Where To Watch Super Bowl

Super feast: 10 hot spots to drink, enjoy great food and watch the big football game in style

Get ready for some football (and the halftime show): More than 110 million people are expected to watch Super Bowl XLIX between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots this Sunday, with a performance by Katy Perry that's sure to be hot topic on social media. Catch the game — and load up on out-of-the-ordinary fare and drinks — at these 10 hotspots.

No Shrunken Tacos

Casual Mexican chain Berryhill Baja Grill (Post Oak, Revere, West University, The Woodlands) presents an appetizing matchup between two tacos: the New England Inflated Taco (with spicy beef, lettuce, tomatoes and sauce in a puffy shell; $2.99) and the Seattle Tossed Seafood Taco (tempura-fried fish, red cabbage, creamy housemade sauce and cilantro in corn tortillas; $2.99). Whichever side you favor, pair it with a frozen margarita ($3) or domestic long neck beer ($2).

Tailgate Affair

The Super Bowl party at downtown’s El Big Bad will include amped up stadium-inspired snacks from nachos (black beans, shredded beef or chicken, queso, pico de gallo, guacamole, crema; $10) to chili cheese fries (smothered with chorizo and beer chili, queso and pico de gallo). Sip on discounted house margaritas ($5 each) and draughts ($1 per beer; $5 off pitchers).

Wonder Bowl

Watch the game go down in the Dome-themed tasting room at 8th Wonder Brewery (12 p.m.). Kick off with a cold one (while supplies last): Brewston Texas Pale Ale will make its debut. Nosh on old-school Texas ‘cue from Houston-based smoked meat distributor, Feges Barbecue, plus fare from the Eatsie Boys food truck, like the No Sleep Til Philly sandwich (with sliced ribeye, sauteed onions, beer-based cheese whiz) and the Shazam (grilled chicken breast, arugula, feta, tomato, avocado puree and tarragon mayo on ciabatta).

Bet the Spread

Upscale seafood restaurant Tony Mandola's will host a killer all-you-can-eat buffet (5 p.m.; $40 per person) featuring four gigantic food stations (salad, cold items, hot entrees and dessert bar). Feast on items such as, oysters, boiled shrimp, fried chicken, lasagna and blueberry cheesecake.

Mandola's Fried Chicken

Cue and Craft Beer

Hit up The Hay Merchant this Sunday for craft beer (there are over 80 on roster here) and a plate ($12-$16) of barbecue including 44 Farms Texas beef ribs. The Montrose beer joint and eatery will also serve smoked sausage, boudin and creamed corn (6-11 p.m.).

Epic Buffet

Dance a touchdown jig at Revelry on Richmond. If you can still move after filling up on burgers, hot dogs, Frito pie, pulled pork sliders and more at the Game Day buffet ($20 per person) and imbibing any — or several — of the more than 40 craft brews on tap at the sports bar and grill.

Game-Time Indulgence

And you thought the Super Bowl ads were pricey ($4.5 million for 30 seconds). Try the Blue crab and caviar nachos ($100) at posh Midtown staple Brennan’s of Houston made with fire roasted corn, triple creme cow's-milk cheese, alligator pear avocado, pico de gallo and lime crema, all topped with an ounce of luxurious Petrossian caviar. For something a little lighter on your wallet, dig into items ($7 each) from the restaurant’s 7-7-7 Happy Hour menu (2-7 p.m.). We recommend the Louisiana oyster BLT (bacon mousse, cherry tomatoes, arugula and Creole mustard glaze) and Canadian Maple Fizz cocktail (maple whisky, fresh lemon juice, ginger ale).

Blue Crab and Caviar Nachos at Brennan's

Late-Night Fun

Midtown’s Gage Lounge will not only offer drink specials (3 p.m.) on domestic ($12) and import ($16) buckets of beer, but also on ruby red or lemonade vodka drinks ($5 each). Celebrate the winning team’s victory into the early hours – music from a DJ will keep things rolling until 2 a.m.

They’ve Got Game

Test your skills at ping-pong, bocce, beanbag toss and pigskin (throw the ball through a tire) at Brooklyn Athletic Club. Whether you’re a 12th Man Seattle Seahawks fan or you're rooting for Tom Brady to take home his fourth Super Bowl ring, you’re sure to enjoy the Richmond Ave. restaurant’s mac and cheese, braised short ribs, roasted mushrooms and peppers, American and Redneck cheddar cheeses and an herbed bread crumb crust; $9), delectable Clubhouse Burger (grilled beef, green tomato and jalapeno jam and the regular fixin’s; $11) and the likes.

Ain’t No Thing...

Get ready for some serious bites at D&T Drive Inn. Local restaurant group Treadsack will present a lineup of its top chefs competing for best chicken wing sauce (4 p.m.). Try them all ($10 for a dozen wings) with a craft beer. The regular menu will be up for grabs as well (think: $8 smoked chicken and Andouille gumbo and a $10 grilled Brie sandwich with pickled grapes and ham).

The Super Bowl party at downtown’s El Big Bad will include stadium-inspired fare and $5 margaritas.

Photo by © Julie Soefer/Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau

The Super Bowl party at downtown’s El Big Bad will include stadium-inspired fare and $5 margaritas.

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Coming soon to Fredericksburg

Houston restaurant vet serves up Roman-style eatery in the Hill Country

Photo courtesy of Bottega Salaria

Valerio Lombardozzi is opening Bottega Salaria in the former home of La Bergerie.

Valerio Lombardozzi’s culinary career has taken him to the world’s finest kitchens, including restaurants owned by icons like Alain Ducasse, Giorgio Locatelli, and Joël Robuchon. In Houston, he led La Table and Tavola, where he earned a reputation for being one of the city's most engaging front of the house personalities.

But his latest project might be his biggest accomplishment yet. The hospitality veteran is opening Bottega Salaria, a homey Italian osteria and artisan market, in the former home of La Bergerie at 312 E Austin St in his adopted home of Fredericksburg.

Lombardozzi says the restaurant, expected to arrive in winter 2026, fills a gap in the Hill Country dining scene, but, more importantly, it's a reflection of his personal history and time spent working at his family’s restaurant in Rome.

“[It’s about] where I grew up, how I grew up, and how I eat,” he shares.

The three-concept experience is inspired by Italy’s Via Salaria, the ancient route Italians used to transport salt from the Adriatic Sea to Rome. The menu acts as a sort of travelogue, borrowing from the different cultures along the road, and the way village fishermen and shepherds ate.

Lombardozzi is quick to say he didn’t want to open a chef-driven restaurant. Instead, the osteria will serve traditional Roman staples such as cacio e pepe, amatriciana, carbonara, saltimbocca with sage and prosciutto, and branzino carved tableside.

“I was one of the last to be exposed to the old generation of professionals who knew how to carve elegantly for the guests,” he says.

The adjacent bottega will stay open during restaurant hours, offering fresh pasta made on-site, house-made sauces, imported Italian pantry items, cheeses, salumi, breads, and biscotti. Patrons will be able to shop for individual items or put together custom gift baskets.

Outdoors, La Fraschetteria will debut a new hospitality experience in the U.S. The self-guided experience invites diners to grab wine directly from garden shelves, gather a spread of meats, cheeses, bread, or pasta, and linger around long communal tables lit by string lights.

Keeping the chit-chat going will be a thoughtful beverage program anchored by a primarily Italian wine list and imported beer. Lombardozzi says the cocktail menu might be a surprise, offering only gin and tonics, spritzes, and negronis. The latter has been made into a game where diners roll dice to determine the evening's combination of gin, vermouth, and bitters.

After dinner, guests can select an amaro from a rolling cart, sip grappa and limoncello, or sip a neat whiskey.

Lombardozzi shares that he wants Bottega Salaria to be just as comfortable for Fredericksburg locals as it is for destination travelers. Beyond daily service, Bottega Salaria plans community events such as garden wine nights with live music, Sunday movie nights, and hands-on cooking classes.

The space is designed for ease with a warm palette combining olive green and pomegranate reds. The decor blends heritage and modernity, bringing in objects like antique mirrors, plates, custom-made lamps, and even old tablecloths and curtains for an Old World feel.

"We’re not just opening a restaurant,” Lombardozzi says. “We’re creating a gathering place. A home for everyone who loves Italian food, culture, and the joy of sharing a meal with others.”

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