BB's Cafe Expands

With crawfish season just around the corner, popular Cajun restaurant expands to 7th location

Productivity in the Energy Corridor may dip slightly this crawfish season thanks to the imminent arrival of one of the Houston-area's most popular Cajun restaurants, BB's Cafe.

The restaurant's seventh location will be the company's third new opening in the past two years, joining Katy and Pearland. Located in the former home of Verde Cali-Mex, the 3,200 square foot space sits at a prime location with a spacious patio. The company expects to open in "Winter 2017," just in time for crawfish season.

"We decided to open there because it modeled really well on our proprietary analytical site model and every member of our executive team had a good feeling about the neighborhood, the access, and the visibility," founder Brooks Bassler tells CultureMap.

BB's has blossomed over nine years from humble beginnings in a small space on Montrose Boulevard to a growing Houston mini-empire. Credit for the success goes to Bassler's signature "Tex-Cajun" recipes that blend classic Cajun fare like po' boys and fried seafood with Houston-inspired dishes like the Tex-Cajun Virgin poutine that's topped with queso and roast beef. A fitting combination for a UH alum with Louisiana roots.

"The best perks about this location are the vibrant and beautifully manicured neighborhood, the expansive patio, and the great day time population," adds Bassler's wife Maricela. She also notes there are no direct competitors in the immediate area, which, combined with the restaurant's reputation, should help it get off to a good start.

Of course, the company has plans for further growth. Maricela says that BB's has its eye on Houston's northern suburbs for the eighth location, but she notes that the company keeps an open mind about new opportunities.

"If something comes up in another market, we will give it serious consideration," she says. "Our door is open when location scouting and when opportunities are brought to us. It really is determined by our executive team, our site study, and research."

The restaurant will open this winter, just in time for crawfish season.

BB's Cafe, crawfish, corn on the cob, October 2012

BB's Cafe/Facebook

The restaurant will open this winter, just in time for crawfish season.

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This just in

Dynamic Houston duo opening new neighborhood restaurant in Montrose

Courtesy of Thorough Fare Hospitality

Bobby Heugel and Justin Yu are opening a new restaurant in Montrose.

One of Houston’s six James Beard Award-winning chefs has unveiled his next project. Justin Yu, who won Best Chef: Southwest in 2016 for his groundbreaking restaurant Oxheart, will open a new restaurant in Montrose, the chef and his business partner Bobby Heugel announced.

Located in the former Vibrant space at 1931 Fairview, the duo describe the still-unnamed eatery as “an ambitious, full-service neighborhood restaurant.” Heugel and Yu, along with partners Rainier Cockrell, Steve Flippo, and Gary Baumgartner, purchased the property from Vibrant founder Kelly Barnhart. It is expected to open in in the spring of 2026.

Other details, including specifics about what style of food it will serve, are not being shared at this time. If one were inclined to speculate, perhaps Yu will give a fulltime home to Yuston’s, his occasional pop-up that pays homage to classic American fare in the style of Hillstone (formerly known as Houston’s).

Yu is one of Houston’s most acclaimed chefs. In addition to his James Beard Award, he also won a Food & Wine Best New Chef Award in 2014. Theodore Rex, his restaurant in downtown Houston’s warehouse district, earned a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide. Along with Heugel, Yu is a co-owner of Thorough Fare Hospitality, which operates cocktails bars Anvil, Refuge, and Better Luck Tomorrow; neighborhood bars Catbirds and Blue Lagoon, and Heights restaurant Squable.

The new restaurant will be the duo’s first food-focused project since Penny Quarter, an all-day cafe and wine bar that shuttered in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.

This new restaurant isn’t the only project Thorough Fare has in the works. In addition to the Montrose restaurant, Heugel and veteran Houston bartender Jackie Schromm are opening Donna’s, a new cocktail bar in the former Ready Room space in the Heights.

Vibrant, an all-day cafe where every dish is gluten-free, dairy-free, and non-GMO, closed its original Montrose location in February. The restaurant’s location in Memorial Park remains open and is not affected by Heugel and Yu’s acquisition of the Montrose property.

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