Rising star chef dishes on new gig, hot Houston fried chicken spot

Houston hospitality veterans Bobby Heugel and chef Justin Yu are sharing more details about House of Louie, their new neighborhood restaurant that’s opening this summer in the former Vibrant space at 1931 Fairview Ave. It’s the duo’s first new restaurant since opening Squable in 2019.

Almost a year after announcing their plans for the project, chef Yu, a James Beard Award winner and Food & Wine Best New Chef honoree, shares in press materials that the restaurant’s name and spirit takes inspiration from an establishment operated by his aunts, Betty Louie and Josephine Yeung, for over 30 years in the Los Angeles area.

“House of Louie was how I fell in love with restaurants. There was a magic there,” Yu said in a statement. “It was always a happy place for me, and for all its guests who came from all around the Los Angeles area to go to it. It was just one of those restaurants where it was exactly what you wanted, when you wanted it, but also a restaurant that gave you more than you expected.”

Yu describes the menu as having a “French-Italian soul” that will also incorporate “the smirk of Modern American cooking,” which allows the chef to sidestep criticisms of whether or not his food is a sufficiently authentic version of those two culinary traditions. As with Theodore Rex, his downtown restaurant that holds a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide, dishes at House of Louie will be defined by well-sourced ingredients and delicate saucework.

Meals at the restaurant could begin with dishes such as salads or raw seafood items, including yellowtail alla scapece (cured in chardonnay vinegar) or spot shrimp marinated in Pernod with bergamot and fennel pollen. Pastas, which will be in-house, include a fried lasagna with ragu bianco and Comte cheese fondue. Entrees include roast duck and chicken brined with house-made giardiniera, the spicy topping typically associated with Italian beef sandwiches. Of course, vegetables will be well-represented throughout the menu.

Bobby Heugel, Yu’s partner in the Thorough Fare Co. hospitality group and the founder of bars such as Anvil and Refuge, is overseeing the bar’s cocktail program. Expect martinis galore and seasonal cocktails made with Gulf Coast ingredients. One example is the The Fair View, a riff on the classic Rome with a View made with local roselle hibiscus, Becherovka, dry sherry, and gen tian tea, that’s finished with sparkling wine and pineapple.

The duo aren’t ready to share interior photos, but they describe the renovations as a “simple remake” that enlisted support from local craftspeople including Garnish Design (Milton’s, Tiny Champions), ObjektFab, and Ford Design Finishes. “Just like when you cook a beautiful piece of fish or a carrot that was cared for as it was grown, you do just enough to something beautiful to make it yours,” Yu added.

Joining the project are general manager Tyler Jay Wang, whose resume includes acclaimed Boston establishments No 9 Park and Drink, and executive chef Kirk Thompson, who worked for various Underbelly Hospitality concepts and served as the executive chef at Leo’s River Oaks when it won Best New Restaurant in the 2025 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards.

House of Louie will be open daily for dinner. Friday lunch and weekend brunch service will be added in the future.

Photo by Kirsten Gilliam

Pasta and cold seafood will be on the menu at House of Louie.