A year after the first announcement, Otto's Barbecue & Hamburgers on Memorial—the original Otto's location opened in 1951 by Otto and Annie Sofka—is finally closing its doors.
Stopping in to say farewell was one of the restaurant's most famous and most loyal customers, former President George H. W. Bush. He told KHOU, "We’ve been coming here for many years, [since] 1959 I think, and we knew Otto and we knew his widow, [and] just think the world of the people. They put on a good barbecue. I’ll miss them. Our family will miss them."
41 got his regular order: beef ribs, sausage links, brisket, a side of beans, and some pecan pie.
While the Otto's Barbecue off of Memorial is closing after today, Otto's Hamburgers will be open for a few more weeks, and Otto's Barbecue locations downtown and in Stafford will remain open.