now entering phase 2

Top Houston restaurants reopen for phase 2 of dine-in service

As Houston restaurants move into “phase 2” of reopening for dine-in service, more of the city’s top chefs and restaurateurs are getting back to business. That means they’re permitted to serve at 50 percent of their capacity as long as they maintain at least 6 feet of separation between tables and limit party sizes to six or fewer.

Still, reopening doesn’t mean “normal,” and diners will need to adjust their expectations accordingly. For example, valet service still isn’t permitted, so plan a little extra time to find parking at places where it can be a challenge.

Even casual restaurants like Cane Rosso and Kenny & Ziggy’s are requiring reservations to manage customer flow. Many businesses are requesting or requiring customers to wear masks at all times when they aren’t seated at their tables.

Make sure that smartphone has a decent charge. Since single-use paper menus are still required, some restaurants are opting to use online menus to present detailed dish descriptions and/or wine lists.

Hours and staff may be limited, too. It may be hard to imagine Brennan’s not serving Sunday brunch, but that’s our current reality (at least for this week — it's coming back May 31).

Still, the news isn’t all bad. Some restaurants used their temporary closures to make some upgrades. Rainbow Lodge has an all-new bar with new floors, banquettes, and a bronze-mirror ceiling to show off its 20-foot wood sculpture. Bravery Chef Hall turned the former Atlas Diner stand into a Hawker Alley with four new restaurants: Andes Café, a South American concept from David Guerrero; Margaux’s, a seafood concept from chef Scott Ache; Naaco Bread Co, an Indian restaurant from chef Sunny Vohra; and La Villa Tacos from Jonathan Gallardo and José Doñez.

For those who don’t feel ready to dine out, all of these establishments still offer takeout in various forms. Also, those looking for more dine-in options should see CultureMap’s previous lists from April 29, May 6, and May 13; many of those restaurants are bumping up from 25 to 50-percent capacity.

Alma Latina: The Heights Tex-Mex favorite resumes dine-in service from 11 am - 10 pm daily.

The Annie Cafe: The Galleria-area restaurant resumes dinner service on Thursday, May 21. Hours are 4 - 9 pm Tuesday - Thursday and 4 - 10 pm Friday and Saturday.

Armadillo Palace: Goode Co.'s bar, restaurant, and live music venue reopens with a limited menu and hours that begin May 28: 11:30 am - 12 am Thursday - Saturday — also opening at noon May 23 and 24 for Memorial Day weekend.

B&B Butchers: Berg Hospitality’s upscale steakhouse resumes dinner and Sunday brunch service on Thursday, May 21. Hours are 4 - 9 pm Tuesday - Thursday, 4 - 10 pm Friday and Saturday, and 11 am - 9 pm Sunday.

Backstreet Cafe: The venerable restaurant will reopen with a limited for dinner during the week as well as brunch and dinner on the weekends. Diners are required to wear masks when not seated at a table. Hours are 3 - 9 pm Monday - Friday, 10 am - 9 pm Saturday, and 10 am - 3 pm Sunday.

Batanga: Downtown’s best patio reopens this week with a number of changes, including more space between tables, a limited menu better suited for to-go, and a bodega that sells beverage kits, wine and beer, and produce. See website for hours.

Bistro Menil: Chef Greg Martin’s Montrose restaurant resumes dine-in service on Friday, May 22. Hours are 11 am - 2 pm and 5 - 9 pm.

Brassiere du Parc: The downtown restaurant reopens for dinner only with a limited menu. Hours are 5 - 9 pm Monday - Thursday and 5 - 10 pm Friday and Saturday.

Bravery Chef Hall: The downtown food hall has reopened all of its restaurants for dine-in service beginning at 11 am daily.

Brennan’s of Houston: Houstonians will once again be able to dine-in on turtle soup and bananas Foster as the venerable Creole restaurant resumes dinner service. Hours are 5 - 9 pm Tuesday - Sunday.

Broken Barrel: Chef Hilda Ysusi has reopened her eclectic, small plates restaurant in The Woodlands for dinner and Sunday brunch. Hours are 4 - 9 pm Monday - Saturday and 11 am - 3 pm Sunday.

Cane Rosso: The Heights pizzeria will reopen for dine-in service this weekend with reservations available to help the restaurant manage its limited capacity. Open at 11 am daily.

Churrascos: The Sugar Land, Memorial, and River Oaks locations of the South American steakhouse reopen for dine-in service on Tuesday, May 19. See website for hours, addresses, and details on the limited menu.

Costa Brava Bistro: Bellaire’s favorite place for paella is open for dinner from 5 - 8 pm Tuesday - Thursday and 5 - 9 pm Saturday and Sunday.

Craft Pita: Previously patio only, the Mediterranean restaurant has temporarily shifted to full service to better accommodate social distancing requirements. Open 11 am - 8 pm daily.

The General Public: CityCentre's gastropub reopens Friday. Service begins at 3 pm on weekdays with brunch beginning at 11 am on Saturday and Sunday.

Georgia James: Chris Shepherd's steakhouse resumes dinner service on Friday, May 22 with a menu that includes steaks, salads, and signature items like Viet-Cajun roasted oysters, the GJ Burger, and center cut king crab legs. Reservations recommended. Hours are 5 - 10 pm Sunday - Thursday and 5 - 11 pm Friday and Saturday.

Ginger & Fork: The Heights-adjacent Chinese restaurant has reopened for dine-in service with strict protocols for customers that include a temperature check before entering and wearing a mask except while dining. Reservations required. Hours are 11:30 am - 9 pm Tuesday - Thursday and 11:30 am - 10 pm Friday and Saturday.

Grimaldi’s: All five Houston-area locations of the coal-fired pizzeria have reopened for dine-in lunch and dinner service. See website for addresses and hours.

Handam BBQ: The newly opened Korean restaurant in Chinatown has resumed dine-in service. Hours are 11:30 am - 9:30 pm daily.

Hando: The Heights hand roll restaurant will only have room for 11 diners when it reopens for daily lunch and dinner service.

Hearsay Gastro Lounge: The restaurant’s original, Market Square location has reopened for dinner service with a new menu and refreshed interior. Hours are 4 - 10 pm daily.

Kenny & Ziggy’s Post Oak: The delicatessen resumes dine-in service at its original location with strict procedures. Customers are required to use the Yelp app to make a reservation and will not be permitted inside until their table is available. They’re also required to wear masks unless seated at their table and will access the restaurant’s menu via smartphone. Hours are 8 am - 9 pm daily.

New York Deli & Coffee Shop: Dine-in service at this staple of Houston’s Jewish community resumes Friday, May 22. Hours are 8 am - 7 pm Monday - Thursday and 8 am - 8 pm Friday - Sunday.

Nobu: The global sushi powerhouse reopens its location in The Galleria on Thursday, May 21. Hours are 5 - 9 pm Wednesday - Sunday.

One Fifth Mediterranean: Hummus, pita, wood-roasted meats and more will be available for dine-in service beginning Friday, May 22. Reservations recommended. Hours are 4 - 10 pm Tuesday - Thursday, 12 - 10 pm Friday and Saturday, and 12 - 8 pm Sunday.

The Original Ninfa’s Uptown: The Tex-Mex restaurant reopens for daily lunch and dinner service at 25-percent capacity on Wednesday, May 20. Navigation location will move to 50-percent capacity on Friday, May 22.

Qin Dynasty: The upscale Chinese-American restaurant resumes dine-in service from 11 am - 9 pm daily.

Rainbow Lodge: When the restaurant reopens on Friday, May 22, it will show off a redesigned bar that features new banquettes and tables as well as a new menu from chef Mark Schmidt and cocktails from beverage director Marc Borel. In the main dining room, a QR code will allow people to peruse the wine list via smart phone. Hours are 11:30 - 8 pm Tuesday - Friday, 5:30 - 9 Saturday, and 10:30 am - 8 pm Sunday.

Roka Akor: Reservations are required at this upscale Japanese steakhouse. Hours are 4:30 - 10 pm Tuesday - Sunday.

Roost: Chef Kevin Naderi’s Montrose bistro is offering seatings at 4:30, 6:30, and 8:30 pm nightly. Reservations required.

Slowpokes: All three locations of the coffee shop and cafe — Oak Forest, Spring Branch, and Upper Kirby — are now open with a limited food menu plus coffee, wine, and beer. Hours are 8 am - 6 pm daily.

Snooze: An AM Eatery: The brunch restaurant's locations in Montrose, the Heights, Katy, Memorial, and Clear Lake have reopened for dine-in service. Hours are 7 am - 2 pm on weekdays and 6:30 am - 2:30 pm on weekends.

State of Grace: The River Oaks restaurants resumes dinner service this week with a new menu that adds some seasonal elements to its familiar mix of small plates, raw seafood, and steaks. Hours are 4:30 - 8:30 pm Sunday - Thursday and 4:30 - 9 pm Friday and Saturday.

Squable: The European-inspired restaurant in The Heights returns for this weekend (May 22 - 24) with patio seating only. Reservations required. Hours are 4 - 10 pm Friday and Saturday and 11 am - 4 pm Sunday.

Torchy's Tacos: The Austin-based restaurant has reopened all of its Houston-area locations for dine-in service. See the company's website for locations, hours, and safety protocols.

Tris: The best restaurant in The Woodlands (trust us) has resumed dinner service. Hours are 5 - 9 pm Tuesday - Thursday and 5 - 10 pm Friday and Saturday.

Truluck's: Steak and stone crab are once available at both Houston-area locations (Galleria and The Woodlands). See website for hours.

UB Preserv: Since it's too small for 50-percent seating to make sense, the restaurant will reopen with party packs available for pickup; see website for each week's selections. Hours are 3 - 8 pm Thursday - Saturday and 11 am - 3 pm Sunday.

Uchi: The Austin-based Montrose restaurant has reopened to satisfy those cravings from wagyu tataki and hama chili. Reservations are required for dinner service, which begins daily at 4 pm.

Expect to see staff wearing masks and gloves, as at Roost.

Courtesy of Roost

Expect to see staff wearing masks and gloves, as at Roost.

news-you-can-eat

Notes from a chef

Globe-trotting Houston chef reviews Noma's $1,500 Los Angeles pop-up

Courtesy of David Skinner

Pink pepper Dungeness crab.

[Editor’s note: When David Skinner, chef and owner of Kemah’s celebrated eculent and Ishtia restaurants, offered to share his experience eating at one of the world’s best restaurants, we said, of course. Read on for his experience at Copenhagen restaurant Noma’s pop-up in Los Angeles that took place this summer. Take it away, David.]

The crab was alive a few minutes before I ate it.

Just before service, the kitchen broke down a Dungeness crab and set it over open charcoal, the downtown Los Angeles skyline behind the smoke. It came to the table wreathed in dried pink pepper branches, with a butter sauce built on the same pepper. I've eaten crab all over the world — this was maybe the best crab ever.

That was the first of 17 courses at Noma LA, and the best bite of the afternoon. Leading with your best shot is either confidence or a statement. By the end of lunch, I'd decided it was both.

The residency had begun in turmoil. Founder René Redzepi stepped away from the residency the day it opened, following a news investigation into allegations of demeaning treatment of staff — conduct that had been discussed in industry circles for years. Protesters gathered at the gate that day. The kitchen, led by Pablo Soto, carried on through the residency's close on June 26.

I went for lunch at the Paramour Estate, the 1920s Mediterranean mansion in Silver Lake that Noma called home for 16 weeks. For more than 30 years, I've traveled the world in search of culture, a little mystery, and always food, eating everywhere from strangers' kitchen tables to three-Michelin-star dining rooms.

As the chef behind eculent and Ishtia in Kemah, I also eat with a cook's eye — which means I'll tell you what was brilliant and what was oversalted. Noma LA had a little of both, but after a half dozen meals at Noma over the past 10 years, I can say this one was a standout.

The setup

The logistics alone are remarkable. Noma relocated roughly 130 staff members and their families to Los Angeles and built a pantry sourced within 300 miles of the mansion. Lunch ran 17 courses over about four hours at $1,500 per person, including beverages and gratuity.

Chef Soto greeted us at the entrance with the full kitchen staff, a Noma tradition. By the time I arrived, the protesters were long gone, and the brigade seemed to be cooking with a sense of relief.

Rather than choose between the wine pairing and the nonalcoholic program, we asked our server, Mara, to mix the two course by course. She nailed it, moving from a sparkling rose-and-pink-pepper drink to a bright cherimoya lemonade to a 25-year-old Tony Coturri zinfandel from Glen Ellen that became the table's favorite pour.

The standouts

The crab. It opened the meal, and nothing that followed topped it. The pink pepper did double duty with the dried branches perfuming the shell, the butter sauce carrying a gentle heat — the sweet, smoky meat needed nothing else. Alongside came a 2022 Phelan Farm chardonnay from Rajat Parr's Cambria operation: white Burgundy in spirit, California in its bones.

The cactus. Pickled tacinga cactus, marinated in Oaxacan mezcal and citrus and crowned with honeypot ants, arrived beneath a live cactus paddle with a eucalyptus handle.

The acorn. A single braised acorn, glazed with black pepper, sat atop an uni custard made with Santa Barbara sea urchin and caviar in hoja santa oil. The server described it as a nod to California's Indigenous peoples. As a Choctaw, whose ancestors relied on acorns for thousands of years, I felt that one. It was also the most technically accomplished savory course of the meal.

The seaweed and clams. Six varieties of Southern California seaweed with butter-kissed clams tasted like the coast itself. This is Noma at its best: not interpreting California so much as listening to it.

The tuna eye. I've eaten cod eye at Noma in Copenhagen, but this version was way better. The kitchen removed the tough cornea, replaced it with a thin disk of kumquat, and served the eye chilled inside a ruby-red banana flower bract. Rich and gelatinous, it's eaten in one bite. When our table wondered aloud where the rest of all that tuna goes, Mara had the answer: family meal for the staff.

The kelp mole. Grilled greens, a squash blossom stuffed with huitlacoche, and an artichoke on its stalk arrived with tortillas from Komal, one of Los Angeles's top heirloom molinos, paired with a mole built on kelp.

Between the acorn, the cactus, and the mole, a question kept surfacing: what does it mean for a Danish kitchen to arrive in someone else's pantry and cook as though it has always been there? Some of these ingredients have fed Indigenous and Mexican cooks for centuries. Noma handled them with obvious respect and real curiosity. Sometimes, though, the line between homage and borrowing comes down to whether you're willing to say the name out loud.

Dessert kept the surprises coming, including a macadamia custard served in a sunflower whose base turned out to be beeswax. The finale arrived as a bundle of ferns tied with string. Diners snip it open with tiny scissors to find a chocolate cookie and a fortune inside. Mine quoted Nietzsche: You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star.

Nietzsche, at $1,500 a head, in a Silver Lake mansion, from a kitchen whose founder walked away on opening day while protesters stood at the gate. The kitchen knew exactly what it was doing.

The full menu, course by course

For those keeping score, here's the complete lineup.

Pink pepper Dungeness crab
Daylily crab dumpling — The rest of the crab, tucked inside a trumpet-shaped daylily with buds plumped in crustacean liquor. The flower dominated; the crab was the reason to eat it.
Chilled lobster broth — Spiny lobster stock, dashi, and elderflower oil served chilled in the lobster's own coral-colored shell. A palate reset dressed as a course.
Spot prawn with matcha — Served in real seaweed, the head filled with smoked pumpkin paste for sucking, the tail painted with matcha. Paired with the 2024 Verso from Caleb Leisure in Sebastopol.
Sea urchin custard and braised acorn
Cactus with mezcal
Ragout of California botanicals — Seasonal greens, peas, and herbs in a warm, quiet preparation, tied together by a hint of horseradish.
SoCal seaweed and clam
Tuna neck — Minced tuna neck in a koji-inoculated steamed bun with the texture of suede, topped with translucent shards of dried chicken-stock skin. Paired with the 2000 Estate Zinfandel from Tony Coturri.
Tuna eye
Black pearl rice steamed in avocado leaf — Ringed with pistachio oil and scattered with dime-sized macadamia slices. Humble ingredients in the spirit of California great Jeremiah Tower.
Morels with habanero and yuzu — Sierra Nevada morels on turkey-tail mushrooms over hot stones. Bright and spicy, but heavy on the salt.
Greens and grilled artichoke in spiced kelp mole
Cherimoya and lemongrass — A green cocoa butter shell shaped like a cactus, hiding a smooth cherimoya ice cream. A California fruit most California menus ignore.
Macadamia milk custard and pistachio — Topped with heirloom Hong Kong kumquats from a handful of research trees that fruit four weeks a year, served in a beeswax-lined sunflower.
Silver Lake fortune cookie — A Chiapas chocolate mousse cookie garnished with insects, hidden in a bundle of ferns you cut open with tiny scissors. Fortune included.

The misses

Not every course landed. Morels with habanero and yuzu were oversalted, and some presentations were delivered too quietly to catch the full story. At $1,500 a seat, the storytelling should be as confident as the cooking.

The verdict

Having now eaten Noma's traveling editions in Tulum and Los Angeles, I'll offer an opinion that may be unpopular in certain circles: the pop-ups are better than Copenhagen. Maybe it's the hunt for new ingredients, or the urgency of a 16-week run in a borrowed house. Whatever the reason, the results are hard to argue with. I put that theory to the test in August, when I returned to Noma on my birthday, three days after it reopened with Soto at the helm. More on that meal soon.

Noma LA wasn't really a restaurant. It was an argument about a place, made in food, by people who flew 6,000 miles to make it. The argument was frequently brilliant, occasionally presumptuous, and closed with Nietzsche in a fortune cookie. On balance, it won.

----

David Skinner is a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: Texas and the owner of eculent and Ishtia in Kemah. He also writes the culinary travel journal Destination Eater on Substack.

Courtesy of David Skinner

Pink pepper Dungeness crab.

news-you-can-eat chefs