Hopdoddy in Houston

Austin-based burger chain sets May 30 as Houston opening date

Of all the restaurants coming to River Oaks District, none are more eagerly anticipated than Austin-based burger chain Hopdoddy Burger Bar. While the waiting may be the hardest part, it's almost over. The company has revealed that it will open on May 30.

“Our burger-loving fans in Houston longed for our fresh spin on burgers and we are glad that we finally found the perfect location,” Hopdoddy co-founder Guy Villavaso writes in an email. “With our in-house bakery, butchery and full bar, Houston diners can expect the refined flavors they are accustomed to with the added bonus of a unique experience. What it boils down to is that Houston deserves a bad ass burger and Hopdoddy plans to bring that to the table.”

Villavaso and Larry Foles founded the company (along with Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill co-founders Chuck Smith and Larry Perdido) after they sold Eddie V’s and Wildfish Seafood Grille to Darden Restaurants in November 2011 for $59 million. Known for its all-natural Black Angus beef, fresh cut fries, and use of sustainable ingredients, Hopdoddy has been a sensation since it began and has quickly grown to locations throughout Texas as well as outposts in Arizona, California, and Colorado.

In addition to beef, Hopdoddy sets itself apart by offering bison, turkey, chicken, tuna, and black bean patties as well as upscale toppings like brie, arugula and truffle aioli. The full bar includes both craft beer and boozy milkshakes. No wonder fans routinely wait in line for half-an-hour or longer to order.

River Oaks District may be getting Houston’s first Hopdoddy, but it won’t be the last.

“The outpour for more locations was heard loud and clear,” Villavaso writes. “We absolutely have more Houston locations on the horizon soon.”

Austin-based burger chain Hopdoddy Burger Bar will open in River Oaks District on May 30.

Courtesy of Hopdoddy / Facebook

Austin-based burger chain Hopdoddy Burger Bar will open in River Oaks District on May 30.

openings news-you-can-eat burgers

NYT best dishes

Houston Mediterranean restaurant makes NY Times' best desserts list

Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen/Facebook

Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen is the only Houston restaurant on either list.

The New York Times included four Texas restaurants among its favorite dishes of 2025. Divided into two lists — The 23 Best Restaurant Dishes We Ate Across the U.S. in 2025 and The 14 Best Restaurant Desserts We Ate Across the U.S. in 2025 — the dishes are:

Bad Honey Bunny at Mercado Sin Nombre (Austin)
Ketan Hitam at Yeni’s Fusion (Austin)
Konafa Naama at Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen (Houston)
Picadillo Macaroni and Cheese at 2M Smokehouse (San Antonio)

Times food writer Priya Krishna, who authors the entries for all four Texas dishes, traveled to far west Houston to visit Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen. “The konafa, a signature here, arrives with a molten layer of cheese under a sticky-sweet layer of golden, nutty semolina. The craft is evident, the konafa gone in a few bites,” she writes.

Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen Konafa Naama Don't skip dessert at Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen.KSayad Mediterranean Kitchen/Facebook

In Austin, Krishna praises the rice pudding at Yeni’s Fusion. “This barely sweet version, lush with coconut milk, aromatic with pandan and as soothing as warm porridge, is the gentlest way to end a meal,” she states.

Already hailed as one of America’s best breakfast spots by Bon Appetit, Krishna singles out a honeybun at Mercado Sin Nombre. “The coiled honey bun at this semi-clandestine cafe looks almost cartoonishly perfect, and the heady scent of cardamom and honey hits you before you even take a bite. Somehow, it tastes every bit as plush and elegant as it appears,” she writes.

The picadillo mac and cheese at 2M Smokehouse showcases how the San Antonio restaurant incorporates Mexican flavors into traditional Texas barbecue. “Imagine Hamburger Helper, but spicier, punchier and even more luxuriously creamy. It’s not easy to one-up the singular, thickly spiced brisket here, but the picadillo mac and cheese — which runs as an occasional special — holds its own and then some,” Krishna writes.

The New York Times regularly shines its spotlight on Texas restaurants, In September, it named four establishments — ChòpnBlọk (Houston), Isidore (San Antonio), Lao’d Bar (Austin), and P Thai’s Khao Man Gai & Noodles (Austin) — to its list of America’s 50 Best Restaurants.

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