3 new cabo bob's

Favorite Austin burrito joint unwraps 3 new Houston locations this summer

Cabo Bob's will add three Houston-area locations this summer.

One of Austin’s favorite burrito joints will significantly expand its Houston presence this year. Cabo Bob’s has leased three former James Coney Island locations for new restaurants that will open beginning in June.

In order of their anticipated opening dates, they are:

Willowbrook Mall, 7103 Cutten Rd.
Katy, 740 Mason Rd.
Meadows Place, 11940 Southwest Fwy.

Cabo Bob’s founder Don Brinkman tells CultureMap he’s been impressed by the restaurant’s Briargrove location that opened in late 2019. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, its on the same growth path as the restaurant’s Austin locations.

“We had an opportunity to go with Houston or Dallas,” Brinkman says. “I feel like conceptually Houston will embrace us. Even though we get requests for Dallas. We’ll go there eventually.”

Cabo Bob’s distinguishes itself from other burrito and taco concepts in a few important ways. First, it uses high quality ingredients like Choice and Prime beef and the same farm-raised tilapia that’s used at prominent seafood restaurants. The restaurant makes all of its tortillas to order on a rotating comal. Meats are cooked over lump charcoal on ceramic smokers (either Big Green Eggs or Kamado Joe).

Customers build their burritos by choosing from four different tortilla flavors, five kinds of rice and beans, 12 different salsas and sauces, and 16 toppings. The “17 veggie burrito” illustrates the menu’s diversity.

“My philosophy is I eat the food everyday,” Brinkman says. “Once a day, I eat at one restaurant. I want to serve what I want to eat. Is our profit margin as good as it could be? No, but we get repetition because we serve a high quality product.”

As for the new locations, Brinkman says they appealed to him due to their similarities with the Austin stores. For example, Katy’s proximity to so many high schools gives it a built-in clientele of students who appreciate the restaurant’s hearty portions and reasonable prices; the same sort of customers have made supported a location near the University of Texas. Similarly, the Meadows location’s proximity to a Chick-Fil-A and a Walmart is similar to restaurant’s original Austin outpost.

“One of the jokes we have about where to pick a good location, is that Cabo Bob’s might mean 'next to Chick-Fil-A' in Spanish,” Brinkman says with a laugh.

As for the first Houston restaurant in Briargrove, local franchisee Bob Hauser says he’s feeling optimistic. Strong word of mouth has helped the restaurant reach an ever-growing audience.

“We probably have a higher percentage of first-timers at this stage than I would have anticipated,” Hauser says. “They’ve heard about us on social media or yelp. They’re venturing over from Bellaire or the Heights.”

While the three new locations will be owned and operated by Brinkman, Hauser’s franchise agreements allows him to open two more locations. He’s scouting a number of possibilities and expects to make an announcement soon.

“The challenge for us as an emerging brand is to get people to try us,” Hauser says. “Once they try us, they’re, like, ‘oh, this is better.’”

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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.

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