Woodlands Shack

Burger powerhouse Shake Shack announces fifth Houston-area location

Shake Shack is coming to The Woodlands.

Photo by Jessica Giesey

Shake Shack continues its push into the Houston market. A representative for the New York-based global burger juggernaut confirms that the company will open its fifth Houston-area location in The Woodlands.

Rumored since around the time the city's fourth Shake Shack opened in downtown last summer, the new restaurant will be located on the property of The Woodlands Mall at 1201 Lake Woodlands Dr., Suite 700. It is expected to open in late-summer 2020, per the representative. Photos posted in the Woodlands Area Foodies Facebook group show that construction is already underway.

Started as a hamburger stand in New York City's Madison Square Park, Shake Shack has grown into a certified global phenomenon. The company's iconic ShackBurger starts with premium beef from celebrated butcher Pat LaFrieda that's "smashed" on a griddle, topped with mayonnaise-based ShackSauce, and served on a potato bun. Hand-spun shakes and signature frozen custards round out the experience.

Houston locations also feature the Texas-exclusive Lockhart Link burger, made with jalapeño-cheese sausage sourced from legendary Texas barbecue joint Kreuz Market, and desserts that feature ingredients sourced from local restaurants such as Fluff Bake Bar and UB Preserv.

Shake Shack entered the Houston market in 2016 with a location in The Galleria. Since then, the restaurant has added outposts in Rice Village, Montrose, and downtown. Minute Maid Park has a Shake Shack stand that's open during Astros games and other events.

burgers openings

Farewell, ElRo

Creative Montrose pizzeria will shutter after only a year-and-a-half

Photo by Julie Soefer

ElRo Pizza & Crudo

An acclaimed Houston pizzeria will soon serve its final pies. ElRo Pizza & Crudo will close after service on December 31.

In a post on Instagram, chef-owner Terrence Gallivan thanks his staff for their dedication and his customers for their support. “We hope to see you all over the next couple weeks. Come celebrate with us,” he writes.

Open since June 2023, ElRo intrigued diners who enjoyed Gallivan’s work at pioneering Houston restaurant The Pass & Provisions. At ElRo, the chef served a modified version of the Provisions pizza recipe alongside crudos and shareable small plates such as arancini and housemade sausage. It earned four nominations in this year’s CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, including Best New Restaurant and Chef of the Year.

Sadly, Gallivan tells CultureMap that business has seen “a steady decline in business for many months.” Recently, the restaurant had tried a number of initiatives to draw in diners, such as steak night on Tuesday and fried chicken on Saturday.

The early announcement gives diners two weeks to make one more visit (or two) to the restaurant before it closes. Customers may want to time their visit for happy hour, which takes places from 3-6 pm Tuesday-Friday. It includes half-off glasses of wine, $4 draft beers, $9 select cocktails, and food specials.

Gallivan adds that he doesn’t know yet what his next move will be. Hopefully, he’s got one more comeback in him. Houston is a more fun town to dine in when Gallivan is cooking in it.

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