This Week In Dining

These are the 8 best food and drink events in Houston this week

Thanks to Houston's diverse culinary landscape, each week brings a fresh array of can't-miss events. To keep you up to date on the latest food and drink experiences, we've rounded up the best events of the week, including the Margarita Taste Off at Kirby Ice House, a dinner celebrating women in wine at Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse, and the Houston Cocktail Fest at Silver Street Studios.

Tuesday, March 19

Houston Pets Alive! Fundraiser at Shake Shack
For the entire month of March, animal rescue nonprofit Houston Pets Alive! is partnering with Shake Shack for a unique fundraising promotion. Mention Houston Pets Alive! while ordering from any of Shake Shack's three Houston locations, and 25 percent of your purchase will be donated to HPA.

Toasty Tuesday at Nobie's
In anticipation of Nobie's new concept — The Toasted Coconut — opening this summer, the restaurant is hosting the second edition of Toasty Tuesday to preview upcoming menu items. The evening is set to be filled with sneak peeks of their tiki-inspired drinks and dishes, pulling inspiration from places like Thailand, Vietnam, India, Cuba, and more. And yes, there will be dumplings.

Thursday, March 21

Women in Wine Dinner at Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse
As part of International Women’s Month, Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse will host an exclusive five-course dinner to complement a selection of wines from regarded female winemaker Sally Johnson of Pride Mountain Vineyards. The evening’s menu will feature dishes including sea scallop crudo, black truffle gnocchi, and Wagyu striploin, expertly paired with varietals from Viognier to Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The meal is $195 per person, and reservations are required.

Saturday, March 23

Second Annual One Sack Showdown at Great Heights Brewing Company
Celebrate the season at the second annual One Sack Showdown, a massive crawfish boil competition at Great Heights Brewing Company from noon to 8 pm. With 20 teams vying to make Houston's best crawfish, live music provided by John Egan and Nathan Quick, and several brand new Great Heights beer releases, the event promises all-day excitement. The many varieties of crawfish are sold by the basket until they run out.

Margarita Taste Off at Kirby Ice House
Sip, sample, and cast your vote at the 11th Annual Margarita Taste Off, hosted from 1:30 to 5:30 pm at Kirby Ice House by the Candlelighters Young Professional Group. With dozens of local restaurants competing for the title of Best Margarita, the event also features a Don Julio tasting station, DJ, raffle, and more. CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler and a panel of celebrity judges, including Morgan Weber (Agricole Hospitality), Melissa Wilson (Fox 26), and Kareem Jackson (~~Houston Texans~~ Denver Broncos), will pick their favorite, as will attendees. Tickets start at $50, and all proceeds benefit Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Family Alliance.

The Notorious P.I.G. at Cypress Trail Hideout
Get down with some serious barbecued swine at The Notorious P.I.G. event at Cypress Trail Hideout from 4 to 6 pm. In addition to live music, drink specials, and beer from Parish Brewing Company and Dixie Beer, the main attraction is an assortment of fine barbecue from Feges BBQ, Buck's Barbeque Co., Tejas Chocolate & Barbecue, and Pappa Charlies Barbecue. They'll be cooking pork, of course, in various forms like whole hog, pulled pork, smoked pork belly, tacos, and more.

Houston Cocktail Fest at Silver Street Studios
Celebrate the city's best mixologists at Houston Cocktail Fest, a unique cocktail experience hosted at Silver Street Studios from 7 to 11 pm. Guests can expect lavish pop-up bars serving creative cocktails with unique recipes, garnishes, and ingredients, as well as light bites prepared by local chefs from Union Kitchen, Willow's BBQ, Ashley's Sweet Tooth, and more. "The Battle of the Bartenders" main event will select the top mixologists to advance to a final grand prize competition, all for a prize of $2,500. Tickets start at $55.

Sunday, March 24

Third Annual Chefs for Paws at Jonathan's The Rub at Memorial Green
Enjoy an extravagant 10-course dinner, and help out furry friends at the same time with the third annual Chefs for Paws event, hosted by Jonathan's The Rub at Memorial Green. The exclusive seated dinner features dishes from a dozen Houston chefs, including Kevin Naderi of Roost, Felix Florez of Cherry Block Craft Butcher & Kitchen, Ben McPherson of BOH Pasta, and of course Jonathan Levine of Jonathan's The Rub. Single tickets start at $150 for the meal, which benefits Rescued Pets Movement, and the cost also includes wine, beer, and cocktails.

Celebrate women in wine at Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse with their exclusive five-course dinner on Thursday.

Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse

Celebrate women in wine at Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse with their exclusive five-course dinner on Thursday.

cocktails fundraisers news-you-can-eat breweries barbecue

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