Tacodeli Coming to Houston

Rumor No More: One of Austin's favorite taco joints coming to Washington Avenue

Another new arrival will further cement Washington Avenue's status as one of Houston's premier taco destinations.

Tacodeli, the popular Austin-based taco joint, has finally acknowledged that the rumors are true. It will open its first Houston location on Washington Avenue this fall.

Since it opened in 1999, Tacodeli has grown to five locations across Austin; the company's first Dallas location opened in 2015. The restaurant is known for its use of both organic ingredients and locally sourced products.

"I've been a huge fan of the Houston restaurant scene since I first started visiting the city back in the '80s! It is very exciting to know that we will finally be able to sling tacos in a city with some serious culinary heritage,” co-owner Roberto Espinosa said in a statement. “We are especially excited to be opening in a unique part of the city along Washington Avenue with great neighbors such as B&B Butchers, Julep, and soon to open Platypus Brewing in our building."

According to CultureMap Austin, Tacodeli's menu "is extensive with a series of incredible chicken, beef, pork, fish, bison, and veggie taco options. The tacos are the right size and price for mixing and matching, so experimentation is encouraged." Indeed, the company promises more than 40 options, including meat, vegetarian, and seafood options when it opens. Tacos that are ordered on corn tortillas are also gluten-free.

As noted above, Tacodeli will join Washington Avenue's thriving taco scene. In addition to traditional favorites like Laredo Taqueria and Tex-Mex staples like Molina's and El Tiempo, the area has recently added Dallas import Velvet Taco and will soon see the reborn brick and mortar location of La Macro. Still, Tacodeli's track record of success in Austin's competitive scene argues that it will do well in Houston, too.

The Cowboy.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Marple

The Cowboy.

tacos openings

Houston's smallest restaurant?

Michelin-recognized Houston sushi chef fires up 4-seat Japanese skewer spot

Courtesy of Sip & Skewer

Diners sit in front of chefs cooking on a grill.

The team behind one of Houston’s Michelin-recognized sushi restaurants is opening an intimate new izakaya. Sip & Skewer is the newest concept from Hidden Omakase owner Tuan Tran and chef Marcos Juarez.

Opening Friday, February 13, Sip & Skewer is a four-seat restaurant devoted to skewered meats that’s located within Sushi by Hidden, the group’s affordable omakase restaurant in Rice Village. At Sip & Skewer, diners sit across from the chefs as they cook a 10-course, $90 meal on a Japanese binchotan grill.

“Sip & Skewer is small, loud, and intentional. The kind of hidden experience you’d find in Tokyo,” Tran said. “And with Chef Marcos guiding the team at Sushi by Hidden, this space is getting new energy from every angle.”

A four-seat restaurant within a 10-seat restaurant might seem kind of superfluous, but Tran explains that it’s part of a larger plan for his group of restaurants, which also includes West U. hand roll restaurant Norigami. It also builds on the success of Hidden Omakase, the Galleria-area sushi counter that earned a Recommended designation in the Michelin Guide.

“Sip & Skewer is part of a larger vision. It’s designed as a stepping stone toward our next concept, Kōri, a new hand roll and craft cocktail bar opening in the Heights. Our plan is to open Sip & Skewer directly next to our hand roll spot, creating a small alley of Japanese concepts that feed into one another,” Tran explains.

“This allows us to build awareness, train our team in a new format, and introduce guests to Japanese charcoal grilling in a very personal way before we scale the idea into a larger setting with Kōri. The four-seat format keeps overhead extremely low while serving as a live test kitchen and brand builder for what’s coming next,” he adds.

On a related note, Juarez and the other chefs at Hidden Omakase are dividing their time between all three restaurants. Tuam explains that it’s a deliberate strategy to ensure a consistent customer experience.

“The same team that works Michelin-recognized omakase service also runs the grill here, which keeps quality and execution consistent while allowing the chefs a creative outlet in a very different format,” Tran said. “Because Sip & Skewer is only four seats and reservations only, it does not require a dedicated full-time staff. It’s an extension of the team rather than a separate operation.”