no slice for you
Downtown Houston food hall's 'nice' pizza joint suddenly shutters
Finn Hall has lost its first food vendor. Mr. Nice Pie, the downtown food hall's pizza restaurant, has closed.
A spin-off from a former partner of Montrose's Love Buzz pizzeria, Mr. Nice Pie served oversized pizza slices and whole pies. "Pretty much just working under someone else's thumb just isn't for us," the Mr. Nice Pie team tells CultureMap. "We're working on another East Side addition and are moving on to focus on that."
In response to CultureMap's request for comment about Mr. Nice Pie's closure, Finn Hall's operators provided the following statement:
“Finn Hall’s model includes testing emerging concepts and ideas and we recognize turnover is part of that process,” said David Goronkin of the Finn Hall management team. “That said, we wish Mr. Nice Pie all the best. We are talking with other popular pizza operators and concepts in town, and we’re planning to make an announcement soon.”
Only open since December, Finn Hall has been a hit with downtown office workers, who pack it for weekday lunches. Happy hour in the Swallow's Nest cocktail bar has become popular as well. The venue is more difficult to access for visitors; they must either find some of the limited street parking or pay $10 or more to park in a nearby garage. Those who plan ahead may reserve three hours of parking for $7.50 in the garage at 803 Fannin St.
The food hall is home to 10 restaurants, including Vietnamese concept Sit Lo, Goode Co. Taqueria, Dish Society, and Mala Sichuan. Finn Hall and Conservatory are downtown's two operating food halls, but they'll soon be joined by Bravery Chef Hall, Understory, and Lyric Market.
The menu includes caviar, hot dogs, and taquitos.Photo by Julie Soefer