The end of 2019 brought a wave of closings as diners bid farewell to restaurants such as International Smoke, Le Mistral, and Beaver's. In the run up to the new year, two more restaurants announced their own plans to close.

First up is the original location of Hubcap Grill. Owner Ricky Craig announced on Twitter that the restaurant's downtown location has closed permanently as of December 26. In his tweet, Craig stated that he made the decision to close due to a proposed increased in the lease rate on the property at 1111 Prairie St. that would not permit the establishment to continue only serving lunch.

Opened in 2007, the original Hubcap arguably kicked off Houston's better burger movement. Despite its limited seating, lunch-only hours, and cash-only payments, diners couldn't deny the deliciousness of Hubcap's baked-to-spec buns, twice-fried French fries, and beefy patties with creative toppings. Menu items like the Philly Cheesesteak burger and stinky fries became mandatory for local burger hounds. The downtown location's success paved the way for Craig to open additional locations near The Heights, in Kemah, on Galveston island, and in George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Craig will add a new location in Pearland later this year.

Thankfully, downtown has a number of tempting burger options, including Shake Shack, Craft Burger at Finn Hall, and Flip 'N Patties at Understory.

Montrose is also losing a long-standing dining favorite. Theo's Restaurant will close after service on Sunday, January 5. An evolution of diner staple One's a Meal, Theo's has served a mix of Greek favorites and classic breakfast items for 12 years.

Theo's will close to make way for the Montrose Collective, a new mixed-use development from Radom Capital (MKT Heights, Heights Mercantile) that will also include a new building for the Montrose branch of the Houston Public Library. An auction announcement, first discovered by the Houston Chronicle, reveals that the restaurant's entire inventory will go on the block Tuesday, January 7.