new brew for you

3 new Houston breweries pop open with fresh pours and cool ciders

Fans of local craft beer are in luck. Three new breweries have opened in town, each one of them pulling out all the stops in ensuring that people will drop in, pull up a chair, and make it their official watering hole.

We’ve spotlighted this fresh, foamy trio serving up smooth ales, IPAs, stouts, ciders, and more — plus tasty bites to keep you satiated between sips.

Local Group Brewing
Located in Houston’s Hardy Yards, this brewpub, which boasts more than 7,500 square feet, has just opened its doors. Located in Houston’s Hardy Yards, Local Group will not only serve beverages, but also food: former Post Oak Hotel chef Jeff Samoska, and sous chef, Pablo Varas, have created a menu full of delectable goodies. The more conventional offerings will include the crispy chicken sandwich brined with house-made pickle juice and house-brewed beer, as well as the Texas Angus beef burger (both served on house-made brioche buns). Other options include duck confit poutine with black pepper gravy on house cut fries, a house-cured and smoked Berkshire “bacon steak,” and two variations of their house-made pretzel: “The Bratzel” stuffed with local game sausages and the oversized “everything” pretzel served with beer queso, and spicy mustard.

As for the beer, expect 20 taps, eight of which will pour straight from the tanks for fresher beers with less transfer, along with a few non-beer options like Texas wines, cold-brew coffee, ciders, and sodas. The initial brews include an easy-drinking stout named Li’l Star; Double Vertigo, a hazy, hoppy New England Imperial IPA; Sparkle Motion, an American sparkling ale; and Chef’s Hefe, a German-style hefeweizen. Later will come a light, horchata-inspired brew titled Horchatanita; Athena’s Elixir, a fruited kettle sour that will rotate fruits and other flavors; a juicy New England IPA; and an easy-drinking, hop-lover’s IPA. Future plans include barrel-aged brews, additional IPAs, and imperial stouts. The brewpub will offer fixed and make-your-own flights as well as half-pours.

1504 Chapman St.; Tuesdays through Sundays (3-10 pm Tuesdays-Thursdays; 11 am-10 pm Fridays-Saturdays; 11 am-9 pm Sundays

Urban South Brewery - HTX
This newly opened, 14,000-square-foot facility is actually the latest spinoff for the New Orleans-based brewery. Located in the Sawyer Yards District, this spot includes a 10-barrel research and development brewing operation, canning line, a dedicated barrel and blending room, and a public taproom with a large patio and beer garden. The taproom will also host regular beer releases, events, and parties throughout the year.

The brewery is putting its own innovative twist on traditional beer styles — including hazy IPAs, signature stouts, and barrel-aged sours. Urban South specializes in very fruity, smoothie-like ales, like the Boysenberry Grisette and the HTX Boysenberry and Vanilla IPA.

1201 Olivier St.; Mondays through Sundays, from 11 am to 10 pm.

City Orchard
This 8,000-square-foot urban cidery boasts hard ciders locally made from the highest quality, hand-selected cider and culinary apples from the Great Lakes Region of the United States. The creation of co-owners Patrick Kwiatkowski and Mat Smith (both with roots in the Great Lakes Region), the 3,000-square-foot taproom also serves beer brewed onsite as well as a selection of personally curated domestic and imported wines. The taproom also holds 82 seats, features a 50-foot, marble-top bar, 24 taps pouring cider, beer and nitro, and an eight-screen video wall.

The outpost also sells food that compliments cider in the European tradition, handmade in the City Orchard food truck. Menu items include pizza, crepes, and other specialty bites. Smith will continue to oversee the apple sourcing and the development of the City Orchard cider apple-growing project.

1201 Oliver St.; Wednesdays through Sundays (2-10 pm Wednesdays-Thursdays; 2-11 pm Fridays; 11 am-11 pm Saturdays; 11 am-7 pm Sundays).

A refreshing pour at Urban South Brewery - HTX.

Photo courtesy of Urban South Brewery

A refreshing pour at Urban South Brewery - HTX.

breweries

rumor no more

East Coast-style Austin pizzeria confirms plans to open in the Heights

Home Slice Pizza Heights location rendering

Courtesy of the Michael Hsu Office of Architecture

A rendering previews Home Slice Pizza's new location in the Heights.

One of Austin’s pizzerias is expanding its presence in Houston. Home Slice Pizza has claimed the former Mapojeong space in the Heights (602 Studewood) for a new location that will open in the fall of 2026.

Founder Joseph Strickland tells CultureMap that Home Slice wanted to add a second Houston location that would build on the success of its Midtown restaurant that opened in late 2022. Unlike Midtown, which is counter service and offers limited seating, the Heights location will offer full service, an expanded menu, and cocktails, which is in line with Home Slice’s North Austin location.

“We saw a lot of synergy in North Austin and the Heights,” Strickland says. “They have a similar feel, a lot of families, a lot of people looking to get together in big groups. There’s also a robust bar scene on White Oak that we’re happy to be part of.”

Strickland says Home Slice had several requirements for a new location, including a larger dining room than Midtown, a decent-sized parking lot, and enough kitchen capacity to serve both dine-in and larger to-go orders. Not only did they find the right building, but they established a productive relationship with the property’s owner, Revive Development, the Houston-based firm that also owns properties that are home to Loro, Squable, Camaraderie, and the Stomping Grounds development in Garden Oaks.

“It was hard to believe at first. The more we talked with the Revive folks, there was a lot of alignment and opportunity for us to expand what we’re showing Houston,” Stickland says.

Home Slice is working with the Michael Hsu Office of Architecture to renovate the building. Strickland notes that it will require some extensive changes, including removing the butcher shop that was installed as part of its iteration as Ritual, a steakhouse that closed in 2021. Assuming everything goes according to plan, the restaurant should open sometime in the fall of 2026.

Home Slice Pizza food spread Home Slice serves New York-style pizza.Photo by Garrett Smith

Once open, Home Slice will serve its East Coast-inspired menu of New York-style pizzas (whole or by-the-slice), hot and cold Italian deli sandwiches, salads, and desserts — all of which utilize dough or bread that’s made in-house. In particular, the restaurant is known for its white clam pizza, as well as classics such as pepperoni and mushroom or sausage with ricotta and roasted peppers. In 2024, the Houston Press awarded “Best Sandwich” to the restaurant’s Italian Assorted, which is made with ham, dry salami, capicola, genoa salami, vegetables, provolone, mayo, and oil & vinegar.

Critically, the Heights Home Slice location will add wings to the New York and Sicilian-style pizzas, salads, and sandwiches that the restaurant serves in Midtown. Inspired by the wings served at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, Home Slice keeps its wings simple — medium or hot and served with a house made blue cheese dressing. “It goes with our pizza quite wonderfully,” Stickland says.

He hopes that the the wide-ranging menu, flexible menu, and late night hours will appeal to Heights locals, people patronizing the nearby bars on White Oak, and anyone else looking for a slice and a drink. The larger location and full service should make home slice an option for date nights, office happy hours, any just about any other occasion.

“We hope the neighborhood will be happy to have another offering that’s like ours, where you can bring a first date or your office or go by yourself. We offer all those experiences,” Strickland says.

openings news-you-can-eat pizza home slice pizza