A family friendly Garden Oaks restaurant is coming to Montgomery. D’Alba Craft Kitchen & Cocktails will open a new location this summer near the intersection of FM 2978 and FM 1488.

Located in the former Philipose’s space at 32823 FM 2978 Rd, d’Alba owner Daut Elshani tells CultureMap that he’s been looking for a location in The Woodlands/Woodforest/Magnolia area for about a year. He sees a lot of similarities between the growing northern suburbs and Garden Oaks, the neighborhood where d’Alba has been a neighborhood favorite since it opened in 2021.

“The recipe is there with young professional couples and young families that have the same demographics that fit what we’ve done in Garden Oaks to make the first one so successful,” Elshani says. “In the last year I moved to the suburbs myself. Seeing how lively it is, you’ll get some deja vu of how the Heights developed in the late twenty-teens.”

Slated to open in September, area residents will find the same formula that led d’Alba to win Best New Restaurant in the 2022 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards. A meal at d’Alba may start with shareable items such as spinach and artichoke dip, campechana, or the signature balloon bread — a puffed-up, baked pita served with basil-garlic pesto and truffle honey drizzle. Entrees include pizzas, pastas, salads, and heartier mains such as blackened salmon, a cheeseburger, and confit chicken thighs — all of which are made from scratch.

The restaurant also offers a popular happy hour and a lively brunch. Elshani thinks the area’s relative dearth of Italian-inspired restaurants will work to his advantage.

“[Compared to] Zanti in The Woodlands and Amalfi in Woodforest, we’ll be in the middle of them with a more casual atmosphere and the same time of quality at a lower price. We’re definitely excited about it,” he says.

Currently, Elshani is performing renovations to convert Philipose’s into d’Alba. Changes include installing large doors that can be opened during nice weather, getting rid of the outdated drop ceiling, upgrading the lighting, and dividing the room to improve energy and flow.

“We’re stoked and super excited about getting this up and running,” Elshani says.

A selection of dishes from d'Alba.

  

Photo by Becca Wright

A selection of dishes from d'Alba.