inititate phase III

These hot Houston restaurants are reopening for phase 3

Welcome to Phase III of restaurants reopening. Beginning Friday, June 12, Gov. Greg Abbott allowed Texas restaurants to reopen at 75-percent capacity in their dining rooms and 100-percent outdoors.

As part of the protocols, restaurants “should” still provide 6 feet between tables unless they utilize partitions — then they only need to have 4 feet of space between them. Chris Shepherd has utilized them at all of his restaurants, so expect to see glass barriers in the dining rooms of Georgia James, UB Preserv, and One Fifth.

Other restaurants have erected barriers at their bars, which means the sushi chefs at Kata Robata are now separated from diners by plexiglass partitions, as are the bartenders at the Red Lion Pub.

In addition to physical barriers, diners should expect to see servers wearing masks, hand sanitizer at the entrance, and single-use condiments. Paper menus (or QR codes to access them via smartphone) are standard procedure, too.

Taken together, these measures are designed to decrease the possibility of contracting COVID-19 while allowing businesses to operate and customers to dine with family and friends. For those who still prefer to quarantine, all of these establishments also offer to-go service.

BCK: The burger-focused Heights restaurant has reopened for dinner daily plus brunch on the weekends. Hours are 3 - 9 pm Monday - Friday and 10 am - 9 pm Saturday and Sunday.

Better Luck Tomorrow: The food-forward Heights bar has reopened with new hours: 12 pm - 10 pm Monday - Friday and 11 am - 10 pm Saturday and Sunday.

Bosscat Kitchen: The whiskey-fueled restaurant has reopened for lunch and dinner during the week and brunch and dinner on the weekends. Open at 11 am daily.

Cantina Barba: Smoked pork tacos and mezcal slushies are once again available at this new-school taqueria just north of downtown. Hours are 9 am - 2 am Sunday - Thursday and 9 am - 3 am Friday and Saturday.

Caracol: Chef Hugo Ortega and Tracy Vaught’s sophisticated Mexican seafood restaurant has reopened for happy hour, dinner, and Sunday brunch. Diners are asked to wear masks when moving around the restaurant. Get wood-grilled oysters with chipotle butter from 4 - 9 pm Monday - Saturday and 10 am - 3 pm on Sunday.

Down House: The Heights comfort food restaurant has reopened for dine-in service with limited hours: dinner available 5 - 9 Thursday - Saturday and brunch 9 - 3 Saturday and Sunday.

Giacomo’s: The River Oaks Italian restaurant has reopened for patio dining only from 4 - 9 pm Tuesday - Saturday. Reservations required.

Ginza: Chef Harold Wong’s creative Japanese restaurant reopened for dine-in on June 1. Lunch is served Monday - Friday beginning at 11 am with dinner starting at 5 pm during the week and 4 pm on weekends.

Helen Greek Food & Wine: The Rice Village restaurant has undergone a comprehensive set of interior renovations, including removal of its bar, to suit mandates regarding social distancing. Get feta-brined chicken and gyros beginning at 11 am Tuesday - Sunday.

Izakaya Wa: Both the Memorial and River Oaks locations of the Japanese pub reopen for service on Tuesday, June 16. Hours at Memorial are 11:30 am - 2 pm and 5 - 10 pm Tuesday - Saturday and 5 - 9 pm on Sunday. River Oaks is dinner only; 5 - 10 pm Tuesday - Saturday.

Morningstar: The cafe and doughnut shop has reopened for dine-in service at 50-percent capacity. Hours are 6:30 am - 2:30 pm daily.

North Italia: The Galleria-area Italian restaurant has resumed lunch and dinner service during the week with brunch and dinner on the weekends. The restaurants opens at 11 am Monday - Friday and 10 am Saturday and Sunday.

Politan Row: Rice Village’s food hall has reopened with service from most of its vendors. Hours are 12 - 7 pm Tuesday - Sunday.

The Red Lion: The River Oaks pub has reopened for dine-in service with glass partitions between its red leather booths and a new menu with more vegetarian items. Open at 3 pm Monday - Thursday and 11 am Friday - Sunday.

Rosie Cannonball: Pizzas, pastas, and wood-grilled vegetables are once again available at this casual, Mediterranean-inspired restaurant in Montrose. Reservations are required for dinner, served from 5 pm - 10 pm Tuesday - Saturday.

Saint Arnold Brewing Company: The brewery’s beer garden has reopened for outdoor dining beginning at 11 am daily.

Squable: Reservations are required at this European-inspired restaurant in The Heights that’s led by chef Mark Clayton and baker Drew Gimma. The restaurant is open for dinner Tuesday - Saturday and brunch on Sunday.

Sticky’s Chicken: The food truck-turned-restaurant reopened for dine-in service on Friday, June 12. Hours are 12 - 8 pm Tuesday - Saturday and 12 - 4 pm Sunday.

Theodore Rex: Reservations are required at chef Justin Yu’s refined downtown restaurant. Open from 5 - 10 pm Thursday - Monday.

Tiger Den: Ramen and izakaya skewers are once again available for dine-in at this Chinatown favorite. Lunch is served from 11:30 am - 2:30 pm Tuesday - Sunday with dinner beginning at 4:30 on the same days.

UB Preserv: Chef Nick Wong has introduced a new menu that mixes staples like crispy rice salad and Vietnamese fajitas with seasonal specials such as soft shell crab and an heirloom tomato salad. Safety precautions include glass partitions that block airflow between tables. Hours are 5 - 9 pm Thursday - Saturday and 10:30 am - 3 pm Sunday.

Vibrant: The healthy-eating concept in Montrose has reopened its patio (the dining room remains closed). Hours are 10 am - 8 pm daily.

Screens separate booths at the Red Lion Pub.

Courtesy of Red Lion Pub

Screens separate booths at the Red Lion Pub.

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Coming soon to Fredericksburg

Houston restaurant vet serves up Roman-style eatery in the Hill Country

Photo courtesy of Bottega Salaria

Valerio Lombardozzi is opening Bottega Salaria in the former home of La Bergerie.

Valerio Lombardozzi’s culinary career has taken him to the world’s finest kitchens, including restaurants owned by icons like Alain Ducasse, Giorgio Locatelli, and Joël Robuchon. In Houston, he led La Table and Tavola, where he earned a reputation for being one of the city's most engaging front of the house personalities.

But his latest project might be his biggest accomplishment yet. The hospitality veteran is opening Bottega Salaria, a homey Italian osteria and artisan market, in the former home of La Bergerie at 312 E Austin St in his adopted home of Fredericksburg.

Lombardozzi says the restaurant, expected to arrive in winter 2026, fills a gap in the Hill Country dining scene, but, more importantly, it's a reflection of his personal history and time spent working at his family’s restaurant in Rome.

“[It’s about] where I grew up, how I grew up, and how I eat,” he shares.

The three-concept experience is inspired by Italy’s Via Salaria, the ancient route Italians used to transport salt from the Adriatic Sea to Rome. The menu acts as a sort of travelogue, borrowing from the different cultures along the road, and the way village fishermen and shepherds ate.

Lombardozzi is quick to say he didn’t want to open a chef-driven restaurant. Instead, the osteria will serve traditional Roman staples such as cacio e pepe, amatriciana, carbonara, saltimbocca with sage and prosciutto, and branzino carved tableside.

“I was one of the last to be exposed to the old generation of professionals who knew how to carve elegantly for the guests,” he says.

The adjacent bottega will stay open during restaurant hours, offering fresh pasta made on-site, house-made sauces, imported Italian pantry items, cheeses, salumi, breads, and biscotti. Patrons will be able to shop for individual items or put together custom gift baskets.

Outdoors, La Fraschetteria will debut a new hospitality experience in the U.S. The self-guided experience invites diners to grab wine directly from garden shelves, gather a spread of meats, cheeses, bread, or pasta, and linger around long communal tables lit by string lights.

Keeping the chit-chat going will be a thoughtful beverage program anchored by a primarily Italian wine list and imported beer. Lombardozzi says the cocktail menu might be a surprise, offering only gin and tonics, spritzes, and negronis. The latter has been made into a game where diners roll dice to determine the evening's combination of gin, vermouth, and bitters.

After dinner, guests can select an amaro from a rolling cart, sip grappa and limoncello, or sip a neat whiskey.

Lombardozzi shares that he wants Bottega Salaria to be just as comfortable for Fredericksburg locals as it is for destination travelers. Beyond daily service, Bottega Salaria plans community events such as garden wine nights with live music, Sunday movie nights, and hands-on cooking classes.

The space is designed for ease with a warm palette combining olive green and pomegranate reds. The decor blends heritage and modernity, bringing in objects like antique mirrors, plates, custom-made lamps, and even old tablecloths and curtains for an Old World feel.

"We’re not just opening a restaurant,” Lombardozzi says. “We’re creating a gathering place. A home for everyone who loves Italian food, culture, and the joy of sharing a meal with others.”

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