Upstairs Opens on NYE

Revamped restaurant picks New Year's Eve to debut trendy upstairs bar and patio

Rice Village's new favorite watering hole has picked its opening date. Hungry's, the Mediterranean-inspired comfort food restaurant, announced it will debut its second-story Upstairs bar and lounge on New Year's Eve. Opening the bar completes the more than two year-long process that it's taken to construct the new Hungry's and replace its original location.

“Our grand opening is a cause for celebration and we are thrilled to introduce our new space to Houston on New Year’s Eve,” said owner Ashkan Nowamooz in a statement. “We created Upstairs as a place to unwind and celebrate special occasions and there's no better occasion than New Year’s Eve to begin creating memories at our new bar and lounge.”

Upstairs features an expansive patio situated amid Rice Village's oak trees that allows patrons to watch the bustling street scene below. The patio offers all-weather utility thanks to a shade structure that can be opened or closed to combat the heat and built-in heaters to mitigate Houston's occasional cold days.

Inside, the Palmer Schooley-designed space features a zinc-topped bar and exposed brick reclaimed from the building that previously occupied the site. A mix of high-top and lounge seating gives diners flexibility to be either apart of or away from the expected crowds.

“We’re excited to complete our Hungry’s Rice Village expansion with the opening of Upstairs,” said Nowamooz. "The relaxed ambiance, combined with our full bar, expansive patio with stunning views, and the great food we are known for, provides a lounge experience like no other in the area.”

Speaking of food, Upstairs will feature a selection of bar bites including kebabs, pizzas and new items created by chef Sue Nowamooz such as Sriracha chicken wings, tacos (beef or shrimp), and more. Weekend brunch — featuring items like chicken and waffles, migas, and Bloody Mary flights — will only be open to those 21 and older (children will still be welcomed downstairs at Hungry's, of course).

To celebrate the opening and ring in 2017, Hungry's and Upstairs are teaming up for a New Year's Eve party that features a champagne toast and balloon drop at midnight, as well as music by DJ DelSur. Packages that include dinner at the restaurant, reserved tables in the bar with bottle service, or just enjoying the party range from $55 to $100 per person.

The bar features a menu of craft cocktails.

Photo by Julie Soefer

The bar features a menu of craft cocktails.

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New York Times critic awards Houston restaurant 2 stars in glowing review

Courtesy of ChòpnBlọk

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Let’s just call 2025 the year of ChòpnBlọk. In a review published Tuesday, December 16, the New York Times has awarded the Houston restaurant two stars (“very good”).

Written by chief restaurant critic Tejal Rao, the review touts many of the same qualities that the Times already praised when it included ChòpnBlọk on its list of America’s 50 best restaurants.

Rao writes that she usually avoids restaurants that serve food in bowls, but she’s impressed by the way that chef-owner Ope Amosu has put a West African spin on the concept.

“For inspiration, Ope Amosu looked to the kind of chain restaurants that were built to scale, where flavors are often subdued to appeal to the broadest possible audience, focus-grouped to death. But the delight of ChòpnBlok is in its sure sense of self, its lively, multidimensional cooking and clear, delicious vision for modern food from the Black diaspora,” Rao writes.

She singles out specific dishes, including the Nigerian red stew with short rib, the Black Star bowl with shrimp, and the signature Motherland, made with chicken, greens, and plantains. “It’s utterly simple, but draws you in for more with the mouthwatering twang of not-too-much MSG — an international shortcut to building umami that tends to be used carefully, and layered with other forms,” she writes.

The review also touches on the way Amosu switched the restaurant from counter service to full service — described as “warm, informal, and quick with the jokes” — and his time working at Chipotle to learn the basics of the restaurant operations.

A two-star review is only the latest instance of ChòpnBlọk receiving national attention. In addition to the Times 50 best list, Esquire recently named it one of America’s best new restaurants. The Michelin Guide awarded it a Bib Gourmand designation for 2025. Amosu earned a semifinalist nomination for Best Chef: Texas in the 2025 James Beard Awards.

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