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    inititate phase III

    These hot Houston restaurants are reopening for phase 3

    Eric Sandler
    Jun 15, 2020 | 2:50 pm

    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.

    Red Lion Pub booth screens
      
    Courtesy of Red Lion Pub
    Screens separate booths at the Red Lion Pub.
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    where to drink now

    16 Houston establishments churning out refreshing frozen cocktails

    Brianna Griff
    Jun 10, 2025 | 3:06 pm
    Solarium Frozen Cocktails
    Photo by Swiggard Creative
    The newly opened Solarium serves up racketball games and four frozen cocktails to sip on.

    If we’re going to endure another scorching Houston summer, we might as well do it with a frozen cocktail in hand. Fortunately, the city’s bartenders know how to keep us cool, serving up an impressive array of boozy adult slushies. Go ahead and bookmark this list—you’re going to need it.

    Brennan’s
    The most elaborate drink on this list, the Bananas Faster at Brennan’s is an ode to the original bananas Foster at Mr. B’s Bistro in NOLA. Bartenders sauté bananas in butter and sugar, then flambé them with rum and cinnamon before blending with Bacardi rum and soft serve. It’s topped with a banana slice, cinnamon, and an optional Mount Gay Dark Rum floater.

    Confessions
    Pair a bowl of hookah with Sweet Surrender, an adults-only take on the Dreamsicle, at Confessions. The new South American-inspired spot in Upper Kirby swirls vanilla and whipped vodka with oranges, evoking the childhood treat.

    Grand Prize
    Ease up to the downstairs bar of this Montrose haunt for the 20th Century, a frosty concoction of gin, lemon, Lillet, and crème de cacao. Upstairs, the Frozen Miami Vice is on tap: a half-strawberry daiquiri and half-pina colada, which can also be served separately if desired.

    Happy Go Lucky
    The team behind The Burger Joint opened its new shaved ice and frozen cocktail concept just as Houstonians begin to melt. Here, patrons can find more than 20 frozens, from tart palomas to zesty mules. Order the Espresso and Cream — an espresso martini meets a scoop of vanilla ice cream — for a decadent treat.

    Hudson House
    It may claim to serve the “World’s Coldest Martini,” but for a truly shivering experience, order the frozen Bellini. This East Coast-esque establishment blends up “copious amounts of” vodka with fresh peach puree, before topping it with a Grand Marnier floater.

    Il Bracco
    The Post Oak Italian eatery is blending up The Bracco, a frozen greyhound of Aperol, New Amsterdam, and fresh grapefruit. Best of all, it's available to-go in half-gallon bottles.

    Johnny’s Gold Brick
    The Tastemaker Awards’ 2025 Bar of the Year winner offers a savory slushy sipper this summer with the Garden Party. Inspired by watermelon gazpacho, bartenders Ryan Suhl and Trent Lee created a refreshing gin-based blend of juniper-forward genever, watermelon, bell pepper, herbal liqueur, lime, salt, and lemon olive oil. Or, opt for the frozen margarita, a staple on the menu.

    Monkey’s Tail
    This tropical Linden Park spot features two frosty mainstays: Tommy’s Marg, built with blanco tequila, agave nectar, gomme syrup, and fresh lime, and the sweet-spicy Chile Mangonada, a rum-tequila combination with mango nectar, passion fruit, and a chamoy swirl. Current seasonal specials are the Northside (cucumber gin, tequila, mint syrup, lime, and firewater bitters) and the dessert-like combo, Banana Colada (Jamaican rums, pineapple, banana liqueur, banana pudding mix, coconut cream, and whipped cream) — but operating partner and frozen fan Lainey Collum reserves the right to switch things up at any time.

    Refuge
    The lively cocktail bar's Tropic Summer returns for 2025 with a fresh menu that includes the Blended Sling, a vibrant drink made with saffron-infused Vietnamese gin, pineapple sherbet, pomegranate, cherry liqueur, Curaçao, Benedictine, and a dash of Angostura.

    The Savoy
    This historic neighborhood bar in Third Ward features Sneaky Link, the locale’s rendition of a Branson Peach Sidecar, and the Emancipation, which blends the house frozen margarita with 818 Tequila Reposado, pineapple, and fresh strawberries.

    Solarium
    What’s a better pick-me-up after a sweltering game of pickleball than a frozen cocktail at Rex Hospitality’s latest addition to the racket sport craze? The stylish lounge offers four options worth sipping: the 820 Marg (blanco tequila, curaçao, lime, agave), El Mercado (a house take on a mangonada), Purple Drank (12-year aged rum, coconut, ube, pineapple, lime), and the Courtside Frosé, made with blood orange vodka, citrus, and rosé.

    Starduster Lounge
    The recently-opened, West Texas-inspired bar in the Heights serves an updated version of the Frozen Shandy that was a smash hit at D&T Drive-Inn. Now dubbed the Rio Red Shandy, the drink combines Lone Star beer, lemon, grapefruit, and vodka for a refreshing, citrus forward sip.

    Two Headed Dog
    This intimate Midtown dive always has four frozens on rotation. The current lineup includes the gin-based Blood of My Enemies, featuring pomegranate, hibiscus, and pineapple, and the Siren’s Drawl, a rum-based concoction with kiwi, mango, honey, and allspice, served with a flaming lime boat. Mezcal lovers will appreciate the Smoking Diablo, featuring crème de cassis, ginger, and lime, while the no-nonsense Big Ass Margarita rounds out the offerings.

    Under the Volcano
    The tiki bar offers two simple, yet delightful, frozen riffs on classics: the Screwdriver, where orange juice meets vodka, and a Cuba Libre, which is essentially a Coke Slurpee with the addition of rum and fresh lime juice.

    Voodoo Queen
    This daiquiri dive is a frozen fan’s paradise, with eight machines spinning boozy slushies at all times. Owner Brandon Young recommends the house-favorite The Bends, a banana daiquiri consisting of two rums, 151, and Everclear. Most of the bar's other creations are made with rum and 151, but the margarita keeps it classic with 100 percent blue agave tequila and orange liqueur.

    Still can’t decide? The bar will also combine its frozen creations to make over-the-top combos, such as the Caribbean Xanax, a crowd favorite that combines The Bends, Tropical Depression, Mango Larry, Pineapple Express, and a splash of Demerara 151. And don’t sleep on the hand-spun 151 daiquiris.

    Winnie's
    The Midtown bar has created a frozen version of the tiki favorite the Saturn that's made with gin, toasted almond orgeat, passion fruit, and lemon. Get it for $12 regularly, $6 during happy hour, or as part of a frozen flight with the bar's three other frozens — margarita, strawberry daiquiri, and peach bourbon iced tea.

    Happy Go Lucky frozen espresso martini
      

    Photo by Becca Wright

    Cool off with a frozen espresso martini at Happy Go Lucky.

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