Exposing kids to ethnic foods helps them understand different cultures, languages, and even how to use spices and food combinations in creative ways. When you’re looking for a variety of ethnic cuisine in The Woodlands, Texas, area, you’re in luck. Check out Crème de la Crème of The Woodlands recommendations of restaurants that offer food from around the world.

Lama Mediterranean Cuisine

“Top view of a dips Plate with pita break, tzatziki, fresh rolls” licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Flickr by verchmarco

Enjoy traditional Mediterranean, Lebanese, Greek, and Persian foods when you stop for a meal at Lama Mediterranean Cuisine located at 1644 Research Forest Drive Suite 100 in The Woodlands. This family-owned-and-operated restaurant has been serving authentic Mediterranean cuisine for over 20 years using family recipes handed down through the generations. This style of cooking includes generous portions of fresh vegetables, fragrant herbs and spices, olive oil, seafood, beans, and nuts that help establish healthy and nutritious eating habits.

Start your meal at Lama Mediterranean Cuisine with an appetizer such as hummus made with chickpeas and tahini, grape leaves stuffed with seasoned rice, or a sambosa filled with protein and vegetables.

Salads include offerings like the Greek salad with black olives and feta cheese or a refreshing yogurt and cucumber salad with spicy mint. Savor entrees such as the lettuce lamb wrap, gyros platter, or the grilled chicken kabob. Kids even have their own menu with dishes such as chicken tenders or the kid’s gyros plate. Save room for dessert to try the rice pudding or honey and nut-filled baklava. Lama Mediterranean Cuisine is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Sitar Cuisine of India

Step into a world of fragrant spices, herbs, vegetables, and proteins when you visit Sitar Cuisine of India. The chefs at Sitar Cuisine of India serve traditional and modern Northern Indian-style food using family recipes with a creative twist on select dishes.

Order a refreshing lassi drink made with yogurt, chai tea, or mango juice to go with your meal. Try a variety of vegetable samosas or pakoras filled with spicy potatoes and vegetables. Delve deep into Indian cuisine with tandoori chicken marinated in yogurt and exotic spices. The Rogen Josh is a classic curry dish traditionally served in the valley of Kashmir. Savor the saffron-flavored basmati rice mixed with fresh vegetables or homemade cheese cubes served with creamed spinach.

Try the lentils or chickpeas cooked with special Indian spices, tomatoes, and onions, or cauliflower sauteed with secret herbs and spices. Save room for dessert with offerings such as pistachio ice cream or sweet egg pudding. You can find Sitar Cuisine of India at 25701 I-45 North and they’re open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m and again from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday the restaurant is open from 11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Ploy Thai Cuisine

With two locations in Texas, The Woodlands and nearby Katy, it’s easy to enjoy delicious Thai food when you eat at Ploy Thai Cuisine. Thai cuisine is filled with fragrant lemongrass, galangal root, kaffir lime leaf, and spicy curries that create a burst of flavor in your mouth.

Order a beverage such as iced Thai tea, lemonade, or a glass of crisp white wine to go with your meal. Start with appetizers like crispy spring rolls, golden fried tofu, or grilled calamari. Warm up with a bowl of soup with offerings such as hot and sour, miso, or Tom Yum with shrimp or chicken.

Feel like you’re on an exotic Thai vacation when you have one of Ploy Thai Cuisine’s noodle dishes like the Pad Thai or the Pad Woon Sen served with glass noodles. Fried rice dishes range from pineapple fried rice to fried rice with meat and egg. Browse the curry menu for the house specials or choose from a variety of seafood, meat, or vegetarian dishes to satisfy everyone in the family. Satisfy your sweet tooth with a choice of ice cream flavors like coconut, strawberry, or mango.

Check their website often for monthly specials such as the popular Tom Yum soup, and enjoy their lunch specials with a different curry served every day of the week as well as specials such as chicken in peanut sauce of basil seafood platter. In The Woodlands, Ploy Thai Cuisine is open daily from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Find this award-winning Thai restaurant at 1500 Research Forest Drive Suite 240 in The Woodlands.

The Olive Oil Restaurant

Take a culinary and cultural trip to the Greek Islands when you eat at the family-friendly The Olive Oil Restaurant located at 373 Sawdust Road. Not only will you get to experience authentic Greek food, but you’ll be entertained by Greek musicians and belly dancers.

Enjoy a glass of wine, a beer, or your favorite non-alcoholic beverage with an appetizer such as pita bread with hummus dip, stuffed grape leaves with fragrant rice, lemon juice, and olive oil, or fried eggplant with a tangy yogurt sauce. Try a cup of spicy bean or lentil soup or a refreshing salad like the one made with spinach, walnuts, and raspberries.

Savor Greek specialties like the moussaka eggplant casserole or stuffed cabbage rolls filled with meat, vegetables, rice, and Greek spices. For entree plates, try the lamb chops, pecan-crusted crab cakes, or chicken souvlaki served with fragrant rice and spinach. Share dessert with the family like the sweet and salty baklava, a bowl of yogurt topped with walnuts and honey, or the custard baked with phyllo dough and drizzled with a spicy honey syrup.

Stop by The Olive Oil Restaurant for lunch or dinner. The restaurant is open daily from 11 a.m to 9 p.m. Be sure to check out their website for rotating lunch specials.There you have Crème de la Crème of The Woodlands, Texas, list of ethnic restaurants in our area. Which dish did your child enjoy the most? What type of ethnic food is their favorite? If you can recommend another awesome ethnic restaurant that we missed, drop us a line and we’ll add it to our list.