Ciao, Montrose!

New Italian restaurant from owners of River Oaks hot spots heads to buzzy Montrose development

Atlas Restaurant Group Alex Smith Steve Radom Eric Smith

Atlas Restaurant Group owners Alex and Eric Smith (left and right) with real estate developer Steve Radom (center).

Courtesy of Atlas Restaurant Group

A Baltimore-based restaurant has big plans for Montrose. Atlas Restaurant Group, the company behind Ouzo Bay and Loch Bar, will open a new Italian restaurant in the heart of the city's premier dining neighborhood.

Slated to open spring 2022, the still unnamed restaurant will occupy 5,500 square feet at the Montrose Collective, the mixed-use development currently under construction next to Uchi on lower Westheimer. The restaurant will be a new concept for Atlas that's distinct from Tagliata, the company's Italian-influenced steakhouse. Details are light, but it will feature "handmade pastas, charcuterie, and prime steaks," according to a press release.

Loch Bar and Ouzo Bay opened at River Oaks District in 2019. The success of the two seafood restaurants — a lively, East Coast-inspired seafood tavern next to a European-influenced, fine dining concept — prompted Atlas to seek more opportunities in Houston.

“The success of Ouzo and Loch Bar, combined with the city’s business-friendly environment, made the decision to grow here an easy one,” Atlas Restaurant Group co-owner Alex Smith said in a statement. “Frankly, we love Houston and plan to continue creating new brands here under the Atlas umbrella wherever it makes sense. And Montrose Collective made absolute perfect sense.”

Currently under construction, the Montrose Collective will consist of over 100,000 square feet of office space, more than 50,000 square feet of retail space, and the relocated branch of the Houston Public Library that's currently on Montrose Boulevard. When it opens later this year, the development expects to be home to six new restaurants and 15 retail shops, including an outpost of New York's Van Leeuwen Ice Cream.

Like other projects from developer Radom Capital (Heights Merchant and M-K-T Heights), Montrose Collective will feature design by Texas architect Michael Hsu Office of Architecture.

“We couldn’t be more excited that Alex and Eric have selected Montrose Collective for their first Italian concept in Texas,” said Radom Capital Managing Principal Steve Radom. He added, “I was absolutely blown away by their creativity and attention to detail, on a recent visit to Baltimore, and the quality of their concepts speaks for itself, and I’m confident they will create something special for Montrose that will resonate with locals and visitors alike.”

openings

seven nation army

Chinatown's AYCE sushi spot rolls into Midtown with late night DJs

Photo by Jenn Duncan

Seven Sushi and Robata serves an extensive selection of sushi, skewers, and more.

Midtown diners will soon have a new option for all-you-can-eat sushi. Seven Sushi & Robata has claimed the former Beer Market/D’Alba Cafe space (3304 Milam) for a new location that will open later this year.

Like the original in Chinatown’s Dun Huang Plaza that opened in November 2025, the new Seven Sushi & Robata will be open for lunch and dinner daily with a tiered pricing structure of $22 at lunch, along with two choices at dinner — a $37 “core” offering and a $57 premium menu that adds items such as bluefin tuna, salmon belly, Korean galbi, Hawaiian ribeye, and an otoro hand roll. Supplementing the sushi, Seven’s robata offerings will include teriyaki chicken thigh, chicken gizzards chicken hearts,grilled miso beef, pork belly, chicken wings, and seasonal vegetables.

Where the Midtown location will set itself apart is in its design. Pitched to Midtown residents and revelers, husband-and-wife owners Grace and Leo Xia have initiated a comprehensive renovation that’s centered around an indoor-outdoor bar that will serve both the dining room and a covered patio.

The Midtown location will also stay open later than the original — until midnight Sunday through Thursday and 2 am on Friday and Saturday. Weekends will also feature “Seven After Dark,” with DJs and a late-night menu of shareable dishes, skewers, and Japanese-inspired bar bites.

“Midtown has a completely different energy, especially at night,” Leo Xia said in a statement. “We didn’t want to simply build another all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant. We wanted to create a place where the food is strong enough to be the reason you come, but the cocktails, music and energetic setting give you a reason to stay. It’s designed to move naturally from lunch and dinner into a more livelier late-night experience.”

Seven builds on the Xias' success with their Chinese concept Duck & Bao and Hongdae 33, an all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue that’s also in Dun Huang Plaza.

“Building a new restaurant isn’t as intimidating as it once was, because I’ve learned how to communicate the vision more clearly to our teams and our guests,” Leo Xia added. “We never stop learning or thinking about how we can offer guests more unique experiences. At Seven, quality sushi is the foundation, but the service, drinks, atmosphere and location all come together to create the full effect.”

Photo by Jenn Duncan

Seven Sushi and Robata serves an extensive selection of sushi, skewers, and more.

openings news-you-can-eat seven sushi and robata