Houston’s New Restaurant Openings
All the restaurant and bar openings in Houston you should know about.
If you tried to keep track of every new restaurant and bar in Houston, your head might spin. So just read this list instead. These are the openings that seem like they have the most potential. Although, keep in mind, we make no promises about the places we haven’t visited yet. Go forth and be a pioneer—or just keep up with our Hit List to see which new restaurants we checked out and loved.
The Marigold Club
After much anticipation, The Marigold Club is open in Montrose. Expect sconces with hand-blown glass tulips and fabric affixed to the walls in shades of green that we’ve only ever seen in the land of Oz. The French menufeatures multi-tiered seafood towers, duck wellington dressed in sauce au poivre vert, caviar sandwiches, and, yes, custom-made ice cream sundaes at dessert.
Turner’s Cut
Turner’s Cut is far from understated, and the latest restaurant unveiled by the Berg Hospitality Group. The steakhouse in Autry Park has live music, a private dining room and bathroom attendants that offer sips of wine. There’s the option to order a la carte from the menu or, for those who can’t decide between the foie gras terrines and dover sole bathed in saffron sauce, there is a five and eight-course tasting menu.
The Sylvie
The Sylvie, another Ben Berg Hospitality Group joint, is now open in the Texas Towers downtown. This all-day cafe serves almond croissants for customers to grab throughout the day, smoked salmon bagels during breakfast, and pizzas and lamb meatballs during lunch and dinner.
PHOTO CREDIT: BRIAN KENNEDY
Azumi
This Baltimore-based Japanese restaurant just opened its first Houston location in River Oaks, serving 40 piece platters of nigiri, wagyu nigiri, and a nine-course chef’s tasting menu. Looks like there’s plenty of room at the sushi bar to eat something like a Nikkei taco stuffed with bluefin tuna, a terrace, and a list of Japanese whisky.
Granger’s
Just a block over from the Museum of Fine Arts is Granger’s, a steakhouse and seafood spot that seems to really enjoy big boards of food. The menu has a mixed seafood tower for $179 and the “Baller Board” for $225 with enough meat for five, as well as grilled redfish, fried chicken, and tuna poke bowls.
PHOTO CREDIT: THAI TAIL
Thai Tail
The folks behind Kin Dee and Makiin opened another Thai restaurant in the old La Fendee space, smack dab in the center of Montrose. Thai Tail has a more fast-casual vibe than the restaurant group’s other spots, with menu items like a green curry burger and crispy wonton pad thai.
Yoyo’s Hot Dog
This is YoYo’s Hot Dogs fourth move (at least) to a brick-and-mortar location around town, and the second off Washington. Here’s hoping the king of the griddled and sauced-up Korean dog stays put and doesn’t move again. This glizzy is worth the chase, we just want a reliable address to pull up to late at night.
Toca Madera
Houston added another steakhouse to its roster with Toca Madera. This time it’s a Mexican-style restaurant with nightly live entertainment—but don’t call it a clubstaurant, as there doesn’t seem to be the customary tableside bottle service (yet). Opened next to the Hyatt Thompson Hotel, Toca Madera’s menu features sashimi, tomahawks, and A5 wagyu tacos.
PHOTO CREDIT: LIZ SILVA
Tacos Doña Lena
The birria experts from Spring Branch are now serving the greater Heights area. Their second spot is just as colorful and full of red chili-stewed beef and gooey cheese as the original, but with even more space in the dining room. The menu has different combos of quesabirria tacos, plus six different salsas and a full margarita bar.
Bagel Shop At The Museum
The folks behind New York Deli & Coffee Shop teamed up with Bagel Shop Bakery and opened a new cafe on the second floor of the Holocaust Museum Houston. And while you can get a coffee and a cream cheese-loaded bagel, there’s also a menu of salads, sandwiches, and even more pastries.
Aye Candy
Hidden behind an old-school sweets shop in Spring Branch, Aye Candy is the latest speakeasy in Houston. The Mexico City-inspired bar dresses up with dim lighting and plush upholstery and expects guests to follow suit (no flip-flops allowed). The cocktail menu features drinks like a vanilla Old Fashioned and espresso martinis to pair with the Butterfingers.
Haywire
Now open in the Memorial neighborhood, Haywire is a steakhouse with some Texas flare. A 33-oz wagyu tomahawk steak is available for those who only accept beef in extravagant quantities. But besides the serious cuts of meat, you can expect some Gulf Coast representation via dishes like blackened gulf bass and lump crab dip.
May 2024
PHOTO CREDIT: LAUREN HOLUB
Jonathan’s The Rub
Jonathan’s The Rub’s newest location has made its debut in the East End neighborhood. Here, they’re serving Brooklyn-style pizza covered in chorizo and serrano peppers. But like its sister locations, the menu will still have everything from Gulf Coast seafood to a big ol’ ribeye.
PHOTO CREDIT: JENN DUNCAN
Duck N Bao
Rice Village is the home of the newest Duck N Bao restaurant which is, unsurprisingly, known for peking duck and xiao long bao. Right now, only this location is serving a lobster trio with salt and pepper, XO sauce and truffle, as well as caviar service and new dishes like duck fried rice and black truffle soup dumplings.
PHOTO CREDIT: TACODELI
Tacodeli
Houston’s second location of Tacodeli just opened in the Galleria. The Austin import serves tacos all day long (with a build-your-own option in the mornings), so you can come for one or two pork shoulder tacos, or go big and grab a family pack of to share.
Fancy’s
At Fancy’s, you’re required to give social media handles to reserve a table. Unsurprisingly, $1,200 caviar and designer wallpaper also make appearances at this new cocktail bar in River Oaks. Their drinks list is full of passionfruit martinis and dressed-up gin and tonics, and, there is, of course, bottle service.
PHOTO CREDIT: KIRSTEN GILLIAM
B.B. Lemon
The Berg Hospitality Group’s reign of 14 restaurants marches on with the latest opening of B.B. Lemon. The newest location in Enterprise Plaza downtown is open for breakfast and lunch, with sausage breakfast tacos and pancakes served with strawberry butter. During the afternoon, this location serves a condensed version of its sister restaurants’ menus, including the wagyu chili cheese dog and deep-fried spicy chicken sandwich.
Woodland Social
We didn’t know that there was a need for a (semi) kid-friendly patio bar with volleyball courts, but Woodland Social has it covered. The drink rundown at this massive Northside bar is sizable—including espresso martinis on tap and customizable frozen drink flights—alongside things like pizza and a singular salad. Woodland Social is open to children before 9pm, labradoodle-friendly on the patio, and full of reservable courts for sand volleyball.
Dripped Birria
Midtown is the lucky recipient of the newest Dripped Birria location specializing in all things, well, birria. But Dripped Birria is no one-trick-pony. They also serve fried quesadillas, loaded nachos, bowls of elote, and ice cream sundaes topped with churros until 4am daily.
PHOTO CREDIT: BECCA WRIGHT
Maven Coffee & Cocktails
In addition to its setup at Minute Maid Park, Maven—by Astros’ pitcher Lance McCullers Jr.—is now open at the base of the Thompson Hotel. Coffee shop by day and cocktail bar by night, Maven can make you an espresso and an espresso martini.
PHOTO CREDIT: MICHAEL ANTHONY
Sol 7
Sol 7 sits on the seventh floor of the new Thompson Hotel, which is pretty high up compared to other Houston rooftop spots. The American cafe serves an all-day menu with lobster rolls and steak frites, as well as weekend brunch with Magnol pastries.
PHOTO CREDIT: DUC HOANG
The Pit Room
The popular Montrose barbecue spot The Pit Room opened its second outpost in Memorial. The new restaurant pays homage to the original’s massive patio with garage bay doors, giving the place an indoor-outdoor feel but with even more TVs. For now, the menu for both locations is the same, with classic three-meat barbecue plates and massive beef ribs.
PHOTO CREDIT: BECCA WRIGHT
Jethro’s Cocktail Lounge
Jethro’s Cocktail Lounge is the latest bar to pop up in Montrose. Jethro’s is keeping it simple, with 10 cocktails on the menu, including a watermelon margarita and the team’s interpretation of an Old Fashioned. On the food side, there will be a vegetarian-friendly option and fries, but it’s otherwise all about a smashburger (which gets a special house sauce and a brioche bun).
April 2024
PHOTO CREDIT: BLUE TUBA
Blue Tuba
While the name might sound like it belongs to an eclectic music store, the Euro-Tex restaurant Blue Tuba is now open in The Heights. Crossing the chefs’ European heritage and good ‘ole fashioned Texas-style food, the menu shows off dishes like pan-fried schnitzel, tacos topped with escargot, and Hungarian goulash.
PHOTO CREDIT: PIZZANA
Pizzana
The popular California pizza mini-chain owned by an actor and the folks behind Sprinkles cupcakes is now open in River Oaks. In addition to Neapolitan pizza, Pizzana serves pasta, salad, and dessert, and even offers gluten-free pizza.
La Viva
Adding to Houston’s Tex-Mex scene, La Vida opened its doors in the Oak Forest neighborhood. All of the usual suspects are on the menu (tacos, enchiladas, and plates of fajitas), but there are also a few dressed-up dishes, including crawfish quesadillas and something called “Queso Loco”.
PHOTO CREDIT: CHELSEA THOMAS
Vibrant
The second location of Vibrant is now open in Memorial Park. We can only hope that this health food restaurantmaintains the same notoriety—like being a giant freezer (it’s very cold in there)—as its Montrose sister. But the menu items like sweet potato noodle stir fry, breakfast tacos, and masa pancakes are all guaranteed and as expected, the full Vibrant menu will be gluten, dairy, and white sugar-free.
Dipping Tiger
Dipping Tiger in Chinatown has 15 types of phở, and almost every bowl features a helping of filet mignon. Alongside brisket hot pot, they also have dishes like fried spring rolls to keep you company while you wait for your broth to reach an edible temperature.
Molihua
While many restaurants in the Medical Center are quick lunch-time options for healthcare workers, Molihua fills a gap for upscale dinners. Now open on the second-floor of The Blossom Hotel, this Japanese restaurant will serve small bites, aburi sushi, and dishes like mochi-covered chicken wings over rice.
PHOTO CREDIT: JULIE SOEFER
Local Foods
The Local Foods team has been incredibly busy this week, opening not one but two new concepts. And the newest location opened in the Galleria neighborhood. If the thought of leaving your emotional support location has you down, don’t worry, this one still has all of the Local Foods staples, including the pozole and crispy chicken sandwich.
PHOTO CREDIT: JULIE SOEFER
Maximo
Maximo started out as a food truck doing taco pop-ups around Houston. Now, the Mexican restaurant from the team behind Local Foods has a brick-and-mortar in West University. Grab a crispy fish taco on nixtamalized tortillas, a barbacoa grilled cheese, or have a margarita on their spacious patio.
PHOTO CREDIT: RICHARD CASTEEL
Bori
Bori has been serving Korean BBQ in Spring Branch for years and now has a new location open in Montrose. While the newest iteration of this KBBQ spot might not have the art gallery like the OG location, it still features highlights like the kimchi pancakes, bulgogi fried rice, and enough cuts of meat to feed a small platoon.
KP’s Kitchen
KP’s Kitchen opened a second location in Bellaire serving 12-hour baby back ribs and crispy wings during lunch and dinner. During brunch, they have french toast, quiches that rotate weekly, and croissant sandwiches stuffed with scrambled eggs.
Little Rey
Atlanta-based Mexican restaurant Little Rey has made its way to Houston. The River Oaks counter-service restaurant will have carnitas tacos and agua frescas of the day, and for the weekend warriors, Little Rey has an assortment of breakfast tacos made with housemade flour tortillas.
