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'Hidden' Houston bar quietly opens its doors and more popular stories

The Hidden Cellar opened November 7.

Photo by Hungry AF Media

Editor's note: It's time to look back at the top Houston news of the week, from a hidden bar to a new steakhouse. Plus, a historic theater is saved from demolition. Find our most popular stories below, then plan your weekend right here.

1. 'Hidden' Houston bar offers private lockers for wine and whiskey lovers. A speakeasy within a speakeasy has opened in Spring Branch. Open as of November 7, the Hidden Cellar is a new concept within Aye Candy.

2. Milton's team recruits top talent for live-fire Rice Village steakhouse. Local Foods Group is bringing another new restaurant to Rice Village. The Houston hospitality company behind Maximo, Lee’s, and Milton’s will open Benjamin’s, a new live-fire steakhouse.

3. More than 40 Houston-area restaurants offering Veterans Day discounts. Both locally-owned, independent restaurants and some of the biggest national chains offered special deals in honor of Veterans Day, some of which extend beyond November 11.

4. Houston's award-winning East Coast-style Italian deli now open in Spring. A shop that’s boosting Houston's reputation for sandwiches has opened its third location. Tony’s Italian Delicatessen is now open at City Place in Spring.

Garden Oaks theater renovation rendering The theater will be transformed into an arts and film center. Courtesy of Arthouse Houston

5. Historic Houston theater secures $7 million loan to begin renovations. A historic Houston movie theater has secured the necessary funds to move forward with its renovation and redevelopment plans and avoid demolition.

gobble gobble

Houston gobbles up top-10 spot on new list of best cities for Thanksgiving

Photo by Prchi Palwe on Unsplash

Houston is the 7th best city to visit for Thanksgiving.

Houston is moving closer to claiming a seat at the head of the table on a new list of the best cities to go for Thanksgiving, a new report has declared.

Experts at personal finance website WalletHub examined the 100 largest U.S. cities using 18 relevant metrics to determine the best places to "gobble up Thanksgiving festivities at a reasonable price." Cities were also ranked across five main categories: celebrations and traditions; affordability; safety and accessibility; weather forecast; and a "giving thanks" rank.

Houston moved up into the No. 7 spot for 2026 after ranking 12th nationally in 2025.

Meanwhile, the top three best places to visit for Thanksgiving are Dallas (No. 1), Atlanta, Georgia (No. 2), and San Antonio (No. 3). This is the first time Dallas has landed in the top spot; the city previously ranked No. 4 in 2025.

Out of the five main categories, Houston performed best on the list of the most affordable cities for dining out during the Thanksgiving holiday, landing at No. 6 nationally. The city also ranked 8th for its celebrations and traditions, largely due to its numerous holiday happenings that take over in November and December.

Here's how the city ranked in the three remaining categories:

No. 15 – Giving thanks
No. 19 – Weather forecast
No. 96 – Safety and accessibility

"The best cities for celebrating Thanksgiving all have an abundance of high-quality restaurants and places to buy festive decorations, and their residents get very excited for the holiday based on their Google search history," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.

Other Texas cities that earned spots on the list include Plano (No. 12), Arlington (No. 17), Austin (No. 19), Lubbock (No. 28), Corpus Christi (No. 36), Fort Worth (No. 47), Irving (No. 55), Garland (No. 67), Laredo (No. 71), and El Paso (No. 80).

The top 10 best places to go for Thanksgiving in 2026 are:

No. 1 – Dallas
No. 2 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 3 – San Antonio
No. 4 – Louisville, Kentucky
No. 5 – Las Vegas
No. 6 – Scottsdale, Arizona
No. 7 – Houston
No. 8 – Virginia Beach, Virginia
No. 9 – Boston
No. 10 – Chesapeake, Virginia

holiday happenings thanksgiving turkey trot houston