Foodie News

The Austin restaurant invasion continues in Houston: But is it really good for anyone?

Pluckers Wing Bar — a spot known to just about every student, frat boy and wing lover in Austin — is coming to Houston, having signed a lease for 1400 Shepherd. If you always loved the original Pluckers in Austin, you might think this is great.

But hold on. There are implications that come with turning an icon into a burgeoning franchise (cue the dramatic music).

I completely understand the desire to make things big. To see your restaurant name on every corner — it's the American Dream.

Will the tradition of eating at Pluckers after a long night on Sixth Street seem less special now though? Uchi, Torchy's and now Pluckers . . . how many Austin spots do we need clones of?

Uchi, Torchy's and now Pluckers . . . how many Austin spots do we need clones of?

I was first introduced to Pluckers years ago by my cousin who was then a freshman at the University of Texas, staying in the Jester dorms. She would always have these coupons for free wings and appetizers. Since then, no matter what I do in Austin: Austin City Limits, South by Southwest, bar crawling on Sixth . . . I've made time for Pluckers.

I always order the traditional bone-in wings with medium sauce and, even though I know they are too hot for my comfort, I get three hot sauce wings to see if I can hang (not even close). What makes Pluckers a best wings contender is simply quality. There is actually meat on these bones. The wings are not fried to oblivion or so saturated with sauce or breading that you can only focus on the soggy texture and hope the ranch or blue cheese will save you.

Also, Pluckers Wings are always served fresh and hot — this does wonders for the wing sauce.

Soon I won't have to drive to Austin to try their Dr. Pepper flavored wing sauce. I can just drive 10 minutes to the new Houston location.

Pluckers has grown significantly since its 1995 debut. Two University of Texas students came up with the restaurant plan in their dorm room and right after graduating, they put it into action. (Read their rather funny stories). Pluckers now boasts 13 locations across Texas, including ones in Dallas, Arlington and San Marcos. The chain has also spread its wings to Louisiana, where it has two restaurants.

This past Christmas, I visited the Arlington Pluckers. The service was great and the food was decent, but it just wasn't the same. I had a lunch special consisting of buffalo chicken fingers and fries, not the traditional wings I normally order. The overall excitement of enjoying a Pluckers hot wing was somewhat gone.

The architecture of many of the new Pluckers buildings could best be called very cookie cutter. They're not as warm and inviting — and they definitely lack the college hangout energy that makes Austin Pluckers memorable and fun.

Progress stops for no one — and it often comes with rewards. In 2012, USA Today named Pluckers one of the Top 10 wing bars in the country and ESPN dubbed it a Top 5 Sports Bar.

No doubt Pluckers will do very well in Houston. But it's doubtful anyone will consider it a magic spot.

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a major award

Michelin-recognized Houston diner makes Bon Appetit best new restaurants

Photo by Jenn Duncan

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The hits just keep on coming for Houston restaurant Agnes and Sherman. Bon Appetit has named the Asian American diner as one of its best new restaurants of 2026.

Published Monday, April 24, the list includes 19 restaurants in 12 states and Washington, D.C. that opened between March 2025 and March 2026. In addition to Agnes and Sherman, Texas is represented by Le Calamar, a French-Texas bistro in Austin.

Editorial operations manager Kate Kassin hails Agnes and Sherman for signature dishes such as a wedge salad that’s topped with youtiao croutons, lap cheong, and ginger-scallion ranch and the signature cheeseburger fried rice that’s made with shredded iceberg lettuce, two slices of American cheese, sauce, and sesame seeds.

“It’s a mishmash of two iconic dishes in their own genres but, together, something wholly emblematic of the food that owners Nick Wong and Lisa Lee are putting forth,” Kassin writes.

Opened in April 2025, Agnes and Sherman puts an Asian spin on the classic American diner. Its received significant regional and national praise, including being named Texas Monthly’s best new restaurant of 2026, as well as earning a James Beard Award finalist nomination for Best New Restaurant and a Recommended designation in the Michelin Guide.

Good Morning America recently featured the restaurant during a weeklong series on diners. During the segment, Wong and Lee announced they'd recently become engaged.

At Le Calamar, Kassin finds first-rate stuffed chicken wings that are cooked on a Japanese binchotan grill. “Likewise, Wagyu hanger steak au poivre boasts a floral sauce that blends black, white, and Tellicherry peppercorns with garlic, brandy, cream, and ginger; it is a dynamic update on the classic,” she writes.

Le Calamar opened in May 2025 in the former Underdog space. A nominee for best new restaurant in the 2026 CultureMap Austin Tastemaker Awards, the restaurant is known for its chic interior, warm service, and dishes such as gnocchi and and raw oysters with fennel mignonette.

While Bon Appetit recognizes restaurants are facing challenges ranging from rising costs to AI disruption, the magazine takes an optimistic tone in the article’s introduction.

“The restaurants we found the most exciting are, of course, delicious, but they were also fearless about challenging the playbooks by betting on community and creativity. These are the traits that help evolve modern American cuisine,” it writes.

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