One of the most prominent restaurants in the Heights is adding daytime service — and using its success to promote the careers of up-and-coming chefs. Beginning this Monday, April 14, Jūn will be home to Third Place, a daytime coffee shop and cafe.
In addition to serving coffees and pastries made by the Jūn kitchen, Third Place will also have a rotating chef residency program where different cooks will serve a couple of items for lunch. First up is Jūn sous chef Julio Mendez, a Hugo Ortega alum who will be serving shakshuka with Mexican chorizo, farm egg, and baguette along with hash browns with sous vide egg, foam cheese, and ham.
After Mendez, Suu Khin, the Masterchef finalist and 2025 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards Best Pop-up winner, will take a turn in the kitchen. She’ll be followed by a number of the restaurant’s friends and colleagues, including Top Chef contestant Tristen Epps, Craft Pita owner Raffi Nasr, Nina Fonte of Aleng Nina's, and Tastemaker Awards nominee Gabe Medina, whose Subo pop-up is earning buzz for its creative Filipino fare.
For Jūn owners Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lu, sharing Third Place with their colleagues is an extension of the kindness showed them during Jūn’s evolution from farmers market-based pop-up into a restaurant that’s a two-time James Beard Award semifinalist, including a nomination in 2025 for Best Chef: Texas.
“Time after time, people opened their doors and provided space to us, including our friends at Tenfold, Axelrad, Feel Good Group, Urban Harvest, Rice Village Farmer Market, Heights Mercantile Farmers Market, and countless others,” Lu said in response to CultureMap’s request for comment. “This is our small way of paying it forward — providing support, enriching our neighbors, and growing our community. The Chef Residency program embodies this, providing a space for entrepreneurs to grow and build their own communities.”
For its part, the Jūn kitchen will serve four pastries inspired by its signature blend of Mexican, Salavadoran, and Chinese flavors.They are:
- Passion Fruit Tart with Torched Meringue
- Chinese Sausage & Cheese Kolache
- Cafe de Olla Cream Donut
- Cream Cheese, Thai Basil and Heirloom Tomato Empanada
They’ll be paired with a full range of coffee and espresso beverages, teas, and a matcha latte. Specialty items will include an iced strawberry matcha, Salvadoran cold brew with peanut foam, matcha lemonade, and hojicha Arnold Palmer. Free wifi means remote workers will be able to complete their daily tasks while snacking.
----
Third Place; 420 E. 20th St. Monday-Saturday, 8 am-3 pm.
