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    Masks still required

    Master list of Houston restaurants maintaining COVID-19 safety protocols

    Eric Sandler
    Mar 3, 2021 | 5:09 pm
    Rosie Cannonball exterior
    Rosie Cannonball is one of dozens of restaurants maintaining their COVID protocols.
    Photo by Julie Soefer

    Houston restaurants may have the legal authority to cease operating with state-mandated protocols to limit the spread of COVID-19, but many are choosing to maintain following the practices they’ve had in place for a year.

    Reasons vary, but operators generally cite limited access to vaccines for their employees as a major factor. Maintaining protocols also appears to be what most Houston diners want restaurants to do, at least according to an informal Instagram poll.

    Restaurants listed below have indicated either on social media or directly to CultureMap that they will maintain their existing COVID protocols beyond March 10. These typically include capacity limits and mask requirements for both staff and customers.

    CultureMap will update this list for the next few days. Restaurants that would like to be added may email eric@culturemap.com.

    Montrose/Midtown/Museum District

    AL Quick Stop
    Anvil
    Avondale Food & Wine
    Axelrad
    BCN
    Bistro Menil
    Blacksmith
    BlendIn Coffee Club
    Bludorn
    Brasil
    Brennan's of Houston
    The Burger Joint
    Café Poêtes
    Catbirds
    City Cellars HTX
    Cliff's Grill
    Cloud 10 Creamery
    Coaches Pub
    Common Bond
    Damian's
    Divino
    Eugene's
    Fix Coffeebar
    Georgia James
    Grand Prize
    Inversion Coffee
    Kau Ba
    Lucille’s
    Hay Merchant
    Hugo’s
    La Mexicana
    Love Buzz
    Lua Viet Kitchen
    Milk & Sugar Creamery
    Montrose Cheese & Wine
    93 ‘Til
    Nobie’s
    One Fifth Southern Comfort
    Paulie’s
    Poison Girl
    Present Company
    Red Dwarf
    Riel
    Roost
    Rosie Cannonball
    Rudyard's
    Sable Gate Winery
    Siphon Coffee
    Sixes and Sevens
    Southside Espresso
    Spanish Village
    SweetCup Gelato
    Thirteen
    The Toasted Coconut
    Tres Tacos
    Two Headed Dog
    UB Preserv
    Uchi

    The Heights and surrounding neighborhoods

    Alice Blue
    Alma Latina
    Amsterdam Co. Coffee House
    Awesome Bites Co.
    Beccacakes
    BCK
    The Barking Pig
    Better Luck Tomorrow
    Boomtown Coffee
    The Burger Joint
    Canary Cafe
    Cantina Barba
    Cloud 10 Creamery
    Coltivare
    Common Bond
    Dak & Bop
    Dolce Neve
    Dumpling Haus
    Eight Row Flint
    Fluff Bake Bar
    Flying Fish
    Gabby's BBQ
    Ginger & Fork
    Golden Bagels & Coffee
    Good Dog Houston
    Handies Douzo
    Hando
    Harold's in the Heights
    Jenni’s Noodle House
    Johnny’s Gold Brick
    Ka Sushi
    La Lucha
    Lei Low
    Local Foods
    Maison Pucha Bistro
    Melange Creperie
    Ninja Ramen
    Pearl Bar
    Revival Market
    Scott Gertner’s Rhythm Room
    A 2nd Cup
    Sonoma
    Spring Street Beer & Wine Garden
    Stanton's City Bites
    Star Sailor
    Sticky’s Chicken
    Squable
    Superica
    Sweet Bribery
    The Taco Stand
    Tea & Victory
    Tenfold Coffee
    Teotihuacan Mexican Cafe
    Truth BBQ
    The Union Kitchen
    Urban Eats
    Verdine
    The Waffle Bus
    Xin Chao
    Yellow Cup
    Zoa Moroccan Kitchen

    Downtown/EaDo/East End/Third Ward

    Brasserie du Parc
    Bravery Chef Hall
    Cafe TH
    City Acre Brewing
    Common Bond
    Coral Sword
    East End Hardware
    8th Wonder Brewery
    The Flying Saucer
    Frenchy's Chicken (Scott St. and other locations throughout Houston)
    Guard and Grace
    Indianola
    La Calle
    La Fisheria
    Mandola's Deli
    Miss Carousel
    Nancy’s Hustle
    Neil’s Bar
    Phoenicia/MKT Bar
    Rodeo Goat
    Roots
    Saint Arnold Brewing Company
    Seaside Poke
    Street to Kitchen
    Tiny Champions
    Turkey Leg Hut
    Underground Hall
    Vinny’s
    White Rhino
    Xochi

    Upper Kirby/West University/River Oaks

    a'Bouzy
    Ambrosia
    Backstreet Cafe
    Brasserie 19
    Café Rabelais
    Cavo Coffee
    Cloud 10 Creamery
    Common Bond
    Coppa Osteria
    D'Amico's
    DUO Coffee
    Eighteen36
    El Topo
    Feges BBQ
    Giacomo’s
    Helen Greek Food & Wine
    Hu's Cooking
    Hungry's
    Istanbul Grill
    Izakaya Wa
    Jenni’s Noodle House
    Kata Robata
    Local Foods
    McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
    Mia Bella Trattoria
    Michael's Cookie Jar
    100% Taquito
    Ouisie’s Table
    Picnic Box Lunches
    Pondicheri
    The Raven Grill
    Red Lion Pub
    Relish Restaurant & Bar
    Roka Akor
    Shun Japanese Kitchen
    Sonoma
    State of Grace
    Sweet Paris
    Under the Volcano
    Verandah
    Vinology

    The Galleria and surrounding neighborhoods

    Bosscat Kitchen
    The Brisket House
    Cabo Bob's
    Caracol
    Christie’s Seafood & Steaks
    Craft Pita
    Etoile Cuisine et Bar
    Hidden Omakase
    Jenni’s Noodle House
    Kenny & Ziggy’s
    Liberty Kitchen
    Local Foods
    MAD
    Michael's Cookie Jar
    Musaafer
    Roostar Vietnamese Grill
    Thai Gourmet
    Tom N Toms
    Tribute at the Houstonian Hotel

    Memorial/Spring Branch/West Houston/Katy

    Battlehops Brewing
    Bistro 555
    Bori
    The Branch
    Caliente
    Caobao Hot Steamy Buns
    Craft Burger
    Degust/Diversion Cocktails
    Hungry's
    Izakaya Wa
    Jonathan's the Rub (both locations)
    KP’s Kitchen
    KUU
    La Tartine
    Lazy Oaks Beer Garden
    Liberty Kitchen
    Luliet Creamery + Bake Shop
    Masraff’s
    Moderno Tacos & Tex-Mex
    A Moveable Feast
    Palazzo's
    Palazzo's Cafe
    Phat Eatery
    Phoenicia
    Proper Rose Garden
    Roostar Vietnamese Grill
    State Fare
    Sweet Paris
    Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen
    Tobiuo Sushi
    The Union Kitchen
    Yelo
    Yi Peng Thai Dining

    Southwest Houston/Chinatown/Sugar Land

    The Bagel Shop Bakery
    BlendIn Coffee Club
    Cajun Kitchen
    Costa Brava Bistro
    Dandelion Cafe
    The '401
    Jasmine Asian Cuisine
    Lotus Seafood
    Pho Binh by Night
    Saigon Pagolac
    Shri Balaji Bhavan
    Spanky's Pizza
    ​State Fare
    Sweet Paris
    Umami Japanese Restaurant
    Watershed

    Cypress/Spring/The Woodlands/Kingwood

    Alicia’s Mexican Grille
    Bocca Italian Kitchen
    The Brisket House
    Buy the Glass Wine Bar & Lounge
    Common Bond
    Dario’s Seafood & Steakhouse
    Galiana’s Tex Mex & Agave Bar
    Fajitas Pete’s
    Grazeables
    King’s Blu Jam Café
    Lotus Seafood
    Lupo Pizzeria
    Marvino’s Italian Steakhouse
    Mia Bella Trattoria
    Mom's Country Kitchen
    Sweet Paris
    Tumble 22
    The Union Kitchen

    Clear Lake/Webster/Friendswood/Pearland

    Brasserie 1895
    Lotus Seafood
    Spanky's Pizza
    Sweet Paris

    news-you-can-eat
    news/restaurants-bars

    firing up Montrose

    New Houston seafood restaurant adds live-fire flair to Japanese flavors

    Eric Sandler
    Dec 3, 2025 | 10:02 am
    Casa Kenji restaurant
    Photo by Becca Wright
    Spanish sea bass, scallop crudo, nigiri, bluefin binchotan, and bluefin crudo.

    An ambitious new seafood restaurant is coming to Montrose next week. Casa Kenji will open on Tuesday, December 9.

    Located in the former Andiron space (3201 Allen Pkwy), Casa Kenji is the first Houston project for New Orleans restaurateur Malachi DuPre, a former LSU standout who played briefly in the NFL before establishing Kenji and Kenji Kazoku restaurants in New Orleans. Together with former LSU teammate John “B-John” Ballis and Houston chef Bigler “Biggie” Cruz, Casa Kenji will blend Latin and Japanese influences while also incorporating live-fire elements into the restaurant’s dishes. Cruz, whose resume includes a lengthy stint at Uchi as well as working at critically acclaimed Houston seafood restaurant Golfstrømmen, tells CultureMap that Casa Kenji’s approach is the first time he can be himself in the kitchen.

    “My perfect restaurant was always based on the live fire and sushi combination,” Cruz says. “My mom cooked with wood for my entire life. The live fire creates completely different flavors. The smoky flavors, the sear from the charcoal — they create a different type of memory for me.”

    The use of live fire techniques will permeate Casa Kenji’s menus in ways both big and small. For example, diners will be able to feast on prawns grilled directly on charcoal and served with yuzu chili garlic, or savor lightly seared Japanese wagyu tataki paired with mushrooms. Even raw dishes will benefit from the restaurant’s wood-burning grill and stove.

    “Every vegetable we peel, we make into an ash that’s a topping for the dishes. It adds a different layer of flavor,” Cruz says. Look for it in the scallop aguachile, among others.

    Even vegetables get a smoky component, as in a cabbage dish that’s braised with dashi and soy sauce before being roasted and served with an onion soubise that Cruz says he developed based on techniques he learned from Golfstrømmen chef Christopher Haatuft.

    “It’s rich, super savory, with smoky layers, and you get brightness from the shiso gremolata. I think it will be a signature dish for us,” the chef says.

    One change to the interior is the addition of a six-seat omakase counter that looks into the kitchen. Cruz promises those diners will have an even more elevated experience than the restaurant’s regular menu, including ingredients such as Japanese wagyu and premium fish flown in from Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market.

    Beyond its cuisine, Casa Kenji hopes to stand out with its spacious outdoor patio. Since very few Japanese-inspired restaurants in Houston offer outdoor seating, it should appeal to diners who want a little vitamin D along with their tuna crudo.

    “We’re proud to showcase the craft and creativity that defines Casa Kenji,” co-founders Cruz, Ballis, and DuPre said in a statement. “With chef Bigler Cruz at the helm — blending live-fire technique with the discipline of Japanese tradition — we’re equally honored and excited to share a unique concept that is truly rooted in passion, culture, and community.”

    Casa Kenji will be open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday beginning at 4 pm. Reservations are available on Resy.

    Casa Kenji restaurant

    Photo by Becca Wright

    Spanish sea bass, scallop crudo, nigiri, bluefin binchotan, and bluefin crudo.

    news/restaurants-bars

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