Burgers and oysters, oh my!

Upscale Dallas house of burgers and oysters cozies up to River Oaks

A popular Dallas destination for burgers and oysters is coming to Houston. Hudson House will open in the River Oaks Shopping Center in late 2021, the restaurant announced in a release.

Originally opened in Dallas in 2017, Hudson House takes its inspiration from neighborhood restaurants in New York's West Village. The concept is built around a classic, double patty cheeseburger, an extensive selection of raw oysters, and the self-described "World's Coldest" martinis. It has grown to four locations across the Dallas area, with River Oaks being its first outpost beyond the Metroplex.

"I've always loved the vibe of the West Village and New York city neighborhood restaurants," founder Hunter Pond told CultureMap Dallas in 2017. "So this is an American neighborhood restaurant — a weekly dining destination for the neighborhood, and for people who are craving an intimate and cozy environment."

To bring the concept to Houston, Hudson House owner Vandelay Hospitality Group has selected a space next to Brasserie 19 at 1964 West Gray Street. The 4,500 square-foot restaurant will feature leather booths, a large wraparound bar, and the concept's largest raw bar, where diners will be able to watch shuckers prepare platters of oysters and decadent seafood towers.

In addition to burgers and oysters, other popular dishes include:

Avocado Dip with whipped avocado, green onion, and ranch chips
Chicken Parm, with creamy tomato pasta and reggiano
American Tuna Tower, with ahi tuna, mashed avocado, English cucumber, mixed greens, radishes in wasabi vinaigrette

Hudson House also serves brunch on the weekends. Expect Benedicts, berry pancakes, and frozen peach bellinis. The restaurant's spin on chicken and waffles uses a red velvet waffle and extra crispy double fried chicken.

"I'm hoping it's a place that's approachable, where high school kids can enjoy a Friday night cheeseburger, while at the table next to them is the couple that wants to get a shellfish tower and bottle of champagne," Pond added.

Vandelay also operates East Hampton Sandwich Co., which opened locations in River Oaks District and Montrose in 2018. Although both of them have closed, a location in downtown's Understory food court remains open, according to the East Hampton website.

A Vandelay representative tells CultureMap that the company has shifted East Hampton from a dine-in experience to a locations with smaller footprints that are focused on to-go. The company thinks Hudson House's lively atmosphere gives it broad appeal.

"We feel that Hudson House is a concept that is as translatable as say, a Hillstone concept," she writes. "It works in various markets, though we are a little more casual and a lot more fun, but with similar service and culinary execution."

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Teresa Gubbins contributed to this article.

Hudson House's cheeseburger has earned acclaim.

Photo by Kathy Tran

Hudson House's cheeseburger has earned acclaim.

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NYT best dishes

Houston Mediterranean restaurant makes NY Times' best desserts list

Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen/Facebook

Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen is the only Houston restaurant on either list.

The New York Times included four Texas restaurants among its favorite dishes of 2025. Divided into two lists — The 23 Best Restaurant Dishes We Ate Across the U.S. in 2025 and The 14 Best Restaurant Desserts We Ate Across the U.S. in 2025 — the dishes are:

Bad Honey Bunny at Mercado Sin Nombre (Austin)
Ketan Hitam at Yeni’s Fusion (Austin)
Konafa Naama at Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen (Houston)
Picadillo Macaroni and Cheese at 2M Smokehouse (San Antonio)

Times food writer Priya Krishna, who authors the entries for all four Texas dishes, traveled to far west Houston to visit Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen. “The konafa, a signature here, arrives with a molten layer of cheese under a sticky-sweet layer of golden, nutty semolina. The craft is evident, the konafa gone in a few bites,” she writes.

Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen Konafa Naama Don't skip dessert at Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen.KSayad Mediterranean Kitchen/Facebook

In Austin, Krishna praises the rice pudding at Yeni’s Fusion. “This barely sweet version, lush with coconut milk, aromatic with pandan and as soothing as warm porridge, is the gentlest way to end a meal,” she states.

Already hailed as one of America’s best breakfast spots by Bon Appetit, Krishna singles out a honeybun at Mercado Sin Nombre. “The coiled honey bun at this semi-clandestine cafe looks almost cartoonishly perfect, and the heady scent of cardamom and honey hits you before you even take a bite. Somehow, it tastes every bit as plush and elegant as it appears,” she writes.

The picadillo mac and cheese at 2M Smokehouse showcases how the San Antonio restaurant incorporates Mexican flavors into traditional Texas barbecue. “Imagine Hamburger Helper, but spicier, punchier and even more luxuriously creamy. It’s not easy to one-up the singular, thickly spiced brisket here, but the picadillo mac and cheese — which runs as an occasional special — holds its own and then some,” Krishna writes.

The New York Times regularly shines its spotlight on Texas restaurants, In September, it named four establishments — ChòpnBlọk (Houston), Isidore (San Antonio), Lao’d Bar (Austin), and P Thai’s Khao Man Gai & Noodles (Austin) — to its list of America’s 50 Best Restaurants.

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