Right before Waugh and Heights Blvd. collide is Good God, Nadine’s, a place I admittedly have driven by many times without noticing, due to the necessary and absolute attention required when driving on Houston streets. (On a side note: please get off your phones and drive, Houston!)

Good God, Nadine’s is a Southern-inspired restaurant and cocktail lounge that champions bold, locally sourced ingredients in “pan-Gulf” cuisine, all within a laid-back yet refined hospitality ethos rooted in fresh, uncomplicated food and craft drinks. Its founders and co-owners, Billy Trainor and Kyle Wiebe, didn’t just open a neighborhood dinner spot, they built it “from the roots up.” GGN was created by the same team behind Verdegreens Farms, a two-acre hydroponic farm growing pesticide-free seasonal produce right in northwest Houston’s Acres Homes neighborhood. The restaurant sources many of its greens and herbs directly from that farm as part of a farm-to-table philosophy they’ve pursued since Verdegreens’ inception, reinforcing the seed-to-fork pedigree in every dish and grounding the menu in deeply local, sustainable flavors.

This aforementioned “pan-Gulf” flavor profile mixes Texas, Louisiana, and Florida influences with other cuisines like Creole, Cajun, Mexican and even Vietnamese, making GGN just about the perfect place for any kind of evening out. There are three distinct dining areas to choose from. You enter through a large outdoor patio that extends into an even bigger indoor patio area, cooler thanks to A/C and fans. Lastly, through the second set of double doors, is the more moody mid-century modern bar and restaurant with walls full of paintings, brass accents, dark green tile and comfy chairs and banquets.

We’ll begin with cocktails, obviously – we aren’t savages. GGN has an extensive menu of signature cocktails; I started with The Houstonian (naturally) made with butterfly pea gin, Fever Tree tonic and crème de violette. It was perfectly balanced, a beautiful color, and fully garnished with fragrant herbs that aromatically pleased as one sipped. I followed that with their White Cosmo, which was set off wonderfully by the rosemary simple syrup. My date forwent the signature menu for a classic dry gin martini (happy to see the bar had Monkey 47) and was very pleased.

The oyster selection is revolving, and is also offered as a Happy Hour special, so a dozen were ordered to enjoy (but not by me), along with beef tallow fries to share. The tallow gave the fries great flavor and a pleasing crunch. I went for the hot crab dip, which comes with Old Bay-seasoned chips, and it did not disappoint. That was a light-bite night for us, but on other occasions we’ve enjoyed their smashburgers, the sesame guac and baked Dapper Goat Dairy goat cheese dip (lavender honey, organic pecans, roasted grapes with housemade focaccia).

In terms of our Quantity/Quality/Cost Scale, I’ll say that the portions are fair for the price. While the crab dip appears small, it’s rich and, along with the fries, left me sated. Price points vary across the menu depending on the item, but are reasonable, and the cocktails are worth it, especially during HH (which does go until 7pm). A full endorsement for Good God, Nadine’s, check it out soon!

For the full menu, more info on their events, and more delectable food pics, visit goodgodnadines.com. Also check out verdegreens.com too, as they have their own offerings of farmboxes and subscriptions.