AL-in on The Heights

Montrose Mediterranean institution speeds into The Heights for new location

A Montrose staple will open a new location in The Heights. AL Quick Stop will open in Re:vive Development’s property at 518 W. 11th St.

Moe Elsaadi, who operates the restaurant and convenience store with his father Toufic, tells CultureMap that the family chose the Heights property after construction delays and the coronavirus pandemic delayed completion of Railway Heights, the food hall and market they had originally targeted for a second location. Instead, the restaurant will join Hando and The Bearded Baker in the heart of The Heights. If all goes well, the new location will open in July.

“I live in The Heights, off 15th street,” Elsaadi says. “The Mediterranean presence is very weak in the area . . . We’ve done so well in Montrose, and we’ve done well on delivery platforms. I figured moving north would extend our radius and get us out there to more people.”

With just 700 square feet, The Heights location of AL Quick Stop will only operate as a restaurant without the convenience store and grocery items that are part of the Montrose original. In addition, the menu will drop burgers and tacos to focus on Mediterranean staples such as gyros, chicken shawarma, and felafel.

Since joining the family business full time a few years ago, Elsaadi says he’s expanded the menu with fusion items such as a gyro burrito and shawarma fries. He’s also upgraded the preparation of a signature item by cooking the chicken shawarma on the same style of vertical roaster the restaurant uses for its gyros. “It’s juicier and has way better flavor,” he says.

While many restaurants have struggled during the pandemic, AL Quick Stop has been able to grow its sales. Elsaadi credits that success to serving affordable, tasty food that travels well, which has made the restaurant popular for both to-go and on third party delivery apps. Using those platforms comes at a price, but Elsaadi thinks they’re worth utilizing for places like his than can push high volume.

“At the end of the day, the fees do suck, but [the apps] are a valuable resource. We’ve got to take what we can from it.”

Elsaadi also clarifies the restaurant’s name. Originally opened as “Al’s Quick Stop” in the early ’90s, his father changed the name to “AL” (no apostrophe), because it’s the Arabic word for “the.” Therefore, patrons may read its name as “The Quick Stop,” which accurately describes its purpose. Whether in Montrose or the new Heights location, the restaurant aspires to be “the” place a person goes for an inexpensive, quick, satisfying meal.

“AL Quick Stop has been a Montrose institution for over 30 years,” Re:vive director of leasing and marketing Monica Danna tells CultureMap. “The Heights is lucky to be gaining a second outpost of this Mediterranean Houston gem.”

AL Quick Stop will be located on 11th St.

Photo by Morris Malakoff

AL Quick Stop will be located on 11th St.

news-you-can-eat the-heights openings

a CultureMap Exclusive

Houston's 'Chinese takeout bar from the future' touches down in Webster

Courtesy of The Rice Box

A rendering previews The Rice Box's new location in Webster.

Houston’s Chinese takeout bar from the future is coming to the Bay Area. The sixth location of The Rice Box will open in Webster later this summer.

Located at 114 El Dorado Blvd, the new location will be called Rice Box Space Center after NASA’s headquarters at the nearby Johnson Space Center. Founder John Peterson tells CultureMap that it’s a bit of a homecoming for him and his wife/business partner, Jenny Vo, as they grew up in the area. As with every new location, the restaurant created a movie-style poster to announce its opening.

Rice Box Webster movie poster The Rice Box Space Center is expected to open later this summer.Courtesy of The Rice Box

For its first truly suburban location, Peterson plans to offer a more efficient pickup system for to-go orders. Dubbed The Rice Box Pickup Reactors, the system applies Rice Box’s sci-fi aesthetic to curbside ordering. As seen in the rendering above, the building will have six slots that drivers will pull into to get their orders.

“The goal is to have guests in and out with food in hand in around 90 seconds,” Peterson writes in an email. “It’s still pickup, but we’re trying to make that moment feel more intentional and more connected to the digital side of Rice Box instead of treating it like an afterthought. We’re looking at this opening as both a new store and a prototype for how Rice Box can work in more suburban markets without losing the part of the brand that makes it feel like us.”

Bay Area-area diners can expect the same menu as the Rice Box’s other locations. That includes staples such as General Tso’s chicken, sesame chicken, beef with broccoli, and orange peel beef. The restaurant also serves traditional Chinese-inspired fare such as Chongqing chicken, cumin beef, mapo tofu, and chow fun noodles.

Recently, Peterson rolled out a new version of Rice Box’s dumplings. Available in chicken, pork, or vegetable, each style of dumpling comes with a different wrapper that enhances the filling’s flavor. They’re also available either steamed or fried.

The Rice Box started as a food truck in the early 2010s. After moving to a permanent location in the Greenway Plaza food court, it has opened brick-and-mortar locations in the Heights, River Oaks, Rice Village, and Memorial.

openings news-you-can-eat the rice box