like an interior designer’s carnival funhouse. Loosen up at Nonno’s and grab dinner with the fam, a few friends, or a second date that’s up for a round of pinball.

Some folks make the simple act of people-watching an Olympic sport (that would be us). At Brasserie 19 in River Oaks, you too get to enjoy this good old-fashioned entertainment: observing eclectic people saunter back and forth across the French bistro’s dining room and patio. Grab a table on the patio, some of the city’s best beef tartare and a couple dozen oysters, and let the drama of River Oaks housewives, over-confident teenagers, and former fashionistas unfold in front of you.

Every Friday night at Pampa Grill & Market, a casual BYOB Argentinian restaurant in Spring Branch, a man with an incredible voice belts out opera and old crooner tunes for hours. People pack the dining room to watch, sing along, and perhaps shed a tear at the height of an Andrea Bocelli aria over a giant griddle of sizzling steak. Bring in a bottle of wine and split cheesy empanadas, picanha, and morcilla sausage while a mustachioed tenor lulls you into a state of bliss.

If anyone were to argue Voodoo Queen Daiquiri Dive—an unhinged, eight-frozen-machines-at-the-ready cocktail bar in the East End—isn’t fun, we would just point at the fake skeletons, neon air hockey tables, and people plunging jello shots into their mouths as proof. Voodoo Queen makes fun even more fun, like fun squared. Plus the late-night rations of fried shrimp po’boys, cheesy tater tots, and giant chicken tender baskets make for ideal drinking food while playing a couple of rounds of pool.

Think of someone effortlessly cool. Maybe that was your older sibling or their friend who drove a van or the guy practicing judo alone in the park. Nobie’s is kind of like that person. As the actual older sibling restaurant to Nonno’s Family Pizza Tavern, dinner at Nobie’s involves loud music from a record player, slightly esoteric amaro-based cocktails, and an ever-rotating menu with ridiculous names—like “finger painting salad” and “love is in the aeration”).

It’s almost impossible to leave Winnie’s without a smile on your face. We usually make a beeline for the mile-long bar at the vibrant Midtown Cajun-Creole spot and get straight to business. And by “business,” we mean slinging back as many Gulf Coast oysters as our bodies can handle while we swing our feet like schoolchildren. In addition to some of the meanest handhelds Midtown has to offer (hello, shrimp po’boy), Winnie’s keeps the house tunes pumping as long as you can keep up.

We didn’t think it was possible to meet the restaurant version of a cashmere sweater until Nancy’s Hustle. The intimate American restaurant in EaDo feels like its own little world—with lighting set to liquid gold, a laid-back setting, and unique twists on classic dishes we love. Once you’re settled in Nancy's cozy bubble, all your energy can be spent on the important things: devouring the cheeseburger served on an English muffin, and taking the perfect selfie to commemorate the experience.

Everything at the Spring Branch soju bar feels lighthearted and fun. Chalkboard walls are filled with colorful notes from guests. Large orders of soju come served in a watermelon (which is now the only way we want to drink it). And reverb is just as likely to be heard from the crunch deep-fried chicken wings as it is from the speaker system. Come with your pals and hit the karaoke rooms after dinner to sing your heart out (and maybe even play a little tambourine, too).

At Gao’s Kabob, a BBQ spot in Chinatown, folks come for three things: skewered meat, beer towers, and karaoke. Almost all of the wooden tables at Gao’s are filled with hungry groups, laser-focused on inhaling trays lined with silver stakes of lamb, tender beef, and garlic fish. And with golden rivers of beer on tap, there’s no reason to leave this late-night spot (which is open until 2am). This leaves plenty of time to work up enough courage to give your best rendition of “My Heart Will Go On.”