Food for Thought

Restaurants buck the Alabama Theater interior demolition trend and hold ontoHouston history

Hugo’s is housed in a 1926 building that was the Imperial Plumbing Supply andthe fact that you’re dining on fabulous food in a piece of historical Houstonjust adds to the total event.
Photo by Paula Murphy
“A lot of people don’t realize all the history of this building,” FrancieMendenhall said of El Real. “Universal Pictures turned the theater into a livevenue in 1979 for the first off-Broadway run of Best Little Whorehouse in Texas."I played the role of Amber, renamed Angel because they said I sang like anangel. It ran here for a year.”
Photo by Marene Gustin
I watched a worker carting the remnants of the old Alabama Theater out todumpsters in the shared parking lot and sighed.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
“When my parents opened the restaurant 15 years ago the door was still there,”Laikan Hoang said of Mo Mong. “And the backstage dressing rooms had a door outto the patio.”
Photo by Marene Gustin
And if you have any personal memories of the Tower Theater, I’d love to hearabout them.
Photo by Clifford Pugh

Walking into PetSmart the other day I watched a worker carting the remnants of the old Alabama Theater out to dumpsters in the shared parking lot and sighed.

It’s one of the givens in Houston: It will be hot. There will be traffic jams and mosquito hordes. And we will destroy our history.

Clearly, sometimes buildings do outlive their usefulness, and sometimes they are weren’t built to stand the test of time or sometimes owners just let them go to pot, beyond the point of repair.

It’s one of the givens in Houston: It will be hot. There will be traffic jams and mosquito hordes. And we will destroy our history.

But it’s nice — from both and environmental and emotional standpoints — to find a building that whispers about its past, its memories and history. Particularly if that building houses a restaurant.

Clearly, James Beard Award-nominated Hugo Ortega’s food would taste just as wonderful served in some new, boring building. But eating is about more than just the taste, it’s about the total experience and that includes the ambiance of where you eat. Hugo’s is housed in a 1926 building that was the Imperial Plumbing Supply and the fact that you’re dining on fabulous food in a piece of historical Houston just adds to the total event.

And it’s nice to know that history.

There are several city restaurants housed in old homes. Phil & Derek’s Restaurant and Wine Bar is housed in the circa-1880 De Chaumes family home that was moved to its current location in the Gardens of Bammel Lane in 1984. I don’t know much about the family’s history, what their life was like in the home and what meals were served there, but I do know that chef/owner Phillip Mitchell grew up down the street from the house in its original location in the Third Ward.

And it’s little details like that that make for an interesting meal.

Everyone pretty much knows that Mark’s American Cuisine was once a church and then a head shop, and we all know the new, cool Underbelly and The Hay Merchant were once the legendary lesbian bar Chances. But before that the space was also a burger joint.

“We did our best to preserve the building,” said Collaborative Projects’ Jim Herd, who did the redesign of the building and remembers going there for hamburgers when it was Charlie’s Coffee Shop in the 1970s.

Right across the street is the Tower Theater, a 1936 movie house that now is home to El Real Tex-Mex. The last tenant was a Hollywood Video store (back when people actually left their homes to rent movies) but there’s more to the history of this building that I wasn’t aware of.

I recently sat down to lunch there with longtime friend Francie Mendenhall. It was her first time to eat at El Real and she was excited, telling me how she’d seen movies there when she was growing up in Houston.

“We did our best to preserve the building,” says Collaborative Projects’ Jim Herd, who did the redesign of the building and remembers going there for hamburgers.

Now there’s a lot I know about Mendenhall. She’s a great person, a good friend and really talented. And when I say talented I mean she has a wonderful singing voice and is a wonderful actor. She started performing in her father’s old Playhouse Theater, did a stint on KHOU-TV’s kiddie show Looney Auctions and, most famously, was one of the original Dean Martin Golddiggers from 1970 to 1973.

She also dated the late Davy Jones, but that’s another story.

So it was cool listening to her talk about watching movies in the venue where we were eating chili con queso and sipping margaritas but it was when she said she’d actually performed here that I really sat up and took notice.

“A lot of people don’t realize all the history of this building,” she said. “Universal Pictures turned the theater into a live venue in 1979 for the first off-Broadway run of Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. I played the role of Amber, renamed Angel because they said I sang like an angel. It ran here for a year.”

Of course it makes sense that Whorehouse would come to Houston after its Broadway success in 1978. It’s based on the true story of the Chicken Ranch that was brought down by Houston’s Marvin Zindler. The book was written by Texans Larry L. King and Peter Masterson and directed by Masterson and Texan Tommy Tune, who also did the choreography.

After lunch Mendenhall and I strolled around the building to where an empty space sits between El Real and Mo Mong Vietnamese Restaurant.

‘This is where the stage was,” she pointed out. “And the backstage was in there.”

We popped into Mo Mong to look at the sidewall where the stage exit had been and when we explained to Laikan Hoang what we were looking at she chimed in with her knowledge.

“When my parents opened the restaurant 15 years ago the door was still there,” Hoang said. “And the backstage dressing rooms had a door out to the patio.”

“That’s were we’d step out to smoke,” Mendenhall added.

Hoang also added that after the theater closed it became Decadance and Clubland discos before becoming the video store.

So kudos to the two restaurants that saved this bit of Houston history and next time you dine at either one think of all the memories that live in this building.

And if you have any personal memories of the Tower Theater, I’d love to hear about them.

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And the winners are...

Houston's best chef, restaurant, and more revealed at 2026 Tastemaker Awards

Photo by StuffBenEats

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Here are the winners of the 2026 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards. These bars, restaurants, and individuals represent the best of Houston’s culinary scene, as selected by our judges’ panel of former winners and local experts and revealed at an awards ceremony on Thursday, April 16 at Silver Street Studios.

Whether they’ve been working in Houston for more than 20 years or only open for six months, they’re setting a standard for hospitality that has earned the attention of their peers, the general public, and, in many cases, both regional and national media.

We congratulate them on all they’ve achieved and look forward to what they’ll accomplish in the future.

Restaurant of the Year - Casaema
Few Houston restaurants have captured as much national attention as this Mexico City-inspired breakfast and lunch destination in the Heights. From pastry chef Stephanie Velasquez’s peerless pan dulce to chef Nicolas Vera’s essential, masa-based savory items and drinks from coffee roaster Marlén Mendoza, every item on offer has been carefully constructed for maximum deliciousness. That thoughtfulness has earned Casaema a James Beard Award finalist nomination, shoutouts from Bon Appetit and the New York Times — and now — the title of Houston's Restaurant of the Year. We extended our sincere apologies to the restaurant’s existing fans if this recognition makes the weekend lines even longer.

Chef of the Year - Manabu Horiuchi, Kata Robata/Katami/Sushi Horiuchi
That Hori-san (as he’s known) last won this award in 2019 only demonstrates the chef’s continued commitment to excellence. Since Katami opened in 2023, it has earned best new restaurant status from both Texas Monthly and Robb Report as well as a Best Chef (in America) semifinalist nomination in this year’s James Beard Awards. Still, Hori-san’s drive for excellence — and aspirations to earn at least one Michelin star — pushed him to open Sushi Horiuchi, a six-seat counter where diners enjoy his undivided attention over 20-plus courses. To paraphrase Ferris Bueller, if you have the means, we highly recommend it.

Rising Star Chef of the Year - Adrian Torres, Maximo
Local Foods Group owner Benjy Levit and culinary director Seth Siegel-Gardner knew what they were doing when they promoted the then-26-year-old Torres to executive chef at Maximo and tasked him with elevating the restaurant’s cuisine from neighborhood cafe to dining destination. The bold move earned Maximo a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide and a James Beard Award finalist nomination in the Emerging Chef category for Torres. Whether or not he takes home a medal at the Beard Awards in June, we hope this prize demonstrates how much Houston already appreciates his passion for sharing Mexican gastronomy with his diners.

Bar of the Year - Donna’s
Anvil owner Bobby Heugel and veteran bartender Jacki Schromm opened this cocktail bar in the Heights over Thanksgiving weekend, and the party’s been going strong ever since. Backed by a vintage sound system and a retro-styled interior from designer Brittany Vaughn of Garnish Design (Milton’s, Tiny Champions, etc.), Donna’s carefully curated aesthetic makes anyone who stops by feel welcome. With an all-new cocktail menu — except for the signature Jacki’s martini, of course — even Donna’s regulars have a fresh reason to stop by for a drink or two.

Bartender of the Year - Julia Miles, Refuge
We asked Tommy Ho, general manager of Anvil and Refuge, to share a few thoughts about the ways in which Miles stands out as a bartender and colleague. Here is his reply:

From the start, she’s been consistently outgoing and has this rare ability to make anyone — from any walk of life — feel like the world revolves around them, which is honestly a superpower in this industry. She also has a gift for turning first-time guests into regulars in a way that very few people can.

On top of that, she has an incredible palate and a real instinct for building thoughtful, memorable cocktails. She’s just getting started, and we can’t wait to see what she does with all the potential she has. We’re lucky to have her, and this recognition is very well deserved.

Best New Restaurant and Dessert Program of the Year - Barbacana
After a hotly contested tournament, chef Christian Hernandez’s downtown establishment takes home the prize for Best New Restaurant in our readers' choice contest. Credit the restaurant’s fans for their consistent support through four rounds of voting. They appreciate the flexibility of a restaurant that’s open for both lunch and dinner, with a choose-your-adventure quality that comes from offering both an a la carte and tasting menu, paired with an ambitious wine and cocktail program.

The prize for Dessert Program of the Year recognizes pastry chef Priscilla Treviño’s dessert collaborations dinners with many of the city’s top talents, including fellow Tastemaker Awards winner Josh DeLeon (Underground Creamery), as well as fellow nominees such as Kripa Shenoy (EaDough) and Micaela Victoria (formerly of Goodnight Hospitality). These one-night-only affairs have become can’t-miss moments for anyone with a sweet tooth.

Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year - ChòpnBlọk
A Best New Restaurant nod from Esquire; a two-star review in the New York Times; a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide; and a James Beard Award Best Chef: Texas finalist nomination for founder Ope Amosu — Houston’s West African-inspired superstar keeps racking up accolades. At its core, the restaurant is still powered by dishes created during its pop-up days (that we first reported on back in 2018) such as the Motherland and Greens & Tings. If you haven’t been to either the Post Market outpost or, even better, its full-service restaurant in Montrose in awhile, stop by and realize that all of the attention, including this award, is very much deserved.

Coffee Shop of the Year - Un Caffe
Founder Soonkack Kook showcases his devotion to coffee at this Midtown shop. Regulars come for the carefully sourced coffee beans, all of which are roasted in-house, as well as signature drinks such as the iced Americano with a refreshing citrus slush, or the matcha Einspänner. Beyond the drinks, the warm hospitality makes it a destination for students, workers, and groups of friends.

Best Sandwich - B'Tween Sandwich Co.
This sandwich pop-up from former Gatlin’s BBQ chef and Top Chef Fan Favorite winner Michelle Wallace has attracted a lot of attention. Part of the credit goes to Wallace’s signature biscuits, which provide a buttery, flakey platform for her creations. Of course, the classic egg and cheese is a favorite, but diners can also expect rotating specials such as pastrami lox, smoked duck and andouille sausage gravy, or baby back ribs with pickled peach herb salad. While this pop-up thing is fun, we’re really hoping Wallace finds a permanent home that would allow Houstonians to enjoy her dishes every day.

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The Tastemaker Awards ceremony is sponsored in Houston by Maker's Mark, Culinary Khancepts, Herradura Tequila, Ritual Zero Proof + Seedlip, Shutto, and NXT LVL EVENT. A portion of proceeds will benefit our nonprofit partner, the Southern Smoke Foundation.

Photo by StuffBenEats

ChòpnBlọk, Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year.

restaurant of the year neighborhood restaurant culturemap tastemaker awards tastemaker awards

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Restaurants buck the Alabama Theater interior demolition trend and hold ontoHouston history

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And the winners are...

Houston's best chef, restaurant, and more revealed at 2026 Tastemaker Awards