Good Eats

More good eats coming to Bush Intercontinental as top Houston chefs invade airport

The dining scene has significantly improved at Bush Intercontinental Airport with the official grand opening of Hugo's Cocina and Landrys on Tuesday, along with such favorites as Hubcap Grill, Pink's Pizza, Ray's BBQ Shack, Breakfast Klub and 3rd Bar Oyster and Eating House serving passengers at the various IAH terminals.

Now comes more good culinary news as United Airlines and airport restaurant management company OTG have announced eight additional restaurants planned for Terminals C-South and E, all inspired by Houston chefs and flavors. The new restaurants join five previously announcd eateries from top Houston chefs slated to debut in March in Terminal C-North. Thousands of iPads will be situated throughout the terminals so passengers can place orders and have food delivered at the restaurant, the gate or other airport locations.

The new restaurants include an illustrious array of Houston chefs and restaurateurs, including The Pass & Provisions creators Seth Siegel-Gardner and Terrence Gallivan, Tacos A Go Go founder Sharon Haynes, barbecue whiz Greg Gatlin, Lucille's co-founder Christopher Williams, and top chefs Antoine Ware, Ryan Pera, Chris Kinjo and Mike Tran.

With a lineup like this, perhaps we won't be as upset if our plane is delayed at IAH for a few hours. A round-up of the new offerings, which are expected to open by the end of this year, include:

• Magnolia Meatball Shop (Terminal C South) promises a fresh twist on classic comfort food from Christopher Williams, who spent his early years learning from his great-grandmother, Lucille Bishop Smith, the owner of U.S. Smith’s Famous BBQ in Fort Worth. According to a press release, Smith served her famous chili biscuits to such notables as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Eleanor Roosevelt.

• Agave (Terminal C South) is a casual taqueria with a focus on high-quality, minimally seasoned steak, chicken and mixed veggie fajitas. It is the brainchild of Sharon Haynes, who opened Tacos A Go Go in 2006 and Fajitas A Go Go in 2016.

• H-Burger Bar (Terminal C South) is a “ranch-to-table” restaurant offering a menu of local, fresh and natural dishes with a Houston spin from chef Antoine Ware (Harold's in the Heights), who grew up in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, where he learned the art of classic Creole cuisine at celebrated restaurants.

• Q (Terminal E) features traditional southern barbeque staples from chef Greg Gatlin, a power player in Houston’s barbecue scene. Look for fresh-smoked meats crafted with a custom-built smoker and complemented with signature rubs.

• Gavi (Terminal E) offers chef Ryan Pera's (Coltivare) uniquely Houston take on Italian cuisine, featuring a combination of local foods and traditional family recipes. Pera also will open a previously announced pizza place calles Pala in Terminal C North.

• Yume (Terminal E), a sushi exhibition kitchen and ramen bar with an Asian Biergarten that will focus on local and Japanese-sourced ingredients paired with rotating selections of international beers and imported sake, comes from leading sushi chef Chris Kinjo (MF Sushi) and ramen master Mike Tran, the creator of Houston restaurant Tiger Den.

• Tanglewood Grille (Terminal E), from chefs Seth Siegel-Gardner and Terrence Gallivan, plans to specialize in hand-cut steaks, build-your-own burgers, fresh seafood, and farm-to-table greens.

• Beerhive (Terminal E), will focus on locally sourced small and large batch brews, with a menu of bar pies, sandwiches, salads and more, each created to pair with the curated assortment of beers by both bottle and draft.

In addition to these new restaurants, previously announced venues, all in the new C North Terminal, will include concepts from Pera, Roland Laurenzo, John Nguyen, Monica Pope and Chris Shepherd.

The design for all of the restaurants, by the architecture and design firm Rockwell Group, will include spaces known as “social media moments” to provide an eye-catching backdrop for travelers to snap and share photos of their travel experience.

Yume features a sushi exhibition kitchen and ramen bar with an Asian Biergarten.

Yume restaurant at Bush Intercontinental Airport

Courtesy rendering

Yume features a sushi exhibition kitchen and ramen bar with an Asian Biergarten.

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Coming soon to Fredericksburg

Houston restaurant vet serves up Roman-style eatery in the Hill Country

Photo courtesy of Bottega Salaria

Valerio Lombardozzi is opening Bottega Salaria in the former home of La Bergerie.

Valerio Lombardozzi’s culinary career has taken him to the world’s finest kitchens, including restaurants owned by icons like Alain Ducasse, Giorgio Locatelli, and Joël Robuchon. In Houston, he led La Table and Tavola, where he earned a reputation for being one of the city's most engaging front of the house personalities.

But his latest project might be his biggest accomplishment yet. The hospitality veteran is opening Bottega Salaria, a homey Italian osteria and artisan market, in the former home of La Bergerie at 312 E Austin St in his adopted home of Fredericksburg.

Lombardozzi says the restaurant, expected to arrive in winter 2026, fills a gap in the Hill Country dining scene, but, more importantly, it's a reflection of his personal history and time spent working at his family’s restaurant in Rome.

“[It’s about] where I grew up, how I grew up, and how I eat,” he shares.

The three-concept experience is inspired by Italy’s Via Salaria, the ancient route Italians used to transport salt from the Adriatic Sea to Rome. The menu acts as a sort of travelogue, borrowing from the different cultures along the road, and the way village fishermen and shepherds ate.

Lombardozzi is quick to say he didn’t want to open a chef-driven restaurant. Instead, the osteria will serve traditional Roman staples such as cacio e pepe, amatriciana, carbonara, saltimbocca with sage and prosciutto, and branzino carved tableside.

“I was one of the last to be exposed to the old generation of professionals who knew how to carve elegantly for the guests,” he says.

The adjacent bottega will stay open during restaurant hours, offering fresh pasta made on-site, house-made sauces, imported Italian pantry items, cheeses, salumi, breads, and biscotti. Patrons will be able to shop for individual items or put together custom gift baskets.

Outdoors, La Fraschetteria will debut a new hospitality experience in the U.S. The self-guided experience invites diners to grab wine directly from garden shelves, gather a spread of meats, cheeses, bread, or pasta, and linger around long communal tables lit by string lights.

Keeping the chit-chat going will be a thoughtful beverage program anchored by a primarily Italian wine list and imported beer. Lombardozzi says the cocktail menu might be a surprise, offering only gin and tonics, spritzes, and negronis. The latter has been made into a game where diners roll dice to determine the evening's combination of gin, vermouth, and bitters.

After dinner, guests can select an amaro from a rolling cart, sip grappa and limoncello, or sip a neat whiskey.

Lombardozzi shares that he wants Bottega Salaria to be just as comfortable for Fredericksburg locals as it is for destination travelers. Beyond daily service, Bottega Salaria plans community events such as garden wine nights with live music, Sunday movie nights, and hands-on cooking classes.

The space is designed for ease with a warm palette combining olive green and pomegranate reds. The decor blends heritage and modernity, bringing in objects like antique mirrors, plates, custom-made lamps, and even old tablecloths and curtains for an Old World feel.

"We’re not just opening a restaurant,” Lombardozzi says. “We’re creating a gathering place. A home for everyone who loves Italian food, culture, and the joy of sharing a meal with others.”

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