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    Foodie News

    New Greatfull Taco restaurant creates great curiosity in H-Town: Warehouse Livetie, an avatar & more

    Sarah Rufca
    Apr 14, 2011 | 4:48 pm
    • A kitchen patty at Greatfull Taco
    • Greatfull Taco is already attracting plenty of attention.
    • The store renderings.

    There may be a few restaurant openings this year that already stir up serious anticipation — Uchi, Underbelly and Brasserie 19, to name three — but no opening has led to greater curiosity than that of Greatfull Taco.

    The latest concept in the South Shepherd space that previously held Sabetta, Crostini and Cafe Zol, Greatfull Taco is a fast-casual taco shop, with a menu of tacos that blend Tex-Mex, Cali-Mex and international flavors.

    There's the Red Rooster Jerk, jerk chicken with mango-habanero salsa; the Emo-topia, a fried eggplant and artichoke with garlic-serrano mayo; a "Bucky's Mystery Meat" taco (it's not beaver, it's bison); and tacos with chicken molé, beer-battered shrimp and pulled pork, all on corn tortillas, as well as a breakfast taco menu with all the classics.

    According to Katharine Shilcutt, the main menu is inspired by Torchy's Tacos in Austin, but when figuring out what to make of Greatfull Taco, that's just the beginning. It's a restaurant full of seemingly contradictory ideas, a combination of inspirations of owner Paul West, who is equal parts buttoned-up businessman and mad restaurant scientist. (He's also a former chief financial officer at Landry's and a former partner who's currently involved in a legal dispute at Sherlock's Pub.)

    In addition to the main restaurant, West is also maintaining the private room featured while the space was Sabetta, calling it "The Owner's Room" and offering it as a tiny private restaurant, available by reservation only, that features its own menus to choose from (don't expect tacos), its own chef (former Sabetta chef/owner Riccardo Palazzo-Giorgio) and even its own entrance so that the occupants can completely avoid the taco-eating hoi polloi on the other side of the wall.

    When it opens on April 17, Greatfull Taco will also boast a premium sound system on the patio (West often seems as excited about the restaurant's music as the menu), a Skype phone in the bathroom vestibule and an eVgo electric car charging station, perhaps the first in the city.

    The restaurant is kicking off with a live concert on Sunday which will feature singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile and Seattle alt-pop band Fences. Admission is $10 (tickets must be purchased in advance here) and will benefit environmental charities chosen by the performers to celebrate Earth Day.

    The opening concert is the beginning of a partnership with Warehouse Live called Greatfull Taco Live!, which aims to sponsor live concerts in an open-air setting. It will also mark the debut of West's alter-ego Herbert Hilbert, a "music-based avatar (created) to express a portion of him that needed to speak out to the public." Oooook.

    Let's just say that if the previous restaurants in this space failed because they didn't attract enough attention, Greatfull Taco doesn't have anything to worry about.

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    Montrose restaurant switcheroo

    Soon-to-shutter Houston margarita bar will transform into new Latin eatery

    Eric Sandler
    Jan 15, 2026 | 3:15 pm
    Verde Garden cocktail
    Photo by Joel Ramirez
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    The owners of Bari Ristorante are opening a new restaurant in Montrose’s dining-oriented Harlow District. Exilio Latin Flair will be the latest project from the trio of Pedro Teyuca, Tommy Nally, and Renato De Pirro, who also acquired Houston steakhouse Georgia James in 2024.

    Coming later this year to the Verde Garden space, Exilio will serve dishes inspired by the cuisines of Central America, Latin America, South America, and Spain. That could include everything from Peruvian ceviches to Argentinian steaks and Spanish-style tapas. It will pair those dishes with New World wines from South America as well as select vintages from Spain.

    "Our food 'language' is romance and having a restaurant that serves Latin food is a good marriage," Teyuca and Nally write in an email. "Latin food comes with rich back stories, heritage ingredients, and a passionate soul. It's easy to see why we are excited to bring Exilio to Houston diners."

    Exilio will be open daily for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch.

    Exilio Latin Flair restaurant rendering A rendering previews Exilio Latin Flair.Rendering courtesy of Castroparedes International, Inc.

    Designer Carlos Castroparedes, who also created the distinctive look of Bari Ristorante, will take the lead in transforming Verde Garden into Exilio.

    Prior to opening Exilio, the partners will unveil a second location of Bari in the former Tris space in The Woodlands Waterway district. In addition to the Italian cuisine served at Bari’s original location in River Oaks District, The Woodlands’ location will offer an expanded menu of steaks.

    The Kirby Group (Heights Bier Garten, Pitch 25) opened Verde Garden in 2023. Scheduled to close this Saturday, January 17, the Mexican-inspired concept featured a menu of Tex-Mex favorites and blended-to-order frozen cocktails.

    “Verde was a special place for us, and we’re proud of what it became and the community around it,” Kirby Group co-owner Andy Aweida said in a statement. “While this location is closing, the brand isn’t going away. This decision allows us to focus on what’s next, and we’re excited about the future of Verde. We’re also pleased that another concept will be taking over the space, further adding to the energy and making Harlow District an even more desirable destination.”

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