this week's covid closures

Updated list of Houston restaurant closings and reopenings due to COVID-19

Taste of Texas' online store remains open while its restaurant is closed.

What a restaurant should do when one of its employees tests positive for COVID-19 has become a recent topic of debate. Some, such as the ones listed below, share the diagnosis via social media and temporarily close in order to clean the restaurant and allow employees to get tested.

However, not every restaurant is taking that approach. ABC13 reporter Miya Shay tweeted that a manager at Toulouse, the French restaurant in River Oaks District, told her one employee tested positive, but the restaurant remains open “because [the] bartender didn’t show symptoms at work.”

Similarly, KHOU reports that both customers and employees at McIntyre’s tested positive as early as June 7, but the popular sports bar didn’t communicate that information immediately. The bar posted to Facebook that it closed on Monday, June 15, for “electrostatic sanitation” and will require employees to have a negative test before returning to work.

Restaurants that remain open even after a positive test will find support for their decision from the Texas Restaurant Association. Citing CDC guidelines, the TRA instructs members that “in most cases, businesses do not need to shut down because an employee contracts COVID-19.”

The association does note that anyone who came into “close contact” with the infected person should self-quarantine for 14-days from the last date of contact. Those instructions imply that a restaurant operating with one kitchen crew may have to close if an infected cook works in close proximity to others on the line.

With the number of Texans hospitalized with the disease on the rise, at least once branch of the state government has indicated it will act against establishments that violate provisions regarding capacity (75 percent for restaurants and 50-percent for bars), social distancing, wearing masks or other forms of PPE, and using hand sanitizer. The TABC issued a press release on Monday stating that it will increase inspections to ensure compliance; violators could have their liquor license suspended for 30 days.

Unless the government steps in with clear requirements about what restaurants should do and/or disclose when an employee tests positive for COVID-19 — something that doesn’t seem likely — diners will need to take primary responsibility for their own safety. Anyone who wants to eat at a restaurant should familiarize themselves with the state’s protocols and be willing to walk away from an establishment that isn’t following them.

Conversely, restaurants that are forthright about an employee testing positive and proactive in their communications deserve to be rewarded for their honesty. Once a restaurant has been thoroughly cleaned and its employees have tested negative, hopefully diners will feel comfortable returning. That’s the only way these businesses will survive throughout the pandemic.

Restaurants that have reopened this week after temporary closures:

Alice Blue: Closed June 11; reopened for to-go service June 15.
Nobie’s: Closed June 7; reopens June 18.
La Lucha and Superica: Closed June 10; expected to reopen June 19.
Taste of Texas closed 13; reopens for dinner June 19.

Restaurants that have announced a closure this week:

Goodnight Hospitality has temporarily closed both Rosie Cannonball and Montrose Cheese & Wine on June 16 after three employees tested positive. They are scheduled to reopen for to-go service on Thursday, June 25; dine-in service has been "suspended" for the time being.

Clark Cooper Concepts announced that Daddy’s Burgers, its summer pop-up at The Dunlavy, will be closed for two weeks beginning June 17 after an employee tested positive.

Three employees at Dish Society Memorial Green tested positive, founder Aaron Lyons said in a statement. The restaurant closed for a deep cleaning on June 16 and reopened the next day with staff from the company’s other restaurants. All employees have been asked to self quarantine and will require a negative test before returning to work.

Coltivare is "temporarily closed under further notice," the restaurant announced on June 17 via social media. An employee was in "close contact" with a person who is positive for COVID-19, so all Coltivare employees are being tested for the virus.

Spanish fine dining restaurant MAD will be temporarily closed for dine-in after "some" employees tested positive; the restaurant has been testing its employees every two weeks when it discovered the infections. It will remain open for to-go orders, including on Father's Day.

Northside brewpub Local Group Brewing is "pausing operations" as of June 18 "to allow for one of our employees with COVID-19-like symptoms to get tested and get results back." An announcement on reopening will be made after the employee has received the results.

Riel restaurant has not had any employees test positive, but it will be closed from June 18 - 22 to allow for them to get tested and to undergo a deep cleaning.

Siphon Coffee temporarily closed on June 18 after an employee tested positive. The Montrose coffee shop and cafe will announce a reopening date after it has undergone a deep cleaning and all of its employees have been tested for COVID-19.

El Topo temporarily closed on June 19 after the extended family member of one of its employees tested positive. It will reopen after employees have been tested and the restaurant has undergone a thorough cleaning. The restaurant's food truck will continue to operate.

The Politan Row food hall in Rice Village will be closed from June 20 - 22 after employees may have been exposed to COVID-19. It will reopen on Tuesday, June 23, after employees have been tested.

Brennan's of Houston closed on June 18 after an employee tested positive. It will announce a reopening date after employees have been tested.

Kata Robata closed on June 19 after some employees tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies. It will announce a reopening date after they've been tested for the active virus.

Montrose bar La Grange will be closed June 20 and 21 after an employee tested positive for COVID-19. It will reopen June 22.

Down House closed on June 20 after an employee tested positive. It will reopen Thursday, June 25.

Hugs & Donutstemporarily closed on June 16 after a member of its kitchen tested positive. The doughnut shop will set a reopening after its other employees have been tested.

Comfort food restaurant Pappy’s Cafetemporarily closed on June 14 after an employee tested positive.

Midtown patio bar Front Porch Pubtemporarily closed on June 12 after a manager tested positive.

El Bolillo Bakery’s location on Airline Dr. temporarily closed on June 14 after an employee tested positive. The bakery states it has tested all employees and will resume operations on June 18 with employees who have two negative tests. Its other locations on Wayside Drive and in Pasadena remain open.

news-you-can-eat

Your move, TxMo

Predicting 13 barbecue joints that could make Texas Monthly's new top 10

Courtesy of Truth BBQ

Houstonians might riot if Truth BBQ falls out of the top 10.

The world of Texas barbecue is shivering with anticipation. On Tuesday, May 27, Texas Monthly will publish its latest ranking of the state’s 50 best barbecue joints.

Released every four years, the list is considered by many to be the definitive guide to Texas barbecue. Part of that authority comes from the effort Texas Monthly puts into traveling across the state in search of the best smoked meats, sides, and desserts. For the 2021 edition, the magazine enlisted 35 writers to visit more than 400 restaurants. While the numbers on the 2025 edition won’t be revealed until next week, readers can expect a similar, or perhaps even more exhaustive, effort this time around.

In that spirit, let’s make some predictions about what the 2025 list may look like. While I don’t have any specific insight into the thinking of Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn, I am a voracious reader of his work and a native Texas who enjoys a good barbecue road trip. The predictions below are based on my analysis of Texas Monthly’s previous lists and visits to most of the places I think will be in the top 10.

Let’s be clear. The state of Texas barbecue has never been more competitive, because barbecue restaurants have never worked harder to impress diners. In 2017, a restaurant that served prime meats, cooked with wood, and made respectable sides had a high probability of making the top 50. In 2021, a lot of those places fell off in favor of establishments that both cooked a wider range of proteins than the traditional beef brisket, pork ribs, and sausage and put more personality into their sides, and, for the first time, desserts.

In 2025, those restaurants are being challenged by places that go a little further. Many are open for lunch and dinner — something that was essentially unthinkable in 2017. More and more are incorporating flavors from a diverse array of culinary traditions, including Mexican, Vietnamese, Persian, and more. The best places are making their own breads, whether it’s dinner rolls, pita, or tortillas. Whatever Texas Monthly decides, vigorous debate will surely follow.

Examining the changes from 2017 to 2021 provides a basis for predicting 2025.

No sacred cows
Barbecue joints do not earn a place on the list based on reputation or historical significance. In 2021, the magazine included a whopping 29 new entries, including five of the coveted top 10. Icons like Cooper’s in Llano and Kreuz Market in Lockhart gave way to newcomers like Austin’s Interstellar, which ranked No. 2 — pushing the legendary Franklin Barbecue to No. 7. Even a spot in the previous edition’s top 10 doesn’t guarantee a place in the new top 50.

Youth will be served
The magazine’s 2023 list of the The 25 Best New and Improved BBQ Joints in Texas provides some insight into who will make the top 50. Expect at least one member of the new top 10 to have opened since the publication of the 2023 list.

Michelin who?
Barbecue restaurants earned 28 of the 117 entries in the first Texas edition of the Michelin Guide, including four restaurants that received stars (out of 15 total). That probably won’t matter much to Texas Monthly, which uses its own criteria to evaluate barbecue joints. In other words, Spring’s CorkScrew BBQ may have a Michelin star, but it probably isn’t returning to the TxMo top 10.

Expect surprises
The magazine likes to lead opinions rather than follow conventional wisdom. That tradition goes back to at least 2008, when Snow’s in Lexington became the surprise No. 1. In 2021, both Goldee’s and Instellar were surprise picks to rank No. 1 and No. 2, but they’ve both flourished in the spotlight created by Texas Monthly’s acclaim. Somewhere in Texas, a barbecue joint no one predicts is about to have its fortunes forever changed with a spot in the top 10.

Predicting the top 10

Similar to my predictions for the Michelin Guide, I decided to look at the Texas Monthly list from a sports betting perspective. Certain restaurants are more likely to rank highly than others, after all. In the spirit, I’ve divided the restaurants into three categories: Locks, Probably, and Fingers Crossed. Each category is presented in alphabetical order.

Before diving in, a special shoutout to Bryan Norton and Andrew Martinez of the Tales From the Pits podcast. Outside of Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn, no one I know visits as many barbecue joints or thinks as deeply about their quality. Listen to their recent episodes detailing their top 15 Texas barbecue joints and Texas Monthly top 50 predictions for more insight.

Locks

Burnt Bean Co.: The Seguin restaurant was less than a year old when it ranked No. 4 on the 2021 list. Since then, co-owners Ernest Servantes and David Kirkland have rolled out their essential Sunday breakfast service, where Servantes puts a barbecue spin on iconic dishes such as huevos rancheros and lamb barbacoa. It’s my current pick for the best in Texas.

Goldee’s: The reigning No. 1 has only gotten better since 2021 as co-owners Jalen Heard, Lane Milne, and Jonny White have integrated the lessons they learned working at some of the state’s top joints with their own personalities. Located near Fort Worth, they do it all, from housemade bread to creative sides to adding international flavors like the Thai-style waterfall pulled pork I sampled on a recent visit.

LeRoy and Lewis: Ranked No. 5 in 2021, the Austin restaurant moved from a food truck to a polished brick-and-mortar in 2024. Now open for lunch and dinner six days a week, the restaurant’s refined offerings include beef cheeks, whole hog, cauliflower burnt ends, and a top-flight burger. Its Friday night steak special, available by reservation only, is the stuff carnivore dreams are made of.

Probably

Barbs B Q: The restaurant brings new school cred to Lockhart. Not only did pitmaster Chuck Charnichart hone her skills at Goldee’s, she brings personality to the menu with touches like fresh lime zest on the pork ribs and the signature green spaghetti, a chile-spiced ode to her hometown of Brownsville. This is the restaurant from the 2023 new and improved list that seems most likely to crack the top 10.

Cattleack: Ranked in the top 10 in both 2017 (No. 3) and 2021 (No. 6), it’s hard to imagine that the best barbecue in Dallas falls out of the top 10. The restaurant is open more days per week than ever before, and its menu remains as wide-ranging as ever, with seven full-time proteins that are joined by weekly specials.

Redbird: Barbecue enthusiasts statewide have been making the pilgrimage to the East Texas town of Port Neches (near Beaumont) to try pitmaster Amir Jalali’s creations. Not only did he train at both Feges BBQ in Houston and Goldee’s, he’s embraced the full DIY experience with housemade dinner rolls, a Caesar salad-inspired riff on coleslaw, and a Persian-influenced beef koobideh sausage that’s served with housemade pita bread. Houstonians looking for a barbecue adventure — or a detour on their way to a Louisiana casino — should make the journey.

Truth: Ranked No. 3 in 2021, the Houston location of Leonard Botello IV’s joint continues to expand its vision of Texas barbecue. The restaurant is now open for dinner, serves a first-rate burger, and recently added new tastes such as the cold smoked, cornmeal-crusted pork chop that’s absolutely can’t-miss. Houstonians might make Texas Monthly bonfires in the parking lot if it’s left off the list.

Fingers Crossed

Bar-A-BBQ: Located outside Houston in Montgomery, pitmaster Cooper Abercrombie earned a spot on the new and improved list for well-executed sausages, creative sides, and Saturday morning breakfast service that includes breakfast tacos and kolaches. This one feels a little like Tejas, where the magazine bets that an up-and-comer is ready to make the leap to barbecue royalty.

Dayne’s: Since making the top 50 in 2021, the Fort Worth-area favorite has stepped up its game by moving from a food truck to a brick-and-mortar in the suburb of Aledo. Known for its creative sausages and award-winning burger, the restaurant may have done enough to force its way into the top 10.

Interstellar: Ranked No. 2 and sporting a Michelin star, John Bates brings a fine dining pedigree and a chef’s knack for innovation to his Austin-area restaurant. Signatures like peach-tea brined pork belly and pulled lamb shoulder remain as vital as ever. Falling out of the top 10 would be pretty unlikely, but someone’s got to make room for the newcomers.

Sabar: Like Barbs and Redbird, this Fort Worth-area food truck is led by a Goldee’s alum in Zain Shafi. The Pakistani-influenced menu broadens the range of Texas barbecue with dishes such as nihari burnt ends, tandoori turkey, and seekh kebab sausage. Goldee’s co-owner Lane Milne strongly encouraged me to add Sabar to my Fort Worth itinerary — maybe he was trying to give me a hint that its line was about to get a lot longer.

Snow’s and Franklin: Arguably the two most famous Texas barbecue joints in the world, they topped the 2017 list and ranked No. 9 and No. 7, respectively, in 2021. No one’s saying they’ve gotten worse — just look at the massive number of people who still line up at both restaurants — but the newer joints are serving so much more expansive menus (at just as high a level of quality) that it’s hard to see both staying in the top 10.

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