udon, anyone?

Hot Japanese noodle restaurant chain stirs up new Houston locations

Marugame Udon will open in Houston later this year.

Photo courtesy of Marugame Udon

A Japanese restaurant known for its chewy noodles has set its sights on Houston. Marugame Udon will open as many as six locations in the Greater Houston area, strategic consultant Mark Brezinski tells CultureMap.

The restaurant comes to the Bayou City via Japan; it has over 1,000 locations worldwide, including outposts in Hawaii, California, and Dallas. Its interest in the Houston market has been reported previously, but the company is just now finalizing its initial locations.

Brezinski, who co-founded Pei Wei and Velvet Taco, says the company is in final negotiations to open in Post Oak Plaza, the shopping center at the corner of San Felipe and Post Oak that will soon be home to the relocated Kenny & Ziggy’s. Other possibilities include Sugar Land, Katy, West Houston, and Clear Lake. Expect the first location to open within the next six months or so.

“Everyone knows Houston is a much more diverse demographic city than Dallas is,” Brezinski says. “I think that Houston has such a growing population, such a strong Asian influence and Asian demographic makes it a natural for us”

Marugame serves udon made with Sanuki-style noodles that are both chewy and tender. Diners order cafeteria-style, watching the noodles get boiled. Then, they’re added to broth with a selection of different toppings and garnishes. Curry Nikutama, sweet beef and poached egg with curry sauce, is one top seller.

To broaden the menu’s appeal beyond noodle lovers, the restaurant also serves tempura items such as chicken, shrimp, and vegetables as well as robata skewers. Marugame has also jumped on the sando trend with options such as crispy chicken and egg salad alongside a wagyu cheeseburger. Diners may dine-in or take their food to-go.

“We get great marks in the reviews we’ve had for how our food travels. We’re trying to expand the menu into items that travel well,” Brezinski says. “That’s part of what our group is trying to do is adjust the concept from being a predominantly dine-in, cafeteria-style concept to a much broader appeal takeaway format that’s more user friendly.”

Prices are reasonable, too. A basic bowl of udon costs about $6. Tempura items cost about $2, and robata skewers are less than $5 each. If Houstonians embrace the restaurant, it could grow to other parts of the country.

“I think Houston and Dallas are the top two cities where people spend the most per capita eating out,” Brezinski says. “It’s a natural for us to give this concept a whirl in both of those markets.”

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Teresa Gubbins contributed to this article.

news-you-can-eat openings

lazy days

Houston restaurant veteran fires up pizzas and steaks in Garden Oaks

Photo by Brian Kennedy

Lazy Lane will serve pastas, small plates, and steaks.

An experienced Houston restaurateur is bringing a new concept to Garden Oaks. When it opens in November, Lazy Lane will be the newest project from Heights & Co. owner Brian Doke.

Located at 923 Wakefield Dr., Lazy Lane is described as a “casually elegant neighborhood” with a chef-driven menu built around steak and pizza. Open for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch, the restaurant aims to serve its neighborhood as both a casual neighborhood restaurant and a more elevated options for date nights and special occasions.

“Lazy Lane is a casually elegant restaurant designed to feel both elevated and effortless,” Doke said in a statement. “We wanted to create a place that can be both your go-to neighborhood spot for weeknight dinners, yet refined enough to host life’s memorable occasions – and quite frankly, a place we’d love to go ourselves.”

The building’s design terrazzo floors, large windows, and a 25-foot marble bar top. It offers both indoor and outdoor dining with a private dining room that has access to a 35-seat veranda that’s separate from the patio.

Chef-partner Daniel Davidson brings experience from Michelin-starred restaurants on the West Coast as well as stints at local restaurants such as Houston steakhouse Doris Metropolitan and Dosey Doe in The Woodlands. His menu begins with starters such as oysters on the half shell, farro and brassica salad, steak tartare, and Spanish meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce.

Entree choices begin with four pizzas — margherita, pepperoni, baked potato, or lamb sausage and butternut squash — and four house made pastas, including garganelli with bolognese and burrata, a seafood pasta made with squid ink rigatoni, and a riff on carbonara made with smoked bucatini and speck. Dry-aged steaks, sourced from California’s Flannery Beef, are joined by lamb chops, a burger, and seafood entrees.

They’re paired with classic cocktails, including a freezer martini, margarita, mojito, and Manhattan, as well as wines from an in-house label.

If the formula sounds familiar for Doke, that may be because he was a co-founder of Heights restaurant Savoir, including through the opening of its speakeasy-style steakhouse Patton’s. He also briefly operated River Oaks-area Italian restaurant Dante’s River Oaks. Doke left Savoir in the fall of 2022.

“With thoughtfully sourced ingredients, hand-picked wines, craft cocktails and a warm, welcoming environment, Lazy Lane was built to make every visit, whether spontaneous or celebratory, feel exceptional,” said Doke. “We can’t wait to welcome you, Houston.”

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