Sorry, Lewis

Houston's famous Starbucks at 'the end of the universe' flames out

Farewell, shuttered Starbucks.

Photo by Eric Sandler

One of Houston's most famous Starbucks locations appears to have served its last latte. The windows have been papered over and the signage has been removed from the coffee shop at 2029 W. Gray St., which is usually a sign that a business has shuttered.

Of course, coffee fans won't have to go far to get their Frappuccino fix. The Starbucks across the street at 2050 W. Gray St. remains open — and had a lengthy line at its drive-thru this morning.

A representative for Weingarten Realty, owner of the River Oaks Shopping Center, responded to CultureMap's request for comment about the closure with the following statement: "The Starbucks at 2029 W Gray has closed. The closing was planned prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. We cannot announce a new tenant at this time."

That Houston was home to a Starbucks across the street from another Starbucks inspired comedian Lewis Black's epic rant about having found the end of the universe. We've embedded it below to save anyone the trouble of googling "Lewis Black Starbucks."

If the sudden increased demand from the closing of its neighbor makes the still-open Starbucks too busy, fret not. Consider the Starbucks counter in the nearby Kroger at 1938 West Gray St. or the Starbucks at 2801 S. Shepherd Dr., which also has a drive-thru.

Admittedly, in a time of a global pandemic, the closure of a Starbucks may not seem like a major loss, especially when another Starbucks exists directly across the street, but the twin Starbucks — and the epic rant they inspired — fostered a certain amount of civic pride. An Instagram post about the closure by the Houstorian, James Glassman, has drawn over 700 likes and 100 comments as of Friday morning, with many people expressing sadness at the shuttering.

CultureMap has contacted both Starbucks and Weingarten Realty, owner of the River Oaks Shopping Center, to confirm the closure and inquire about the future of the space. We will update this article if we receive a response.

coffee closings

spoiler alert

Houston chef Thomas Bille sounds off on his Beat Bobby Flay appearance

Courtesy of Food Network

Thomas Bille took on Bobby Flay.

Add another Houston chef to the roster of cooking competition champions. Belly of the Beast chef-owner Thomas Bille won the Tuesday, August 4 episode of Beat Bobby Flay.

Titled “Mole Mania,” Bille went head-to-head with celebrity chef Bobby Flay in a battle of duck en mole negro. Although the dish usually features more than 30 ingredients and typically takes hours to make, both Bille and Flay both only had 45 minutes to make their dishes.

“I did one trial run mole at the restaurant. I finished it in about 32 minutes,” Bille tells CultureMap. He adds that he used the same recipe on the show that he does at his restaurant, except for the restaurant’s mole mother.

During the cooking portion of the competition, Bille blends a wide array of chiles to begin making the dish. He also charred tomatoes, plantains, and tortillas before adding them to his pot. He then cooks his duck skin side down to render its fat. Bille plated the dish with a garnish of cacao nibs and almonds.

“I figured out a strategy,” Bille explains. “I had a dutch oven. I charred everything. I needed to put all the missing pieces and adding it to the pot. Charring things, adding it. So I had it all cooking right away, rather than building how I normally do it.”

The judges panel of Lourdes Castro, Alex Stupak, and Grace Ramirez hailed Bille’s dish for its depth of flavor and presentation, but they criticized him for not achieving a sufficiently crispy skin on his duck.

“I think darkness on top of darkness is a huge plus,” Stupak said about Bille’s presentation. “That’s a positive. Black on black is my favorite.”

The judges found that Flay’s duck mole negro with pomegrante, apricot, and green chile relish didn’t put enough emphasis on the mole, with Lourdes calling it too sweet. “This feels like a really great duck dish,” Stupak added.

Prior to beating Flay, Bille faced off against Austin chef Keegan Andrews to create the best dish with manchego cheese. He created a Spanish-inspired manchego tartine with herb salad, macerated dried apricots, and toasted marcona almonds. The judges stated that Andrews manchego fritters were too doughy.

Bille is no stranger to the spotlight. In 2025, he won Best Chef: Texas in the James Beard Awards. Belly of the Beast, his Mexican-American restaurant in Spring, holds a Bib Gourmand designation from the Michelin Guide.

The chef joins a small roster of local Beat Bobby Flay winners. Back in 2016, Roost chef-owner Kevin Naderi won the show by making cabbage rolls. In 2023, Stanton Bundy, formerly culinary director of Traveler’s Table, won a chilaquiles battle. Last year, Top Chef winner Tristen Epps won with Trinidadian brown stew chicken. Filmed in January, the chef says he kept the secret from even his close friends, but it feels good to finally share the news.

“It’s great. I beat Iron Chef Bobby Flay,” Bille says. “Being able to go to his kitchen and beat him, he has such a high win rate.”

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