Laissez les bons temps rouler!

5 hot Houston restaurants to let the good times roll for Mardi Gras

Revelry on Richmond will close July 31.

Courtesy of Revelry on Richmond

Like every other special occasion over the last year, Mardi Gras won't feel familiar in 2021. Parades in New Orleans and Galveston have been cancelled.

Thankfully, Houston bars and restaurants have ways for people to celebrate without being around thousands of strangers in crowded streets. Festivities include live music, crawfish, and plenty of boozy beverages.

Brennan's of Houston
Celebrate Fat Tuesday at the venerable Creole restaurant. In addition to a three-course, $65 menu, Brennan's will feature live music by Vincent Trio Jazz Band and Sin City Drag, beads, and a balloon display for photos. Call 713-522-9711 for reservations.

B&B Butchers
The Washington Avenue steakhouse will host its third annual Mardi Gras brunch on Saturday, February 13. Proprietor Ben Berg will create an appropriately lively atmosphere with face painting and live dueling pianos. In addition to the restaurant's regular menu, look for New Orleans-themed specials, cocktail specials from Beam Suntory, and swag. Reserve by calling 713-862-1814.

Krewe de Plethora
Asha Holloway has followed up her successful pop-ups, including the Harry Potter-themed Muggle-less bar and the Office-themed bar Dunder Mupplen, with a Mardi Gras experience. The two-story, 13,000-square-foot space includes mask making, bead throwing, and plenty of photo worthy Instagram environments. New Orleans-themed food and drinks will also be available. The event runs from February 6-28; tickets ($20) may be purchased online. (UPDATE: Due to issues caused by the winter storm, the remaining days for the Krewe de Plethora pop-up have been cancelled.)

Pier 6 Seafood & Oyster House
The recently-opened bayside seafood restaurant will celebrate Fat Tuesday with live music, Cirque du Soleil-style acrobatic performances, and specials on Veuve Clicquot. Chef Joe Cervantez will serve a few specials, including BBQ shrimp, boudin roasted oysters, and king cake bread pudding.

Revelry on Richmond
The Montrose sports bar will kick off crawfish season with a socially distanced, Mardi Gras-themed bash. Get all-you-can-eat crawfish for $30 and pair them with $20 buckets of Abita beer or Louisiana-spiced Bloody Marys.

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not so common

Growing Houston cafe's new location bakes up comfort and convenience

Houstonians had two options when deciding which Common Bond location to visit — either a sit-down Bistro location with a full menu or an On-The-Go store with a quick service menu and a drive-through lane. Now, the company is offering one location where diners don’t have to choose.

At its recently-opened Spring location (21620 Kuykendahl Road), Common Bond has combined both its Bistro and On-The-Go models into one convenient outpost. Those who choose to dine-in will find a 78-seat interior and a 32-seat patio. Customers who need something more quickly may use the drive-through to order from a menu of sandwiches, cookies, pastries, coffees, and more.

The new store is Common Bond’s second Spring location, joining a Bistro location in City Place that opened in 2020.

Another way this location gives its customers more choices is by serving both its breakfast and lunch menu all day. That includes dishes such as lemon-stuffed French toast, shrimp and grits, steak and eggs, and the fan-favorite Nashville hot chicken sandwich.

Of course, the cafe is also known for its extensive selection of pastries, sweets, and other baked goods. Signature items include croissants, kouign amann, chocolate chip cookies, and the espresso martini entremet. A rotating selection of features incorporate seasonal fruits and pay tribute to holidays.

Customers who join the restaurant’s loyalty rewards program get access to a number of discounts, including $10.99 flatbreads on Tuesday, 50 percent off loaves of bread on Wednesday, $1 mimosas on Thursday, and $3.99 kids’ meals on Sunday (with minimum $13.99 purchase).

As part of its grand opening celebrations, kids eat for free with an adult purchase of $14 or more through July 1 (limit one free meal per adult purchase).

Common Bond opens daily at 7 am.

Photo by Andrew Hemingway

Common Bond recently opened its second location in Spring.

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