Counting down to Loro

Star chef-backed Asian smokehouse sets opening date for The Heights

Loro is coming to Kirby Dr.

Courtesy of Loro

Houston's wait for brisket sandwiches topped with papaya salad, crunchy sweet corn fritters, and boozy slushies will end in two weeks. Hai Hospitality announced that it will open its Asian smokehouse concept Loro on Wednesday, February 23.

Located in The Heights on the site of the former 11 St. Church of God, James Beard Awards winners Aaron Franklin (Franklin Barbecue) and Tyson Cole (Uchi) created Loro to showcase dishes influenced by their expertise in barbecue and various Asian cuisines. The fast casual restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner daily. Houston will be Loro's third location, joining the original in Austin and a Dallas restaurant that opened last summer.

"We cannot wait to get the doors open on this new Loro location in The Heights,” Cole said in a statement. “We were able to repurpose this incredible church structure with a truly welcoming community feel and now we are ready to start slicing some brisket and serving slushees!”

To bring about that transformation, Loro enlisted well-regarded Texas firm the Michael Hsu Office of Architecture working in partnership with RE:VIVE Development. The 5,500-square-foot repurposed church takes some design inspiration from historic Texas dance halls. Once diners order at the bar, they'll be able to sit either inside the repurposed sanctuary or at outdoor tables. A beer garden near the entrance will serve as a waiting area.

On the menu, customers will find Asian-inspired dishes as well as bites more directly influenced by Texas barbecue. Starters include: pale ale-battered cod, candied kettle corn topped with brisket burnt ends, wonton chips with Thai green salsa. Look for vegetable dishes such as: Crunchy Sweet Corn Fritters with Thai herbs, kale and asian pear salad, and crispy potatoes with miso mustard and yuzu aioli.

Of course, meats play a central role at any barbecue restaurant, and Loro is no exception. Popular dishes include Malaysian chicken bo ssam with yellow curry-yuzu vinaigrette, char siew pork belly, smoked Prime bavette ($19.50) with shishito salsa verde, and oak-smoked Salmon with cucumber-yuzu broth. Smoked beef brisket is available daily from 4 pm until close.

Sandwich options include brisket topped with papaya salad, peanuts, chili aioli, and Thai herbs and a smoked turkey breast with giardiniera and sharp provolone on a pretzel bun. At lunch, look for a crispy smoked chicken sandwich and a cheeseburger topped with red onion-brisket jam, muenster cheese, and lettuce. The menu also includes rice bowls made with many of the proteins referenced above.

Leading the kitchen will be chef de cuisine Marcos Leal, whose previous postings include the Hotel Galvez, Jasper's in The Woodands, and Top Golf. Leal, who moved to Houston as a child from Monterrey Mexico, considers the Bayou City his hometown, according to a press release.

Known for boozy slushies such as a frozen gin and tonic and a frozen mojito, Loro's cocktail offerings also include batch cocktails such as a Ginger Old Fashioned, Mandarin Margarita, and Aki Sour. In addition, the restaurant will serve beer and wine, with happy hour available 2-6 pm on Monday - Friday.

Loro is celebrating its opening with a contest. The prize will be a brisket smoking class with chef Leal and a $200 gift card that can be used for a group happy hour. To enter, a person submits their email to the Loro website and tags four friends on an Instagram post. The winner will be announced February 17.

Loro opens in two weeks.

Courtesy of Loro

Loro opens in two weeks.

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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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