in the mix

Heights grocery store serves up burgers, BBQ, Tex-Mex, and more in new ghost kitchen

Order Burns Original BBQ at the new ghost kitchen.

Courtesy of Kroger

A local grocery store and a nationwide operator of ghost kitchens have partnered on a new facility that will bring a plethora of new options to The Heights. Kitchen United MIX has opened its newest facility inside the Kroger at 1035 N. Shepherd Dr.

Available for both pickup, to-go, and delivery via third party apps, Kitchen United MIX offers food from more than 10 restaurant brands such as Fuddruckers, The Rustic, Buca di Beppo, Dog Haus, and local favorite Burns Original BBQ. Other restaurants will prepare cuisines that include sushi, Tex-Mex, vegan-vegetarian, and breakfast burritos.

“We are thrilled and proud to be the first Kroger location in Texas to launch this exciting and innovative partnership,” Kroger Houston president Laura Gump said in a statement. “'What’s for dinner' is a question that’s always on the minds of our customers and being able to offer a fresh and tasty selection, paired with friendly service, is the experience we strive to provide each day. This partnership is one way we continue to advance our 'Fresh for Everyone' strategy.”

Diners can order their meals using Kitchen United's website, mobile app, or on-site kiosks that would allow customers to order and shop while their meals are being prepared. Restaurant employees cook the meals and pack them for to-go. Looking at the ordering website, prices appear to be similar to what a person would pay at the brick-and-mortar location.

“Kitchen United MIX is proud to introduce our multi-restaurant ordering platform to more shoppers through our newest grocery installation with Kroger,” Kitchen United CEO Michael Montagano added. “We recently launched our first ‘store within a store’ at a Ralphs in Los Angeles, and it’s been incredibly popular. Kitchen United MIX is revolutionizing the way people order takeout, and we’re thrilled to provide this one-of-a-kind experience to Kroger shoppers in The Heights neighborhood of Houston.”

The opening will be particularly welcome for Buca di Beppo fans, as its location near West University Place is slated to close and be replaced by local Tex-Mex staple Los Tios. For companies like Fuddruckers and Dog Haus, the ghost kitchen concept allows them to reach a new group of diners without the expense of building a full service location.

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a major award

Michelin-recognized Houston diner makes Bon Appetit best new restaurants

Photo by Jenn Duncan

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The hits just keep on coming for Houston restaurant Agnes and Sherman. Bon Appetit has named the Asian American diner as one of its best new restaurants of 2026.

Published Monday, April 24, the list includes 19 restaurants in 12 states and Washington, D.C. that opened between March 2025 and March 2026. In addition to Agnes and Sherman, Texas is represented by Le Calamar, a French-Texas bistro in Austin.

Editorial operations manager Kate Kassin hails Agnes and Sherman for signature dishes such as a wedge salad that’s topped with youtiao croutons, lap cheong, and ginger-scallion ranch and the signature cheeseburger fried rice that’s made with shredded iceberg lettuce, two slices of American cheese, sauce, and sesame seeds.

“It’s a mishmash of two iconic dishes in their own genres but, together, something wholly emblematic of the food that owners Nick Wong and Lisa Lee are putting forth,” Kassin writes.

Opened in April 2025, Agnes and Sherman puts an Asian spin on the classic American diner. Its received significant regional and national praise, including being named Texas Monthly’s best new restaurant of 2026, as well as earning a James Beard Award finalist nomination for Best New Restaurant and a Recommended designation in the Michelin Guide.

Good Morning America recently featured the restaurant during a weeklong series on diners. During the segment, Wong and Lee announced they'd recently become engaged.

At Le Calamar, Kassin finds first-rate stuffed chicken wings that are cooked on a Japanese binchotan grill. “Likewise, Wagyu hanger steak au poivre boasts a floral sauce that blends black, white, and Tellicherry peppercorns with garlic, brandy, cream, and ginger; it is a dynamic update on the classic,” she writes.

Le Calamar opened in May 2025 in the former Underdog space. A nominee for best new restaurant in the 2026 CultureMap Austin Tastemaker Awards, the restaurant is known for its chic interior, warm service, and dishes such as gnocchi and and raw oysters with fennel mignonette.

While Bon Appetit recognizes restaurants are facing challenges ranging from rising costs to AI disruption, the magazine takes an optimistic tone in the article’s introduction.

“The restaurants we found the most exciting are, of course, delicious, but they were also fearless about challenging the playbooks by betting on community and creativity. These are the traits that help evolve modern American cuisine,” it writes.

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