Your Expert Guide

West University Place: The ideal area to live, play, and build community

There are so many great places to live in Houston that it helps to have an expert on your side. The Neighborhood Guide presented by Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty gives you insider access from the agents who live and work there, providing in-the-know info about your possible new community.

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The City of West University Place is a small town with a big heart. Established in 1924, West University Place has evolved into a neighborhood that continues to be one of the most loved areas in Houston. Its prime location, offering proximity to the Medical Center, downtown, museums, parks, restaurants, top-rated schools, and Rice Village, has contributed to a consistent increase in property values.

Kasteena Parikh is genuinely passionate about West University Place. Having lived in the area since 1998, and worked in real estate there for over 20 years, she knows the community inside and out. As a proud Houston native and real estate expert, her mission is to go above and beyond for her clients, anticipate their needs, be responsive, deliver on promises, and provide best-in-class service.

"The small-town feel and city services drew me to the area," she says. "We have our own police and fire departments. I know my mayor and city manager. The beauty, safe community, central location, elementary school, parks, and green space make West University Place unique."

Kasteena also notes that the location can't be beat. She can drive to a Rockets game at the Toyota Center, a Texans football game at NRG Stadium, and go see Astros baseball at Minute Maid Park — all without getting on the freeway.

When Kasteena's not working and providing the best possible service to her clients, you can find her trying new coffee shops and restaurants. Her family loves taking their dog to Memorial Park and eating at Vibrant. From exploring Houston's hidden gems to cheering on her favorite sports teams, there's never a dull moment.

Kasteena shared a few more of her personal favorites about life in West University Place. Here's her guide:

Where to eat & drink
"Tiny's No. 5 is one of my favorite brunch, lunch, and dinner spots," she says. "The food is delicious and it has relaxed vibe. It's a beautiful place to catch up with family and friends. Be sure you get a chocolate chip cookie!"

The most popular coffee spot in West U is the walk-up coffee shop and bakery Milk and Cookies. "I love their matcha with house-made almond milk," Kasteena says.

Another excellent coffee place is Cavo Coffee, owned by local Michael Caplan, which specializes in siphon-made drinks and features a full range of coffee and espresso with beans roasted in-house. Enjoy a latte, cold-brew drip tower, or Vietnamese-style cold brew alongside a quiche, ham and brie sandwiches, or baked treats like chocolate croissants and apple tarts. Cavo is perfect for relaxing with friends over coffee and electronic tunes.

The restaurant El Meson has served its signature Cuban cuisine in the Rice Village shopping district near Houston's Rice University for over four decades. Chef Pedro's menu blends Spanish and Cuban influences, and you'll often see him there talking with the guests. "My husband and I love splitting the Tex-Mex dinner," Kasteena says.

For fantastic Italian, Coppa Osteria blends food and lifestyle with craft cocktails and a rich wine list to complement its cuisine. Popular dishes include Neapolitan-style pizzas ("I love the Coppa Pepperoni") and the signature spaghetti carbonara. With a lively bar, cooking classes, and a spacious outdoor patio, it's the ideal spot for an intimate evening with family and friends.

Sixty Vines brings together excellent food, wine, and company for unforgettable moments. Known as "the winemaker's restaurant," it offers wine country-inspired cuisine with 60 wines on tap. Enjoy a culinary adventure with dishes and pours tailored to your palate. It's also another great spot to savor a delicious wood-fired pizza!

"As a child, I was always excited to go to the 'railroad car' restaurant, Goode Company Seafood," says Kasteena. "Now, I get just as much joy bringing my own family and friends. The atmosphere, decor, and food have remained wonderfully unchanged. Take advantage of the oyster bar, offering Gulf shellfish, specialty cocktails, and Southern charm."

Since opening in April 2024, residents have loved Maximo. It pays homage to Mexican and Texan heritage cooking and the Gulf Coast region. The menu is a well-honed list created with farm-forward ingredients culled from local producers. Also, enjoy outdoor dining on Maximo's pet-friendly covered patio, a 35-seat space that elegantly reflects midcentury modern Mexican design. "I love that they are now serving brunch daily," she says.

Established in 1945, The Marquis II is the perfect spot to catch a game or enjoy happy hour with craft beers and specialty cocktails. "I came here all the time in college," Kasteena says. "The real draw was the famous Texas Tea, offered in 13 flavors. The building was once a donut shop and later a gentlemen's club. During a renovation, a painting from The Bunny Club was found, and is now proudly displayed on the wall."

Her last recommendation is Norigami. "This restaurant has one of the best hand rolls in Houston! It's a beautiful atmosphere with a speakeasy bar, flavorful food, and good drinks. I loved the spicy scallops, ceviche, spicy tuna roll, and salmon sashimi."

Where to play
Black Swan offers donation-based yoga classes, where you can drop in without signing up in advance. "You simply donate whatever feels right, with no hidden fees — just yoga, accessible to everyone."

Mōtiv Fitness is a community of eight women-owned fitness studios designed to celebrate, challenge, and motivate clients as they achieve their personal fitness goals. Offering a wide range of classes, including barre, cycling, yoga, and more, Mōtiv Fitness Studios serves people of all ages, abilities, and skill levels and provides a welcoming environment for all.

Colonial Pool is a neighborhood favorite water park for toddlers and teens. The older kids have a water slide, rock climbing wall, and two basketball goals, while a section for toddlers has water guns, slides, and a jungle gym. Colonial Park is adjacent to the pool and has shaded play areas, tennis courts, sand volleyball, playgrounds, a walking track, and an open field. Kasteena says another hidden gem in the community is the year-round heated pool at the West University Recreation Center.

Palace Social in Houston is a fun spot for family entertainment. With 30,000 square feet of activities, it offers bowling, arcade games, virtual reality, a sports-filled dining area, and more.

Avenue Fitness is a studio that offers personal training. "I've been going to my amazing trainer, Blake Judice, for the past 15-plus years, even though I still try to come up with excuses not to go!"

What to see
Near West University Place is Rice Village, an eclectic mix of boutiques and award-winning restaurants — more than 300 restaurants in a 16-block area. It has been one of Houston's oldest and best-loved shopping destinations since the 1930s.

After having a delicious meal, head to Under the Volcano or The Big Easy for live music performances. Under the Volcano, a bar and restaurant with over 30 years of history, hosts live music every Wednesday. The Big Easy is a lively blues and zydeco club that offers blues several nights a week. Their online music calendar makes choosing the perfect band for your night out simple.

Another favorite place is the Main Street Theater. It's a nonprofit organization that offers stage performances and educational camps year-round, and has been a staple of the community theater scene since 1975.

And then just a quick bike ride from West U is Hermann Park, named one of America's great public spaces by the American Planning Association.

Where to live
West University Place is known for its diverse range of architectural styles. "We have tree-lined streets with bungalows, remodeled homes, and an abundance of beautiful new and recent construction," Kasteena says. "Contemporary, Tudor, Georgian, New Orleans, and French-designed homes 'end harmoniously' in the neighborhood."

Kasteena has represented multiple award-winning builders, including Covington Builders, Frankel Design Build, Kamran Custom Homes, and SJS Development Group.

Kasteena was fortunate to represent NFL player Randall Cobb when he sold his West University residence at 2615 Barbara Lane.

"This customized home was featured in Architectural Digest and built by Covington Builders," she says. "It is an excellent example of a home on an expansive lot with a stunning indoor-outdoor living space, open-concept kitchen with bar, room for a pool, and a large first-floor guest suite that can serve as a multi-use space."

The home is just blocks from Rice Village and has an elegant, timeless white brick façade with a modern flair.

"Kasteena was very professional and provided me with all the necessary information we needed to make the best choices," says Cobb. "She was responsive and communicated with me through every showing until the closing. I highly recommend her."

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Kasteeena Parikh works and plays in West University Place. For more information on buying and selling a home in the area, click here, email kasteena.parikh@sothebys.realty, or call 281-772-5224.

Photo courtesy of Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty

The area is known for its diverse range of architectural styles.

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your friends and neighbors

Pioneering East End development brings cohousing to Houston

Digital image of a a finished cohousing development with people in the foreground.

Render provided by CoHousing Houston

A digital rendering of the finished CoHousing Houston.

Houston's East End neighborhood will soon welcome a bold new experiment in housing in the next couple of months, one dedicated to communal space and curing the epidemic of isolation plaguing modern America.

Called CoHousing Houston, the development occupies a property at 114 Delmar St. that consists of 33, individually-owned units built around a central courtyard. This layout isn't much different from a modern apartment complex, but there are architectural deviations and governing principles that gently nudge the residents toward in-person interactions.

One is the common house, a massive gathering space, kitchen area, and work station that serves as a community center and event hall. While the individual units do have their own kitchens and bedrooms, they are short on extra rooms. This encourages people to move their hobbies and activities to the common house or to the shared outdoor porches and balconies when the weather is nice.

The idea of communal housing is as old as humanity itself and is practiced by groups as different as hippy communes and the U.S. Army. However, few Americans live in communal housing after they reach adulthood, preferring privacy and a large space to call their own. CoHousing Houston is aiming to be the best of both worlds.

One resident is Kelli Soika, a married mother of three who lived in a similar cohousing unit in Colorado before moving to Houston in 2018. She found the cohousing model incredibly liberating, and worked to create the first one in the Bayou City.

"You have this great place to solve problems you didn’t even know you know you had," she tells CultureMap. "I would have to go to the grocery store with the three kids, and it was hard. Now, I can ask a neighbor to watch the girls for an hour. I hear it’s like living in a small town in the past, though I'm not old enough to remember that. It's the kind of place where if you leave the door open, someone will check to make sure you're okay. In a regular house, you could fall down and it might be days before someone found you."

Soika emphasized the power of community connection. Surrounded by multi-generational households that are funneled into the communal spaces by design, she can draw on the innovation of young couples or the wisdom of the elderly. With one kid starting college, it's nice for her to be able to talk to someone close by who has gone through the same thing. Her husband can drop into an evening bike riding group whenever he wants without having to arrange various schedules. In her opinion, little neighborly touches like that are worth the slight loss of privacy or space that are inherent to cohousing.

"If the power is out and you don't know what’s going on at CenterPoint, you've got a group going through it with you," she says. "These things keep happening, and when I moved into cohousing, it's just not a crisis because you've got other people to help you and be with you in it."

Isolation and loneliness is a major problem in America, studies suggest. Increased workloads and the explosion of social media have led to a sharp decline in time spent in "third places," locations that are not home or work. According to some estimates, people stopped going to third places as much as 37 percent between 2014 and 2017, and that was before COVID sent people into deeper isolation. In Houston, soaring temperatures and poor public transit keep some people out of parks and other outdoor activities even as the city invests heavily in park improvement. Some activities such as pickleball and live-action gaming centers have picked up the slack, but these still involve planning that many tired workers simply don't have the energy for.

In that world, cohousing seems like a viable alternative to increase social engagement, though it may be too big a change for Americans, who are famously individualistic.

Soika says that there are weekly meetings in the common house to deal with issues that affect the entire campus, such as parking disputes and insurance. Residents own their $300,000 to $525,000 homes, but there is still an HOA, and governance is democratic. CoHousing Houston tries to make sure that the majority of people can still attend and have their voices heard in the regular meetings. Those disinclined to group gatherings can still participate in small groups that handle specific matters, but like all democracy it involves more work than simply owning your own home. There's also the worry that such a governing structure tends to empower people who have time and resources to attend meetings, such as single income households.

"You don’t want to have the decisions dominated by people who have managed to dominate the meeting structures," says Soika. "We have rounds where we laboriously go through each person and have them talk about it. It helps the quieter ones. We want everyone to be heard."

Another concern is safety. Soika was unable to say of there was any kind of provision for what to do if a resident became a problem, such as exhibiting violent behavior against other residents.

"I guess we would call the police," she says. Having lived in cohousing since 2012, she says she's never come across such a situation.

CoHousing Houston is expected to open fully this fall. Soika already lives on site, and most of the units in the $300,000 range have been sold. Units in the $450,000-525,000 range remain available. Interested buyers can find more information at CoHousingHouston.com.

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