Montrose history

Anvil owners buy Mary's property, but Bobby Heugel vows to save site of historicgay bar

Bobby Heugel
Photo by Katharine Shilcutt/Flickr
The iconic gay bar Mary's is being sold for a parking lot, but new owners planto save the main building

When rumors first started floating a few months ago that the owners of Anvil Bar & Refuge planned to buy the lot across the street from the new beer bar and restaurant they’re building, the LGBT community feared the worst: That the historic Mary’s, Naturally would be paved over for a parking lot.

Anvil co-owner Bobby Heugel said at the time: “If we were to buy it, we would never turn it into a parking lot. I am really passionate about saving Montrose’s history. We’re not tearing down Chances. It would have been cheaper to do that, but I would never do it. And if we bought Mary’s, you could put a gun to my head and I wouldn’t tear it down.”

And now, true to his word, Heugel tells OutSmart magazine today that his crew has bought the lot at Westheimer Road and Yoakum Boulevard, and he’s not tearing down Mary’s.

“The city is making us tear down the old house on the back of the property, and we will use that land as additional parking for Hay Merchant and Underbelly. And demolition will start soon, but I want the community to know that we are not going to demolish Mary’s.”

Instead, Heugel says he will renovate the building, which has been vacant since Mary’s closed in 2009, and find an appropriate tenant for it.

Mary’s opened more than 40 years ago and during the '80s and ‘90s it was not only a GLBT watering hole, it was ground central for the Montrose community and a place of numerous memorial services for early AIDS victims. Since the nationally known bar closed, the Gulf Coast Archive and Museum of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender History, Inc. has tried to salvage much of the memorabilia from the bar.

But, as Heugel reports today, break-ins at the structure have resulted in a trashed interior and the loss of pretty much everything that was left. Still, he vows to rehab the building with the dignity its history deserves.

“It’s such an important part of Houston’s history, there’s no way we’ll demolish that building,” he says. He also wants to reach out to the community for any ideas they have for the building.

Sara Fernandez, member of an ad hoc group that was trying to save Mary’s, is happy to hear the news.

“The ashes of so many early Houston AIDS victims were scattered in the garden there,” she says of the space known as The Outback. “What I would like to see on the lot is for there to be some sort of green space where the patio is, or some sort of garden even if small. A sculpture or fountain would be nice.”

A Facebook page for Mary’s lists many of the names of those whose ashes were scattered there, although no one knows for sure how many there are. Over the years there were rumors that actual bodies were buried there, but there’s no evidence of that. Still, some sort of commemoration to those whose ashes are now mingled with the lot would be nice.

And Heugel seems open to the idea.

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meet the tastemakers

Houston's 11 best chefs of 2026 are leading the city's rise to prominence

Photo by Zachary Horst

Felipe Riccio, March.

We’ve reached the final category in the 2026 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards. These are the nominees for Chef of the Year.

This year’s nominees are an accomplished group. They hold Michelin stars and received Bib Gourmand designations. They are James Beard Award semifinalists, finalists, and winners. They’ve competed on Top Chef.

Of course they all serve consistently well-prepared dishes that keep diners coming back again and again. They’re also leaders and mentors who are guiding the next generation of cooks who will make their own mark on the dining scene. Many are involved in a number of local nonprofits, including I’ll Have What She’s Having and the Southern Smoke Foundation.

Who will win? Find out this Thursday, April 16, at the Tastemaker Awards party at Silver Street Studios. We’ll dine on bites from this year’s nominated restaurants and sip cocktails from our sponsors before revealing the winners in our short and sweet ceremony.

A limited number of tickets remain. Buy yours before they sell out.

Here are the nominees for Chef of the Year:

Benchawan Jabthong Painter, Street to Kitchen
The first Houstonian to win the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Texas, Chef G, as she’s known to friends and supporters, continues to make Street to Kitchen one of Houston’s destination restaurants. Regular travels back home to Thailand inspire new dishes on the menu, and G has also embraced her inner Texan with a rotating selection of steaks and chops. Her warm personality also sets the tone for the friendly service diners can expect at Street to Kitchen.

Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lu, Jūn
The two friends and business partners have come a long way since their days of serving meals under a tent at area farmers markets. Now, they’re James Beard Award finalists for Best Chef: Texas, Top Chef alumni, and they successfully spun up a daytime concept, Third Place, that hosts the city’s most intriguing roster of pop-ups. If that weren’t enough, they released debuted Loaded Potatoes, a new podcast that showcases their distinct perspectives on food and culture.

Felipe Riccio, March
As the leader of Houston’s one-star, Mediterranean-inspired tasting menu restaurant, Riccio leads the ultra-ambitious team that changes its entire menu twice per year. Not only does this effort require extensive research, training, and preparation, it only requires the discipline necessary to execute at a consistently high level to meet the expectations of diners who are fully aware of the restaurant’s lofty reputation.

Jassi Bindra, Amrina/Kitchen Rumors
Houstonians already knew Bindra could execute fine dining cuisine based on his success at Amrina, but the chef also showcased his adeptness with casual fare at twin concepts Bol and Pok Pok Po. He dialed up the creativity at Kitchen Rumors, bringing Indian flavors to everything from pot roast to ramen. Although his Top Chef experience came to an abrupt end in only this season’s second episode, he’ll remain a local chef whose future projects will always be worth sampling.

Lucas McKinney, Josephine's
Already a winner of Rising Star Chef of the Year, McKinney steps into Chef of the Year consideration after leading Josephine’s to a Recommended designation in the Michelin Guide. The inspectors praises dishes like the crab fat rice bowl and shrimp po’ boy, but they neglected to include McKinney’s world-class crawfish. That just means more for us.

Manabu Horiuchi, Katami/Kata Robata/Sushi Horiuchi
Known to all as Hori-san, your favorite chef’s favorite chef is riding higher than ever. Katami, his ode to contemporary Japanese fine dining, quickly established itself as one of Houston’s most sought after reservations and earned the chef a James Beard Award semifinalist nomination for America's best chef. More recently, he opened Sushi Horiuchi, a six-seat omakase counter that gives diners an even most personal experience. While diners should certainly engage with him about the dishes they’re eating, we also suggest asking him about his favorite karaoke songs.

Mayank Istwal, Musaafer
As the leader of Houston’s only Michelin-starred Indian fine dining restaurant, Istwal oversees an impressive restaurant that offers both a la carte and tasting menus. With Musaafer’s recent expansion to New York City, he’s also the only nominee to be dividing his time between two cities. Thankfully, he’s built a strong team who can ensure Musaafer remains consistent even when he’s in the Big Apple.

Nick Wong, Agnes and Sherman
Known for leading UB Preserv to a best new restaurant award from Texas Monthly, Wong returned to the kitchen with this Asian American diner in the Heights, which also earned best new restaurant nods from both Texas Monthly and finalist status in the James Beard Awards. The wide-ranging menu applies his unique perspective to everything from fried chicken and club sandwiches to egg foo young and pasta bolognese — made with Korean rice dumplings, natch. While his commitment to make Agnes and Sherman a good place to work is certainly worthy of respect, he deserves this nomination simply for introducing Houston to cheeseburger fried rice.

Shawn Gawle, Camaraderie
A former Pastry Chef of the Year winner for his work at Goodnight Hospitality, Gawle has been showing off his savory chops at this restaurant in the Heights. The restaurant’s prix fixe menu reflects the style of dining Gawle enjoys the most, where friends share a meal and conversation. Recently, the chef has been inviting guest chefs such as Rebecca Mason and Raffi Nasr in for can’t-miss collabs.

Thomas Bille, Belly of the Beast
As the winner of Best Chef: Texas in the 2025 James Beard Awards and a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide, Belly of the Beast no longer qualifies as a hidden gem. Still, Bille isn’t resting on his laurels. He added a tasting menu to Belly of the Beast’s offerings and continues to roll out new dishes that explore the intersection of Mexican flavors with other immigrant cuisines.

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The Tastemaker Awards ceremony is sponsored in Houston by Maker's Mark, Culinary Khancepts, Herradura Tequila, Ritual Zero Proof + Seedlip, Shutto, NXT LVL EVENT, and more to be announced. A portion of proceeds will benefit our nonprofit partner, the Southern Smoke Foundation.

Photo by Zachary Horst

Felipe Riccio, March.

tastemaker awards chefs