Lance is back

Veteran Houston chef opens his highly anticipated new Heights restaurant

The Heights' newest destination for classic American fare and Southern Italian classics has opened its doors. After a quiet soft opening over the weekend, Fegen's officially begins service on Tuesday, April 6.

Located in the former Liberty Kitchen space at the corner of Studewood and 11th St., Fegen's is the new home for veteran Houston chef Lance Fegen. The chef helped establish The Heights as a dining destination when he opened Glass Wall in 2006 and the first Liberty Kitchen in 2011.

When Fegen and his partners opted to sell the Liberty Kitchen brand to State Fare owner Culinary Khancepts last year, they kept The Heights location for this new concept, which, to be very clear, is unrelated to the similarly spelled Feges BBQ (Editor's note: we've received a few questions from readers).

“It’s very meaningful to be opening a restaurant that bears my name," Fegen said in a statement. "Myself and the team hope to make it a wonderful experience all around, offering up approachable American food and a cozy atmosphere. Plus, we’re stoked to give a new life to our home of nearly a decade.”

That approachable American food starts with small plates such as hot cross buns and mussels and a selection of salads. From there, diners may choose from Italian-inspired pizzas and pastas that nod to Fegen's ancestry or opt for a range of steak and seafood options that are more in the style of the chef's previous concepts.

Liberty Kitchen's coastal hues have been replaced with a darker palate of red and green with brass accents. A lowered ceiling has been installed to give the room a more intimate feel that provides a setting for family lunches, business dinners, and date night.

Handling the front of house will be two industry veterans. General manager Matt Hart comes from the corporate world of Landry's and Darden Restaurants. Bar manager Nicole Meza will bring the craft aesthetic she learned at Weights + Measures and Julep to Fegen's cocktail offerings.

For now, Fegen's is open for dinner Tuesday-Sunday beginning at 5 pm. Lunch and weekend brunch will follow. The restaurant does not accept reservations but does offer to-go.

Chef-owner Lance Fegen.

Photo by Carla Gomez

Chef-owner Lance Fegen.

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New York Times critic awards Houston restaurant 2 stars in glowing review

Courtesy of ChòpnBlọk

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Let’s just call 2025 the year of ChòpnBlọk. In a review published Tuesday, December 16, the New York Times has awarded the Houston restaurant two stars (“very good”).

Written by chief restaurant critic Tejal Rao, the review touts many of the same qualities that the Times already praised when it included ChòpnBlọk on its list of America’s 50 best restaurants.

Rao writes that she usually avoids restaurants that serve food in bowls, but she’s impressed by the way that chef-owner Ope Amosu has put a West African spin on the concept.

“For inspiration, Ope Amosu looked to the kind of chain restaurants that were built to scale, where flavors are often subdued to appeal to the broadest possible audience, focus-grouped to death. But the delight of ChòpnBlok is in its sure sense of self, its lively, multidimensional cooking and clear, delicious vision for modern food from the Black diaspora,” Rao writes.

She singles out specific dishes, including the Nigerian red stew with short rib, the Black Star bowl with shrimp, and the signature Motherland, made with chicken, greens, and plantains. “It’s utterly simple, but draws you in for more with the mouthwatering twang of not-too-much MSG — an international shortcut to building umami that tends to be used carefully, and layered with other forms,” she writes.

The review also touches on the way Amosu switched the restaurant from counter service to full service — described as “warm, informal, and quick with the jokes” — and his time working at Chipotle to learn the basics of the restaurant operations.

A two-star review is only the latest instance of ChòpnBlọk receiving national attention. In addition to the Times 50 best list, Esquire recently named it one of America’s best new restaurants. The Michelin Guide awarded it a Bib Gourmand designation for 2025. Amosu earned a semifinalist nomination for Best Chef: Texas in the 2025 James Beard Awards.

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