Brittany Britto Garley is an award-winning journalist and the editor of Eater Houston. She writes and oversees coverage of food and dining in the most diverse city in the country.
This periodic column highlights notable restaurant openings in and around Houston. Catch up on more news about Houston restaurant openings right here.
Know of a new or soon-to-open restaurant that should be on Eater Houston's radar? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
Houston-raised chef Christian Hernandez, the former chef de cuisine of Michelin-star restaurant March, kicked off his new Downtown restaurant with a tasting menu filled with what he tells the Houston Chronicle is Houston-inspired cuisine and a blend of international flavors. Dishes at the 907 Franklin Street restaurant include Texas Wagyu Denver steak, Vermillion snapper crudo, dry-aged duck, and chocolate and pecan coulant with black tea ice cream. Barbacana will update its tasting menu monthly, featuring elements of African, Middle Eastern, and Japanese cuisines. It will also offer variations of its tasting menu courses a la carte. Wine pairings ($65 per person) and cocktails created by Kristine Nguyen of Captain Foxheart's Bad News Bar are also available. The tasting menu itself is $125 per person.
An amalgamation of New York City bodegas and markets in Milan, this West University Place market opened at 3642 University Boulevard on December 14, carrying a bevy of gourmet gifts and groceries, according to a Culturemap report. The first location (a trial run, according to founder Arlene Ventura), opened in Brownsville and has since closed. This expanded rendition of Mercato and Company carries pastries and food prepared in-house, plus wine, cheese, charcuterie, coffee, European olive oil, chocolate, spices, and more. The shop will also host interactive events, including cooking classes and wine tastings. Ventura and chef-partner Perna, a chef at Tuscany resort Podere 1384, plan to open Osteria di Mercato, an Italian restaurant and wine bar, in early 2025.
From the team behind The Woodland's eclectic yet posh Indian restaurant, Amrina, comes Midtown's new "fried chicken parlor," which opened on December 9. Pok Pok Po offers a fun spin on crispy fowl with an infusion of Indian spices and sauces that complement its gluten-free fried chicken, which comes in tenders, bites, rice bowls, and sandwich bowls. The Balle Balle fries, sprinkled with a spicy, sweet, tangy seasoning, are a must here.
Duckstache Hospitality, the restaurant group behind Handies Douzo, Kokoro, and Himari, opened this Japanese whiskey bar in Autry Park, which is said to have one of the largest Japanese whiskey collections in Texas. Slated to complement its anticipated sister restaurant Doko, which is steps away, Bar Doko gets inventive with its cocktails. Each drink is inspired by one of Japan's five seasons or "the circle of life." There's even a fun boozy kakigori dessert and a negroni served in a Masu box with a mini toast garnish slathered with jelly.
Located in the Upper Kirby area at 2390 Richmond Avenue, this new cocktail lounge offers a luxe setting to unwind with cocktails like the Three Graces, an upscale twist on an amaretto sour, and its Three Pears Old Fashioned, a drink inspired by Paul Cézanne's Three Pears artwork featuring WhistlePig Rye 6 & Barrel Aged Maple and Pear calvados. Santé also features an ethereal experience inside, with two three-hundred-year-old olive trees, sparkling chandeliers, a rotating art collection featuring international artists, and seating outdoors to enjoy drinks al fresco. Food will also be on offer, with oysters and a build-your-own caviar service. Dress code here is strictly enforced.
This new Thai street food restaurant opened in the Westchase District on December 10. Located in the West on West development, which is also home to restaurants like Lady M and Kaiten Sushi, Osha offers an affordable lineup of dishes served in street markets in various regions around Thailand. Diners can indulge in familiar bites like crispy spring rolls, crab rangoons, and Thai chicken wings, noodle dishes all made in-house, and three different types of papaya salads, including a traditional version, one that incorporates salted egg, and another Lao-style salad that features salted crab.
Hailing originally from The Woodlands, Fielding Culinary Group's newest restaurant made its Houston debut in River Oaks on December 8. The spacious new, 6,000-square-foot restaurant offers ample seating, with a bar and lounge area, a roomy dining area, a private dining space, and two patios, one of which features cabanas. The restaurant will serve lunch, dinner, brunch, a continental-style breakfast with grab-and-go pastries and coffee, and a daily social or happy hour from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The menu features a wide range of fare inspired by cuisines around the world, which is apparent from its diverse plates. Diners can find pizza, pasta, dry-aged steaks, yellowtail crudo, wagyu sandos, karaage-style fried quail with peanut sauce, potato pancakes with smoked salmon tartare, clam risotto, and foie gras with curry apple butter. The restaurant is also well-stocked with beverages, including cocktails and around 1,400 bottles of wine to choose from.
River Oaks restaurant opened a new, larger second location in Town & Country Village on December 2. The restaurant, which offers seating for nearly 200 people, features a dedicated bar and lounge area, a seven-seat oyster bar, and a 10-seat chef's table that offers prime views of the open kitchen. Relish favorites like fried chicken, lobster rolls, and burgers remain on the menu alongside newer additions like roast chicken with harissa and apricot tomato, vegetable lasagna, and bourbon caramel carrot cake with homemade soft-serve ice cream.
Post Houston's newest attraction opened on December 7, combining the experience of a museum and nightclub. Attendees can experience Art Club's trippy 13 exhibitions and an infinity room (an optional add-on), all while enjoying cocktails.
Sister to Dallas-based restaurant Haywire, this modern Mexican restaurant opened its first Houston location in Regen Square on December 16, bringing its agave library filled with a robust collection of more than 150 tequilas, mezcals, and sotols that fuel cocktails made with freshly squeezed juices. The two-story establishment features two patios with sprawling views of Buffalo Bayou Park and lunch and dinner menus with hand-pressed tortillas, creamy lobster Fundido, and grilled meats like Angus skirt steak. Traditional dishes like tacos, enchiladas, and fajitas are also on offer, along with a festive and boozy brunch with cajeta French toast, chicken chilaquiles, and Benedictos Rancheros.
This Japanese restaurant opened to the public on Saturday, November 16, in the West on West retail and dining development. Some of the fanfare centers on the sushi itself, which features fish flown in from Japan twice weekly and prepared fresh to order. The conveyor belt, which delivers sushi to the table after an order is placed on one of the touchscreen devices at each table, is also a draw. Kaiten, which specializes in Edomae sushi -- a type of sushi evolved from street food that involves lightly cooking, pickling, or curing ingredients to preserve flavor and ingredients, also serves shoyu ramen, Japanese egg custard with shrimp and mushroom, and desserts like strawberry parfaits and black sesame ice cream.
The owners of Fu Fu Cafe and Fu Fu's Restaurant closed their two restaurants on Bellaire Boulevard in Asiatown and instead opened a hybrid restaurant, Fu Fu Dim Sum and Hot Pot, just down the street. The aptly named restaurant, located at 11810 Bellaire Boulevard, opened on November 15 and dishes out various steamed and fried dim sum, steamed rice noodles, hot pot, seafood, baked savory dishes, and desserts.
Despite Houston's bevy of steakhouses and steak nights, Medium Rare, the D.C.-based steak-frites chain, is giving Space City its best shot. The restaurant opened its first Houston location, offering steak or a portobello mushroom entree, fries, a mixed greens salad, bread, and its special sauce for $31, with a second entree included.
Following its founding location in Spring Branch, this upscale Korean barbecue restaurant held its grand opening in Montrose in late November. The newest Bori offers an interactive dining experience, during which diners can cook specialty meats, including A5 wagyu and pork jowl, tableside, with add-ons like kimchi stew and corn cheese.
Houston rapper Trae the Truth teamed up with chef Justin Kent of the Honey Hole to open this food truck in East Downtown. Tha Truth Truck, which initially launched with the duo's flavorful spin on a basic chicken sandwich, now serves chicken tenders, sliders, spicy chicken tacos, and elote, plus games like cornhole, dominoes, and patio tables for sitting if you plan to stay awhile. Houston Chronicle reported that fellow hip hop artists like Chicago's Chief Keef and Detroit rappers Killa Baby and Baby Money have already visited and shown support.
Known for fueling many Houston coffee shops with thoughtfully sourced coffee beans, this roaster and coffee company opened its second shop on November 19 in Downtown's Norton Rose Fullbright Tower. The new cafe, located near Discovery Green, features a combination of coffee, tea drinks, and grab-and-go items from local chefs and restaurants, including Heights restaurant Jun and Love Croissants. Diners can also imbibe with cocktails, like boozy chai and matcha highballs, and a host of coffee-focused experiences and programming.
A beacon of live entertainment, this new piano bar in River Oaks opened on November 11. It offers a swanky new place to enjoy music with cocktails and high-end dishes like rib-eye tartar, lobster spaghetti, truffle deviled eggs, mozzarella sticks topped with caviar, and wagyu smash burgers. The Kennedy also features a variety of performances throughout the week, including singers, pianists, and DJs.
Kirby Group, the restaurant group behind establishments like Verde Garden and Bayou Heights Bier Garten, opened its newest and most elegant restaurant to date. Emma Jane, a new teahouse in Harlow District, debuted on November 7, welcoming diners in for an afternoon tea set-up that includes up to three organic teas, a glass of bubbly, and classic presentations of small plates and bites, pastries, sweet and savory scones, and tea sandwiches for $65 per person. Diners can also order outside of tea time from its breakfast, dinner, brunch, and cocktail menus.
This Persian-Mediterranean restaurant opened in early November. A reflection of owner Herand Tahmasian's Persian and Greek family, Herand's Kitchen serves a blend of cuisines, including koubideh or kabobs made with beef or lamb, hummus, falafel, and chicken or pork souvlaki wraps. Tahmasian first opened the restaurant in Glendale, California, in 2021 before deciding to relocate to Houston to be closer to family.
This Tokyo-based ramen shop opened its first Texas restaurant in Houston's Heights on November 1. The restaurant offers a variety of appetizers, including karaage, sushi, and its signature steamy bowls of ramen dishes made with a chicken and seaweed broth that's infused with spices and/or yuzu for a citrusy punch. A sleeper hit is the tsukemen, or dipping ramen, which comes with the choice of cold or room-temperature noodles and a side of rich broth to dunk your noodles in.