Houston’s award-winning West African restaurant is coming to the Memorial City/Spring Branch area. ChòpnBlọk will open its third location next summer in the Greenside Memorial development.

With a 3,700-square-foot interior and a 1,100-square-foot patio, the Memorial-area location will be about 700 square feet larger than ChòpnBlọk’s Montrose location that opened in 2024. Founder Ope Amosu has once again tapped local firms AMAO Creative and Gin Design Group to design the space. Today’s announcement confirms media reports that ChòpnBlọk had submitted permit applications for a third location.

Begun as a pop-up, Amosu opened ChòpnBlọk’s first location at Post Houston in 2021. Inspired by his Nigerian heritage and influenced by his time working at Chipotle, the restaurant serves bowls that incorporate African flavors such as the Motherland (rice, curry, vegetables, plantains, choice of protein), the Black Star (fried rice, curry, plantains, shrimp), and the Buka (rice and beans, short rib red stew, plantains). The Montrose location expanded Amosu’s vision with a larger menu and a cocktail program.

The restaurant has earned an impressive amount of national attention, including being featured on celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson’s PBS series No Passport Required, being named to the New York Times’ list of America’s 50 best restaurants in 2025, being named to Esquire’s list of America’s Best New Restaurants, and earning a 2026 James Beard Award finalist nomination for Best Chef: Texas. ChòpnBlọk holds a Bib Gourmand designation from the Michelin Guide and won Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year in the 2026 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards.

“Bringing ChòpnBlọk to West Houston feels like a homecoming,” Amosu said in a statement. “I grew up in Southwest Houston, spent much of my childhood and school years on this side of town, and still have family and deep connections here. To bring something I've built back to a community that helped shape me is incredibly meaningful. It's a chance to celebrate the culture that raised me while creating a space where the next generation can build memories of their own.”

As Amosu notes, opening at the Greenside development brings ChòpnBlọk closer to Houston’s West African community, which is centered in Southwest Houston. It also makes the restaurant more accessible to West Houston diners, who have had to drive to downtown or Montrose to satisfy their cravings.

Located just north of Memorial City Mall at 1085 Gessner Rd., Greenside Memorial is a project by Memorial City owner MetroNational that has transformed a group of former industrial buildings into a mix of restaurant, retail, and other family-friendly businesses. Previously announced tenants include East Coast-inspired tavern concept Hudson House, fast casual bowl concept Honest Mary’s, Merit Coffee, Epic Cycles, Swish Dental, Hiatus day spa, and others.

“We are thrilled to welcome ChòpnBlọk to Greenside,” MetroNational COO Frank Ortiz added. “As a nationally acclaimed, chef-driven concept, ChòpnBlọk offers much more than an exceptional dining experience. Its storytelling, cultural richness, and hospitality create the kind of authentic connection that defines great destinations. It is a natural fit for the vibrant, experience led community we are creating at Greenside.”

Courtesy of Chopnblok

ChòpnBlọk’s husband-and-wife founders Janelle and Ope Amosu.